Flexible and self-healing supercapacitors are urgently needed to meet the practical applications of flexible and wearable electronics. Herein, we have prepared a flexible and self-healing ...supercapacitor by sandwiching a self-healing physically cross-linked PVA–H
2
SO
4
electrolyte separator between two activated carbon cloth (ACC)/MnO
2
electrode films. The ACC/MnO
2
electrode is prepared by activation of carbon cloth in air at medium temperature and then decorated by MnO
2
nanoflakes through hydrothermal growth, which provides the flexibility and electrochemical performance. The self-healing of supercapacitor originates from the self-healing physically cross-linked PVA–H
2
SO
4
electrolyte, which can enable the recombination of the broken interfaces and the self-healing of the supercapacitor through dynamic hydrogen bonding. As a result, the supercapacitor demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance (high areal specific capacitance of 886.7 mF cm
−2
at 1 mA cm
−2
and excellent cycling performance with a capacitance retention of 87.69% over 10,000 cycles), good self-healing capability with ~ 80% capacitance retention after 5 cutting/healing cycles), and outstanding flexibility.
Objective
This study examined the effects of sildenafil on acute pulmonary embolism (APE) using a rat model.
Methods
Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham, pulmonary thromboembolism ...(PTE), and sildenafil groups. The sham and PTE groups received normal saline once daily via gavage for 14 consecutive days, whereas the sildenafil group received sildenafil (0.5 mg/kg/day) once daily via gavage for 14 consecutive days. Autologous emboli were prepared from blood samples collected from the left femoral artery of rats in each group on day 13, and autologous emboli were injected into the jugular vein cannula of rats in the PTE and sildenafil groups on day 14. Sham-treated rats received the same volume of saline. Right systolic ventricular pressure (RVSP) and mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP) were used to assess pulmonary embolism, and western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect relevant markers.
Results
The Rho kinase signaling pathway was significantly activated in rats with APE, and sildenafil significantly inhibited this activation.
Conclusions
Sildenafil protected against APE through inhibiting Rho kinase activity, thereby reducing pulmonary vasoconstriction and decreasing elevated pulmonary arterial pressure. These findings might provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of acute pulmonary thromboembolism.
Tungsten disulfide (WS2) have been attracting increasing attention as anode materials for high performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity and large interlayer ...spacing. However, the low conductivity and volume expansion during lithiation/delithiation process will lead to the low specific capacity and rapid capacity fading during long-term cycling. Here, we have used flexible single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with ultra-high electrical conductivity as conductive materials to construct a three-dimensional (3D) WS2@SWCNT foam by a simple hydrothermal method followed by freeze-drying process. The 3D structure not only provide good electronic transportation pathways, but also can accommodate huge volume change of WS2 due to the mechanical flexibility of SWCNTs, leading to the excellent cyclability as anode materials for LIBs. Benefiting from these excellent properties, the WS2@SWCNT foam nanostructure delivers a specific capacity of 1050 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1, high reversible capacity of 688.3 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles and a capacity retention of 113% over 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1.
Prolonging the ovarian lifespan is attractive and challenging. An optimal clinical strategy must be safe, long‐acting, simple, and economical. Allotransplantation of brown adipose tissue (BAT), which ...is most abundant and robust in infants, has been utilized to treat various mouse models of human disease. Could we use BAT to prolong the ovarian lifespan of aging mice? Could we try BAT xenotransplantation to alleviate the clinical need for allogeneic BAT due to the lack of voluntary infant donors? In the current study, we found that a single rat‐to‐mouse (RTM) BAT xenotransplantation did not cause systemic immune rejection but did significantly increase the fertility of mice and was effective for more than 5 months (equivalent to 10 years in humans). Next, we did a series of analysis including follicle counting; AMH level; estrous cycle; mTOR activity; GDF9, BMP15, LHR, Sirt1, and Cyp19a level; ROS and annexin V level; IL6 and adiponectin level; biochemical blood indices; body temperature; transcriptome; and DNA methylation studies. From these, we proposed that rat BAT xenotransplantation rescued multiple indices indicative of follicle and oocyte quality; rat BAT also improved the metabolism and general health of the aging mice; and transcriptional and epigenetic (DNA methylation) improvement in F0 mice could benefit F1 mice; and multiple KEGG pathways and GO classified biological processes the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) or differentially methylated regions (DMRs) involved were identical between F0 and F1. This study could be a helpful reference for clinical BAT xenotransplantation from close human relatives to the woman.
