Ultrafine Particulate Exposure Yields Sex- and Dose-Specific Responses to Neonatal Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with lower respiratory tract infections. The role of ultrafine particles (UFPs, ≤0.1 μm) in respiratory disease is not fully elucidated, especially in models of immunologically immature populations.

Turning lignin into treasure: An innovative filler comparable to commercial carbon black for the green development of the rubber industry.

Driven by the global carbon neutrality action, biomass-derived functional materials have been applied in many fields to alleviate the pressure brought by the depletion of fossil energy. However, due to the complex structure, lignin faces many difficulties in its high-value utilization. The second largest biomass in the world has become the largest "natural waste".

The hnRNPK/A1/R/U Complex Regulates Gene Transcription and Translation and is a Favorable Prognostic Biomarker for Human Colorectal Adenocarcinoma.

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are emerging as a crucially important protein family in tumors. However, it is unclear which family members are essential for cancer progression, and their diverse expression patterns and prognostic values are rarely reported. In this work, we found that the expression levels of hnRNPs were all upregulated in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and rectal adenocarcinoma (READ) tissues.

Functional Diversification Analysis of Soybean Malectin/Malectin-Like Domain-Containing Receptor-Like Kinases in Immunity by Transient Expression Assays.

Plants have responded to microbial pathogens by evolving a two-tiered immune system, involving pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Malectin/malectin-like domain-containing receptor-like kinases (MRLKs) have been reported to participate in many biological functions in plant including immunity and resistance. However, little is known regarding the role of MRLKs in soybean immunity.

Engineering Crystal Orientation of Cathode for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Minireview.

Engineering crystal orientation has attracted widespread attention since it is related to the cyclability and rate performance of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Regulating the crystal directional growth with optimal exposed crystal facets is an effective strategy to improve the performance of cathode materials, but still lacks sufficient attention in research field. Herein, we briefly introduce the characterization techniques and identification methods for crystal facets, then summarize and illuminate the major methods for regulating crystal orientation and their internal mechanism.

Strepolyketide D, a new SEK15-derived polyketide compound from salt-lake-derived sp. DBC5.

A new SEK15-derived polyketide compound, strepolyketide D (), was isolated from salt-lake-derived sp. DBC5, together with two known analogues (). Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis of IR, MS, 1 D and 2 D NMR.

The signaling pathway of levamisole-sensitive-acetylcholine receptors involved in short-term forgetting of Caenorhabditis elegans.

In contrast to the popular opinion that forgetting is only the opposite of learning and memory, active forgetting explains the intrinsic instability of a labile memory that lasts for hours and has its own signal transduction pathways. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying forgetting are still lacking, though the investigations available in this field offer the first insights into their regulation. To identify the alternative signaling pathways that control the process of forgetting, we used the short-term forgetting model of Caenorhabditis elegans and discovered the involvement of lev-10, a scaffolded transmembrane protein of L-AChR, by screening the candidate genes that potentially functioned in synaptic plasticity.

Distinct miRNAs associated with various clinical presentations of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in viral infections, but their associations with SARS-CoV-2 infection remain poorly understood. Here, we detected 85 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) from 2,336 known and 361 novel miRNAs that were identified in 233 plasma samples from 61 healthy controls and 116 patients with COVID-19 using the high-throughput sequencing and computational analysis. These DE-miRNAs were associated with SASR-CoV-2 infection, disease severity, and viral persistence in the patients with COVID-19, respectively.

Quinone Electrodes for Alkali-Acid Hybrid Batteries.

Aqueous batteries are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage but face either limited energy density (lead-acid batteries), cost/resource concerns (Ni-MH batteries), or safety issues due to metal dendrite growth at high current densities (zinc batteries). We report that through designing electrochemical redox couples, quinones as intrinsic dendrite-free and sustainable anode materials demonstrate the theoretical energy density of 374 W h kg coupling with affordable Mn/MnO redox reactions on the cathode side. Due to the fast K-ion diffusion in the electrolyte, low K-ion desolvation energy at the interface, and fast quinone/phenol reaction, the optimized poly(1,4-anthraquinone) in the KOH electrolyte shows specific capacities of 295 mA h g at 300 C-rate and 225 mA h g at 240 mA cm.

