To achieve high performed zinc metal batteries, it is imperative to address the issues of dendrite growth and the side‐reactions occurring at the Zn anode, particularly when the batteries are ...operated at high current densities and high temperature. Herein, a flexible and dendrite‐free Zn metal anode (AgNPs@CC/Zn), which is prepared by inkjet printing silver nanoparticles on a 3D carbon matrix, is reported. Experimental observations and DFT calculation reveal that the Ag nanoparticles can work as heterometallic seeds for zinc deposition, and thus simultaneously improve the zincophilicity and thermal conductivity of the carbon matrix. This not only lowers the Zn nucleation overpotential and guides the uniform Zn nucleation but also promotes the reversible zinc stripping/plating via AgZn alloying/de‐alloying reactions. As a result, the AgNPs@CC/Zn anode presents low voltage hysteresis of 80 mV and superior cycling over 480 h at a high current density of 10 mA cm−2. The AgNPs@CC/Zn anode can enable full cells with exceptional cyclic stability and enhanced high‐temperature endurance. Furthermore, the foldable pouch cell using the AgNPs@CC/Zn anode exhibits high capacity retention regardless of different deformation status. This work demonstrates the promising potential of inkjet printing technology in developing 3D dendrite‐free zinc anode for foldable and heat‐resistant zinc batteries.
A flexible and dendrite‐free Zn metal anode is prepared by inkjet printing silver nanoparticles on a 3D carbon matrix, boosting electrochemical performance of zinc metal batteries. The Ag nanoparticles as heterometallic seeds can promote reversible zinc stripping/plating via AgZn alloying/de‐alloying reactions and improve the zincophilicity and thermal conductivity of the carbon matrix.
The duration of antibody production by long-lived plasma cells varies with the type of immunization, but the basis for these differences is unknown. We demonstrate that plasma cells formed in ...response to the same immunogen engage distinct survival programs depending on the adjuvant. After alum-adjuvanted immunization, antigen-specific bone marrow plasma cells deficient in the transcription factor ZBTB20 failed to accumulate over time, leading to a progressive loss of antibody production relative to wild-type controls. Fetal liver reconstitution experiments demonstrated that the requirement for ZBTB20 was B cell intrinsic. No defects were observed in germinal center numbers, affinity maturation, or plasma cell formation or proliferation in ZBTB20-deficient chimeras. However, ZBTB20-deficient plasma cells expressed reduced levels of MCL1 relative to wild-type controls, and transgenic expression of BCL2 increased serum antibody titers. These data indicate a role for ZBTB20 in promoting survival in plasma cells. Strikingly, adjuvants that activate TLR2 and TLR4 restored long-term antibody production in ZBTB20-deficient chimeras through the induction of compensatory survival programs in plasma cells. Thus, distinct lifespans are imprinted in plasma cells as they are formed, depending on the primary activation conditions. The durability of vaccines may accordingly be improved through the selection of appropriate adjuvants.
The functions of many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the human genome remain unknown owing to the lack of scalable loss-of-function screening tools. We previously used pairs of CRISPR-Cas9 (refs. ...1, 2, 3) single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) for small-scale functional screening of lncRNAs. Here we demonstrate genome-wide screening of lncRNA function using sgRNAs to target splice sites and achieve exon skipping or intron retention. Splice-site targeting outperformed a conventional CRISPR library in a negative selection screen targeting 79 ribosomal genes. Using a genome-scale library of splicing-targeting sgRNAs, we performed a screen covering 10,996 lncRNAs and identified 230 that are essential for cellular growth of chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells. Screening GM12878 lymphoblastoid cells and HeLa cells with the same library identified cell-type-specific differences in lncRNA essentiality. Extensive validation confirmed the robustness of our approach.
Tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA) is used as flame retardant, and it has been widely detected in the environmental and human samples. TCBPA is an endocrine disrupting chemical, but its effects on the ...immune system remains poorly understood. Here the effects of TCBPA on immune system were studied using combined in vivo and in vitro assays. Results showed that TCBPA could suppress the immune response in BALB/c mice via reducing the ratio of CD3+ T lymphocytes to regulatory T cells. Moreover, TCBPA exposure significantly induced the increasing secretion of four pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) and four anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, GM-CSF) in mice serum. Interestingly, uterine edema was observed in over 80% TCBPA-treated mice after 14- day exposure. TCBPA was detected in 18.6% serum samples of 150 female volunteers in this study. Therefore, our findings provided evidence that TCBPA exposure may cause adverse outcomes on immune system and uterus, suggesting that environmental exposure of TCBPA, as well as its adverse effects on human health should be of concern.
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•TCBPA exposure reduces the ratio of CD3+ T lymphocytes to regulatory T cells in mice.•TCBPA exposure increases the secretion of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines.•Uterine edema was observed in over 80% TCBPA-treated mice.•TCBPA was detected in 18.6% serum samples of 150 female volunteers.
The isolation necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can give rise to anxiety, especially for lonely people who often feel upset without others' company. Although ...isolated from others, people can still receive support from others, which might lower their COVID-19 anxiety. To examine the relationship between loneliness, perceived social support, and anxiety, we measured 222 Chinese participants' (54.50% female, M age = 31.53, SD = 8.17) trait loneliness, chronic anxiety before the outbreak, COVID-19 anxiety at the peak and decline stages of COVID-19, and their perceived social support across the three time points. The results showed that people's perceived social support dramatically increased from the pre-pandemic to the peak COVID-19 stage, and remained stable during the decline of COVID-19 stage. In contrast, COVID-19 anxiety decreased from the peak to the decline stage. Further, perceived social support consistently moderated the relationship between loneliness with both chronic anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety. The current study provides initial evidence that perceived social support provides protection for lonely people in daily life as well as during unexpected disasters, which will contribute to finding ways to alleviate lonely people's anxiety during this global health crisis.
Lead in paint is a major public health concern and has drawn much attention from international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme ...(UNEP). However, there is limited research on lead-based paint, especially its use in toys, which poses an explicit health risk to vulnerable children. The present study sampled 100 different toys purchased from the three largest online shopping platforms in China: JD, Taobao (TB) and Tmall (TM). These selected toys have been sold nearly 3 million times in total, suggesting that they may have reached the dwellings of millions of children. It was found that the toys sold by JD and TM, which are considered organized sellers, had average lead concentrations of 25 mg/kg and 32 mg/kg, respectively, much lower than that of toys sold by unorganized sellers on the TB platform, at 219 mg/kg. Approximately 12% of the toys purchased from TB contained paint with total lead concentrations exceeding China's regulatory standard for paints in toy manufacturing, and nearly 36% of the toys purchased from TB exceeded the equivalent US regulatory standard and EU standard. These results suggest that further action is needed to verify the health and safety standards of toys sold by such unorganized sellers. Moreover, this study found that China's regulatory standard (90 mg/kg) based on soluble lead may underestimate the risk posed by lead in paints, and it is suggested that future regulatory thresholds for lead levels in paints for toy manufacture be based on total rather than soluble lead concentrations. The present study also explored various influencing factors on lead concentration, and found that lead concentrations were related to toy price, age group, color, and sales volume.
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•Toys sold by unorganized sellers contain elevated lead concentrations.•Soluble and total lead concentrations match a log-linear relationship.•Cheaper toys tended to have higher lead concentrations.•Toys with elevated lead concentrations were mostly intended for infant and toddlers.•Toys with large sales volume tended to have lower lead concentrations.
Lead in paint on toys sold on unorganized online shopping platforms may pose risks to children in China.
