Although most SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals experience mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), some patients suffer from severe COVID-19, which is accompanied by acute respiratory distress ...syndrome and systemic inflammation. To identify factors driving severe progression of COVID-19, we performed single-cell RNA-seq using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from healthy donors, patients with mild or severe COVID-19, and patients with severe influenza. Patients with COVID-19 exhibited hyper-inflammatory signatures across all types of cells among PBMCs, particularly up-regulation of the TNF/IL-1β-driven inflammatory response as compared to severe influenza. In classical monocytes from patients with severe COVID-19, type I IFN response co-existed with the TNF/IL-1β-driven inflammation, and this was not seen in patients with milder COVID-19. Interestingly, we documented type I IFN-driven inflammatory features in patients with severe influenza as well. Based on this, we propose that the type I IFN response plays a pivotal role in exacerbating inflammation in severe COVID-19.
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•We developed a simple chemical transformation method to produce small FeOOH nanoparticles.•These FeOOH nanoparticles exhibited high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution ...reaction.•These FeOOH nanoparticles also showed excellent stability in extremely high pH conditions.
We describe a facile chemical transformation method to produce small iron oxyhydroxide (FeOOH) nanoparticles for application in electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, iron alkoxide nanosheets were synthesized by heating a mixture of iron nitrate, ethylene glycol (EG), and oleylamine (OAm), which transformed to FeOOH nanoparticles with sizes less than 10nm upon alkali treatment in aqueous KOH solution. These FeOOH nanoparticles exhibited much enhanced OER activity compared with that of both commercial FeOOH powders and IrO2 catalyst, as well as good stability in high pH conditions.
While the rate-distortion optimized quantization (RDOQ) technique provides nontrivial coding gain in High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), it also involves considerable computations, whereby the ...complexity of quantization is significantly increased. In this paper, two schemes (the RDOQ bypass decision and the simplified level adjustment) are investigated to reduce the complexity of the quantization process in HEVC with RDOQ. The RDOQ bypass decision method initially selects the transform blocks for which the RDOQ is expected to give less/or no coding gain and enables the conventional uniform scalar quantization to be applied to these transform blocks instead of the RDOQ. The simplified level adjustment method only estimates the difference in rate-distortion costs among the candidate quantization levels to enable the encoder to select an optimal quantization level at a much reduced computational cost. Furthermore, the proposed simplified level adjustment scheme is designed so that it can be implemented in lookup tables. Experimental results show that the proposed fast method achieves 14.3% quantization complexity reduction in all intra main conditions, 15.2% in the random access main condition, and 14.9% in the low delay main condition on average with virtually no coding loss compared with the conventional quantization process with the RDOQ.
Dried ginger (
(ZR)) is frequently used to prevent or treat common cold and flu. This study aimed to investigate the influence of ZR extracts on influenza-specific antibody production in ...cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced immunocompromised mice. Female BALB/c mice were injected three times with saline or Cy. To investigate the effect of ZR, either distilled water or ZR was administered orally to mice daily for 10 days after Cy injection. After ZR administration, the mice were immunized with the 2017/2018 influenza vaccine. Pretreatment with ZR extracts enhanced influenza-specific antibody production in Cy-induced immunocompromised mice after flu vaccination and restored the influenza antigen-specific T helper (Th) type 1/Th2 balance to the normal state. Further, ZR suppressed the eosinophil enrichment caused by Cy injection in the spleen. We demonstrated that ZR can be used to increase antibody production in immunocompromised individuals before vaccination.
Our understanding of adaptive immune responses in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly evolving, but information on the innate immune responses by natural killer (NK) cells is ...still insufficient.
We aimed to examine the phenotypic and functional status of NK cells and their changes during the course of mild and severe COVID-19.
We performed RNA sequencing and flow cytometric analysis of NK cells from patients with mild and severe COVID-19 at multiple time points in the course of the disease using cryopreserved PBMCs.