The effect of black carbon aging from NO oxidation of SO on its morphology, optical and hygroscopic properties.

Atmospheric aging of black carbon (BC) leads to changes in its physiochemical properties, exerting complex effects on environment and climate. In this study, we have conducted laboratory chamber experiments to investigate the effects of BC aging on its morphology, hygroscopicity and optical properties by exposing monodisperse fresh BC particles to ambient ubiquitous species of nitrogen dioxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO) and ammonia (NH) in absence of UV light. We show a rapid aging from highly fractal to compacted aggregates for the monodisperse BC particles with an initial diameter of 150 nm, with decline in the dynamic shape factor (χ) from about 1.

Response of Ecosystem Health to Land Use Changes and Landscape Patterns in the Karst Mountainous Regions of Southwest China.

The quantitative assessment of ecosystem health is important for interpreting the ecological effects of land use changes and formulating effective measures of sustainable ecological development by policymakers. This study investigated the response of ecosystem health to land use changes and landscape patterns in the karst mountainous regions of southwest China by taking Guiyang City as a case study area and assessing the spatial and temporal changes in ecosystem health from 2008 to 2017 using the vigor-organization-resilience model; it analyzed the influence of land use changes and landscape patterns on ecosystem health using spatial overlay analysis, the Dunnett's T3 test, and the Spearman correlation analysis. The results show that the land use structure dramatically changed, with a trend of a sharp decrement of farmland and rapid increment of forestland and construction land due to rapid urbanization and ecologization.

Improved online decomposition of non-stationary electromyogram via signal enhancement using a neuron resonance model: a simulation study.

. Motor unit (MU) discharge information obtained via the online electromyogram (EMG) decomposition has shown promising prospects in multiple applications. However, the nonstationarity of EMG signals caused by the rotation (recruitment-derecruitment) of MUs and the variation of MU action potentials (MUAP) can significantly degrade the online decomposition performance.

Development and Application of a Cultivar-Specific Sequence-Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR) Marker for the Detection of Ramat. 'Daboju'.

Ramat. 'Daboju' is a cultivar with important ornamental and medicinal values, and is often used in the treatment of colds, blurred vision, dizziness, and itchy skin. As the morphological characteristics of 'Daboju' are very similar to those of other cultivars, they are often confused in practice.

Knockdown of circ_0001679 alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced MLE-12 lung cell injury by regulating the miR-338-3p/ mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 axis.

The upregulation of circ_0001679 was reported in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury mouse model, but its functional roles and mechanisms in LPS-induced lung injury remain to be investigated. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential role of circ_0001679 in septic acute lung injury. We initially established an lung cell injury model using LPS-treated MLE-12 cells.

An operator-based expression toolkit for enables fine-tuning of gene expression and biosynthetic pathway regulation.

SignificanceA gene regulatory system is an important tool for the engineering of biosynthetic pathways of organisms. Here, we report the development of an inducible-ON/OFF regulatory system using a operator as a key element. We identified and modulated sequence, position, numbers, and spacing distance of operators, generating a series of activating or repressive promoters with tunable strength.

Overexpression of the Salix matsudana SmAP2-17 gene improves Arabidopsis salinity tolerance by enhancing the expression of SOS3 and ABI5.

Background: Salix matsudana (Koidz.) is a widely planted ornamental allotetraploid tree species. Genetic engineering can be used to enhance the tolerance of this species to soil salinization, endowing varieties with the ability to grow along coastlines, thereby mitigating afforestation and protecting the environment.

Influence of the Cavity Structure in the Excavation Roadway on the Gas Explosion Characteristics.

Gas explosion accidents are one of the most severe coal mine disasters. Usually, they can cause considerable property losses and casualties, which seriously restrict the development of the coal mining industry. This study used Ansys/Fluent software to simulate gas explosions in excavation roadways with different cavity structures, and 11 models with different cavity structures were established.

