Underwater vital signs monitoring of respiratory rate, blood pressure, and the heart's status is essential for healthcare and sports management. Real‐time electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring ...underwater can be one solution for this. However, the current electrodes used for ECGs are not suitable for aquatic applications since they may lose their adhesiveness to skin, stable conductivity, or/and structural stability when immersed into water. Here, the design and fabrication of water‐resistant electrodes to repurpose stretchable electrodes for applications in an aquatic environment are reported. The electrodes are composed of stretchable metal–polymer composite film as the substrate and dopamine‐containing polymer as a coating. The polymer is designed to possess underwater adhesiveness from the dopamine motif, water stability from the main scaffold, and ionic conductivity from the carboxyl groups for signal transmission. Stable underwater conductivity and firm adhesion to skin allow the electrodes to collect reliable ECG signals under various conditions in water. It is shown that wearable devices incorporated with the water‐resistant electrodes can acquire real‐time ECG signals during swimming, which can be used for revealing the heart condition. These water‐resistant electrodes realize underwater detection of ECG signals and can be used for health monitoring and sports management during aquatic activities.
Water‐resistant stretchable electrodes are fabricated with a specially designed polymer. The polymer is adhesive underwater to bridge the electrode and skin, and ionic‐conductive to transmit electrophysiological signals. The conformal electrodes realize reliable electrocardiography (ECG) detection when moving the body or being impacted with water flow, which enables stable wireless real‐time ECG collection during swimming with a wearable device.
Abstract
Background
Lipid peroxidation is a characteristic metabolic manifestation of diabetic retinopathy (DR) that causes inflammation, eventually leading to severe retinal vascular abnormalities. ...Selenium (Se) can directly or indirectly scavenge intracellular free radicals. Due to the narrow distinction between Se’s effective and toxic doses, porous Se@SiO2 nanospheres have been developed to control the release of Se. They exert strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Methods
The effect of anti-lipid peroxidation and anti-inflammatory effects of porous Se@SiO
2
nanospheres on diabetic mice were assessed by detecting the level of Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), decreased reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, and interleukin (IL) -1β of the retina. To further examine the protective effect of porous Se@SiO
2
nanospheres on the retinal vasculopathy of diabetic mice, retinal acellular capillary, the expression of tight junction proteins, and blood–retinal barrier destruction was observed. Finally, we validated the GPX4 as the target of porous Se@SiO
2
nanospheres via decreased expression of GPX4 and detected the level of MDA, GSH/GSSG, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL -1β, wound healing assay, and tube formation in high glucose (HG) cultured Human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs).
Results
The porous Se@SiO
2
nanospheres reduced the level of MDA, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL -1β, while increasing the level of GPX4 and GSH/GSSG in diabetic mice. Therefore, porous Se@SiO
2
nanospheres reduced the number of retinal acellular capillaries, depletion of tight junction proteins, and vascular leakage in diabetic mice. Further, we identified GPX4 as the target of porous Se@SiO
2
nanospheres as GPX4 inhibition reduced the repression effect of anti-lipid peroxidation, anti-inflammatory, and protective effects of endothelial cell dysfunction of porous Se@SiO2 nanospheres in HG-cultured HRMECs.
Conclusion
Porous Se@SiO
2
nanospheres effectively attenuated retinal vasculopathy in diabetic mice via inhibiting excess lipid peroxidation and inflammation by target GPX4, suggesting their potential as therapeutic agents for DR.
Display omitted
•X-CS/NIPAAm composite hydrogel was fabricated as a good adsorbent for adsorption of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II).•The adsorption data fitted well to Langmuir model and the adsorption ...kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model.•Thermodynamics indicated the adsorption was an exothermic and spontaneous process.•X-CS/NIPAAm could be reused and regenerated at least five recycles.
A novel xanthate-modified chitosan/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (X-CS/NIPAAm) composite hydrogel was fabricated by a facile two-step method for the selective adsorption of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II) metal ions from aqueous solutions. The equilibrium adsorption data fitted well to the Langmuir model and the adsorption kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum equilibrium adsorption capacities of composite hydrogel to Cu(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II) at 293K were about 115.1, 172.0 and 66.9mgg−1, respectively. The thermodynamics parameters showed that the adsorption processes to Cu(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II) were spontaneous and exothermic. The interactions between metal ions for multi-components systems were evaluated by the values of Qb/Qs and Qt/Qs. The adsorption mechanism was analyzed by XPS spectra and the Hard–Soft, Acids–Bases (HSAB) theory. The X-CS/NIPAAm composite hydrogel could be regenerated and repeatedly utilized at least five cycles without obvious adsorption capacity loss.
