The severe charge recombination and the sluggish kinetic for oxygen evolution reaction have largely limited the application of hematite (α‐Fe2O3) for water splitting. Herein, the construction of ...Cu2S/Fe2O3 heterojunction and discover that the formation of covalent SO bonds between Cu2S and Fe2O3 can significantly improve the photoelectrochemical performance and stability for water splitting is reported. Compared with bare Fe2O3, the heterostructure of Cu2S/Fe2O3 endows the resulting electrode with enhanced charge separation and transfer, extended range for light absorption, and reduced charge recombination rate. Additionally, due to the photothermal properties of Cu2S, the heterostructure exhibits locally a higher temperature under illumination, profitable for increasing the rate of oxygen evolution reaction. Consequently, the photocurrent density of the heterostructure is enhanced by 177% to be 1.19 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. This work may provide guideline for future in the design and fabrication of highly efficient photoelectrodes for various reactions.
The construction of Cu2S/Fe2O3 heterojunction and the formation of covalent SO bonds between Cu2S and Fe2O3 can significantly improve the performance and stability for photoelectrochemical water splitting. The heterostructure of Cu2S/Fe2O3 endows the resulting electrode with promoted charge separation and transfer, extended light absorption range, and reduced charge recombination rate.
Due to the existence of Lingzhi adulteration, there is a growing demand for species classification of medicinal mushrooms by various techniques. The objective of this study was to explore a rapid and ...reliable way to distinguish between different Lingzhi species and compare the influence of data pretreatment methods on the recognition results. To this end, 120 fresh fruiting bodies of Lingzhi were collected, and all of them were analyzed by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) classification models were established for raw and pretreated second derivative (SD) spectral matrices to authenticate different Lingzhi species. The results of multivariate statistical analysis indicated that the SD preprocessing method displayed a higher classification ability, which may be attributed to the analysis of powder samples that requires removal of overlapping peaks and baseline shifts. Compared with RF, the results of the SVM and PLS-DA methods were more satisfying, and their accuracies for the test set were both 100%. Among SVM and PLS-DA, the training set and test set accuracy of PLS-DA were both 100%. In conclusion, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy data pretreated by SD combined with PLS-DA is a simple, rapid, non-destructive and relatively inexpensive method to discriminate between mushroom species and provide a good reference to quality assessment.
Exosomes are nanoscale membrane vesicles secreted from many types of cells. Carrying functional molecules, exosomes transfer information between cells and mediate many physiological and pathological ...processes. In this report, utilizing selective inhibitors, molecular tools, and specific endocytosis markers, the cellular uptake of PC12 cell-derived exosomes was imaged by high-throughput microscopy and statistically analyzed. It was found that the uptake was through clathrin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis. Furthermore, PC12 cell-derived exosomes can enter and deliver microRNAs (miRNAs) into bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs), and decrease the expression level of transforming growth factor β receptor II (TGFβRII) and tropomyosin-1 (TPM1) through miR-21. These results show the pathway of exosome internalization and demonstrate that tumor cell-derived exosomes regulate target gene expression in normal cells.
China is one of the countries with the highest incidence of gastric cancer. There are differences in epidemiological characteristics, clinicopathological features, tumor biological characteristics, ...treatment patterns, and drug selection between gastric cancer patients from the Eastern and Western countries. Non‐Chinese guidelines cannot specifically reflect the diagnosis and treatment characteristics for the Chinese gastric cancer patients. The Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) arranged for a panel of senior experts specializing in all sub‐specialties of gastric cancer to compile, discuss, and revise the guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer based on the findings of evidence‐based medicine in China and abroad. By referring to the opinions of industry experts, taking into account of regional differences, giving full consideration to the accessibility of diagnosis and treatment resources, these experts have conducted experts’ consensus judgement on relevant evidence and made various grades of recommendations for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer to reflect the value of cancer treatment and meeting health economic indexes. This guideline uses tables and is complemented by explanatory and descriptive notes covering the diagnosis, comprehensive treatment, and follow‐up visits for gastric cancer.
