[Peripheral blood EMR3 gene methylation level is correlated with breast cancer in Chinese women]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the association of methylation levels of C19orf57, MAP9, EMR3, NEK6 and PCOLCE2 genes in peripheral blood with breast cancer (BC) in Chinese women.

METHODS

We collected peripheral blood samples from 258 early-stage BC patients and 272 healthy women. Agena matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was utilized to quantitatively measure the methylation levels of CpG sites in the genes. The association between DNA methylation and BC was analyzed using a logistic regression model adjusted for covariants. Spearman's correlation analysis was performed to analyze the association between the gene methylation levels and age. The methylation levels of the genes in the BC patients with different clinical characteristics were investigated using non-parametric tests.

RESULTS

In stead of EMR3 gene hypermethylation as found in BC patients as found in the Caucasian population, EMR3 gene hypomethylation was found to correlate with BC in Chinese women, but this correlation was significant only in women beyond the age of 50 years (for every 10% reduction of the methylation level, EMR3_CpG_1: OR=1.40; EMR3_CpG_2: OR=2.31; EMR3_CpG_3: OR=2.76, P < 0.05). EMR3 methylation was not or was only weakly correlated with tumor stage, size, lymphatic metastasis, ER, PR, HER2, or Ki67. Our data did not show a correlation between C19orf57 methylation and BC.

CONCLUSION

Peripheral blood EMR3 gene hypomethylation is associated with BC in Chinese women, especially in those at an old age and in postmenopausal women.

A Bayesian network meta-analysis of comparison of cancer therapeutic vaccines for melanoma

Several approaches to active immunotherapy for melanoma, including peptide-based vaccines (PVs), autologous tumour cell vaccines (TCVs), allogeneic TCVs and autologous dendritic cell vaccines (DCVs), have been investigated in clinical trials. However, comprehensive evidence comparing these interventions remains unavailable. The objective of this study was to expand previous work to compare and rank the immunotherapeutic strategies for melanoma in terms of overall survival and toxic effects with a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Methodologically, we performed a network meta-analysis of head-to-head randomized controlled trials comparing and ranking cancer vaccine approaches for patients with melanoma. PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched up to 31 July 2020. We estimated summary hazard ratios for death and risk ratios for toxicity. The effects of the underlying prognostic variable on survival benefits were examined by meta-regression. We performed subgroup analysis for the outcomes based on metastatic categories. Overall, we identified 4776 citations, of which 15 head-to-head randomized controlled trials (3162 participants) were included in the analysis. In terms of efficacy, allogeneic tumour cell vaccines plus immunotherapy adjuvants, peptide-based vaccines plus immunotherapy adjuvants and standard therapy were more effective than peptide vaccines. The proportion of women was inversely associated with mortality risk. For safety, all treatments were inferior to allogeneic tumour cell vaccines except for allogeneic tumour cell vaccines plus chemotherapy. Peptide vaccines plus immunotherapy adjuvants led to an increased risk of adverse events compared to allogeneic tumour cell vaccines plus immunotherapy adjuvants. These results suggest that allogeneic TCV and autologous DCV are better than standard therapy. PV plus immune modulators are the most effective strategy among all comparable strategies but is associated with increased toxicity. Any combination regimens for cancer therapeutic vaccines need to be balanced between risk and benefit profiles.

Improving the Stability of Non-Noble-Metal M-N-C Catalysts for Proton-Exchange-Membrane Fuel Cells through M-N Bond Length and Coordination Regulation

An effective and universal strategy is developed to enhance the stability of the non-noble-metal M-N_x /C catalyst in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) by improving the bonding strength between metal ions and chelating polymers, i.e., poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) homopolymer and poly(acrylic acid-maleic acid) (P(AA-MA)) copolymer with different AA/MA ratios. Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) reveal that the optimal P(AA-MA)-Fe-N catalyst with a higher Fe³⁺ -polymer binding constant possesses longer FeN bonds and exclusive Fe-N₄ /C moiety compared to PAA-Fe-N, which consists of ≈15% low-coordinated Fe-N₂ /N₃ structures. The optimized P(AA-MA)-Fe-N catalyst exhibits outstanding ORR activity and stability in both half-cell and PEMFC cathodes, with the retention rate of current density approaching 100% for the first 37 h at 0.55 V in an H₂ -air fuel cell. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the Fe-N₄ /C site could optimize the difference between the adsorption energy of the Fe atoms on the support (E_ad ) and the bulk cohesive energy (E_coh ) relative to Fe-N₂ /N₃ moieties, thereby strongly stabilizing Fe centers against demetalation.

