Intercalating lithium into the lattice of silver nanoparticles boosts catalytic hydrogenation of carbon-oxygen bonds.

Coinage metal nanoparticles with high dispersion can serve as highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts. However, owing to their low melting point, poor thermal stability remains a major obstacle towards their application under reaction conditions. It is a common practice to use porous inorganic templates such as mesoporous silica SBA-15 to disperse Ag nanoparticles (NPs) against aggregation but their stability is far from satisfactory.

Change of dominant phytoplankton groups in the eutrophic coastal sea due to atmospheric deposition.

Nutrient stoichiometry and input of trace metals may profoundly affect the growth and community structure of phytoplankton. A bioassay experiment was designed to explore the key components in atmospheric deposition that affect marine phytoplankton growth by adding aerosols and analogues nutrients and Cu to the surface water of the coastal East China Sea (ECS). Our results showed that atmospheric deposition along with the input of phosphate could largely enhance the chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations in this eutrophic water.

Epistatic interaction between PKD2 and ABCG2 influences the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia and gout.

Background: Genetic background affects serum urate concentration and gout risk, especially regarding these variants in the urate-transporter gene ABCG2. However, the role of epistasis between PKD2 and ABCG2 on the pathogenesis of gout is poorly understood. Here we assess this epistatic interaction in the progression from elevated serum urate to gout.

The influence of terrestrial transport on visibility and aerosol properties over the coastal East China Sea.

Air pollutants from East Asia continent can affect the physio-chemical and optical properties of marine aerosols under seasonal winds. We investigated the change of visibility and haze frequency from 1974 to 2017 over the coastal East China Sea (ECS), and reconstructed the light extinction coefficients according to the chemical compositions of PM samples collected at Huaniao Island in the ECS. The annual average visibility significantly decreased from over 25 km in the early 1970s to <18 km in recent 4 years.

Generation of sulfonated 1-isoindolinones through a multicomponent reaction with the insertion of sulfur dioxide.

A four-component reaction of 2-vinylbenzoic acids, aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, the sulfur dioxide surrogate DABCO·(SO2)2, and nitriles under photocatalysis in the presence of visible light is developed. This multicomponent reaction works efficiently, promoted by BF3·OEt2 with the insertion of sulfur dioxide under mild conditions, leading to sulfonated 1-isoindolinones in moderate to good yields. This route is highly selective, and several competitive pathways are not observed under these conditions.

Genetic variants in two pathways influence serum urate levels and gout risk: a systematic pathway analysis.

The aims of this study were to identify candidate pathways associated with serum urate and to explore the genetic effect of those pathways on the risk of gout. Pathway analysis of the loci identified in genome-wide association studies (GWASs) showed that the ion transmembrane transporter activity pathway (GO: 0015075) and the secondary active transmembrane transporter activity pathway (GO: 0015291) were both associated with serum urate concentrations, with P values of 0.004 and 0.

Effects of multiple genetic loci on the pathogenesis from serum urate to gout.

Gout is a common arthritis resulting from increased serum urate, and many loci have been identified that are associated with serum urate and gout. However, their influence on the progression from elevated serum urate levels to gout is unclear. This study aims to explore systematically the effects of genetic variants on the pathogenesis in approximately 5,000 Chinese individuals.

Identification and validation of the methylation biomarkers of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Background: DNA methylation was suggested as the promising biomarker for lung cancer diagnosis. However, it is a great challenge to search for the optimal combination of methylation biomarkers to obtain maximum diagnostic performance.

Results: In this study, we developed a panel of DNA methylation biomarkers and validated their diagnostic efficiency for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a large Chinese Han NSCLC retrospective cohort.

Two functional loci in the promoter of EPAS1 gene involved in high-altitude adaptation of Tibetans.

EPAS1 involves in the hypoxic response and is suggested to be responsible for the genetic adaptation of high-altitude hypoxia in Tibetans. However, the detailed molecular mechanism remains unknown. In this study, a single nucleotide polymorphism rs56721780:G>C and an insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphism -742 indel in the promoter region showed divergence between Tibetans and non-Tibetan lowlanders.