In comparison to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), SARS-CoV-2 appears to be more contagious 1, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients demonstrate varied clinical ...manifestations distinct from those seen in patients with SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infections 2. Collective results from the clinical and epidemiological observations suggest a distinct viral–host interaction in COVID-19 patients. Profiling of the antibody response during SARS-CoV-2 infection may help improve our understanding of the viral–host interaction and the immunopathological mechanisms of the disease.
Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 showed an early response of IgA, instead of IgM, in COVID-19 patients. As highlighted by this study, enhanced IgA responses observed in severe COVID-19 might confer damaging effects in severe COVID-19.
https://bit.ly/3fA7c1I
Inadequate freshwater supply in remote and developing areas has motivated the growing demand for cost-effective and efficient desalination technologies. Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has ...emerged as an environment-friendly method for water desalination. However, salt precipitation on the evaporating surface compromises the efficiency and continuity of desalination considerably. In general, salt-resistance is achieved at the expense of massive heat loss, resulting in the inherent trade-off between salt resistance and heat localization. Herein, we report a water bridge solar evaporator (WBSE), whose thin water layer is elevated by capillary force, forming a bridge-shaped water layer. Notably, the water bridge reduces sunlight diffuse reflection, inhibits heat loss to bulk water, and simultaneously endows the evaporator with salt-resistance. Therefore, the solar-driven water evaporation rate of 1.64 kg m
−2
h
−1
, with an energy efficiency of ∼102% under one-sun illumination in 3.5 wt% brine, is achieved. Moreover, no salt precipitation is observed during the evaporation process in high salinity brine, while a high evaporation rate (∼1.56 kg m
−2
h
−1
) in 15-20 wt% brine under one-sun illumination is achieved. This WBSE offers new insights into the design of solar evaporators with high efficiency and long-term stability.
Bridge-shaped thin water layer is evaluated by capillary force, which endows the evaporator with salt-resistance and heat localization.
The 8 m laser interferometer prototype facility is currently being constructed at the Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. It aims to perform laser interferometer ...experiments and pico-meter precision detection and calibration for Taiji pathfinder mission. The seismically isolated ground and passive vibration isolation are interconnected and the optical benches are stabilized by them, which can form two low-noise testbeds inside a 40 m
3
ultra-high vacuum system. An on-ground laser interferometer demonstration used for satellite–satellite tracking will be constructed. In this article, the experimental facility and the employed methods will be described, and the technical details of subsystems will be covered in future papers.
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•A water strider-inspired suspended solar evaporator (WSUSE) is fabricated.•The WSUSE shows stable suspending depth regardless of changed salinity.•Salt-resistance is achieved by ...confining a thin water film on the solar absorber.•High solar evaporation performance is realized even for concentrated brines.
As an environmental-friendly and cost-effective technology, interfacial evaporation mediated by photo-thermal materials has shown great potential in solar desalination and wastewater treatment. However, salt accumulation or fouling on the surface of solar absorbers during water evaporation, especially in high-salinity brines, is seemingly inevitable for current solar evaporators, resulting in severely weakened steam generation performance as well as limited long-term use. Here, inspired by water strider, we demonstrate a new type of solar evaporator consisting of a hydrophobic frame, a hydrophilic solar absorber and a heat-insulation layer. Relying on the surface tension force generated by the hydrophobic frame, the solar evaporator can suspend stably just underneath water surface, enabling the confinement of a thin water film on solar absorber for salt-resistance and efficient energy utilization. More notably, the suspending depth is kept almost unchanged in different-salinity brines, achieving high evaporation rates (1.45 kg m-2h-1 and 1.35 kg m-2h-1) in highly concentrated salt solutions (15 wt% and 20 wt% NaCl) under one-sun illumination. No salt-accumulation is observed during the evaporation process till the limit of salt-saturation, and stable evaporation performance is achieved under dynamic water environment. With the merits of antifouling and excellent evaporation performances, the new concept of “suspended evaporators” provides great opportunities in solar-based water desalination and treatment, especially for high-salinity seawater or in closed-systems.
CD147, a transmembrane glycoprotein, has been implicated in various cancer-related processes but its role in breast cancer remains poorly understood. Herein, we investigated the expression of CD147 ...in different breast cancer cell lines and explored its functional roles, including migration, invasion, drug resistance and modulation of key proteins associated with cancer progression.