An Intelligent Control Model of Credit Line Computing in Intelligence Health-Care Systems

Technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence have brought about a tremendous change to biomedical computing and intelligence health care. As a principal component of the intelligence healthcare system, the hospital information system (HIS) has provided great convenience to hospitals and patients, but incidents of leaking private information of patients through HIS occasionally occur at times. Therefore, it is necessary to properly control excessive access behavior. To reduce the risk of patient privacy leakage when medical data are accessed, this article proposes a dynamic permission intelligent access control model that introduces credit line calculation. According to the target given by the doctor in HIS and the actual access record, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 code is used to describe the degree of correlation, and the rationality of the access is formally described by a mathematical formula. The concept of intelligence healthcare credit lines is redefined with relevance and time Windows. The access control policy matches the corresponding credit limit and credit interval according to the authorization rules to achieve the purpose of intelligent control. Finally, with the actual data provided by a Grade-III Level-A hospital in Kunming, the program code is written through machine learning and biomedical computing-related technologies to complete the experimental test. The experiment proves that the intelligent access control model based on credit computing proposed in this study can play a role in protecting the privacy of patients to a certain extent.

Effectiveness of optimised care chain for hip fractures in elderly Chinese

BACKGROUND

Studies have found that optimised care chain (OCC) can promote the recovery of hip fracture patients. Fast track (FT) has been widely proven to play a good role, but there is no systematic review report.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive search and obtained search data as of April 2020. These included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort trials (CTs). We applied the research input Review Manager 5.3 for data synthesis, and used Stata 12.0 for meta- regression analysis.

RESULTS

This review reported 2200 hip fractures. Our analysis showed that OCC can reduce complications and 1-year mortality, and shorten the length of stay (LOS). After dividing the complications into bed-related complications and other complications, OCC has advantages in reducing bed-related complications, but has no significant effect on other complications. For the conventional care group, the secondary outcome of the OCC group showed there was no significant difference in duration of surgery, and the rest were significantly improved. Subgroup analysis between green channel (GC) and FT showed a shorter LOS for GC.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis suggests that the use of OCC in China promotes rehabilitation in elderly patients with hip fractures, that FT and GC are similar in effect in China, and that GC shows a greater advantage in reducing LOS.

[Exploration of the high-risk factors of catheter-related thrombosis in breast cancer]

Objective: To explore the high risk factors of catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) in breast cancer patients, and provide the basis for the development of appropriate prevention and treatment strategies. Methods: A total of 1 432 breast cancer patients scheduled to receive central venous catheterization in National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from January 1, 2015 to August 31, 2019 were selected. Baseline information and catheterization information of patients were collected. The occurrence of CRT was confirmed by vascular ultrasound examination, and the influencing factors of CRT were analyzed. Results: The total number of catheter days were 121, 980 days in 1 432 patients with breast cancer, and the average number of catheter days in each patient was 85.2 days. The incidence of CRT was 6.8% (97/1 432), which was 0.79 cases/1 000 catheter days. Among 815 patients with centrally inserted central venous catheters (CICC), 43 (5.3%) had CRT, which was 0.70 cases/1 000 catheter days. Among 617 patients with peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICC), 54 (8.8%) developed CRT, which was 0.90 cases/1 000 catheter days. CRT was most common in subclavian vein (63.9%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that age ≥ 60 years old (OR=1.712, 95% CI: 1.056-2.775, P=0.029), PICC (OR=1.732, 95% CI: 1.130-2.656, P=0.012), the catheter position except subclavian vein (OR=10.420, 95% CI: 1.207-89.991), secondary adjustment of catheter position (OR=3.985, 95% CI: 1.510-10.521, P=0.005) and high D-Dimer level (OR=1.129, 95% CI: 1.026-1.241, P=0.012)were independent risk factors for CRT. Conclusions: The CRT problem can't be ignored in the clinical treatment of breast cancer patients with central venous catheterization. Screening the appropriate age of patients and the type of central venous catheters, reducing the secondary adjustment of catheter position, and timely monitoring the level of D-dimer are helpful to the prevention and treatment of CRT.

The prognostic effect of immunosuppressive therapy in IgA nephropathy with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease

Background

It is debated whether patients with IgAN with heavy proteinuria and decreased eGFR benefit from aggressive treatment consisting of corticosteroids alone or combined with immunosuppressive agents.

