| 1. |
- Chen, Jing-De, et al.
(författare)
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Hot-electron emission-driven energy recycling in transparent plasmonic electrode for organic solar cells
- 2022
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Ingår i: InfoMat. - : Wiley. - 2567-3165. ; 4:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plasmonic metal electrodes with subwavelength nanostructures are promising for enhancing light harvesting in photovoltaics. However, the nonradiative damping of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) during coupling with sunlight results in the conversion of the excited hot-electrons to heat, which limits the absorption of light and generation of photocurrent. Herein, an energy recycling strategy driven by hot-electron emission for recycling the SPP energy trapped in the plasmonic electrodes is proposed. A transparent silver-based plasmonic metal electrode (A-PME) with a periodic hexagonal nanopore array is constructed, which is combined with a luminescent organic emitter for radiative recombination of the injected hot-electrons. Owing to the suppressed SPP energy loss via broadband hot-electron emission, the A-PME achieves an optimized optical transmission with an average transmittance of over 80% from 380 to 1200 nm. Moreover, the indium-tin-oxide-free organic solar cells yield an enhanced light harvesting with a power conversion efficiency of 16.1%.
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| 2. |
- Qin, Guo Qing, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental Realization of Sensitivity Enhancement and Suppression with Exceptional Surfaces
- 2021
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Ingår i: Laser and Photonics Reviews. - : Wiley. - 1863-8899 .- 1863-8880. ; 15:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- By preparing a sensor system around isolated exceptional points, one can obtain a great enhancement of the sensitivity benefiting from the non-Hermiticity. However, this comes at the cost of reduction of the flexibility of the system, which is critical for practical applications. By generalizing the exceptional points to exceptional surfaces, it has been theoretically proposed recently that enhanced sensitivity and flexibility can be combined. Here, an exceptional surface is experimentally demonstrated in a non-Hermitian photonic sensing system, which is composed of a whispering-gallery-mode microresonator and two nanofiber waveguides, resulting in a unidirectional coupling between two degenerate counter-propagating modes with an external optical isolator. The system is simple, robust, and can be easily operated around an exceptional surface. On the one hand, sensitivity enhancement is observed by monitoring the resonant frequency splitting caused by small perturbations. This demonstration of exceptional-surface-enhanced sensitivity paves the way for practical non-Hermitian sensing applications. On the other hand, the suppression of frequency splitting around the exceptional surface is also shown for the first time.
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| 3. |
- Qin, Shuang-Jian, et al.
(författare)
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Neurotoxicity of fine and ultrafine particulate matter : a comprehensive review using a toxicity pathway-oriented adverse outcome pathway framework
- 2024
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 947
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can cause brain damage and diseases. Of note, ultrafine particles (UFPs) with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 100 nm are a growing concern. Evidence has suggested toxic effects of PM2.5 and UFPs on the brain and links to neurological diseases. However, the underlying mechanism has not yet been fully illustrated due to the variety of the study models, different endpoints, etc. The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework is a pathway-based approach that could systematize mechanistic knowledge to assist health risk assessment of pollutants. Here, we constructed AOPs by collecting molecular mechanisms in PM-induced neurotoxicity assessments. We chose particulate matter (PM) as a stressor in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) and identified the critical toxicity pathways based on Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). We found 65 studies investigating the potential mechanisms linking PM2.5 and UFPs to neurotoxicity, which contained 2, 675 genes in all. IPA analysis showed that neuroinflammation signaling and glucocorticoid receptor signaling were the common toxicity pathways. The upstream regulator analysis (URA) of PM2.5 and UFPs demonstrated that the neuroinflammation signaling was the most initially triggered upstream event. Therefore, neuroinflammation was recognized as the MIE. Strikingly, there is a clear sequence of activation of downstream signaling pathways with UFPs, but not with PM2.5. Moreover, we found that inflammation response and homeostasis imbalance were key cellular events in PM2.5 and emphasized lipid metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment in UFPs. Previous AOPs, which only focused on phenotypic changes in neurotoxicity upon PM exposure, we for the first time propose AOP framework in which PM2.5 and UFPs may activate pathway cascade reactions, resulting in adverse outcomes associated with neurotoxicity. Our toxicity pathway-based approach not only advances risk assessment for PM-induced neurotoxicity but shines a spotlight on constructing AOP frameworks for new chemicals.
