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• ATF3 expression is up-regulated in the heart tissues of MI mice. • ATF3 is expressed by CFs with the stimulation of Ang II. • ATF3 promotes proliferation of CFs and collagen production. • ATF3 induces autophagy in CFs. • ATF3 regulates the hyperplasia of CFs and collagen production by regulating autophagy. Myocardial fibrosis remodeling is a key event in the development of heart anomalousness and dysfunction after myocardial infarction (MI). The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) on myocardial fibrosis remodeling after MI and its underlying mechanism, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical development of new strategies for MI treatment. MI mouse formers were structured by hypodesmus of the left anterior descending (LAD) arteria coronaria of mice, and primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were separated and cultivated to investigate the effect of ATF3 on myocardial fibrosis after MI and its mechanism. Increased collagen content and autophagic flux were found in the left ventricle (LV) tissues of MI mice as shown by Sirius red staining and Western blotting (WB) analysis. Meanwhile, immunofluorescence staining and WB analysis showed that ATF3 was raised in response to MI damage. After remedy with angiotensin II (AngII), the activity and differentiation of CFs were significantly raised, the expression of collagens was increased, and the level of autophagy was notably increased. Furthermore, AngII stimulation remarkably raised the expression of ATF3. Interestingly, knockdown of ATF3 in AngII-CFs reversed the above changes. In addition, after intervention with 3-methyladenine (3-MA), an autophagy restrainer, the activity and differentiation of AngII-CFs, as well as the relative collagen levels and autophagic flux were reduced. However, up-regulation of ATF3 protein expression partially reversed the effect of 3-MA on AngII-CFs. ATF3 can regulate the proliferation of CFs and collagen production by affecting autophagy, thus affecting myocardial fibrosis remodeling after MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing visible-light-responsive TiO 2 -based photocatalysts provides a promising avenue for addressing VOCs pollution. Herein, polydopamine (PDA) template pyrolysis waste was in-situ up-cycled for simultaneous growth of N and C co-doped hollow porous TiO 2 microreactors (H-NT-0.2) in air. The resulting H-NT-0.2 with a highly intact hollow structure, thin spherical shell (∼ 13 nm) and high porosity possesses the highest N and C co-doping ratio and largest oxygen vacancies (OVs) amount, leading to the highest concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) among all H-NT- x. A crucial role of OVs in enhancing H 2 O adsorption for the generation of hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) has been revealed by DFT calculations. As a result, H-NT-0.2 shows the highest photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) efficiency of flowing acetaldehyde gas (90%) under visible light irradiation, which exceeds 3.5 times of commercial TiO 2 (P25)), and outperforms most of the reported photocatalysts. The growth mechanism, as well as the photocatalytic reaction pathways, were analyzed based on TG-MS and in-situ DRIFTS results, respectively. This work provides an economical, green and feasible strategy to develop advanced visible-light-responsive photocatalysts for aldehydes VOCs abatement in practical applications. [Display omitted] • Hollow porous TiO 2 with N and C co-doping was obtained by air pyrolysis of PDA core. • PDA was used as a three-in-one core (N/C source, template and pore-forming agent). • H-NT-0.2 shows excellent PCO efficiency of flowing acetaldehyde under visible light. • The PCO efficiency of H-NT-0.2 greatly exceeds most of the reported photocatalysts. • The growth mechanism, as well as the photocatalytic reaction pathway were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human influenza viruses preferentially bind to sialic acid-α2,6-galactose (SAα2,6Gal) receptors, which are predominant in human upper respiratory epithelia, whereas avian influenza viruses preferentially bind to SAα2,3Gal receptors. However, variants with amino acid substitutions around the receptor-binding sites of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein can be selected after several passages of human influenza viruses from patients’ respiratory samples in the allantoic cavities of embryonated chicken eggs. In this study, we detected an egg-adapted HA S190R mutation in the pandemic H1N1 virus 2009 (pdmH1N1), and evaluated the effects of this mutation on receptor binding affinity and pathogenicity in mice. Our results revealed that residue 190 is located within the pocket structure of the receptor binding site. The