In RNA-sequencing analysis, the NK cells exhibited distinctive features compared with healthy donors, with significant enrichment of proinflammatory cytokine-mediated signaling pathways. Intriguingly, we found that the unconventional CD56dimCD16neg NK-cell population expanded in cryopreserved PBMCs from patients with COVID-19 regardless of disease severity, accompanied by decreased NK-cell cytotoxicity. The NK-cell population was rapidly normalized alongside the disappearance of unconventional CD56dimCD16neg NK cells and the recovery of NK-cell cytotoxicity in patients with mild COVID-19, but this occurred slowly in patients with severe COVID-19.
The current longitudinal study provides a deep understanding of the NK-cell biology in COVID-19.
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In this article, we present results of our experimental and atomistic simulation studies of the pH-dependent protonation behaviors of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and ...poly(ethylenimine) (PEI). The potentiometric titration profiles of the PDMAEMA polymer and its unpolymerized monomer (i.e., DMAEMA) were measured under identical conditions in order to study the influence of the covalent linkage of the amine groups on their protonation behavior. The titration curves of poly(ethylenimine-ran-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (P(EI-r-EOz)) random copolymers with varying monomer composition were measured in order to study the effect of the spacing between the EI monomers on the protonation behavior of the P(EI-r-EOz) copolymer. The results of these two sets of measurements demonstrate that the connectivity and tight spacing between amine groups in a polyamine chain causes the retardation of the protonation of the amine groups relative to the same compounds in their isolated state. The same titration measurements were also performed with added NaCl. The results of these measurements demonstrate that added NaCl weakens the electrostatic repulsion between charged amine groups in a polyamine chain and thus enhances the protonation of the chain, and this effect is quite significant at a physiological NaCl concentration of 150 mM. However, on the quantitative level, the effect of added NaCl was found to be very different between the PDMAEMA and P(EI-r-EOz) cases. In PDMAEMA, since the amine groups are located at the termini of the side chains, the interaction between adjacent charged monomers occurs through the aqueous medium, and therefore at a sufficiently high concentration of added NaCl, the amine groups on the chain behave almost identically to their unpolymerized equivalents. In contrast, the electrostatic interaction between two closely spaced charged EI monomers in a P(EI-r-EOz) chain is significantly less influenced by a change of the ionic strength of the medium, because it is dominated by the local dielectric property of the polymer segment located between the charged monomers. This interpretation is further supported by ab initio electron density functional theory (DFT) calculations on model oligomeric compounds whose structures imitate the repeat unit structures of the polymers. Lastly, in connection with potential applications of the PEI and PDMAEMA polymers in gene delivery technologies, it was also examined how complexation with negatively charged polymers at the physiological NaCl concentration (150 mM) impacts the protonation behaviors of the polyamines. We found that the oppositely charged polyanion greatly stabilizes the protonated form of the amine groups on the polyamine chain. However, the proton buffering capacity of the polyamine in the complexed form under the influence of added 150 mM NaCl for the intracellularly relevant pH change was found to be significantly lower than that of the pure polyamine in the uncomplexed state with no added salt.
Gomisin N (GN), a lignan derived from
, has been shown to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. In the present study, we investigated the protective effect of GN against ...ethanol-induced liver injury using in vivo and in vitro experiments. Histopathological examination revealed that GN administration to chronic-binge ethanol exposure mice significantly reduced ethanol-induced hepatic steatosis through reducing lipogenesis gene expression and increasing fatty acid oxidation gene expression, and prevented liver injury by lowering the serum levels of aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase. Further, it significantly inhibited cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) gene expression and enzyme activity, and enhanced antioxidant genes and glutathione level in hepatic tissues, which led to decreased hepatic malondialdehyde levels. It also lowered inflammation gene expression. Finally, GN administration promoted hepatic sirtuin1 (SIRT1)-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling in ethanol-fed mice. Consistent with in vivo data, treatment with GN decreased lipogenesis gene expression and increased fatty acid oxidation gene expression in ethanol-treated HepG2 cells, thereby preventing ethanol-induced triglyceride accumulation. Furthermore, it inhibited reactive oxygen species generation by downregulating CYP2E1 and upregulating antioxidant gene expression, and suppressed inflammatory gene expression. Moreover, GN prevented ethanol-mediated reduction in SIRT1 and phosphorylated AMPK. These findings indicate that GN has therapeutic potential against alcoholic liver disease through inhibiting hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress and inflammation.
