One-step fabrication of bimetallic PtNi mesoporous nanospheres as an efficient catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

The controlled synthesis of Pt-based bimetallic porous nanostructures is highly important for the design of electrocatalysts with high performance. Herein, we report a one-step method for the direct synthesis of well-dispersed bimetallic PtNi mesoporous nanospheres (PtNi MNs) at high yield. Benefitting from the synergistic effect of composition (bimetallic PtNi) and structure (mesoporous and highly open structure), the as-obtained PtNi MNs exhibit superior catalytic activity and stability for the oxygen reduction reaction.

Quantitative determination of endogenous cardiolipin in rat cerebral tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography using standard addition method

Cardiolipin is an important cellular component, and its normal level is a key prerequisite for maintaining the structure and function of mitochondria. To accurately quantify endogenous cardiolipin content in mitochondria, a standard addition method (SAM) was developed to establish a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique that is both reliable and accurate. Increasing amounts of cardiolipin standards were added to a constant amount of isolated mitochondria prior to the extraction procedure, and the two were extracted together. By limiting the interference effects that occur to within an acceptable range in an analytical system examined, this procedure ensures an ideal match of the sample composition in the standards, even if the composition is extremely complex or completely unknown. Then, the desired results can be obtained by extrapolation. As such, the authentic content of the endogenous cardiolipin can be obtained with greater accuracy than with classical detection methods, e.g. external standard calibration (ESC) and internal standard calibration (ISC). This method provides an excellent means of quantifying endogenous substances in living cells. The authors expect this method to be useful for researchers working on mitochondria-related mechanisms, cell survival-related mechanisms and similar topics.

Tri-metallic PtPdAu mesoporous nanoelectrocatalysts

The design of mesoporous materials with multi-metallic compositions is highly important for various electrocatalytic applications. In this paper, we demonstrate an efficient method to directly fabricate tri-metallic PtPdAu mesoporous nanoparticles (PtPdAu MNs) in a high yield, which is simply performed by heating treatment of the reaction mixture aqueous solution at 40 °C for 4 h. Profiting from its mesoporous structure and multi-metallic components, the as-prepared PtPdAu MNs exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic activities toward both methanol oxidation reaction and oxygen reduction reaction in comparison with bi-metallic PtPd MNs and commercial Pt/C catalyst.

Mesoporous Co3 O4 Nanobundle Electrocatalysts

Tailoring metal oxide nanostructures with mesoporous architectures is vital to improve their electrocatalytic performance. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of 2D mesoporous Co3 O4 (meso-Co3 O4 ) nanobundles with uniform shape and size by employing a hard-template method. In this study, the incipient wetness impregnation technique has been chosen for loading metal precursor into the silica hard template (SBA-15). The results reveal that the concentration of a saturated precursor solution plays a vital role in mesostructured ordering, as well as the size and shape of the final meso-Co3 O4 product. The optimized precursor concentration allows us to synthesize ordered meso-Co3 O4 with four to seven nanowires in each particle. The meso-Co3 O4 structure exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity for both glucose and water oxidation reactions.

Direct synthesis of bimetallic PtCo mesoporous nanospheres as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction and methanol oxidation reaction

The engineering of electrocatalysts with high performance for cathodic and/or anodic catalytic reactions is of great urgency for the development of direct methanol fuel cells. Pt-based bimetallic alloys have recently received considerable attention in the field of fuel cells because of their superior catalytic performance towards both fuel molecule electro-oxidation and oxygen reduction. In this work, bimetallic PtCo mesoporous nanospheres (PtCo MNs) with uniform size and morphology have been prepared by a one-step method with a high yield. The as-made PtCo MNs show superior catalytic activities for both oxygen reduction reaction and methanol oxidation reaction relative to Pt MNs and commercial Pt/C catalyst, attributed to their mesoporous structure and bimetallic composition.

