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Three-dimensional surface-conformable electronics is a burgeoning technology with potential applications in curved displays, bioelectronics, and biomimetics. Flexible electronics are notoriously difficult to fully conform to nondevelopable surfaces such as spheres. Although stretchable electronics can well conform to nondevelopable surfaces, they need to sacrifice pixel density for stretchability. Various empirical designs have been explored to improve the conformability of flexible electronics on spherical surfaces. However, no rational design guidelines exist. This study uses a combination of experimental, analytical, and numerical approaches to systematically investigate the conformability of both intact and partially cut circular sheets on spherical surfaces. Through the analysis of thin film buckling on curved surfaces, we identify a scaling law that predicts the conformability of flexible sheets on spherical surfaces. We also quantify the effects of radial slits on enhancing conformability and provide a practical guideline for using these slits to improve conformability from 40% to more than 90%.

Hybrid nanocomposites comprised of metal oxide nanoparticles and three-dimensional (3D) graphene possess the advantages of metal oxide and graphene, which have generated extensive attention. Here, we fabricate flexible micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) based on hybrid materials of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT)-bridged laser-induced graphene fibers (LIGF) decorated with manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoparticles. SWCNT is deposited on the LIGF surface and the space between LIGF, which can bridge LIGF to form more conductive paths and provide more active areas to grow with MnO2 nanoparticles. Profiting from the synergistic effect between conductive SWCNT-bridged LIGF network and the MnO2 nanoparticles with high theoretical capacitance, the obtained flexible MSCs based on LIGF-C4/MnO2 hybrid electrodes deliver an outstanding areal capacitance of 156.94 mF cm−2, which is about 8 times higher than that of LIGF-MnO2 based MSC (20 mF cm−2). Additionally, the LIGF-C4/MnO2 MSCs also exhibit considerable areal energy density of 21.8 μWh cm−2, long-term cycling stability, remarkable modular integration capability, and exceptional mechanical flexibility (with 90.5% capacitance retention after 1200 bending cycles). Therefore, the design of hybrid electrode materials proposed in this work offers a facile and novel method to develop flexible energy storage devices with high performance, suggesting great prospects for applications in future various wearable electronics.

Heteroatoms modification of carbon electrodes is an effective strategy to boost its electrochemical performance. In this work, we demonstrate a one-step and scalable method to manufacture phosphorus-doped (P-doped) 3D porous graphene electrodes from a flexible H3PO4-incorporated polyimide (PI)/Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite film via laser direct writing. Benefiting from the synchronous P-doping and activation caused by H3PO4, the optimal P-doped porous graphene-based micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) present an impressive areal capacitance of 55.5 mF cm−2, good long-term cyclability (with ∼85% capacitance retention after 10000 cycles), superior mechanism flexibility, and outstanding capability of modular integration in series and parallel. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were also carried out to prove that P-doping could enhance the affinity towards electrolyte ions on the carbon surface to improve the electrochemical performance. In particular, due to the highly hydrophilic nature and good film-forming properties of PVA, other dopants can be also well dissolved in the PI/PVA slurry to synthesize a dopants-incorporated PI/PVA composite membrane. Hence, this method offers a convenient and potential route to prepare free-standing heteroatom-doped porous graphene electrodes, which has promising applications for various flexible/wearable electronics.

This study proposes an efficient, facile, and scalable strategy to synthesize in situ heteroatom-doped porous graphene via laser direct writing on the precursor-doped polyimide (PI) film, which is fabricated for the first time through incorporating PI powder and precursors with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binder by a drop-casting and low-temperature drying process. The resulting microsupercapacitors (MSCs) based on the as-prepared heteroatom-doped porous graphene exhibit remarkable capacitive performance. The typical boron-doped MSC prepared on borax-doped polyimide film possesses an ultrahigh areal capacitance of 60.6 mF cm-2 at 0.08 mA cm-2, which is approximately 20 times larger than that of undoped MSC. Furthermore, the boron-doped MSC has impressive cycling stability (with the capacitance retention of 96.3% after 20 000 cycles), exceptional mechanical flexibility, tunable capacitance, and voltage output through arbitrary modular serial and parallel integration. Besides, the nitrogen-doped porous graphene with excellent capacitive performance is also prepared by laser direct scribing on the sulfonated melamine-doped polyimide film, demonstrating excellent scalability and generality of this strategy. Hence, one-step laser direct writing on precursor-doped polyimide films can realize in situ heteroatom doping and generation of hierarchical porous graphene electrodes simultaneously, which opens a new avenue for the facile, cost-effective, and scalable fabrication of heteroatom-doped porous graphene, thus promising for MSCs and various flexible and wearable electronics at large-scale production.

