Herein, we highlight redox‐inert Zn2+ in spinel‐type oxide (ZnXNi1−XCo2O4) to synergistically optimize physical pore structure and increase the formation of active species on the catalyst surface. ...The presence of Zn2+ segregation has been identified experimentally and theoretically under oxygen‐evolving condition, the newly formed VZn−O−Co allows more suitable binding interaction between the active center Co and the oxygenated species, resulting in superior ORR performance. Moreover, a liquid flow Zn–air battery is constituted employing the structurally optimized Zn0.4Ni0.6Co2O4 nanoparticles supported on N‐doped carbon nanotube (ZNCO/NCNTs) as an efficient air cathode, which presents remarkable power density (109.1 mW cm−2), high open circuit potential (1.48 V vs. Zn), excellent durability, and high‐rate performance. This finding could elucidate the experimentally observed enhancement in the ORR activity of ZnXNi1−XCo2O4 oxides after the OER test.
The outstanding electrocatalytic performance of Zn0.4Ni0.6Co2O4/NCNTs towards ORR/OER is validated, presenting remarkable rate capability and durability in liquid‐flow Zn–air batteries. A dual‐reinforcement mechanism in the Zn–Ni–Co ternary spinel is also proposed. Zn0.4Ni0.6Co2O4/NCNTs exhibits extreme durability and electrochemically enhanced properties, enabling its application in practical rechargeable zinc–air batteries.
Bimetallic cobalt‐based spinel is sparking much interest, most notably for its excellent bifunctional performance. However, the effect of Fe3+ doping in Co3O4 spinel remains poorly understood, mainly ...because the surface state of a catalyst is difficult to characterize. Herein, a bifunctional oxygen electrode composed of spinel Co2FeO4/(Co0.72Fe0.28)Td(Co1.28Fe0.72)OctO4 nanoparticles grown on N‐doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) is designed, which exhibits superior performance to state‐of‐the‐art noble metal catalysts. Theoretical calculations and magnetic measurements reveal that the introduction of Fe3+ ions into the Co3O4 network causes delocalization of the Co 3d electrons and spin‐state transition. Fe3+ ions can effectively activate adjacent Co3+ ions under the action of both spin and charge effect, resulting in the enhanced intrinsic oxygen catalytic activity of the hybrid spinel Co2FeO4. This work provides not only a promising bifunctional electrode for zinc–air batteries, but also offers a new insight to understand the Co‐Fe spinel oxides for oxygen electrocatalysis.
A bifunctional oxygen electrode composed of hybrid spinel Co2FeO4 nanoparticles grown on N‐doped carbon nanotubes is a promising candidate for zinc–air batteries. Theoretical calculations and magnetic measurements reveal that the introduction of Fe cations into the Co3O4 network causes Co 3d electron delocalization and spin‐state transition, resulting in enhanced catalytic activity of the as‐prepared spinel Co2FeO4.
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play nonnegligible roles in the epigenetic regulation of cancer cells. This study aimed to identify a specific lncRNA that promotes the colorectal cancer (CRC) ...progression and could be a potential therapeutic target.
We screened highly expressed lncRNAs in human CRC samples compared with their matched adjacent normal tissues. The proteins that interact with LINRIS (Long Intergenic Noncoding RNA for IGF2BP2 Stability) were confirmed by RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. The proliferation and metabolic alteration of CRC cells with LINRIS inhibited were tested in vitro and in vivo.
LINRIS was upregulated in CRC tissues from patients with poor overall survival (OS), and LINRIS inhibition led to the impaired CRC cell line growth. Moreover, knockdown of LINRIS resulted in a decreased level of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2), a newly found N
-methyladenosine (m
A) 'reader'. LINRIS blocked K139 ubiquitination of IGF2BP2, maintaining its stability. This process prevented the degradation of IGF2BP2 through the autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP). Therefore, knockdown of LINRIS attenuated the downstream effects of IGF2BP2, especially MYC-mediated glycolysis in CRC cells. In addition, the transcription of LINRIS could be inhibited by GATA3 in CRC cells. In vivo experiments showed that the inhibition of LINRIS suppressed the proliferation of tumors in orthotopic models and in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models.
LINRIS is an independent prognostic biomarker for CRC. The LINRIS-IGF2BP2-MYC axis promotes the progression of CRC and is a promising therapeutic target.
