Abstract
Glucose electrolysis offers a prospect of value-added glucaric acid synthesis and energy-saving hydrogen production from the biomass-based platform molecules. Here we report that ...nanostructured NiFe oxide (NiFeO
x
) and nitride (NiFeN
x
) catalysts, synthesized from NiFe layered double hydroxide nanosheet arrays on three-dimensional Ni foams, demonstrate a high activity and selectivity towards anodic glucose oxidation. The electrolytic cell assembled with these two catalysts can deliver 100 mA cm
−2
at 1.39 V. A faradaic efficiency of 87% and glucaric acid yield of 83% are obtained from the glucose electrolysis, which takes place via a guluronic acid pathway evidenced by in-situ infrared spectroscopy. A rigorous process model combined with a techno-economic analysis shows that the electrochemical reduction of glucose produces glucaric acid at a 54% lower cost than the current chemical approach. This work suggests that glucose electrolysis is an energy-saving and cost-effective approach for H
2
production and biomass valorization.
Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and its copolymers are a family of biodegradable polymers with excellent biodegradability, thermoplastic processability and balanced mechanical properties. In this ...article, production of the monomers succinic acid and butanediol, synthesis, processing and properties of PBS and its copolymers are reviewed. The physical properties and biodegradation rate of PBS materials can be varied in a wide range through copolymerization with different types and various contents of monomers. PBS has a wide temperature window for thermoplastic processing, which makes the resin suitable for extrusion, injection molding, thermoforming and film blowing. Finally, we summarized industrialization and applications of PBS.
Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a defective virus that completes its life cycle only with hepatitis B virus (HBV). The HBV with HDV super-infection has been considered as one of the most severe forms of ...the chronic viral hepatitis. However, there is a scarcity of data on the global burden of HDV infection.
We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and China Knowledge Resource Integrated databases from 1 January 1977 to 31 December 2016. We included studies with a minimum sample size of 50 patients. Our study analysed data from a total of 40 million individuals to estimate the prevalence of HDV by using Der-Simonian Laird random-effects model. The data were further categorised according to risk factors.
From a total of 2717 initially identified studies, only 182 articles from 61 countries and regions met the final inclusion criteria. The overall prevalence of HDV was 0.98% (95% CI 0.61 to 1.42). In HBsAg-positive population, HDV pooled prevalence was 14.57% (95% CI 12.93 to 16.27): Seroprevalence was 10.58% (95% CI 9.14 to 12.11) in mixed population without risk factors of intravenous drug use (IVDU) and high-risk sexual behaviour (HRSB). It was 37.57% (95% CI 29.30 to 46.20) in the IVDU population and 17.01% (95% CI 10.69 to 24.34) in HRSB population.
We found that approximately 10.58% HBsAg carriers (without IVDU and HRSB) were coinfected with HDV, which is twofold of what has been estimated before. We also noted a substantially higher HDV prevalence in the IVDU and HRSB population. Our study highlights the need for increased focus on the routine HDV screening and rigorous implementation of HBV vaccine programme.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a disease caused by a dysregulated immune with unknown etiology. Hericium erinaceus (H. erinaceus) is a Chinese medicinal fungus, with the effect of prevention and ...treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. In this study, we have tested the anti-inflammatory effect of polysaccharide of H. erinaceus (HECP, Mw: 86.67 kDa) in the model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in C57BL/6 mice. Our data indicated that HECP could improve clinical symptoms and down-regulate key markers of oxidative stresses, including nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and myeloperoxidase (MPO). HECP also suppressed the secretion of interleukin (IL)-6, interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and decreased the expression of related mRNA. Meanwhile, HECP blocked phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65, NF-κB inhibitor alpha (IκB-α), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and Protein kinase B (Akt) in DSS-treated mice. Moreover, HECP reversed DSS-induced gut dysbiosis and maintained intestinal barrier integrity. In conclusion, HECP ameliorates DSS-induced intestinal injury in mice, which suggests that HECP can serve as a protective dietary nutrient against IBD.
