Biallelic variants in Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) are the main pathogenic factor of congenital absence of the vas deferens (CAVD), including congenital bilateral ...absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) and congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens (CUAVD). However, there are few reports about the correlation between CFTR variant and outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in CAVD patients of China. In this study, 104 patients with CAVD were recruited in Central China, and provided gene detection by the whole-exome sequencing, among them 69% (72/104) carried at least one variant in CFTR and one carried adhesion G protein-coupled receptor G2 (ADGRG2) variant. A total of 81 CAVD patients were treated with ART, of which 21 and 60 carried none or at least one variant in CFTR, respectively. The fertilization rate, cleavage rate, effective embryo rate, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate per fresh embryo transfer were compared between patients with and without CFTR variants. It was found that the ART outcomes had no significant difference whether the patients carried the CFTR variant or not. In addition, all of the offspring were healthy after follow-up. In conclusion, rare CFTR variants may play a major role in patients with CAVD in Central China, which were greatly different from other descent. There was no significant difference in ART outcomes in CAVD patients with or without CFTR variants. The limitations of this study were that there was no statistical analysis of the sperm quality through TESA and conclusions were relatively limited due to the small sample size of the study.
•In2O3/ZnSnO3 cubic crystallite composites were successfully synthesized by combining hydrothermal and calcination processes.•The In(9%)/ZnSnO3 exhibits excellent sensing performances that is the ...response is 14.9, and response/recovery times are 45 s and 24 s, respectively, to 100 ppm ethanol at 250 °C.•The good sensing performances can be attributed to the synergetic effect between In2O3 and ZnSnO3, oxygen vacancies, and high specific surface area.
By combining hydrothermal and calcination processes, In2O3/ZnSnO3 cubic crystallite composites have been successfully synthesized. The crystal structure and morphology of the as-synthesized In2O3/ZnSnO3 have been characterized employing X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In terms of better gas response, fast response, repeatability, and a lower operating temperature, the In2O3/ZnSnO3 cubic crystallites displayed selective sensing performance towards ethanol, specifically, the response is 14.9, and response/recovery times are 45 s and 24 s, respectively, to 100 ppm ethanol at 250 °C. This research reveals that the synthetic In2O3/ZnSnO3 cubic crystallite composites exhibit significant ethanol sensing properties due to the synergetic effect between In2O3 and ZnSnO3, oxygen vacancies, and high specific surface area, making them a potential material for constructing high-performance ethanol sensors.
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Organic heterostructures have been demonstrated to be excellent candidates for application in photonic components such as modulators and optical switches, but the controllable fabrication of organic ...heterostructures remains a considerable challenge due to the lattice mismatch and weak intermolecular forces. In this study, a photochromic strategy is demonstrated to fabricate in‐series organic heterostructures with high controllability and designability by selectively covering a portion of the organic microcrystals. Radiative energy transfer is found in the blue‐green fluorescent 2‐block of the organic heterostructure, which acts as the basic component unit, leading to the unique passive/active mixed waveguide mode. Furthermore, optical waveguides with switchable output light wavelength‐bands can be constructed based on the 3‐block and 5‐block heterostructures. By changing the input ports on the heterostructures, the blue, blue/green, or green wavelength band can be selectively outcoupled, thus indicating the potential of the organic heterostructures to be utilized in future photonic systems.
A controllable photochromic strategy is demonstrated to fabricate in‐series organic heterostructures. The unique passive/active mixed waveguide mode is found due to the radiative energy transfer (RET). Furthermore, optical waveguides with switchable output light wavelength‐band can be constructed based on the heterostructures, indicating the potential applications in future photonic systems.
Herein, we presented two novel turn-on colorimetric and fluorescent probes based on a F− triggered SiO bond cleavage reaction, which displayed several desired properties for the quantitative ...detection for F−, such as high specificity, rapid response time (within 3 min) and naked-eye visualization. The fluorescence intensity at 574 nm (absorbance at 544 nm) of the solution was found to increase linearly with the concentration of F− (0.00–30.0 μM) with the detection limit was estimated to be 0.47 μM/0.48 μM. Based on these excellent optical properties, the probes were employed to monitor F− in real water samples and tea samples with satisfactory. Furthermore, it was successfully applied for fluorescent imaging of F− in living nude mice, suggesting that it could be used as a powerful tool to predict and explore the biological functions of F− in physiological and pathological processes.
