Fracture Resistant CrSi-Doped Silicon Nanoparticle Anodes for Fast-Charge Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been developed over the last three decades. Increased amount of silicon (Si) is added into graphite anode to increase the energy density of LIBs. However, the amount of Si is limited, due to its structural instability and poor electronic conductivity so a novel approach is needed to overcome these issues.

Multifunctional DNA Tetrahedron for Alzheimer's Disease Mitochondria-Targeted Therapy by MicroRNA Regulation.

The principal hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is neuron mitochondrial dysfunction, whereas mitochondrial miRNAs potentially play important roles. Nevertheless, efficacious mitochondria organelle therapeutic agents for treatment and management of AD are highly advisable. Herein, we report a multifunctional DNA tetrahedron-based mitochondria-targeted therapeutic platform, termed tetrahedral DNA framework-based nanoparticles (TDFNs), which was modified with triphenylphosphine (TPP) for mitochondria-targeting, cholesterol (Chol) for crossing the central nervous system, and functional antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) for both AD diagnosis and gene silencing therapy.

MXene Aerogel Derived Ultra-Active Vanadia Catalyst for Selective Conversion of Sustainable Alcohols to Base Chemicals.

Selective oxidation reactions are an important class of the current chemical industry and will be highly important for future sustainable chemical production. Especially, the selective oxidation of primary alcohols is expected to be of high future interest, as alcohols can be obtained on technical scales from biomass fermentation. The oxidation of primary alcohols produces aldehydes, which are important intermediates.

Macrophages-Cancer Membrane-Encapsulated Metal-Organic Frameworks with Copper-Depleting Moiety for Mitochondria-Targeted Therapeutics.

Mitochondria-targeted therapeutics are an attractive approach against energy-dependent cancer. However, effective mitochondria organelle therapeutics agents are still highly desirable. Herein, a mitochondria-targeted therapeutics platform, termed CDM@MUiO-DP@MCHM, consisting of macrophages-cancer hybrid membrane (MCHM) encapsulated MUiO-66 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is reported, which is loaded with microRNA (miRNA) biomarker detection probe (DP) for cancer diagnosis and copper-depleting moiety (CDM) for mitochondrial copper depletion to suppress cancer growth.

Discovery of a Series of Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Nucleoside Inhibitors of CD73 That Demonstrates Antitumor Activity.

CD73 (ecto-5'-nucleotidase) has emerged as an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy of many cancers. CD73 catalyzes the hydrolysis of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) into highly immunosuppressive adenosine that plays a critical role in tumor progression. Herein, we report our efforts in developing orally bioavailable and highly potent small-molecule CD73 inhibitors from the reported hit molecule to lead molecule and then finally to compound .

Onset Potential for Electrolyte Oxidation and Ni-Rich Cathode Degradation in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

High-capacity Ni-rich layered metal oxide cathodes are highly desirable to increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. However, these materials suffer from poor cycling performance, which is exacerbated by increased cell voltage. We demonstrate here the detrimental effect of ethylene carbonate (EC), a core component in conventional electrolytes, when NMC811 (LiNiMnCoO) is charged above 4.

Engineering Metal-Organic Framework Hybrid AIEgens with Tumor-Activated Accumulation and Emission for the Image-Guided GSH Depletion ROS Therapy.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active luminogens (AIEgens) have demonstrated exciting potential for the application in cancer phototheranostics. However, simultaneously achieving tumor-activated bright emission, enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, high tumor accumulation, and minimized ROS depletion remains challenging. Here, a metal-organic framework (MOF) hybrid AIEgen theranostic platform is designed, termed A-NUiO@DCDA@ZIF-Cu, composed of an AIEgen-loaded hydrophobic UiO-66 (A-NUiO@DCDA) core and a Cu-doped hydrophilic ZIF-8 (ZIF-Cu) shell.

Electrolyte Reactivity at the Charged Ni-Rich Cathode Interface and Degradation in Li-Ion Batteries.

The chemical and electrochemical reactions at the positive electrode-electrolyte interface in Li-ion batteries are hugely influential on cycle life and safety. Ni-rich layered transition metal oxides exhibit higher interfacial reactivity than their lower Ni-content analogues, reacting via mechanisms that are poorly understood. Here, we study the pivotal role of the electrolyte solvent, specifically cyclic ethylene carbonate (EC) and linear ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), in determining the interfacial reactivity at charged LiNiMnCoO (NMC111) and LiNiMnCoO (NMC811) cathodes by using both single-solvent model electrolytes and the mixed solvents used in commercial cells.

