Constructing van der Waals heterostructures can enhance two-dimensional (2D) materials with desired properties and greatly extend the applications of the original materials. On the basis of density ...functional theory calculations, we verify that a blue phosphorene (BlueP)/BSe inter-layer heterostructure possesses an indirect gap and intrinsic type-II band alignment. In particular, this heterostructure is found to be a potential photocatalyst for water splitting under different pH conditions and exhibits enhanced optical properties in the visible and ultraviolet light zones. Besides, we confirm that the band gap, band edge position, and optical absorption of the BlueP/BSe heterostructure can be tailored by biaxial strain. And the tensile strain increases the optical absorption significantly over the entire energy range of visible light, which can increase the efficiency of solar energy conversion. Furthermore, we determine that adjusting the number of sublayers is another effective method to modulate the band gaps and band alignments of heterostructures. Our studies provide a promising route to design new BlueP-based vdW heterostructures and explore their potential applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices.
Improved durability, enhanced interfacial stability, and room temperature applicability are desirable properties for all‐solid‐state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs), yet these desired properties ...are rarely achieved simultaneously. Here, in this work, it is noticed that the huge resistance at Li metal/electrolyte interface dominantly impeded the normal cycling of ASSLMBs especially at around room temperature (<30 °C). Accordingly, a supramolecular polymer ion conductor (SPC) with “weak solvation” of Li+ was prepared. Benefiting from the halogen‐bonding interaction between the electron‐deficient iodine atom (on 1,4‐diiodotetrafluorobenzene) and electron‐rich oxygen atoms (on ethylene oxide), the O‐Li+ coordination was significantly weakened. Therefore, the SPC achieves rapid Li+ transport with high Li+ transference number, and importantly, derives a unique Li2O‐rich SEI with low interfacial resistance on lithium metal surface, therefore enabling stable cycling of ASSLMBs even down to 10 °C. This work is a new exploration of halogen‐bonding chemistry in solid polymer electrolyte and highlights the importance of “weak solvation” of Li+ in the solid‐state electrolyte for room temperature ASSLMBs.
PEO‐based electrolytes suffer from huge interfacial resistance, poor Li+ transport, and Li dendrite formation in all‐solid‐state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs) operating at around room‐temperature. This work proposes the regulation of the Li+ solvation environment through halogen‐bonding interaction and highlights the importance of “weak solvation” of Li+ in solid electrolytes for room temperature ASSLMBs.
With a rapidly aging population, adequate blood pressure (BP) control is critical for hypertension management and prevention of cardiovascular events. Impressive cardiovascular benefits have been ...observed with intensive BP control (SBP target, <120 mmHg) in the SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) study, even in patients 75 years of age or older. A most recent meta-analysis including 51 randomized trials with over 350,000 participants from the BPLTTC (The Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration) showed that BP lowering is effective in older people for reducing major cardiovascular events. The STEP (Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients) study-a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial conducted in China, provided important evidence that intensive BP treatment (SBP target, 110 mmHg to <130 mmHg) benefits older hypertensive patients (aged 60-80 years) and reduced the incidence of cardiovascular events than standard treatment (target 130 mmHg to <150 mmHg). Because Asian people have a higher burden of hypertension and stroke than Caucasian people, intensive BP treatment has more advantages in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events including stroke in Asian hypertensive patients than in Caucasian people. Home BP monitoring is helpful to facilitate hypertension management for older patients. It should also be noted that clinical decision-making should be on a patient basis, such as fragility, diabetes, stroke, and other comorbidities, with tailored BP targets. Here we review the important clinical trials of BP control in elderly hypertension, interpretate the main findings of STEP, and also discuss the perspectives of managing hypertension in Asia.
The role of vascular aging in atherosclerosis ZHANG Qi-yue, ZHANG Wei-li
Ji chu yi xue yu lin chuang = Jichu yixue yu linchuang = Basic medical sciences and clinics,
03/2022, Letnik:
42, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Vascular aging is an age-dependent degeneration of vascular structure and function, which can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis is an essential pathogenesis of ...cardiovascular diseases. Vascular aging plays an important role in the progression of atherosclerosis. Effective evaluation of vascular aging is necessary for the clinical treatment of atherosclerotic diseases. This review summarized the structural and functional changes of vascular aging, and highlighted the important roles of telomere attrition, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation of vascular cells in the process of atherosclerosis, aiming to provide new impetus for the clinical treatment of atherosclerotic diseases.