Hericium erinaceus, is a mushroom with edible values and medicinal properties. Here we reported the anti-inflammatory effect of polysaccharide of H. erinaceus (HECP) in the model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in C57BL/6 mice. HECP improved clinical symptoms, down regulated oxidative stresses, and suppressed the secretion of inflammatory factors. The mechanism by which it inhibits colitis in mice is blocking phosphorylation of NF-κB, MAPK and Akt in DSS-treated mice. Beside, HECP also modulated the distribution of the intestinal flora and restored the relative abundances of vital bacteria including Clostridiales, Akkermansia as well as Desulfovibrio, and prevented the imbalance of gut microbiota in DSS-induced colitis. Display omitted
STING and liver disease Chen, Can; Yang, Rui-Xia; Xu, Hua-Guo
Journal of gastroenterology,
08/2021, Letnik:
56, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
STING (stimulator of interferon genes) also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) is a cytoplasmic DNA sensor which can be activated by the upstream cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs). This ...activation produces cytokines such as interferons and pro-inflammatory factors via the downstream IRF3 and NF-κB pathways, triggering an innate immune response and adaptive immunity to maintain homeostasis. STING is mainly expressed and activated in non-parenchymal cells, thus exerting a corresponding effect to maintain the homeostasis of the liver. In viral hepatitis, interferons and pro-inflammatory factors produced after STING activation initiate the immune response to inhibit virus replication and assembly. In the case of metabolic diseases of the liver, the activation of STING in kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells leads to inflammation, the proliferation of connective tissue, and metabolic disorders in the hepatocytes, promoting the occurrence and development of the disease. In hepatocellular carcinoma, STING has two contradictory roles. When STING is activated in dendritic cells and macrophages, a large number of cytokines can be produced to initiate innate immune effects directly and to exert adaptive immunity through the recruitment and activation of T cells; however, aberrant activation of the STING pathway leads to a weakening of immune function and promotes oncogenesis and metastasis. Here, we summarize the interactions between STING and liver disease that have currently been identified and how to achieve therapeutic goals by modulating the activity of the STING pathway.
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A multiscale dislocation-based model was built to describe, for the first time, the microstructural evolution and strain-hardening of {332}⟨113⟩ TWIP (twinning-induced plasticity) Ti ...alloys. This model not only incorporates the reduced dislocation mean free path by emerging twin obstacles, but also quantifies the internal stress fields present at β-matrix/twin interfaces. The model was validated with the novel Ti-11Mo-5Sn-5Nb alloy (wt.%), as well as an extensive series of alloys undergoing {332}⟨113⟩ twinning at various deformation conditions. The quantitative model revealed that solid solution hardening is the main contributor to the yield stress, where multicomponent alloys or alloys containing eutectoid β-stabilisers exhibited higher yield strength. The evolution of twinning volume fraction, intertwin spacing, dislocation density and flow stress were successfully described. Particular attention was devoted to investigate the effect of strain rate on the twinning kinetics and dislocation annihilation. The modelling results clarified the role of each strengthening mechanism and established the influence of phase stability on twinning enhanced strain-hardening. Strain-hardening stems from the formation of twin obstacles in early stages, whereas the internal stress fields provide a long-lasting strengthening effect throughout the plastic deformation. A tool for alloy design by controlling TWIP is presented.
IRF family genes have been shown to be crucial in tumorigenesis and tumour immunity. However, information about the role of IRF in the systematic assessment of pan‐cancer and in predicting the ...efficacy of tumour therapy is still unknown. In this work, we performed a systematic analysis of IRF family genes in 33 tumour samples, including expression profiles, genomics and clinical characteristics. We then applied Single‐Sample Gene‐Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) to calculate IRF‐scores and analysed the impact of IRF‐scores on tumour progression, immune infiltration and treatment efficacy. Our results showed that genomic alterations, including SNPs, CNVs and DNA methylation, can lead to dysregulation of IRFs expression in tumours and participate in regulating multiple tumorigenesis. IRF‐score expression differed significantly between 12 normal and tumour samples and the impact on tumour prognosis and immune infiltration depended on tumour type. IRF expression was correlated to drug sensitivity and to the expression of immune checkpoints and immune cell infiltration, suggesting that dysregulation of IRF family expression may be a critical factor affecting tumour drug response. Our study comprehensively characterizes the genomic and clinical profile of IRFs in pan‐cancer and highlights their reliability and potential value as predictive markers of oncology drug efficacy. This may provide new ideas for future personalized oncology treatment.
