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•A filexible fabric based hydrovolt generator was prepared by cauterization method.•A drop of water produces a voltage of about 0.2 V and a current of 0.1 μA.•Solid–liquid interface ...charge transfer mechanism was elucidated.•Fabric-based generators can power small electronic devices by dropping little water.
Water is the source of life and the largest energy carrier on Earth. Various excellent hydrovoltaic technologies have been proposed, but still suffer from issues such as intermittent output, material limitations, and poor flexibility. Here, we proposed a method for fabrication of a hydrovoltaic generator using the flexible polyimide fabric. Carbon black was deposited on the polyimide fabric surface using a simple method of candle flame burning. On the basis of water transport in the fabric and charge separation induced by negatively charged carbon black channels, sustainable hydrovoltaic power generation was achieved by the generator. A single carbon deposited polyimide fabric (CBP) could generate a continuous voltage output of nearly 260 mV by dripping a water drop on one side. Multiple CBP devices were connected in series and parallel to increase output power, which could be applied for the power and energy storage of small electronic devices. This work may provide a convenient strategy for fabricating sustainable flexible hydrovoltaic generators and offer insights for the development of clean power sources.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer an opportunity to overcome multidrug resistance. Here, novel peptides were designed based on AMP fragments derived from sea cucumber hemolytic lectin to enhance ...anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity with less side effects. Two designed peptides, CGS19 (LARVARRVIRFIRRAW-NH2) and CGS20 (RRRLARRLIFFIRRAW-NH2), exhibited strong antibacterial activities against clinically isolated MRSA with MICs of 3–6 μM, but no obvious cytotoxicity was observed. Consistently, CGS19 and CGS20 exerted rapid bactericidal activity and effectively induced 5.9 and 5.8 log reduction of MRSA counts in mouse subeschar, respectively. Further, CGS19 and CGS20 kill bacteria not only through disturbing membrane integrity but also by binding formate-tetrahydrofolate ligase, a key enzyme in the folate metabolism pathway, thereby inhibiting the folate pathway of MRSA. CGS19 and CGS20 are promising lead candidates for drug development against MRSA infection. The dual mechanisms on the identical peptide sequence or scaffold might be an underappreciated manner of treating life-threatening pathogens.
Background Cognitive impairment may increase the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) mortality. This study examined the association between cognitive function and risk of all-cause ...and CVD mortality among the elderly in Beijing, China. Methods and Results A total of 1996 participants aged ≥55 years at baseline were enrolled from the BLSA (Beijing Longitudinal Study of Aging). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination ( MMSE ), and participants were categorized as: <18, 18 to 23, 24 to 27, and 28 to 30. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association. Hazard ratio ( HR ) and 95% confidence interval ( CI ) were reported. During a 20-year follow-up, 1122 (56.21%) participants died, 478 (42.60%) of whom died of CVD . Compared with MMSE scores of 28 to 30, participants with MMSE scores of <18 were independently associated with all-cause mortality ( hazard ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.59-2.87; P<0.001) and CVD mortality (hazard ratio , 4.52; 95% confidence interval , 2.80-7.30, P<0.001). Each 5-point decrease in MMSE score was associated with a 34% increased risk of all-cause mortality and a 56% increased risk of CVD mortality. This relationship remained statistically significant after using the competing risk model to consider non- CVD death as a competing risk event. Conclusion Cognitive impairment measured by MMSE score was associated with elevated risk of all-cause and CVD mortality among the elderly in Beijing, China.
•A multi-enzyme-mimicking nanozyme-thixotropic anionic hydrogel coating was fabricated.•The coating exhibited antifungal performance and wound healing capacity.•The coating was successfully used for ...the treatment of fungal keratitis.
Fungal keratitis is the primary cause of infectious corneal blindness in China. Currently, early-stage treatment mainly involves the frequent administration of antifungal medications to ensure prolonged corneal contact and maintain effective drug concentration. This approach, however, may lead to harmful side effects and increased antifungal resistance due to the substantial use of antifungal agents. Consequently, the development of advanced antifungal strategies is essential. In the study, we fabricated a multi-enzyme-mimicking nanozyme-thixotropic anionic hydrogel coating (NHC) that incorporated voriconazole and copper-proanthocyanidins (CuPC) nanozyme, by the Schiff base reaction of self-synthesized polyaldehyde oligomer (PAO) with amino functionalized hyaluronic acid (AHA), for the treatment of fungal keratitis. The thixotropic anionic hydrogel significantly boosts the retention time and permeability of voriconazole, allowing a low dose to achieve a high therapeutic concentration. Additionally, the inherent antifungal and peroxidase-like activities of CuPC, coupled with the intrinsic characteristics of anionic hydrogel, further enhance the antifungal efficacy of NHC. Moreover, the NHC assists in corneal wound healing through stimulating cell proliferation by HA derivative as well as scavenging ROS via the catalase-like and superoxide dismutase-like activities of CuPC. The in vitro and in vivo studies have illustrated the safety and effectiveness of NHC, indicating its potential in the treatment of fungal keratitis.