Methods

A retrospective study was performed between January 2008 and December 2016 on patients with IgAN who had urinary protein excretion > 1.0 g/d and an eGFR between 15 and 59 mL/min/1.73 m². These patients were assigned to receive supportive care alone or supportive care plus immunosuppressive therapy. The primary outcome was defined as the first occurrence of a 50% decrease in eGFR or the development of ESKD.

Results

All 208 included patients were followed for a median of 43 months, and 92 (44%) patients experienced the primary outcome. Cumulative kidney survival was better in the immunosuppression group than in the supportive care group (p < .001). The median annual rate of eGFR decline in the immunosuppression group was −2.0 (−7.3 to 4.2), compared with −8.4 (–18.9 to −4.1) mL/min/1.73 m² in the supportive care group (p < .001). In multivariate Cox regression analyses, immunosuppressive therapy was associated with a lower risk of progression to ESKD, independent of age, sex, eGFR, proteinuria, MAP, kidney histologic findings and the use of RASi agents (HR = 0.335; 95% CI 0.209–0.601). Among the adverse events, infection requiring hospitalization occurred at similar rates in both groups (p = .471).

Conclusion

Immunosuppressive therapy attenuated the rate of eGFR decline and was associated with a favorable kidney outcome in IgAN patients with heavy proteinuria and decreased eGFR, and the side effects were tolerable.

Time resolved absolute extreme ultraviolet radiation measurement on the ENN XuanLong-50 spherical tokamak

A plasma radiation measurement system for a wide spectral range, based on compact Absolute eXtreme UltraViolet (AXUV) silicon photodiodes, has been implemented on the newly constructed ENN XuanLong-50 (EXL-50) spherical tokamak. The system consists of two 16-channel AXUV16ELG arrays and one AXUV63HS1 single-cell detector mounted on ceramic sockets. The two arrays, facing toward the EXL-50 slim central post from two locations inside a top and a side ConFlat 400 port, have 32 view chords covering the interested plasma region in a poloidal cross section at toroidal 330°. The single-cell detector, seated on a retractable feedthrough, could be arranged flexibly with the help of an ultra-high vacuum compatible gate valve. The design details together with considerations on the EXL-50 specific engineering realities and physics requirements are described. Preliminary results from the EXL-50 2020 experimental campaign are presented.

Iron-catalyzed alkylation of carbazole derivatives via hydroarylation of styrenes

The first direct and selective 3,6-di-alkylation of carbazoles via iron-catalyzed hydroarylation of styrenes is demonstrated. This simple, general and efficient method could deliver a wide range of di-benzyl-carbazoles with high chemo- and regio-selectivity at room temperature in up to 96% yield with no need for a noble-metal catalyst, directing group or additives.

STING-mediated degradation of IFI16 negatively regulates apoptosis by inhibiting p53 phosphorylation at serine 392

Interferon-γ–inducible factor 16 (IFI16) triggers stimulator of interferon (IFN) genes (STING)–dependent type I IFN production during host antiviral immunity and facilitates p53-dependent apoptosis during suppressing tumorigenesis. We have previously reported that STING-mediated IFI16 degradation negatively regulates type I IFN production. However, it is unknown whether STING also suppresses IFI16/p53-dependent apoptosis via degradation of IFI16. Here, our results from flow cytometry apoptosis detection and immunoblot assays show that IFI16 and nutlin-3, a p53 pathway activator, synergistically induce apoptosis in U2OS and A549 cells. Protein kinase R–triggered phosphorylation of p53 at serine 392 is critical for the IFI16-p53–dependent apoptosis. However, overexpression of STING suppresses p53 serine 392 phosphorylation, p53 transcriptional activity, expression of p53 target genes, and p53-dependent mitochondrial depolarization and apoptosis. In summary, our current study demonstrates that STING-mediated IFI16 degradation negatively regulates IFI16-mediated p53-dependent apoptosis in osteosarcoma and non–small cell lung cancer cells, which suggests a protumorigenic role for STING in certain cancer types because of its potent ability to degrade upstream IFI16.