Preoperative Ultrasound-Guided Incisional Biopsy Enhances the Pathological Accuracy of Incisional Biopsy of Cutaneous Melanoma: A Prospective Clinical Trial in Chinese Patients.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of preoperative ultrasound (US)-guided incisional biopsy through a prospective controlled clinical trial.

Methods: This was a prospective, double-arm, single-center study of Chinese patients. Thirty patients were enrolled in the study.

Clinical Applications of Liquid Biopsy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with high mortality and poor prognosis in the world. The low rate of early diagnosis, as well as the high risk of postoperative metastasis and recurrence, led to the poor clinical prognosis of HCC patients. Currently, it mainly depends on serum markers, imaging examination, and tissue biopsy to diagnose and determine the recurrence and metastasis of HCC after treatments.

NRF2-Dependent Placental Effects Vary by Sex and Dose following Gestational Exposure to Ultrafine Particles.

Exposure to ultrafine particles (UFPs, PM) during pregnancy triggers placental oxidative stress and inflammation, similar to fine PM (PM). The gene encodes a redox-sensitive transcription factor that is a major regulator of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. Disruption of NRF2 is known to substantially enhance PM-driven oxidant and inflammatory responses; however, specific responses to UFP exposure, especially during critical windows of susceptibility such as pregnancy, are not fully characterized; To investigate the role of NRF2 in regulating maternal antioxidant defenses and placental responses to UFP exposure, wildtype (WT) and pregnant mice were exposed to either low dose (LD, 100 µg/m) or high dose (HD, 500 µg/m) UFP mixture or filtered air (FA, control) throughout gestation; HD-exposed female offspring exhibited significantly reduced fetal and placental weights.

NRF2 Protects against Altered Pulmonary T Cell Differentiation in Neonates Following In Utero Ultrafine Particulate Matter Exposure.

Early life exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution negatively impacts neonatal health. The underlying mechanisms following prenatal exposure, particularly to ultrafine particles (UFP, diameter ≤ 0.1 μm), are not fully understood; To evaluate the role of in response to in utero UFP exposure, we exposed time-mated -deficient () or wildtype (WT) mice to filtered air (FA) or 100 μg/m ultrafine PM daily throughout pregnancy.

Exosomes as a new frontier of cancer liquid biopsy.

Liquid biopsy, characterized by minimally invasive detection through biofluids such as blood, saliva, and urine, has emerged as a revolutionary strategy for cancer diagnosis and prognosis prediction. Exosomes are a subset of extracellular vesicles (EVs) that shuttle molecular cargoes from donor cells to recipient cells and play a crucial role in mediating intercellular communication. Increasing studies suggest that exosomes have a great promise to serve as novel biomarkers in liquid biopsy, since large quantities of exosomes are enriched in body fluids and are involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes.

Discovery of a Partial Glucokinase Activator Clinical Candidate: Diethyl ((3-(3-((5-(Azetidine-1-carbonyl)pyrazin-2-yl)oxy)-5-isopropoxybenzamido)-1-pyrazol-1-yl)methyl)phosphonate (BMS-820132).

Glucokinase (GK) is a key regulator of glucose homeostasis, and its small-molecule activators represent a promising opportunity for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Several GK activators have been advanced into clinical trials and have demonstrated promising efficacy; however, hypoglycemia represents a key risk for this mechanism. In an effort to mitigate this hypoglycemia risk while maintaining the efficacy of the GK mechanism, we have investigated a series of amino heteroaryl phosphonate benzamides as ''partial" GK activators.

Comprehensive Analysis of Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenases Gene Family and Its Expression in Response to Abiotic Stress in Poplar.

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) catalyzes the cleavage of various carotenoids into smaller apocarotenoids which are essential for plant growth and development and response to abiotic stresses. CCD family is divided into two subfamilies: 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxygenases (NCED) family and CCD family. A better knowledge of carotenoid biosynthesis and degradation could be useful for regulating carotenoid contents.