Bioinspired Flexible Hydrogelation with Programmable Properties for Tactile Sensing

Tactile sensing requires integrated detection platforms with distributed and highly-sensitive haptic sensing capabilities along with biocompatibility, aiming to replicate the physiological functions of the human skin and empower industrial robotic and prosthetic wearers to detect tactile information. In this regard, short peptide-based self-assembled hydrogels show promising potential to act as bioinspired supramolecular substrates for developing tactile sensors showing biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, the intrinsic difficulty to modulate the mechanical properties severely restricts their extensive employment. Herein, by controlling the self-assembly of 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-modifid diphenylalanine (Fmoc-FF) through introduction of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA), wider nanoribbons are achieved by untwisting from well-established thinner nanofibers, and the mechanical properties of the supramolecular hydrogels can be enhanced 10-fold, supplying bioinspired supramolecular encapsulating substrate for tactile sensing. Furthermore, by doping with PEDOT:PSS and 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-modifid 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (Fmoc-DOPA), the Fmoc-FF self-assembled hydrogels can be engineered to be conductive and adhesive, providing bioinspired sensing units and adhesive layer for tactile sensing applications. Therefore, the integration of these modules results in peptide hydrogelation-based tactile sensors, showing high sensitivity and sustainable responses with intrinsic biocompatibility and biodegradability. Our findings establish the feasibility of developing programmable peptide self-assembly with adjustable features for tactile sensing applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Sense and anti-sense: Role of FAM83A and FAM83A-AS1 in Wnt, EGFR, PI3K, EMT pathways and tumor progression

An increasing number of studies have shown that FAM83A, a member of the family with sequence similarity 83 (FAM83), which consists of eight members, is a key tumor therapeutic target involved in multiple signaling pathways. It has been reported that FAM83A plays essential roles in the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin, EGFR, MAPK, EMT, and other signaling pathways and physiological processes in models of pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and other malignant tumors. Moreover, the expression of FAM83A could be significantly affected by multiple noncoding RNAs that are dysregulated in malignant tumors, the dysregulation of which is essential for the malignant process. Among these noncoding RNAs, the most noteworthy is the antisense long noncoding (Lnc) RNA of FAM83A itself (FAM83A-AS1), indicating an outstanding synergistic carcinogenic effect between FAM83A and FAM83A-AS1. In the present study, the specific mechanisms by which FAM83A and FAM83A-AS1 cofunction in the Wnt/β-catenin and EGFR signaling pathways were reviewed in detail, which will guide subsequent research. We also described the applications of FAM83A and FAM83A-AS1 in tumor therapy and provided a certain theoretical basis for subsequent drug target development and combination therapy strategies.

The TRPV6 Calcium Channel and Its Relationship with Cancer

Transient receptor potential vanilloid-6 (TRPV6) is a cation channel belonging to the TRP superfamily, specifically the vanilloid subfamily, and is the sixth member of this subfamily. Its presence in the body is primarily limited to the skin, ovaries, kidney, testes, and digestive tract epithelium. The body maintains calcium homeostasis using the TRPV6 channel, which has a greater calcium selectivity than the other TRP channels. Several pieces of evidence suggest that it is upregulated in the advanced stages of thyroid, ovarian, breast, colon, and prostate cancers. The function of TRPV6 in regulating calcium signaling in cancer will be covered in this review, along with its potential applications as a cancer treatment target.

[Clinical features and prognostic analysis of testicular relapse in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of testicular relapse in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods: Clinical data including the age, time from initial diagnosis to recurrence, relapse site, and therapeutic effect of 37 pediatric ALL with testicular relapse and treated in Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between November 2011 and December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were grouped according to different clinical data. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the overall survival (OS) rate and event free survival (EFS) rate for univariate analysis, and Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to evaluate the influencing factors of OS rate and EFS rate for multivariate analysis. Results: The age at initial diagnosis of 37 pediatric testicular relapse patients was (5±3) years and the time from initial diagnosis to testicular recurrence was (37±15) months. The follow-up time was 43 (22, 56) months. Twenty-three patients (62%) were isolated testis relapse. The 5-year OS rate and EFS rate of the 37 relapsed children were (60±9) % and (50±9) % respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the 2-year EFS rate in the group of patients with time from initial diagnosis to testicular recurrence >28 months was significantly higher than those ≤28 months ((69±10)% vs. (11±11)%, P<0.05), 2-year EFS rate of the isolated testicular relapse group was significantly higher than combined relapse group ((66±11)% vs. (20±13) %, P<0.05), 2-year EFS rate of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell treatment after relapse group was significantly higher than without CAR-T cell treatment after relapse group ((78±10)% vs. (15±10)%, P<0.05). ETV6-RUNX1 was the most common genetic aberration in testicular relapsed ALL (38%, 14/37). The 4-year OS and EFS rate of patients with ETV6-RUNX1 positive were (80±13) % and (64±15) %, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified relapse occurred≤28 months after first diagnosis (HR=3.09, 95%CI 1.10-8.72), combined relapse (HR=4.26, 95%CI 1.34-13.52) and CAR-T cell therapy after relapse (HR=0.15,95%CI 0.05-0.51) were independent prognostic factors for 2-year EFS rate (all P<0.05). Conclusions: The outcome of testicular relapse in pediatric ALL was poor. They mainly occurred 3 years after initial diagnosis. ETV6-RUNX1 is the most common abnormal gene.Patients with ETV6-RUNX1 positive often have a favorable outcome. Early relapse and combined relapse indicate unfavorable prognosis, while CAR-T cell therapy could significantly improve the survival rate of children with testicular recurrence.

Deep neural networks for crack detection inside structures

Crack detection is a long-standing topic in structural health monitoring. Conventional damage detection techniques rely on intensive, time-consuming, resource-intensive intervention. The current trend of crack detection emphasizes using deep neural networks to build an automated pipeline from measured signals to damaged areas. This work focuses on the seismic-wave-based technique of crack detection for plate structures. Previous work proposed an encoder-decoder network to extract crack-related wave patterns from measured wave signals and predict crack existence on the plate. We extend previous work with extensive experiments on different network components and a data preprocessing strategy. The proposed methods are tested on an expanded crack detection dataset. We found that a robust backbone network, such as Densely Connected Convolutional Network (DenseNet) can effectively extract the features characterizing cracks of wave signals, and by using the reference wave field for normalization, the accuracy of detecting small cracks can be further improved.