Phylogenetic and genetic variation analyses of porcine circovirus type 2 isolated from China

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is a causative agent of PCV2-associated disease, which is a growing problem in the swine industry worldwide. High nucleotide substitution occurs in the capsid (Cap) gene of PCV2, which allows the continuous evolution and the emergence of novel PCV2 strains. In this study, we sequenced 24 Chinese PCV2 strains collected from healthy and diseased pigs between 2013 and 2015. Analyses of the genome, Cap and phylogeny classified the 24 Chinese PCV2 strains as PCV-2a (four of 24), PCV-2b (five of 24) and PCV-2d (15 of 24). All strains shared 89.5%-100% and 87.2%-100% identities with the nucleotide and amino acid (aa) sequences of Cap, respectively. Selection pressure analysis showed that five sites at the epitope regions in Cap were under positive selection. Further analysis by Jameson-Wolf antigenic index indicated that aa substitutions occurring at the epitope regions contributed to the antigenic alterations of the different PCV2 strains. High genetic variation and genotype shift to PCV2d occurred in recent years, and different genotypes coexisted in Chinese pig herds. The data provide evidence for the increased genetic diversity and insights into the molecular epidemiology of PCV2.

The effect of Echinococcus granulosus on spleen cells and TGF-β expression in the peripheral blood of BALB/c mice

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by the cestode Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) is a zoonotic parasitic disease. The effective immune evasion mechanisms of E. granulosus allow it to parasitize its hosts. However, the status of the innate and adaptive immune cells and their contributions to E. granulosus progression remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to determine the impact of E. granulosus infection on T cells, NK cell responses and TGF-β expression during the early infection phase in BALB/c mice. In E. granulosus infections, there was an increasing tendency in the percentage of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ T cells and CD4⁺ Foxp3⁺ T cells and peripheral blood TGF-β levels and relative expression of the Foxp3 gene. Moreover, there were a decreasing tendency in the percentage of NK cells and NK cell cytotoxicity and the expression of NKG2D on NK cells. The TGF-β1/Smad pathway was activated by E. granulosus in mice. Above results can be reversed by the inhibitor SB-525334 (potent activin receptor-like kinase 5 inhibitor). These results suggest that the TGF-β/Smad pathway plays an important role in changes of T-cell or NK cell responses. These results may contribute to revealing the preliminary molecular mechanisms in establishing hydatid infection.

Transcriptome analysis of miRNA-lncRNA-mRNA interactions in the malignant transformation process of gastric cancer initiation

Gastric cancer is a common heterogeneous malignancy that is pathologically characterized by the development of chronic atrophic gastritis and dysplasia of the epithelium. The pathogenic mechanisms at the molecular level are completely unclear. In the present study, we first address the expression network and miRNA-lncRNA-mRNA interaction in the malignant transformation process from normal mucosa and atrophic gastritis to a tumor. First, the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), micro RNA (miRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression profiles of normal gastric mucosa, atrophic gastritis, gastric cancer and the peri-tumor tissues were analyzed using microarrays. Then, bioinformatic analyses were used to predict the gene targets and analyse their potential roles in tumorigenesis and progression of gastric cancer. Finally, an intersection analysis of microarray data showed that 10 miRNAs and 11 lncRNAs were detected in the malignant transformation process from normal mucosa tissues and atrophic gastritis to tumorigenesis, and many miRNAs and lncRNAs were novel and had important roles. Meanwhile, the significant pathways and biological functions regulated by the deregulated 21 non-coding genes were enriched. In conclusion, our work provides an important theoretical, experimental and clinical foundation for further research on more effective targets for the diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of gastric cancer.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for Severe Toxicological Exposures: Review of the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC)

Although there have been many developments related to specific strategies for treating patients after poisoning exposures, the mainstay of therapy remains symptomatic and supportive care. One of the most aggressive supportive modalities is extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Our goal was to describe the use of ECMO for toxicological exposures reported to the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC). We performed a retrospective review of the ACMT ToxIC Registry from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2013. Inclusion criteria included patients aged 0 to 89 years, evaluated between January 2010 through December 2013, and received ECMO for toxicological exposure. There were 26,271 exposures (60 % female) reported to the ToxIC Registry, 10 (0.0004 %) received ECMO: 4 pediatric (< 12 years), 2 adolescent (12-18 years), and 4 adults (>18 years). Time of initiation of ECMO ranged from 4 h to 4 days, with duration from 15 h to 12 days. Exposures included carbon monoxide/smoke inhalation (2), bitter almonds, methanol, and several medications including antihistamines (2), antipsychotic/antidepressant (2), cardiovascular drugs (2), analgesics (2), sedative/hypnotics (2), and antidiabetics (2). Four ECMO patients received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during their hospital course, and the overall survival rate was 80 %. ECMO was rarely used for poisoning exposures in the ACMT ToxIC Registry. ECMO was utilized for a variety of ages and for pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical exposures. In most cases, ECMO was administered prior to cardiovascular failure, and survival rate was high. If available, ECMO may be a valid treatment modality.

