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Separation of multi-component mixtures in an energy-efficient manner has important practical impact in chemical industry but is highly challenging. Especially, targeted simultaneous removal of multiple impurities to purify the desired product in one-step separation process is an extremely difficult task. We introduced a pore integration strategy of modularizing ordered pore structures with specific functions for on-demand assembly to deal with complex multi-component separation systems, which are unattainable by each individual pore. As a proof of concept, two ultramicroporous nanocrystals (one for C 2 H 2 -selective and the other for CO 2 -selective) as the shell pores were respectively grown on a C 2 H 6 -selective ordered porous material as the core pore. Both of the respective pore-integrated materials show excellent one-step ethylene production performance in dynamic breakthrough separation experiments of C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 and CO 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 gas mixture, and even better than that from traditional tandem-packing processes originated from the optimized mass/heat transfer. Thermodynamic and dynamic simulation results explained that the pre-designed pore modules can perform specific target functions independently in the pore-integrated materials., Competing Interests: Competing interests: K.J.C., X.J., Y.W. and Q.Y.Z. have filed a provisional patent application (no. 2024100086805) regarding the pore integration strategy and application of Zn-datz-ipa@SiO2@TIFSIX-2-Cu-i and Zn-datz-ipa@SiO2@SIFSIX-3-Ni, data related to synthesis method, adsorption curve, gas adsorption enthalpies, Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory (IAST) selectivities and breakthrough curve of Zn-datz-ipa@SiO2@TIFSIX-2-Cu-i and Zn-datz-ipa@SiO2@SIFSIX-3-Ni. The remaining authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Nano-plastics (NPs) have emerged as a significant environmental pollutant, widely existing in water environment, and pose a serious threat to health and safety with the intake of animals. Skeletal muscle, a vital organ for complex life activities and functional demands, has received limited attention regarding the effects of NPs. In this study, the effects of polystyrene NPs (PS-NPs) on skeletal muscle development were studied by oral administration of different sizes (1 mg/kg) of PS-NPs in mice. The findings revealed that PS-NPs resulted in skeletal muscle damage and significantly hindered muscle differentiation, exhibiting an inverse correlation with PS-NPs particle size. Morphological analysis demonstrated PS-NPs caused partial disruption of muscle fibers, increased spacing between fibers, and lipid accumulation. RT-qPCR and western blots analyses indicated that PS-NPs exposure downregulated the expression of myogenic differentiation-related factors (Myod, Myog and Myh2), activated PPARγ/LXRβ pathway, and upregulated the expressions of lipid differentiation-related factors (SREBP1C, SCD-1, FAS, ACC1, CD36/FAT, ADIPOQ, C/EBPα and UCP-1). In vitro experiments, C 2 C 12 cells were used to confirm cellular penetration of PS-NPs (0, 100, 200, 400 μg/mL) through cell membranes along with activation of PPARγ expression. Furthermore, to verify LXRβ as a key signaling molecule, silencing RNA transfection experiments were conducted, resulting in no increase in the expressions of PPARγ, LXRβ, SREBP1C, FAS, CD36/FAT, ADIPOQ, C/EBPα and UCP-1 even after exposure to PS-NPs. However, the expressions of SCD-1and ACC1 remained unaffected. The present study evidenced that exposure to PS-NPs induced lipid accumulation via the PPARγ/LXRβ pathway thereby influencing skeletal muscle development., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background and Aim: Helicobacter pylori infection is linked to various gastrointestinal conditions, such as chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. Traditional treatment options encounter difficulties due to antibiotic resistance and adverse effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of a new treatment plan that combines vonoprazan (VPZ), amoxicillin, and bismuth for the eradication of H. pylori., Methods: A total of 600 patients infected with H. pylori were recruited for this multicenter randomized controlled trial. Patients treated for H. pylori elimination were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive 14 days of vonoprazan-based triple therapy (vonoprazan + amoxicillin + bismuth, group A) or standard quadruple therapy (esomeprazole + clarithromycin + amoxicillin + bismuth, group B). Compliance and adverse effects were tracked through daily medication and side effect records. All patients underwent a 13C/14C-urea breath test 4 weeks after treatment completion., Results: Intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses revealed no substantial differences in H. pylori eradication rates between groups A and B (ITT: 83.7% vs 83.2%; PP: 90.9% vs 89.7%). However, significant differences were observed in the assessment of side effects (13.7% vs 28.6%, P < 0.001). Specifically, group A had significantly fewer "bitter mouths" than group B did (3.7% vs 16.2%, P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Triple therapy comprising vonoprazan (20 mg), amoxicillin (750 mg), and bismuth potassium citrate (220 mg) achieved a PP eradication rate ≥90%, paralleling standard quadruple therapy, and had fewer adverse events and lower costs (¥306.8 vs ¥645.8) for treatment-naive patients., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology published by Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Adsorptive ethylene separation from the C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 /CO 2 four-component gas mixture provides a low-energy input solution for industrial ethylene purification, yet it is still a great challenge. Herein, we report a facile scaled-up synthesis of a stable ultramicroporous coordination network of Zn-CO 3 -datz (Hdatz = 3,5-diamine-1,2,4-triazole), which enables selective adsorption of C 2 H 2 , C 2 H 4 and CO 2 over C 2 H 4 , thanks to its specific pore environment supported by GCMC simulation of gas adsorption sites. Dynamic breakthrough experiments exhibited efficient one-step production of polymer-grade (≥99.95%) C 2 H 4 from the quaternary C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 6 /CO 2 (1/1/1/1) mixture, with excellent C 2 H 4 productivity of 0.12 mol kg -1 at 298 K. Moreover, it can be easily synthesized in kilogram scale with an affordable and low-cost ligand, rendering its further potential industrial applications.

The introduction of heterogeneous components within one single coordination network leads to the multifunctionality of the final material. However, it is hard to precisely control the local distribution of these different components in such a coordination network, especially for different components with identical topological connectivity. In this study, we successfully achieved the ordered assembly of [Mn 3 (μ 3 -O)] nodes and [Mn 6 (μ 3 -O) 2 (CH 3 COO) 3 ] nodes within one pacs coordination network. The resulting new structure (NPU-6) with heterogeneous metal nodes simultaneously inherits the advantages of both parent networks (good thermal stability and high pore volume). The significant effect of the reaction concentration of competing ligand CH 3 COO - on the mixed assembly of these two nodes in NPU-6 is revealed by a series of control experiments. This method is anticipated to offer a valuable reference for orderly assembling heterogeneous components in coordination networks., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Podocyte injury or dysfunction can lead to proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. Zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) is a tight junction protein which connects slit diaphragm (SD) proteins to the actin cytoskeleton. Previous studies have shown that the expression of ZO-1 is decreased in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Thus, elucidation of the regulation mechanism of ZO-1 has considerable clinical importance. Triptolide (TP) has been reported to exert a strong antiproteinuric effect by inhibiting podocyte epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inflammatory response. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We found that TP upregulates ZO-1 expression and increases the fluorescence intensity of ZO-1 in a puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN)-induced podocyte injury model. Permeablity assay showed TP decreases podocyte permeability in PAN-treated podocyte. TP also upregulates the DNA demethylase TET2. Our results showed that treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitors 5-azacytidine (5-AzaC) and RG108 significantly increased ZO-1 expression in PAN-treated podocytes. Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) and hydroxymethylated DNA immunoprecipitation (hMeDIP) results showed that TP regulates the methylation status of the ZO-1 promoter. Knockdown of TET2 decreased ZO-1 expression and increased methylation of its promoter, resulting in the increase of podocyte permeability. Altogether, these results indicate that TP upregulates the expression of ZO-1 and decreases podocyte permeability through TET2-mediated 5 mC demethylation. These findings suggest that TP may alleviate podocyte permeability through TET2-mediated hydroxymethylation of ZO-1., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Tang, Jiang, Cao and Wan.)