ObjectiveTo investigate the source of Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) isolated in a hospital in the past decade and the in vitro drug susceptibility, and to provide clinical references for the treatment ...of KP-associated infection. MethodsThe detection rate, the sources of the specimens, and in vitro susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of KP isolated from clinical specimens in a hospital between January 2012 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Resistance rate of the extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing isolates vs. that of the non-enzyme-producing ones, and the resistance rate of imipenem-resistant strains vs. that of imipenem-susceptible ones were compared and analyzed. Carbapenase inhibitor enhancement test was used to identify the types of the carbapenemases. ResultsIn total, 34 573 strains of KP were isolated from 1 684 668 clinical specimens, accounting for 14.6% of bacterial isolates. There were 16 888 non-repeated strains of KP. The main specimen sources of the isolates were sputum (10 27
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing, and nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Phillygenin (PHI), a natural bioactive ingredient, isolated from
, exhibits anti-inflammatory, ...anti-oxidative, and hepatoprotective activities. However, few reports provide direct evidence on the efficacy of PHI in improving colitis mice. The present study elucidated that the symptoms of DSS-induced colitis mice were alleviated after PHI administration, including body weight loss, the disease activity index, colon length shortening, colonic pathological damage, splenomegaly, and hepatomegaly. PHI treatment improved the intestinal mucosal barrier by protecting goblet cells, promoting gene expressions of
,
, and
, increasing tight junction proteins (TJs), and reducing epithelial cell apoptosis. In addition, the levels of oxidative stress (MPO, SOD, and MDA) and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10) were reversed by PHI in colitis mice. According to transcriptome and network pharmacology analysis, inflammatory pathway might be an important mechanism for PHI to improve colitis. Western blotting displayed that the PHI inhibited the activation of tyrosine kinase Src mediated by TLR4, and then reduced the phosphorylation of downstream proteins p38, JNK, and NF-κB in colitis mice. In summary, our results suggested that PHI might be an appropriate and effective drug candidate to protect colitis.
To systematically review and assess the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for treating primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS).
Five electronic databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of science, Ovid, ...Cochrane Library) were searched for randomized controlled trials and retrospective or prospective studies published in English that reported the effect of HCQ on pSS. The subjective symptoms (sicca symptoms, fatigue and pain) and the objective indexes (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and Schirmer test) were assessed as main outcome measures. A meta-analysis and descriptive study on the efficacy and safety of HCQ were conducted. The estimate of the effect of HCQ treatment was expressed as a proportion together with 95% confidence interval, and plotted on a forest plot.
Four trials with totals of 215 SS patients, including two randomized controlled trials, one double blind crossover trial and one retrospective open-label study, were analyzed in this review. For dry mouth and dry eyes, the effectiveness of HCQ treatment was essentially the same as placebo treatment. For fatigue, the effectiveness of HCQ was lower than placebo. The efficacy of HCQ in treating pain associated with pSS was superior to that of the placebo. There was no significant difference between HCQ-treated groups and controls in terms of Schirmer test results, but HCQ could reduce the erythrocyte sedimentation rate compare with placebo. A descriptive safety assessment showed that gastrointestinal adverse effects were the most common adverse effects associated with HCQ.
This systematic review showed that there is no significant difference between HCQ and placebo in the treatment of dry mouth and dry eye in pSS. Well-designed, randomized, controlled trials are needed to provide higher-quality evidence to confirm our findings, and future studies should focus on some other index or extraglandular measures, such as cutaneous manifestations, to further explore the therapeutic effect of HCQ in pSS.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a mycotoxin contaminating food and feed, can trigger liver immune toxicity and threaten the poultry industry. Phillygenin (PHI) is a natural lignan derived primarily from ...Forsythia suspensa with hepatoprotective pharmacological and medicinal properties. This research aimed to investigate the preventive effects of PHI on the toxicity of AFB1 in the liver of chickens. Chickens were administered with AFB1 (2.8 mg/kg) and/or treated with PHI (24 mg/kg) for 33 days. The histopathological changes, serum biochemical indices, oxidative damage, inflammatory mediators, apoptosis, and activation of the NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways were measured. Results revealed that dietary PHI ameliorated liver function indicators, reduced the malondialdehyde and inflammatory mediator production and the apoptotic cell number, and increased the antioxidant enzyme contents and Bcl-2 level. The quantitative realtime PCR and Western blot results revealed that PHI reduced p53, cytochrome c, Bax, caspase-9, and caspase-3 levels, normalized the NF-κB p65 phosphorylation, and upregulated the Nrf2 and its downstream genes expression in chicken liver. These results indicated that PHI has beneficial effects on AFB1-induced liver damage, oxidative damage, inflammatory response, apoptosis, and immunotoxicity by inhibiting NF-κB and activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway in chickens. This study provides new insight into the therapeutic uses of PHI.
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•Phillygenin(PHI) ameliorates aflatoxin B1- induced liver damage in chicken.•PHI inhibits oxidative stress and inflammation in the AFB1-induced liver damage.•PHI reduces AFB1-induced hepatocytes apoptosis in the liver of chicken.•PHI alleviates AFB1 toxicity by the NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways.
Objective To study the role of miR-216a in regulating the characteristics of macrophages derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Methods Human PBMCs were isolated and cultured. The ...polarization model of M1 and M2 macrophages were established in vitro, and flow cytometry and real-time quantitative PCR were used to detect the cell surface markers of macrophage. Furthermore, miR-216a mimics were transfected into M2 macrophages, and the surface markers of M2 macrophage and inflammatory factors were examined. Results After overexpression of miR-216a, the expression of surface marker CD163 of M2 macrophage was significantly increased, the expressions of inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1β were decreased, and the expressions of anti-inflammatory cytokines TGF-β and IL-10 were increased(P＜0.05). Conclusions miR-216a could promote the polarization of human PBMCs-derived macrophages into M2 phenotype and inhibit the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
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