Search

High-fat diet (HFD) can cause obesity, inducing dysregulation of the visceral adipose tissue (VAT). This study aimed to explore potential biological pathways and hub genes involved in obese VAT, and for that, bioinformatic analysis of multiple datasets was performed. The expression profiles (GSE30247, GSE167311 and GSE79434) were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. Overlapping differentially expressed genes (ODEGs) between normal diet and HFD groups in GSE30247 and GSE167311 were selected to run protein–protein interaction network, GO and KEGG analysis. The hub genes in ODEGs were screened by Cytoscape software and further verified in GSE79434 and obese mouse model. A total of 747 ODEGs (599 up-regulated and 148 down-regulated) were screened, and the GO and KEGG analysis showed that the up-regulated ODEGs were significantly enriched in inflammatory response and extracellular matrix receptor interaction pathways. On the other hand, the down-regulated ODEGs were involved in metabolic pathways; however, there were no significant KEGG pathways. Furthermore, six hub genes, Mki67, Rac2, Itgb2, Emr1, Tyrobp and Csf1r were acquired. These pathways and genes were verified in GSE79434 and VAT of obese mice. This study revealed that HFD induced VAT expansion, inflammation and fibrosis, and the hub genes could be used as therapeutic biomarkers in obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Studies have found that high expression of human Kallistatin (HKS) in adipose tissue can improve obesity and its associated comorbidities, but the underlying mechanism of specific regulation is unclear. Methods: An obesity model was built by injecting 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice (n = 6 mice per group) with (Ad.Null and (Ad.HKS adenovirus into epididymal adipose tissue and fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). Insulin resistance-related proteins, AKT and IRS1, were detected in the liver, subcutaneous fat, and skeletal muscle by western blotting after one month of HFD. Epididymal adipose tissue was isolated after 24 h for culture, and exosomes were extracted by differential centrifugation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detected the expression of HKS protein in serum and exosomes. To examine the role of exosomes in AML12 insulin resistance, we used epididymal adipose tissue-derived exosomes or transfected (Ad.HKS into mature 3T3L1-derived exosomes to interfere with palmitic acid (PA)-induced mouse AML12 insulin resistance model. GW4869 was used to inhibit exosome biogenesis and release. Results: Our results showed that HFD-induced mice with high expression of HKS in epididymal adipose tissue had slower weight gain, lower serum triglycerides, reduced free fatty acids, and improved liver insulin resistance compared with the (Ad.Null group. We also demonstrated that HKS was enriched in epididymal adipose tissue-derived exosomes and released through the exosome pathway. In PA-induced AML12 cells, insulin resistance was alleviated after incubation of the HKS-related exosome; this effect was reversed with GW4869. Conclusion: High expression of HKS in epididymal adipose tissue could lead to its exocrine secretion in the form of exosomes and improve liver insulin resistance by promoting the phosphorylation of AKT. Production of high HKS vesicles might be a possible way to alleviate insulin resistance associated with obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal tailings are complex materials of low value that discharged from a coal-cleaning plant. These types of solid waste own great application prospects, but so far their utilization is still rare. Water pollution is another noteworthy problem in the world today. Organic pollutants such as dyes must be removed from the water. In the face of increasingly serious problems of water pollution and coal tailings reuse, it is an innovative method to treat organic wastewater with materials prepared by coal tailings. In this work, a series of TiO 2 Nanotubes (TNTs) with Modified Coal Tailings (MCTs) prepared by different methods (including NaOH activation, H 2 SO 4 activation and calcination) were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method using MCTs and Tetrabutyl titanate as starting materials. The different influencing factors on the photocatalytic performance of TNT-MCTs composites were characterized through XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM, UV–vis DRS, FT-IR and BET surface measurements. The UV–vis DRS spectra revealed that the absorption edge of TNTs is 387 nm, while that of TNT-MCTs photocatalysts redshifts up to 393 nm. The photocatalytic activity of TNT-MCTs was evaluated by the photocatalytic depigmentation of methylene blue solution (MB, 10 mg/L) under UV light irradiation. The specific surface area, surface roughness and activity of MCTs were increased after loading with TNTs. The degradation rate of MB reached 91% in 60 min under UV light illumination. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effects of key parameters on performance of CO 2 -based mixture cycles are revealed. • Comprehensive performance evaluation method is proposed based on η exe, SPT - w -Δ T MH. • Trade-off relations for 3 performance metrics are found based on Pareto fronts. • Optimal cycle configuration, operating parameters and additive are recommended. This study provides an exploration on improving the performance of solar power tower (SPT) plant via integrating with the CO 2 -based mixture Brayton cycle, and proposes a comprehensive comparison method. The effects of the crucial parameters on the SPT system are firstly revealed. Then, a comprehensive evaluation method is proposed based on 3 performance metrics including exergy efficiency, specific work and temperature difference of the main-heater, which are used to assess the thermodynamic performance and the compatibility between the thermal storage system and power cycle. Finally, the trade-off relationships of these metrics are found. The optimal layout, additive and operating parameters are also pointed out based on the comparative results to meet different design requirements. The findings show that the effects of crucial parameters on the performance of SPT system are not monotonous and individual criterion cannot comprehensively evaluate the system performance. Using xenon as an additive can yield excellent performance with higher exergy efficiency and better