The introduction of transition metal (TM) ions into polyoxometalates (POMs) cannot only bring about interesting structural diversities but also enable changes in properties. However, TM-containing Silverton-type polyoxomolybdates are still lacking in terms of structural diversity and application development. Herein, two Zn(II)-containing Silverton-type {UMo 12 O 42 }-based polyoxomolybdates, H 1.89 Na 4.11 (H 2 O) 9 Zn[UMo 12 O 42 ]·4.5H 2 O ( Zn-1 ) and H 1.8 Na 4.2 (H 2 O) 12 Zn[UMo 12 O 42 ] ( Zn-2 ) were hydrothermally synthesized, demonstrating a practical strategy to assembly of TM-containing Silverton-type POMs. Zn-1 is proven to be an excellent and recyclable heterogeneous catalyst in cross-dehydrogenation coupling of 1,4-naphthoquinones with amines reactions, and a series of 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinones with potential medicinal value have been constructed.

Background: In agricultural production, fungal diseases significantly impact the yield and quality of cotton (Gossypium spp.) with Verticillium wilt posing a particularly severe threat., Results: This study is focused on investigating the effectiveness of endophytic microbial communities present in the seeds of disease-resistant cotton genotypes in the control of cotton Verticillium wilt. The technique of 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) amplicon sequencing identified a significant enrichment of the Bacillus genus in the resistant genotype Xinluzao 78, which differed from the endophytic bacterial community structure in the susceptible genotype Xinluzao 63. Specific enriched strains were isolated and screened from the seeds of Xinluzao 78 to further explore the biological functions of seed endophytes. A synthetic microbial community (SynCom) was constructed using the broken-rod model, and seeds of the susceptible genotype Xinluzao 63 in this community that had been soaked with the SynCom were found to significantly control the occurrence of Verticillium wilt and regulate the growth of cotton plants. Antibiotic screening techniques were used to preliminarily identify the colonization of strains in the community. These techniques revealed that the strains can colonize plant tissues and occupy ecological niches in cotton tissues through a priority effect, which prevents infection by pathogens., Conclusion: This study highlights the key role of seed endophytes in driving plant disease defense and provides a theoretical basis for the future application of SynComs in agriculture., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The use of large animal spontaneous models of solid cancers, such as dogs with osteosarcoma (OS), can help develop new cancer immunotherapy approaches, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. The goal of the present study was to generate canine CAR T cells targeting the B7-H3 (CD276) co-stimulatory molecule overexpressed by several solid cancers, including OS in both humans and dogs, and to assess their ability to recognize B7-H3 expressed by canine OS cell lines or by canine tumors in xenograft models. A second objective was to determine whether a novel dual CAR that expressed a chemokine receptor together with the B7-H3 CAR improved the activity of the canine CAR T cells. Therefore, in the studies reported here we examined B7-H3 expression by canine OS tumors, evaluated target engagement by canine B7-H3 CAR T cells in vitro, and compared the relative effectiveness of B7-H3 CAR T cells versus B7-H3-CXCR2 dual CAR T cells in canine xenograft models. We found that most canine OS tumors expressed B7-H3; whereas, levels were undetectable on normal dog tissues. Both B7-H3 CAR T cells demonstrated activation and OS-specific target killing in vitro, but there was significantly greater cytokine production by B7-H3-CXCR2 CAR T cells. In canine OS xenograft models, little anti-tumor activity was generated by B7-H3 CAR T cells; whereas, B7-H3-CXCR2 CAR T cells significantly inhibited tumor growth, inducing complete tumor elimination in most treated mice. These findings indicated therefore that addition of a chemokine receptor could significantly improve the anti-tumor activity of canine B7-H3 CAR T cells, and that evaluation of this new dual CAR construct in dogs with primary or metastatic OS is warranted since such studies could provide a critical and realistic validation of the chemokine receptor concept., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In this paper, we propose a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) fiber-optic pH sensor combined with a tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) by continuously coating gold and polyaniline (PANI) onto the surface of a TFBG. The micron-scale thickness polyaniline film provides the sensor with good sensitivity, and it achieves accurate measurement of pH values ranging from 2 to 12 by utilizing the pH-responsive mechanism of PANI and the surface plasmon resonance characteristics. Experimental results show that within the 2-12 pH range, the sensitivity of the TFBG surface plasmon resonance pH sensor based on PANI coating is 0.50335 nm/pH, and results demonstrate, a linear correlation coefficient between wavelength and pH value reaching 0.96614. This indicates significant potential for future engineering applications in real-world pH measurement using this sensor.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that have negative impacts on health and safety. The gut microbiota plays multiple roles as a newly discovered virtual metabolic organ. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of MPs to cause liver injury by disrupting the balance of gut microbiota. The results indicated that exposure to MPs resulted in liver damage and disrupted the homeostasis of gut microbiota. MPs significantly reduced the liver organ coefficient, leading to liver cell injury and impaired function. Additionally, there was an increase in the expression of fibril-related proteins, which positively correlated with MPs concentration. Furthermore, MPs increased the relative abundances of Desulfovibrio, Clostridia, Enterorhabdus, Bacteroides, and Gemella while decreasing the abundance of Dubosoella. Different concentrations of MPs exhibited varying effects on specific bacterial groups, however, both concentrations resulted in an increase in pathogenic bacteria and a decrease in beneficial bacteria, as well as alterations in microbial structure. Moreover, MPs induced oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis and necrosis in liver cells. The study found that MPs disrupted gut microbiota homeostasis and activated TLR2/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in the liver, providing a new insight into the mechanism underlying MPs-induced liver injury. These findings serve as a warning regarding environmental pollution caused by MPs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Removal and recovery of methyl chloride (CH 3 Cl) from exhaust gas of organic silicon industry is highly important from the perspective of environment and economy. For the first time, a tailor-made microporous coordination polymer ( Mn-BDC-TPA ) was synthesized and applied to the efficient capture and recovery of CH 3 Cl from related gas mixtures. The high adsorption capacity of CH 3 Cl (163.4 cm 3 /g) and high adsorption selectivity of CH 3 Cl over other impurity gases (1965 for N 2 , 65 for CH 4 , and 16 for C 2 H 6 ) were achieved at 298 K and 100 kPa due to the dual-cage pore system and larger polarizability of CH 3 Cl. Dynamic breakthrough experiments demonstrate the excellent CH 3 Cl recovery performance (capacity of >98 cm 3 /g and purity of >95%) in one adsorption-desorption cycle from the CH 3 Cl-involved binary, ternary, or quaternary gas mixture.

