Background & Aims
Insulin resistance is strongly associated with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease, a chronic, obesity–related liver disease. Increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays an ...important role in the development of insulin resistance. In this study, we investigated the roles of miRNAs in regulating ER stress in the liver of rats with obesity.
Methods
We used miRNA microarray to determine the miRNA expression profiles in the liver of rats fed with a high fat diet (HFD). We used prediction algorithms and luciferase reporter assay to identify the target gene of miRNAs. To overexpress the miRNA miR‐30b or inhibit miR‐30b rats were injected with lentivirus particles containing PGLV3‐miR‐30b or PGLV3‐miR‐30b antimiR through tail vein. Hepatic steatosis was measured using transient elastography in human subjects.
Results
Our data showed that miR‐30b was markedly up‐regulated in the liver of HFD–treated rats. Bioinformatic and in vitro and in vivo studies led us to identify sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase 2b (SERCA2b), as a novel target of miR‐30b. Overexpression of miR‐30b induced ER stress and insulin resistance in rats fed with normal diet, whereas inhibition of miR‐30b by miR‐30b antimiR suppressed ER stress and insulin resistance in HFD–treated rats. Finally, our data demonstrated that there was a positive correlation between serum miR‐30b levels and hepatic steatosis or homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) in human subjects.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that miR‐30b represents not only a potential target for the treatment of insulin resistance, but also a non‐invasive disease biomarker of NAFLD.
The Phalaenopsis orchid produces complex flowers that are commercially valuable, which has promoted the study of its flower development. E‐class MADS‐box genes, SEPALLATA (SEP), combined with B‐, C‐ ...and D‐class MADS‐box genes, are involved in various aspects of plant development, such as floral meristem determination, organ identity, fruit maturation, seed formation and plant architecture. Four SEP‐like genes were cloned from Phalaenopsis orchid, and the duplicated PeSEPs were grouped into PeSEP1/3 and PeSEP2/4. All PeSEPs were expressed in all floral organs. PeSEP2 expression was detectable in vegetative tissues. The study of protein–protein interactions suggested that PeSEPs may form higher order complexes with the B‐, C‐, D‐class and AGAMOUS LIKE6‐related MADS‐box proteins to determine floral organ identity. The tepal became a leaf‐like organ when PeSEP3 was silenced by virus‐induced silencing, with alterations in epidermis identity and contents of anthocyanin and chlorophyll. Silencing of PeSEP2 had minor effects on the floral phenotype. Silencing of the E‐class genes PeSEP2 and PeSEP3 resulted in the downregulation of B‐class PeMADS2‐6 genes, which indicates an association of PeSEP functions and B‐class gene expression. These findings reveal the important roles of PeSEP in Phalaenopsis floral organ formation throughout the developmental process by the formation of various multiple protein complexes.
Fluorescence microscopy with optical sectioning capabilities is extensively utilized in biological research to obtain three-dimensional structural images of volumetric samples. Tunable lenses have ...been applied in microscopy for axial scanning to acquire multiplane images. However, images acquired by conventional tunable lenses suffer from spherical aberration and distortions. Here, we design, fabricate, and implement a dielectric Moiré metalens for fluorescence imaging. The Moiré metalens consists of two complementary phase metasurfaces, with variable focal length, ranging from ∼10 to ∼125 mm at 532 nm by tuning mutual angles. In addition, a telecentric configuration using the Moiré metalens is designed for high-contrast multiplane fluorescence imaging. The performance of our system is evaluated by optically sectioned images obtained from HiLo illumination of fluorescently labeled beads, as well as ex vivo mice intestine tissue samples. The compact design of the varifocal metalens may find important applications in fluorescence microscopy and endoscopy for clinical purposes.