Introduction Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) is typically associated with a decline in virulence. We previously reported a WalK(S221P) mutation that plays an important role in mediating vancomycin resistance in VISA XN108. Whether this mutation is implicated in bacterial virulence remains unknown. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the effect of WalK(S221P) mutation on the virulence of VISA and the underlying mechanism of this effect. Methods The influence of WalK(S221P) mutation on VISA virulence and its underlying mechanism were explored using animal models, RNA-seq analysis, RT-qPCR, hemolytic assay, slide coagulase test, Western blot, β-galactosidase assay, and electrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA). Results Compared with XN108, WalK(S221P)-reverted strain XN108-R exacerbated cutaneous infections with increased lesion size and extensive inflammatory infiltration in mouse models. The bacterial loads of S. aureus XN108-R in murine kidney increased compared with those of XN108. RNA-seq analysis showed upregulation of a set of virulence genes in XN108-R, which exhibited greater hemolytic and stronger coagulase activities compared with XN108. Introduction of WalK(S221P) to methicillin-resistant S. aureus USA300 and methicillin-susceptible strain Newman increased the vancomycin resistance of the mutants, which exhibited reduced hemolytic activities and decreased expression levels of many virulence factors compared with their progenitors. WalK(S221P) mutation weakened agr promoter-controlled β-galactosidase activity. EMSA results showed that WalK-phosphorylated WalR could directly bind to the agr promoter region, whereas WalK(S221P)-activated WalR reduced binding to the target promoter. Inactivation of agr in S. aureus did not affect their vancomycin susceptibility but mitigated the virulence alterations caused by WalK(S221P) mutation. Conclusion The results of our study indicate that WalK(S221P) mutation can enhance vancomycin resistance in S. aureus of diverse genetic backgrounds. WalK(S221P)- bearing S. aureus strains exhibit reduced virulence. WalK(S221P) mutation may directly impair the activation of the agr system by WalR, thereby decreasing the expression of virulence factors in VISA.

Transition metal nanoparticles-graphene nanocomposites incorporate the advantages of graphene and metal nanoparticles, which arouse extensive attention. Here, we design a novel, facile and versatile method for in-situ synthesis of laser-induced porous graphene (LIG) decorated with cobalt particles (Co). The LIG/Co nanocomposites are fabricated through one-step laser direct scribing on a customized film composed of polyimide (PI) powder, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and cobalt chloride (CoCl2·6H2O) precursors. Benefiting from the unique properties of Co nanoparticles embedded LIG, the obtained optimal in-plane micro-supercapacitors (IMSC) based on LIG/Co-1.5 possesses an excellent areal capacitance of 110.11 mF cm-2 and a superior energy density of 9.79 μWh cm-2, which are about 79 times that of pure LIG-based IMSCs. Simultaneously, the LIG/Co-1.5 MSCs also present good cycling stability, remarkable modular integration capability, and outstanding mechanical flexibility, showing potential for practical applications. Additionally, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the decorating of cobalt particles elevates electron transfer. Moreover, the interaction between electrolyte and electrodes is also improved with the introduction of cobalt particles. Therefore, this strategy offers a new avenue for facile and large-scale manufacturing of various metallic atoms in-situ decorating in porous graphene.