Purification of ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) as the most extensive and output chemical, from complex multi-components is of great significance but highly challenging. Herein we demonstrate that precise pore structure tuning by controlling the network hydrogen bonds in two highly-related porous coordination networks can shift the efficient C 2 H 4 separation function from C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 ternary mixture to CO 2 /C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 quaternary mixture system. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that the different amino groups on the triazolate ligands resulted in the change of the hydrogen bonding in the host network, which led to changes in the pore shape and pore chemistry. Gas adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics and gas-loaded crystal structure analysis indicated that the coordination network Zn-fa-atz (2) weakened the affinity for three C2 hydrocarbons synchronously including C 2 H 4 but enhanced the CO 2 adsorption due to the optimized CO 2 -host interaction and the faster CO 2 diffusion, leading to effective C 2 H 4 production from the CO 2 /C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 mixture in one step based on the experimental and simulated breakthrough data. Moreover, it can be shaped into spherical pellets with maintained porosity and separation performance., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

An ultramicroporous metal-organic framework (MOF) constructed from dysprosium(III) and oxalate, termed Dy-F-oxa, is carefully studied for inverse separation of CO 2 from C 2 H 2 . Adsorption experiments and modeling studies reveal that the high CO 2 adsorption is attributed to the preferential sites for CO 2 by coordinated water. After the equimolar gas mixture breakthrough experiment, C 2 H 2 can be directly produced as a pure effluent.

Gap junctions between cells are ubiquitously expressed in the developing brain. They are involved in major steps of neocortical development, including neurogenesis, cell migration, synaptogenesis, and neural circuit formation, and have been implicated in cortical column formation. Dysfunctional gap junctions can contribute to or even cause a variety of brain diseases. Although the role of gap junctions in neocortical development is better known, a comprehensive understanding of their functions is far from complete. Here we explore several critical open questions surrounding gap junctions and their involvement in neural circuit development. Addressing them will greatly impact our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of neocortical structure and function as well as the etiology of brain disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cortical interneurons can be categorized into distinct populations based on multiple modalities, including molecular signatures and morpho-electrical (M/E) properties. Recently, many transcriptomic signatures based on single-cell RNA-seq have been identified in cortical interneurons. However, whether different interneuron populations defined by transcriptomic signature expressions correspond to distinct M/E subtypes is still unknown. Here, we applied the Patch-PCR approach to simultaneously obtain the M/E properties and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of >600 interneurons in layer V of the mouse somatosensory cortex (S1). Subsequently, we identified 11 M/E subtypes, 9 neurochemical cell populations (NCs), and 20 transcriptomic cell populations (TCs) in this cortical lamina. Further analysis revealed that cells in many NCs and TCs comprised several M/E types and were difficult to clearly distinguish morpho-electrically. A similar analysis of layer V interneurons of mouse primary visual cortex (V1) and motor cortex (M1) gave results largely comparable to S1. Comparison between S1, V1, and M1 suggested that, compared to V1, S1 interneurons were morpho-electrically more similar to M1. Our study reveals the presence of substantial M/E variations in cortical interneuron populations defined by molecular expression., (© 2022. Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Selenium (Se), one of the essential trace elements of fish, regulates immune system function and maintains immune homeostasis. Muscle is the important tissue that generate movement and maintain posture. At present, there are few studies on the effects of Se deficiency on carp muscle. In this experiment, carps were fed with dietary with different Se content to successfully establish a Se deficiency model. Low-Se dietary led to the decrease of Se content in muscle. Histological analysis showed that Se deficiency resulted in muscle fiber fragmentation, dissolution, disarrangement and increased myocyte apoptosis. Transcriptome revealed a total of 367 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened, including 213 up-regulated DEGs and 154 down-regulated DEGs. Bioinformatics analysis showed that DEGs were concentrated in oxidation-reduction process, inflammation and apoptosis, and were related to NF-κB and MAPKs pathways. Further exploration of the mechanism showed that Se deficiency led to excessive accumulation of ROS, decreased the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and also resulted in increased expression of the NF-κB and MAPKs pathways. In addition, Se deficiency significantly increased the expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, and the pro-apoptotic factors BAX, p53, caspase-7 and caspase-3, while decreased the expressions of anti-apoptotic factors Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl. In conclusion, Se deficiency reduced the activities of antioxidant enzymes and led to excessive accumulation of ROS, which caused oxidative stress and affected the immune function of carp, leading to muscle inflammation and apoptosis., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Neocortical vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing (VIP+) interneurons display highly diverse morpho-electrophysiological and molecular properties. To begin to understand the function of VIP+ interneurons in cortical circuits, they must be clearly and comprehensively classified into distinct subpopulations based on specific molecular markers. Here, we utilized patch-clamp RT-PCR (Patch-PCR) to simultaneously obtain the morpho-electric properties and mRNA profiles of 155 VIP+ interneurons in layers 2 and 3 (L2/3) of the mouse somatosensory cortex. Using an unsupervised clustering method, we identified 3 electrophysiological types (E-types) and 2 morphological types (M-types) of VIP+ interneurons. Joint clustering based on the combined electrophysiological and morphological features resulted in 3 morpho-electric types (ME-types). More importantly, we found these 3 ME-types expressed distinct marker genes: ~94% of Sncg+ cells were ME-type 1, 100% of Mybpc1+ cells were ME-type 2, and ~78% of Parm1+ were ME-type 3. By clarifying the properties of subpopulations of cortical L2/3 VIP+ interneurons, this study establishes a basis for future investigations aiming to elucidate their physiological roles., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. dysgalactiae has been identified as an animal pathogen that is thought to occur only in animal populations. Between 2009 and 2022, humans infected with SDSD were reported rarely. There is a lack of details on the natural history, clinical features, and management of disease caused by this pathogen. This case outlines a human SDSD with muscle aches and progressive loss of muscle strength leading to immobility and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome., Case Presentation: She presented with muscle pain and weakness, and later developed a sore throat, headache and fever with a maximum temperature of 40.5 °C. The muscle strength of the extremities gradually decreased to grade 1 and the patient was unable to move on his own. Next-generation blood sequencing and multi-culture confirmed the presence of Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. Dysgalactiae, respectively. A Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score of 6 indicated septicemia, and therapeutic antibiotics were prescribed empirically. After 19 days of inpatient treatment, the patient's condition greatly improved and completely recovered within a month., Conclusion: Symptoms of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. dysgalactiae presenting with progressive limb weakness resemble polymyositis, so a precise differential diagnosis is essential. Multidisciplinary consultation is helpful when polymyositis cannot be ruled out and facilitates the choice of an optimal treatment protocol. In the context of this case, penicillin is an effective antibiotic for Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. dysgalactiae infection., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) is known as an oxidatively cleaving enzyme in recalcitrant polysaccharide deconstruction. Herein, we report a novel AA10 LPMO derived from Bacillus subtilis (BsLPMO10A). A substrate specificity study revealed that the enzyme exhibited an extensive active-substrate spectrum, particularly for polysaccharides linked via β-1,4 glycosidic bonds, such as β-(Man1 → 4Man), β-(Glc1 → 4Glc) and β-(Xyl1 → 4Xyl). HPAEC-PAD and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses indicated that BsLPMO10A dominantly liberated native oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 3-6 and C1-oxidized oligosaccharides ranging from DP3ox to DP6ox from mixed linkage glucans and beechwood xylan. Due to its synergistic action with a variety of glycoside hydrolases, including glucanase IDSGLUC5-38, xylanase TfXYN11-1, cellulase IDSGLUC5-11 and chitinase BtCHI18-1, BsLPMO10A dramatically accelerated glucan, xylan, cellulose and chitin saccharification. After co-reaction for 72 h, the reducing sugars in Icelandic moss lichenan, beechwood xylan, phosphoric acid swollen cellulose and chitin yielded 3176 ± 97, 7436 ± 165, 649 ± 44, and 2604 ± 130 μmol/L, which were 1.47-, 1.56-, 1.44- and 1.25-fold higher than those in the GHs alone groups, respectively (P < 0.001). In addition, the synergy of BsLPMO10A and GHs was further validated by the degradation of natural feedstuffs, the co-operation of BsLPMO10A and GHs released 3266 ± 182 and 1725 ± 107 μmol/L of reducing sugars from Oryza sativa L. and Arachis hypogaea L. straws, respectively, which were significantly higher than those produced by GHs alone (P < 0.001). Furthermore, BsLPMO10A also accelerated the liberation of reducing sugars from Celluclast® 1.5 L, a commercial cellulase cocktail, on filter paper, A. hypogaea L. and O. sativa L. straws by 49.58 % (P < 0.05), 72.19 % (P < 0.001) and 54.36 % (P < 0.05), respectively. This work has characterized BsLPMO10A with a broad active-substrate scope, providing a promising candidate for lignocellulosic biomass biorefinery., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ischemic stroke is a major global health issue. Ischemia and subsequent reperfusion results in stroke-related brain injury. Previous studies have demonstrated that nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEATa and early growth response 1 (EGR1) are involved in ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury). In this study, we aimed to explore the roles of NEAT1/EGR1 axis as well as its downstream effector RNA binding motif protein 25 (RBM25) in cerebral IR injury. Oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) were used to establish in vitro and in vivo models of cerebral IR injury, respectively. According to our data, NEAT1, EGR1, and RBM25 levels were elevated in OGD/R-exposed SK-N-SH and SH-SY5Y cells and cerebral cortex of MCAO mice. NEAT1, EGR1, or RBM25 knockdown effectively reduced infarct volumes and apoptosis, and improved neurological function. Mechanistically, NEAT1 directly interacted with EGR1, which restrained WW domain containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (WWP1)-mediated ubiquitination of EGR1 and subsequently caused EGR1 accumulation. EGR1 bound to RBM25 promoter and transcriptionally activated RBM25. Rescue experiments indicated that RBM25 overexpression abolished the therapeutic effects of NEAT1 knockdown. In conclusion, this work identified a novel NEAT1/EGR1/RBM25 axis in potentiating brain injury after IR insults, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for ischemic stroke., (© 2022 International Society for Neurochemistry.)