Improvement of crop drought resistance and water-use efficiency (WUE) has been a major endeavor in agriculture. Arabidopsis ENHANCED DROUGHT TOLERANCE1/HOMEODOMAIN GLABROUS11 (AtEDT1/HDG11), a ...homeodomain-START transcription factor we previously identified from the enhanced drought tolerance1 mutant (edt1), has been demonstrated to improve drought tolerance and WUE significantly in multiple plant species when constitutively overexpressed.
Here, we report the genetic evidence suggesting a genetic pathway, which consists of EDT1/HDG11, ERECTA, and E2Fa loci, and regulates WUE by modulating stomatal density. AtEDT1/HDG11 transcriptionally activates ERECTA by binding to homeodomain-binding (HD) cis-elements in the ERECTA promoter. ERECTA, in turn, depends on E2Fa to modulate the expression of cell cycle-related genes.
This modulation affects the transition from mitosis to endocycle, leading to increased ploidy levels in leaf cells, and therefore increased cell size and decreased stomatal density.
Our results suggest a possible EDT1/HDG11-ERECTA-E2Fa genetic pathway that reduces stomatal density by increasing cell size and provide a new avenue to improve WUE of crops.
Precise genome editing via homology-directed repair (HDR) after double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) cleavage facilitates functional genomic research and holds promise for gene therapy. However, HDR ...efficiency remains low in some cell types, including some of great research and clinical interest, such as human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Here, we show that a double cut HDR donor, which is flanked by single guide RNA (sgRNA)-PAM sequences and is released after CRISPR/Cas9 cleavage, increases HDR efficiency by twofold to fivefold relative to circular plasmid donors at one genomic locus in 293 T cells and two distinct genomic loci in iPSCs. We find that a 600 bp homology in both arms leads to high-level genome knockin, with 97-100% of the donor insertion events being mediated by HDR. The combined use of CCND1, a cyclin that functions in G1/S transition, and nocodazole, a G2/M phase synchronizer, doubles HDR efficiency to up to 30% in iPSCs.
Taken together, these findings provide guidance for the design of HDR donor vectors and the selection of HDR-enhancing factors for applications in genome research and precision medicine.
Aim
Climate change is expected to have important effects on plant phenology and carbon storage, with further shifts predicted in the future. Therefore, we proposed the community carbon accumulation ...rate (CAR) from the start of the growing season (SOS) to the peak of the growing season (POS) to fill the gap that the dynamic interactions between plant phenology and plant carbon research.
Location
Tibetan Plateau.
Major taxa
Alpine grassland plants.
Time period
2015.
Methods
We conducted a transect survey across grasslands to measure community aboveground net primary production and carbon concentration. Additionally, phenology indicator data (SOS and POS) were extracted from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) normalized difference vegetation index version 3 database. Next, we used ‘changepoint’ analysis to detect the patterns of CARs, and performed linear regression and one‐way ANOVA to explore the variability of CARs in response to the environmental factors. Ultimately, the total effects of environmental factors on CARs were illustrated by a structural equation model.
Results
Our results indicated that three CAR patterns were detected, which are low‐CAR (0.15 g/m2/day), medium‐CAR (0.31 g/m2/day) and high‐CAR (0.84 g/m2/day) patterns. We found that the availabilities of water and heat mediated CARs by regulating soil nutrition variability, and that drought climate and insufficient soil resources co‐constrained the community CAR at long time‐scales. In contrast, high CAR could be explained by more water and heat availability via either direct or indirect effects on soil moisture and soil nutrients.
Main conclusions
Our findings highlight that water and heat availability are critical driving factors in ecological carbon accumulation processes undergoing climate change. Meanwhile, the vegetative phenology also has important effect on carbon accumulation. Consequently, we propose incorporating the dynamic interactions between plant phenology and plant carbon into the ecological carbon cycle model to improve our understanding of resource utilization and survival strategies of plants under environmental change.
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