ILKAP Promotes the Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Inhibiting β-Catenin Degradation and Enhancing the WNT Signaling Pathway

The incidence of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and HCC-related deaths have remarkably increased over the recent decades. It has been reported that β-catenin activation can be frequently observed in HCC cases. This study identified the integrin-linked kinase-associated phosphatase (ILKAP) as a novel β-catenin-interacting protein. ILKAP is localized both in the nucleus and cytoplasm and regulates the WNT pathway in different ways. First, it is demonstrated that ILKAP activates the WNT pathway in HCC cells by increasing the protein level of β-catenin and other proteins associated with the WNT signaling, such as c-Myc and CyclinD1. Next, it is shown that ILKAP promotes the metastasis of HCC both in vitro and in vivo in a zebrafish xenograft model. It is also found that ILKAP dephosphorylates the GSK3β and CK1, contributing to the reduced ubiquitination of β-catenin. Furthermore, it is identified that ILKAP functions by mediating binding between TCF4 and β-catenin to enhance expression of WNT target genes. Taken together, the study demonstrates a critical function of ILKAP in metastasis of HCC, since ILKAP is crucial for the activation of the WNT pathway via stabilization of β-catenin and increased binding between TCF4 and β-catenin.

Insights into the Roles of Epigenetic Modifications in Ferroptosis

Ferroptosis is a non-apoptotic mode of cell death driven by membrane lipid peroxidation and is characterized by elevated intracellular levels of Fe2+, ROS, and lipid peroxidation. Studies have shown that ferroptosis is related to the development of multiple diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and acute myeloid leukemia. Ferroptosis plays a dual role in the occurrence and development of these diseases. Ferroptosis mainly involves iron metabolism, ROS, and lipid metabolism. Various mechanisms, including epigenetic regulation, have been reported to be deeply involved in ferroptosis. Abnormal epigenetic modifications have been reported to promote tumor onset or other diseases and resistance to chemotherapy drugs. In recent years, diversified studies have shown that epigenetic modification is involved in ferroptosis. In this review, we reviewed the current resistance system of ferroptosis and the research progress of epigenetic modification, such as DNA methylation, RNA methylation, non-coding RNAs, and histone modification in cancer and other diseases by regulating ferroptosis.

RUNDC1 negatively mediates the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes via regulating SNARE complex assembly

Macroautophagy/autophagy is an essential pro-survival mechanism activated in response to nutrient deficiency. The proper fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes is a critical step for autophagic degradation. We recently reported that RUNDC1 (RUN domain containing 1) inhibits autolysosome formation via clasping the ATG14-STX17-SNAP29 complex to hinder VAMP8 binding. We showed that RUNDC1 colocalizes with LC3 and associates with mature autophagosomes in cell lines and the zebrafish model. We utilized liposome fusion and in vitro autophagosome-lysosome fusion assays to demonstrate that RUNDC1 inhibits autolysosome formation. Moreover, we found that RUNDC1 clasps the ATG14-STX17-SNAP29 complex via stimulating ATG14 homo-oligomerization to inhibit ATG14 dissociation, which in turn prevents VAMP8 from binding to STX17-SNAP29. Our results demonstrate that RUNDC1 is a negative regulator of autophagy that restricts autophagosome fusion with lysosomes and is crucial for zebrafish survival in nutrient-deficient conditions. Here, we summarize our findings and discuss their implications for our understanding of autophagy regulation.

Injectable cell-laden silk acid hydrogel

This study presents an injectable cell-laden hydrogel system based on silk acid, a carboxylated derivative of natural silk fibroin, which exhibits promising applications in biomedicine. The hydrogel is produced under physiological conditions (37 °C and pH 7.4) via physical crosslinking. Notably, the hydrogel demonstrates remarkable cytocompatibility, enabling efficient cell encapsulation, and exhibits good injectability. These promising results strongly indicate the potential of silk acid hydrogel for transformative applications, including 3D cell culture, targeted cell delivery, and tissue engineering.

[Clinicopathological features of adult Wilms tumor with BRAF V600E mutation]

Objective: To identify BRAF V600E mutations in adult Wilms tumor (WT) with overlapping histologic features of metanephric adenoma (MA) and to investigate the clinicopathological features of adult WT. Methods: The clinical features of adult WT diagnosed at the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China from 2012 to 2021 were reviewed. HE-stained slides of all cases were reviewed by 2 expert pathologists. Representative tissues were selected for BRAF V600E immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and gene sequencing. Results: In adult WT with MA-like areas (cohort Ⅰ, n=6), 5 of the 6 cases were composed of epithelial-predominant and were positive for WT-1 and CD56, respectively, and all were positive for CD57. All 6 cases revealed highly variable Ki-67 indices, ranging from 1% in some areas to 60% in others. 5 of the 6 cases harbored a BRAF V600E mutation. All cases in cohort I were followed up for 23 to 71 months, and all survived. In classical adult WT without MA-like areas cohort (cohort Ⅱ, n=13), all 7 cases with available material were negative for BRAF by IHC and none of them had any BRAF mutation. Conclusions: BRAF V600E mutations are frequently present in adult WT with overlapping morphologically features of MA, but not in those without. More importantly, adult WTs with overlapping histologic features of MA may be an intermediate entity between typical MA and WT that may have a favorable prognosis and possible therapeutic targets.

Energy Applications of Ionic Liquids: Recent Developments and Future Prospects

Ionic liquids (ILs) consisting entirely of ions exhibit many fascinating and tunable properties, making them promising functional materials for a large number of energy-related applications. For example, ILs have been employed as electrolytes for electrochemical energy storage and conversion, as heat transfer fluids and phase-change materials for thermal energy transfer and storage, as solvents and/or catalysts for CO2 capture, CO2 conversion, biomass treatment and biofuel extraction, and as high-energy propellants for aerospace applications. This paper provides an extensive overview on the various energy applications of ILs and offers some thinking and viewpoints on the current challenges and emerging opportunities in each area. The basic fundamentals (structures and properties) of ILs are first introduced. Then, motivations and successful applications of ILs in the energy field are concisely outlined. Later, a detailed review of recent representative works in each area is provided. For each application, the role of ILs and their associated benefits are elaborated. Research trends and insights into the selection of ILs to achieve improved performance are analyzed as well. Challenges and future opportunities are pointed out before the paper is concluded.

