Preparation and Characterization of Reduced Graphene Oxide Based Natural Rubber Nanocomposites

This work describes the effect of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) addition in natural rubber (NR). Firstly, RGO was synthesized based on the improved Hummer’s method then characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to confirm that the RGO surface contains hydroxyl, epoxy, and carboxyl functional groups to improve graphene interaction with the NR matrix. In a second step, the synthesized RGO was predispersed in NR latex using the co-coagulation technique then added at different amounts (0 to 2 parts per hundred rubber (phr)) to a basic NR formulation and compounded in an internal mixer. The results show that the crosslink density of the developed NR/RGO nanocomposites increased by 65% for RGO concentration of 2.0 phr. For the same RGO concentration, a significant increase in tensile strength (53%) and Young’s modulus (31%) were also observed. Finally, a significant improvement (26%) of the thermal conductivity was obtained with the addition of only 0.5 phr of RGO.

CERKL is Upregulated in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Maintains Cellular Sphingolipids and Resistance to Oxidative Stress

BACKGROUND

Ceramide Kinase-Like Protein (CERKL) was originally described in retinal tissue. CERKL has been shown to protect cells from oxidative stress, and mutations in CERKL underlie the inherited disease, retinitis pigmentosa. CERKL expression maintains cellular sphingolipids via an unknown mechanism.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether CERKL is expressed in epidermis and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and whether CERKL expression affects cSCC sphingolipid metabolism and susceptibility to oxidative stress.

METHODS

CERKL expression was determined by RNA-Seq, qPCR and immunohistochemistry. CERKL was knocked down in cSCC cells using siRNA. Sphingolipid content was analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Oxidative stress was induced by treatment with H2 O2 , and apoptosis was measured using flow cytometry to determine annexin v binding.

RESULTS

CERKL mRNA and protein are highly expressed in actinic keratosis and cSCC in comparison with normal epidermis. CERKL also is expressed in metabolically active epithelial cells in normal hair bulbs and sebaceous glands. CERKL knockdown in cultured cSCC cells reduces cellular sphingolipid content and enhances susceptibility to oxidative stress.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that CERKL may be important in cSCC progression and could lead to novel strategies for prevention and treatment of cSCC.

Extraction of Beam-Spin Asymmetries from the Hard Exclusive π^{+} Channel off Protons in a Wide Range of Kinematics

We have measured beam-spin asymmetries to extract the sinϕ moment A_{LU}^{sinϕ} from the hard exclusive e[over →]p→e^{'}nπ^{+} reaction above the resonance region, for the first time with nearly full coverage from forward to backward angles in the center of mass. The A_{LU}^{sinϕ} moment has been measured up to 6.6  GeV^{2} in -t, covering the kinematic regimes of generalized parton distributions (GPD) and baryon-to-meson transition distribution amplitudes (TDA) at the same time. The experimental results in very forward kinematics demonstrate the sensitivity to chiral-odd and chiral-even GPDs. In very backward kinematics where the TDA framework is applicable, we found A_{LU}^{sinϕ} to be negative, while a sign change was observed near 90° in the center of mass. The unique results presented in this Letter will provide critical constraints to establish reaction mechanisms that can help to further develop the GPD and TDA frameworks.

The metabolic suppressor 3-iodothyronamine enhances lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes via activation of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/forkhead box O1 signaling pathway

Obesity is a major health concern in modern societies as it is linked to diverse chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, stroke, and skeletomuscular disorders. This study aimed to investigate the lipolytic potency of the metabolic suppressor 3-iodothyronamine (T1AM) and its molecular mechanism in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Cells stained with Oil Red O showed a remarkable accumulation of lipid droplets by 20-d post-differentiation and a plateau at 26 - 30 day. Treatment with 100 μM T1AM for 6 h increased the liberation of free fatty acids (FFAs) and glycerol (P < 0.05) detected in the culture media. However, this stimulatory effect was significantly suppressed by ATGListatin, an inhibitor of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), suggesting that ATGL plays a rate-limiting role in triglyceride (TG) turnover. To understand the lipolytic mechanism, immunoblotting and confocal image analyses of the T1AM-treated and control groups were conducted. The elevated lipolysis was accompanied by increases in the phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), nuclear localization of forkhead box O1 (FoxO1), and expression of monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) protein (P < 0.05). Finally, the treated cells exhibited downregulated expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) relative to p-ACC and increased protein expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) (P < 0.05). Taken together, T1AM showed lipolytic potency via activation of the AMPK/FoxO1/ATGL/MGL axis for decomposing TGs to FFAs and glycerol and of the AMPK/ACC/CPT1 pathway in facilitating the mobilization of FFAs into the mitochondria, highlighting its therapeutic potential for the treatment of obesity.