Prolonging ovarian lifespan is attracting and challenging. Herein, we found that one-time rat-to-mouse BAT xenotransplantation did not cause serious global rejection reaction, while significantly prolonged the ovarian lifespan and improved the overall health condition of aging mice. Mechanical studies revealed that the number of antral follicles, which will conduce to live birth, increased onefold through a combined improvement at epigenetic, transcriptional, and protein level.
Amplification of chromosome 7q21-7q31 is associated with tumor recurrence and multidrug resistance, and several genes in this region are powerful drivers of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed ...to investigate the key circular RNAs (circRNAs) in this region that regulate the initiation and development of HCC.
We used qRT-PCR to assess the expression of 43 putative circRNAs in this chromosomal region in human HCC and matched nontumor tissues. In addition, we used cultured HCC cells to modify circRNA expression and assessed the effects in several cell-based assays as well as gene expression analyses via RNA-seq. Modified cells were implanted into immunocompetent mice to assess the effects on tumor development. We performed additional experiments to determine the mechanism of action of these effects.
circMET (hsa_circ_0082002) was overexpressed in HCC tumors, and circMET expression was associated with survival and recurrence in HCC patients. By modifying the expression of circMET in HCC cells in vitro, we found that circMET overexpression promoted HCC development by inducing an epithelial to mesenchymal transition and enhancing the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically, circMET induced this microenvironment through the miR-30-5p/Snail/ dipeptidyl peptidase 4(DPP4)/CXCL10 axis. In addition, the combination of the DPP4 inhibitor sitagliptin and anti-PD1 antibody improved antitumor immunity in immunocompetent mice. Clinically, HCC tissues from diabetic patients receiving sitagliptin showed higher CD8
T cell infiltration than those from HCC patients with diabetes without sitagliptin treatment.
circMET is an onco-circRNA that induces HCC development and immune tolerance via the Snail/DPP4/CXCL10 axis. Furthermore, sitagliptin may enhance the efficacy of anti-PD1 therapy in a subgroup of patients with HCC.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a group of small noncoding RNAs, are widely involved in the regulation of gene expression via binding to complementary sequences at 3′‐untranslated regions (3′‐UTRs) of target ...messenger RNAs. Recently, downregulation of miR‐133b has been detected in various human malignancies. Here, the potential biological role of miR‐133b in bladder cancer (BC) was investigated. In this study, we found the expression of miR‐133b was markedly downregulated in BC tissues and cell lines (5637 and T24), and was correlated with poor overall survival. Notably, transgelin 2 (TAGLN2) was found to be widely upregulated in BC, and overexpression of TAGLN2 also significantly increased risks of advanced TMN stage. We further identified that upregulation of miR‐133b inhibited glucose uptake, invasion, angiogenesis, colony formation and enhances gemcitabine chemosensitivity in BC cell lines by targeting TAGLN2. Additionally, we showed that miR‐133b promoted the proliferation of BC cells, at least partially through a TAGLN2‐mediated cell cycle pathway. Our results suggest a novel miR‐133b/TAGLN2/cell cycle pathway axis controlling BC progression; a molecular mechanism which may offer a potential therapeutic target.
Our results demonstrate that miR‐133b regulate transgelin 2 (TAGLN2) expression and its downstream cell cycle‐signaling proteins by directly targeting the 3′‐untranslated regions of TAGLN2. Our findings support the conclusion that miR‐133b/TAGLN2/cell cycle pathway axis is a factor in BC progression, making this way a potential therapeutic target in BC treatment.
Bimetallic hollow I-Cu2MoS4 nanocubes are prepared by the solvothermal method with the Cu2O nanocubes as the sacrificial templates. Compared to the carbonate-based electrolyte, the ether-based ...electrolyte shows better compatibility with Cu2MoS4 electrode, which shows high reversible capacity, superior rate performance and remarkably improved cycling performance. The ex-situ XRD analysis demonstrates the highly reversible electrochemical reaction in the ether-based electrolyte.