Background: This study aimed to reveal the detailed immune-related mechanisms underlying ischemic stroke (IS) and identify new immune-associated biomarkers for clinical management., Methods: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between IS samples and normal controls were identified using the GSE16561 dataset. The feature genes of the immune cells were investigated using the GSE72642 dataset. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to reveal module genes, followed by an investigation of common DEGs and a functional enrichment analysis. Potential biomarkers were identified based on hub genes in protein-protein interaction networks and WGCNA. Finally, GSE158312 was used for biomarker verification., Results: In total, 1230 DEGs were identified between the IS samples and normal controls. Seven clinically significant modules were identified using WGCNA. The yellow module genes were positively correlated with polymorphonuclear cells (PMNC), whereas the brown module genes were positively correlated with CD4+ T cells. Eight genes were selected as hub genes. These genes are mainly involved in functions such as the innate immune response. Upregulated TLR2 and ARG1 levels were significantly different between the two groups in the verification dataset., Conclusions: Our findings suggest ARG1 and TLR2 as novel biomarkers for IS. Upregulated TLR2 might play a role in IS development by participating in the innate immune response function., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.)

Background and Objectives: Standard suction technique (SST), slow-pull technique (SPT), and wet suction technique (WEST) of EUS-FNA are designed to improve the diagnostic yields of solid and solid-cystic lesions. We conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized crossover trial to compare SST, SPT, and WEST on specimen quality and diagnostic accuracy using a 22G needle., Methods: Patients with solid or solid-cystic lesions referred for EUS-FNA at four tertiary hospitals from December 2017 to August 2019 were considered eligible. All lesions were sampled using a 22G needle by the three techniques performed consecutively in a randomized order. The primary outcome was quality of the specimen acquired by each technique regarding blood contamination, tissue integrity and cellularity for diagnosis, graded on a predefined scale. The secondary outcomes were the diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA and the incidence of adverse events. ClinicalTrial. gov registration number: NCT03567863., Results: A total of 300 patients (mean age, 60.6 years, 188 men) were enrolled. WEST was superior (mean score 4.02 ± 1.51) over SST (3.67 ± 1.57, P = 0.018), but comparable to SPT (3.83 ± 1.55, P = 0.370) in overall specimen quality evaluation. WEST produced better tissue integrity (1.42 ± 0.74) and higher cellularity (1.32 ± 0.80) than SST and SPT. SPT (1.43 ± 0.69) was superior to SST (1.27 ± 0.72, P = 0.004) and WEST (1.28 ± 0.71, P = 0.006) in avoiding blood contamination. WEST achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 74.7%, higher than SST (64.4%, P = 0.007) and SPT (65.0%, P = 0.012). One bleeding event occurred with a pancreatic lesion., Conclusions: WEST was comparable to SPT and superior to SST in the overall quality of the specimen and achieved highest diagnostic yield., Competing Interests: None

Cardiac hypertrophy, as one of the major predisposing factors for chronic heart failure, lacks effective interventions. Exploring the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy will reveal potential therapeutic targets. S-nitrosylation is a kind of posttranslational modification that occurs at active cysteines of proteins to mediate various cellular processes. We here identified heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) as a highly S-nitrosylated target in the hearts of rodents with hypertrophy, and the role of Hsp90 in cardiac hypertrophy remains undefined. The S-nitrosylation of Hsp90 (SNO-Hsp90) levels were elevated in angiotensin II (Ang II)- or phenylephrine (PE)-treated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) in vitro as well as in cardiomyocytes isolated from mice subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in vivo. We demonstrated that the elevated SNO-Hsp90 levels were mediated by decreased S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) expression during cardiac hypertrophy, and delivery of GSNOR adeno-associated virus expression vectors (AAV9-GSNOR) decreased the SNO-Hsp90 levels to attenuate cardiac hypertrophy. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that cysteine 589 (Cys589) might be the S-nitrosylation site of Hsp90. Delivery of the mutated AAV9-Hsp90-C589A inhibited SNO-Hsp90 levels and attenuated cardiac hypertrophy. We further revealed that SNO-Hsp90 led to increased interaction of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and Hsp90, leading to elevated GSK3β phosphorylation and decreased eIF2Bε phosphorylation, thereby aggravating cardiac hypertrophy. Application of GSK3β inhibitor TWS119 abolished the protective effect of Hsp90-C589A mutation in Ang II-treated NRCMs. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a critical role of SNO-Hsp90 in cardiac hypertrophy, which may be of a therapeutic target for cardiac hypertrophy treatment., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to CPS and SIMM.)

