The administration of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) could reverse experimental colitis, and the predominant mechanism in tissue repair seems to be related to their paracrine activity. BMSCs ...derived extracellular vesicles (BMSC-EVs), including mcirovesicles and exosomes, containing diverse proteins, mRNAs and micro-RNAs, mediating various biological functions, might be a main paracrine mechanism for stem cell to injured cell communication. We aimed to investigate the potential alleviating effects of BMSC-EVs in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis model. Intravenous injection of BMSC-EVs attenuated the severity of colitis as evidenced by decrease of disease activity index (DAI) and histological colonic damage. In inflammation response, the BMSC-EVs treatment significantly reduced both the mRNA and protein levels of nuclear factor kappaBp65 (NF-κBp65), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), induciblenitric oxidesynthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in injured colon. Additionally, the BMSC-EVs injection resulted in a markedly decrease in interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and an increase in interleukin-10 (IL-10) expression. Therapeutic effect of BMSC-EVs associated with suppression of oxidative perturbations was manifested by a decrease in the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and Malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as an increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH). BMSC-EVs also suppressed the apoptosis via reducing the cleavage of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 in colitis rats. Data obtained indicated that the beneficial effects of BMSC-EVs were due to the down regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines levels, inhibition of NF-κBp65 signal transduction pathways, modulation of anti-oxidant/ oxidant balance, and moderation of the occurrence of apoptosis.
Background As the number of patients increases, there is a growing understanding of the form of pneumonia sustained by the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which has caused an outbreak in China. ...Up to now, clinical features and treatment of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in detail. However, the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and coagulation has been scarcely addressed. Our aim is to investigate the blood coagulation function of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods In our study, 94 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were admitted in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. We prospectively collect blood coagulation data in these patients and in 40 healthy controls during the same period. Results Antithrombin values in patients were lower than that in the control group (p < 0.001). The values of D-dimer, fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), and fibrinogen (FIB) in all SARS-CoV-2 cases were substantially higher than those in healthy controls. Moreover, D-dimer and FDP values in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection were higher than those in patients with milder forms. Compared with healthy controls, prothrombin time activity (PT-act) was lower in SARS-CoV-2 patients. Thrombin time in critical SARS-CoV-2 patients was also shorter than that in controls. Conclusions The coagulation function in patients with SARS-CoV-2 is significantly deranged compared with healthy people, but monitoring D-dimer and FDP values may be helpful for the early identification of severe cases.
Finding new physical responses that signal topological quantum phase transitions is of both theoretical and experimental importance. Here, we demonstrate that the piezoelectric response can change ...discontinuously across a topological quantum phase transition in two-dimensional time-reversal invariant systems with spin-orbit coupling, thus serving as a direct probe of the transition. We study all gap closing cases for all 7 plane groups that allow non-vanishing piezoelectricity, and find that any gap closing with 1 fine-tuning parameter between two gapped states changes either the Z
invariant or the locally stable valley Chern number. The jump of the piezoelectric response is found to exist for all these transitions, and we propose the HgTe/CdTe quantum well and BaMnSb
as two potential experimental platforms. Our work provides a general theoretical framework to classify topological quantum phase transitions, and reveals their ubiquitous relation to the piezoelectric response.
Unlike the usual method of COx (x = 1, 2) hydrogenation using H2 directly, H2S and HSiSH (silicon-activated H2S) were selected as alternative hydrogen sources in this study for the COx hydrogenation ...reactions. Our results suggest that it is kinetically infeasible for hydrogen in the form of H2S to transfer to COx at low temperatures. However, when HSiSH is employed instead, the title reaction can be achieved. For this approach, the activation of CO2 is initiated by its interaction with the HSiSH molecule, a reactive species with both a hydridic Hδ− and protonic Hδ+. These active hydrogens are responsible for the successive C-end and O-end activations of CO2 and hence the final product (HCOOH). This finding represents a good example of an indirect hydrogen source used in CO2 hydrogenation through reactivity tuned by silicon incorporation, and thus the underlying mechanism will be valuable for the design of similar reactions.
Immune cells use a variety of membrane-disrupting proteins complement, perforin, perforin-2, granulysin, gasdermins, mixed lineage kinase domain-like pseudokinase (MLKL) to induce different kinds of ...death of microbes and host cells, some of which cause inflammation. After activation by proteolytic cleavage or phosphorylation, these proteins oligomerize, bind to membrane lipids, and disrupt membrane integrity. These membrane disruptors play a critical role in both innate and adaptive immunity. Here we review our current knowledge of the functions, specificity, activation, and regulation of membrane-disrupting immune proteins and what is known about the mechanisms behind membrane damage, the structure of the pores they form, how the cells expressing these lethal proteins are protected, and how cells targeted for destruction can sometimes escape death by repairing membrane damage.