Impact of climate and population changes on the increasing exposure to summertime compound hot extremes

Attributing the changes in the population exposure to global compound hot extremes, which combine daytime-nighttime hot extremes with more severe impacts, is essential for climate change adaptation. Based on daily temperature data from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) and population data, we estimate the changes in population exposure for two future periods under three scenarios of emission and socio-economic development at global and continental scales, and assess the contributions from climate and population changes. We find that the spatial patterns of exposure to compound hot extremes are similar for different periods and scenarios, and regions with high exposure are mainly located over East Asia, South Asia, Europe, and parts of eastern USA and Africa. The exposure shows an increase from baseline (1980-2014) to mid- and late 21st century periods (2021-2055 and 2056-2090) in most regions worldwide. Under the business-as-usual scenario (SSP2-4.5), the global exposure increases by ~19-fold during the late 21st century, and Africa shows the largest increase while Europe shows the smallest. Early (SSP1-2.6) and no (SSP5-8.5) actions of mitigation would relieve and aggravate the increase rate, respectively. For about 78%-87% of the global land areas, the changes in exposure are mainly caused by climate change (accounting for >69%), followed by the interaction effect (accounting for ~29%) that refers to synergistic changes in climate and population. In parts of mid- to high-latitude regions, the exposure is smaller than expected due to opposite effects of climate change and population change.

Lactobacillus strains derived from human gut ameliorate metabolic disorders via modulation of gut microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acids metabolism

Regulation on gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are believed to be a pathway to suppress the development of metabolic syndrome. In this study, three Lactobacillus strains derived from the human gut were investigated for their effects on alleviation of metabolic disorders. These strains were individually administered to metabolic disorder rats induced by high-fat-high-sucrose (HFHS) diet. Each strain exhibited its own characteristics in attenuating the impaired glucose-insulin homeostasis, hepatic oxidative damage and steatosis. Correlation analysis between SCFAs and host metabolic parameters suggested that Lactobacillus protective effects on metabolic disorders are partly mediated by recovery of SCFAs production, especially the faecal acetic acid. Correspondingly, it indicated that probiotics restore the gut microbiota dysbiosis in different extent, thereby protect against metabolic disorders in a manner that is associated with microbiota, but not totally reverse the changed composition of microbiota to the normal state. Thus, Lactobacillus strains partly protect against diet-induced metabolic syndrome by microbiota modulation and acetate elevation.

Modulation of Antiviral Immunity and Therapeutic Efficacy by 25-Hydroxycholesterol in Chronically SIV-Infected, ART-Treated Rhesus Macaques

Cholesterol-25-hydroxylase (CH25H) and its enzymatic product 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC) exert broadly antiviral activity including inhibiting HIV-1 infection. However, their antiviral immunity and therapeutic efficacy in a nonhuman primate model are unknown. Here, we report that the regimen of 25HC combined with antiretroviral therapy (ART), provides profound immunological modulation towards inhibiting viral replication in chronically SIV_mac239-infected rhesus macaques (RMs). Compared to the ART alone, this regimen more effectively controlled SIV replication, enhanced SIV-specific cellular immune responses, restored the ratio of CD4/CD8 cells, reversed the hyperactivation state of CD4⁺ T cells, and inhibited the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T lymphocytes in chronically SIV-infected RMs. Furthermore, the in vivo safety and the preliminary pharmacokinetics of the 25HC compound were assessed in this RM model. Taken together, these assessments help explain the profound relationship between cholesterol metabolism, immune modulation, and antiviral activities by 25HC. These results provide insight for developing novel therapeutic drug candidates against HIV-1 infection and other related diseases.

Role of Steroid Hormones in the Pathogenesis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and may progress to cirrhosis or even hepatocellular carcinoma. A number of steroid hormones are important regulators of lipid homeostasis through fine tuning the expression of genes related to lipid synthesis, export, and metabolism. Dysregulation of such pathways has been implicated in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. The aim of this review is to clarify the potential impact of steroid hormones on NAFLD. We also highlight potential interventions through modulating steroid hormone levels or the activities of their cognate receptors as therapeutic strategies for preventing NAFLD.

Substrate-Controlled Regiodivergent Synthesis of Fluoroacylated Carbazoles via Friedel-Crafts Acylation

A general, efficient, and substrate-controlled regiodivergent trifluoroacetylation of carbazoles has been developed through Friedel-Crafts acylation. This strategy was applicable to a wide scope of readily available substituted carbazoles at air atmosphere without using a metal catalyst, affording the corresponding trifluoroacetylated carbazoles in up to 99% yield. The divergency of the products and the orientation rules have been illustrated based on different substituents on carbazole rings. This method could also be extended to the synthesis of chlorodifluoroacetylated and pentafluoropropionylated carbazoles, which have been achieved for the first time.

Low-Dose Corticosteroid Combined With Mycophenolate Mofetil for IgA Nephropathy With Stage 3 or 4 CKD: A Retrospective Cohort Study

PURPOSE

This study assessed the long-term (10-year) tolerability and efficacy of a low-dose corticosteroid combined with mycophenolate mofetil (CS + MMF) in the treatment of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) with stage 3/4 chronic kidney disease and proteinuria in clinical practice in China.