Silk Acid as an Implantable Biomaterial for Tissue Regeneration

Silk fibroin derived from the domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori is a protein-based biopolymer with low immunogenicity, intrinsic biodegradability, and tunable mechanical properties, showing great potential in biomedical applications. Using chemical modification to alter the primary structure of silk fibroin enables the expanded generation of new silk-based biomaterials. Inspired by the molecular structure of hyaluronic acid, which is enriched in carboxyl groups, an efficient method with scaling-up potential to achieve controlled carboxylation of silk fibroin to prepare silk acid (SA) is reported, and the biological properties of SA are further studied. The SA materials show tunable hydrophilicity and enzymatic degradation properties at different carboxylation degrees (CDs). Subcutaneous implantation in mice for up to 1 month reveals that the SA materials with a high CD present enhanced degradation while causing a mild foreign-body response, including a low inflammatory response and reduced fibrotic encapsulation. Immunofluorescence analysis further indicates that the SA materials show pro-angiogenesis properties and promote M2-type macrophage polarization to facilitate tissue regeneration. This implies great promise for SA materials as a new implantable biomaterial for tissue regeneration.

RUNDC1 inhibits autolysosome formation and survival of zebrafish via clasping ATG14-STX17-SNAP29 complex

Autophagy serves as a pro-survival mechanism for a cell or a whole organism to cope with nutrient stress. Our understanding of the molecular regulation of this fusion event remains incomplete. Here, we identified RUNDC1 as a novel ATG14-interacting protein, which is highly conserved across vertebrates, including zebrafish and humans. By gain and loss of function studies, we demonstrate that RUNDC1 negatively modulates autophagy by blocking fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes via inhibiting the assembly of the STX17-SNAP29-VAMP8 complex both in human cells and the zebrafish model. Moreover, RUNDC1 clasps the ATG14-STX17-SNAP29 complex via stimulating ATG14 homo-oligomerization to inhibit ATG14 dissociation. This also prevents VAMP8 from binding to STX17-SNAP29. We further identified that phosphorylation of RUNDC1 Ser379 is crucial to inhibit the assembly of the STX17-SNAP29-VAMP8 complex via promoting ATG14 homo-oligomerization. In line with our findings, RunDC1 is crucial for zebrafish in their response to nutrient-deficient conditions. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that RUNDC1 is a negative regulator of autophagy that restricts autophagosome fusion with lysosomes by clasping the ATG14-STX17-SNAP29 complex to hinder VAMP8 binding.

Therapeutic strategies targeting AMPK-dependent autophagy in cancer cells

Macroautophagy is a health-modifying process of engulfing misfolded or aggregated proteins or damaged organelles, coating these proteins or organelles into vesicles, fusion of vesicles with lysosomes to form autophagic lysosomes, and degradation of the encapsulated contents. It is also a self-rescue strategy in response to harsh environments and plays an essential role in cancer cells. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the central pathway that regulates autophagy initiation and autophagosome formation by phosphorylating targets such as mTORC1 and unc-51 like activating kinase 1 (ULK1). AMPK is an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine protein kinase that acts as an energy sensor in cells and regulates various metabolic processes, including those involved in cancer. The regulatory network of AMPK is complicated and can be regulated by multiple upstream factors, such as LKB1, AKT, PPAR, SIRT1, or noncoding RNAs. Currently, AMPK is being investigated as a novel target for anticancer therapies based on its role in macroautophagy regulation. Herein, we review the effects of AMPK-dependent autophagy on tumor cell survival and treatment strategies targeting AMPK.

Tunable 1D and 2D Polyacrylonitrile Nanosheet Superstructures

Carbon superstructures are widely applied in energy and environment-related areas. Among them, the flower-like polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-derived carbon materials have shown great promise due to their high surface area, large pore volume, and improved mass transport. In this work, we report a versatile and straightforward method for synthesizing one-dimensional (1D) nanostructured fibers and two-dimensional (2D) nanostructured thin films based on flower-like PAN chemistry by taking advantage of the nucleation and growth behavior of PAN. The resulting nanofibers and thin films exhibited distinct morphologies with intersecting PAN nanosheets, which formed through rapid nucleation on existing PAN. We further constructed a variety of hierarchical PAN superstructures based on different templates, solvents, and concentrations. These PAN nanosheet superstructures can be readily converted to carbon superstructures. As a demonstration, the nanostructured thin film exhibited a contact angle of ∼180° after surface modification with fluoroalkyl monolayers, which is attributed to high surface roughness enabled by the nanosheet assemblies. This study offers a strategy for the synthesis of nanostructured carbon materials for various applications.

Cellular senescence: a double-edged sword in cancer therapy

Over the past few decades, cellular senescence has been identified in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Senescent cells are generally characterized by permanent cell cycle arrest as a response to endogenous and exogenous stresses. In addition to exiting the cell cycle process, cellular senescence also triggers profound phenotypic changes such as senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), autophagy modulation, or metabolic reprograming. Consequently, cellular senescence is often considered as a tumor-suppressive mechanism that permanently arrests cells at risk of malignant transformation. However, accumulating evidence shows that therapy-induced senescence can promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumorigenesis in neighboring cells, as well as re-entry into the cell cycle and activation of cancer stem cells, thereby promoting cancer cell survival. Therefore, it is particularly important to rapidly eliminate therapy-induced senescent cells in patients with cancer. Here we review the hallmarks of cellular senescence and the relationship between cellular senescence and cancer. We also discuss several pathways to induce senescence in tumor therapy, as well as strategies to eliminate senescent cells after cancer treatment. We believe that exploiting the intersection between cellular senescence and tumor cells is an important means to defeat tumors.

[Efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy on HER2-positive breast cancer: a clinicopathological analysis]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) on HER2-positive breast cancer and to analyze their clinicopathological features. Methods: A total of 480 cases of HER2-positive breast cancer who received neoadjuvant therapy (NAT), diagnosed at the Department of Pathology of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from 2015 to 2020, were retrospectively identified. Clinicopathological parameters such as age, tumor size, molecular subtype, type of targeted therapy, Ki-67 proliferation index, ER and HER2 immunohistochemical expression, and HER2 amplification status were analyzed to correlate with the efficacy of NAT. Results: Among 480 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, 209 achieved pathology complete response (pCR) after NAT, with a pCR rate of 43.5%. Of all the cases,457 patients received chemotherapy plus trastuzumab and 23 patients received chemotherapy with trastuzumab and pertuzumab. A total of 198 cases (43.3%) achieved pCR in patients with chemotherapy plus trastuzumab, and 11 cases (47.8%) achieved pCR in patients with chemotherapy plus trastuzumab and pertuzumab. The pCR rate in the latter group was higher, but there was no statistical significance. The results showed that the pCR rate of IHC-HER2 3+patients (49%) was significantly higher than that of IHC-HER2 2+patients (26.1%, P<0.001). The higher the mean HER2 copy number in the FISH assay, the higher the pCR rate was achieved. The expression level of ER was inversely correlated with the efficacy of NAT, and the pCR rate in the ER-positive group (28.2%) was significantly lower than that in the ER-negative group (55.8%, P<0.001). The pCR rate (29.1%) of patients with luminal B type was lower than that of HER2 overexpression type (55.8%, P<0.001). In addition, higher Ki-67 proliferation index was associated with higher pCR rate (P<0.001). The pCR rate was the highest in the tumor ≤2 cm group (57.7%), while the pCR rate in the tumor >5 cm group was the lowest (31.1%). The difference between the groups was significant (P=0.005). Conclusions: HER2 copy numbers, HER2 immunohistochemical expression level, molecular subtype, ER expression level and Ki-67 proliferation index are significantly associated with pCR after NAT. In addition, fluorescence in situ hybridization results, HER2/CEP17 ratio and tumor size could also significantly affect the efficacy of NAT.

Phosphorylated PTTG1 switches its subcellular distribution and promotes β-catenin stabilization and subsequent transcription activity

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling is usually abnormally activated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) has been found to be highly expressed in HCC. However, the specific mechanism of PTTG1 pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Here, we found that PTTG1 is a bona fide β-catenin binding protein. PTTG1 positively regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by inhibiting the destruction complex assembly, promoting β-catenin stabilization and subsequent nuclear localization. Moreover, the subcellular distribution of PTTG1 was regulated by its phosphorylation status. Among them, PP2A induced PTTG1 dephosphorylation at Ser165/171 residues and prevented PTTG1 translocation into the nucleus, but these effects were effectively reversed by PP2A inhibitor okadaic acid (OA). Interestingly, we found that PTTG1 decreased Ser9 phosphorylation-inactivation of GSK3β by competitively binding to PP2A with GSK3β, indirectly leading to cytoplasmic β-catenin stabilization. Finally, PTTG1 was highly expressed in HCC and associated with poor patient prognosis. PTTG1 could promote the proliferative and metastasis of HCC cells. Overall, our results indicated that PTTG1 plays a crucial role in stabilizing β-catenin and facilitating its nuclear accumulation, leading to aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and providing a feasible therapeutic target for human HCC.

The Effect of Rolling Texture on the Plastic Deformation of Nano-Gradient Aluminum

Creating alloys with a gradient microstructure in grain size has been shown to be a potential method to resolve the trade-off dilemma between strength and ductility. However, different textures developed with various processing methods cannot be fully eliminated, which can significantly affect the mechanical behavior of alloys. In this study, we use a multiscale framework based on dislocation theory to investigate how the combination of rolling texture and gradient in grain size affects the plastic deformation of nano-gradient aluminum during a tensile test. We found that specific rolling textures, such as {110} texture, can significantly enhance the strength and ductility of nano-gradient aluminum. This improvement is the result of the grain being reoriented and the redistribution of stress and strain, which are caused by the combined influence of texture and variation in grain size. These results provide new insights into developing high-performance aluminum by mediating texture and grain size gradient.

[Mammary myofibroblastoma: a clinicopathological analysis of fifteen cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of breast myofibroblastoma. Methods: The clinicopathological data and prognostic information of 15 patients with breast myofibroblastoma diagnosed at the Department of Pathology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China from 2014 to 2022 were collected. Their clinical characteristics, histological subtypes, immunophenotypes and molecular characteristics were analyzed. Results: There were 12 female and 3 male patients, ranging in age from 18 to 78 years, with a median and average age of 52 years. There were 6 cases in the left breast and 9 cases in the right breast, including 12 cases in outer upper quadrant, 2 cases in inner upper quadrant and 1 case in outer lower quadrant. Most of the cases showed a well-defined nodule grossly, including pushing growth under the microscope in 13 cases, being completely separated from the surrounding breast tissue in 1 case, and infiltrating growth in 1 case. Among them, 12 cases were classic subtype and composed of occasional spindle cells with varying intervals of collagen fiber bundles; eight cases had a small amount of fat; one case had focal cartilage differentiation; one case was epithelioid subtype, in which epithelioid tumor cells were scattered in single filing or small clusters; one case was schwannoma-like subtype, and the tumor cells were arranged in a significant palisade shape, resembling schwannoma, and one case was invasive leiomyoma-like subtype, in which the tumor cells had eosinophilic cytoplasm and were arranged in bundles, and infiltrating into the surrounding mammary lobules like leiomyoma. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the tumor cells expressed desmin (14/15) and CD34 (14/15), as well as ER (15/15) and PR (15/15). Three cases with histologic subtypes of epithelioid subtype, schwannoma-like subtype and infiltrating leiomyoma-like subtype showed RB1 negative immunohistochemistry. Then FISH was performed to detect RB1/13q14 gene deletion, and identified RB1 gene deletion in all three cases. Fifteen cases were followed up for 2-100 months, and no recurrence was noted. Conclusions: Myofibroblastoma is a rare benign mesenchymal tumor of the breast. In addition to the classic type, there are many histological variants, among which the epithelioid subtype is easily confused with invasive lobular carcinoma. The schwannoma-like subtype is similar to schwannoma, while the invasive subtype is easily misdiagnosed as fibromatosis-like or spindle cell metaplastic carcinoma. Therefore, it is important to recognize the various histological subtypes and clinicopathological features of the tumor for making correct pathological diagnosis and rational clinical treatment.

Neuromorphic sensorimotor loop embodied by monolithically integrated, low-voltage, soft e-skin

Artificial skin that simultaneously mimics sensory feedback and mechanical properties of natural skin holds substantial promise for next-generation robotic and medical devices. However, achieving such a biomimetic system that can seamlessly integrate with the human body remains a challenge. Through rational design and engineering of material properties, device structures, and system architectures, we realized a monolithic soft prosthetic electronic skin (e-skin). It is capable of multimodal perception, neuromorphic pulse-train signal generation, and closed-loop actuation. With a trilayer, high-permittivity elastomeric dielectric, we achieved a low subthreshold swing comparable to that of polycrystalline silicon transistors, a low operation voltage, low power consumption, and medium-scale circuit integration complexity for stretchable organic devices. Our e-skin mimics the biological sensorimotor loop, whereby a solid-state synaptic transistor elicits stronger actuation when a stimulus of increasing pressure is applied.

