Turn-on and Turn-off Fluorescent Probes for Carbon Monoxide Detection and Blood Carboxyhemoglobin Determination.

Water-soluble, carbazole-based two-photon excitable fluorescent probes MPVC-I ("turn-on") and MPVC-II ("turn-off") are rationally designed and synthesized for the selective monitoring of carbon monoxide (CO). Both probes can effectively measure carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) in the blood of the animals exposed to a CO dose as low as 100 ppm for 10 min. The palladium catalyzed azidocarbonylation reaction was optimized to improve the sensing efficiency.

Radioactive iodine capture and storage from water using magnetite nanoparticles encapsulated in polypyrrole.

The effective capture and storage of radioactive iodine is of importance for nuclear waste storage during nuclear power station accidents. Here we report FeO@PPy powder containing ∼12nm magnetite (FeO) nanoparticles encapsulated in the polypyrrole (PPy) matrix. It shows 1627mg/g uptake of iodine dissolved in water, within 2h at room temperature.

Mesoporous Silicon Hollow Nanocubes Derived from Metal-Organic Framework Template for Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Anode.

Controlling the morphology of nanostructured silicon is critical to improving the structural stability and electrochemical performance in lithium-ion batteries. The use of removable or sacrificial templates is an effective and easy route to synthesize hollow materials. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of mesoporous silicon hollow nanocubes (m-Si HCs) derived from a metal-organic framework (MOF) as an anode material with outstanding electrochemical properties.

Accelerated Bone Regeneration by Two-Photon Photoactivated Carbon Nitride Nanosheets.

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) present promising opportunities for therapeutic medicine. Carbon derivatives showed only marginal enhancement in stem cell differentiation toward bone formation. Here we report that red-light absorbing carbon nitride (CN) sheets lead to remarkable proliferation and osteogenic differentiation by runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) activation, a key transcription factor associated with osteoblast differentiation.

Hemoglobin-carbon nanotube derived noble-metal-free Fe5C2-based catalyst for highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction.

High performance non-precious cathodic catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are vital for the development of energy materials and devices. Here, we report an noble metal free, Fe5C2 nanoparticles-studded sp(2) carbon supported mesoporous material (CNTHb-700) as cathodic catalyst for ORR, which was prepared by pyrolizing the hybrid adduct of single walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and lyophilized hemoglobin (Hb) at 700 °C. The catalyst shows onset potentials of 0.

Turn-On Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for Selective Discrimination of Cr(3+) from Fe(3+) in Aqueous Media for Living Cell Imaging.

Pyrene-based turn-on ratiometric fluorescent probe 1 demonstrates high sensitivity and exceptional selectivity toward Cr(3+) in the presence of other metals, including Fe(3+) in aqueous media. Interaction of Cr(3+) with probe 1 brings pyrene moieties close enough to have better aligned π-π stacking, thus enhancing the excimer peak many fold. On the other hand, the interaction of Fe(3+) with probe 1 brings forth a negligible difference in stacking, resulting in an insignificant change in fluorescence intensity.

Alpha-lipoic acid decreases hepatic lipogenesis through adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent and AMPK-independent pathways.

Unlabelled: Fatty liver is common in obese subjects with insulin resistance. Hepatic expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), which plays a major role in hepatic steatosis, is regulated by multiple factors, including insulin, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), liver X receptors (LXRs), and specificity protein 1. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a naturally occurring antioxidant, has been shown to decrease lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle by activating AMPK.