Toward a Reversible Mn4+/Mn2+ Redox Reaction and Dendrite‐Free Zn Anode in Near‐Neutral Aqueous Zn/MnO2 Batteries via Salt Anion Chemistry

Rechargeable aqueous Zn/MnO₂ batteries are very attractive large‐scale energy storage technologies, but still suffer from limited cycle life and low capacity. Here the novel adoption of a near‐neutral acetate‐based electrolyte (pH ≈ 6) is presented to promote the two‐electron Mn⁴⁺/Mn²⁺ redox reaction and simultaneously enable a stable Zn anode. The acetate anion triggers a highly reversible MnO₂/Mn²⁺ reaction, which ensures high capacity and avoids the issue of structural collapse of MnO₂. Meanwhile, the anode‐friendly electrolyte enables a dendrite‐free Zn anode with outstanding stability and high plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency (99.8%). Hence, a high capacity of 556 mA h g^?1, a lifetime of 4000 cycles without decay, and excellent rate capability up to 70 mA cm^?2 are demonstated in this new near‐neutral aqueous Zn/MnO₂ battery by simply manipulating the salt anion in the electrolyte. The acetate anion not only modifies the surface properties of MnO₂ cathode but also creates a highly compatible environment for the Zn anode. This work provides a new opportunity for developing high‐performance Zn/MnO₂ and other aqueous batteries based on the salt anion chemistry.     

Nanopore sequencing of African swine fever virus

正Dear Editor,African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most pathogenic viral diseases in pigs caused by African swine fever virus(ASFV). The fatality rate is almost 100%, which brings huge economic losses to the hog industry in countries with epi-     

Finite element analysis of trans-lamina cribrosa pressure difference on optic nerve head biomechanics: the Beijing Intracranial and Intraocular Pressure Study

Science China Life Sciences - The present study aims to assess the potential difference of biomechanical response of the optic nerve head to the same level of trans-lamina cribrosa pressure...     

The fungal community and its interaction with the concentration of short-chain fatty acids in the faeces of Chenghua,Yorkshire and Tibetan pigs

Despite their important roles in host nutrition and metabolism, and potential to cause disease, our knowledge of the fungal community in the mammalian gut is quite limited. To date, diversity and composition of fungi in swine gut still remains unknown. Therefore, the first internal transcribed spacer of fungi in faecal samples from three breeds of pigs (10 pigs for each breed) was sequenced based on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform, and the relationship between the fungal community and the concentrations of main short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) was also analysed. Results indicated that Chenghua (local, higher body fat rate), Yorkshire (foreign, higher lean meat and growth rate) and Tibetan (plateau, stronger disease resistance) pigs harboured distinct fungal community. The Basidiomycota and Ascomycota presented as the two predominant phyla, with Loreleia, Russula and Candida as the top three genera in all samples. Network analysis revealed a total of 35 correlations among different fungal genera, with 27 (77.14%) positive and 8 (22.86%) negative pairwise interactions. Canonical correspondence analysis suggested that fungi in the faeces of pigs were more correlated to the concentration of acetate and butyrate rather than propionate. Spearman’s correlation further showed that Tomentella was positively correlated to both acetate and butyrate, and Loreleia was positively correlated to propionate (P < 0.05), while Nephroma and Taiwanofungus were negatively correlated to acetate and propionate (P < 0.05). These findings expanded our knowledge on the intestinal fungi in pigs with different genotypes and phenotypes, indicating that fungi may play an indispensable role during the metabolism of host and the maintenance of intestinal health. The cross-feeding between fungi and other microorganisms may be crucial during the digestion of dietary carbohydrates and the associated physiological processes, which is worthy to be further studied.     