Inspired by the rapid progress and existing limitations in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensing technology, we have summarized the recent trends in the fields of both chip-SPR and fiber optic ...(FO)-SPR biosensors during the past five years, primarily regarding smart layers design, multiplexing, continuous monitoring and in vivo sensing. Versatile surface chemistries, biomaterials and nanomaterials have been utilized thus far to generate smart layers on SPR platforms and as such achieve oriented immobilization of bioreceptors, improved fouling resistance and sensitivity enhancement, collectively aiming to improve the biosensing performance. Furthermore, often driven by the desires for time- and cost-effective quantification of multiple targets in a single measurement, efforts have been made to implement multiplex bioassays on SPR platforms. While this aspect largely remains difficult to attain, numerous alternative strategies arose for obtaining parallel analysis of multiple analytes in one single device. Additionally, one of the upcoming challenges in this field will be to succeed in using SPR platforms for continuous measurements and in vivo sensing, and as such match up other biosensing platforms where these goals have been already conquered. Overall, this review will give insight into multiple possibilities that have become available over the years for boosting the performance of SPR biosensors. However, because combining them all into one optimal sensor is practically not feasible, the final application needs to be considered while designing an SPR biosensor, as this will determine the requirements of the bioassay and will thus help in selecting the essential elements from the recent progress made in SPR sensing.
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•Continuous progress in material sciences promotes SPR biosensors development.•Smart layers improve receptor orientation, fouling resistance and sensitivity.•Challenging multiplexing is complemented by parallel analysis on SPR biosensors.•Continuous and in vivo sensing with SPR biosensors remains yet to be attained.
Aims
The involvement of pyroptosis in ischemic stroke remains to be established. Therefore, we used the specific pyroptosis inhibitor Vx765 as an experimental intervention target in a murine model of ...stroke.
Methods
A total of 564 C57BL/6 mice were subjected to photothrombotic procedures and treated via gavage with Vx765 at 1‐hour post‐ischemia. We subsequently assessed the expression of Gasdermin D (GSDMD), inflammasomes, caspase‐1, and interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) using immunofluorescence (IF) and Western blot (WB) analyses. We also examined ultrastructural changes of cortical neurons with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and measured infarct volumes dynamically by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Moreover, we evaluated the neurologic deficits by modified neurological severity scores, the rotarod test, and Treadscan.
Results
Elevated expression of GSDMD and GSDMD p30, the pore‐forming subunit, was evident in the peri‐ischemic region on days one and three post‐ischemia. The neuronal plasma, nuclear, and mitochondrial membranes showed ultrastructural damage at day three post‐stroke. Elevated expression of inflammasomes, caspase‐1, and IL‐1β was also present on days one and three post‐injury. There were significant differences between Vx765‐treated and vehicle groups in mean infarct volumes (14.36 vs 21.52 mm3; 12.34 vs 18.56 mm3; 4.13 vs 10.06 mm3; P < .05 at day one, three, and seven post‐surgery, respectively). Mice treated with Vx765 showed better motor recovery as assessed by serial behavior tests and had better neuronal survival, which was attributable to pyroptosis inhibition, as illustrated by downregulated expression of the effector protein GSDMD, inflammasomes, caspase‐1, and IL‐1β. Besides, treatment with Vx765 preserved neuronal membrane structures after the ischemic injury.
Conclusions
Pyroptosis emerges as an important pathway for neuronal death in an acute ischemic stroke. Vx765, a low molecular weight drug that has proven safe in clinical epilepsy trials, has potential therapeutic value for cerebral ischemia by targeting the canonical inflammasome pathway of pyroptosis.
The communication between carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and cancer cells facilitate tumor metastasis. In this study, we further underlying the epigenetic mechanisms of CAFs feed the cancer ...cells and the molecular mediators involved in these processes.
MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with CAFs culture conditioned medium, respectively. Cytokine antibody array, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to identify the key chemokines. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assay were performed to explore the transactivation of target LncRNA by CAFs. A series of in vitro assays was performed with RNAi-mediated knockdown to elucidate the function of LncRNA. An orthotopic mouse model of MDA-MB-231 was conducted to confirm the mechanism in vivo.
Here we reported that TGF-β1 was top one highest level of cytokine secreted by CAFs as revealed by cytokine antibody array. Paracrine TGF-β1 was essential for CAFs induced EMT and metastasis in breast cancer cells, which is a crucial mediator of the interaction between stromal and cancer cells. CAF-CM significantly enhanced the HOTAIR expression to promote EMT, whereas treatment with small-molecule inhibitors of TGF-β1 attenuated the activation of HOTAIR. Most importantly, SMAD2/3/4 directly bound the promoter site of HOTAIR, located between nucleotides -386 and -398, -440 and -452, suggesting that HOTAIR was a directly transcriptional target of SMAD2/3/4. Additionally, CAFs mediated EMT by targeting CDK5 signaling through H3K27 tri-methylation. Depletion of HOTAIR inhibited CAFs-induced tumor growth and lung metastasis in MDA-MB-231 orthotopic animal model.
