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Acute lung injury (ALI) can cause multiple organ dysfunction and a high mortality rate. Inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and immune damage contribute to their pathogenic mechanisms. We studied the role of the newly discovered lncRNA, Lncmir155hg, in ALI. The levels of Lncmir155hg and miR-450b-5p from mice with ALI were detected via polymerase chain reaction analysis (qRT-PCR) and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Pathological changes of lung were detected by HE (hematoxylin and eosin) staining, and HIF-1α, NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) and caspase-1 protein changes were detected by immunohistochemistry. MLE-12 cells proliferation was detected by Cell-Counting Kit 8 analysis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected via flow cytometry. NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), and caspase-1 were measured via western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays detected the expression of Inflammatory factors. Lncmir155hg, miR-450b-5p, miR-450b-5p, and HIF-1α targets were predicted using LncTar and miRWalk and confirmed in dual-luciferase reporter assays. In mice with ALI and MLE-12 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Lncmir155hg was high-expressed and miR-450b-5p was low-expressed. sh-Lncmir155hg reduced the damage of lung tissue, the production of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress reaction induced by LPS，miR-450b-5p reverses the effect of Lncmir155hg in mice. sh-Lncmir155hg decreased the protein levels of HIF-1α, NLRP3 and caspase-1 in LPS-induced lung tissues. sh-Lncmir155hg + miR-450b-5p inhibitor transfection reversed the effect of sh-Lncmir155hg on the expression of HIF-1α, NLRP3 and caspase-1. Lncmir155hg knockdown induced proliferation and inhibited NLRP3-inflammasome activation and oxidative stress in MLE-12 cells of ALI. miR-450b-5p was identified to have binding with Lncmir155hg, and inhibition of miR-450b-5p eliminated the effect of si-Lncmir155hg in MLE-12 cells of ALI. More importantly, miR-450b-5p was directly combined with HIF-1α, miR-450b-5p mimic promoted proliferation and inhibited activation of inflammasome associated proteins and reaction of oxidative stress, and HIF-1α overexpression abolished these effects. Lncmir155hg aggravated ALI via the miR-450b-5p/HIF-1α axis. In this study, ALI mouse model was prepared by intratracheal injection of LPS. Whole transcriptome sequencing was performed on normal and ALI mice. Through bioinformatics analysis, we found that Lncmir155hg was upregulated in the lung tissue of ALI mice. The upregulation of Lncmir155hg suppressed miR-450b-5p, which further enhanced the expression of HIF-1α, regulating the proliferation of alveolar epithelial cells and regulating NLRP3 inflammasome and oxidative-stress responses of alveolar epithelium and lung tissue, ultimately leading to ALI. [Display omitted] • lncmir155hg promotes NLRP3-inflammasome activation and oxidative stress response in ALI. • lncmir155hg promotes ALI progression by sponging miR-450b-5p. • miR-450b-5p targeted HIF-1α to inhibit lncmir155hg-mediated ALI progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis (AS), the current study aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying the effect of homocysteine (Hcy) on regulating the proliferation, migration and phenotypic transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) via sirtuin-1 (SIRT1)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) through Nedd4-like E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase WWP2 (WWP2). Here, Based on the establishment of ApoE-/- mouse models of high Hcy As and the model of Hcy stimulation of VSMC in vitro to observe the interaction between WWP2 and STAT3 and its effect on the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic transformation of Hcy-induced VSMC, which has not been previously reported. This study revealed that WWP2 could promote the proliferation, migration, and phenotype switch of Hcy-induced VSMC by up-regulating the phosphorylation of SIRT1/STAT3 signaling. Furthermore, Hcy might up-regulate WWP2 expression by inhibiting histone H3K27me3 expression through up-regulated UTX. These data suggest that WWP2 is a novel and important regulator of Hcy-induced VSMC proliferation, migration, and phenotypic transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver film over nanospheres (AgFON) have been prepared by depositing Ag thin film onto the self-assembled monolayer arrays of polystyrene nanospheres with vacuum magnetron sputtering method. The surface morphologies and optical properties have been characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and ultraviolet-visible near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectrophotometer. AgFON was used as substrate to detect the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of malachite green (MG) and melamine (MA). It was found that the AgFON substrate presented outstanding performance that the Raman enhancement factor was calculated to be as large as 9.76 × 10. The minimum limit for MG was down to 10 mol/L with a good linear response range from 10 to 10 mol/L. In addition, this substrate showed excellent ability to recognize MA molecules with a detection limit of 0.1 mg/L. A good linearity ( r = 0.9887) was obtained in the concentration