In this work we consider bubbles that can form spontaneously when a two-dimensional (2D) crystal is transferred to a substrate with gases or liquids trapped at the crystal-substrate interface. The underlying mechanics may be described by a thin sheet on an adhesive substrate with the trapped fluid applying uniform transverse pressure. What makes this apparently simple problem complex is the rich interplay among geometry, interface, elasticity and instability. Particularly, extensive small-scale experiments have shown that the 2D crystal surrounding a bubble can adhere to and, meanwhile, slide on the substrate. The radially inward sliding causes hoop compression to the 2D crystal which may exploit wrinkling instabilities to relax or partially relax the compression. We present a theoretical model to understand the complex behaviors of even a linearly elastic 2D crystal due to the combination of nonlinear geometry, adhesion, sliding, and wrinkling in bubble systems. We show that this understanding not only successfully predicts the geometry of a spontaneous bubble but also reveals the strain-coupled physics of 2D crystals, e.g., the pseudomagnetic fields in graphene bubbles.

Staphylococcus aureus (Sau) plays an important role in human infections occurring in both the community and hospital settings. Sau-related chronic and relapsing infections are mainly attributed to small-colony variants (SCVs), a type of subpopulation that has a size one-tenth that of normal colonies and is accompanied by several unique characteristics, including a lack of or reduced pigmentation, decreased hemolytic activity, increased biofilm formation, enhanced resistance to antimicrobials, upregulated genes encoding adhesion molecules, and downregulated genes for virulence factors. This review summarizes the significance of genetic mutations involved in diverse biosynthesis pathways that contribute to Sau-SCV promotion. Sau-SCV-caused persistent infections and the prospects and challenges faced in the treatment of Sau-SCV infections are addressed. Progress in the management of Sau-SCVs may provide guidance for addressing the long-term and recurrent infections caused by other bacterial SCVs.

This study proposes an efficient, facile, and scalable strategy to synthesize

The accessory gene regulator (

Most biofilms in nature are formed by multiple microbial species, and such mixed-species biofilms represent the actual lifestyles of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, viruses (phages), and/or protozoa. Microorganisms cooperate and compete in mixed-species biofilms. Mixed-species biofilm formation and environmental resistance are major threats to water supply, food industry, and human health. The methods commonly used for microbial eradication, such as antibiotic or disinfectant treatments, are often ineffective for mixed-species biofilm consortia due to their physical matrix barrier and physiological interactions. For the last decade, an increasing number of investigations have been devoted to the usage of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), which is produced by dielectric barrier discharges or plasma jets to prevent or eliminate microbial biofilms. Here, we summarized the production of CAP, the inactivation of microorganisms upon CAP treatment, and the microbial factors affecting the efficacy of CAP procedure. The applications of CAP as antibiotic alternative strategies for fighting mixed-species biofilms were also addressed.

Neonatal respiratory distress is a major mortality factor in cloned animals, but the pathogenesis of this disease is rarely investigated. In this study, four neonatal cloned cattle, born after full-term gestation, exhibited symptoms of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS), which included symptoms of hyaline membrane disease as well as disordered surfactant homeostasis in their collapsed lungs. No differences in DNA methylation or histone modifications correlated with the suppressed SPB and SPC transcription observed in the cloned cattle group (p > 0.05), whereas TTF-1 occupancy at SPB and SPC promoter regions in cloned cattle was significantly reduced to 24% and 20% that of normal lungs, respectively (SPB, p

Cyanide gases are colorless and toxic gases, which are widely used in the industry, thus efficiently detecting them has become a pressing issue. The sensitivity and selectivity of β-tellurene toward cyanide gases are reported in this work. Adsorption energy, charge transfer, and electronic properties of the cyanide gases (HCN, (CN)2, CNBr) as well as common gases (CO2, N2, CO) adsorption systems are calculated based on the density functional theory (DFT). The significantly larger adsorption energy (−0.26 eV for HCN, −0.36 eV for CNBr) and charge transfer (0.11 |e| for HCN, 0.10 |e| for CNBr) show that the tellurene is a well sensitive material for cyanide gases detection. The change of I–V curves made by gas adsorption further confirms the selectivity and sensitivity of tellurene to cyanide gases, especially the HCN. Moreover, different biaxial strains could effectively regulate the adsorption behavior of cyanide gases on tellurene, as the adsorption energy of the HCN molecule is enhanced to be −0.52 eV. Based on these results, we predict that tellurene could be a practical material to detect cyanide gases.