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| 4. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 5. |
- Hu, Li-Peng, et al.
(författare)
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Terbinafine prevents colorectal cancer growth by inducing dNTP starvation and reducing immune suppression
- 2022
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Ingår i: Molecular Therapy. - : Elsevier BV. - 1525-0024 .- 1525-0016. ; 30:10, s. 3284-3299
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Existing evidence indicates that gut fungal dysbiosis might play a key role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). We sought to explore whether reversing the fungal dysbiosis by terbinafine, an approved antifungal drug, might inhibit the development of CRC. A population-based study from Sweden identified a total of 185 patients who received terbinafine after their CRC diagnosis and found that they had a decreased risk of death (hazard ratio=0.50) and metastasis (hazard ratio=0.44) compared with patients without terbinafine administration. In multiple mouse models of CRC, administration of terbinafine decreased the fungal load, the fungus-induced myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) expansion, and the tumor burden. Fecal microbiota transplantation from mice without terbinafine treatment reversed MDSC infiltration and partially restored tumor proliferation. Mechanistically, terbinafine directly impaired tumor cell proliferation by reducing the ratio of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+) to reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), suppressing the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), resulting in nucleotide synthesis disruption, deoxyribonucleotide (dNTP) starvation and cell cycle arrest. Collectively, terbinafine can inhibit CRC by reversing fungal dysbiosis, suppressing tumor cell proliferation, inhibiting fungus-induced MDSC infiltration, and restoring antitumor immune response.
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| 6. |
- Jenniskens, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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The impact and recovery of asteroid 2018 LA
- 2021
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Ingår i: Meteoritics and Planetary Science. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1086-9379 .- 1945-5100. ; 56:4, s. 844-893
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The June 2, 2018 impact of asteroid 2018 LA over Botswana is only the second asteroid detected in space prior to impacting over land. Here, we report on the successful recovery of meteorites. Additional astrometric data refine the approach orbit and define the spin period and shape of the asteroid. Video observations of the fireball constrain the asteroid's position in its orbit and were used to triangulate the location of the fireball's main flare over the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Twenty‐three meteorites were recovered. A consortium study of eight of these classifies Motopi Pan as an HED polymict breccia derived from howardite, cumulate and basaltic eucrite, and diogenite lithologies. Before impact, 2018 LA was a solid rock of ~156 cm diameter with high bulk density ~2.85 g cm−3, a relatively low albedo pV ~ 0.25, no significant opposition effect on the asteroid brightness, and an impact kinetic energy of ~0.2 kt. The orbit of 2018 LA is consistent with an origin at Vesta (or its Vestoids) and delivery into an Earth‐impacting orbit via the ν6 resonance. The impact that ejected 2018 LA in an orbit toward Earth occurred 22.8 ± 3.8 Ma ago. Zircons record a concordant U‐Pb age of 4563 ± 11 Ma and a consistent 207Pb/206Pb age of 4563 ± 6 Ma. A much younger Pb‐Pb phosphate resetting age of 4234 ± 41 Ma was found. From this impact chronology, we discuss what is the possible source crater of Motopi Pan and the age of Vesta's Veneneia impact basin.
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| 7. |
- Jia, Zhenrong, et al.
