Bioinspired High-Magnesium Calcite for Efficiently Reducing Chemical Oxygen Demand in Lake Water.

Organic matter accumulation in water can cause serious problems such as oxygen depletion and quality deterioration of waters. While calcium carbonate has been used as green and low-cost adsorbent for water treatment, its efficiency in reducing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of water, which is a measure of organic pollution, is restrained by the limited specific surface area and chemical activity. Herein, inspired by the high-magnesium calcite (HMC) found in biological materials, a feasible method to synthesize fluffy dumbbell-like HMC with large specific surface area is reported.

Role of defensins in diabetic wound healing.

The adverse consequences resulting from diabetes are often presented as severe complications. Diabetic wounds are one of the most commonly occurring complications in diabetes, and the control and treatment of this is costly. Due to a series of pathophysiological mechanisms, diabetic wounds remain in the inflammatory phase for a prolonged period of time, and face difficulty in entering the proliferative phase, thus leading to chronic non-healing wounds.

Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Cluster Nanospheres in Water-Deficient Organic Solvents.

As the key intermediate phase of crystalline calcium carbonate biominerals, amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) remains mysterious in its structures because of its long-range disorder and instability. We herein report the synthesis of ACC nanospheres in a water-deficient organic solvent system. The obtained ACC nanospheres are very stable under dry conditions.

General Synthesis and Solution Processing of Metal-Organic Framework Nanofibers.

By virtue of their extraordinarily high surface areas, ordered pore structures, various compositions, and rich functionality, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are of great interest in diverse fields such as gas separation, sensing, catalysis, energy, environment science, and biomedicine. However, the difficulty in processing MOF crystals and controlling the MOF superstructure is emerging as a critical issue in their application. Herein, it is reported that a robust template, i.

Small molecule inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway.

Tumor cells form immune escape and subsequently obtain unlimited proliferation ability due to the abnormal immune surveillance mediated by immune checkpoints. Among this class of immune checkpoints, PD-1/PD-L1 was recognized as an anticancer drug target for many years, and so far, several monoclonal antibodies have achieved encouraging outcome in cancer treatment by targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway. Due to the inherent limitations of antibodies, the development of small molecule inhibitors based on PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway is gradually reviving in decades.

Natural Nanofibrous Cellulose-Derived Solid Acid Catalysts.

Solid acid catalysts (SACs) have attracted continuous research interest in past years as they play a pivotal role in establishing environmentally friendly and sustainable catalytic processes for various chemical industries. Development of low-cost and efficient SACs applicable to different catalysis processes are of immense significance but still very challenging so far. Here, we report a new kind of SACs consisting of sulfonated carbon nanofibers that are prepared via incomplete carbonization of low-cost natural nanofibrous cellulose followed by sulphonation with sulfuric acid.

Distinctive functional deficiencies in axonal conduction associated with two forms of cerebral white matter injury.

Aims: This study determines whether assessment with compound action potentials (CAPs) can distinguish two different forms of cerebral white matter injury at the functional levels.

Methods: A pure demyelination model was induced in C57/BL6 adult mice by dietary supplementation of cuprizone (0.2%) for 6 weeks.

Superelastic Hard Carbon Nanofiber Aerogels.

Superelastic carbon aerogels have been widely explored by graphitic carbons and soft carbons. These soft aerogels usually have delicate microstructures with good fatigue resistance but ultralow strength. Hard carbon aerogels show great advantages in mechanical strength and structural stability due to the sp -C-induced turbostratic "house-of-cards" structure.

Gut microbiota profiling in Han Chinese with type 1 diabetes.

Aims: To investigate whether microbial dysbiosis is associated with T1D in Chinese population and to explore relationships between the composition of gut microbiome and clinical data.

Methods: In this study, we recruited 10 healthy and 12 T1D Han Chinese subjects between the ages of 12 to 33. Fecal samples were collected for DNA extraction and 16S rRNA sequencing, followed by analyses of the gut microbiota composition.

Wood-Derived Ultrathin Carbon Nanofiber Aerogels.

Carbon aerogels with 3D networks of interconnected nanometer-sized particles exhibit fascinating physical properties and show great application potential. Efficient and sustainable methods are required to produce high-performance carbon aerogels on a large scale to boost their practical applications. An economical and sustainable method is now developed for the synthesis of ultrathin carbon nanofiber (CNF) aerogels from the wood-based nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) aerogels via a catalytic pyrolysis process, which guarantees high carbon residual and well maintenance of the nanofibrous morphology during thermal decomposition of the NFC aerogels.

Density functional study of structural and electronic properties of small binary Be(n)Cu(m) (n + m = 2~7) clusters.

The geometrical structures, electronic properties and relative stabilities of small bimetallic Be n Cu m (n + m = 2-7) clusters have been systematically investigated by using a density functional method at the B3PW91 level. In the most stable structures of Be n Cu m , the Be atoms tend to gather together and construct similar configurations to those of pure Be n clusters. Meanwhile, there is a tendency for Cu atoms to segregate toward the Be n cluster surface.

[Effects of yixintong on regulating cellular calcium channels].

Objective: To explore the protecting mechanism of Yixintong for heart ischemia-reperfusion injury at cellular and subcellular levels, by observing the effects of Yixintong on three kinds of calcium channels.

Method: The effects of Yixintong on Ca2+ influx on leak calcium channel, receptor-operationg calcium channel (ROC) and pulse-dependent calcium channel (PDC) were observed respectively, by using rat aortic smooth muscle cell and radioactive 45Ca technique.

Result: Yixintong has no effects on leak calcium channel, but can inhibit the Ca2+ influx in ROC and PDC significantly.