Osteoporosis is a frequent complication of chronic inflammatory diseases and increases in the pro-inflammatory cytokines make an important contribution to bone loss by promoting bone resorption and ...impairing bone formation. Omentin-1 is a newly identified adipocytokine that has anti-inflammatory effects, but little is known about the role of omentin-1 in inflammatory osteoporosis. Here we generated global
knockout (
) mice and demonstrated that depletion of omentin-1 induces inflammatory bone loss-like phenotypes in mice, as defined by abnormally elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, increased osteoclast formation and bone tissue destruction, as well as impaired osteogenic activities. Using an inflammatory cell model induced by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), we determined that recombinant omentin-1 reduces the production of pro-inflammatory factors in the TNF-α-activated macrophages, and suppresses their anti-osteoblastic and pro-osteoclastic abilities. In the magnesium silicate-induced inflammatory osteoporosis mouse model, the systemic administration of adenoviral-delivered omentin-1 significantly protects from osteoporotic bone loss and inflammation. Our study suggests that omentin-1 can be used as a promising therapeutic agent for the prevention or treatment of inflammatory bone diseases by downregulating the pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Background
Diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia have not been established in Chinese. This study established criteria based on the L3‐skeletal muscle index (L3‐SMI) and assessed its value for outcomes ...predicting in cirrhotic Chinese patients.
Methods
Totally 911 subjects who underwent a CT scan at two centres were enrolled in Cohort 1 (394 male and 417 female subjects, aged 20–80 years). The data of those subjects younger than 60 years (365 male and 296 female subjects) were used to determine the reference intervals of the L3‐SMI and its influencing factors. Cohort 2 consisted of 480 patients (286 male and 184 female patients) from three centres, and their data were used to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia and evaluate the value of L3‐SMI for predicting the prognosis and complications of cirrhosis.
Results
Age and sex had the greatest effects on the L3‐SMI (P < 0.001). The L3‐SMI scores were clearly higher in male patients than in female patients (52.94 ± 8.41 vs. 38.91 ± 5.65 cm2/m2, P < 0.001) and sharply declined in subjects aged ≥ 60 years. Based on the mean −1.28 × SD among adults aged < 60 years, the L3‐SMI cut‐off value for sarcopenia was 44.77 cm2/m2 in male patients and 32.50 cm2/m2 in female patients. Using these values, 22.5% of the cirrhotic patients (28.7% of male patients and 11.9% of female patients) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Compared with non‐sarcopenia individuals, sarcopenia patients had lower body mass index (21.28 ± 3.01 vs. 24.09 ± 3.39 kg/m2, P < 0.001) and serum albumin levels (31.54 ± 5.93 vs. 32.93 ± 5.95 g/L, P = 0.032), longer prothrombin times (16.39 ± 3.05 vs. 15.71 ± 3.20 s, P = 0.049), higher total bilirubin concentrations (41.33 ± 57.38 vs. 32.52 ± 31.48 μmol/L, P = 0.039), worse liver function (Child–Pugh score, 8.05 ± 2.11 vs. 7.32 ± 2.05, P = 0.001), higher prevalence of cirrhosis‐related complications (81.82% vs. 62.24%, P < 0.001) and mortality (30.68% vs. 11.22%, P < 0.001). Overall survival was significantly lower in the sarcopenia group risk ratio (RR) = 2.643, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.646–4.244, P < 0.001, accompanied with an increased cumulative incidence of ascites (RR = 1.827, 95% CI 1.259–2.651, P = 0.002), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (RR = 3.331, 95% CI 1.404–7.903, P = 0.006), hepatic encephalopathy (RR = 1.962, 95% CI 1.070–3.600, P = 0.029), and upper gastrointestinal varices (RR = 2.138, 95% CI 1.319–3.466, P = 0.002). Subgroup analysis showed sarcopenia shortened the survival of the patients with Model For End‐Stage Liver Disease score > 14 (RR = 4.310, 95% CI 2.091–8.882, P < 0.001) or Child–Pugh C (RR = 3.081, 95% CI 1.516–6.260, P = 0.002).