The expression of CD147 was assessed in MCF-10 A, BT549, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines using qRT-PCR and Western blotting, following which lyposome transfections were performed, leading overexpression of CD147 in BT549 cells and knockdown of CD147 in MCF-7 cells. Scratch assays and Transwell invasion and were performed to evaluate the cells' migration and invasion abilities. Sensitivity to 5-FU was determined via CCK-8 assays, and the expression of Snail1, E-cadherin, Vimentin, MMP-9 and the MAPK/ERK pathway were analyzed by qRT-PCR and Western blotting.
Compared with normal beast epithelial cells, CD147 was highly expressed in all breast cancer cell lines, with the highest overexpression observed in MCF-7 cells and the lowest overexpression observed in BT549 cells. Overexpression of CD147 in BT549 cells increased, migration, invasion, viability and resistance to 5-FU of BT549 cells, while CD147 knockdown in MCF-7 cells reduced these properties of MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, CD147 influenced the expression of Snail1, Vimentin, E-cadherin, and MMP-9, suggesting its involvement in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulation. The MAPK/ERK pathway was activated by CD147 in BT549 cells, as indicated by increased p-MEK/MEK ratio and p-ERK/ERK ratio. In contrast, CD147 silencing in MCF-7 cells resulted in reduced p-MEK/MEK ratio and p-ERK/ERK ratio.
In summary, our findings suggest CD147 as a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer treatment, particularly in cases where drug resistance and metastasis are concerns, worthy of further explorations.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Hepatitis B virus X (HBx) protein is implicated in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐associated liver carcinogenesis. However, it remains unclear whether HBx‐expressing hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) are ...attributed to liver tumor formation. In this study, by using HBx transgenic mice and a 3,5‐diethoxycarbonyl‐1,4‐dihydrocollidine (DDC)‐induced liver injury model, the relationship between HBx expression and tumorigenicity of HPCs was analyzed. Compared with control mice, an elevated number of EpCAM+ cells with characteristics of HPCs was observed in HBx mice after 1 month and 4 months of DDC diet feeding. All HBx transgenic mice developed liver tumors characterized by histological features of both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma after 7 months of DDC feeding. Notably, EpCAM+ HPCs isolated from premalignant HBx mice exposed to a DDC diet for 4 months formed subcutaneous mixed‐lineage tumors (four out of six) in nonobese diabetic/severe‐combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice, and none of the cells from wildtype (WT) induced tumor, indicating that HBx may induce malignant transformation of HPCs that contributes to tumorigenesis. We also found higher titers of circulating interleukin (IL)‐6, activities of IL‐6/STAT3, and Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathways in HBx transgenic mice, suggesting HBx may induce intrinsic changes in HPCs by way of the above signaling that enables HPCs with tumorigenicity potential. Finally, clinical evidence showed that high HBx expression in human HBV‐related HCC was statistically associated with expansion of EpCAM+ or OV6+ tumor cells and aggressive clinicopathologic features. Conclusion: HBx induces intrinsic cellular transformation promoting the expansion and tumorigenicity of HPCs in DDC‐treated mice, which may be a possible origin for liver cancer induced by chronic hepatitis infection. (HEPATOLOGY 2012)
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•A multifunctional superamphiphobic and flame-retardant coating is prepared.•Overhanging re-entrant structures are constructed by a simple spaying approach.•The surface has high ...mechanical/chemical resistance.•The coating offers self-extinguishing property to flammable substrates.
Developing superamphiphobic coatings/surfaces with integrated flame-retardancy, mechanical robustness and corrosion resistance is significant for applications in ordinary life, chemical engineering, radionuclide separation and sewage treatment but still remains challenging, due to difficulty of simultaneously demonstrating these features. Here, a multi-functional coating, consisting of functionalized silica nanoparticles, micro-sized ammonium polyphosphate particles and fluorinated alkyl silane, is constructed. By virtue of a simple and cost-effective spaying approach, a unique randomly overhanging re-entrant and hierarchical structure can be constructed on a wide range of substrates, showing super-repellency to water and oils with low surface tensions. The created superamphiphobic surface demonstrates extremely high stability under exposure to strong corrosive chemicals (namely aqua regia, concentrated sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide), cyclic mechanical abrasions, UV irradiation, and heat treatment. More importantly, such coating offers high flame retardancy and self-extinguishing property to flammable substrates, and the superamphiphobicity is retained even after burning. Featuring with easy processability, multi-functions and high endurance, the coating is promising for applications with multi-tasks and fire-safety requirements.
