Stretchable electrochemical sensors are conceivably a powerful technique that provides important chemical information to unravel elastic and curvilinear living body. However, no breakthrough was made ...in stretchable electrochemical device for biological detection. Herein, we synthesized Au nanotubes (NTs) with large aspect ratio to construct an effective stretchable electrochemical sensor. Interlacing network of Au NTs endows the sensor with desirable stability against mechanical deformation, and Au nanostructure provides excellent electrochemical performance and biocompatibility. This allows for the first time, real‐time electrochemical monitoring of mechanically sensitive cells on the sensor both in their stretching‐free and stretching states as well as sensing of the inner lining of blood vessels. The results demonstrate the great potential of this sensor in electrochemical detection of living body, opening a new window for stretchable electrochemical sensor in biological exploration.
Biomedical sensor: A highly controllable strategy has been developed for synthesizing Au nanotubes with a large aspect ratio. The nanotubes were used to construct an effective stretchable electrochemical sensor and to realize real‐time monitoring of mechanically sensitive cells and tissues.
•Discriminating contaminant’s sources is crucial for pollution control.•Receptor model (APCS-MLR) can quantify sources of heavy metals (HMs) in soil.•Isotopic component model can differentiate ...contributions of specific sources for Pb.•Primary anthropic source of HMs in urban soil of southeast China is coal combustion.•Leaching and historic traffic input lead to HM contamination in deep soil layer.
Because heavy metals (HMs) occurring naturally in soils accumulate continuously due to human activities, identifying and apportioning their sources becomes a challenging task for pollution prevention in urban environments. Besides the enrichment factors (EFs) and principal component analysis (PCA) for source classification, the receptor model (Absolute Principal Component Scores-Multiple Linear Regression, APCS-MLR) and Pb isotopic mixing model were also developed to quantify the source contribution for typical HMs (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in urban park soils of Xiamen, a representative megacity in southeast China. Furthermore, distribution patterns of their concentrations and sources in 13 soil profiles (top 20cm) were investigated by different depths (0–5, 5–10, 10–20cm). Currently the principal anthropogenic source for HMs in urban soil of China is atmospheric deposition from coal combustion rather than vehicle exhaust. Specifically for Pb source by isotopic model (206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb), the average contributions were natural (49%)>coal combustion (45%)≫traffic emissions (6%). Although the urban surface soils are usually more contaminated owing to recent and current human sources, leaching effects and historic vehicle emissions can also make deep soil layer contaminated by HMs.
To identify susceptibility loci for schizophrenia, we performed a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) of schizophrenia in the Han Chinese population (GWAS: 746 individuals with ...schizophrenia and 1,599 healthy controls; validation: 4,027 individuals with schizophrenia and 5,603 healthy controls). We identified two susceptibility loci for schizophrenia at 6p21-p22.1 (rs1233710 in an intron of ZKSCAN4, P(combined) = 4.76 × 10(-11), odds ratio (OR) = 0.79; rs1635 in an exon of NKAPL, P(combined) = 6.91 × 10(-12), OR = 0.78; rs2142731 in an intron of PGBD1, P(combined) = 5.14 × 10(-10), OR = 0.79) and 11p11.2 (rs11038167 near the 5' UTR of TSPAN18, P(combined) = 1.09 × 10(-11), OR = 1.29; rs11038172, P(combined) = 7.21 × 10(-10), OR = 1.25; rs835784, P(combined) = 2.73 × 10(-11), OR = 1.27). These results add to previous evidence of susceptibility loci for schizophrenia at 6p21-p22.1 in the Han Chinese population. We found that NKAPL and ZKSCAN4 were expressed in postnatal day 0 (P0) mouse brain. These findings may lead to new insights into the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Proper differentiation of trophoblast cells in the human placenta is a prerequisite for a successful pregnancy, and dysregulation of this process may lead to malignant pregnancy outcomes, such as ...preeclampsia. Finding specific markers for different types of trophoblast cells is essential for understanding trophoblast differentiation. Here, we report that placenta-specific protein 8 (PLAC8) is specifically expressed in the interstitial extravillous trophoblast cells (iEVTs) on the fetomaternal interface. Using model systems, including placental villi-decidua co-culture, iEVTs induction by using primary trophoblast cells or explants, etc., we found that PLAC8 promotes invasion and migration of iEVTs. Mechanistically, time-lapse imaging, GTPase activity assay, co-immunoprecipitation and RNA-seq studies show that PLAC8 increases the Cdc42 and Rac1 activities, and further induces the formation of filopodia at the leading edge of the migratory trophoblast cells. More interestingly, PLAC8 is significantly upregulated under hypoxia and expression of PLAC8 is higher in iEVTs from preeclamptic placentas when compared with those from the normal control placentas. Together, PLAC8 is a new marker for iEVTs and plays an important role in promoting trophoblast invasion and migration.