Conclusions
Sarcopenia is a common comorbidity of cirrhosis and can be used to predict cirrhosis‐related complications and the prognosis.
During the oocyte growth, maturation and zygote development, chromatin structure keeps changing to regulate different nuclear activities. Here, we reported the role of SMC2, a core component of ...condensin complex, in oocyte and embryo development. Oocyte-specific conditional knockout of SMC2 caused female infertility. In the absence of SMC2, oocyte meiotic maturation and ovulation occurred normally, but chromosome condensation showed defects and DNA damages were accumulated in oocytes. The pronuclei were abnormally organized and micronuclei were frequently observed in fertilized eggs, their activity was impaired, and embryo development was arrested at the one-cell stage, suggesting that maternal SMC2 is essential for embryonic development.
Microglial activation participates in white matter injury after cerebral hypoperfusion. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, we explore whether activated microglia aggravate white ...matter injury via complement C3-C3aR pathway after chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.
: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 80) underwent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion for 7, 14, and 28 days. Cerebral vessel density and blood flow were examined by synchrotron radiation angiography and three-dimensional arterial spin labeling. Neurobehavioral assessments, CLARITY imaging, and immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate activation of microglia and C3-C3aR pathway. Furthermore, C3aR knockout mice were used to establish the causal relationship of C3-C3aR signaling on microglia activation and white matter injury after hypoperfusion.
: Cerebral vessel density and blood flow were reduced after hypoperfusion (
0.05). Spatial learning and memory deficits and white matter injury were shown (
0.05). These impairments were correlated with aberrant microglia activation and an increase in the number of reactive microglia adhering to and phagocytosed myelin in the hypoperfusion group (
0.05), which were accompanied by the up-regulation of complement C3 and its receptors C3aR (
0.05). Genetic deletion of
significantly inhibited aberrant microglial activation and reversed white matter injury after hypoperfusion (
0.05). Furthermore, the C3aR antagonist SB290157 decreased the number of microglia adhering to myelin (
0.05), attenuated white matter injury and cognitive deficits in chronic hypoperfusion rats (
0.05).
: Our results demonstrated that aberrant activated microglia aggravate white matter injury via C3-C3aR pathway during chronic hypoperfusion. These findings indicate C3aR plays a critical role in mediating neuroinflammation and white matter injury through aberrant microglia activation, which provides a novel therapeutic target for the small vessel disease and vascular dementia.
Li‐N2 batteries have received widespread attention for their potential to integrate N2 fixation, energy storage, and conversion. However, because of the low activity and poor stability of cathode ...catalysts, the electrochemical performance of Li‐N2 batteries is suboptimal, and their electrochemical reversibility has rarely been proven. In this study, a novel bifunctional photo‐assisted Li‐N2 battery system was established by employing a plasmonic Au nanoparticles (NPs)‐modified defective carbon nitride (Au‐Nv‐C3N4) photocathode. The Au‐Nv‐C3N4 exhibits strong light‐harvesting, N2 adsorption, and N2 activation abilities, and the photogenerated electrons and hot electrons are remarkably beneficial for accelerating the discharge and charge reaction kinetics. These advantages enable the photo‐assisted Li‐N2 battery to achieve a low overpotential of 1.32 V, which is the lowest overpotential reported to date, as well as superior rate capability and prolonged cycle stability (≈500 h). Remarkably, a combination of theoretical and experimental results demonstrates the high reversibility of the photo‐assisted Li‐N2 battery. The proposed novel strategy for developing efficient cathode catalysts and fabricating photo‐assisted battery systems breaks through the overpotential bottleneck of Li‐N2 batteries, providing important insights into the mechanism underlying N2 fixation and storage.