In this work, the solubilities of (R)- and (R,S)-crizotinib in six solvents including methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane were first measured by a static method in ...the temperature range from 273.15 to 323.15 K at atmospheric pressure. Then, molecular simulations were performed to predict the crystal structures of (R)-crizotinib and (R,S)-crizotinib from their powder X-ray diffractograms and the solubilities in the above organic solvents using the Gibbs free energy calculation approach via the sublimation cycle. The results showed that the solubilities of (R)- and (R,S)-crizotinib in the selected solvents generally increased with the increasing temperature, and at room temperature the molar fraction solubility order was methanol > 1-butanol > 1-propanol > ethanol > ethyl acetate > n-hexane. The (R)-crizotinib crystal had a monoclinic unit cell, while the (R,S)-crizotinib crystal had a triclinic one. In particular, though it was first applied to the solubility estimation for water-insoluble drug compounds in organic solvents, the Gibbs energy calculation approach developed gave a desirable solubility prediction performance with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.7638 log S units for (R)-crizotinib and 1.1577 log S units for (R,S)-crizotinib in the selected solvents, respectively. Furthermore, the difference in the solubilities of (R)-crizotinib in different solvents mainly resulted from the different Gibbs free energies for solvation between solute and solvent other than those for sublimation. However, as to the difference in the solubilities of (R)- and (R,S)-crizotinib in the same solvent, the Gibbs free energy for sublimation made more of a contribution than that for solvation. Finally, on the basis of the solid-state characterization, the nature of crystalline (R,S)-crizotinib was confirmed to be a racemic compound. All these results shall provide pharmaceutical industry with a better understanding of this chiral system for crystallization resolution.
Diabetic patients often have problems such as residual tumor and wound infection after tumor resection, causing severe clinical problems. It is urgent to develop effective therapies to reach ...oncotherapy/anti-infection/promotion of wound healing combined treatment. Herein, we propose CS/MnO2-GOx (CMGOx) nanocatalysts for the specific catalytic generation of •OH to inhibit tumors and bacteria in a hyperglycemic environment. The good biocompatible chitosan (CS), as a carrier for the catalyst, exhibits excellent antibacterial effect as well as promotes wound healing. Glucose oxidase (GOx) is loaded on the surface of CS nanoparticles to generate H2O2 and gluconic acid by consuming glucose (starvation therapy, ST) and O2. The MnO2 depletes glutathione (GSH) to produce Mn2+, amplifying oxidative stress and further promoting the activity of Mn2+-mediated Fenton-like reaction to produce •OH (chemodynamic therapy, CDT) in weak acidic environment. Moreover, the produced gluconic acid lowers the pH of the environment, enhancing chemodynamic therapy (ECDT). The tumor cells and bacteria are efficiently eliminated by the synergistic effect of ST and ECDT. The MnO2 nanoparticles at neutral environment decomposes H2O2 into O2, which cooperate with CS to promote healing. The self-enhanced cascade reaction of CMGOx in situ exhibits excellent effects of antitumor/antibacterial therapy and promotion of wound healing, offering a promising integrated treatment for diabetic patients after tumor surgical resection.
A degradable nanocatalyst-CMGOx based on chitosan utilizes endogenous substances for self-enhanced cascade catalytic reactions to achieve antitumor/antibacterial therapy and promotion of wound healing for diabetes via synergistic effect of chemodynamic therapy and starvation therapy. Display omitted
Inflammatory osteolysis, a major complication of total joint replacement surgery, can cause prosthesis failure and necessitate revision surgery. Macrophages are key effector immune cells in ...inflammatory responses, but excessive M1-polarization of dysfunctional macrophages leads to the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and severe loss of bone tissue. Here, we report the development of macrophage-biomimetic porous SiO.sub.2-coated ultrasmall Se particles (porous Se@SiO.sub.2 nanospheres) to manage inflammatory osteolysis. Macrophage membrane-coated porous Se@SiO.sub.2 nanospheres(M-Se@SiO.sub.2) attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory osteolysis via a dual-immunomodulatory effect. As macrophage membrane decoys, these nanoparticles reduced endotoxin levels and neutralized proinflammatory cytokines. Moreover, the release of Se could induce macrophage polarization toward the anti-inflammatory M2-phenotype. These effects were mediated via the inhibition of p65, p38, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. Additionally, the immune environment created by M-Se@SiO.sub.2 reduced the inhibition of osteogenic differentiation caused by proinflammation cytokines, as confirmed through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our findings suggest that M-Se@SiO.sub.2 have an immunomodulatory role in LPS-induced inflammation and bone remodeling, which demonstrates that M-Se@SiO.sub.2 are a promising engineered nanoplatform for the treatment of osteolysis occurring after arthroplasty.
