Achieving reversible zinc anodes is crucial for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), but dendrite growth and side reactions severely limit their cycling life. Constructing a stable protective coating is an effective strategy to improve anode stability. Herein, a composite of graphitized carbon black and calcium-aluminum layered double hydroxide (denoted as GCB/LDH) is fabricated as an ex-situ-formed protective layer over the Zn anode. This GCB/LDH coating exhibits a hierarchical porous structure, in which the ion-conductive LDH framework homogenizes Zn2+ flux and suppresses dendrite growth, while the conductive GCB network uniformizes the electric field and mitigates water-induced side reactions. Combined experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that the GCB/LDH layer promotes dense zinc nucleation and guides uniform Zn deposition by modulating ion transport and interfacial interactions. The symmetric cell with GCB/LDH@Zn achieves stable plating/stripping over 2700 h at 1 mA cm-2. The MnO2/CNT// GCB/LDH@Zn full battery retains 88.24% capacity after 6200 cycles at 1 A g-1. This work offers a promising interfacial engineering strategy for highly stable Zn anodes in AZIBs.

A simple and efficient hydrothermal method was developed to synthesize magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide modified aeolian sand (MALAS-2) as a low-cost and eco-friendly adsorbent for the effective removal of fluoride from wastewater. Characterization of morphology and structure confirmed that MALAS-2 has a layered composite structure, and Mg-Al LDH was successfully loaded on the surface of aeolian sand with high phase purity. The adsorption kinetics showed that fluoride removal by MALAS-2 followed the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption isotherm was best described by the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 98.4 mg g[-1]. MALAS-2 maintained high defluorination performance across a wide pH range and in the presence of competing anions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations verified the strong affinity of MALAS-2 toward fluoride ions. The adsorption mechanism was elucidated by FTIR and XPS analyses, which indicated that ligand exchange with surface hydroxyl groups dominated the fluoride uptake. Moreover, desorption-regeneration and actual wastewater experiments further demonstrated the practical application potential of MALAS-2 in fluoride-containing water treatment.

This study evaluates the cytotoxic effects of aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)2) on root growth and cell division of Elaeis guineensis roots. Using Al(OH)3 concentrations ranging from 5 to 250 mg/L, both radicle growth and nuclear and chromosomal abnormalities, including mitotic indices and the presence of micronuclei, anaphase bridges, and other alterations, were analyzed. The results showed that elevated concentrations of Al(OH)3 (particularly 150 to 250 mg/L) significantly inhibit root growth, reduce the mitotic index, and increase the frequency of nuclear abnormalities. The presence of aluminum-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) appears to cause DNA damage, which contributes to the formation of micronuclei and other genetic abnormalities. These findings underscore the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of aluminum in acidic soils, which may negatively impact oil palm productivity in cropping contexts. It is concluded that exposure to aluminum hydroxide represents a risk to the genetic stability of E. guineensis and suggests the need to adequately manage aluminum levels in soils used for this crop.

No evidence suggests that women receiving a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is harmful to either the nursing mother or the breastfed infant. Antibodies appear in the milk after maternal vaccination, which may protect the infant against COVID-19. Professional organizations and governmental health authorities have recommended that COVID-19 vaccines be offered to those who are breastfeeding because the potential benefits of maternal vaccination during lactation outweigh any theoretical risks, including mothers with diabetes mellitus.[1-12] Nursing mothers experienced minimal disruption of breastfeeding after vaccination and noticed no serious adverse effects in their infants.[13,14]

Tumor vaccines hold promise in inhibiting tumor metastasis and recurrence by stimulating the immune system to target and eliminate heterogeneous tumors. However, the development of optimal strategies for in situ tumor vaccines and the establishment of reliable methods to ensure their efficacy remain challenges. In this study, we engineered a folate-modified antigen-trapping nanoprobe (AGO@FA-lip). This nanoprobe initially acquires tumor antigens and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) by inducing immunogenic cell death in tumor cells through the DNA-damaging agent oxaliplatin (OXA). Nano-aluminum hydroxide (nano-Al(OH)3) effectively captures and aggregates the released antigens, facilitating their recognition and presentation by dendritic cells. The combination of exogenous cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) and dsDNA synergistically amplifies the activation of STING signaling pathways, leading to a remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment and an enhancement of the anti-tumor immune response. In ovarian tumor models, AGO@FA-lip-mediated chemoimmunotherapy significantly inhibited tumor growth, metastasis, and recurrence, ultimately prolonging survival in mice. Transcriptomic analysis revealed extensive immune activation, particularly in pathways associated with antigen processing and presentation, T cell differentiation, and TNF inflammatory signaling. The design concept of AGO@FA-lip provides a clinically scalable strategy for developing in situ tumor vaccines to inhibit the metastasis and recurrence of ovarian cancer.