single mutation to arginine at position 190 slightly increased the binding affinity of the virus to the avian receptor and decreased its binding to the long human α2,6-linked sialic acid receptor. Our study demonstrated that the S190R mutation resulted in earlier death and higher weight loss in mice compared with the wild-type virus. Higher viral titers at 1 dpi (days post infection) and diffuse damage at 4 dpi were observed in the lung tissues of mice infected with the mutant virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an endogenous gas signalling molecule, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is frequently present in a variety of mammals and plays a significant role in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in large quantities as a result of cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion, which is a very serious class of cerebrovascular diseases. ROS cause oxidative stress and induce specific gene expression that results in apoptosis. H 2 S reduces cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion-induced secondary injury via anti-oxidative stress injury, suppression of the inflammatory response, inhibition of apoptosis, attenuation of cerebrovascular endothelial cell injury, modulation of autophagy, and antagonism of P2X7 receptors, and it plays an important biological role in other cerebral ischaemic injury events. Despite the many limitations of the hydrogen sulfide therapy delivery strategy and the difficulty in controlling the ideal concentration, relevant experimental evidence demonstrating that H 2 S plays an excellent neuroprotective role in cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). This paper examines the synthesis and metabolism of the gas molecule H 2 S in the brain as well as the molecular mechanisms of H 2 S donors in cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury and possibly other unknown biological functions. With the active development in this field, it is expected that this review will assist researchers in their search for the potential value of hydrogen sulfide and provide new ideas for preclinical trials of exogenous H 2 S. • H 2 S has multiple physiological roles in cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury. • According to its level in vivo, H 2 S can have a beneficial or detrimental impact on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. • The expression of endogenous H 2 S in the brains of different species is controversial and future studies will bring more clarification. • We comprehensively summarize the endogenous synthetic pathway, distribution in the brain, and metabolism of H 2 S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The nitrile-immobilized composite was first synthesized via a one-pot method in oil/water phase. • The uranium-loaded sorbent can be easily separated from liquid under the action of an external magnetic field. • The sorption can reach dynamic equilibrium within 90 min. • The sorption process is spontaneous and endothermic via thermodynamic study. • XPS analysis revealed three possibilities for the sorption mechanism of uranium on MMS-AO. The use of inexpensive and biocompatible sorbents for effective removal of uranium from water environment is still an open challenge for many researchers. Herein, the magnetic amidoxime-functionalized mesoporous silica (MMS-AO) has been prepared by a combination of soft template method and co-condensation method in weak alkali oil/water phase. A feature of MMS-AO is core–shell configuration with Fe 3 O 4 service as core, which makes the material easy to be recovered by an external magnetic field after sorption. Various characterization techniques of SEM, TEM, N 2 sorption–desorption, FT-IR, TGA, Zeta potential and VSM were applied to evaluate MMS-AO. Batch sorption experiments confirmed that there were some good behavior to U(VI) removal on MMS-AO from aqueous including sorption capacity, selectivity and reusability. The experimental data fitted well to Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum sorption amount at 298 K and pH 5.50 was 236.70 mg·g−1 and the dynamic equilibrium can be reached in 90 min. The sorption process is spontaneous and endothermic via thermodynamic study. The analysis of XPS provided three insights on mechanism based on the chelation of U(VI) with amidoxime groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Codebooks are widely applied in code-division multiple-access systems. Recently, several authors constructed codebooks meeting or nearly meeting the Welch bound (i.e. nearly optimal codebooks) using difference set, almost difference set, relative difference set, and so on. In this paper, we will give two families of nearly optimal codebooks. First, we give a class of new almost difference sets and use them to construct nearly