Atherosclerosis is characterized, as an inflammatory disorder in the circulatory system, with increasing tendency toward mortality and morbidity. Thus, developing novel therapeutic targeting ...inflammation is necessary. Here, we investigated the effects of interleukin‐36 receptor antagonist (IL‐36RN), a newly identified anti‐inflammatory factor, on atherosclerosis. The regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome by IL‐36RN was determined in vitro in macrophage cells after oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL) stimulation. The IL‐1β and caspase‐1 p10 secretion were assessed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and western blot analysis. Finally, the IL‐36RN/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway was confirmed in apolipoprotein E‐deficient mice. IL‐36RN suppressed the expression of NLRP3, the secretion of IL‐1β, and caspase‐1 p10 in vitro, while IL‐36 pathway stimulation activated the NLRP3 inflammasome, which was inhibited by IL‐36RN. In the mouse model of atherosclerosis, IL‐36RN delivered by the lentivirus vector inhibited the development of atherosclerosis, and the atheroprotective effects of IL‐36RN were attenuated by IL‐36 pathway stimulation. Furthermore, the regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome by IL‐36RN was also confirmed in vivo. We demonstrated here that IL‐36RN exerted atheroprotective functions through IL‐36RN/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.
IL‐36RN exerted atheroprotective functions through IL‐36RN/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.
Identifying the health risk of PM2.5 is essential for urban air pollution control. In 2013, China announced the ever-strict national Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan, and its health ...benefit should be evaluated to provide reference for future policymaking. In this study, we conducted a seven-year (2014–2020) continuous observation of PM2.5 in Shenzhen, the third largest city in China, which has relatively good air quality. The results showed that the annual mean PM2.5 and total concentration of 21 associated metals dropped from 37.7 to 18.5 μg/m3 and from 2.4 to 1.1 μg/m3, respectively. Combining methods for source apportionment and health risk assessment, we found that the total carcinogenic risk (CR) of five hazardous metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, and Pb) showed a clear decreasing trend. However, the total CR (1.8 × 10–6) in 2020 still exceeded the widely acceptable risk level (i.e., 1 × 10–6), with the primary contributor changing from industrial emissions (61%) to vehicle emissions (63%). Further analysis indicated that the CR of vehicles mainly came from Cr and Ni released by braking and tire wearing and has fluctuated in recent years, highlighting a great challenge of controlling nonexhaust emissions of vehicles (including electric cars) in the future.
Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem, which also affects economic and social development. China has the second largest burden of tuberculosis in the world. The tuberculosis morbidity ...in Xinjiang is much higher than the national situation; therefore, there is an urgent need for monitoring and predicting tuberculosis morbidity so as to make the control of tuberculosis more effective. Recently, the Box-Jenkins approach, specifically the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, is typically applied to predict the morbidity of infectious diseases; it can take into account changing trends, periodic changes, and random disturbances in time series. Autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (ARCH) models are the prevalent tools used to deal with time series heteroscedasticity. In this study, based on the data of the tuberculosis morbidity from January 2004 to June 2014 in Xinjiang, we establish the single ARIMA (1, 1, 2) (1, 1, 1)12 model and the combined ARIMA (1, 1, 2) (1, 1, 1)12-ARCH (1) model, which can be used to predict the tuberculosis morbidity successfully in Xinjiang. Comparative analyses show that the combined model is more effective. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to establish the ARIMA model and ARIMA-ARCH model for prediction and monitoring the monthly morbidity of tuberculosis in Xinjiang. Based on the results of this study, the ARIMA (1, 1, 2) (1, 1, 1)12-ARCH (1) model is suggested to give tuberculosis surveillance by providing estimates on tuberculosis morbidity trends in Xinjiang, China.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•GAS5 is a lncRNA that was identified to be notably increased in renal tissues of DKD mice and TGF-β1-induced HK-2 cells.•Our data enriched the research of lncRNA GAS5 and miR-96-5p, confirming their ...role in TGF-β1-induced renal tubular injury.•Our study demonstrates that knockdown of lncRNA GAS5 led to antifibrosis by competitively binding miR-96-5p, which inhibited the expression of FN1. These results indicate that targeting LncRNA GAS5 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing diabetic kidney injury.
Renal fibrosis is at the core of various renal diseases, including diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known players in the regulation of renal fibrosis. However, their expression and function in DKD still need to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to assess how lncRNA GAS5 regulates fibrosis and its mechanism in TGF-β1-treated renal proximal tubular cell.In this study, the lncRNA GAS5 was upregulated in both TGF-β1-treated HK-2 cells and the kidneys of HDF/STZ mice. Knockdown of GAS5 relieved renal tubular epithelial fibrosis. This effect was mediated by the downregulation and functional inactivation of miR-96-5p. Furthermore, miR-96-5p was downregulated in DKD mice, and this downregulation attenuated the repression of FN1(fibronectin, FN) and led to its upregulation. The decrease in miR-96-5p was partially attributed to the miRNA-sponge action of GAS5.Our research demonstrates that knockdown of lncRNA GAS5 leads to antifibrosis by competitively binding miR-96-5p, which inhibits the expression of FN1. These results indicate that targeting lncRNA GAS5 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing DKD.
Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are natively exposed to dynamic cyclic stretch and respond to it by the production of vasoactive molecules. Among them, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are closely ...implicated to the endothelial function and vascular homeostasis. However, the dynamic monitoring of ROS release during endothelial mechanotransduction remains a steep challenge. Herein, we developed a stretchable electrochemical sensor by decoration of uniform and ultrasmall platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) on gold nanotube (Au NT) networks (denoted as Au@Pt NTs). The orchestrated structure exhibited prominent electrocatalytic property toward the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (as the most stable ROS) while maintaining excellent mechanical compliance of Au NT networks. Moreover, the favorable biocompatibility of Au NTs and Pt NPs promoted the adhesion and proliferation of ECs cultured thereon. These allowed in situ inducing ECs mechanotransduction and synchronously real-time monitoring of H2O2 release. Further investigation revealed that the production of H2O2 was positively correlated with the applied mechanical strains and could be boosted by other coexisting pathogenic factors. This indicates the great prospect of our proposed sensor in exploring ROS-related signaling for the deep understanding of cell mechanotransduction and vascular disorder.
The ongoing outbreak of viral pneumonia in China and across the world is associated with a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2
. This outbreak has been tentatively associated with a seafood market in Wuhan, ...China, where the sale of wild animals may be the source of zoonotic infection
. Although bats are probable reservoir hosts for SARS-CoV-2, the identity of any intermediate host that may have facilitated transfer to humans is unknown. Here we report the identification of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses in Malayan pangolins (Manis javanica) seized in anti-smuggling operations in southern China. Metagenomic sequencing identified pangolin-associated coronaviruses that belong to two sub-lineages of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses, including one that exhibits strong similarity in the receptor-binding domain to SARS-CoV-2. The discovery of multiple lineages of pangolin coronavirus and their similarity to SARS-CoV-2 suggests that pangolins should be considered as possible hosts in the emergence of new coronaviruses and should be removed from wet markets to prevent zoonotic transmission.
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