Membrane Curvature: The Inseparable Companion of Autophagy

Autophagy is a highly conserved recycling process of eukaryotic cells that degrades protein aggregates or damaged organelles with the participation of autophagy-related proteins. Membrane bending is a key step in autophagosome membrane formation and nucleation. A variety of autophagy-related proteins (ATGs) are needed to sense and generate membrane curvature, which then complete the membrane remodeling process. The Atg1 complex, Atg2-Atg18 complex, Vps34 complex, Atg12-Atg5 conjugation system, Atg8-phosphatidylethanolamine conjugation system, and transmembrane protein Atg9 promote the production of autophagosomal membranes directly or indirectly through their specific structures to alter membrane curvature. There are three common mechanisms to explain the change in membrane curvature. For example, the BAR domain of Bif-1 senses and tethers Atg9 vesicles to change the membrane curvature of the isolation membrane (IM), and the Atg9 vesicles are reported as a source of the IM in the autophagy process. The amphiphilic helix of Bif-1 inserts directly into the phospholipid bilayer, causing membrane asymmetry, and thus changing the membrane curvature of the IM. Atg2 forms a pathway for lipid transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the IM, and this pathway also contributes to the formation of the IM. In this review, we introduce the phenomena and causes of membrane curvature changes in the process of macroautophagy, and the mechanisms of ATGs in membrane curvature and autophagosome membrane formation.

High-Porosity Metal-Organic Framework Glasses

We report a synthetic strategy to link titanium-oxo (Ti-oxo) clusters into metal-organic framework (MOF) glasses with high porosity though the carboxylate linkage. A new series of MOF glasses was synthesized by evaporation of solution containing Ti-oxo clusters Ti16 O16 (OEt)32 , linkers, and m-cresol. The formation of carboxylate linkages between the Ti-oxo clusters and the carboxylate linkers was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The structural integrity of the Ti-oxo clusters within the glasses was evidenced by both X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and 17 O magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR. After ligand exchange and activation, the fumarate-linked MOF glass, termed Ti-Fum, showed a N2 Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas of 923 m2  g-1 , nearly three times as high as the phenolate-linked MOF glass with the highest BET surface area prior to this report.

The role of N-glycosylation modification in the pathogenesis of liver cancer

N-glycosylation is one of the most common types of protein modifications and it plays a vital role in normal physiological processes. However, aberrant N-glycan modifications are closely associated with the pathogenesis of diverse diseases, including processes such as malignant transformation and tumor progression. It is known that the N-glycan conformation of the associated glycoproteins is altered during different stages of hepatocarcinogenesis. Characterizing the heterogeneity and biological functions of glycans in liver cancer patients will facilitate a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of liver injury and hepatocarcinogenesis. In this article, we review the role of N-glycosylation in hepatocarcinogenesis, focusing on epithelial-mesenchymal transition, extracellular matrix changes, and tumor microenvironment formation. We highlight the role of N-glycosylation in the pathogenesis of liver cancer and its potential applications in the treatment or diagnosis of liver cancer.

The Effect of Initial Texture on the Plastic Deformation of Gradient Aluminum

The effect of specific processing-induced surface textures in gradient aluminum has not yet been investigated. A dislocation-based multi-scale framework is employed to explore the influence of various initial shearing textures and the depth from the surface of the region featuring each texture on the macroscopic behavior of gradient aluminum. By assigning different textures to the same grain size gradient aluminum sample, the initial texture was found to significantly affect the plastic deformation and macroscopic behavior of gradient aluminum. Specifically, the {111} texture can enhance the strength-ductility synergy, and this effect is dependent on the depth from the surface where the texture is located. This texture can lead to a slow stress/strain gradient in the assigned texture region and a sharp stress/strain gradient in the grain size gradient region connecting this region with the coarse grain region. Particularly, the sharp stress/strain gradient can result in extra strengthening by adjusting the stress/strain localization. These findings provide valuable insights for the design and optimization of surface textures in gradient aluminum.

Heterogeneous integration of a GaN-based photonic integrated circuit with an Si-based transimpedance amplifier

The heterogeneous integration of a GaN-based photonic integrated circuit (PIC) and an Si-based transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is demonstrated in this work. The monolithic GaN PIC, fabricated from a GaN-on-Si light-emitting diode (LED) wafer, comprises LEDs whose optical outputs are coupled to photodetectors (PD) through suspended waveguides. The PIC chip is mounted onto a printed circuit board together with a TIA chip and two filter chip capacitors, occupying a compact footprint. The components are interconnected directly using wire-bonds to minimize signal delays and attenuation. The integrated system achieves rise and fall times of 2.21 and 2.10 ns, respectively, a transmission delay of 3.54 ns, and a bandwidth exceeding 390 MHz. Transmission of a pseudorandom binary sequence-3 (PRBS-3) signal across the integrated system is also demonstrated at the data transmission rate of 280 Mbit/s with a clearly resolved open eye diagram.

Perturbed autophagy intervenes systemic lupus erythematosus by active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common multisystem, multiorgan heterozygous autoimmune disease. The main pathological features of the disease are autoantibody production and immune complex deposition. Autophagy is an important mechanism to maintain cell homeostasis. Autophagy functional abnormalities lead to the accumulation of apoptosis and induce the autoantibodies that result in immune disorders. Therefore, improving autophagy may alleviate the development of SLE. For SLE, glucocorticoids or immunosuppressive agents are commonly used in clinical treatment, but long-term use of these drugs causes serious side effects in humans. Immunosuppressive agents are expensive. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) are widely used for immune diseases due to their low toxicity and few side effects. Many recent studies found that TCM and its active ingredients affected the pathological development of SLE by regulating autophagy. This article explains how autophagy interferes with immune system homeostasis and participates in the occurrence and development of SLE. It also summarizes several studies on TCM-regulated autophagy intervention in SLE to generate new ideas for basic research, the development of novel medications, and the clinical treatment of SLE.

