RNA interference (RNAi) targeting lethal genes in insects has great potential for sustainable crop protection. Compared with traditional double‐stranded (ds)RNA delivery systems, nanoparticles such ...as chitosan, liposomes, and cationic dendrimers offer advantages in delivering dsRNA/small interfering (si)RNA to improve RNAi efficiency, thus promoting the development and practice of RNAi‐based pest management strategies. Here, we illustrate the limitations of traditional dsRNA delivery systems, reveal the mechanism of nanoparticle‐mediated RNAi, summarize the recent progress and successful applications of nanoparticle‐mediated RNAi in pest management, and finally address the prospects of nanoparticle‐based RNA pesticides.
Growing attention has been paid to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater microbial communities; however, the disinfection processes, as microbial control technologies, ...have not been evaluated for their impacts on ARGs transfer. In this study, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection and chlorination on the frequency of ARGs transfer have been explored based on the conjugative transfer model between Gram-negative strains of E. coli. The results indicated that UV disinfection and chlorination exhibit distinct influences on the conjugative transfer. Low UV doses (up to 8 mJ/cm2) had little influence on the frequency of conjugative transfer, and UV exposure only decreased the bacterial number but did not change the cell permeability. By comparison, low chlorine doses (up to 40 mg Cl min/L) significantly promoted the frequency of conjugative transfer by 2-5-fold. The generated chloramine stimulated the bacteria and improved the cell permeability. More pilus were induced on the surface of conjugative cells, which acted as pathways for ARGs transfer. The frequency of ARG transfers was greatly suppressed by high doses of UV (>10 mJ/cm2) or chlorine (>80 mg Cl min/L).
Long non‐coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been recently found to be pervasively transcribed in the genome and critical regulators of the epigenome. HOTAIR, as a well‐known LncRNA, has been found to play ...important roles in several tumors. Herein, the clinical application value and biological functions of HOTAIR were focused and explored in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). It was found that there was a great upregulation of HOTAIR in ESCC compared to their adjacent normal esophageal tissues. Meanwhile, patients with high HOTAIR expression have a significantly poorer prognosis than those with low expression. Moreover, HOTAIR was further validated to promote migration and invasion of ESCC cells in vitro. Then some specific molecules with great significance were investigated after HOTAIR overexpression using microarray and quantitative real time‐polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). WIF‐1 playing an important role in Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway was selected and further tested by immunehistochemistry. Generally, inverse correlation between HOTAIR and WIF‐1 expression was demonstrated both in ESCC cells and tissues. Mechanistically, HOTAIR directly decreased WIF‐1 expression by promoting its histone H3K27 methylation in the promoter region and then activated the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway. This newly identified HOTAIR/WIF‐1 axis clarified the molecular mechanism of ESCC cell metastasis and represented a novel therapeutic target in patients with ESCC.
HOTAIR, a long non coding RNA, has been linked to the progression of several types of human cancer. In this study, we found that HOTAIR was not only significantly up‐regulated in tumor tissues, but also significantly associated with poor clinical outcome in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). ESCC cells with HOTAIR overexpression displayed aberrant activated WNT signaling pathway by inhibiting the expression of WNT‐inhibitor factor 1, thereby promote the migration and invasion of ESCC cells. On the contrary, silencing of HOTAIR in ESCC cells led to decreased migration and invasion ability. Together, these results suggest that HOTAIR overexpression may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for the treatment of human ESCC.
A in situ ring‐closing strategy was developed for the synthesis of N‐heterocyclic carbene nickel complexes. The process was carried out in air, and did not require solvent purification. The resulting ...nickel complexes were investigated as catalysts for the coupling of allylic alcohols with aryl boronic acids. A wide range of allylic substrates and aryl acids proved to be applicable to this catalytic system. Control experiments suggest that the Ni(0) may be the true active species in the coupling reactions.
Although lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are promising next‐generation energy‐storage systems, their practical applications are limited by the growth of Li dendrites and lithium polysulfide ...shuttling. These problems can be mitigated through the use of single‐atom catalysts (SACs), which exhibit the advantages of maximal atom utilization efficiency (≈100%) and unique catalytic properties, thus effectively enhancing the performance of electrode materials in energy‐storage devices. This review systematically summarizes the recent progress in SACs intended for use in Li‐metal anodes, S cathodes, and separators, briefly introducing the operating principles of Li–S batteries, the action mechanisms of the corresponding SACs, and the fundamentals of SACs activity, and then comprehensively describes the main strategies for SACs synthesis. Subsequently, the applications of SACs and the principles of SACs operation in reinforced Li–S batteries as well as other metal–S batteries are individually illustrated, and the major challenges of SACs usage in Li–S batteries as well as future development directions are presented.
The cycling stability and rate performance of Li–S batteries are adversely affected by the formation of Li dendrites and the polysulfide shuttle effect. Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) can effectively guide Li deposition and suppress polysulfide migration, thus holding great promise for Li–S batteries. The recent progress in the development of SACs for Li–S batteries is systematically summarized and analyzed.