Porous graphene with rational heteroatoms doping has been widely researched as one of the most prominent materials for application in supercapacitors. Herein, we implement a green and facile laser engraving strategy to synthesize three-dimensional (3D) superhydrophilic and oxygen (O)-sulfur (S) co-doped porous graphene electrodes. Specifically, the mixed sodium lignosulfonate slurry is evenly coated on the laser-induced graphene (LIG) interdigital electrodes, and followed by a duplicated laser scribing process. The as-prepared materials can synchronously possess hierarchical porous graphene architectures, superior hydrophilicity, and O/S co-doped chemistry properties, which can significantly promote the penetration and transport of electrolyte ions and provide extra pseudocapacitance. Benefiting from these advantages, satisfactory capacitive performance of the assembled MSCs is obtained, such as an outstanding areal capacitance of 53.2 mF cm−2@0.08 mA cm−2, which is about 39 times larger than of undoped MSC. Moreover, remarkable mechanical flexibility, excellent modular integration capability as well as good cycling stability (81.3% capacitance retention after 8000 cycles) have been also achieved. As such, this study offers a novel and efficient strategy for valuable utilization of biomass lignosulfonate, and the as-prepared heteroatom-doped superhydrophilic porous graphene holds enormous promise for high-performance energy storage devices.

While classical wetting is well captured by the famous Young's equation and classical bulge and blister models are readily available, there is limited understanding of a micro- or nano-scale droplet being covered by an ultrasoft elastic membrane. We call this phenomenon elastic wetting to feature the interplay between the liquid's surface tension and the membrane's elastic deformation. Examples of elastic wetting include cell blebs and 2D material bubbles, where the membrane thickness ranges from microns to sub-nanometers. In this work, we study the equilibrium of elastic wetting and solve for the profiles and the pressure-volume relations of the membrane-confined droplets. We show that in elastic wetting, the pressure across the membrane/droplet interface can be described by a simple superposition of the Young-Laplace equation and the nonlinear membrane equation. Furthermore, nonlinear elasticity, geometric nonlinearity, and surface tension, together with membrane-substrate adhesion, interweave at the contact line, leading to rich membrane-confined droplet configurations. Finally, we examine the effect of substrate compliance on elastic wetting and find that the rigid substrate assumption approximates well for most of the existing experiments in the literature. Our results provide fundamental mechanistic insights into the various phenomena of elastic wetting as well as viable means to extract physical parameters including the bubble pressure and the interface energies.

Staphylococcus aureus infection poses a serious threat to public health, and antibiotic resistance has complicated the clinical treatment and limited the solutions available to solve this problem. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a promising strategy for microorganism inactivation. However, the mechanisms of microbial inactivation or resistance remain unclear. In this study, we treated S. aureus strains with a self-assembled CAP device and found that CAP can kill S. aureus in an exposure time-dependent manner. In addition, the liquid environment can influence the survival rate of S. aureus post-CAP treatment. The S. aureus cells can be completely inactivated in normal saline and phosphate-buffered saline but not in tryptic soy broth culture medium. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the CAP-treated S. aureus cells maintained integrated morphological structures, similar to the wild-type strain. Importantly, the CAP-treated S. aureus cells exhibited a reduced pigment phenotype. Deletion of the staphyloxanthin biosynthetic genes crtM and crtN deprived the pigmentation ability of S. aureus Newman. Both the Newman-ΔcrtM and Newman-ΔcrtN mutants presented high sensitivity to CAP treatment, whereas Newman-ΔcrtO exhibited a survival rate comparable to wild-type Newman after CAP treatment. Our data demonstrated that the yellow pigment intermediates of the staphyloxanthin biosynthetic pathway are responsible for the protection of S. aureus from CAP inactivation. The key enzymes, such as CrtM and CrtN, of the golden staphyloxanthin biosynthetic pathway could be important targets for the design of novel sterilization strategies against S. aureus infections. IMPORTANCE Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that can be widely distributed in the community and clinical settings. The emergence of S. aureus with multiple-antibiotic resistance has complicated staphylococcal infection control. The development of alternative strategies with powerful bactericidal effects is urgently needed. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a promising strategy for microorganism inactivation. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms of microbial inactivation or resistance are not completely illustrated. In this study, we validated the bactericidal effects of CAP on S. aureus, including antibiotic-resistant strains. We also found that the golden staphyloxanthin, as well as its yellow pigment intermediates, protected S. aureus against CAP, and blocking the staphyloxanthin synthesis pathway at the early steps could strengthen the sensitivity of S. aureus to CAP treatment. These data provide insights into the germicidal mechanism of CAP from the aspect of bacteria and suggest new targets against S. aureus infections.

