Ultralow voltage-driven efficient and stable perovskite light-emitting diodes.

The poor operational stability of perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) remains a major obstacle to their commercial application. Achieving high brightness and quantum efficiency at low driving voltages, thus effectively reducing heat accumulation, is key to enhancing the operational lifetime of PeLEDs. Here, we present a breakthrough, attaining a record-low driving voltage while maintaining high brightness and efficiency.

Polyphenolic Nanomedicine Regulating Mitochondria REDOX for Innovative Cancer Treatment.

Cancer remains a highly lethal disease globally. The approach centered on REDOX-targeted mitochondrial therapy for cancer has displayed notable benefits. Plant polyphenols exhibit strong REDOX and anticancer properties, particularly by affecting mitochondrial function, yet their structural instability and low bioavailability hinder their utility.

Formation of EGCG oxidation self-assembled nanoparticles and their antioxidant activity and hepatic REDOX regulation activity .

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a major polyphenol in tea and exerts several health-promoting effects. It easily autoxidizes into complex polymers and becomes deactivated due to the presence of multiple phenolic hydroxyl structures. Nonetheless, the morphology and biological activity of complex EGCG polymers are yet to be clarified.

EGCG oxidation-derived polymers induce apoptosis in digestive tract cancer cells regulating the renin-angiotensin system.

Green tea polyphenol (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been well studied for its biological activities in the prevention of chronic diseases. However, the biological activities of EGCG oxidation-derived polymers remain unclear. Previously, we found that these polymers accumulated in intraperitoneal tissues after intraperitoneal injection and gained an advantage over native EGCG in increasing insulin sensitivity regulating the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in type 2 diabetic mice.

EGCG-derived polymeric oxidation products enhance insulin sensitivity in db/db mice.

The present study investigated the influence of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and its autoxidation products on insulin sensitivity in db/db mice. Compared to EGCG, autoxidation products of EGCG alleviated diabetic symptoms by suppressing the deleterious renal axis of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), activating the beneficial hepatic axis of RAS, and downregulating hepatic and renal SELENOP and TXNIP. A molecular weight fraction study demonstrated that polymeric oxidation products were of essential importance.

An Unrecognized Fundamental Relationship between Neurotransmitters: Glutamate Protects against Catecholamine Oxidation.

Neurotransmitter catecholamines (dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine) are liable to undergo oxidation, which copper is deeply involved in. Catecholamine oxidation-derived neurotoxicity is recognized as a pivotal pathological mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. Glutamate, as an excitatory neurotransmitter, is enriched in the brain at extremely high concentrations.

Tea Drinking Alleviates Diabetic Symptoms via Upregulating Renal Water Reabsorption Proteins and Downregulating Renal Gluconeogenic Enzymes in db/db Mice.

Scope: Tea, made from the plant Camellia sinensis, is known to have anti-diabetes effects and different mechanisms of action are proposed. Kidney is a vital organ in managing water reabsorption and glucose metabolism, and is greatly influenced by diabetes. The present study investigates the effects of tea administration on water reabsorption and gluconeogenesis in the kidney of diabetic mice.

-Acetyl-l-cysteine Enhances the Effect of Selenium Nanoparticles on Cancer Cytotoxicity by Increasing the Production of Selenium-Induced Reactive Oxygen Species.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) has an extremely poor prognosis, which leads to a significantly decreased overall survival in patients with peritoneal implantation of cancer cells. Administration of sodium selenite by intraperitoneal injection is highly effective in inhibiting PC. Our previous study found that selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have higher redox activity and safety than sodium selenite.

A mouse model of subacute liver failure with ascites induced by step-wise increased doses of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate.

Acute liver failure is divided into hyperacute, acute and subacute liver failure. Ascites is a common complication of subacute liver failure. Although animal models of acute liver failure have been established, the study of the pathogenesis of subacute liver failure with ascites complication is hampered by the lack of experimental animal model.

Selenium nanoparticles act as an intestinal p53 inhibitor mitigating chemotherapy-induced diarrhea in mice.

Selenium, at high-dose levels approaching its toxicity, protects tissues from dose-limiting toxicities of many cancer chemotherapeutics without compromising their therapeutic effects on tumors, there by allowing the delivery of higher chemotherapeutic doses to achieve increased cure rate. In this regard, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), which show the lowest toxicity among extensively investigated selenium compounds including methylselenocysteine and selenomethionine, are more promising for application. The key issue remains to be resolved is whether low-toxicity SeNPs possess a selective protective mechanism.

Melatonin and (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate: Partners in Fighting Cancer.