Base excision repair but not DNA double‐strand break repair is impaired in aged human adipose‐derived stem cells

The decline in DNA repair capacity contributes to the age‐associated decrease in genome integrity in somatic cells of different species. However, due to the lack of clinical samples and appropriate tools for studying DNA repair, whether and how age‐associated changes in DNA repair result in a loss of genome integrity of human adult stem cells remains incompletely characterized. Here, we isolated 20 eyelid adipose‐derived stem cell (ADSC) lines from healthy individuals (young: 10 donors with ages ranging 17–25 years; old: 10 donors with ages ranging 50–59 years). Using these cell lines, we systematically compared the efficiency of base excision repair (BER) and two DNA double‐strand break (DSB) repair pathways—nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR)—between the young and old groups. Surprisingly, we found that the efficiency of BER but not NHEJ or HR is impaired in aged human ADSCs, which is in contrast to previous findings that DSB repair declines with age in human fibroblasts. We also demonstrated that BER efficiency is negatively associated with tail moment, which reflects a loss of genome integrity in human ADSCs. Mechanistic studies indicated that at the protein level XRCC1, but not other BER factors, exhibited age‐associated decline. Overexpression of XRCC1 reversed the decline of BER efficiency and genome integrity, indicating that XRCC1 is a potential therapeutic target for stabilizing genomes in aged ADSCs.     

The protective effects of C16 peptide and angiopoietin-1 compound in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome

C16 peptide and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) have been found to have anti-inflammatory activity in various inflammation-related diseases. However, their combined role in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has not been investigated yet. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of C16 peptide and Ang-1 in combination with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory insult in vitro and in vivo. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells were used as cell culture systems, and an ARDS rodent model was used for in vivo studies. Our results demonstrated that C16 and Ang-1 in combination significantly suppressed inflammatory cell transmigration by 33% in comparison with the vehicle alone, and decreased the lung tissue wet-to-dry lung weight ratio to a maximum of 1.53, compared to 3.55 in the vehicle group in ARDS rats. Moreover, C  +  A treatment reduced the histology injury score to 60% of the vehicle control, enhanced arterial oxygen saturation (SO₂), decreased arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (PCO₂), and increased oxygen partial pressure (PO₂) in ARDS rats, while also improving the survival rate from 47% (7/15) to 80% (12/15) and diminishing fibrosis, necrosis, and apoptosis in lung tissue. Furthermore, when C  +  A therapy was administered 4 h following LPS injection, the treatment showed significant alleviating effects on pulmonary inflammatory cell infiltration 24 h postinsult. In conclusion, our in vitro and in vivo studies show that C16 and Ang-1 exert protective effects against LPS-induced inflammatory insult. C16 and Ang-1 hold promise as a novel agent against LPS-induced ARDS. Further studies are needed to determine the potential for C16 and Ang-1 in combination in treating inflammatory lung diseases.     

Platelet‐rich plasma inhibits osteoblast apoptosis and actin cytoskeleton disruption induced by gingipains through upregulating integrin β1

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of platelet‐rich plasma on gingipain‐caused changes in cell morphology and apoptosis of osteoblasts. Mouse osteoblasts MC3T3‐E1 cells were treated with gingipain extracts from Porphyromonas gingivalis in the presence or absence of platelet‐rich plasma. Apoptosis was detected with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling staining. F‐actin was determined by phalloidin‐fluorescent staining and observed under confocal microscopy. Western blot analysis was used to detect integrin β1, F‐actin, and G‐actin protein expressions. A knocking down approach was used to determine the role of integrin β1. The platelet‐rich plasma protected osteoblasts from gingipain‐induced apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner, accompanied by upregulation of integrin β1. Platelet‐rich plasma reversed the loss of F‐actin integrity and decrease of F‐actin/G‐actin ratio in osteoblasts in the presence of gingipains. By contrast, the effects of platelet‐rich plasma were abrogated by knockdown of integrin β1. The platelet‐rich plasma failed to reduce cell apoptosis and reorganize the cytoskeleton after knockdown of integrin β1. In conclusion, platelet‐rich plasma inhibits gingipain‐induced osteoblast apoptosis and actin cytoskeleton disruption by upregulating integrin β1 expression.