The selective decomposition of formic acid (FA) traditionally needs to be carried out under high temperature with the noble metal-based catalysts. Meanwhile, it also encounters a separation of H
and ...CO
for pure H
production. The photocatalytic FA dehydrogenation under mild conditions can meet a growing demand for sustainable H
generation. Here, we reported a photocatalytic selective H
release from FA decomposition at low temperature for pure H
production by Pt/g-C
N
. Low-cost and easy-to-obtained urea was utilized to produce carbon nitride as the metal-free semiconductor photocatalyst, along with a photodeposition to obtain Pt/g-C
N
. The electrochemical evidences clearly demonstrate the photocatalytic activity of Pt/g-C
N
to produce H
and CO
in one-step FA decomposition. And, the impedance is the lowest under simulated solar light of 70 mW cm
with a faster electron transfer kinetic. Under simulated solar light, H
production rate is up to 1.59 mmol · h
· g
for FA with concentration at 2.65 mol l
, 1700 000 times larger than that under visible light and 1928 times under ultraviolet (UV) light. DFT calculations further elucidate that nitrogen (N) active site at the g-C
N
has an excellent adsorption towards CO
molecule capture. Then, H
molecules are selectively released to simultaneously separate H
and CO
in solution. Platinum (Pt) at Pt/g-C
N
as the catalytic site contributes into the acceleration of H
production.
Corneal nerve fibers are derived from the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal ganglion (TG). Here, by sequencing of microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) from diabetic and normal TG ...tissues, we aimed to uncover potential miRNAs, mRNAs, and the network of their interactions involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic corneal neuropathy.
We performed RNA sequencing to systematically screen out differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs in TG tissues from diabetic and normal mice. Functional enrichment analyses were performed to illustrate the biological functions of differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs). Following this, miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks were built by means of bioinformatics methods to suggest regulatory role for miRNAs in the pathogenesis of diabetic corneal neuropathy. Finally, the credibility of the sequencing-based results was validated using qRT-PCR.
Sequencing analyses disclosed that 68 miRNAs and 114 mRNAs were differentially expressed in diabetic TG tissues compared with normal TG samples. The functional analyses showed that DEmRNAs participated in diabetes-related biological processes. After applying an optimized approach to predict miRNA–mRNA pairs, a miRNA-mRNA interacting network was inferred. Subsequently, the expression and correlation of miR-350-5p and Mup20, miR-592-5p and Angptl7 as well as miR-351-5p and Elovl6 were preliminarily validated.
Our study provides a systematic characterization of miRNA and mRNA expression in the TG during diabetic corneal neuropathy and will contribute to the development of clinical diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for diabetic corneal neuropathy.
•Differential expressing profilings of microRNAs and mRNAs between diabetic and normal trigeminal ganglion tissues were first demonstrated.•A comprehensive microRNA interactome for diabetic corneal neuropathy was displayed.•Several microRNA-mRNA pairs were provided for future investigations on the pathogenesis of diabetic corneal neuropathy.
Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) are broadly applied in clinical treatment due to convenient accessibility, low immunogenicity, and the absence of any ethical issues involved. ...However, the microenvironment of inflammatory tissues may cause oxidative stress and induce senescence in transplanted hUC-MSCs, which will further reduce the proliferation, migration ability, and the final therapeutic effects of hUC-MSCs. Beta-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) are famous antioxidants and longevity medicines that could reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species levels by different mechanisms. In this study, hUC-MSCs were treated in vitro with NMN and CoQ10 to determine if they could reduce oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and recover cell functions. The effects of NMN and CoQ10 on the cell proliferation, the mRNA levels of the inflammatory cytokine TNFα and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL10, and the differentiation and cell migration ability of hUC-MSCs before and after H2O2 treatment were investigated. The findings revealed that NMN and CoQ10 reduced H2O2-induced senescence and increased hUC-MSCs’ proliferation in the late phase as passage 12 and later. The TNFα mRNA level of hUC-MSCs induced by H2O2 was significantly decreased after antioxidant treatment. NMN and CoQ10 all reduced the adipogenic differentiation ability of hUC-MSCs. CoQ10 improved the chondrogenic differentiation ability of hUC-MSCs. Furthermore, NMN was found to significantly enhance the migration ability of hUC-MSCs. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that NMN and CoQ10 both increased DNA repair ability and cyclin expression and downregulated TNF and IL-17 inflammatory signaling pathways, thereby contributing to the proliferative promotion of senecent stem cells and resistance to oxidative stress. These findings suggest that antioxidants can improve the survival and efficacy of hUC-MSCs in stem cell therapy for inflammation-related diseases.
Evidence of the association between dyslipidemia and its components with commuting mode after adjusting for air pollution is limited. This study aimed to explore the association of dyslipidemia and ...its components with the modes used to commute to and from work after accounting for air pollution and other potential confounding factors.
This cross-sectional study was based on data collected from a working population of 69 functional communities in Beijing in 2016. A final sample of 8090 adults aged 18-65 years (mean age: 38.36 ± 9.75 years) was enrolled in the study. Risk estimates and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations of dyslipidemia and its components with commuting mode were determined using multivariate logistic regression models.
Of the 8090 subjects, 2419 (29.90%) met the criteria for dyslipidemia. Compared with car or taxi commuters, walking (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.97), cycling (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.86) and bus-riding commuters (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.91) had a lower risk for dyslipidemia. Compared with car or taxi commuting, walking, cycling and bus-riding commuting were also associated with a lower risk for some components of dyslipidemia. Among the walking, cycling and bus-riding commuters, a dose-response trend of the association between dyslipidemia, some of its components and commuting mode by commuting time was also observed.
Walking, cycling and bus-riding commuting can reduce the risk for dyslipidemia and some of its components. Education on the prevention of dyslipidemia should be emphasized among higher-risk people who usually commute by car or taxi. Population-wide health may be improved by policies that encourage active commuting, particularly cycling and walking.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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