β-Lactam antibiotics are widely applied to treat infectious diseases. However, certain poor disease outcomes caused by β-lactams remain poorly understood. In this study, we have identified a cluster of lipoprotein-like genes (lpl, sa2275–sa2273) that is upregulated in the major clinically prevalent MRSA clones in response to subinhibitory concentrations of β-lactam induction. The major highlight of this work is that β-lactams stimulate the expression of SarA, which directly binds to the lpl cluster promoter region and upregulates lpl expression in MRSA. Deletion of lpl significantly decreases proinflammatory cytokine levels in vitro and in vivo. The β-lactam-induced Lpls enhance host inflammatory responses by triggering the Toll-like-receptor-2-mediated expressions of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha. The β-lactam-induced Lpls are important virulence factors that enhance MRSA pathogenicity. These data elucidate that subinhibitory concentrations of β-lactams can exacerbate the outcomes of MRSA infection through induction of lpl controlled by the global regulator SarA., Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) resists nearly all β-lactam antibiotics that have a bactericidal activity. However, whether the empirically used β-lactams enhance MRSA pathogenicity in vivo remains unclear. In this study, we showed that a cluster of lipoprotein-like genes (lpl, sa2275 to sa2273 [sa2275–sa2273]) was upregulated in MRSA in response to subinhibitory concentrations of β-lactam induction. The increasing expression of lpl by β-lactams was directly controlled by the global regulator SarA. The β-lactam-induced Lpls stimulated the production of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The lpl deletion mutants (N315Δlpl and USA300Δlpl) decreased the proinflammatory cytokine levels in vitro and in vivo. Purified lipidated SA2275-his proteins could trigger a Toll-like-receptor-2 (TLR2)-dependent immune response in primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages and C57BL/6 mice. The bacterial loads of N315Δlpl in the mouse kidney were lower than those of the wild-type N315. The β-lactam-treated MRSA exacerbated cutaneous infections in both BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, presenting increased lesion size; destroyed skin structure; and easily promoted abscess formation compared with those of the untreated MRSA. However, the size of abscesses caused by the β-lactam-treated N315 was negligibly different from those caused by the untreated N315Δlpl in C57BL/6 TLR2−/− mice. Our findings suggest that β-lactams must be used carefully because they might aggravate the outcome of MRSA infection compared to inaction in treatment.

Bacterial brain abscesses (BAs) are difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics. Thus, the development of alternative therapeutic strategies for BAs is of high priority. Identifying the virulence determinants that contribute to BA formation induced by Staphylococcus aureus would improve the effectiveness of interventions for this disease. In this study, RT-qPCR was performed to compare the expression levels of 42 putative virulence determinants of S. aureus strains Newman and XQ during murine BA formation, ear colonization, and bacteremia. The alterations in the expression levels of 23 genes were further confirmed through specific TaqMan RT-qPCR. Eleven S. aureus genes that persistently upregulated expression levels during BA infection were identified, and their functions in BA formation were confirmed through isogenic mutant experiments. Bacterial loads and BA volumes in mice infected with isdA, isdC, lgt, hla, or spa deletion mutants and the hla/spa double mutant strain were lower than those in mice infected with the wild-type Newman strain. The therapeutic application of monoclonal antibodies against Hla and SpA decreased bacterial loads and BA volume in mice infected with Newman. This study provides insights into the virulence determinants that contribute to staphylococcal BA formation and a paradigm for antivirulence factor therapy against S. aureus infections.