Background: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy has been widely used in renal cell carcinoma treatment. The efficacy of GreenLight laser on Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is still unknown., Aim: To present the first series of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) by GreenLight laser enucleation without renal artery clamping. Due to the excellent coagulation and hemostatic properties of the laser, laser-assisted LPN (LLPN) makes it possible to perform a "zero ischemia" resection., Methods: Fifteen patients with T1a exogenous renal tumors who received high-power GreenLight laser non-ischemic LPN in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. All clinical information, surgical and post-operative data, complications, pathological and functional outcomes were analyzed., Results: Surgery was successfully completed in all patients, and no open or radical nephrectomy was performed. The renal artery was not clamped, leading to no ischemic time. No blood transfusions were required, the average hemoglobin level ranged from 96.0 to 132.0 g/L and no postoperative complications occurred. The mean operation time was 104.3 ± 8.2 min. The postoperative removal of negative pressure drainage time ranged from 5.0 to 7.0 d, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 6.5 ± 0.7 d. No serious complications occurred. Postoperative pathological results showed clear cell carcinoma in 12 patients, papillary renal cell carcinoma in 2 patients, and hamartoma in 1 patient. The mean creatinine level was 75.0 ± 0.8 μmol/L (range 61.0-90.4 μmol/L) at 1 mo after surgery, and there were no statistically significant differences compared with pre-operation ( P > 0.05). The glomerular filtration rate ranged from 45.1 to 60.8 mL/min, with an average of 54.0 ± 5.0 mL/min, and these levels were not significantly different from those before surgery ( P > 0.05)., Conclusion: GreenLight laser has extraordinary cutting and sealing advantages when used for small renal tumors (exogenous tumors of stage T1a) during LPN. However, use of this technique can lead to the generation of excessive smoke., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors state that there is no potential conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder. The functions of lncRNA RMRP have been characterized mainly in various human cancers. However, the functional network of RMRP in AD progression remains unknown., Methods: Human serum samples, AD transgenic (Tg) mice as well as SH-SY5Y cells were used in this study. The RNA expression patterns of RMRP, miR-3142 and TRIB3 were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Levels of apoptosis- or autophagy-associated biomarkers and TRIB3 level were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blotting or immunofluorescence assays, respectively. Bioinformatics methods and luciferase assays were used to predict and validate the interactions among RMRP, miR-3142, and TRIB3. Flow cytometry, TUNEL staining and EdU assays were used to examine the apoptosis and proliferation of neurons, respectively., Results: The elevated RMRP and TRIB3 expressions and activation of autophagy were observed in AD. Knockdown of RMRP restrained neuronal apoptosis and autophagy activation in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, TRIB3 overexpression reversed the biological effects of RMRP silencing on Aβ 1-42 -induced cell apoptosis and autophagy. Further mechanistic analysis showed RMRP acted as a sponge of miR-3142 to elevate TRIB3 level., Conclusion: These data illustrated that knockdown of RMRP inhibited autophagy and apoptosis via regulating miR-3142/TRIB3 axis in AD, suggesting that inhibition of RMRP maybe a therapeutic strategy for AD., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the molecular mechanisms of FAM129A in regulating the progression of esophageal cancer and its prognosis., Patients and Methods: FAM129A levels in esophageal cancer tissues and paracancerous ones were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Its influences on clinical features and prognosis in esophageal cancer patients were analyzed. Changes in proliferation and apoptosis in esophageal cancer cells after knockdown of FAM129A were examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-Ethynyl-2'- deoxyuridine (EdU) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The feedback loop FAM129A/CXCL14 was finally assessed., Results: FAM129A was upregulated in esophageal cancer tissues. High level of FAM129A predicted advanced tumor staging, large tumor size and poor prognosis in esophageal cancer patients. Knockdown of FAM129A inhibited proliferative ability and induced apoptosis in OE19 and OE33 cells. In addition, knockdown of FAM129A upregulated protein level of CXCL14 in esophageal cancer cells. CXCL14 was downregulated in esophageal cancer tissues and negatively correlated to FAM129A level. The negative feedback loop FAM129A/CXCL14 was responsible for aggravating the malignant phenotypes of esophageal cancer cells., Conclusions: FAM129A is upregulated in esophageal cancer samples, and it is linked to tumor staging, tumor size and poor prognosis. FAM129A aggravates the progression of esophageal cancer by negatively regulating CXCL14 level.

A new ice phase, ice XIX, was discovered in 2018, and is the second hydrogen-ordered polymorph of hydrogen-disordered ice VI. The first hydrogen-ordered polymorph of ice VI is ice XV, and ices XIX, VI, and XV comprise a unique triplet group in the ice family. However, the exact crystal structure of ice XIX has not been confirmed. We constructed four possible conformations of ice XIX using neutron diffraction data obtained by Gasser et al. We then optimized these structures and simulated their Raman scattering spectra using first-principles density functional theory. By comparing these simulated spectra with the experimental Raman scattering spectra, we were able to exclude the existence of a ferroelectric structure with the space group Cc . The other three candidate structures are in good agreement with the experimental Raman scattering data; two of them are ferroelectric structures with the space group P 2 1 ; and the last one is a weak ferroelectric structure with the space group Cc . We proposed that the partially hydrogen-ordered structure of ice XIX maybe a mixing of several hydrogen-ordered structures.

Herein, we propose the required general pore features for one-step C 2 H 4 production from a C2 hydrocarbon mixture, such as: (i) a non-metallic binding site; (ii) polar pore surface; and (iii) narrow pocket. Four representative MOFs (Ni-BDC-INA, CPM-173, UiO-66, and DMOF-1) and two counterexamples (MOF-74-Co and IISERP-MOF2) were selected to verify this concept, by conducting single-component gas adsorption measurements, multiple-component breakthrough experiments, and molecular simulations. The established pore features are a stepping-stone for the design and synthesis of new MOFs with improved performance for C 2 H 4 separation.

Herein, by replacement of the linear terephthalate linker with the bending 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate (tdc 2- ) linker in the typical (3,9)-connected metal-organic framework, with a reduced 8-connected hydroxyl-centered trinuclear cluster, a new (3,8)-connected network, [Ni 3 (μ 3 -OH)(tdc) 3 (tpp)] [ DZU-1 ; tpp = 2,4,6-tris(4-pyridyl)pyridine], was synthesized. The modified pore environment enables DZU-1 to selectively adsorb C 2 H 2 over CO 2 in an efficient manner.