Our findings demonstrated that CAFs promoted the metastatic activity of breast cancer cells by activating the transcription of HOTAIR via TGF-β1 secretion, supporting the pursuit of the TGF-β1/HOTAIR axis as a target in breast cancer treatment.
Mitochondria are highly mobile organelles due to fission, fusion, transport, and mitophagy, and these processes are known as mitochondrial dynamics. Mitochondrial dynamics play an important role in ...energy production, cell division, cell differentiation, and cell death. In the past decade, numerous studies have revealed the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in immunity, and mitochondrial dynamics are essential for immune responses mediated by various cell types. In this review, we mainly discuss the role of mitochondrial dynamics in activation, differentiation, cytokine production, and the activity of related pathways in immune cells, particularly T cells, B cells, and other cells involved in the innate immune response.
Objective
Clinical sepsis-associated biomarkers were utilized in a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) septic mouse model to provide a reference for investigating pathophysiological mechanisms and ...evaluating novel therapeutic interventions for sepsis.
Methods
Sepsis in mice was induced by CLP, and clinical biomarkers were evaluated (survival rate, blood physiological and biochemical indices, cytokines, hepatorenal function parameters, and blood coagulation).
Results
The mortality rate was >70%. The body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate decreased within 48 h. Low lactic acid was found at 8 h. The CLP mice showed typical inflammatory symptoms with decreased white blood cells and procalcitonin and increased levels of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β, and MIP-2. The platelet count and activated partial thromboplastin time significantly decreased, and the prothrombin time and prothrombin time–international normalized ratio markedly increased. Phenotypes of multiple organ dysfunction were found in the CLP model, including increased liver alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase; significantly reduced total protein, globulin, and serum albumin; increased blood urea nitrogen and creatinine; and decreased blood glucose.
Conclusion
The clinical features of the CLP mouse model were similar to those of human patients with sepsis.
This study aimed to simultaneously predict different textural features in grass carps fillets (Ctenopharyngodon idella) during vacuum freeze drying using hyperspectral imaging models developed based ...on integrated group wavelengths in the range of 400 nm–1000 nm. Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) is commonly used as an objective indicator for tenderness evaluation in fish products. First, partial least squares regression (PLSR) was employed to develop a quantitative function between the textural variations and the spectra extracted from the acquired hyperspectral images in the full spectral range at mean and median. Then the important wavelengths most related to WBSF, hardness, gumminess and chewiness were separately selected by regression coefficients (RC) from PLSR. Moreover, the integrated wavelengths for all the textural characteristics were determined by RC by considering all the individual group wavelengths. Finally, PLSR was conducted using different simplified group wavelengths and the performance of all the simplified models at mean or median were compared. The results showed that the integrated group wavelengths at median spectra proved to be the best for simultaneous prediction of WBSF (RP2 = 0.8774), hardness (RP2 = 0.8523), gumminess (RP2 = 0.7982) and chewiness (RP2 = 0.8453). The current study should widen the applications of hyperspectral imaging in the food industry.
•HSI was used to predict textural features in vacuum freeze dried fish slices.•Mean and median spectra were compared in performance of the predictive models.•Integrated group wavelengths were selected for predicting different textures.•Visualization was realized for displaying WBSF, hardness, gumminess and chewiness.
In the past ten years, as a novel and prospective nanomaterials, carbon dots have acquired tremendous attention for their unique optical and physicochemical properties, high compatibility and low ...cost, as well as great potential in sensing area. This review aims to present the current detecting principles based on carbon dots and other nano biological technologies, involving fluorescence quenching and recovery mechanisms. The synthetic and modificatory approaches in making carbon dots including top-down and bottom-up methods, as well as surface passivation and heteroatom doping ways are introduced. Their applications in food area, concerning detection of nutrients, restricted or banned substances as well as foodborne pathogenic bacteria and the toxins secreted are discussed. Finally, the difficulties to be overcome or problems to be solved are presented, and other novel techniques to combine with carbon dots to obtain more stable and specific nanosensors in various fields are proposed. Although carbon dots based sensors have shown the potential in sensing aspect of food area, as food samples are complex in compositions that may cause interferences, more novel techniques are needed to combine with carbon dots to develop sensitive and specific sensing probes.
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