The emergence of vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) has raised healthcare concerns worldwide. VISA is often associated with multiple genetic changes. However, the relative contributions of these changes to VISA phenotypes are incompletely defined. We have characterized VISA XN108 with vancomycin MIC of 12 μg/ml. Genome comparison revealed that WalK(S221P), GraS(T136I), and RpoB(H481N) mutations possibly contributed to the VISA phenotype of XN108. In this study, the above mutations were stepwise cured, and the phenotypes between XN108 and its derivates were compared. We constructed four isogenic mutant strains, XN108-WalK(P221S) (termed as K65), XN108-GraS(I136T) (termed as S65), XN108-RpoB(N481H) (termed as B65), and XN108-WalK(P221S)/GraS(I136T) (termed as KS65), using the allelic replacement experiments with the native alleles derived from a vancomycin-susceptible S. aureus isolate DP65. Antimicrobial susceptibility test revealed K65 and S65 exhibited decreased vancomycin resistance, whereas B65 revealed negligibly differed when compared with the wild-type XN108. Sequentially introducing WalK(P221S) and GraS(I136T) completely converted XN108 into a VSSA phenotype. Transmission electronic microscopy and autolysis determination demonstrated that cell wall thickening and decreasing autolysis were associated with the change of vancomycin resistance levels. Compared with XN108, K65 exhibited 577 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), whereas KS65 presented 555 DEGs. Of those DEGs, 390 were common in K65 and KS65, including those upregulated genes responsible for citrate cycle and bacterial autolysis, and the downregulated genes involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis and teichoic acid modification. In conclusion, a VSSA phenotype could be completely reconstituted from a VISA strain XN108. WalK(S221P) and GraS(T136I) mutations may work synergistically in conferring vancomycin resistance in XN108.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading cause of nosocomial infections worldwide. MRSA resists nearly all β-lactam antibiotics that have a bactericidal activity and a signal inducer effect. However, studies have yet to clarify whether the inducer effect of empirically used β-lactams stimulates MRSA pathogenicity in vivo. Here, we showed that a new cluster of tandem lipoprotein genes (tlpps) was upregulated in MRSA in response to the subinhibitory concentrations of β-lactam induction. The increased Tlpps significantly altered immune responses by macrophages with high IL-6 and TNFα levels. The deletion of the tlpps mutant (N315Δtlpps) significantly decreased the proinflammatory cytokine levels in vitro and in vivo. The bacterial loads of N315Δtlpps in the mouse kidney were also reduced compared with those of the wild type N315. The β-lactam-treated MRSA exacerbated cutaneous infections with increased lesion size, extended illness, and flake-like abscess-formation compared with those of the nontreatment. The β-lactam antibiotics that promoted the MRSA pathogenicity were SarA dependent, and the increasing expression of tlpps after β-lactam treatment was directly controlled by the global regulator SarA. Overall, our findings suggested that β-lactams should be used carefully because it might lead to a worse outcome of MRSA infection than inaction in the treatment.Author summaryβ-lactams are widely used in practice to treat infectious diseases, however, β-lactams worsening the outcome of a certain disease is poorly understood. In this study, we have identified a new cluster of tandem lipoprotein genes (tlpps) that is upregulated in the major clinically prevalent MRSA clones in response to the subinhibitory concentrations of β-lactams induction. The major highlight in this work is that β-lactams induce SarA expression, and then SarA directly binds to the tlpp cluster promoter region and upregulates the tlpp expression in MRSA. Moreover, the β-lactam stimulated Tlpps are important virulence factors that enhance MRSA pathogenicity. The deletion of the tlpps mutant significantly decreases the proinflammatory cytokine levels in vitro and in vivo. The β-lactam induced Tlpps enhance the host inflammatory responses by triggering the expression of IL-6 and TNFα, thereby promoting bacterial colonization and abscess formation. These data elucidate that β-lactams can worsen the outcome of MRSA infection through the induction of tlpps that are controlled by the global regulator SarA.

Respiratory distress is a major cause of mortality in cloned neonatal animals, but its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Here, we used necropsy and histology procedures to evaluate the lungs of cloned neonatal bovines dying of respiratory distress, finding incomplete lung dilation, alveolar collapse, and thickened alveolar walls. Comparison of the transcriptomes between collapsed lungs of cloned bovines and their normal counterparts revealed 1373 differentially expressed genes in collapsed lungs (p 1.5 or