Impact Evaluation of Cyberattacks on Connected and Automated Vehicles in Mixed Traffic Flow and Its Resilient and Robust Control Strategy

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) present significant potential for improving road safety and mitigating traffic congestion for the future mobility system. However, cooperative driving vehicles are more vulnerable to cyberattacks when communicating with each other, which will introduce a new threat to the transportation system. In order to guarantee safety aspects, it is also necessary to ensure a high level of information quality for CAV. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation on the impacts of cyberattacks on CAV in mixed traffic (large vehicles, medium vehicles, and small vehicles) from the perspective of vehicle dynamics. The paper aims to explore the influence of cyberattacks on the evolution of CAV mixed traffic flow and propose a resilient and robust control strategy (RRCS) to alleviate the threat of cyberattacks. First, we propose a CAV mixed traffic car-following model considering cyberattacks based on the Intelligent Driver Model (IDM). Furthermore, a RRCS for cyberattacks is developed by setting the acceleration control switch and its impacts on the mixed traffic flow are explored in different cyberattack types. Finally, sensitivity analyses are conducted in different platoon compositions, vehicle distributions, and cyberattack intensities. The results show that the proposed RRCS of cyberattacks is robust and can resist the negative threats of cyberattacks on the CAV platoon, thereby providing a theoretical basis for restoring the stability and improving the safety of the CAV.

Broadly Tunable Atmospheric Water Harvesting in Multivariate Metal-Organic Frameworks

Development of multivariate metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as derivatives of the state-of-art water-harvesting material MOF-303 {[Al(OH)(PZDC)], where PZDC^2- is 1H-pyrazole-3,5-dicarboxylate} was shown to be a powerful tool to generate efficient water sorbents tailored to a given environmental condition. Herein, a new multivariate MOF-303-based water-harvesting framework series from readily available reactants is developed. The resulting MOFs exhibit a larger degree of tunability in the operational relative humidity range (16%), regeneration temperature (14 °C), and desorption enthalpy (5 kJ mol^-1) than reported previously. Additionally, a high-yielding (≥90%) and scalable (∼3.5 kg) synthesis is demonstrated in water and with excellent space-time yields, without compromising framework crystallinity, porosity, and water-harvesting performance.

Molecular Design and Preparation of Protein-Based Soft Ionic Conductors with Tunable Properties

Protein-based soft ionic conductors have attracted considerable research interest in recent years with great potential in applications at the human-machine interfaces. However, a fundamental mechanistic understanding of the ionic conductivity of silk-based ionic conductors is still unclear. Here, we first developed an environmental-friendly and scalable method to fabricate silk-based soft ionic conductors using silk proteins and calcium chloride. The mechanistic understanding of the ion transport and molecular interactions between calcium ions and silk proteins at variable water contents was investigated in-depth by combining experimental and simulation approaches. The results show that calcium ions primarily interact with amide groups in proteins at a low water content. The ionic conductivity is low since the calcium ions are confined around silk proteins within 2.0-2.6 Å. As water content increases, the calcium ions are hydrated with the formation of water shells, leading to the increased distance between calcium ions and silk proteins (3.3-6.0 Å). As a result, the motion of the calcium ions increased to achieve a higher ionic conductivity. By optimizing the ratio of the silk proteins, calcium ions, and water, silk-based soft ionic conductors with good stretchability and self-healing properties can be obtained. Such protein-based soft ionic conductors can be further used to fabricate smart devices such as electrochromic devices.

Degradable silk-based soft actuators with magnetic responsiveness

Soft actuators with stimuli-responsiveness have great potential in biomedical applications such as drug delivery and minimally invasive surgery. In this study, protein-based soft actuators with magnetic actuation are fabricated using naturally occurring silk proteins and synthesized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). Briefly, magnetic silk films are first prepared by solution casting of a mixture containing silk proteins, synthesized Fe₃O₄ NPs, and glycerol. The molecular structures of the magnetic silk films are characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, which show that the β-sheet content in the films is about 20%. The mechanical tests show that the magnetic silk films can be stretched to over 200% under wet conditions and Young's modulus is estimated to be 4.89 ± 0.69 MPa, matching the stiffness of soft tissues. Furthermore, the enzymatic degradability, good biocompatibility, and in vivo X-ray visibility of the films are demonstrated by the in vitro enzymatic degradation test, in vivo biocompatibility test, and micro-CT imaging, respectively. Degradable silk-based soft actuators with magnetic responsiveness are successfully prepared by thermal forming or plastic molding of the magnetic silk films. The fabricated soft actuators can be actuated and move with precise locomotive gaits in solutions using a magnet. In addition, the retention of the soft actuators and localized drug delivery in gastrointestinal tracts by attaching a magnet to the abdominal skin are demonstrated using model systems. The degradable silk-based soft actuators provide many opportunities for improving current therapeutic strategies in biomedicine.

Supertough and Highly Stretchable Silk Protein-based Films with Controlled Biodegradability

Naturally derived protein-based biopolymers are considered potential biomaterials in biomedical applications and eco-friendly materials for replacing current petroleum-based polymers due to their good biocompatibility, low environmental impact, and tunable degradability. However, current strategies for fabricating protein-based materials with superior properties and tailored functionality in a scalable manner are still lacking. Here, we demonstrate an aqueous-based scalable approach for fabricating silk protein-based films through controlled molecular self-assembly (CMS) of silk proteins with plasticizers and salt ions. The films fabricated using this method can achieve a toughness of up to 64±5 MJ/m³ with a stretchability of up to 574±31%. We also demonstrate the tunable enzymatic degradability, low in vitro cytotoxicity, and good in vivo biocompatibility of the films. Furthermore, the films can be patterned with predesigned complex structures through laser cutting and functionalized with bioactive components. The functional silk protein-based films show great potential in various applications, including flexible electronics, bioelectronics, tissue engineering, and bioplastic packaging. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Inspired by the naturally optimized multi-scale self-assembly of silk proteins in natural silks, we develop an aqueous-based approach for scalable production of superior protein-based films through controlled molecular self-assembly (CMS) of silk proteins with glycerol and calcium ions. The prepared silk films present outstanding mechanical properties, controlled enzymatic biodegradability, low in vitro cytotoxicity, and good in vivo biocompatibility. Notably, the films fabricated using this method can achieve a high toughness of 64±5 MJ/m³ with a stretchability of 594±31%. The approach introduced in this work provides a facile route toward making silk-based materials with superior properties. It also paves new avenues for developing functional protein-based materials with precisely controlled structures and properties for various applications.