In this study, the significance of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in promoting the progression of atherosclerosis was investigated by inducing the differentiation of macrophages into the ...M2 subtype within a high-fat diet-induced ApoE -/- mouse model. The study also evaluated the effects of β2-AR agonists and blockers on this process. Ox-LDL was found to have significantly promoted the differentiation of macrophages into the M2 type and induced related functional alterations. Furthermore, it activated the pyroptosis pathway and encouraged the release of lactate dehydrogenase. The administration of β2-AR agonists intensified these processes, while β2-AR blockers had the opposite effect. In animal experiments, the model group displayed elevated numbers of M2-type macrophages beneath the aortic root intima, an increased rate of plaque destruction, and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques compared to the control group. The SAL (Salbutamol) group exhibited even more severe plaque development than the model group. Conversely, the ICI (ICI118551) group demonstrated M2-type macrophage levels comparable to the control group, with a higher plaque destruction rate than controls but significantly lower than the model group, and no atherosclerotic plaques. These findings suggest that ox-LDL promoted the differentiation of recruited monocytes into M2-type macrophages, leading to a shift in the inflammatory response from M1 to M2 macrophages. This alteration resulted in the persistence of atherosclerotic inflammation, as M2-type macrophages were prone to cell membrane rupture (such as pyroptosis), contributing to the continuous recruitment of circulating monocytes and heightened inflammatory reactions within atherosclerotic plaques. Consequently, this process fueled the progression of atherosclerosis.
Background:
Immunogenic cell death (ICD) remodels the tumor immune microenvironment, plays an inherent role in tumor cell apoptosis, and promotes durable protective antitumor immunity. Currently, ...appropriate biomarker-based ICD immunotherapy for breast cancer (BC) is under active exploration.
Methods:
To determine the potential link between ICD genes and the clinical risk of BC, TCGA-BC was used as the training set and GSE58812 was used as the validation set. Gene expression, consistent clustering, enrichment analysis, and mutation omics analyses were performed to analyze the potential biological pathways of ICD genes involved in BC. Furthermore, a risk and prognosis model of ICD was constructed to evaluate the correlation between risk grade and immune infiltration, clinical stage, and survival prognosis.
Results:
We identified two ICD-related subtypes by consistent clustering and found that the C2 subtype was associated with good survival prognosis, abundant immune cell infiltration, and high activity of immune biological processes. Based on this, we constructed and validated an ICD risk and prognosis model of BC, including ATG5, HSP90AA1, PIK3CA, EIF2AK3, MYD88, IL1R1, and CD8A. This model can effectively predict the survival rate of patients with BC and is negatively correlated with the immune microenvironment and clinical stage.
Conclusion:
This study provides new insights into the role of ICD in BC. The novel classification risk model based on ICD in BC established in this study can aid in estimating the potential prognosis of patients with BC and the clinical outcomes of immunotherapy and postulates targets that are more useful in comprehensive treatment strategies.
Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction played a vital role in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including acute lung injury (ALI). However, few strategies targeting mitochondria were developed in ...treating ALI. Recently, we fabricated a porous Se@SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) with antioxidant properties. Methods: The protective effect of Se@SiO2 NPs was assessed using confocal imaging, immunoblotting, RNA-seq, mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) activity assay, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in airway epithelial cell line (Beas-2B). The in vivo efficacy of Se@SiO2 NPs was evaluated in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mouse model. Results: This study demonstrated that Se@SiO2 NPs significantly increased the resistance of airway epithelial cells under oxidative injury and shifted lipopolysaccharide-induced gene expression profile closer to the untreated controls. The cytoprotection of Se@SiO2 was found to be achieved by maintaining mitochondrial function, activity, and dynamics. In an animal model of ALI, pretreated with the NPs improved mitochondrial dysfunction, thus reducing inflammatory responses and diffuse damage in lung tissues. Additionally, RNA-seq analysis provided evidence for the broad modulatory activity of our Se@SiO2 NPs in various metabolic disorders and inflammatory diseases. Conclusion: This study brought new insights into mitochondria-targeting bioactive NPs, with application potential in curing ALI or other human mitochondria-related disorders.
PDF
