No abstract

In this work, we have successfully developed a simple self-template route for preparation of hollow ellipsoid Ni-Mn sulfides. This route involves the synthesis of solid Ni-Mn ellipsoids via a chemical precipitation method. Then, using thioacetamide (TAA) as the sulfur source, the solid Ni-Mn ellipsoids can be easily converted to hollow ellipsoid Ni-Mn sulfides in ethanol via sulfidation reaction. The as-synthesized hollow ellipsoid Ni-Mn sulfides possess large specific surface areas and porous structures. Benefiting from these structural and compositional advantages, the electrochemical performance of the hollow ellipsoid Ni-Mn sulfides is studied. As expected, the hollow ellipsoid Ni-Mn sulfides show a high specific capacitance of 1636.8 F g at 2.0 A g and good cycling stability (only 4.9% loss after 4000 cycles) as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Furthermore, electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose based on the synthesized hollow ellipsoid Ni-Mn sulfides is also performed. The hollow ellipsoid Ni-Mn sulfides present high sensitivity and selectivity, good stability and a low detection limit (0.02 μM). In addition, the as-synthesized hollow ellipsoid Ni-Mn sulfides exhibit good ability to remove the Congo red dyes from water, which gives them potential application in water treatment. The current work makes a major contribution to the design and preparation of hollow metal sulfide structures, as well as their potential applications in supercapacitors, electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose and water treatment.

CYP4B1 belongs to the mammalian CYP4 enzyme family and is predominantly expressed in the lungs of humans. It is responsible for the oxidative metabolism of a wide range of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics. In this study, using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, a secondary analysis was performed to explore the expression profile of CYP4B1, as well as its prognostic value in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Based on the obtained results, a significantly decreased CYP4B1 expression was discovered in patients with LUAD when compared with their normal counterparts (p<0.05), and was linked to age younger than 65 years (p = 0.0041), history of pharmaceutical (p = 0.0127) and radiation (p = 0.0340) therapy, mutations in KRAS/EGFR/ALK (p = 0.0239), and living status of dead (p = 0.0026). Survival analysis indicated that the low CYP4B1 expression was an independent prognostic indicator of shorter survival in terms of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with LUAD. The copy number alterations (CNAs) and sites of cg23440155 and cg23414387 hypermethylation might contribute to the decreased CYP4B1 expression. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) suggested that CYP4B1 might act as an oncogene in LUAD by preventing biological metabolism pathways of exogenous and endogenous compounds and enhancing DNA replication and cell cycle activities. In conclusion, CYP4B1 expression may serve as a valuable independent prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in patients with LUAD.

The demand for high-energy sustainable rechargeable batteries has motivated the development of lithium−oxygen (Li−O 2 ) batteries. However, the inherent safety issues of liquid electrolytes and the sluggish reaction kinetics of existing cathodes remain fundamental challenges. Herein, we demonstrate a promising photo-assisted solid-state Li−O 2 battery based on metal−organic framework-derived mixed ionic/electronic conductors, which simultaneously serve as the solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) and the cathode. The mixed conductors could effectively harvest ultraviolet−visible light to generate numerous photoelectrons and holes, which is favorable to participate in the electrochemical reaction, contributing to greatly improved reaction kinetics. According to the study on conduction behavior, we discover that the mixed conductors as SSEs possess outstanding Li + conductivity (1.52 × 10 −4 S cm −1 at 25 °C) and superior chemical/electrochemical stability (especially toward H 2 O, O 2 − , etc.). Application of mixed ionic electronic conductors in photo-assisted solid-state Li−O 2 batteries further reveals that a high energy efficiency (94.2%) and a long life (320 cycles) can be achieved with a simultaneous design of SSEs and cathodes. The achievements present the widespread universality in accelerating the development of safe and high-performance solid-state batteries.