Rhenium (Re) is an extremely rare and precious element that is mainly used in the construction of aerospace components and satellite stations. However, an efficient and simple method for preparing Re has yet to be devised. To this end, we investigated the vibrational spectrum of ammonium perrhenate (NH 4 ReO 4 ) using the CASTEP code based on first-principles density functional theory. We assigned the infrared (IR) absorption and Raman scattering spectra for NH 4 ReO 4 using a dynamic process analysis of optical branch normal modes. We examined the IR-active peaks of Re-related vibrational modes in detail and found that the typical IR peak at approximately 914 cm -1 is due to the Re-O bond stretching. Thus, we posit that strong terahertz laser irradiation of NH 4 ReO 4 at 914 cm -1 will lead to sufficient resonance absorption to cleave its Re-O bonds. This method could potentially be used to efficiently separate Re from its oxides., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The development of flexible electronic skins with high performance and multifunctional sensing capabilities is of great significance for applications ranging from healthcare monitoring to artificial intelligence. To mimic and surpass the high-gauge-factor sensing properties of human skin, structure design and appropriate material selection of sensors are both essentially required. Here, we present an efficient, low-cost fabrication strategy to construct an ultra-highly sensitive, flexible pressure sensor by embedding the aligned nickel-coated carbon fibers (NICFs) in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. Our design substantially contributes to ultrahigh sensitivity through the parallel circuit formed by aligned NICFs as well as surface spinosum microstructure molded by sandpaper. As a result, the sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity (15 525 kPa -1 ), a fast response time (30 ms), and good stability over 3000 loading-unloading cycles. Furthermore, these superior sensing properties trigger applications in water quality and wave monitoring in conjunction with mechanical flexibility and robustness. As a precedent for adjusting the sensitivities of the sensor, the NICFs/PDMS sensor provides a promising method for multiscenario healthcare monitoring, multiscale pressure spatial distribution, and human-machine interfacing.

Non-clear renal cell carcinomas (nccRCCs) are less frequent in kidney cancer with histopathological heterogeneity. A better understanding of the tumor biology of nccRCC can provide more effective treatment paradigms for different subtypes. To reveal the heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment (TME) in nccRCC, we performed 10x sing-cell genomics on tumor and normal tissues from patients with papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC), chromophobe RCC (chrRCC), collecting duct carcinoma (CDRCC) and sarcomatoid RCC (sarRCC). 15 tissue samples were finally included. 34561 cells were identified as 16 major cell clusters with 34 cell subtypes. Our study presented the sing-cell landscape for four types of nccRCC, and demonstrated that CD8+ T cells exhaustion, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and sarcomatoid process were the pivotal factors in immunosuppression of nccRCC tissues and were closely correlated with poor prognosis. Abnormal metabolic patterns were present in both cancer cells and tumor-infiltrating stromal cells, such as fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Combined with CIBERSORTx tool, the expression data of bulk RNA-seq from TCGA were labeled with cell types of our sing-cell data. Calculation of the relative abundance of cell types revealed that greater proportion of exhausted CD8+ T cells, TAMs and sarRCC derived cells were correlated with poor prognosis in the cohort of 274 nccRCC patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that provides a more comprehensive sight about the heterogeneity and tumor biology of nccRCC, which may potentially facilitate the development of more effective therapies for nccRCC., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

It is difficult to theoretically study the vibrational spectrum of hydrogen-disordered ice XII compared with its hydrogen-ordered counterpart, ice XIV. We constructed a 24-molecule supercell of ice XII to mimic its real structure. We focused on hydrogen bond (HB) vibrational modes in the translation band using first-principles density functional theory (DFT). Our simulated results were in good agreement with inelastic neutron scattering experiments. We found that the optical vibrational modes of HBs are composed of three main components. These are cluster vibrations in the lowest-frequency region, four-bond HB vibrations in the highest-frequency region, and two-bond modes in between. Although the experimentally recorded curve of ice XII is smooth in the translation region, our results support the proposal that two types of intrinsic HB vibrational modes are common in the ice family., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF‑1α) has been reported to play a key role in protecting neurons from ischaemic injury. However, the exact molecular mechanisms remain largely unclear. PC12 cells were exposed to oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) conditions to mimic ischaemic injury in vitro. The expression of the HIF‑1α mRNA, miR‑20a‑5p, and kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A) mRNA was tested using qRT-PCR. Levels of the HIF‑1α, LC3I/II, P62, LAMP2, cathepsin B (CTSB) and KIF5A proteins were determined using western blotting. The CCK‑8 assay was conducted to assess PC12 cell viability. DQ‑Red‑BSA and LysoSensor Green DND‑189 dyes were employed to measure the proteolytic activity and pH of lysosomes, respectively. The interaction between miR‑20a‑5p and HIF‑1α or KIF5A was verified by performing chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and/or dual‑luciferase reporter assays. TUNEL staining was adopted to assess PC12 cell death. GFP‑LC3 and RFP‑GFP‑LC3 probes were used to examine the autophagy status and autophagy flux of PC12 cells. A rat middle cerebral artery occlusion‑reperfusion (MCAO/R) model was established to investigate the role of the HIF‑1α/miR‑20a‑5p/KIF5A axis in ischaemic stroke in vivo. OGD/R exposure initiated PC12 cell autophagy and injury. HIF‑1α expression was substantially increased in PC12 cells after OGD/R exposure. Overexpression of HIF‑1α reversed the effects of OGD/R on reducing cell viability, blocking autophagy flux and inducing lysosome dysfunction. These rescue effects of HIF‑1α depended on KIF5A. HIF‑1α negatively regulated miR‑20a‑5p expression by targeting its promoter region, and miR‑20a‑5p directly targeted and negatively regulated the KIF5A mRNA. Overexpression of miR‑20a‑5p abolished the effects of HIF‑1α on rescuing OGD/R‑induced injury in PC12 cells. The effects of the HIF‑1α/miR‑20a‑5p/KIF5A axis were verified in MCAO/R rats. HIF‑1α protects PC12 cells from OGD/R‑induced cell injury by regulating autophagy flux through the miR‑20a‑5p/KIF5A axis.

One-step adsorptive purification of ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) from four-component gas mixtures comprising acetylene (C 2 H 2 ), ethylene (C 2 H 4 ), ethane (C 2 H 6 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is an unmet challenge in the area of commodity purification. Herein, we report that the ultramicroporous sorbent Zn-atz-oba (H 2 oba = 4,4-dicarboxyl diphenyl ether; Hatz = 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole) enables selective adsorption of C 2 H 2 , C 2 H 6 and CO 2 over C 2 H 4 thanks to the binding sites that lie in its undulating pores. Molecular simulations provide insight into the binding sites in Zn-atz-oba that are responsible for coadsorption of C 2 H 2 , C 2 H 6 and CO 2 over C 2 H 4 . Dynamic breakthrough experiments demonstrate that the selective binding exhibited by Zn-atz-oba can produce polymer-grade purity (>99.95%) C 2 H 4 from binary (1:1 for C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 ), ternary (1:1:1 for C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 ) and quaternary (1:1:1:1 for C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 /CO 2 ) gas mixtures in a single step., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Low-concentration ethane capture is crucial for environmental protection and natural gas purification. The ideal physisorbent with strong C 2 H 6 interaction and large C 2 H 6 uptake at low-concentration level has rarely been reported, due to the large pK a value and small quadrupole moment of C 2 H 6 . Herein, we demonstrate the perfectly size matching between the ultramicropore (pore size of 4.6 Å) and ethane (kinetic diameter of 4.4 Å) in a nickel pyridine-4-carboxylate metal-organic framework (IISERP-MOF2), which enables the record-breaking performance for low concentration C 2 H 6 capture. IISERP-MOF2 exhibits the large C 2 H 6 adsorption enthalpy of 56.7 kJ/mol, and record-high C 2 H 6 uptake at low pressure of 0.01-0.1 bar and 298 K (1.8 mmol/g at 0.01 bar). Molecule simulations and C 2 H 6 -loading crystal structure analysis revealed that the maximized interaction sites in IISERP-MOF2 with ethane molecule originates the strong C 2 H 6 adsorption. The dynamic breakthrough experiments for gas mixtures of C 2 H 6 /N 2 (1/999, v/v) and C 2 H 6 /CH 4 (5/95, v/v) proved the excellent low-concentration C 2 H 6 capture performance., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Rigid molecular sieving materials are the ideal candidates for gas separation (e. g., C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 ) due to their ultrahigh adsorption selectivity and the absence of gas co-adsorption. However, the absolute molecular sieving effect for C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 separation has rarely been realized because of their similar physicochemical properties. Herein, we demonstrate the absolute molecular sieving of C 2 H 2 from C 2 H 4 by a rigid ultra-microporous metal-organic framework (F-PYMO-Cu) with 1D regular channels (pore size of ca. 3.4 Å). F-PYMO-Cu exhibited moderate acetylene uptake (35.5 cm 3 /cm 3 ), but very low ethylene uptake (0.55 cm 3 /cm 3 ) at 298 K and 1 bar, yielding the second highest C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 uptake ratio of 63.6 up to now. One-step C 2 H 4 production from a binary mixture of C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 and a ternary mixture of C 2 H 2 /CO 2 /C 2 H 4 at 298 K was achieved and verified by dynamic breakthrough experiments. Coupled with excellent thermal and water stability, F-PYMO-Cu could be a promising candidate for industrial C 2 separation tasks., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

