Inhibiting Ion Migration Through Chemical Polymerization and Chemical Chelation Toward Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

The migration of ions is known to be associated with various detrimental phenomena, including current density-voltage hysteresis, phase segregation, etc., which significantly limit the stability and performance of perovskite solar cells, impeding their progress toward commercial applications. To address these challenges, we propose incorporating a polymerizable organic small molecule monomer, N-carbamoyl-2-propan-2-ylpent-4-enamide (Apronal), into the perovskite film to form a crosslinked polymer (P-Apronal) through thermal crosslinking. The carbonyl and amino groups in Apronal effectively interact with shallow defects, such as uncoordinated Pb²⁺ and iodide vacancies, leading to the formation of high-quality films with enhanced crystallinity and reduced lattice strain. Furthermore, the introduction of P-Apronal improves energy level alignment, and facilitates charge carrier extraction and transport, resulting in a champion efficiency of 25.09 %. Importantly, P-Apronal can effectively suppress the migration of I⁻ ions and improve the long-term stability of the devices. The present strategy sets forth a path to attain long-term stability and enhanced efficiency in perovskite solar cells.     

Phenoxazine-based supramolecular tetrahedron as biomimetic lectin for glucosamine recognition

The design and synthesis of a phenoxazine-based metal-organic tetrahedro n(Zn_4L_4) as biomimetic lectin for selectively recognition of glucosamine(GlcN) was reported.Different from the free phenoxazinebased ligand(L),Zn_4L_4 displayed the highest fluorescent intensity enhancement efficiency toward GlcN over other related natural mono-and disaccharides.Fluorescence titration demonstrated a 1:1 stoichiometric host-guest complex was formed with an association constant about 4.03 × 10~4 L/mol.~1H NMR spectroscopic studies confirmed this selectivity resulted from the multiple hydrogen bonding interactions formed between GlcN and Zn_4L_4.The present results suggested that rational arrangement of recognition sites in the confined space of metal-organic cage is crucial for the selectivity toward target guests.     

Optimization of Ultrasound-Assisted Cellulase Extraction from Nymphaea hybrid Flower and Biological Activities: Antioxidant Activity,Protective Effect against ROS Oxidative Damage in HaCaT Cells and Inhibition of Melanin Production in B16 Cells

In this study, ultrasonic-assisted cellulase extraction (UCE) was applied to extract flavonoids and polyphenols from the Nymphaea hybrid flower. The extraction conditions were optimized using the response surface method (RSM) coupled with a Box-Behnken design. The crude extract of Nymphaea hybrid (NHE) was further purified using AB-8 macroporous resins, and the purified extract (NHEP) was characterized by FTIR and HPLC. In vitro activity determination by chemical method showed that NHEP displayed strong free radical scavenging abilities against the DPPH and ABTS radicals, good reduction power, and hyaluronidase inhibition. The cell viability by CCK-8 assays showed that NHEP had no significant cytotoxicity for B16 and HaCaT cells when the concentration was below 100 μg/mL and 120 μg/mL, respectively. NHEP with a concentration of 20–160 μg/mL can more effectively reduce the ROS level in H₂O₂ damaged HaCaT cells compared with 10 μg/mL of VC. The 40 μg/mL of NHEP had similar activity against intracellular melanin production in the B16 melanoma cells compared with 20 μg/mL Kojic acid. Good activities of antioxidation, whitening and protective effect against H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage promote the potential for NHEP as a functional raw material in the field of cosmetics and medicine.     

A Comprehensive Review on the Benefits and Problems of Curcumin with Respect to Human Health

Curcumin is the most important active component in turmeric extracts. Curcumin, a natural monomer from plants has received a considerable attention as a dietary supplement, exhibiting evident activity in a wide range of human pathological conditions. In general, curcumin is beneficial to human health, demonstrating pharmacological activities of anti-inflammation and antioxidation, as well as antitumor and immune regulation activities. Curcumin also presents therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In this review article, we summarize the advancements made in recent years with respect to curcumin as a biologically active agent in malignant tumors, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), hematological diseases and viral infectious diseases. We also focus on problems associated with curcumin from basic research to clinical translation, such as its low solubility, leading to poor bioavailability, as well as the controversy surrounding the association between curcumin purity and effect. Through a review and summary of the clinical research on curcumin and case reports of adverse effects, we found that the clinical transformation of curcumin is not successful, and excessive intake of curcumin may have adverse effects on the kidneys, heart, liver, blood and immune system, which leads us to warn that curcumin has a long way to go from basic research to application transformation.     