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•Two novel rhodol-based fluorescent probes were synthesized and characterized.•The probe exhibited high sensitivity, high selective, rapid response for F−.•The probe was employed in potable water and tea samples analysis with satisfactory.•The applicability of the probe for live animal imaging was studied.
The geodynamic mechanism responsible for the generation of Early Paleozoic magmatism within the Qilian Block, northwest China, remains controversial. In this paper, we present new geochronological, ...mineralogical, and geochemical data for the Hejiashan (HJS) granite and Lajishan (LJS) quartz diorite from the eastern Qilian Block, to constrain their origin and the regional evolutionary history. Laser abalation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) zircon U–Pb dating results show that the HJS granites and LJS quartz diorites were emplaced between 445 and 438 Myr ago. The HJS granites are high-K calc-alkaline, metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, with K
2
O/Na
2
O weight ratios of 0.84–1.12. The LJS quartz diorites are calc-alkaline and metaluminous with K
2
O/Na
2
O weight ratios of 0.34–0.46. Both have similar whole-rock Sr–Nd isotopic compositions. They are characterized by low heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) and Y concentrations, and high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, similar to adakitic rocks. Notably, the LJS quartz diorites are more depleted in HREEs and Y, and have much higher Mg# = 100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe), La/Yb, Sr/Y, and zircon ε
Hf
(t) values, and MgO, Cr, Co and Ni concentrations than those of the HJS granites. The HJS granites were most likely derived from partial melting of a thickened juvenile lower crust with amphibole and minor plagioclase as residual phases in the magma source. Conversely, the LJS quartz diorites were produced by partial melting of the subducted oceanic slab and minor sedimentary materials in the garnet and rutile stability field. Combined data from this and previous studies suggest that the Early Paleozoic magmatism within the Qilian Block mainly occurred ca. 464–402 Myr ago as a response to post-collisional extension. Break-off of the northward subducted South Qilian oceanic slab after continental collision between the Qaidam and Qilian Blocks was the primary dynamic mechanism responsible for the Early Paleozoic extensive crust-mantle interaction and magmatism within the Qilian Block.
Metabolic hypertension (MH) is the most common type of hypertension worldwide because of unhealthy lifestyles, such as excessive alcohol intake and high-sugar/high-fat diets (ACHSFDs), adopted by ...humans. Poor diets lead to a decrease in the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are produced by intestinal flora and transferred by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), resulting in impaired gastrointestinal function, disrupted metabolic processes, increased blood pressure (BP), and ultimately, MH. It is not clear whether
Dendrobium officinale
polysaccharide (DOPS) can mediate its effects by triggering the SCFAs-GPCR43/41 pathway. In this study, DOPS, with a content of 54.45 ± 4.23% and composition of mannose, glucose, and galacturonic acid at mass percentages of 61.28, 31.87, and 2.53%, was isolated from
Dendrobium officinale
. It was observed that DOPS, given to rats by intragastric administration after dissolution, could lower the BP and improve the abnormal lipid metabolic processes in ACHSFD-induced MH rats. Moreover, DOPS was found to increase the production, transportation, and utilization of SCFAs, while improving the intestinal flora and strengthening the intestinal barrier, as well as increasing the intestinal levels of SCFAs and the expression of GPCR43/41. Furthermore, DOPS improved vascular endothelial function by increasing the expression of GPCR41 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the aorta and the nitric oxide level in the serum. However, these effects were all reversed by antibiotic use. These findings indicate that DOPS is the active component of
Dendrobium officinale
, and it can reverse MH in rats by activating the intestinal SCFAs-GPCR43/41 pathway.