range of 2-100 mg/L. Furthermore, the AgFON substrate exhibited good uniformity with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 9.01 % and good reproducibility with RSD of 8.60 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal silver nanoparticles were prepared by a simple chemical reduction method. The effect of L-cysteine on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity of colloidal silver nanoparticles was investigated by using malachite green as a probe molecule. It was found that the surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity of colloidal silver nanoparticles was improved tremendously with the help of L-cysteine. The possible reasons for this enhancement effect were given. Specifically, in silver colloidal solution, no surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectrum of malachite green was observed at a relatively low concentration (≤2.5 × 10−5 mol/L). However, well-resolved and high-quality surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectra of malachite green were successfully obtained after the addition of L-cysteine to silver colloids, and the minimum detection limit for malachite green was down to 10−8 mol/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bismuth nanocap arrays have been prepared by vacuum depositing Bi films onto the surfaces of self-assembled monolayer arrays of SiO2 nanoparticles. The surface morphologies, structures, and optical properties of the obtained samples have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and ultraviolet–visible–near infrared (UV–vis–NIR) spectrophotometer. TEM and AFM images indicated that the SiO2/Bi composite nanoparticles were incompletely encapsulated and their surfaces were relatively rough. UV–vis–NIR absorption spectra showed that Bi nanocap arrays had strong and tunable surface plasmon resonance peaks in the visible and near infrared regions, which were dependent dramatically on the relative ratio of the SiO2 core diameter to the Bi cap thickness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copper nanocap arrays, consisting of a SiO2 core with a Cu cap, were prepared by chemical synthesis combined with physical evaporation technique. The obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer. The copper nanocap arrays were found to exhibit tunable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption peaks that were red-shifted as the ratio of the SiO2 core diameter to the Cu cap thickness increased. While the cap thickness varied between 20 nm and 50 nm, the SPR peak shifted from 1650 nm to 1230 nm. While the core diameter varied between 140 nm and 400 nm, the longitudinal SPR peak shifted from 1243 nm to 1830 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Silver nanocaps were prepared by chemical synthesis combined with physical evaporation technique, and characterized using TEM, SEM and UV–vis-NIR spectroscopy. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activities of these nanoparticles were investigated using methylene blue (MB) as probe molecule. The enhancement factor was estimated to be as large as 4.2×107. The results demonstrate that these silver nanocaps are promising for SERS applications in detection and analysis of molecules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hepatitis B virus ( HBV)-associated nephropathy is not a rare manifestation of HBV infection; this could result in diagnostic confusion and the possible misidentification of a diabetic patient with albuminuria. We present the first published case of a HBV-associated nephropathy occurring in a patient with diabetes. The patient was a 24-year-old man who was admitted to hospital with 4 days of generalized swelling and oliguria. He had a 3-year history of weight loss, and a 1-year history of polydipsia and polyuria before the symptoms of generalized swelling and oliguria appeared. Laboratory tests showed a fasting blood sugar of 15.1 mmol/L and glycated hemoglobin of 18.1%. The 24-h urine protein excretion was 2807.8 mg and serum albumin was 19.1 g/L. The diagnosis of HBV-associated nephropathy was confirmed by serological evaluations of HBV antigen and antibodies, immunohistochemical evidence of HBV-related antigens, and immune complexes in renal biopsies. The decreased proteinuria was observed after antiviral therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemically synthetic nanomotors can consume fuel in the environment and utilize the self-generated concentration gradient to self-propel themselves in the system. We study the collective dynamics of an ensemble of sphere dimers built from linked catalytic and noncatalytic monomers. Because of the confinement from the fuel field and the interactions among motors, the ensemble of dimer motors can self-organize into various nanostructures, such as a radial pattern in the spherical fuel field and a staggered radial pattern in a cylindrical fuel field. The influence of the dimer volume fraction on the self-assembly is also investigated and the formed nanostructures are analyzed in detail. The results presented here may give insight into the application of the self-assembly of active materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality epi-MgO buffer layers under different O2/Ar pressure ratios are fabricated by rf magnetron sputtering on textured IBAD-MgO templates. Under the total deposition pressure remaining constant (14 Pa), the effect