MiR-1224-5p modulates osteogenesis by coordinating osteoblast/osteoclast differentiation via the Rap1 signaling target ADCY2

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) broadly regulate normal biological functions of bone and the progression of fracture healing and osteoporosis. Recently, it has been reported that miR-1224-5p in fracture plasma is a potential therapy for osteogenesis. To investigate the roles of miR-1224-5p and the Rap1 signaling pathway in fracture healing and osteoporosis development and progression, we used BMMs, BMSCs, and skull osteoblast precursor cells for in vitro osteogenesis and osteoclastogenesis studies. Osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis were detected by ALP, ARS, and TRAP staining and bone slice resorption pit assays. The miR-1224-5p target gene was assessed by siRNA-mediated target gene knockdown and luciferase reporter assays. To explore the Rap1 pathway, we performed high-throughput sequencing, western blotting, RT-PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and immunohistochemical staining. In vivo, bone healing was judged by the cortical femoral defect, cranial bone defect and femoral fracture models. Progression of osteoporosis was evaluated by an ovariectomy model and an aged osteoporosis model. We discovered that the expression of miR-1224-5p was positively correlated with fracture healing progression. Moreover, in vitro, overexpression of miR-1224-5p slowed Rankl-induced osteoclast differentiation and promoted osteoblast differentiation via the Rap1-signaling pathway by targeting ADCY2. In addition, in vivo overexpression of miR-1224-5p significantly promoted fracture healing and ameliorated the progression of osteoporosis caused by estrogen deficiency or aging. Furthermore, knockdown of miRNA-1224-5p inhibited bone regeneration in mice and accelerated the progression of osteoporosis in elderly mice. Taken together, these results identify miR-1224-5p as a key bone osteogenic regulator, which may be a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis and fracture nonunion.Subject terms: Translational research, Cell signalling     

DNA-modified electrodes. Part 6. A new method for the determination of binding constants and binding site sizes

A new method was developed to obtain the binding constant (K) and binding site size (n) for the interaction of DNA with other molecules using DNA-modified gold electrodes. This method is simple and microsample-consuming compared with conventional solution methods. A Q-basic program was designed to calculate K and n values. The results show that the K and n values obtained by the new method approach those obtained by conventional electrochemical methods, indicating the suitability of this method. Received: 22 July 1998 / Revised: 24 November 1998 / Accepted: 27 November 1998     

Quantum computing based on vibrational eigenstates: pulse area theorem analysis

In a recent paper [D. Babikov, J. Chem. Phys. 121, 7577 (2004)], quantum optimal control theory was applied to analyze the accuracy of quantum gates in a quantum computer based on molecular vibrational eigenstates. The effects of the anharmonicity parameter of the molecule, the target time of the pulse, and the penalty function on the accuracy of the qubit transformations were investigated. We demonstrate that the effects of all the molecular and laser-pulse parameters can be explained utilizing the analytical pulse area theorem, which originates from the standard two-level model. Moreover, by analyzing the difference between the optimal control theory results and those obtained using the pulse area theorem, it is shown that extremely high quantum gate fidelity can be achieved for a qubit system based on vibrational eigenstates.     

Analysis of the substrate specificity of the Dim-5 histone lysine methyltransferase using peptide arrays

Histone methylation is an epigenetic mark essential for gene regulation and development. We introduce peptide SPOT synthesis to study sequence specificity of the Dim-5 histone-3 lysine-9 methyltransferase. Dim-5 recognizes R8-G12 of the H3 tail with T11 and G12 being the most important specificity determinants. Exchange of H3 tail residue S10 and T11 by E strongly reduced methylation by Dim-5, suggesting that phosphorylation of S10 or T11 may regulate the activity of Dim-5. In the Dim-5/peptide structure, E227 interacts with H3R8 and D209 with H3-S10. Mutations of E227 or D209 caused predictable changes in the substrate preference, illustrating that peptide recognition of histone methyltransferases can be altered by protein design. Comparative analyses of peptide arrays with wild-type and mutant enzymes, therefore, are well suited to investigate the target specificity of protein methyltransferases and study epigenetic crosstalk.     

Analysis of fatty acids in sputum from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry preceded by solid-phase microextraction and post-derivatization on the fiber

A method based on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and post-derivatization on the fiber coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was developed for the analysis of fatty acids in sputum from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. The sputum specimens were digested, hydrolyzed, extracted, derivertized, injected and analyzed without cultivation or isolation of the microorganism. Under optimized conditions, the relative standard deviations (RSD, n = 5) for all analytes were below 17% and the limits of detection varied from 1.68 (C_24:0) to 150.4 μg L⁻¹ (C_12:0). Good linearity was observed for all the fatty acids studied except for C_12:0 within a wide concentration range of three orders of magnitudes with the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.91 (C_24:0) to 0.99 (C_14:0). Fatty acids in sputum specimens from 21 persons were directly analyzed using the proposed method. The results show that in all the sputum specimens from patients, who were clinically diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB), tuberculosis stearic acid (TBSA) was detected, while in all the sputum samples from persons without TB, TBSA was not found. The possibility of using the proposed method to detect mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) via the identification of TBSA in sputum was discussed. The comparison with other methods including sputum culture and microscopy of direct smears indicated that the proposed method is fast and sensitive for the analysis of fatty acids in sputum and offers an alternative for the detection of MTB in sputum.