Stem cell-based therapy has been used to treat ischaemic heart diseases for two decades. However, optimal cell types and transplantation methods remain unclear. This study evaluated the therapeutic ...effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hUCMSC) sheet on myocardial infarction (MI).
hUCMSCs expressing luciferase were generated by lentiviral transduction for in vivo bio-luminescent imaging tracking of cells. We applied a temperature-responsive cell culture surface-based method to form the hUCMSC sheet. Cell retention was evaluated using an in vivo bio-luminescent imaging tracking system. Unbiased transcriptional profiling of infarcted hearts and further immunohistochemical assessment of monocyte and macrophage subtypes were used to determine the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of the hUCMSC sheet. Echocardiography and pathological analyses of heart sections were performed to evaluate cardiac function, angiogenesis and left ventricular remodelling.
When transplanted to the infarcted mouse hearts, hUCMSC sheet significantly improved the retention and survival compared with cell suspension. At the early stage of MI, hUCMSC sheet modulated inflammation by decreasing Mcp1-positive monocytes and CD68-positive macrophages and increasing Cx3cr1-positive non-classical macrophages, preserving the cardiomyocytes from acute injury. Moreover, the extracellular matrix produced by hUCMSC sheet then served as bioactive scaffold for the host cells to graft and generate new epicardial tissue, providing mechanical support and routes for revascularsation. These effects of hUCMSC sheet treatment significantly improved the cardiac function at days 7 and 28 post-MI.
hUCMSC sheet formation dramatically improved the biological functions of hUCMSCs, mitigating adverse post-MI remodelling by modulating the inflammatory response and providing bioactive scaffold upon transplantation into the heart.
Due to its excellent availability as well as superior local cellular retention and survival, allogenic transplantation of hUCMSC sheets can more effectively acquire the biological functions of hUCMSCs, such as modulating inflammation and enhancing angiogenesis. Moreover, the hUCMSC sheet method allows the transfer of an intact extracellular matrix without introducing exogenous or synthetic biomaterial, further improving its clinical applicability.
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•Cell sheet formation of hUCMSCs dramatically improves post transplantation cell survival in the infarcted heart.•hUCMSC sheet protects cardiomyocytes from infarction by alleviating acute inflammation.•The ECM of cell sheet serves as bioactive scaffold to allow the host cells to integrate and form new epicardial tissue.•The new epicardial tissue can provide mechanical support and new routes for revascularization.
The emergence of pandrug-resistant bacteria breaks through the last line of defense and raises fear among people of incurable infections. In the post-antibiotic era, the pharmaceutical field turns to ...seek non-conventional anti-infective agents. Antimicrobial peptides are considered a prospective solution to the crisis of antimicrobial resistance. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial efficiency of an ApoE mimetic peptide, COG1410, which has been confirmed to exhibit strong neural protective activity and immunomodulatory function. COG1410 showed potent antimicrobial activity against pandrug-resistant
Acinetobacter baumannii
, even eliminating large inocula (10
8
CFU/ml) within 30 min. LC
99.9
in PBS and 50% pooled human plasma was 2 μg/ml (1.4 μM) and 8 μg/ml (5.6 μM), respectively. Moreover, COG1410 exhibited biofilm inhibition and eradication activity, excellent stability in human plasma, and a low propensity to induce resistance. Although COG1410 easily entered bacterial cytoplasm and bound to DNA nonspecifically, the major mechanism of COG1410 killing was to disrupt the integrity of cell membrane and lead to leakage of cytoplasmic contents, without causing obvious pores on the cell surface or cell lysis. Additionally, transcriptome analysis showed that treatment with COG1410-enriched genes involved a series of oxidation–reduction processes. DCFH-DA probe detected an increased ROS level in the presence of COG1410, indicating ROS was another hit of this AMP. Furthermore, the action of COG1410 did not depend on the electronic interaction with the LPS layer, in contrast to polymyxin B. The strong synergistic interaction between COG1410 and polymyxin B dramatically reduced the working concentration of COG1410, expanding the safety window of the application.
C. elegans
infection model showed that combined therapy of COG1410 and polymyxin B was capable of significantly rescuing the infected nematodes. Taken together, our study demonstrates that COG1410 is a promising drug candidate in the battle against pandrug-resistant
A. baumannii
.
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