(författare)
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Near-infrared absorbing acceptor with suppressed triplet exciton generation enabling high performance tandem organic solar cells
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reducing the energy loss of sub-cells is critical for high performance tandem organic solar cells, while it is limited by the severe non-radiative voltage loss via the formation of non-emissive triplet excitons. Herein, we develop an ultra-narrow bandgap acceptor BTPSeV-4F through replacement of terminal thiophene by selenophene in the central fused ring of BTPSV-4F, for constructing efficient tandem organic solar cells. The selenophene substitution further decrease the optical bandgap of BTPSV-4F to 1.17 eV and suppress the formation of triplet exciton in the BTPSV-4F-based devices. The organic solar cells with BTPSeV-4F as acceptor demonstrate a higher power conversion efficiency of 14.2% with a record high short-circuit current density of 30.1 mA cm(-2) and low energy loss of 0.55 eV benefitted from the low non-radiative energy loss due to the suppression of triplet exciton formation. We also develop a high-performance medium bandgap acceptor O1-Br for front cells. By integrating the PM6:O1-Br based front cells with the PTB7-Th:BTPSeV-4F based rear cells, the tandem organic solar cell demonstrates a power conversion efficiency of 19%. The results indicate that the suppression of triplet excitons formation in the near-infrared-absorbing acceptor by molecular design is an effective way to improve the photovoltaic performance of the tandem organic solar cells. Reducing energy loss of sub-cells is critical for high performance tandem organic solar cells. Here, the authors design and synthesize an ultra-narrow bandgap acceptor through replacement of terminal thiophene by selenophene in the central fused ring, achieving efficiency of 19% for tandem cells.
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| 8. |
- Li, Mian, et al.
(författare)
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Halogenated Ti3C2 MXenes with Electrochemically Active Terminals for High-Performance Zinc Ion Batteries
- 2021
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Ingår i: ACS Nano. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 15:1, s. 1077-1085
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The class of two-dimensional metal carbides and nitrides known as MXenes offer a distinct manner of property tailoring for a wide range of applications. The ability to tune the surface chemistry for expanding the property space of MXenes is thus an important topic, although experimental exploration of surface terminals remains a challenge. Here, we synthesized Ti3C2 MXene with unitary, binary, and ternary halogen terminals, e.g., -Cl, -Br, -I, -BrI, and -ClBrI, to investigate the effect of surface chemistry on the properties of MXenes. The electrochemical activity of Br and I elements results in the extraordinary electrochemical performance of the MXenes as cathodes for aqueous zinc ion batteries. The -Br- and -I-containing MXenes, e.g., Ti3C2Br2 and Ti3C2I2, exhibit distinct discharge platforms with considerable capacities of 97.6 and 135 mA.g(-1). Ti3C2 (BrI) and Ti3C2 (ClBrI) exhibit dual discharge platforms with capacities of 117.2 and 106.7 mAh.g(-1). In contrast, the previously discovered MXenes Ti3C2Cl2 and Ti3C2 (OF) exhibit no discharge platforms and only similar to 50% of capacities and energy densities of Ti3C2Br2. These results emphasize the effectiveness of the Lewis-acidic-melt etching route for tuning the surface chemistry of MXenes and also show promise for expanding the MXene family toward various applications.
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| 9. |
- Lin, Qing, et al.