optimal codebooks. Second, we present a general construction of codebooks from partial difference sets and obtain several classes of nearly optimal codebooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The amidoxime group was successfully anchored in mesoporous silicon by co-condensation method. • Mesoporous silica powder was gluded into composite beads by biological glue to achieve rapid recovery. • Herein, three mechanisms can explain the adsorption behavior of U(VI) by Al/MS-AO. Uranium is both an important resource and an environmental hazard. It is vital to separate/enrich uranium from liquid for energy production as well as for environmental protection. Herein, the amidoxime-functionalized mesoporous silica/calcium alginates (Al/MS-AO) were synthesized by co-condensation and post-gluing process. The morphology and the characteristics of the Al/MS-AO were studied by using Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N 2 adsorption–desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These analyses have also revealed the in-depth information of the materials including function groups, structure, and Uranium adsorption mechanism. Batch experiments were conducted, and the results suggest that the adsorption of uranium by Al/MS-AO is a spontaneous and endothermic process. This process can be described with the combination of a pseudo second order kinetic model and a Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity achieved is 328.68 mg·g−1. Three possible adsorption mechanisms are proposed, which involve the chemical chelation of the N and O atoms of amidoxime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A functionalized[9]cycloparaphenylene ([9]CPP) bearing three evenlyspaced 5,8-dimethoxynaphth-1,4-diyl units and two macrocyclic [6]CPPprecursors have been synthesized. The Diels–Alder reactionbetween (E,E)-1,4-bis(4-bromophenyl)-1,3-butadieneand 1,4-benzoquinone followed by methylation produces cis-5,8-bis(4-bromophenyl)-5,8-dihydro-1,4-dimethoxynaphthalene as thekey intermediate for the construction of the hooplike structures.The nickel-mediated homocoupling reactions followed by aromatizationled to the functionalized [9]CPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) exhibit fluid genome architectures, which could lead to the rapid erosion of genome synteny over a short evolutionary time scale. Among the species-rich orchid family, the leafy Cymbidium lancifolium and leafless Cymbidium macrorhizon are sister species with remarkable differences in morphology and nutritional physiology. Although our understanding of the evolution of mitochondria is incomplete, these sister taxa are ideal for examining this subject. In this study, the complete mitogenomes of C. lancifolium and C. macrorhizon, totaling 704,244 bp and 650,751 bp, respectively, were assembled. In the 2 mitogenomes, 38 protein-coding genes, 18 cis- and 6 trans-spliced introns, and approximately 611 Kb of homologous sequences are identical; overall, they have 99.4% genome-wide similarity. Slight variations in the mitogenomes of C. lancifolium and C. macrorhizon in repeat content (21.0 Kb and 21.6 Kb, respectively) and mitochondrial DNA of plastid origin (MIPT; 38.2 Kb and 37.5 Kb, respectively) were observed. The mitogenome architectures of C. lancifolium and C. macrorhizon are complex and comprise 23 and 22 mini-circular chromosomes, respectively. Pairwise comparisons indicate that the two mitogenomes are largely syntenic, and the disparity in chromosome numbers is likely due to repeat-mediated rearrangements among different chromosomes. Notably, approximately 93.2 Kb C. lancifolium mitochondrial sequences lack any homology in the C. macrorhizon mitogenome, indicating frequent DNA gains and losses, which accounts mainly for the size variation. Our findings provide unique insights into mitogenome evolution in leafy and leafless plants of sister species and shed light on mitogenome dynamics during the transition from mixotrophy to mycoheterotrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitral regurgitation is a serious complication of post-myocardial infarction, with increasing mortality. Surgery as the primary treatment carries a high risk. MitraClip is a new therapeutic to treat post-myocardial infarction mitral regurgitation. In this case, a 62-year-old male patient suffered from severe heart failure symptoms after emergency coronary intervention and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Based on cardiac echocardiography, severe mitral regurgitation was monitored in this patient. After MitraClip treatment, the patient's condition was gradually improved and discharged successfully. This case highlights that MitraClip is a safe and effective strategy for post-myocardial infarction mitral regurgitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]