Cartilage injuries are typically caused by trauma, chronic overload, and autoimmune diseases. Owing to the avascular structure and low metabolic activities of chondrocytes, cartilage generally does ...not self-repair following an injury. Currently, clinical interventions for cartilage injuries include chondrocyte implantation, microfracture, and osteochondral transplantation. However, rather than restoring cartilage integrity, these methods only postpone further cartilage deterioration. Stem cell therapies, especially mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) therapies, were found to be a feasible strategy in the treatment of cartilage injuries. MSCs can easily be isolated from mesenchymal tissue and be differentiated into chondrocytes with the support of chondrogenic factors or scaffolds to repair damaged cartilage tissue. In this review, we highlighted the full success of cartilage repair using MSCs, or MSCs in combination with chondrogenic factors and scaffolds, and predicted their pros and cons for prospective translation to clinical practice.
The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCG2 is a significant urate transporter with a high capacity, and it plays a crucial role in the development of hyperuricemia and gout. Therefore, it has ...the potential to be targeted for therapeutic interventions. Cortex Fraxini, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been found to possess anti-hyperuricemia properties. However, the specific constituents of Cortex Fraxini responsible for this effect are still unknown, particularly the compound that is responsible for reducing uric acid levels in vivo. In this study, we propose a target screening protocol utilizing bio-affinity ultrafiltration mass spectrometry (BA-UF-MS) to expediently ascertain ABCG2 ligands from the plasma of rats administered with Cortex Fraxini. Our screening protocol successfully identified fraxin as a potential ligand that interacts with ABCG2 when it functions as the target protein. Subsequent investigations substantiated fraxin as an activated ligand of ABCG2. These findings imply that fraxin exhibits promise as a drug candidate for the treatment of hyperuricemia. Furthermore, the utilization of BA-UF-MS demonstrates its efficacy as a valuable methodology for identifying hit compounds that exhibit binding affinity towards ABCG2 within TCMs.
The Tibetan Plateau is an important component of the global carbon cycle due to the large permafrost carbon pool and its vulnerability to climate warming. The Tibetan Plateau has experienced a ...noticeable warming over the past few decades and is projected to continue warming in the future. However, the direction and magnitude of carbon fluxes responses to climate change and elevated CO2 concentration under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios in the Tibetan Plateau grassland are poorly known. Here, we used a calibrated and validated biogeochemistry model, CENTURY, to quantify the contributions of climate change and elevated CO2 on the future carbon budget in the alpine grassland under three RCP scenarios. Though the Tibetan Plateau grassland was projected a net carbon sink of 16 ~ 25 Tg C yr-1 in the 21st century, the capacity of carbon sequestration was predicted to decrease gradually because climate-driven increases in heterotrophic respiration (Rh) (with linear slopes 0.49 ~ 1.62 g C m-2 yr-1) was greater than the net primary production (NPP) (0.35 ~ 1.52 g C m-2 yr-1). However, the elevated CO2 contributed more to plant growth (1.9% ~ 7.3%) than decomposition (1.7% ~ 6.1%), which could offset the warming-induced carbon loss. The interannual and decadal-scale dynamics of the carbon fluxes in the alpine grassland were primarily controlled by temperature, while the role of precipitation became increasingly important in modulating carbon cycle. The strengthened correlation between precipitation and carbon budget suggested that further research should consider the performance of precipitation in evaluating carbon dynamics in a warmer climate scenario.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Aristolochic acids (AAs) are a toxic substance present in certain natural plants. Direct human exposure to these plants containing AAs leads to a severe and irreversible condition known as ...aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). Additionally, AAs accumulation in the food chain through environmental mediators can trigger Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), an environmental variant of AAN. This paper presents a concise overview of the oncogenic pathways associated with AAs and explores the various routes of environmental exposure to AAs. The detection and removal of AAs in natural plants, drugs, and environmental and biological samples were classified and summarized, and the advantages and disadvantages of the various methods were analyzed. It is hoped that this review can provide effective insights into the detection and removal of AAs in the future.
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