We have demonstrated previously that melatonin attenuates hepatotoxicity triggered by high doses of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in mice. The current work investigated the influence of melatonin on the oncostatic activity of EGCG in two cancer cell lines, wherein melatonin induced an opposite response of p21. In human tongue cancer TCA8113 cells, melatonin-induced p21 and EGCG-mediated formation of quinoproteins were positively associated with the oncostatic effects of melatonin and EGCG.

Pharmacological mechanisms of the anticancer action of sodium selenite against peritoneal cancer in mice.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis has an extremely poor overall prognosis and remains one of the greatest oncologic challenges. Prior studies in mice show that sodium selenite administered intraperitoneally is highly effective in inhibiting cancer cells implanted in the peritoneal cavity. However, the pharmacological mechanism remains unclear.

Selenium nanoparticles are more efficient than sodium selenite in producing reactive oxygen species and hyper-accumulation of selenium nanoparticles in cancer cells generates potent therapeutic effects.

We have previously demonstrated that selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) administered via oral route possess similar capacities of increasing selenoenzyme activities as the extensively examined sodium selenite, selenomethionine and methylselenocysteine, and yet display the lowest toxicity among these selenium compounds in mouse models. However, the low toxicity of SeNPs found in mammalian systems would lead to the interpretation that the punctate distribution of elemental selenium found in cultured cancer cells subjected to selenite treatment that triggers marked cytotoxicity represents a detoxifying mechanism. The present study found that SeNPs could be reduced by the thioredoxin- or glutaredoxin-coupled glutathione system to generate ROS.

Efficacy of Adjunctive Bioactive Materials in the Treatment of Periodontal Intrabony Defects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Lots of bioactive materials have been additionally applied for the treatment of periodontal intrabony defect. However, there is dearth of studies to systematically evaluate the supplementary role of them in periodontal regeneration. The goal of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the adjunctive effects of bioactive materials such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), enamel matrix derivative (EMD), and amnion membrane (AM) on the outcomes of bone grafting treatment for periodontal intrabony defects.

Mitophagy Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Diseases.

Mitophagy is a metabolic process to remove excessive or damaged mitochondria in eukaryotic cells. It is well-known that mitochondria are one of the major sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mitochondrial ROS and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) can activate inflammasomes to induce inflammatory responses.

Broad-spectrum antimicrobial photocatalysis mediated by titanium dioxide and UVA is potentiated by addition of bromide ion via formation of hypobromite.

Antimicrobial photocatalysis involves the UVA excitation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (particularly the anatase form) to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that kill microbial cells. For the first time we report that the addition of sodium bromide to photoactivated TiO2 (P25) potentiates the killing of Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi by up to three logs. The potentiation increased with increasing bromide concentration in the range of 0-10mM.

Antimicrobial Blue Light Inactivation of Gram-Negative Pathogens in Biofilms: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

Background: Biofilms affect >80% bacterial infections in human and are usually difficult to eradicate because of their inherent drug resistance.

Methods: We investigated the effectiveness of antimicrobial blue light (aBL) (wavelength, 415 nm) for inactivating Acinetobacter baumannii or Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in 96-well microplates or infected mouse burn wounds.

Results: In vitro, in 96-well microplates, exposure of 24-hour-old and 72-hour-old A.

Ultraviolet blood irradiation: Is it time to remember "the cure that time forgot"?

Ultraviolet blood irradiation (UBI) was extensively used in the 1940s and 1950s to treat many diseases including septicemia, pneumonia, tuberculosis, arthritis, asthma, and even poliomyelitis. The early studies were carried out by several physicians in USA and published in the American Journal of Surgery. However, with the development of antibiotics, the use of UBI declined and it has now been called "the cure that time forgot.

Simple physical approach to reducing frictional and adhesive forces on a TiO2 surface via creating heterogeneous nanopores.

A simple physical strategy to reduce the frictional and adhesive forces on TiO(2) films was proposed by constructing mesoporous TiO(2) films with heterogeneously distributed nanopores on the film surfaces. In comparison, TiO(2) films with densely packed nanoparticles were also prepared. The crystal structure and morphology of the films were characterized with Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Climate change and vector-borne diseases: an economic impact analysis of malaria in Africa.

A semi-parametric econometric model is used to study the relationship between malaria cases and climatic factors in 25 African countries. Results show that a marginal change in temperature and precipitation levels would lead to a significant change in the number of malaria cases for most countries by the end of the century. Consistent with the existing biophysical malaria model results, the projected effects of climate change are mixed.

Influence of N,N'-diacetyl-L-cystine on D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide induced immunological liver failure in mice.

Aim: To study the therapeutic effects of N,N'-diacetyl-L-cystine (DiNAC) on immunological liver failure.

Methods: Serum ALT, AST and T cell subsets in peripheral blood of the experimental animals during the trial period were analyzed by an automatic serum analyzer and a flow cytometer, respectively. The sectioned liver specimens were examined under a light microscope.