Herein, we report a novel strategy for the modification of peptides based on the introduction of highly reactive hypervalent iodine reagents—ethynylbenziodoxolones (EBXs)—onto peptides. These ...peptide‐EBXs can be readily accessed, by both solution‐ and solid‐phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). They can be used to couple the peptide to other peptides or a protein through reaction with Cys, leading to thioalkynes in organic solvents and hypervalent iodine adducts in water buffer. Furthermore, a photocatalytic decarboxylative coupling to the C‐terminus of peptides was developed using an organic dye and was also successful in an intramolecular fashion, leading to macrocyclic peptides with unprecedented crosslinking. A rigid linear aryl alkyne linker was essential to achieve high affinity for Keap1 at the Nrf2 binding site with potential protein‐protein interaction inhibition.
The introduction of highly reactive hypervalent iodine reagents—ethynylbenziodoxolones (EBXs)—onto peptides is described. These peptide‐EBX chimeras can be used as versatile handles for peptide/protein modifications and peptide macrocyclization under mild photocatalytic conditions. The method was used to access new inhibitors of the Keap1‐Nrf2 interaction.
Abstract
Weyl semimetals exhibit unusual surface states and anomalous transport phenomena. It is hard to manipulate the band structure topology of specific Weyl materials. Topological transport ...phenomena usually appear at very low temperatures, which sets challenges for applications. In this work, we demonstrate the band topology modification via a weak magnetic field in a ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal candidate, Co
2
MnAl, at room temperature. We observe a tunable, giant anomalous Hall effect (AHE) induced by the transition involving Weyl points and nodal rings. The AHE conductivity is as large as that of a 3D quantum AHE, with the Hall angle (
Θ
H
) reaching a record value (
$$\tan {\Theta }^{H}=0.21$$
tan
Θ
H
=
0.21
) at the room temperature among magnetic conductors. Furthermore, we propose a material recipe to generate large AHE by gaping nodal rings without requiring Weyl points. Our work reveals an intrinsically magnetic platform to explore the interplay between magnetic dynamics and topological physics for developing spintronic devices.
Biological behaviour‐driven self‐organized patterns have recently been confirmed to play a key role in ecosystem functioning. Here, we develop a theoretical phase‐separation model to describe ...spatiotemporal self‐similar dynamics, which is a consequence of behaviour‐driven trophic interactions in short‐time scales. Our framework integrates scale‐dependent feedback and density‐dependent movement into grazing ecosystems. This model derives six types of selective foraging behaviours that trigger pattern formation for top‐down grazing ecosystems, and one of which is consistent with existing foraging theories. Self‐organized patterns nucleate under moderate grazing intensity and are destroyed by overgrazing, which suggests ecosystem degradation. Theoretical results qualitatively agree with observed grazing ecosystems that display spatial heterogeneities under variable grazing intensity. Our findings potentially provide new insights into self‐organized patterns as an indicator of ecosystem transitions under a stressful environment.
Biological behavior‐driven self‐organized patterns have recently been confirmed to play a key role in ecosystem functioning. Here we develop a theoretical phase‐separation model describing spatiotemporal self‐similar dynamics, which is a consequence of behavior‐driven trophic interactions in short‐time scales. Our findings potentially provide new insights into self‐organized patterns as an indicator of ecosystem transitions under a stressful environment.
Constructing responsive and adaptive materials by dynamic covalent bonds is an attractive strategy in material design. Here, we present a kind of dynamic covalent polyureas which can be prepared from ...the highly efficient polyaddition reaction of pyrazoles and diisocyanates at ambient temperature in the absence of a catalyst. Owing to multiphase structural design, poly(pyrazole-ureas) (PPzUs) show excellent mechanical properties and unique crystallization behavior. Besides, the crosslinked PPzUs can be successfully recycled upon heating (~130 °C) and the molecular-level blending of polyurea and polyurethane is realized. Theoretical studies prove that the reversibility of pyrazole-urea bonds (PzUBs) arises from the unique aromatic nature of pyrazole and the N-assisting intramolecular hydrogen transfer process. The PzUBs could further broaden the scope of dynamic covalent bonds and are very promising in the fields of dynamic materials.
Abstract
Spin wave has attracted significant attention in various fields because of its rich physics and potential applications in the development of spintronics devices in the post-Moore era. ...However, the analog of a subluminal-like propagation in the field of spin waves has not been well discussed. Here, we theoretically demonstrate the ultra-slow spin waves propagation in a nanoscale two-dimensional ferromagnetic film in the presence of magnon-skyrmion interaction. The minimum spin waves propagation velocity was estimated to be as low as 1.8 m s
−1
by adjusting the system parameters properly, and the spin waves group delay and advance are dynamically tunable via the intensity or detuning of the control field, which allows the possibility of observing superluminal- and subluminal-like spin waves propagation in a single experimental setup. These results deepen our understanding of the spin wave–skyrmion interactions, open a novel and efficient pathway to realize ultra-slow spin waves propagation, and are expected to be applied to magnetic information storage and quantum operations of magnons.
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