Famotidine (FMD) is a histamine H2-receptor antagonist frequently co-administered with antacids to accomplish synergistic effects. It exhibits a rapid onset of action, limited bioavailability, and a short half-life. Effervescent floating tablets (EFTs) are low-density gastroretentive formulations designed to overcome the limited bioavailability of drugs. This study aims to develop single-layer EFTs to provide sustained drug release and prolonged gastric residence time. The EFTs were formulated for FMD in combination with calcium carbonate and aluminum hydroxide as antacids using the direct compression technique. The study investigated the effects of varying ratios of guar gum, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on parameters including hardness, friability, floating lag time, dissolution efficiency (DE), and cumulative drug release after 8 h. The optimized EFTs formulation was composed of 14.74% w/w guar gum, 7% w/w HPMC, and 15% w/w PVP. It demonstrated a hardness of 54.28 N, friability of 0.74%, a floating lag time of 40.69 min, a DE of 53.25%, and a cumulative drug release of 84.64%. The results closely aligned with the predicted values of 55.2 N, 0.72%, 32.12 min, 59.87%, and 87.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the optimized EFTs formulation remained stable under accelerated stability conditions for 6 months and provided sustained drug release compared with commercial tablets, which released their contents within 30 min.

Efficient battery thermal management technology is of great significance to the safe operation of lithium-ion batteries. In this study, the paraffin-stearic phase change material in the cooling of the phase change material in a lithium-ion battery thermal management system was taken as the study object. Then, the flame-retardant effects of Zn3B6O12·3.5H2O, aluminum hydroxide, and chlorinated paraffin with different mass percentages were experimentally studied via a cone calorimeter. The results revealed that after adding different flame retardants, the peak CO2 production rate of paraffin-stearic acid is reduced. After adding these three flame retardants, the material exhibited different flame-retardant effects in terms of carbon dioxide production rate, total heat release, and mass percentage remaining. Through the entropy weight method, it can be calculated that when 20% by mass of Zn3B6O12·3.5H2O, Al-(OH)3, and chlorinated paraffin are added respectively, the comprehensive scores of the samples are 0.76, 0.71, and 0.23, respectively. Therefore, the priority order of flame-retardant effects on paraffin-stearic acid is Zn3B6O12·3.5H2O > Al-(OH)3 > chlorinated paraffin.

This study aims to construct and validate a disease-syndrome combined rat model (MCHP-AR) that possesses both the pathological features of Allergic Rhinitis (AR) and the connotation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) "Cold-Heat Complex" syndrome. Through multi-factorial interventions including Ovalbumin + Aluminum Hydroxide sensitization, combined with Propylthiouracil, Anemarrhena-Gypsum decoction, ice-water swimming, and Senna leaf administration, we constructed a composite model exhibiting both typical nasal symptoms of AR and systemic manifestations of Cold-Heat Complex. Experimental results showed that rats in the MCHP-AR group not only presented with IgE-mediated Type I hypersensitivity but also exhibited significantly amplified inflammation in nasal and lung tissues, characterized by elevated serum IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17 levels, and decreased IFN-γ. Concurrently, they displayed decreased T3/T4 levels, increased NO levels, reduced SOD activity, and elevated MDA content. These results suggest that this composite model may not merely be a superposition of simple allergic reactions; it likely involves a comprehensive synergy of amplified inflammation, disrupted redox homeostasis, immune imbalance, and endocrine disorders. It provides a reliable experimental vehicle for revealing the biological mechanisms of AR, holding significant academic value and clinical application prospects.

Aluminum (Al) in the form of γ-aluminum oxyhydroxide (γ-AlOOH) nanoparticles has been used as a vaccine adjuvant for nearly a century. At injection sites, animals and humans develop granulomatous inflammation, in which macrophages may contain intracellular crystalline-like structures, so-called crystalloid bodies (CBs), morphologically distinct from the injected adjuvant. This raised the hypothesis that CBs may originate from the in vivo crystallization of γ-AlOOH within macrophages. To test this, six sheep received two subcutaneous doses of a γ-AlOOH-adjuvanted viral vaccine, while six controls received the same antigen without an adjuvant. All injection sites (AlOOH: n = 12; controls: n = 12) were examined by hematoxylin and eosin, modified aluminum hematoxylin, and lumogallion fluorescence. Al and CBs occurred exclusively in AlOOH-vaccinated tissues. The adjuvant stock and vaccine formulations were characterized ex situ using a combination of structural and imaging techniques. Four granulomas containing CBs, collected 133 days postinjection, were further examined using in situ imaging and crystallographic approaches. No crystalline structures resembling CBs were identified in the injected products; only γ-AlOOH nanoparticles were present. In post-mortem granulomas, macrophages contained Al-positive vacuoles filled with nanoparticle aggregates compatible with γ-AlOOH, often adjacent to CBs. Crystallographic analyses demonstrated that CBs were highly ordered γ-Al2O3 microcrystals, and advanced SEM-EDS with elemental mapping similarly distinguished γ-AlOOH nanoparticles and CBs as separate phases. These findings support an in vivo formation of γ-Al2O3 microcrystals from γ-AlOOH nanoparticles within macrophages under physiological conditions. To our knowledge, these findings provide evidence consistent with Al crystallization within mammalian cells and suggest that macrophage phagolysosomal conditions may represent a previously unrecognized biomimetic pathway for γ-Al2O3 formation. This finding may offer a biological model for the development of green and low-energy synthesis strategies for γ-Al2O3, with potential industrial applications as well as relevance to immunotoxicology, pathology, and cell biology in the context of vaccine adjuvants.