METHODS

Data from patients with biopsy-proven IgAN, stage 3/4 chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate 15-59 mL/min/1.73 m²), and proteinuria (urinary protein excretion ≥1.0 g/d) and who were treated with uncontrolled supportive care (USC), CS, or CS + MMF between January 2008 and December 2017 were included. The primary end point was the prevalence of the composite outcome of any of the following conditions: a reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≥50%, end-stage renal disease, and death.

FINDINGS

Of the 120 enrolled patients, 44, 25, and 51 were treated with USC, CS, and CS + MMF, respectively. The median follow-up time was 40.1 months (IQR, 29.1-67.8 months). The prevalences of the composite outcome were 63.6%, 56.0%, and 19.6%, respectively (P < 0.001). The cumulative 5-year renal function-preservation rates were 48.1%, 51.4%, and 83.7%. After adjustment for covariates, the prevalence of the composite outcome was significantly decreased with CS + MMF (HR = 0.094; 95% CI, 0.026-0.335; P < 0.001), but not with CS (HR = 0.749; 95% CI, 0.354-1.583; P = 0.449), compared with USC. However, 4 patients in the CS + MMF group died, of whom 3 had severe pneumonia.

IMPLICATIONS

CS + MMF may have more promising efficacy than USC or CS in renal-function preservation in patients with IgAN and chronic kidney disease in the Chinese population. However, attention should be paid to the increased risk for death due to severe pneumonia.

An integrated biorefinery process for co-production of xylose and glucose using maleic acid as efficient catalyst

This study aims to valorize wheat straw for xylose and glucose recovery using maleic acid in the pretreatment. The process conditions of maleic acid hydrolysis of wheat straw for xylose recovery were optimized by response surface methodology, through which the maximum xylose recovery of 77.12% versus minimum furfural yield of 1.61% were achieved using 70 g/L solid-to-liquid ratio and 0.1 mol/L maleic acid for 40 min at 150 °C. Moreover, 88.58% cellulose conversion was achieved by enzymatic hydrolysis of maleic acid-pretreated wheat straw. Results showed that maleic acid was an effective pretreatment solvent for sugars recovery: 19.88 g xylose and 30.89 g glucose were respectively obtained from 100 g wheat straw due to acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis, with only 0.37 g furfural produced. This study provides a strategy for hydrolyzing wheat straw to produce fermentable sugars with low amount of degradation product.

Phospholipid transfer to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) upon triglyceride lipolysis is directly correlated with HDL-cholesterol levels and is not associated with cardiovascular risk

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

While low concentrations of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) represent a well-established cardiovascular risk factor, extremely high HDL-C is paradoxically associated with elevated cardiovascular risk, resulting in the U-shape relationship with cardiovascular disease. Free cholesterol transfer to HDL upon lipolysis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TGRL) was recently reported to underlie this relationship, linking HDL-C to triglyceride metabolism and atherosclerosis. In addition to free cholesterol, other surface components of TGRL, primarily phospholipids, are transferred to HDL during lipolysis. It remains indeterminate as to whether such transfer is linked to HDL-C and cardiovascular disease.

METHODS AND RESULTS

When TGRL was labelled with fluorescent phospholipid 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI), time- and dose-dependent transfer of DiI to HDL was observed upon incubations with lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The capacity of HDL to acquire DiI was decreased by -36% (p<0.001) in low HDL-C patients with acute myocardial infarction (n = 22) and by -95% (p<0.001) in low HDL-C subjects with Tangier disease (n = 7), unchanged in low HDL-C patients with Type 2 diabetes (n = 17) and in subjects with high HDL-C (n = 20), and elevated in subjects with extremely high HDL-C (+11%, p<0.05) relative to healthy normolipidemic controls. Across all the populations combined, HDL capacity to acquire DiI was directly correlated with HDL-C (r = 0.58, p<0.001). No relationship of HDL capacity to acquire DiI with both overall and cardiovascular mortality obtained from epidemiological studies for the mean HDL-C levels observed in the studied populations was obtained.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that the capacity of HDL to acquire phospholipid from TGRL upon LPL-mediated lipolysis is proportional to HDL-C and does not reflect cardiovascular risk in subjects widely differing in HDL-C levels.