Abstract Background Irisin is a novel exercise-induced myokine involved in the regulation of adipose browning and thermogenesis. In this study, we investigated the potential role of irisin in ...cerebral ischemia and determined whether irisin is involved in the neuroprotective effect of physical exercise in mice. Materials and Methods The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was used to produce cerebral ischemia in mice. First, the plasma irisin levels and changes in expression of the irisin precursor protein FNDC5 in skeletal muscle were determined post ischemic stroke. Second, the association between plasma irisin levels and the neurological deficit score, brain infarct volume, or plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β in mice with MCAO were evaluated. Third, the therapeutic effect of irisin on ischemic brain injury was evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Recombinant irisin was injected directly into the tail vein 30 min after the MCAO operation, and then the effects of irisin treatment on brain infarct volume, neurological deficit, neuroinflammation, microglia activation, monocyte infiltration, oxidative stress and intracellular signaling pathway activation (Akt and ERK1/2) were measured. Irisin was also administered in cultured PC12 neuronal cells with oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). Finally, to assess the potential involvement of irisin in the neuroprotection of physical exercise, mice were exercised for 2 weeks and an irisin neutralizing antibody was injected into these mice to block irisin 1 h before the MCAO operation. Results The plasma irisin concentration and intramuscular FNDC5 protein expression decreased after ischemic stroke. Plasma irisin levels were negatively associated with brain infarct volume, the neurological deficit score, plasma TNF-α and plasma IL-6 concentrations. In OGD neuronal cells, irisin protected against cell injury. In mice with MCAO, irisin treatment reduced the brain infarct volume, neurological deficits, brain edema and the decline in body weight. Irisin treatment inhibited activation of Iba-1+ microglia, infiltration of MPO-1+ monocytes and expression of both TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA. Irisin significantly suppressed the levels of nitrotyrosine, superoxide anion and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) in peri-infarct brain tissues. Irisin treatment increased Akt and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, while blockade of Akt and ERK1/2 by specific inhibitors reduced the neuroprotective effects of irisin. Finally, the exercised mice injected with irisin neutralizing antibody displayed more severe neuronal injury than the exercised mice injected with control IgG. Conclusion Irisin reduces ischemia-induced neuronal injury via activation of the Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways and contributes to the neuroprotective effect of physical exercise against cerebral ischemia, suggesting that irisin may be a factor linking metabolism and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.
Cirrhosis causes a heavy global burden. In this review, we summarized up-to-date epidemiological features of cirrhosis and its complications. Recent epidemiological studies reported an increase in ...the prevalence of cirrhosis in 2017 compared to in 1990 in both men and women, with 5.2 million cases of cirrhosis and chronic liver disease occurring in 2017. Cirrhosis caused 1.48 million deaths in 2019, an increase of 8.1% compared to 2017. Disability-adjusted life-years due to cirrhosis ranked 16th among all diseases and 7th in people aged 50-74 years in 2019. The global burden of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus-associated cirrhosis is decreasing, while the burden of cirrhosis due to alcohol and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing rapidly. We described the current epidemiology of the major complications of cirrhosis, including ascites, variceal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, renal disorders, and infections. We also summarized the epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis. In the future, NAFLD-related cirrhosis will likely become more common due to the prevalence of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, and the prevalence of alcohol-induced cirrhosis is increasing. This altered epidemiology should be clinically noted, and relevant interventions should be undertaken.
The corrected ultraviolet-visible light spectrum was used to calculate the color of synthetic rubies with different light path lengths, and the influence of light path length and standard light ...source on the color of synthetic ruby was studied. The results show that the difference in colour between the o light direction and the e light direction of the synthetic ruby decreases as the length of the light path increases. At the same time, as the length of the light path increases, the lightness L* decreases, and the hue angle h° increases. The chroma C* first increases as the length of the light path increases, and then begins to decrease under the influence of the continuous decrease in lightness. The color difference ΔE*
reaches the maximum when the light path length is around 10 mm, and the standard light source has the greatest influence on the color difference ΔE*
. As the length of the light path continues to increase, the influence of the standard light source on the color difference ΔE*
decreases. In the ultraviolet-visible light spectrum, the strong absorption band of Cr
at 545 nm is the main cause of the color of the ruby. The larger the area of the band at 545 nm, the lower the lightness and the higher the hue angle, which means the ruby colour is redder.
Grain boundary diffusion (GBD) process is an effective method to fabricate high-coercive Nd-Fe-B magnets with less consumption of heavy rare earth (HRE). By this approach, HRE-rich shell forms around ...the Nd
2
Fe
14
B grain, which can hinder the magnetic reversal starting at the edge of the grains and enhance the coercivity of whole magnet. Recently, an anti-core–shell structure was observed in the HRE diffused magnets after over-saturated diffusion, where the HRE concentration in the core is even higher than that in the shell. In this work, the effects of the anti-core–shell structure on the magnetization reversal and magnetic properties of diffused magnet have been clarified by micromagnetic simulations. Three-dimension models were established to analyze the demagnetization process. The results indicate that the anti-core–shell structure leads to a large stray field, which will accelerate the magnetization reversal of the whole magnet. As a result, the beneficial effect of HRE GBD on the coercivity has been reduced. Combined with the existing experimental results, the formation of anti-core–shell structure should be avoided during diffusion. Hence, appropriate diffusion time and diffusion source dosage should be selected for GBD process in order to obtain high-performance products and efficiently use the HRE resources.
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