Phosphorylated STYK1 restrains the inhibitory role of EGFR in autophagy initiation and EGFR-TKIs sensitivity

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays critical roles in cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Autophagy has emerged as a potential mechanism involved in the acquired resistance to anti-EGFR treatments, however, the molecular mechanisms has not been fully addressed. In this study, we identified EGFR interacts with STYK1, a positive autophagy regulator, in EGFR kinase activity dependent manner. We found that EGFR phosphorylates STYK1 at Y356 site and STYK1 inhibits activated EGFR mediated Beclin1 tyrosine phosphorylation and interaction between Bcl2 and Beclin1, thus enhances PtdIns3K-C1 complex assembly and autophagy initiation. We also demonstrated that STYK1 depletion increased the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to EGFR-TKIs in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, EGFR-TKIs induced activation of AMPK phosphorylates STYK1 at S304 site. STYK1 S304 collaborated with Y356 phosphorylation to enhance the EGFR-STYK1 interaction and reverse the inhibitory effects of EGFR to autophagy flux. Collectively, these data revealed new roles and cross-talk between STYK1 and EGFR in autophagy regulation and EGFR-TKIs sensitivity in NSCLC.

[Effects of cinepazide maleate injection on blood pressure in patients with acute ischemic stroke and hypertension]

Objective: To investigate the blood pressure change in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and hypertension treated with cinepazide maleate injection. Methods: This was a subgroup analysis of post-marketing clinical confirmation study of cinepazide maleate injection for acute ischemic stroke: a randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, placebo-parallel controlled trial, which conducted in China from August 2016 to February 2019. Eligible patients fulfilled the inclusive criteria of acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of 7-25. The primary endpoints were mean blood pressure of AIS patients treated with cinepazide maleate or control, which were assessed during the treatment period (14 days), and the proportion of the patients with normal blood pressure was analyzed after the treatment period. Furthermore, a subgroup analysis was performed to investigate a possible effect of the history of hypertension on outcomes. Results: This analysis included 809 patients with hypertension. There was no significant difference in patients blood pressure and the proportion of patients with normal blood pressure (60.5% vs. 59.0%,P>0.05) between cinepazide maleate group and control group. Conclusion: Administration of cinepazide maleate injection does not affect the management of clinical blood pressure in patients with AIS.

[To highlight the evidence-based medical imaging clinical appropriateness (EB-MICA􀳏)]

The appropriate application of medical imaging is a major concern of our nation in recent years. In the year of 2020, we proposed the concept of Evidence-based Medical Imaging Clinical Appropriateness (EB-MICA^®). We preliminary evaluated the value of different kinds of medical imaging in clinical practice. A series of work had be applied in the stage of medical imaging application. It has decreased the cost of patients and medical insurance and improved the medical efficiency, providing key clues for medical policy makers objectively. It is also an important opportunity for the transformation of medical model towards the "value-based model". In the concern of appropriate medical imaging for patients with tinnitus, hearing loss and (or) vertigo, IgG4-related disease in clinical practice, experts in related academic group wrote and published three EB-MICA consensuses as reference. This work keeps promoting rational utilization of medical resource and improving the quality of clinical decision-making.

DNA methylation-mediated expression of zinc finger protein 615 affects embryonic development in Bombyx mori

Cell division and differentiation after egg fertilization are critical steps in the development of embryos from single cells to multicellular individuals and are regulated by DNA methylation via its effects on gene expression. However, the mechanisms by which DNA methylation regulates these processes in insects remain unclear. Here, we studied the impacts of DNA methylation on early embryonic development in Bombyxmori. Genome methylation and transcriptome analysis of early embryos showed that DNA methylation events mainly occurred in the 5' region of protein metabolism-related genes. The transcription factor gene zincfingerprotein615 (ZnF615) was methylated by DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) to be up-regulated and bind to protein metabolism-related genes. Dnmt1 RNA interference (RNAi) revealed that DNA methylation mainly regulated the expression of nonmethylated nutrient metabolism-related genes through ZnF615. The same sites in the ZnF615 gene were methylated in ovaries and embryos. Knockout of ZnF615 using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing decreased the hatching rate and egg number to levels similar to that of Dnmt1 knockout. Analysis of the ZnF615 methylation rate revealed that the DNA methylation pattern in the parent ovary was maintained and doubled in the offspring embryo. Thus, Dnmt1-mediated intragenic DNA methylation of the transcription factor ZnF615 enhances its expression to ensure ovarian and embryonic development.

Covalent Organic Frameworks for Carbon Dioxide Capture from Air

We report the first covalent incorporation of reactive aliphatic amine species into covalent organic frameworks (COFs). This was achieved through the crystallization of an imine-linked COF, termed COF-609-Im, followed by conversion of its imine linkage to base-stable tetrahydroquinoline linkage through aza-Diels-Alder cycloaddition, and finally, the covalent incorporation of tris(3-aminopropyl)amine into the framework. The obtained COF-609 exhibits a 1360-fold increase in CO₂ uptake capacity compared to the pristine framework and a further 29% enhancement in the presence of humidity. We confirmed the chemistry of framework conversion and corroborated the enhanced CO₂ uptake phenomenon with and without humidity through isotope-labeled Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. With this study, we established a new synthetic strategy to access a class of chemisorbents characterized by high affinity to CO₂ in dilute sources, such as the air.

[Experimental study of dopamine ameliorating the inflammatory damage of olfactory bulb in mice with allergic rhinitis]