Ammonia selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR) of nitrogen oxides is an effective and well-established technology for NOx removal, but current commercial denitrification catalysts based on ...V2O5-WO3/TiO2 have some obvious disadvantages, including narrow operating temperature windows, toxicity, poor hydrothermal stability, and unsatisfied SO2/H2O tolerance. To overcome these drawbacks, it is imperative to investigate new types of highly efficient catalysts. In order to design catalysts with outstanding selectivity, activity, and anti-poisoning ability, core-shell structured materials have been widely applied in the NH3-SCR reaction, which exhibits numerous advantages including the large surface area, the strong synergy interaction of core-shell materials, the confinement effect, and the shielding effect from the shell layer to protect the core. This review summarizes recent developments of core-shell structured catalysts for NH3-SCR, including basic classification, synthesis methods, and a detailed description of the performance and mechanisms of each type of catalyst. It is hoped that the review will stimulate future developments in NH3-SCR technology, leading to novel catalyst designs with improved denitrification performance.
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•Core-shell structured materials have been widely applied in the NH3-SCR reaction.•Core-shell structured SCR catalyst shows high catalytic activity.•Core-shell structure could protect the active components from deactivation.
Acute post-operative pain can remain untreated if patients cannot express themselves. The perfusion index (PI) may decrease when pain activates sympathetic tone and may increase after analgesics are ...administered. We evaluated if the perfusion index is a feasible indicator for objectively assessing pain relief in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and calculated the changes in PI measurements at the time of discharge from the PACU relative to baseline PI measurements to examine if the PI is a useful criterion for discharging patients from the postanesthesia care unit. This retrospective observational study enrolled female patients who were admitted for gynecological or general surgery. The patients received general anesthesia and were admitted to the postanesthesia care unit. The PI, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, heart rate, and blood pressure were recorded before and after administration of intravenous morphine. Changes in these parameters before and after analgesics were administered and the difference of these parameters between age and BMI subgroups were compared. The correlation between the PI and VAS score, ΔPI and ΔVAS, and %ΔPI and %ΔVAS were also evaluated. The percentage change in ΔPI (P9-T0/T0) of the patients at the time of discharge from the postanesthesia care unit relative to baseline PI measurements was calculated. Eighty patients were enrolled, and there were 123 instances during which analgesia was required. Heart rate, PI, and VAS score were significantly different before and after analgesics were administered (p < 0.0001). The difference of parameters between age and BMI subgroups were not significant. The correlation between the PI and VAS score, ΔPI and ΔVAS, and the percentage change in ΔPI and ΔVAS showed weak correlations in age, BMI subgroups, and all measurements. The baseline PI and the PI when arriving at and when being discharged from the postanesthesia care unit were significantly different (p < 0.01). The mean percentage change in Δ PI at the time of discharge from the PACU was 66.2%, and the 99% confidence interval was 12.2%~120.3%. The perfusion index was increased, and the VAS score was decreased significantly after analgesics were administered, but the correlation was weak in each subgroup. The VAS score is a subjective and psychometric parameter. The PI increased when partial pain relief was achieved after morphine was administered but did not reflect pain intensity or changes in the VAS score regardless of age or BMI. A percentage change in ΔPI at the time of discharge from the PACU relative to baseline PI measurements of greater than 12% can be used as a supplemental objective discharge criterion for pain assessment in the postanesthesia care unit.
•MnCoOx@TiO2 nanocage catalysts derived from the Prussian blue analogue exhibited excellent SCR performance and SO2 tolerance.•The SCR reaction pathways based on both L-H and E-R mechanisms were ...investigated.•More ad-NH3 and ad-NOx species with higher reactivity are available on the surface of the MnCoOx@TiO2 catalyst.•The synergistic effect of the MnCoOx core and TiO2 shell is crucial to the SCR reaction and SO2 resistance.
By annealing the self-assembled Mn3Co(CN)62·nH2O@Ti(OH)4, MnCoOx@TiO2 double-walled nanocage catalysts were obtained. Excellent low-temperature NH3-SCR performance (above 90 % NO conversion efficiency at 200–325 °C), acceptable stability, and exceptional SO2 resistance were demonstrated. According to a series of characterizations, the MnCoOx@TiO2 catalysts were found to have an enlarged specific surface area, improved surface acidity and redox ability, enhanced dispersion of active components, and abundantly formed adsorbed oxygen (Oads) species, which consequently exhibited the improved deNOx performance. Meanwhile, the coating of the TiO2 shell reduced the basic sites to adsorb SO2, hence leaving a certain proportion of active metal oxides preserved. Apparently, the MnCoOx@TiO2 catalysts were observed to have an enhanced SO2-resistant ability.