A novel bifunctional photo‐assisted Li‐N2 battery system is established by employing a plasmonic Au nanoparticles (NPs)‐modified defective carbon nitride (Au‐Nv‐C3N4) photocathode. Benefiting from the strong light‐harvesting, N2 adsorption, and N2 activation abilities of the Au‐Nv‐C3N4 cathode, the photo‐assisted Li‐N2 battery displays the highest round‐trip efficiency (56.2 %) to date, superior rate capability, and stable cycle life of over 500 h.
The 2019 novel coronavirus has caused the outbreak of the acute respiratory disease in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China since December 2019. This study was performed to analyze the clinical ...characteristics of patients who succumbed to and who recovered from 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Clinical data were collected from two tertiary hospitals in Wuhan. A retrospective investigation was conducted to analyze the clinical characteristics of fatal cases of COVID-19 (death group) and we compare them with recovered patients (recovered group). Continuous variables were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were analyzed by χ test or Fisher exact test as appropriate.
Our study enrolled 109 COVID-19 patients who died during hospitalization and 116 recovered patients. The median age of the death group was older than the recovered group (69 62, 74 vs. 40 33, 57 years, Z = 9.738, P < 0.001). More patients in the death group had underlying diseases (72.5% vs. 41.4%, χ = 22.105, P < 0.001). Patients in the death group had a significantly longer time of illness onset to hospitalization (10.0 6.5, 12.0 vs. 7.0 5.0, 10.0 days, Z = 3.216, P = 0.001). On admission, the proportions of patients with symptoms of dyspnea (70.6% vs. 19.0%, χ = 60.905, P < 0.001) and expectoration (32.1% vs. 12.1%, χ = 13.250, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the death group. The blood oxygen saturation was significantly lower in the death group (85 77, 91% vs. 97 95, 98%, Z = 10.625, P < 0.001). The white blood cell (WBC) in death group was significantly higher on admission (7.23 4.87, 11.17 vs. 4.52 3.62, 5.88 ×10/L, Z = 7.618, P < 0.001). Patients in the death group exhibited significantly lower lymphocyte count (0.63 0.40, 0.79 vs. 1.00 0.72, 1.27 ×10/L, Z = 8.037, P < 0.001) and lymphocyte percentage (7.10 4.45, 12.73% vs. 23.50 15.27, 31.25%, Z = 10.315, P < 0.001) on admission, and the lymphocyte percentage continued to decrease during hospitalization (7.10 4.45, 12.73% vs. 2.91 1.79, 6.13%, Z = 5.242, P < 0.001). Alanine transaminase (22.00 15.00, 34.00 vs. 18.70 13.00, 30.38 U/L, Z = 2.592, P = 0.010), aspartate transaminase (34.00 27.00, 47.00 vs. 22.00 17.65, 31.75 U/L, Z = 7.308, P < 0.001), and creatinine levels (89.00 72.00, 133.50 vs. 65.00 54.60, 78.75 μmol/L, Z = 6.478, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the death group than those in the recovered group. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were also significantly higher in the death group on admission (109.25 35.00, 170.28 vs. 3.22 1.04, 21.80 mg/L, Z = 10.206, P < 0.001) and showed no significant improvement after treatment (109.25 35.00, 170.28 vs. 81.60 27.23, 179.08 mg/L, Z = 1.219, P = 0.233). The patients in the death group had more complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (89.9% vs. 8.6%, χ = 148.105, P < 0.001), acute cardiac injury (59.6% vs. 0.9%, χ = 93.222, P < 0.001), acute kidney injury (18.3% vs. 0%, χ = 23.257, P < 0.001), shock (11.9% vs. 0%, χ = 14.618, P < 0.001), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (6.4% vs. 0%, χ = 7.655, P = 0.006).
Compared to the recovered group, more patients in the death group exhibited characteristics of advanced age, pre-existing comorbidities, dyspnea, oxygen saturation decrease, increased WBC count, decreased lymphocytes, and elevated CRP levels. More patients in the death group had complications such as ARDS, acute cardiac injury, acute kidney injury, shock, and DIC.
PDF
