Au@MoS2@Au Hierarchical Nanostructures for High-Sensitivity and Recyclable SERS Device

Plasmonics - The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is widely used in chemical analysis and environmental monitoring. Herein, the Au@MoS2@Au three core–shell hierarchical architecture...     

IGFBP‐4 enhances VEGF‐induced angiogenesis in a mouse model of myocardial infarction

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a well‐known angiogenic factor, however its ability in promoting therapeutic angiogenesis following myocardial infarction (MI) is limited. Here, we aimed to investigate whether dual treatment with insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐4 (IGFBP‐4), an agent that protects against early oxidative damage, can be effective in enhancing the therapeutic effect of VEGF following MI. Combined treatment with IGFBP‐4 enhanced VEGF‐induced angiogenesis and prevented cell damage via enhancing the expression of a key angiogenic factor angiopoietin‐1. Dual treatment with the two agents synergistically decreased cardiac fibrosis markers collagen‐I and collagen‐III following MI. Importantly, while the protective action of IGFBP‐4 occurs at an early stage of ischemic injury, the action of VEGF occurs at a later stage, at the onset angiogenesis. Our findings demonstrate that VEGF treatment alone is often not enough to protect against oxidative stress and promote post‐ischemic angiogenesis, whereas the combined treatment with IGFBP4 and VEGF can utilize the dual roles of these agents to effectively protect against ischemic and oxidative injury, and promote angiogenesis. These findings provide important insights into the roles of these agents in the clinical setting, and suggest new strategies in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.     

Formononetin,J1 and J2 have different effects on endothelial cells via EWSAT1‐TRAF6 and its downstream pathway

Formononetin is a natural isoflavone compound found mainly in Chinese herbal medicines such as astragalus and red clover. It is considered to be a typical phytooestrogen. In our previous experiments, it was found that formononetin has a two‐way regulatory effect on endothelial cells (ECs): low concentrations promote the proliferation of ECs and high concentrations have an inhibitory effect. To find a specific mechanism of action and provide a better clinical effect, we performed a structural transformation of formononetin and selected better medicinal properties for formononetin modifier J1 and J2 from a variety of modified constructs. The MTT assay measured the effects of drugs on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) activity. Scratch and transwell experiments validated the effects of the drugs on HUVEC migration and invasion. An in vivo assessment effect of the drugs on ovariectomized rats. Long‐chain non‐coding RNA for EWSAT1, which is abnormally highly expressed in HUVEC, was screened by gene chip, and the effect of the drug on its expression was detected by PCR after the drug was applied. The downstream factors and their pathways were analysed, and the changes in the protein levels after drug treatment were evaluated by Western blot. In conclusion, the mechanism of action of formononetin, J1 and J2 on ECs may be through EWSAT1‐TRAF6 and its downstream pathways.     

A novel circRNA,circNUP98, a potential biomarker,acted as an oncogene via the miR‐567/ PRDX3 axis in renal cell carcinoma

In recent years, plenty of studies found that circular RNAs (circRNAs) were essential players in the initiation and progression of various cancers including the renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the knowledge about the circRNAs in carcinogenesis is still limited. Dysregulated expression of circNUP98 in RCC tissues was identified by the circular RNA microarray. RT‐PCR was performed to measure the expression of circNUP98 in 78 pairs of RCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Survival analysis was conducted to explore the association between the expression of circNUP98 and the prognosis of RCC. The function and underlying mechanisms of circSMC3 in RCC cells were investigated by RNAi, CCK‐8, Western blotting, bioinformatic analysis, ChIP assay, circRIP assay and dual luciferase reporter assay. CircNUP98 was up‐regulated in both RCC tissues and cell lines, and high expression of circNUP98 was correlated with poor prognosis of RCC patients. Silencing of circSMC3 inhibited the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis in a caspase‐dependent manner in RCC cells. Mechanistically, we revealed that silencing of circ NUP98 inhibited RCC progression by down‐regulating of PRDX3 via up‐regulation of miR‐567. Furthermore, STAT3 was identified as an inducer of circ NUP98 in RCC cells. CircNUP98 acts as an oncogene by a novel STAT3/circ NUP98/miR‐567/PRDX3 axis, which may provide a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the treatment of RCC.     

Oxygen‐Deficient Blue TiO2 for Ultrastable and Fast Lithium Storage

Developing a titanium dioxide (TiO₂)‐based anode with superior high‐rate capability and long‐term cycling stability is important for efficient energy storage. Herein, a simple one‐step approach for fabricating blue TiO₂ nanoparticles with oxygen vacancies is reported. Oxygen vacancies can enlarge lattice spaces, lower charge transfer resistance, and provide more active sites in TiO₂ lattices. As a result, this blue TiO₂ electrode exhibits a highly reversible capacity of 50 mAh g^?1 at 100 C (16 800 mA g^?1) even after 10 000 cycles, which is attributable to the combination of surface capacitive process and remarkable diffusion‐controlled insertion revealed by the kinetic analysis. The strategy of employing oxygen‐deficient nanoparticles may be extended to the design of other robust semiconductor materials as electrodes for energy storage.     

Energy Harvesting from Breeze Wind (0.7–6 m s−1) Using Ultra‐Stretchable Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Wind is one of the most important sources of green energy, but the current technology for harvesting wind energy is only effective when the wind speed is beyond 3.5–4.0 m s^?1. This is mainly due to the limitation that the electromagnetic generator works best at high frequency. This means that light breezes cannot reach the wind velocity threshold of current wind turbines. Here, a high‐performance triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for efficiently harvesting energy from an ambient gentle wind, especially for speeds below 3 m s^?1 is reported, by taking advantage of the relative high efficiency of TENGs at low‐frequency. Attributed to the multiplied‐frequency vibration of ultra‐stretchable and perforated electrodes, an average output of 20 mW m^?3 can be achieved with inlet wind speed of 0.7 m s^?1, while an average energy conversion efficiency of 7.8% at wind speed of 2.5 m s^?1 is reached. A self‐charging power package is developed and the applicability of the TENG in various light breezes is demonstrated. This work demonstrates the advantages of TENG technology for breeze energy exploitation and proposes an effective supplementary approach for current employed wind turbines and micro energy structure.     

Distinct lung microbial community states in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

An improved understanding of the lung microbiome may lead to better strategies to diagnose, treat, and prevent pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB). However, the characteristics of the lung microbiomes of patients with TB remain largely undefined. In this study, 163 bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL) samples were collected from 163 sputum-negative suspected PTB patients. Furthermore, 12 paired BAL samples were obtained from 12 Mycobacterium tuberculosis-positive(MTB+) patients before and after negative conversion following a two-month anti-TB treatment. The V3–V4 region of the 16 S ribosomal RNA(rRNA) gene was used to characterize the microbial composition of the lungs. The results showed that the prevalence of MTB in the BAL samples was 42.9%(70/163) among the sputum-negative patients. The α-diversity of lung microbiota was significantly less diverse in MTB+ patients compared with Mycobacterium tuberculosis-negative(MTB–) patients. There was a significant difference in β-diversity between MTB+ and MTB– patients. MTB+ patients were enriched with Anoxybacillus, while MTB– patients were enriched with Prevotella, Alloprevotella, Veillonella, and Gemella. There was no significant difference between the Anoxybacillus detection rates of MTB+ and MTB– patients. The paired comparison between the BAL samples from MTB+ patients and their negative conversion showed that BAL negative-conversion microbiota had a higher α-diversity. In conclusion, distinct features of airway microbiota could be identified between samples from patients with and without MTB. Our results imply links between lung microbiota and different clinical groups of active PTB.