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Anode materials based on transition metal sulfides suffer from poor electrochemical reversibility, which limits their cycling stability. Herein, we synthesize hollow I-Cu2MoS4 nanocubes composed of ultrathin nanosheets using a solvothermal method with Cu2O nanocubes as sacrificial templates. The presence of a surfactant is a key factor that prevents the structural collapse of the hollow cubic structure of Cu2MoS4 and the formation of nanoplates. An ether-based electrolyte shows better compatibility with the Cu2MoS4 electrode than a carbonate-based electrolyte, which is reflected in high reversible capacity, superior rate performance, and remarkably improved cycling performance. Ex-situ XRD analysis demonstrates a highly reversible electrochemical reaction in the ether-based electrolyte, which enhances the cycling stability.
In the current study, polylactic acid/high density polyethylene/carbon black (PLA/HDPE/CB) composites are prepared via a two‐step method. A double percolation network with co‐continuous structure and ...filler distribution at the interface is constructed to design conductive polymer composites with low percolation threshold. The controllable distribution of CB at the interface is achieved by appropriate processing procedures involved mixing sequence and mixing time by taking advantage of the migration of CB from the unfavorable PLA phase to the favorable HDPE phase. Morphology characterization reveals that when the mixing time of the added HDPE is 3 min, the formation of co‐continuous structure of PLA/HDPE (60/40, w/w) is observed, and CB particles migrate to the co‐continuous interface. The electrical conductivity measurement shows that such double percolation conductive network reduces the percolation threshold of PLA/HDPE/CB to 2.42 wt%. The rheological property proves the establishment of particle percolation network, and the rheological percolation threshold is determined as 1.20 wt%. The prepared PLA/HDPE/CB composite by the two‐step method displays a notably low percolation threshold than that prepared by one‐step simultaneous mixing. Moreover, this strategy presents a high potential application in the fabrication of conductive polymer composites involving other miscible multiphase systems.
Nitrogen (N) inputs from legume residues over the long-term contribute to improve soil N cycling and the productivity of succeeding plants in species-diverse ecosystems.Litter mixtures enhance soil ...fertility, thus enhancing biomass production, which in turn creates positive diversity–productivity feedback in the long-term.Positive effects of litter diversity on the composition and diversity of soil organisms increase over time.Residue-borne pathogens and pests gradually accumulate through litter input from monocultures, whereas diverse plant-litter mixtures reduce the incidence and spread of residue-borne pathogens and pests in the long-term.Plant litter can strengthen biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships in both natural and managed ecosystems.Appropriate management of residues from plant mixtures across multiple growing seasons can promote the sustainability of food production systems.
Plant biodiversity–productivity relationships become stronger over time in grasslands, forests, and agroecosystems. Plant shoot and root litter is important in mediating these positive relationships, yet the functional role of plant litter remains overlooked in long-term experiments. We propose that plant litter strengthens biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships over time in four ways by providing decomposing detritus that releases nitrogen (N) over time for uptake by existing and succeeding plants, enhancing overall soil fertility, changing soil community composition, and reducing the impact of residue-borne pathogens and pests. We bring new insights into how diversity–productivity relationships may change over time and suggest that the diversification of crop residue retention through increased residue diversity from plant mixtures will improve the sustainability of food production systems.
The Majorana fermion, which is its own antiparticle and obeys non-Abelian statistics, plays a critical role in topological quantum computing. It can be realized as a bound state at zero energy, ...called a Majorana zero mode (MZM), in the vortex core of a topological superconductor, or at the ends of a nanowire when both superconductivity and strong spin orbital coupling are present. A MZM can be detected as a zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in tunneling spectroscopy. However, in practice, clean and robust MZMs have not been realized in the vortices of a superconductor because of contamination from impurity states or other closely packed Caroli–de Gennes-Matricon (CdGM) states, which hampers further manipulations of MZMs. Here, using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we show that a ZBCP well separated from the other discrete CdGM states exists ubiquitously in the cores of free vortices in the defect-free regions of(Li0.84Fe0.16)OHFeSe, which has a superconducting transition temperature of 42 K. Moreover, a Dirac-cone-type surface state is observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and its topological nature is confirmed by band calculations. The observed ZBCP can naturally be attributed to a MZM arising from the chiral topological surface state of a bulk superconductor. Thus,(Li0.84Fe0.16)OHFeSeprovides an ideal platform for studying MZMs and topological quantum computing.
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