It is difficult to investigate the hydrogen-bonding dynamics of hydrogen-disordered ice VI. Here, we present a comparative method based on our previous study of its counterpart hydrogen-ordered phase, ice XV. The primitive cell of ice XV is a 10 molecule unit, and the vibrational normal modes were analyzed individually. We constructed an 80 molecule supercell of ice VI to mimic the periodic unit and performed first-principles density functional theory calculations. As the two vibrational spectra show almost identical features, we compared the molecular translation vibrations. Inspired by the phonon analysis of ice XV, we found that the vibrational modes in the translation band of ice VI are classifiable into three groups. The lowest-strength vibration modes represent vibrations between two sublattices that lack hydrogen bonding. The highest-strength vibration modes represent the vibration of four hydrogen bonds of one molecule. The middle-strength vibration modes mainly represent the molecular vibrations of only two hydrogen bonds. Although there are many overlapping stronger and middle modes, there are only two main peaks in the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectra. This work explains the origin of the two main peaks in the far-infrared region of ice VI and illustrates how to analyze a hydrogen-disordered ice structure., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Herbivores gastrointestinal microbiota is of tremendous interest for mining novel lignocellulosic enzymes for bioprocessing. We previously reported a set of potential carbohydrate-active enzymes from the metatranscriptome of the Hu sheep rumen microbiome. In this study, we isolated and heterologously expressed two novel glucanase genes, Cel5A-h38 and Cel5A-h49, finding that both recombinant enzymes showed the optimum temperatures of 50 °C. Substrate-specificity determination revealed that Cel5A-h38 was exclusively active in the presence of mixed-linked glucans, such as barley β-glucan and Icelandic moss lichenan, whereas Cel5A-h49 (EC 3.2.1.4) exhibited a wider substrate spectrum. Surprisingly, Cel5A-h38 initially released only cellotriose from lichenan and further converted it into an equivalent amount of glucose and cellobiose, suggesting a dual-function as both endo-β-1,3-1,4-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.73) and exo-cellobiohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.91). Additionally, we performed enzymatic hydrolysis of sheepgrass (Leymus chinensis) and rice (Orysa sativa) straw using Cel5A-h38, revealing liberation of 1.91 ± 0.30 mmol/mL and 2.03 ± 0.09 mmol/mL reducing sugars, respectively, including high concentrations of glucose and cellobiose. These results provided new insights into glucanase activity and lay a foundation for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest to this work., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Flexible pressure sensors have attracted intense attention because of their widespread applications in electronic skin, human-machine interfaces, and healthcare monitoring. Conductive porous structures are always utilized as active layers to improve the sensor sensitivities. However, flexible pressure sensors derived from traditional foaming techniques have limited structure designability. Besides, random pore distribution causes difference in structure and signal repeatability between different samples even in one batch, therefore limiting the batch production capabilities. Herein, we introduce a structure designable lattice structure pressure sensor (LPS) produced by bottom-up digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technique, which is capable of efficiently producing 55 high fidelity lattice structure models in 30 min. The LPS shows high sensitivity (1.02 kPa -1 ) with superior linearity over a wide pressure range (0.7 Pa to 160 kPa). By adjusting the design parameters such as lattice type and layer thickness, the electrical sensitivities and mechanical properties of LPS can be accurately controlled. In addition, the LPS endures up to 60000 compression cycles (at 10 kPa) without any obvious electrical signal degradation. This benefits from the firm carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coating derived from high-energy ultrasonic probe and the subsequent thermal curing process of UV-heat dual-curing photocurable resin. For practical applications, the LPS is used for real time pulse monitoring, voice recognition and Morse code communication. Furthermore, the LPS is also integrated to make a flexible 4 × 4 sensor arrays for detecting spatial pressure distribution and a flexible insole for foot pressure monitoring.

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors originating from the renal parenchymal urinary epithelial system. Tripartite motif 47 (TRIM47) is a member of the TRIM family proteins, which has E3 ligase activity and has been demonstrated to be involved in the occurrence and prognosis of many tumors. The main purpose of this study is to explore the role and potential mechanism of TRIM47 in promoting malignant biological behavior of RCC., Materials and Methods: TRIM47 mRNA and protein levels in human renal cancer and paired normal adjacent tissues were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. The effects of TRIM47 knockdown and overexpression in renal cell carcinoma cells on cell proliferation, invasion and xenograft tumor growth in nude mice were analyzed. The molecular mechanism was explored by mass spectrometric exploration,Western blot and immunoprecipitation assays., Results: TRIM47 promoted RCC cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo as an oncogene. Mechanistically, TRIM47 exerted an E3 ligase activity by interacting with P53 protein to increase its ubiquitination and degradation, which further promoted the malignant biological behavior of RCC., Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that the TRIM47-P53 axis played a functional role in RCC progression and suggested a potential therapeutic target for RCC.

Ethylene production from C2 hydrocarbon mixtures through one separation step is desirable but challenging because of the similar size and physical properties of acetylene, ethylene, and ethane. Herein, we report three new isostructural porous coordination networks ( NPU-1 , NPU-2 , NPU-3 ; NPU represents Northwestern Polytechnical University) that are sustained by 9-connected nodes based upon a hexanuclear metal cluster of composition [Mn 6 (μ 3 -O) 2 (CH 3 COO) 3 ] 6+ . NPU-1/2/3 exhibit a dual cage structure that was systematically fine-tuned in terms of cage size to realize selective adsorption of C 2 H 2 and C 2 H 6 over C 2 H 4 . Dynamic breakthrough experiments demonstrated that NPU-1 produces ethylene in >99.9% purity from a three-component gas mixture (1:1:1 C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 6 ). Molecular modeling studies revealed that the dual adsorption preference for C 2 H 2 and C 2 H 6 over C 2 H 4 originates from (a) strong hydrogen-bonding interactions between electronegative carboxylate O atoms and C 2 H 2 molecules in one cage and (b) multiple non-covalent interactions between the organic linkers of the host network and C 2 H 6 molecules in the second cage.

