3D assembled carbon materials, featuring unique hierarchical porosity and interconnected channels, are essential for the advancement of emerging zinc-air batteries (ZABs). In this study, nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) co-doped 3D carbon nanoholes (N/S-CNHs) are synthesized through a straightforward procedure involving self-assembly followed by carbonization. This process utilizes a hybrid of self-assembled covalent triazine framework and sodium lignosulphonate (CTF@LS) as a multifunctional precursor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrosporidia are intracellular eukaryotic pathogens that pose a substantial threat to immunocompromised hosts. The way these pathogens manipulate host cells during infection remains poorly understood. Using a proximity biotinylation strategy we established that microsporidian EnP1 is a nucleus-targeted effector that modifies the host cell environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrosporidia are prolific producers of effector molecules, encompassing both proteins and nonproteinaceous effectors, such as toxins, small RNAs, and small peptides. These secreted effectors play a pivotal role in the pathogenicity of microsporidia, enabling them to subvert the host's innate immunity and co-opt metabolic pathways to fuel their own growth and proliferation. However, the genomes of microsporidia, despite falling within the size range of bacteria, exhibit significant reductions in both structural and physiological features, thereby affecting the repertoire of secretory effectors to varying extents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmeson portunus is an intracellular pathogen that infects marine crabs Portunus trituberculatus and Scylla paramamosain, causing significant economic losses. However, research into this important parasite has been limited due to the absence of an in vitro culture system. To address this challenge, we developed an in vitro cultivation model of A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Toxoplasma gondii is an important protozoan pathogen with medical and veterinary importance worldwide. Drugs currently used for treatment of toxoplasmosis are less effective and sometimes cause serious side effects. There is an urgent need for the development of more effective drugs with relatively low toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Commun (Camb)
February 2024
The advancement of highly efficient and enduring platinum (Pt)-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a critical determinant to enable broad utilization of clean energy conversion technologies. Pt-based intermetallic electrocatalysts offer durability and superior ORR activity over their traditional analogues due to their definite stoichiometry, ordered and extended structures, and favourable enthalpy of formation. With the advent in new synthetic methods, Pt-based intermetallic nanoparticles as a new class of advanced electrocatalysts have been studied extensively in recent years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe intelligent construction of non-noble metal materials that exhibit reversible oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with bifunctional electrocatalytic performance is greatly coveted in the realm of zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, a crafted structure-amorphous MnO lamellae encapsulated covalent triazine polymer-derived N, S, P co-doped carbon sphere (A-MnO/NSPC) is designed using a self-doped pyrolysis coupled with an in situ encapsulation strategy. The customized A-MnO/NSPC-2 demonstrates a superior bifunctional electrocatalytic performance, confirmed by a small ΔE index of 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is highly desirable to fabricate transition bimetallic alloy-embedded porous nanocarbons with a unique nanoarchitecture for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in rechargeable zinc-air batteries. In this work, we introduce a template-assisted in situ alloying synthesis of FeNi alloy nanoparticle-decorated coral-like nanocarbons (FeNi-CNCs) as efficient OER/ORR dual-functional electrocatalysts. The present materials are produced through polycondensation of a covalent triazine framework (CTF), the coordination of Ni and Fe ions, and sequential pyrolytic treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStructurally ordered L1 -iron triad (Fe, Co, Ni)/Pt with a M(iron triad)/Pt ratio ≈1:1 has drawn increasing attention in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysis and fuel cell technologies by virtue of the high performance derived from their strong surface strain. However, the synthesis of intermetallic L1 -M(iron triad)Pt generally requires the accurate content control of the multicomponent and the sufficient thermal energy to overcome the kinetic barrier for atom diffusion. This work reports a synthesis of sub ≈5 nm L1 -intermetallic nanoparticles using phosphide intermediate-induced structural phase transition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis
January 2023
Sustained proliferative signaling is a crucial hallmark and therapeutic target in glioblastoma (GBM); however, new intrinsic regulators and their underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, I kappa B kinase interacting protein (IKBIP) was identified to be correlated with the progression of GBM by analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data. TCGA database analysis indicated that higher IKBIP expression was associated with high tumor grade and poor prognosis in GBM patients, and these correlations were subsequently validated in clinical samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWeighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified a cell-cycle module that is associated with poor prognosis and aggressiveness of glioma. One of the core members, Regulator of chromatin condensation 2 (RCC2) is a component of the chromosome passenger complex. Accumulating evidence suggests that RCC2 plays a vital role in the mitotic process and that abnormal RCC2 expression is involved in cancer development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDefects have a significant impact on the electrocatalysts performance. Introducing defect structures in metal oxides such as pyrochlores and perovskites has proved to be an effective strategy to enhance electrocatalytic activity. However, it is hard to build numerous defect sites in such high-temperature oxides due to the strong metal-oxygen bonds and the so-called self-purification effect, which becomes increasingly important as the particle size reduced to the nanoscale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe previous three decades have witnessed a prosperity of contralateral C7 nerve (CC7) transfer in the treatment of upper-extremity paralysis induced by both brachial plexus avulsion injury and central hemiplegia. From the initial subcutaneous route to the pre-spinal route and the newly-established post-spinal route, this surgical operation underwent a series of innovations and refinements, with the aim of shortening the regeneration distance and even achieving direct neurorrhaphy. Apart from surgical efforts for better peripheral nerve regeneration, brain involvement in functional improvements after CC7 transfer also stimulated scientific interest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe construction of hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres (HMCS) avoiding the use of traditional soft/hard templates is highly desired for nanoscience yet challenging. Herein, we report a simple and straightforward template-free strategy for preparing nitrogen, sulfur dual-doped HMCSs (N/S-HMCSs) as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts. The unique hollow spherical and mesoporous structure was in-situ formed via a thermally initiated hollowing pathway from an elaborately engineered covalent triazine framework.