Role of the IL-11/STAT3 signaling pathway in human chronic atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer

The expression of interleukin-11 (IL-11) and its products STAT3 and phospho-STAT3 (p-STAT3) in patients with chronic superficial gastritis (CSG), chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), and gastric cancer (GC) may provide insight into the diagnostic role of the IL-11/STAT3 signaling pathway in GC. Gastric mucosa specimens and serum samples were collected from 90 patients with CSG, CAG, and GC (30/group). The expression of IL-11, STAT3, and p-STAT3 was detected via immunohistochemistry and western blot. Additionally, serum levels of IL-11 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For IL-11, 60% stained positive in CAG and 83.3% stained positive in GC, which were both higher than the value observed for CSG (33.3%). Moreover, the percent positive for IL-11 in GC was higher than that in CAG (P < 0.05). The percent positive for STAT3 in CAG (80%) and GC (83.3%) was higher than that in CSG (53.3%) (P < 0.05). Compared with CSG (36.7%), the percent positive for p-STAT3 in CAG (63.3%) and GC (86.7%) was also significantly higher. STAT3 expression was similar in GC and CAG, which was significantly higher than that in CSG. Expectedly, p-STAT3 expression gradually increased from CSG to CAG to GC. Furthermore, p-STAT3 levels were higher in GC tissues than in CAG (P < 0.01). Intriguingly, serum IL-11 levels gradually increased from CSG to CAG to GC, which coincided with disease severity. Together, these results suggest that the IL-11/STAT3 signaling pathway plays a critical role in human CAG, and may provide new targets to prevent and treat GC.

Noise-induced damage to ribbon synapses without permanent threshold shifts in neonatal mice

Recently, ribbon synapses to the hair cells (HCs) in the cochlea have become a novel site of interest in the investigation of noise-induced cochlear lesions in adult rodents (Kujawa and Liberman, 2009; Lin et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2012; Shi et al., 2013). Permanent noise-induced damage to this type of synapse can result in subsequent degeneration of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the absence of permanent changes to hearing sensitivity. To verify whether noise exposure during an early developmental period produces a similar impact on ribbon synapses, the present study examined the damaging effects of noise exposure in neonatal Kunming mice. The animals received exposure to broadband noise at 105-decibel (dB) sound pressure level (SPL) for 2h on either postnatal day 10 (P10d) or postnatal day 14 (P14d), and then hearing function (based on the auditory brainstem response (ABR)) and cochlear morphology were evaluated during either postnatal weeks 3-4 (P4w) or postnatal weeks 7-8 (P8w). There were no significant differences in the hearing threshold between noise-exposed and control animals, which suggests that noise did not cause permanent loss of hearing sensitivity. However, noise exposure did produce a significant loss of ribbon synapses, particularly in P14d mice, which continued to increase from P4w to P8w. Additionally, a corresponding reduction in the amplitude of compound action potential (CAP) was observed in the noise-exposed groups at P4w and P8w, and the CAP latency was elongated, indicating a change in synaptic function.

Expression and activity of V-H+ -ATPase in gill and kidney of marbled eel Anguilla marmorata in response to salinity challenge

The full-length complementary (c)DNA of vacuolar-type-H(+) -ATPase B1 gene (vhab1) in marbled eel Anguilla marmorata with 1741 base pairs (bp) was identified. It contained a 1512 bp open reading frame encoding a polypeptide with 503 amino acids (55·9 kDa), an 83 bp 5'-untranslated region (UTR) and a 146 bp 3'-UTR. The expression levels of A. marmorata vhab1 in gill and kidney of A. marmorata were evaluated at different intervals during the exposure to various salinities (0, 10 and 25). The results indicated that the expression levels of A. marmorata vhab1 messenger (m)RNA in gill and kidney had a significant increase and reached the highest level at 1 h in brackish water (BW, salinity 10) group and 6 h in seawater (SW, salinity 25) group. Therefore, salinity did affect the relative expression level of A. marmorata vhab1 mRNA in gills, which exhibited the enhancement by c. 44 times in SW group when compared with that in fresh water. No remarkable difference in the expression of A. marmorata vhab1 mRNA was observed after 15 days of SW exposure (P > 0·05). V-H(+) -ATPase activity exhibited an increase by two- to three-fold when compared with that in gill and kidney from the control group. The consequence primarily suggested that A. marmorata vhab1 gene product in elvers from A. marmorata plays an important role in adaptation response to SW.