(författare)
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Mechanistic and therapeutic study of novel anti-tumor function of natural compound imperialine for treating non-small cell lung cancer
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Ethnopharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 0378-8741 .- 1872-7573. ; 247
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ethnopharmacological relevance: Bulbus Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don (BFC) is a Chinese traditional herbal medicine that has long been used as an indispensable component in herbal prescriptions for bronchopulmonary diseases due to its well-established strong anti-inflammation and pulmonary harmonizing effects. Interestingly, there are few case reports in traditional Chinese medicine available where they found it to contribute in anti-tumor therapies. Imperialine is one of the most favored active substances extracted from BFC and has been widely recognized as an anti-inflammatory agent. Aim of the study: The aim of the current work is to provide first-hand evidences both in vitro and in vivo showing that imperialine exerts anti-cancer effects against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to explore the molecular mechanism of this anti-tumor activity. It is also necessary to examine its systemic toxicity, and to investigate how to develop strategies for feasible clinical translation of imperialine. Materials and methods: To investigate anti-NSCLC efficacy of imperialine using both in vitro and in vivo methods where A549 cell line were chosen as in vitro model NSCLC cells and A549 tumor-bearing mouse model was constructed for in vivo study. The detailed underlying anti-cancer mechanism has been systematically explored for the first time through a comprehensive set of molecular biology methods mainly including immunohistochemistry, western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The toxicity profile of imperialine treatments were evaluated using healthy nude mice by examining hemogram and histopathology. An imperialine-loaded liposomal drug delivery system was developed using thin film hydration method to evaluate target specific delivery. Results: The results showed that imperialine could suppress both NSCLC tumor and associated inflammation through an inflammation-cancer feedback loop in which NF-kappa B activity was dramatically inhibited by imperialine. The NSCLC-targeting liposomal system was successfully developed for targeted drug delivery. The developed platform could favorably enhance imperialine cellular uptake and in vivo accumulation at tumor sites, thus improving overall anti-tumor effect. The toxicity assays revealed imperialine treatments did not significantly disturb blood cell counts in mice or exert any significant damage to the main organs. Conclusions: Imperialine exerts anti-cancer effects against NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo, and this previously unknown function is related to NF-kappa B centered inflammation-cancer feedback loop. Imperialine mediated anticancer activity is not through cytotoxicity and exhibit robust systemic safety. Furthermore, the liposome-based system we commenced would dramatically enhance therapeutic effects of imperialine while exhibiting extremely low side effects both on cellular and in NSCLC model. This work has identified imperialine as a promising novel anti-cancer compound and offered an efficient target-delivery solution that greatly facilitate practical use of imperialine.
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| 10. |
- Nie, Huizhen, et al.
(författare)
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The short isoform of PRLR suppresses the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide synthesis through the NEK9-Hippo axis in pancreatic cancer
- 2021
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Ingår i: Theranostics. - : Ivyspring International Publisher. - 1838-7640. ; 11:8, s. 3898-3915
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prolactin binding to the prolactin receptor exerts pleiotropic biological effects in vertebrates. The prolactin receptor (PRLR) has multiple isoforms due to alternative splicing. The biological roles and related signaling of the long isoform (PRLR-LF) have been fully elucidated. However, little is known about the short isoform (PRLR-SF), particularly in cancer development and metabolic reprogramming, a core hallmark of cancer. Here, we reveal the role and underlying mechanism of PRLR-SF in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods: A human PDAC tissue array was used to investigate the clinical relevance of PRLR in PDAC. The in vivo implications of PRLR-SF in PDAC were examined in a subcutaneous xenograft model and an orthotopic xenograft model. Immunohistochemistry was performed on tumor tissue obtained from genetically engineered KPC (KrasG12D/+; Trp53R172H/+; Pdx1-Cre) mice with spontaneous tumors. 13C-labeled metabolite measures, LC-MS, EdU incorporation assays and seahorse analyses were used to identify the effects of PRLR-SF on the pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis. We identified the molecular mechanisms by immunofluorescence, coimmunoprecipitation, proximity ligation assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation and promoter luciferase activity. Public databases (TCGA, GEO and GTEx) were used to analyze the expression and survival correlations of the related genes. Results: We demonstrated that PRLR-SF is predominantly expressed in spontaneously forming pancreatic tumors of genetically engineered KPC mice and human PDAC cell lines. PRLR-SF inhibits the proliferation of PDAC cells (AsPC-1 and BxPC-3) in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. We showed that PRLR-SF reduces the expression of genes in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and nucleotide biosynthesis by activating Hippo signaling. TEAD1, a downstream transcription factor of Hippo signaling, directly regulates the expression of G6PD and TKT, which are PPP rate-limiting enzymes. Moreover, NEK9 directly interacts with PRLR-SF and is the intermediator between PRLR and the Hippo pathway. The PRLR expression level is negatively correlated with overall survival and TNM stage in PDAC patients. Additionally, pregnancy and lactation increase the ratio of PRLR-SF:PRLR-LF in the pancreas of wild-type mice and subcutaneous PDAC xenograft tumors. Conclusion: Our characterization of the relationship between PRLR-SF signaling, the NEK9-Hippo pathway, PPP and nucleotide synthesis explains a mechanism for the correlation between PRLR-SF and metabolic reprogramming in PDAC progression. Strategies to alter this pathway might be developed for the treatment or prevention of pancreatic cancer.
