The vascular response to pro-atherosclerotic factors is a multifactorial process involving endothelial cells (ECs), macrophages (MACs), and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), although the mechanism by which ...these cell types communicate with each other in response to environmental cues is yet to be understood. Here, we show that miR-155, which is significantly expressed and secreted in Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5)-overexpressing vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), is a potent regulator of endothelium barrier function through regulating endothelial targeting tight junction protein expression. VSMCs-derived exosomes mediate the transfer of KLF5-induced miR-155 from SMCs to ECs, which, in turn, destroys tight junctions and the integrity of endothelial barriers, leading to an increased endothelial permeability and enhanced atherosclerotic progression. Moreover, overexpression of miR-155 in ECs inhibits endothelial cell proliferation/migration and re-endothelialization in vitro and in vivo and thus increases vascular endothelial permeability. Blockage of the exosome-mediated transfer of miR-155 between these two cells may serve as a therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.
Single‐atom catalysts are becoming a hot research topic owing to their unique characteristics of maximum specific activity and atomic utilization. Herein, a new single‐atom nanozyme (SAN) based on ...single Fe atoms anchored on N‐doped carbons supported on carbon nanotube (CNT/FeNC) is proposed. The CNT/FeNC with robust atomic Fe–Nx
moieties is synthesised, showing superior peroxidase‐like activity. Furthermore, the CNT/FeNC is used as the signal element in a series of paper‐based bioassays for ultrasensitive detection of H2O2, glucose, and ascorbic acid. The SAN provides a new type of signal element for developing various biosensing techniques.
A new single atom nanozyme (SAN), carbon nanotube supported single Fe atoms anchored on N‐doped carbon (CNT/FeNC), was developed for bioanalytical applications. The CNT/FeNC with robust atomic Fe–Nx
moieties showed superior peroxidase‐like activity. A series of paper based bioassays were developed using SAN as the signal element.
The clinical features and immune responses of asymptomatic individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have not been well described. We studied 37 ...asymptomatic individuals in the Wanzhou District who were diagnosed with RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections but without any relevant clinical symptoms in the preceding 14 d and during hospitalization. Asymptomatic individuals were admitted to the government-designated Wanzhou People's Hospital for centralized isolation in accordance with policy
. The median duration of viral shedding in the asymptomatic group was 19 d (interquartile range (IQR), 15-26 d). The asymptomatic group had a significantly longer duration of viral shedding than the symptomatic group (log-rank P = 0.028). The virus-specific IgG levels in the asymptomatic group (median S/CO, 3.4; IQR, 1.6-10.7) were significantly lower (P = 0.005) relative to the symptomatic group (median S/CO, 20.5; IQR, 5.8-38.2) in the acute phase. Of asymptomatic individuals, 93.3% (28/30) and 81.1% (30/37) had reduction in IgG and neutralizing antibody levels, respectively, during the early convalescent phase, as compared to 96.8% (30/31) and 62.2% (23/37) of symptomatic patients. Forty percent of asymptomatic individuals became seronegative and 12.9% of the symptomatic group became negative for IgG in the early convalescent phase. In addition, asymptomatic individuals exhibited lower levels of 18 pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. These data suggest that asymptomatic individuals had a weaker immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The reduction in IgG and neutralizing antibody levels in the early convalescent phase might have implications for immunity strategy and serological surveys.
Compared with fuel cells and electrochemical capacitors, dielectric capacitors are regarded as promising devices to store electrical energy for pulsed power systems due to their fast charge/discharge ...rates and ultrahigh power density. Dielectric materials are core components of dielectric capacitors and directly determine their performance. Over the past decade, extensive efforts have been devoted to develop high-performance dielectric materials for electrical energy storage applications and great progress has been achieved. Here, we present an overview on the current state-of-the-art lead-free bulk ceramics for electrical energy storage applications, including SrTiO
3
, CaTiO
3
, BaTiO
3
, (Bi
0.5
Na
0.5
)TiO
3
, (K
0.5
Na
0.5
)NbO
3
, BiFeO
3
, AgNbO
3
and NaNbO
3
-based ceramics. This review starts with a brief introduction of the research background, the development history and the basic fundamentals of dielectric materials for energy storage applications as well as the universal strategies to optimize their energy storage performance. Emphases are placed on the design strategies for each type of dielectric ceramic based on their special physical properties with a summary of their respective advantages and disadvantages. Challenges along with future prospects are presented at the end of this review. This review will not only accelerate the exploration of higher performance lead-free dielectric materials, but also provides a deeper understanding of the relationship among chemical composition, physical properties and energy storage performance.
This review summarizes the development history of lead-free bulk ceramics for electrical energy storage applications and stress the design strategies for each type of dielectric ceramic based on their special physical properties.