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFShuttle effect has always been a critical obstacle to the application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries for leading to unstable cycle performance and a short lifespan. To solve this problem, a particular strategy is put up to relieve shuttle effect by capturing soluble polysulfides through a three-dimensional interconnected carbon network. Due to the uniformly anchored ultrafine FeS nanoparticles on a 3D interconnected carbon network, the material could lock soluble polysulfides on the cathode side and promote electrochemical conversion reactions among sulfur species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngew Chem Int Ed Engl
September 2021
The development of active and stable platinum (Pt)-based oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts with good resistance to poisoning is a prerequisite for widespread practical application of fuel cells. An effective strategy for enhancing the electrocatalytic performance is to tune or control the physicochemical state of the Pt surface. Herein, we show a general surface-engineering approach to prepare a range of nanostructured Pt alloys by coating with alloy PtBi shells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: C7 nerve transfer alone can improve upper limb motor function and partial spasticity. Selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR) of the cervical nerve alone can comprehensively improve spasticity but without neuromotor regeneration. We propose a novel possible improvement of contralateral C7 (CC7) nerve transfer through the posterior vertebral approach, which was combined with SPR of the affected cervical nerve.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrengthening the interfacial interaction in heterogeneous catalysts can lead to a dramatic improvement in their performance and allow the use of smaller amounts of active noble metal, thus decreasing the cost without compromising their activity. In this work, a facile phase-segregation method is demonstrated for synthesizing platinum-tin oxide hybrids supported on carbon black (PtSnO /C) in situ by air annealing PtSn alloy nanoparticles on carbon black. Compared with a control sample formed by preloading SnO on carbon support followed by deposition of Pt nanoparticles, the phase-segregation-derived PtSnO /C exhibits a more strongly coupled PtSnO interface with lattice overlap of Pt (111) and SnO (200), along with enhanced electron transfer from SnO to Pt.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPotassium-ion hybrid capacitors (PIHCs) have attracted tremendous attention because their energy density is comparable to that of lithium-ion batteries, whose power density and cyclability are similar to those of supercapacitors. Herein, a pomegranate-like graphene-confined cucurbit[6]uril-derived nitrogen-doped carbon (CBC@G) with ultra-high nitrogen-doping level (15.5 at%) and unique supermesopore-macropores interconnected graphene network is synthesized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to explore a shorter and safer contralateral C7 transposition pathway for the treatment of central upper limb paralysis.
Methods: From July 2018 to March 2019, 10 patients with central upper limb paralysis underwent posterior cervical 7 nerve transposition. The age of these patients ranged within 31-58 years old (average: 44 years old).
Developing efficient and low-cost replacements for precious metals as electrocatalysts active in electrochemical reactions-the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)-is a top priority in renewable energy technology. In this work a highly active and very stable trifunctional electrocatalyst composed of Co P embedded in Co, N, and P multi-doped carbon has been synthesized using zeolitic imidazolate frameworks as precursors. The synergistic effects between Co P and the multi-heteroatom-doped carbon substrates afford materials having electrocatalytic activities for HER, OER, and ORR, which are comparable-or even superior to-those of commercial RuO or Pt/C catalysts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Contralateral C7 nerve transfer is widely applied for the treatment of brachial plexus injuries or central paralysis of the upper extremities. The surgical approach has evolved from the precervical subcutaneous route to the prespinal route, which is currently the most commonly used one. We report a patient with central paralysis of the right upper extremity treated with contralateral C7 nerve transfer via the posterior spinal route.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Stress ulcers occur frequently in neurosurgical intensive care patients and can pose serious risks. We summarized the clinical experience of the combined application of nasointestinal tubes for early restoration of enteral nutrition and of nasogastric (NG) tubes for stress ulceration treatment in patients hospitalized in a neurosurgical intensive care unit.
Methods: From January 2011 to June 2011, a series of 67 patients with stress ulceration hospitalized in a neurosurgical intensive care unit were randomized to two groups.
Background: The aim of this article is to summarize the clinical experience stemming from the administration of different surgical therapies in hypertensive basal ganglia hemorrhage (HBGH) patients.
Methods: A series of 87 patients with HBGH who had received surgical therapy individually were enrolled in this study. The surgical therapies were stereotactic aspiration (SA), stereotactic aspiration plus fibrinolytic therapy (SA+F) and microsurgery with small bone window (MS), respectively.
Craniotomy is frequently used for the treatment of acute subdural hematoma; however, it the procedure exhibits a high mortality rate. Preoperative trepanation and drainage in an emergency ward may reduce intracranial pressure, shorten operation time and lower patient mortality, and is thus applicable to the treatment of acute subdural hematoma. The present study reports the cases of two elderly patients that benefitted from trepanation and drainage of an acute subdural hematoma.
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