Chemical Controllable Gene Drive in Drosophila

Gene drive systems that propagate transgenes via super-Mendelian inheritance can potentially control insect-borne diseases and agricultural pests. However, concerns have been raised regarding unforeseen ecological consequences, and methods that prevent undesirable gene drive effects have been proposed. Here, we report a chemical-induced control of gene drive. We prepared a CRISPR-based gene drive system that can be removed by a site-specific recombinase, Rippase, the expression of which is induced by the chemical RU486 in fruit flies. Exposure of fruit flies to RU486 resulted in 7-12% removal of gene drive elements at each generation, leading to a significant reduction in gene drive-fly propagation. Mathematical modeling and simulation suggest that our system offers several advantages over a previously reported gene drive control system. Our chemical control system can provide a proof-of-principle for the reversible control of gene drive effects depending on ecological status and human needs.

Precision measurement of the neutral pion lifetime

The explicit breaking of the axial symmetry by quantum fluctuations gives rise to the so-called axial anomaly. This phenomenon is solely responsible for the decay of the neutral pion π⁰ into two photons (γγ), leading to its unusually short lifetime. We precisely measured the decay width Γ of the [Formula: see text] process. The differential cross sections for π⁰ photoproduction at forward angles were measured on two targets, carbon-12 and silicon-28, yielding [Formula: see text], where stat. denotes the statistical uncertainty and syst. the systematic uncertainty. We combined the results of this and an earlier experiment to generate a weighted average of [Formula: see text] Our final result has a total uncertainty of 1.50% and confirms the prediction based on the chiral anomaly in quantum chromodynamics.

Twist2 promotes CD8+ T-cell differentiation by repressing ThPOK expression

CD4/CD8 T-cell lineage differentiation is a key process in immune system development; however, a defined regulator(s) that converts the signal from T-cell receptor and co-receptor complexes into lineage differentiation remains unclear. Here, we show that Twist2 is a critical factor in CD4/CD8 thymocyte differentiation. Twist2 expression is differentially regulated by T-cell receptor signaling, leading to differentiation into the CD4 or CD8 lineage. Forced Twist2 expression perturbed CD4⁺ thymocyte differentiation while enhancing CD8⁺ thymocyte differentiation. Furthermore, Twist2 expression produced mature CD8⁺ thymocytes in B₂m^-/- mice, while its deficiency significantly impaired CD8⁺ cells in MHC class-II^-/- and TCR transgenic mice, favoring CD8 T-cell differentiation. During CD8 lineage differentiation, Twist2 interacted with Runx3 to bind to the silencer region of the ThPOK locus, thereby blocking ThPOK expression. These findings indicate that Twist2 is a part of the transcription factor network controlling CD8 lineage differentiation.

Development of a risk scoring system for predicting acute kidney injury after minimally invasive partial and radical nephrectomy: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Acute kidney injury after partial or radical nephrectomy remains an unsolved problem even when using minimally invasive techniques. We aimed to identify risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) after minimally invasive nephrectomy and to develop a clinical risk scoring system.

METHODS

Medical records of 1762 patients who underwent minimally invasive laparoscopic or robot-assisted laparoscopic partial (n = 1009) or radical (n = 753) nephrectomy from December 2005 to November 2018 were reviewed. Candidate risk factors were screened using univariate analysis and ranked using linear discriminant analysis; top ranking factors were incorporated into a multivariate logistic regression model. Then, the final clinical scoring system was created based on the estimated odds ratios.

RESULTS

The incidence of acute kidney injury after partial or radical nephrectomy was 20.3 and 61.6%, respectively. Risk factors incorporated into the scoring system included: size of the parenchymal mass removed (3 < parenchymal mass ≤ 4 cm, 1 point; 4 < parenchymal mass ≤ 6 cm, 3 points; parenchymal mass > 6 cm, 5 points), male sex (2 points), diabetes mellitus (1 point), warm ischemia time ≥ 25 min (1 point), and immediate postoperative neutrophil count ≥ 12,000 µl^-1 (1 point) in patients with partial nephrectomy, and sex (male, 10 points; female, 7 points) in patients with radical nephrectomy. For risk scores of 0-4, 5-6, 7, 8-9, and 10 points, the probabilities of acute kidney injury were approximately 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80%, respectively. The predictive accuracy of the scoring system was 0.827 (95% CI 0.789-0.865).

CONCLUSION

Our risk scoring system could help clinicians identify those at risk of acute kidney injury after minimally invasive partial or radical nephrectomy, thereby optimizing postoperative management.