compatibility between cycle and thermal storage system than the CO 2 alone. While the ability to generate specific work is decreased to 105–112 kW·kg−1 with xenon-added that compares to the inter-cooling S-CO 2 cycle (121–130 kW·kg−1). When the exergy efficiency is required higher than 33%, the inter-cooling CO 2 /xenon cycle is the primarily recommended layout for its large specific work and good compatibility between the thermal storage system and cycle. The findings provide a novel way to improve the efficiency of SPT system as well as the compatibility between the cycle and thermal storage system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercritical CO 2 (S-CO 2 ) Brayton cycles are recently proposed to be integrated into the solar power tower (SPT) due to their high efficiency and compactness. Comparison of different S-CO 2 Brayton cycle layouts is of great significance for selecting a suitable one in the SPT plant. Both of the efficiency and specific work are important performance criteria for the SPT plant. However, previous studies compared only one individual criterion, or both of them just separately. This paper puts forward a systematic comparison of different S-CO 2 Brayton cycle layouts based on multi-objective optimizations. The two performance criteria are compared simultaneously between different S-CO 2 cycle layouts by comparing the Pareto optimal fronts obtained from multi-objective optimizations. The results suggest that the inter-cooling cycle layout and the partial-cooling cycle layout can generally yield the most excellent performances, and followed by the recompression cycle layout and the pre-compression cycle layout, while the simple recuperation cycle layout has the worst performances. The advantages of the partial-cooling cycle layout and the inter-cooling cycle layout are more prominent compared with the other cycle layouts in the case of high compressor inlet temperature. The provided systematic comparison can be helpful in selecting the most suitable cycle layout for the application in SPT when there are specified requirements for the efficiency and the specific work. In addition, novel salts with high upper limit temperature (higher than 650 °C) are recommended to be developed as the heat transfer fluid for improving system performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibrotic remodeling is an essential aspect of heart failure. Human kallistatin (KS, mouse Serpina3c homologs) inhibits fibrosis after myocardial infarction (MI) but the specific underlying mechanism is unknown. A total of 40 heart failure patients (HFPs) were enrolled and their plasma KS was measured using ELISA. Serpina3c−/− and C57BL/6 mice were used to construct the MI model. TGF-β1 or a hypoxic condition was established to interfere with the functioning of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). RNA-seq was performed to assess the effect of Serpina3c on the transcriptome. The levels of KS were used as a predictor of readmission among the HFPs. Serpina3c expression decreased in MI hearts and CFs. Serpina3c−/− led to the aggravation of MI fibrosis, and increased the proliferation of CFs. The overexpression of Serpina3c in CFs had the opposite effect. Glycolysis-related genes were significantly increased in Serpina3c−/− group by RNA-seq. Enolase (ENO1), which is a key enzyme in glycolysis, increased most significantly. Inhibition of ENO1 could antagonize the promotion of Serpina3c−/− on the proliferation of CFs. Co-IP was performed to verify the interaction between Serpina3c and Nr4a1. Serpina3c−/− inhibited the acetylation of Nr4a1 and increased the degradation of Nr4a1. Activation of Nr4a1 could negatively regulate the expression of ENO1 and inhibited the proliferation of Serpina3c−/− CFs in Serpina3c−/− MI mice. Serpina3c inhibits the transcriptional activation of ENO1 by regulating the acetylation of Nr4a1, thereby reducing the fibrosis after MI by inhibiting glycolysis. Serpina3c is a potential target for prevention and treatment of heart failure after MI. [Display omitted] • KS/Serpina3c was down-regulated after MI. Knockout of Serpina3c led to aggravation of cardiac fibrosis. • KS/Serpina3c inhibited the excessive activation of glycolysis and the proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts. • KS/Serpina3c inhibited the transcription of ENO1, a key enzyme of glycolysis, through Nr4a1 acetylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We wished to investigate the role of a tilapia skin collagen polypeptide (TSCP; molecular weight <3 kDa) in alleviating liver and kidney injuries in aging mice induced by d -galactose (d -gal) and its underlying mechanism of action. First, we characterized TSCP. TSCP was passed through a 3-kDa ultrafiltration membrane, desalted in water by a solid-phase extraction column, purified further by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography, and analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. TSCP contained 17 types of amino acids (AAs) and 41 peptide chains of length 7 AAs to 22 AAs. The content of free AAs and total AAs of TSCP was 13.5% and 93.79%, respectively. Next, we undertook animal experiments. Mice were injected once-daily with D-gal (300 mg/kg body weight, s.c.) for 8 weeks, and TSCP was administered simultaneously once-daily by intragastric gavage. TSCP could visibly improve the decreased body weight, depressed appetite, and mental deterioration of mice triggered by d -gal. TSCP could also alleviate d -gal-induced damage to the liver and kidneys according to histopathology (especially high-dose TSCP). Consistent with these macroscopic and pathologic changes, TSCP could also prevent d -gal-induced increases in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, lipid peroxidation, creatinine and uric acid, as well as decreases in serum levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgM. Moreover, TSCP improved the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, but also inhibited the increases in the levels of malondialdehyde and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in the liver and kidneys of d -gal-treated mice. These results suggest that TSCP can alleviate the injuries to the liver and kidneys in aging mice induced by d -gal, and that its mechanism of action might be, at least partially, associated with attenuation of oxidative stress and enhancement of immune function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]