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| 11. |
- Wu, Qi-Zhen, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term exposure to major constituents of fine particulate matter and neurodegenerative diseases : a population-based survey in the Pearl River Delta Region, China
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Hazardous Materials. - : Elsevier. - 0304-3894 .- 1873-3336. ; 470
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases, with limited understanding of constituent-specific contributions.Objectives: To explore the associations between long-term exposure to PM2.5 constituents and neurodegenerative diseases.Methods: We recruited 148,274 individuals aged ≥ 60 from four cities in the Pearl River Delta region, China (2020 to 2021). We calculated twenty-year average air pollutant concentrations (PM2.5 mass, black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-) and sulfate (SO42-)) at the individuals' home addresses. Neurodegenerative diseases were determined by self-reported doctor-diagnosed Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Generalized linear mixed models were employed to explore associations between pollutants and neurodegenerative disease prevalence.Results: PM2.5 and all five constituents were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of AD and PD. The observed associations generally exhibited a non-linear pattern. For example, compared with the lowest quartile, higher quartiles of BC were associated with greater odds for AD prevalence (i.e., the adjusted odds ratios were 1.81; 95% CI, 1.45–2.27; 1.78; 95% CI, 1.37–2.32; and 1.99; 95% CI, 1.54–2.57 for the second, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively).Conclusions: Long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents, particularly combustion-related BC, OM, and SO42-, was significantly associated with higher prevalence of AD and PD in Chinese individuals.Environmental implication: PM2.5 is a routinely regulated mixture of multiple hazardous constituents that can lead to diverse adverse health outcomes. However, current evidence on the specific contributions of PM2.5 constituents to health effects is scarce. This study firstly investigated the association between PM2.5 constituents and neurodegenerative diseases in the moderately to highly polluted Pearl River Delta region in China, and identified hazardous constituents within PM2.5 that have significant impacts. This study provides important implications for the development of targeted PM2.5 prevention and control policies to reduce specific hazardous PM2.5 constituents.
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| 12. |
- Zhang, Huai, et al.
(författare)
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A global survey on the use of the international classification of diseases codes for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.
- 2024
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Ingår i: Hepatology international. - 1936-0541.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the implementation of the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and the publication of the metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) nomenclature in 2020, it is important to establish consensus for the coding of MAFLD in ICD-11. This will inform subsequent revisions of ICD-11.Using the Qualtrics XM and WJX platforms, questionnaires were sent online to MAFLD-ICD-11 coding collaborators, authors of papers, and relevant association members.A total of 890 international experts in various fields from 61 countries responded to the survey. We also achieved full coverage of provincial-level administrative regions in China. 77.1% of respondents agreed that MAFLD should be represented in ICD-11 by updating NAFLD, with no significant regional differences (77.3% in Asia and 76.6% in non-Asia, p=0.819). Over 80% of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed with the need to assign specific codes for progressive stages of MAFLD (i.e. steatohepatitis) (92.2%), MAFLD combined with comorbidities (84.1%), or MAFLD subtypes (i.e., lean, overweight/obese, and diabetic) (86.1%).This global survey by a collaborative panel of clinical, coding, health management and policy experts, indicates agreement that MAFLD should be coded in ICD-11. The data serves as a foundation for corresponding adjustments in the ICD-11 revision.
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