of changing the ratio of O2/Ar pressure from 1:4 to 3:2 on the microstructure and surface morphology of epi-MgO films is studied. The microstructure and morphology of epi-MgO are fully characterized by x-ray diffraction, atom force microscope and scanning electron microscope. The best texture quality of epi-MgO with an out-plane Δω value of 1.8° and an in-plane ΔΦ value of 5.22° are obtained under the ratio of O2/Ar pressure 3:2. Further, the surface morphology indicates that the surface of epi-MgO is smooth with rms surface roughness about 4.7 nm at O2/Ar pressure ratio 3:2. After that, GdBa2Cu3O7–δ (GBCO) layers are deposited on the CeO2 cap layer buffered epi-MgO/IBAD-MgO templates to assess the efficiency of such a buffer layer stack. The critical current density of GBCO films (thickness of 200 nm) is higher than 3 MA/cm2, indicating that epi-MgO/IBAD-MgO is promising for depositing superconducting layers with a higher critical current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the clinical application of moist wound dressings in wound care for patients with the tracheostomy. Background: Tracheostomy patients may suffer from many complications. Moist dressings have been proposed to lower complication rates for patients with the tracheostomy. Design: A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) checklist‐guided meta‐analysis of randomised and controlled clinical trials. Method: In this meta‐analysis, two reviewers independently searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI and Wanfang databases for controlled clinical trials (CCTs) comparing the use of moist dressings and gauze for tracheostomy patients. The reviewers screened studies according to the inclusion criteria and extracted data from published reports independently. The outcome of site infection and pressure ulcer incidence, the frequency of dressing changes and wound closing time were evaluated by random‐effects or fixed‐effects meta‐analysis. Results: After the screening, ten studies including 1,220 participants were eligible for analysis. The result showed that the incidence of site infection and pressure ulcer was significantly reduced in the moist dressings group compared with the gauze group. Moist dressings were also associated with significant reductions in the frequency of dressing changes and wound closing time. These results were assessed as moderate‐ to low‐quality evidence. Conclusion: Moist dressings seem to be beneficial to tracheostomy patients, giving a lower incidence of site infection and pressure ulcers as well as shorter wound closing times and lower dressing change frequency. More high‐quality trials are needed to support this finding. Relevance to clinical practice: The findings offer clinicians an assessment of and evidence for the efficacy of moist dressings, which may be a superior option for patients with a tracheotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold (Au) nanocap arrays and hollow gold nanocap particles were prepared by dip-coating technique combined with wet chemical reduction method, and followed by sonication and dissolution of the silica colloidal template. The surface morphologies and optical properties of the obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, respectively. Gold nanocap arrays and hollow gold nanocap particles were used as substrates to detect the surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectra of malachite green and methylene blue (MB), respectively. It was found that the gold nanocap arrays had higher enhancement ability than hollow gold nanocap particles, with enhancement factor of 1.3 × 105and 3.5 × 103, respectively. In addition, gold nanocap arrays exhibited excellent reproducibility with a relative standard deviation of less than 5% and about 10% across a single substrate and between different substrates, respectively. The minimum detection limit for MB adsorbed on hollow gold nanocap particles was down to 0.01 µM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the relationship between starch hydrolysis and Monascus pigments (MPs) production, the α-amylase gene (AOamyA) from Aspergillus oryzae was heterologously expressed in Monascus ruber CICC41233, and we obtained a positive transformant named Monascus ruber Amy9. In M. ruber Amy9, the α-amylase activities were 6.65- and 4.26-fold higher at 72 h and 144 h, respectively, than those in the parent strain with the glucose as solo carbon medium. Surprisingly, in the MPs fermentation medium with rice powder as solo material, M. ruber Amy9 completely degraded starch at 48 h, while 43.93 and 7.29 mg/mL starch remained at 48 and 144 h, respectively, in the parent strain. Monascus ruber Amy9 accelerated starch hydrolysis, which enhanced biomass and also increased total MPs by 132% after 144 h. Compared with M. ruber CICC41233, the relative gene expression levels, as determined by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, of acl2 encoding ATP-citrate lyase subunit 2, pks encoding polyketide synthase, and fasB encoding the fatty acid synthase beta subunit increased by 33.14, 145.18, and 32.15%, respectively, after 144 h in M. ruber Amy9. The up-regulated expression of these key genes in MPs synthesis contributed to the large increase in MPs production. This interesting work provided us with a new idea and a new target for the study of the MPs production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]