A Tungsten-Halogen (TH) lamp is the most popular light source in NIR spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging, which requires a warm-up to reach very high temperatures of up to 250 °C and take a long ...time for radiation stabilization. Consequently, it has a large enough volume to enable heat dissipation to prevent the thermal runaway of the electric circuit and turn out its power efficiency very low. These are major barriers for miniaturizing spectral systems and hyperspectral imaging devices. However, TH lamps can be replaced by pc-NIR LEDs in order to avoid high temperature and large volume. We compared the spectral emission of the available commercial pc-NIR LEDs under the same condition. As a replacement for the TH lamp, the VIS + NIR LED module was developed to combine a warm-white LED and pc-NIR LEDs. In order to feature out the availability of the VIS + NIR LED module against the TH lamp, they were used as the light source for evaluating the Soluble Solid Content (SSC) of an apple through VIS-NIR spectroscopy. The results show a remarkable feasibility in the performance of the partial least square (PLS) model using the VIS + NIR LED module; during PLS calibration, the correlation coefficient (R) values are 0.664 and 0.701, and the Mean Square Error (MSE) values are 0.681 and 0.602 for the TH lamp and VIS + NIR LED module, respectively. In VIS-NIR spectroscopy, this study indicates that the TH lamp could be replaceable with a warm-white LED and pc-NIR LEDs.
•Detection of fecal contamination on spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaves.•Hyperspectral imaging was coupled with two multivariate image analysis techniques.•Ultra violet, violet excitation sources and ...visual/near infrared reflectance used.•Highest detection accuracy was found for the violet fluorescence configuration.•Potential to reduce the cases of food borne illnesses and their associated costs.
Ensuring the supply of safe, contaminant free fresh fruit and vegetables is of importance to consumers, suppliers and governments worldwide. In this study, three hyperspectral imaging (HSI) configurations coupled with two multivariate image analysis techniques are compared for detection of fecal contamination on spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea). Fluorescence imaging in the visible region with ultra violet (UV) and violet excitation sources, and reflectance imaging in the visible to near-infrared regions were investigated. Partial least squares discriminant analysis and two band ratio analysis techniques were used to compare these HSI configurations. High detection accuracy was found for the two fluorescence HSI configurations compared to the visible/near infrared HSI. Both fluorescence HSI configurations had 100% detection rates for fecal contamination up to 1:10 dilution level and violet HSI had 99% and 87% detection rates for 1:20 and 1:30 levels, respectively. Results indicated that fluorescence imaging with the violet excitation performed superior to HSI with UV excitation for detection of a range of diluted fecal contamination on leafy greens. 5% or less false positives were observed for the fluorescence HSI configurations and were associated with yellow hue on the leaves. On-line detection of fecal contamination on leaves has the potential to reduce the cases of food borne illnesses and their associated costs.
Gomisin N (GN) is a lignan derived from Schisandra chinensis. AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) has gained attention as a therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Previously, we reported ...that GN activated the AMPK pathway and ameliorated high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis. In this study, we investigated the anti-diabetic effects of GN in C2C12 myotubes and HFD obese mice. GN enhanced the phosphorylation of AMPK/acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and Akt. In addition, GN promoted glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes, which was accompanied by the translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane. Treatment with compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, suppressed GN-mediated stimulation of glucose uptake. Furthermore, GN increased the expression of mitochondria biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation genes in C2C12 myotubes. In the in vivo study, administration of GN to HFD mice decreased the levels of fasting blood glucose and insulin, and improved glucose tolerance in HFD obese mice. GN administration rescued the decreased phosphorylation of AMPK and Akt and stimulated the expression of mitochondria biogenesis genes in the skeletal muscle of HFD mice. These findings suggested that GN exerted anti-hyperglycemic effects through AMPK activation.
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•Gomisin N activated AMPK/Akt signaling in C2C12 myotubes.•Gomisin N stimulated glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes.•Gomisin N promoted mitochondria biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation in C2C12 myotubes.•Gomisin N reduced hyperglycemia and improved glucose tolerance in HFD obese mice.
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