Objective: To discuss the safety and feasibility of transradial access (TRA) in performing peripheral arterial intervention. Methods: The clinical data of the patients underwent peripheral vascular intervention via TRA in our hospital from September 2017 to March 2019 were reviewed. The success rate of radial artery puncture and subsequent operation after puncture, and related postoperative complications within 30 days were analyzed. Results: The clinical data of 112 peripheral arterial intervention procedures via TRA performed on 106 patients were reviewed, including transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in 83 cases, bronchial arterial infusion in 4 cases, pelvic tumor embolization in 11 cases and 14 other cases. The success rate of all interventional punctures was 97.3% (109/112), the operative success rate of interventional procedures was 98.2% (107/109). The TRA operation was failed in 5 patients, who were then converted to receive the femoral artery puncture and complete successfully. The severe complication of the operation was aortic dissection (2 cases). Minor complications included 2 cases of radial artery occlusion, radial artery spasm, arm pain and puncture point hematoma for each case. The severe complication and the minor complication rates were 1.8% (2/112) and 4.5% (5/112), respectively. Sixteen emergency operations were performed successfully, and no complication occurred. Conclusion: The TRA is a clinically safe and feasible approach for peripheral arterial interventional procedure.

Background: The mechanism of body growth in mammals is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the regulatory networks involved in body growth through transcriptomic analysis of pituitary and epiphyseal tissues of smaller sized Debao ponies and Mongolian horses at the juvenile and adult stages., Results: We found that growth hormone receptor (GHR) was expressed at low levels in long bones, although growth hormone (GH) was highly expressed in Debao ponies compared with Mongolian horses. Moreover, significant downregulated of the GHR pathway components m-RAS and ATF3 was found in juvenile ponies, which slowed the proliferation of bone osteocytes. However, WNT2 and PLCβ2 were obviously upregulated in juvenile Debao ponies, which led to premature mineralization of the bone extracellular matrix. Furthermore, we found that the WNT/Ca 2+ pathway may be responsible for regulating body growth. GHR was demonstrated by q-PCR and Western blot analyses to be expressed at low levels in long bones of Debao ponies. Treatment with WNT antagonistI decreased the expression of WNT pathway components (P < 0.05) in vitro. Transduction of ATDC5 cells with a GHR-RNAi lentiviral vector decreased the expression of the GHR pathway components (P < 0.05). Additionally, the expression of the IGF-1 gene in the liver was lower in Debao ponies than in Mongolian horses at the juvenile and adult stages. Detection of plasma hormone concentrations showed that Debao ponies expressed higher levels of IGF-1 as juveniles and higher levels of GH as adults than Mongolian horses, indicating that the hormone regulation in Debao ponies differs from that in Mongolian horses., Conclusion: Our work provides insights into the genetic regulation of short stature growth in mammals and can provide useful information for the development of therapeutic strategies for small size.

Dendrite-targeting somatostatin-expressing interneurons (SST-INs) powerfully control signal integration and synaptic plasticity in pyramidal dendrites during cortical development. We previously showed that synaptic transmission from SST-INs to pyramidal cells (PCs) (SST-IN → PC) in the mouse visual cortex suddenly declined at around the second postnatal week. However, it is unclear what specific postsynaptic mechanisms underlie this developmental change. Using multiple whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we found that application of an α5-GABA A receptor-selective inverse agonist, alpha5IA, significantly weakened SST-IN → PC unitary inhibitory postsynaptic currents (uIPSCs) in layer 2/3 of the mouse visual cortex, but had no effect on uIPSCs from SST-INs to other types of interneurons. The extent of alpha5IA-induced reduction of SST-IN → PC synaptic transmission was significantly larger at postnatal days 11-13 (P11-13) than P14-17. Moreover, α5-subunit-containing GABA A receptors (α5-GABA A Rs)-mediated uIPSCs had slow rise and decay kinetics. Apart from pharmacological test, we observed that SST-IN → PC synapses did indeed contain α5-GABA A Rs by immunogold labeling for electron microscopy. More importantly, coinciding with the weakening of SST-IN → PC synaptic transmission, the number of α5-GABA A R particles in SST-IN → PC synapses significantly decreased at around the second postnatal week. Together, these data indicate that α5-GABA A Rs are involved in synaptic transmission from SST-INs to PCs in the neocortex, and are significantly diminished around the second postnatal week., (Copyright © 2020 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The optimal sampling techniques for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) remain unclear and have not been standardized. The aim of this study was to compare the wet-suction and dry-suction techniques for sampling solid lesions in the pancreas, mediastinum, and abdomen., Methods: This was a multicenter, crossover, randomized controlled trial with randomized order of sampling techniques. The 296 consecutive patients underwent EUS-FNA with 22G needles and were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 into two separate groups that received the dry-suction and wet-suction techniques in a different order. The primary outcome was to compare the histological diagnostic accuracy of dry suction and wet suction for malignancy. The secondary outcomes were to compare the cytological diagnostic accuracy and specimen quality., Results: Among the 269 patients with pancreatic (n = 161) and non-pancreatic (n = 108) lesions analyzed, the wet-suction technique had a significantly better histological diagnostic accuracy (84.9 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 79.9 % - 89.0 %] vs. 73.2 % [95 %CI 67.1 % - 78.7 %]; P  = 0.001), higher specimen adequacy (94.8 % vs. 78.8 %; P  < 0.001), and less blood contamination ( P  < 0.001) than the dry-suction technique. In addition, sampling non-pancreatic lesions with two passes of wet suction provided a histological diagnostic accuracy of 91.6 %., Conclusions: The wet-suction technique in EUS-FNA generates better histological diagnostic accuracy and specimen quality than the dry-suction technique. Furthermore, sampling non-pancreatic lesions with two passes of EUS-FNA with wet suction may provide a definitive histological diagnosis when rapid on-site evaluation is not routinely available., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are biologically characterized by self-renewal, multi-directional differentiation and infinite proliferation, inducing anti-tumor drug resistance and metastasis. In the present study, we attempted to depict the baseline landscape of CSC-mediated biological properties, knowing that it is vital for tumor evolution, anti-tumor drug selection and drug resistance against fatal malignancy. Methods: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis in 15208 cells from a pair of primary and metastatic sites of collecting duct renal cell carcinoma (CDRCC). Cell subpopulations were identified and characterized by t-SNE, RNA velocity, monocle and other computational methods. Statistical analysis of all single-cell sequencing data was performed in R and Python. Results: A CSC population of 1068 cells was identified and characterized, showing excellent differentiation and self-renewal properties. These CSCs positioned as a center of the differentiation process and transformed into CDRCC primary and metastatic cells in spatial and temporal order, and played a pivotal role in promoting the bone destruction process with a positive feedback loop in the bone metastasis microenvironment. In addition, CSC-specific marker genes BIRC5, PTTG1, CENPF and CDKN3 were observed to be correlated with poor prognosis of CDRCC. Finally, we pinpointed that PARP, PIGF, HDAC2, and FGFR inhibitors for effectively targeting CSCs may be the potential therapeutic strategies for CDRCC. Conclusion: The results of the present study may shed new light on the identification of CSCs, and help further understand the mechanism underlying drug resistance, differentiation and metastasis in human CDRCC., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)