LincRNA-EPS alleviates severe acute pancreatitis by suppressing HMGB1-triggered inflammation in pancreatic macrophages

Acute pancreatitis (AP), an inflammatory disorder of the pancreas with a high hospitalization rate, frequently leads to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). However, therapeutic targets for effective treatment and early intervention of AP are still urgently required to be identified. Here, we have observed that the expression of pancreatic lincRNA-EPS, a long intergenic non-coding RNA, is dynamically changed during both caerulein-induced AP (Cer-AP) and sodium taurocholate-induced severe AP (NaTc-SAP). The expression pattern of lincRNA-EPS is negatively correlated with the typical inflammatory genes such as IL-6, IL-1β, CXCL1, and CXCL2. Further studies indicate that knockout of lincRNA-EPS aggravates the pathological symptoms of AP including more induction of serum amylase and lipase, severe edema, inflammatory cells infiltration and acinar necrosis in both experimental AP mouse models. Besides these intrapancreatic effects, lincRNA-EPS also protects against tissue damages in the extra-pancreatic organs such as lung, liver, and gut in the NaTc-SAP mouse model. In addition, we have observed more serum pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in the lincRNA-EPS^-/- NaTc-SAP mice and more extracellular HMGB1 around injured acinar cells in the pancreas from lincRNA-EPS^-/- NaTc-SAP mice, compared with their respective controls. Pharmacological inhibition of NF- κ B activity by BAY11-7082 significantly abolishes the suppressive effect of lincRNA-EPS on TLR4 ligand-induced inflammatory genes in macrophages. Our study has described a protective role of lincRNA-EPS in alleviating AP and SAP, outlined a novel pathway that lincRNA-EPS suppresses HMGB1-NF- κ B-dependent inflammatory response in pancreatic macrophages and provided a potential therapeutic target for SAP.

An effective dual-modification strategy to enhance the performance of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 cathode for Li-ion batteries

Ni-rich ternary layered oxides represent the most promising cathodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) due to their relatively large specific capacities and high energy/power densities. Unfortunately, their inherent chemical instability and surface side reactions during the charge/discharge processes lead to rapid capacity fading and poor cycling life, which seriously restrict their practical applications. Herein, we report a simple dual-modification strategy for preparing LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM622) cathode materials by Li2SnO3 surface coating and Sn4+ gradient doping. The gradient Sn doping stabilizes the layered structure due to the strong Sn-O covalent bond and relieves the Li+/Ni2+ cation disorder by the partial oxidation of Ni2+ to Ni3+. Besides, the ionic and electronic conductive Li2SnO3 coating serves as a protective layer to eliminate the side reactions with electrolyte/air. In LIB testing, the dual-modified NCM622 cathode with 2% Sn delivers an enhanced cycling performance with 88.31% capacity retention after 100 cycles from 3.0 to 4.5 V at 1C compared to the bare NCM622. Meanwhile, the dual-modified NCM622 shows an improved reversible capacity of 136.2 mA h g-1 at 5C and enhanced electrode kinetics. The dual-modification strategy may enable a new approach to simultaneously relieve the interfacial instability and bulk structure degradation of Ni-rich cathode materials for high energy density LIBs.

Responses of Phragmites australis to copper stress: A combined analysis of plant morphology, physiology and proteomics

Few relevant research attempts have been made to determine heavy metal resistance mechanisms of rhizomatous perennial plants. Thus, it is pertinent to investigate the physiological and biochemical changes in Phragmites australis under metal-stressed conditions to facilitate the development of strategies to enhance copper (Cu) tolerance. We measured parameters related to plant growth and development, metal translocation and physiological responses of P. australis subjected to Cu stress. In addition, the differentially expressed proteins (DEP) were evaluated using the isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) system. A large amount of copper accumulates in the roots of P.australis, but the growth parameters were not sensitive to Cu. However, the high concentration of Cu reduced the content of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, and the expression of important photosynthesis proteins PsbD, PsbO and PsaA were all down-regulated, so photosynthesis was inhibited. In contrast, the content of ascorbic acid and proline both increased with the increase of copper stress. P.australis fixed a large amount of Cu in its roots, limiting the migration of Cu to other parts of the plant. Moreover, Cu stress can affect photosynthesis by inhibiting the activity of PSI, PSII and LHCII. In addition, P.australis synthesizes ascorbic acid through the D-mannose/L-galactose pathway, and synthesizes proline through the ornithine pathway. Ascorbic acid and proline can increase Cu tolerance and protect photosynthesis. These results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the tolerance and repair mechanisms of plants in response to heavy metal pollution.