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•Pr-modified MnCeOx catalysts exhibited excellent SCR performance and SO2 tolerance.•The SCR reaction pathways based on both L-H and E-R mechanisms were investigated.•The ad-NH3 ...species on MnCePrOx-0.3 showed superior reactivity.•Abundant of Oads and Mn4+ on MnCePrOx-0.3 catalysts promoted the “fast SCR”.
Using a one-step impregnation method, a series of Pr-modified MnCeOx catalysts with different Pr molar ratios were created to manufacture an efficient and effective catalyst for low-temperature NH3-SCR. It was demonstrated that the Pr modification could extensively boost the MnCeOx catalysts’ de-NOx activity and SO2 resistance and led to the formation of a unique broom-like morphology, especially when the molar ratio of Pr/Mn = 0.3, the MnCePrOx-0.3 exhibited above 90 % NO conversion at 250 °C with the existence of 100 ppm SO2. According to the characterization results, the enhancement of Pr doping for MnCeOx catalysts was mainly manifested by the expanded specific surface area, the improved dispersion of active components, the enhanced surface acidity and redox ability, and the generated more chemisorbed oxygen (Oads) species. All these characteristics allowed the NH3-SCR reaction over MnCePrOx-0.3 catalysts to proceed through the both Eley-Rideal (E-R) and Langmuir-hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism.
A remote optogenetic device for analyzing freely moving animals has attracted extensive attention in optogenetic engineering. In particular, for peripheral nerve regions, a flexible device is needed ...to endure the continuous bending movements of these areas. Here, a remote optogenetic optical transducer device made from a gold inverse opaline skeleton grown with a dendrite-like gold nanostructure (D-GIOF) and chemically grafted with upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) is developed. This implantable D-GIOF-based transducer device can achieve synergistic interaction of the photonic crystal effect and localized surface plasmon resonance, resulting in considerable UCNP conversion efficiency with a negligible thermal effect under low-intensity 980 nm near-infrared (NIR) light excitation. Furthermore, the D-GIOF-based transducer device exhibits remarkable emission power retention (≈100%) under different bending states, indicating its potential for realizing peripheral nerve stimulation. Finally, the D-GIOF-based transducer device successfully stimulates neuronal activities of the sciatic nerve in mice. This study demonstrates the potential of the implantable device to promote remote NIR stimulation for modulation of neural activity in peripheral nerve regions and provides proof of concept for its in vivo application in optogenetic engineering.
The pathophysiology of cardio-renal syndrome (CRS) is complex. Hydronephrosis caused by urolithiasis may cause cytokine release and lead to cardiac dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate ...cardiac function changes observed in patients who received double J placement using feasible biomarkers and echocardiography. This was a prospective, single-center study. Eighty-seven patients who presented with acute unilateral hydronephrosis and received ureteroscope stone manipulation were enrolled. Echocardiography and cytokines were measured on the day of the operation and 24 hours after the procedure. Changes before and after surgery were assessed by the paired t-test and Wilcoxon test. Correlation analyses between echocardiographic diastolic indices and cytokine levels were performed using Pearson's correlation coefficients. Patients with hydronephrosis showed a higher left atrium volume index (LAVI), decreased E', and increased E/ E' ratio, which indicated diastolic dysfunction. Patients with hydronephrosis also exhibited decreased global strain rates during isovolumetric relaxation (SRIVR) and E/ SRIVR, which confirmed the diastolic dysfunction. Significant reductions in LAVI, increases in SRIVR and decreases in E/ SRIVR were observed after the operation. Biomarkers, such as TGF-β and serum NT-proBNP, were significantly decreased after surgery. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the post-surgical decrease in TGF-β1 and increase in SRIVR. Unilateral hydronephrosis causes cardiac diastolic dysfunction, and relieving hydronephrosis could improve diastolic function. Improvements in cardiac dysfunction can be evaluated by echocardiography and measuring cytokine levels. The results of this study will inform efforts to improve the early diagnosis of CRS and prevent further deterioration of cardiac function when treating patients with hydronephrosis.
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