Nearly a century has passed since Glenny and colleagues introduced aluminum-based adjuvants. Over this extensive period, billions of doses of human and veterinary vaccines incorporating these adjuvants have been produced, ensuring both human health and food security. Aluminum-based adjuvants have played a pivotal role during epidemics, allowing scientists to accelerate vaccine development and save lives. Continuous research conducted by institutions worldwide has substantiated the safety and efficacy of aluminum-based adjuvants, establishing them as the gold standard. Consequently, any new adjuvant must be benchmarked against aluminum-based adjuvants and demonstrate substantial advantages in order to gain regulatory approval. This study aims to investigate the short-term structural and physicochemical changes in aluminum hydroxide in protein-based formulations under thermal treatments at 100°C for 24, 48, and 72 hours. These periods were designed to simulate the aging process that occurs during the storage of adjuvants at room temperature. Specifically, the research examines changes in the physicochemical properties of the adjuvant, including pH fluctuations during these thermal treatments, alterations in the sterilization process, protein adsorption capacity for each sample, particle size distribution, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. These findings not only enhance our understanding of adjuvant stability in vaccine formulations but also provide valuable insights into determining their optimal shelf life and performance. The study demonstrates that the best storage conditions for the adjuvant, with minimal impact from the aging process, are a low pH (pH=5) and higher ionic strength. It was also confirmed that innovative measures, such as reducing the sterilization cycle, stirring the samples after sterilization, and rapidly cooling them afterward, can prevent crystal growth and even produce smaller particle sizes with higher adjuvanticity. This is significant, as previous studies have reported a decline in adjuvanticity following sterilization.

Vaccination is a highly efficient strategy in controlling infections. Aluminum-containing adjuvants have long been used to enhance immunogenicity, but quantification of adsorbed antigens remains analytically challenging. This study uses Raman spectroscopy, a powerful, nondestructive technique, augmented by machine learning to characterize model vaccines comprising Bovine Serum Albumin adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide. Spectral fingerprints of the pure components, their contributions to the vaccine mixtures, and the resulting concentrations were estimated using autoencoder and benchmarked against Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR), a state-of-the-art linear deconvolution method. We implement a custom autoencoder (AE) architecture featuring a scale-insensitive reconstruction loss and a concentration-anchored latent space, which we compare against Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) to evaluate linear versus nonlinear decomposition efficacy. By integrating synthetic spectra based on the Contextual Out-of-Distribution Integration (CODI) method, we achieved a concentration prediction accuracy that aligns with standards for biological reference methods. While MCR proved more robust for recovery of component spectra, the AE demonstrated superior performance in estimating concentrations. These results highlight the potential for characterization of adsorbed vaccines and offer a pathway for improved quality control in biopharmaceutical formulations.

Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions; however, its storage and distribution remain a challenge. This study shows a reproducible closed-loop protocol for on-demand hydrogen generation using aluminum beverage cans via alkaline hydrolysis, followed by electrochemical recovery of aluminum and sodium compounds from the reaction by-products. Aluminum cans are pretreated using combined thermal and chemical steps to remove polymer coatings and improve reactivity. Hydrogen is produced using sodium hydroxide solutions (3-5 M) and collected volumetrically, reaching a purity of 93.66% by volume, as determined by gas chromatography. The resulting sodium aluminate solution is processed in a two-compartment electrochemical cell, allowing precipitation of aluminum hydroxide (gypsite and bayerite phases) and the regeneration of sodium hydroxide at a concentration of 4.98 M ± 0.03 M. The energy consumption for the electrochemical recovery of aluminum hydroxide corresponds to an energy efficiency of 0.632 Wh･g[-][1]. This work provides a practical framework for integrating hydrogen production with aluminum waste recovery in circular energy systems.