Berberine (BH) is an important traditional medicinal herb endowed with diverse pharmacological and biological activities. In this work, the binding characteristics and molecular mechanism of the ...interaction between the BH and herring sperm DNA were explored by UV–vis absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. In the mechanism discussion, fluorescence quenching, absorption spectra, competition experiment, and iodide quenching experiment studies hinted at an intercalative mode of binding for BH to DNA. Fluorescence studies revealed the binding constant (K) of BH–DNA was ∼104 L·mol–1. The effects of temperature, chemical denaturants, thermal denaturation, and pH were studied to show the factors of the interaction and provided further support for the intercalative binding mode. The results of thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS at different temperatures indicated that the hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions played major roles in the reaction, and the effect of ionic strength indicated that electrostatic attraction between the BH and DNA was also a component of the interaction.
Background & Aims Due to its anatomic connection, the liver is constantly exposed to gut-derived bacterial products or metabolites. Disruption of gut homeostasis is associated with many human ...diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the role of gut homeostasis in initiation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Disruption of intestinal homeostasis by penicillin or dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and its restoration by probiotics were applied in a diethylnitrosamine (DEN) model of rat hepatocarcinogenesis. Results Patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC had significantly increased serum endotoxin levels. Chronic DEN treatment of rats was associated with an imbalance of subpopulations of the gut microflora including a significant suppression of Lactobacillus species, Bifidobacterium species and Enterococcus species as well as intestinal inflammation. Induction of enteric dysbacteriosis or intestinal inflammation by penicillin or DSS, respectively, significantly promoted tumor formation. Administration of probiotics dramatically mitigated enteric dysbacteriosis, ameliorated intestinal inflammation, and most importantly, decreased liver tumor growth and multiplicity. Interestingly, probiotics not only inhibited the translocation of endotoxin, which bears pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) but also the activation of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) such as high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). As a result, the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines was skewed in favor of a reduced tumorigenic inflammation in the liver. Conclusions The data highlights the importance of gut homeostasis in the pathogenesis of HCC. Modulation of the gut microbiota by probiotics may represent a new avenue for therapeutic intervention to treat or prevent HCC development.
Aims/hypothesis
Adiponectin stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), a major regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. MOTS-c ...(mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA) is a biologically active mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded by mitochondrial DNA. It influences the mechanisms of obesity and diabetes. We hypothesised that the adiponectin pathway may regulate the production and/or secretion of MOTS-c in skeletal muscle. We aimed to determine whether exercise and adiponectin affect MOTS-c to improve insulin resistance in mice.
Methods
To investigate this hypothesis, we used wild-type C57BL/6 mice subjected to high-fat diet, an exercise regimen, and i.p. injection of recombinant mouse adiponectin (Acrp30) or MOTS-c, and adiponectin knockout (
Adipoq
−/−
) mice (C57BL/6 background) subjected to i.p. injection of Acrp30. C2C12 myotubes were also treated with sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) inhibitor, PGC-1α inhibitor, SIRT1 activator, plasmid-expressed active APPL1 (adaptor protein, phosphotyrosine interacting with PH domain and leucine zipper), pcDNA-SIRT1, or siRNA against APPL1, SIRT1 or PGC-1α.
Results
In
Adipoq
–/–
mice, MOTS-c levels in the plasma and skeletal muscle were downregulated. In C2C12 myotubes, adiponectin increased the mRNA expression of MOTS-c. APPL1 protein level following adiponectin treatment positively correlated with MOTS-c protein and mRNA levels in C2C12 myotubes. SIRT1 overexpression increased the adiponectin-induced mRNA and protein expression of MOTS-c, SIRT1 and PGC-1α. Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of PGC-1α suppressed the increases in MOTS-c mRNA and protein levels induced by SIRT1 overexpression. In mice, plasma and skeletal muscle MOTS-c levels were significantly downregulated following high-fat-diet. Exercise and i.p. Acrp30 or MOTS-c increased MOTS-c levels and adiponectin mRNA and protein expression in the plasma and skeletal muscle.
Conclusions/interpretation
Our findings showed that the APPL1–SIRT1–PGC-1α pathway regulates the production and/or secretion of skeletal muscle MOTS-c by mediating adiponectin signalling. Our study provides an insight into the cellular and molecular pathways underlying the pathogenesis of diabetes and shows that MOTS-c is a potential novel therapeutic target in the treatment of diabetes.
Graphical abstract
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