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production.

A method for facile synthesis of nanostructured catalysts supported on carbon nanotubes with atomically dispersed cobalt and nitrogen dopant is presented herein. The novel strategy is based on a facile one-pot pyrolysis treatment of cobalt (II) acetylacetonate and nitrogen-rich organic precursors under Ar atmosphere at 800 °C, resulting in the formation of Co- and N- co-doped carbon nanotube with earthworm-like morphology. The obtained catalyst was found to have a high density of defect sites, as confirmed by Raman spectroscopy.

The glutaminase inhibitor telaglenastat enhances the antitumor activity of signal transduction inhibitors everolimus and cabozantinib in models of renal cell carcinoma.

Dysregulated metabolism is a hallmark of cancer that manifests through alterations in bioenergetic and biosynthetic pathways to enable tumor cell proliferation and survival. Tumor cells exhibit high rates of glycolysis, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect, and an increase in glutamine consumption to support the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumors express high levels of glutaminase (GLS), the enzyme required for the first step in metabolic conversion of glutamine to glutamate and the entry of glutamine into the TCA cycle.

Complete genome sequencing and comparative genome analysis of the extremely halophilic archaea, Haloterrigena daqingensis.

In the present study, we report the complete genome sequencing of Haloterrigena daqingensis species. The genome of H. daqingensis JX313 consisted of a circular chromosome with three plasmids.

[A new quinoline alkaloid from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans].

Three compounds, including scolosprine C(1), uracil(2) and hypoxanthine(3), were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate fraction of centipede by silica gel normal-phase column chromatography, reversed-phase medium pressure preparation chromatography, and high-pressure semi-preparative HPLC. The structure was elucidated through a combination of spectroscopic analyses [such as nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) and mass spectrometry(MS)] and literature review. Among them, compound 1 was a new quinoline alkaloid.

CuCoO nanoneedle array with high stability for high performance asymmetric supercapacitors.

Cycling performance is very important to device application. Herein, a facile and controllable approach is proposed to synthesize high stability CuCoO nanoneedle array on a conductive substrate. The electrode presents excellent performances in a large specific capacitance up to 2.

Exploring Soil Factors Determining Composition and Structure of the Bacterial Communities in Saline-Alkali Soils of Songnen Plain.

Songnen Plain is originally one of the three major glasslands in China and has now become one of the three most concentrated distribution areas of sodic-saline soil worldwide. The soil is continuously degraded by natural and anthropogenic processes, which has a negative impact on agricultural production. The investigation of microbial diversity in this degraded ecosystem is fundamental for comprehending biological and ecological processes and harnessing the potential of microbial resources.

Anti-coccidial properties and mechanisms of an edible herb, Bidens pilosa, and its active compounds for coccidiosis.

Avian coccidiosis is an economically important disease in the poultry industry. In view of the disadvantages of anti-coccidial drugs in chickens, edible plants and their compounds are re-emerging as an alternative strategy to combat this disease. A previous publication reported that the edible plant B.

Inhibition of arginase by CB-1158 blocks myeloid cell-mediated immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment.

Background: Myeloid cells are an abundant leukocyte in many types of tumors and contribute to immune evasion. Expression of the enzyme arginase 1 (Arg1) is a defining feature of immunosuppressive myeloid cells and leads to depletion of L-arginine, a nutrient required for T cell and natural killer (NK) cell proliferation. Here we use CB-1158, a potent and orally-bioavailable small-molecule inhibitor of arginase, to investigate the role of Arg1 in regulating anti-tumor immunity.

Discovery of dual Axl/VEGF-R2 inhibitors as potential anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic drugs for cancer chemotherapy.

Axl tyrosine kinase has been shown to be involved in multiple pathways contributing to tumor development, angiogenesis, and metastasis. High Axl expression has been observed in many human tumors where it appears to confer aggressive tumor behavior. Here we present several series of dual Axl-VEGF-R2 kinase inhibitors based on extensive optimization of an acyl diaminotriazole.

Inhibiting glutaminase in acute myeloid leukemia: metabolic dependency of selected AML subtypes.

Metabolic reprogramming has been described as a hallmark of transformed cancer cells. In this study, we examined the role of the glutamine (Gln) utilization pathway in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines and primary AML samples. Our results indicate that a subset of AML cell lines is sensitive to Gln deprivation.