Objective: To investigate the effects of dopamine on olfactory function and inflammatory injury of olfactory bulb in mice with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods: AR mouse model was established by using ovalbumin (OVA), and the mice were divided into two groups: olfactory dysfunction (OD) group and without OD group through buried food pellet test (BFPT). The OD mice were randomly divided into 2 groups, and OVA combined with dopamine (3, 6, 9 and 12 days, respectively) or OVA combined with an equal amount of PBS (the same treatment time) was administered nasally. The olfactory function of mice was evaluated by BFPT. The number of eosinophils and goblet cells in the nasal mucosa were detected by HE and PAS staining. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry or immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of olfactory marker protein (OMP) in olfactory epithelium, the important rate-limiting enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) of dopamine, and the marker proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and CD11b of glial cell in the olfactory bulb. TUNEL staining was used to detect the damage of the olfactory bulb. SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: AR mice with OD had AR pathological characteristics. Compared with AR mice without OD, the expression of OMP in olfactory epithelium of AR mice with OD was reduced (F=26.09, P<0.05), the expression of GFAP and CD11b in the olfactory bulb was increased (F value was 38.95 and 71.71, respectively, both P<0.05), and the expression of TH in the olfactory bulb was decreased (F=77.00, P<0.05). Nasal administration of dopamine could shorten the time of food globule detection in mice to a certain extent, down-regulate the expression of GFAP and CD11b in the olfactory bulb (F value was 6.55 and 46.11, respectively, both P<0.05), and reduce the number of apoptotic cells in the olfactory bulb (F=25.64, P<0.05). But dopamine had no significant effect on the number of eosinophils and goblet cells in nasal mucosa (F value was 36.26 and 19.38, respectively, both P>0.05), and had no significant effect on the expression of OMP in the olfactory epithelium (F=55.27, P>0.05). Conclusion: Dopamine can improve olfactory function in mice with AR to a certain extent, possibly because of inhibiting the activation of glial cells in olfactory bulb and reducing the apoptotic injury of olfactory bulb cells.

Dynamic transcriptome analysis of Bombyx mori embryonic development

Bombyx mori has been extensively studied but the gene expression control of its embryonic development is unclear. In this study, we performed transcriptome profiling of six stages of B. mori embryonic development using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). A total of 12 894 transcripts were obtained from the embryos. Of these, 12 456 transcripts were shared among the six stages, namely, fertilized egg, blastoderm, germ-band, organogenesis, reversal period, and youth period stages. There were 111, 48, 41, 54, 77, and 107 transcripts specifically expressed during the six stages, respectively. By analyzing weighted gene correlation networks and differently expressed genes, we found that during embryonic development, many genes related to DNA replication, transcription, protein synthesis, and epigenetic modifications were upregulated in the early embryos. Genes of cuticle proteins, chitin synthesis-related proteins, and neuropeptides were more abundant in the late embryos. Although pathways of juvenile hormone and the ecdysteroid 20-hydroxyecdysone, and transcription factors were expressed throughout the embryonic development stages, more regulatory pathways were highly expressed around the organogenesis stage, suggesting more gene expression for organogenesis. The results of RNA-seq were confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of 16 genes of different pathways. Nucleic acid methylation and seven sites in histone H3 modifications were confirmed by dot blot and western blot. This study increases the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the embryonic developmental process and information on the regulation of B. mori development.

Umbilical Cord Blood Mononuclear Cell Treatment for Neonatal Rats With Hypoxic Ischemia

Background

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) occurs when an infant’s brain has not received adequate oxygen and blood supply, resulting in ischemic and hypoxic damage. Currently, supportive care and hypothermia therapy have been the standard treatment for HIE. However, there are still over 20% of treated infants died and 19–30% survived with significant disability. HIE animal model was first established by Rice et al., involving the ligation of one common carotid artery followed by hypoxia. In this study, we investigated human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) and its two components mononuclear cell (MNC) and red cell fraction (RCF) in both short and long term study using a modified HIE rat model.

Methods

In this modified HIE model, both common carotid arteries were occluded, breathing 8% oxygen in a hypoxic chamber for 60-min, followed by the release of the common carotid arteries ligature, mimicking reperfusion injury. For cell therapeutic study, cells were intravenously injected to HIE rat pups, and both behavioral and histological changes were assessed at selected time points.

Result

Statistically significant behavioral improvements were demonstrated on Day 7 and 1 month between saline treated HIE rats and UCB/MNC treated rats. However, at 3 months, the therapeutic improvements were only showed between saline treated HIE animals and MNC treated HIE rats. For histological analysis 1 month after cell injection, the number of functional neurons were statistically increased between saline treated HIE and UCB/MNC/RCF treated HIE rats. At 3 months, the significant increase in functional neurons was only present in MNC treated HIE rats.

Conclusion

We have used a bilateral temporary occlusion of 60 min, a moderately brain damaged model, for cell therapeutic studies. HUCB mononuclear cell (MNC) therapy showed benefits in neonatal HIE rats in both short and long term behavioral and histological assessments.

Processing-Structure-Properties Relationships of Glycerol-Plasticized Silk Films

Silk possesses excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility due to its unique protein sequences and hierarchical structures. Thus, it has been widely used as a biomaterial in a broad spectrum of biomedical applications. In this study, an in-depth investigation of glycerol-plasticized silk films was carried out to understand the processing-structure-properties relationships. A series of glycerol-plasticized silk films with glycerol contents in the range of 0 to 30% (w/w) were prepared. The molecular structures and organizations of silk proteins and the interactions between glycerol and proteins were studied using FTIR, XRD, and DSC. At a low glycerol content (<12%), DSC revealed that the glass transition temperature and thermally induced crystallization temperature decreased as the glycerol content increased, implying that glycerol mainly interacts with silk proteins through hydrogen bonding. As the glycerol content further increased, the chain mobility of the silk proteins was promoted, leading to the formation of β-sheet structures, water insolubility, and increased crystallinity. In addition, the stretchability and toughness of the films were significantly enhanced. The role of glycerol as a plasticizer in regulating the silk protein structures and determining the properties of the films was thoroughly discussed.

Carbon Dioxide Capture Chemistry of Amino Acid Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks in Humid Flue Gas

Metal-organic framework-808 has been functionalized with 11 amino acids (AA) to produce a series of MOF-808-AA structures. The adsorption of CO₂ under flue gas conditions revealed that glycine- and dl-lysine-functionalized MOF-808 (MOF-808-Gly and -dl-Lys) have the highest uptake capacities. Enhanced CO₂ capture performance in the presence of water was observed and studied by using single-component sorption isotherms, CO₂/H₂O binary isotherm, and dynamic breakthrough measurements. The key to the favorable performance was uncovered by deciphering the mechanism of CO₂ capture in the pores and attributed to the formation of bicarbonate as evidenced by ¹³C and ¹⁵N solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies. On the basis of these results, we examined the performance of MOF-808-Gly in simulated coal flue gas conditions and found that it is possible to capture and release CO₂ by vacuum swing adsorption. MOF-808-Gly was cycled at least 80 times with full retention of performance. This study significantly advances our understanding of CO₂ chemistry in MOFs by revealing how strongly bound amine moieties to the MOF backbone create the chemistry and environment within the pores, leading to the binding and release of CO₂ under mild conditions without application of heat.