Lithium (Li) metal is a promising anode material for high‐energy density batteries. However, the unstable and static solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) can be destroyed by the dynamic Li ...plating/stripping behavior on the Li anode surface, leading to side reactions and Li dendrites growth. Herein, we design a smart Li polyacrylic acid (LiPAA) SEI layer high elasticity to address the dynamic Li plating/stripping processes by self‐adapting interface regulation, which is demonstrated by in situ AFM. With the high binding ability and excellent stability of the LiPAA polymer, the smart SEI can significantly reduce the side reactions and improve battery safety markedly. Stable cycling of 700 h is achieved in the LiPAA‐Li/LiPAA‐Li symmetrical cell. The innovative strategy of self‐adapting SEI design is broadly applicable, providing opportunities for use in Li metal anodes
Stretching exercises: A flexible lithium polyacrylic acid (LiPAA) solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer which is highly stretchable is designed to address the dynamic volume changes during Li plating/stripping on the Li anode surface in Li ion batteries. The LiPAA polymer SEI can significantly reduce the side reactions and improve the safety performance.
As the level of engineering technology increases, the mechanical problems posed in the area of mechanics become complex and diverse. The traditional measurement methods and content of past ...measurements no longer meet the needs, so more advanced experimental methods are needed to accurately measure the three-dimensional shape of objects and their deformations. Nitrate ester plasticized polyether (NEPE) propellants, are the highest energy solid propellant that have been applied in public reports in the world. Due to the material properties of the material itself, its mechanical properties cannot be accurately measured by conventional methods. This paper proposes a simple and highly accurate optical measurement method to study the volume change rate, Poisson's ratio and true stress-strain curves of NEPE at different displacement loading rates of NEPE. In this paper, the strain of solid propellant NEPE in three directions during unidirectional stretching was measured by defocusing method and digital image correlation(DIC) method and the volume change rate, Poisson's ratio and true stress-strain curves of NEPE under different stretching rates were obtained. The measured damage initiation engineering strain of NEPE at different tensile strain rates is 0.4687.
Because of their strong surface evanescent field, micro-/nanofibers have been used to develop optical sensors and modulation devices with a high performance and integration ...
Introduction
The coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), which play important roles in regulating gene expression and are also ...considered as essential modulators during viral infection. The aim of this study was to elucidate the differential expression of miRNAs in COVID‐19.
Methods
The total RNA was extracted and purified from the peripheral blood of ten patients with COVID‐19 and four healthy donors. The expression levels of various miRNAs were detected by high‐throughput sequencing, and correlation analysis was performed on the target genes that are primed by miRNAs.
Key findings
Compared with the healthy controls, 35 miRNAs were upregulated and 38 miRNAs were downregulated in the human patients with COVID‐19. The top 10 genes were listed below: hsa‐miR‐16‐2‐3P,hsa‐miR‐5695,hsa‐miR‐10399‐3P,hsa‐miR‐6501‐5P,hsa‐miR‐361‐3P,hsa‐miR‐361‐3p, hsa‐miR‐4659a‐3p, hsa‐miR‐142‐5p, hsa‐miR‐4685‐3p, hsa‐miR‐454‐5p, and hsa‐miR‐30c‐5p. The 10 genes with the greatest reduction were listed below: hsa‐miR‐183‐5p, hsa‐miR‐627‐5p, hsa‐miR‐941, hsa‐miR‐21‐5p, hsa‐miR‐20a‐5p, hsa‐miR‐146b‐5p, hsa‐miR‐454‐3p, hsa‐miR‐18a‐5p, hsa‐miR‐340‐5p, and hsa‐miR‐17‐5p. Remarkably, miR‐16‐2‐3p was the most upregulated miRNA, with a 1.6‐fold change compared to that of the controls. Moreover, the expression of miR‐6501‐5p and miR‐618 was 1.5‐fold higher in the COVID‐19 patients than in the healthy donors. Meanwhile, miR‐627‐5p was the most downregulated miRNA, with a 2.3‐fold change compared to that of the controls. The expression of other miRNAs (miR‐183‐5p, miR‐627‐5p, and miR‐144‐3p) was reduced by more than 1.3‐fold compared to that of the healthy donors. Cluster analysis revealed that all of the differentially expressed miRNA target genes were clustered by their regulation of cellular components, molecular functions, and biological processes. Importantly, peptidases, protein kinases, and the ubiquitin system were shown to be the highest enrichment categories by enrichment analysis.
Conclusions
The differential miRNA expression found in COVID‐19 patients may regulate the immune responses and viral replication during viral infection.
Extract periperal blood cells from COVID‐19 patients, and micRNAs were detected by high‐throughput sequencing using illumina HiseqX Ten machine to fint the differential expression of miRNAs in COVID‐19.
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