HBV suppresses expression of MICA/B on hepatoma cells through up-regulation of transcription factors GATA2 and GATA3 to escape from NK cell surveillance.

Decreased expression of NKG2D ligands on HBV-infected human hepatoma cells impairs NK cells lysis. However, which components of HBV exert this effect and the precise mechanisms need to be further investigated. In the present study, we observed that the HBx and HBc genes significantly down-regulated MICA expression.

Carbon coating may expedite the fracture of carbon-coated silicon core-shell nanoparticles during lithiation.

Previous studies on silicon (Si) indicate that lithiation-induced fracture of crystalline Si nanoparticles can be greatly inhibited if their diameter is reduced to below a critical scale of around 150 nm. In this paper, in situ lithiation of individual carbon-coated Si nanoparticles (Si@C NPs) is conducted which shows that Si@C NPs will fracture during lithiation even though their diameter is much smaller than 150 nm, implying a deleterious effect of the carbon coating on the integrity of the Si@C NPs during lithiation. To shed light on this effect, finite element analysis is carried out which reveals that the carbon coating, if fractured during lithiation, will induce cracks terminating at the C/Si interface.

Microscopic pillars and tubes fabricated by using fish dentine as a molding template.

Biomaterials in nature exhibit delicate structures that are greatly beyond the capability of the current manufacturing techniques. Duplicating these structures and applying them in engineering may help enhance the performance of traditional functional materials and structures. Inspired by gecko's hierarchical micro- and nano-fibrillar structures for adhesion, in this work we fabricated micro-pillars and tubes by adopting the tubular dentine of black carp fish teeth as molding template.

Metabolism of fostamatinib, the oral methylene phosphate prodrug of the spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor R406 in humans: contribution of hepatic and gut bacterial processes to the overall biotransformation.

The metabolism of the spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor N4-(2,2-dimethyl-3-oxo-4-pyrid[1,4]oxazin-6-yl)-5-fluoro-N2-(3,4,5-trimethyoxyphenyl)-2,4-pyrimidinediamine (R406) and its oral prodrug N4-(2,2-dimethyl-4-[(dihydrogenphosphonoxy)methyl]-3-oxo-5-pyrid[1,4]oxazin-6-yl)-5-fluoro-N2-(3,4,5-trimethyoxyphenyl)-2,4-pyrimidinediamine disodium hexahydrate (R788, fostamatinib) was determined in vitro and in humans. R788 was rapidly converted to R406 by human intestinal microsomes, and only low levels of R788 were observed in plasma of human subjects after oral administration of (14)C-R788. R406 was the major drug-related compound in plasma from human subjects, and only low levels of metabolites were observed in plasma.

R428, a selective small molecule inhibitor of Axl kinase, blocks tumor spread and prolongs survival in models of metastatic breast cancer.

Accumulating evidence suggests important roles for the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl in cancer progression, invasion, metastasis, drug resistance, and patient mortality, highlighting Axl as an attractive target for therapeutic development. We have generated and characterized a potent and selective small-molecule inhibitor, R428, that blocks the catalytic and procancerous activities of Axl. R428 inhibits Axl with low nanomolar activity and blocked Axl-dependent events, including Akt phosphorylation, breast cancer cell invasion, and proinflammatory cytokine production.

Mechanical force modulates global gene expression and beta-catenin signaling in colon cancer cells.

At various stages during embryogenesis and cancer cells are exposed to tension, compression and shear stress; forces that can regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. In the present study, we show that shear stress blocks cell cycle progression in colon cancer cells and regulates the expression of genes linked to the Wnt/beta-catenin, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NFkappaB pathways. The shear stress-induced increase of the secreted Wnt inhibitor DKK1 requires p38 and activation of NFkappaB requires IkappaB kinase-beta.

Targeting aurora kinases as therapy in multiple myeloma.

The aurora kinases facilitate transit from G2 through cytokinesis and, thus, are targets in cancer therapy. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy characterized by genetic instability, suggesting a disruption of checkpoints that arrest cells at G2M when injury to the mitotic machinery occurs. Since deficient checkpoints would prevent cell cycle arrest and may render cells susceptible to apoptosis in mitosis and since aurora kinases are intermediaries in checkpoint pathways, we tested antimyeloma effects of 2 agents that inhibit aurora kinases.