Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are considered highly promising as next-generation energy storage systems due to high theoretical capacity(2600 Wh kg^(-1))and energy density(1675 mA h g^(-1))as well as the abundant natu...Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are considered highly promising as next-generation energy storage systems due to high theoretical capacity(2600 Wh kg^(-1))and energy density(1675 mA h g^(-1))as well as the abundant natural reserves,low cost of elemental sulfur,and environmentally friendly properties.However,several challenges impede its commercialization including low conductivity of sulfur itself,the severe“shuttle effect”caused by lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)during charge–discharge processes,volume expansion effects and sluggish reaction kinetics.As a solution,polar metal particles and their compounds have been introduced as the main hosts for sulfur cathode due to their robust catalytic activity and adsorption capability,effectively suppressing the“shuttle effect”of Li PSs.Bimetallic alloys and their compounds with multi-functional properties exhibit remarkable electrochemical performance more readily when compared to single-metal materials.Well-designed bimetallic materials demonstrate larger specific surface areas and richer active sites,enabling simultaneous high adsorption capability and strong catalytic properties.The synergistic effect of the“adsorption-catalysis”sites accelerates the adsorptiondiffusion-conversion process of Li PSs,ultimately achieving a long-lasting Li-S battery.Herein,the latest progress and performance of bimetallic materials in cathodes,separators,and interlayers of Li-S batteries are systematically reviewed.Firstly,the principles and challenges of Li-S batteries are briefly analyzed.Then,various mechanisms for suppressing“shuttle effects”of Li PSs are emphasized at the microscale.Subsequently,the performance parameters of various bimetallic materials are comprehensively summarized,and some improvement strategies are proposed based on these findings.Finally,the future prospects of bimetallic materials are discussed,with the hope of providing profound insights for the rational design and manufacturing of high-performance bimetallic materials for LSBs.展开更多
Background Intestinal barrier is a dynamic interface between the body and the ingested food components, however, dietary components or xenobiotics could compromise intestinal integrity, causing health risks to the hos...Background Intestinal barrier is a dynamic interface between the body and the ingested food components, however, dietary components or xenobiotics could compromise intestinal integrity, causing health risks to the host. Gossypol, a toxic component in cottonseed meal(CSM), caused intestinal injury in fish or other monogastric animals. It has been demonstrated that probiotics administration benefits the intestinal barrier integrity, but the efficacy of probiotics in maintaining intestinal health when the host is exposed to gossypol remains unclear. Here, a strain(YC) affiliated to Pediococcus pentosaceus was isolated from the gut of Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus) and its potential to repair gossypol-induced intestinal damage was evaluated.Results A total of 270 Nile tilapia(2.20 ± 0.02 g) were allotted in 3 groups with 3 tanks each and fed with 3 diets including CON(control diet), GOS(control diet containing 300 mg/kg gossypol) and GP(control diet containing 300 mg/kg gossypol and 10^(8) colony-forming unit(CFU)/g P. pentosaceus YC), respectively. After 10 weeks, addition of P. pentosaceus YC restored growth retardation and intestinal injury induced by gossypol in Nile tilapia. Transcriptome analysis and si RNA interference experiments demonstrated that NOD-like receptors(NLR) family caspase recruitment domain(CARD) domain containing 3(Nlrc3) inhibition might promote intestinal stem cell(ISC) proliferation, as well as maintaining gut barrier integrity. 16S r RNA sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) revealed that addition of P. pentosaceus YC altered the composition of gut microbiota and increased the content of propionate in fish gut. In vitro studies on propionate's function demonstrated that it suppressed nlrc3 expression and promoted wound healing in Caco-2 cell model.Conclusions The present study reveals that P. pentosaceus YC has the capacity to ameliorate intestinal barrier injury by modulating gut microbiota composition and elevating propionate level. This finding offers a promising strategy for the feed industry to incorporate cottonseed meal into fish feed formulations.展开更多
Inhibiting the death receptor 3(DR3)signaling pathway in group 3 innate lymphoid cells(ILC3s)presents a promising approach for promoting mucosal repair in individuals with ulcerative colitis(UC).Paeoniflorin,a promine...Inhibiting the death receptor 3(DR3)signaling pathway in group 3 innate lymphoid cells(ILC3s)presents a promising approach for promoting mucosal repair in individuals with ulcerative colitis(UC).Paeoniflorin,a prominent component of Paeonia lactiflora Pall.,has demonstrated the ability to restore barrier function in UC mice,but the precise mechanism remains unclear.In this study,we aimed to delve into whether paeoniflorin may promote intestinal mucosal repair in chronic colitis by inhibiting DR3 signaling in ILC3s.C57BL/6 mice were subjected to random allocation into 7 distinct groups,namely the control group,the 2%dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)group,the paeoniflorin groups(25,50,and 100 mg/kg),the anti-tumor necrosis factor-like ligand 1A(anti-TL1A)antibody group,and the IgG group.We detected the expression of DR3 signaling pathway proteins and the proportion of ILC3s in the mouse colon using Western blot and flow cytometry,respectively.Meanwhile,DR3-overexpressing MNK-3 cells and 2%DSS-induced Rag1^(-/-)mice were used for verification.The results showed that paeoniflorin alleviated DSS-induced chronic colitis and repaired the intestinal mucosal barrier.Simultaneously,paeoniflorin inhibited the DR3 signaling pathway in ILC3s and regulated the content of cytokines(interleukin-17A,granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor,and interleukin-22).Alternatively,paeoniflorin directly inhibited the DR3 signaling pathway in ILC3s to repair mucosal damage independently of the adaptive immune system.We additionally confirmed that paeoniflorin-conditioned medium(CM)restored the expression of tight junctions in Caco-2 cells via coculture.In conclusion,paeoniflorin ameliorates chronic colitis by enhancing the intestinal barrier in an ILC3-dependent manner,and its mechanism is associated with the inhibition of the DR3 signaling pathway.展开更多
Despite achieving a high cure rate with the direct-acting antivirals(DAAs)in hepatitis C treatment,further research is needed to identify additional benefits of the DAA therapy.The current study evaluated liver fibros...Despite achieving a high cure rate with the direct-acting antivirals(DAAs)in hepatitis C treatment,further research is needed to identify additional benefits of the DAA therapy.The current study evaluated liver fibrosis improvement in 848 hepatitis C patients treated with DAAs,who also achieved sustained virologic response.By the fibrosis-4(FIB-4)index,patients were categorized based on their baseline fibrosis levels,and the improvement in fibrosis was analyzed in both short-term(9-26 weeks)and long-term(≥36 weeks)follow-up.The results showed a significant decrease in the FIB-4 index,indicating an improvement in liver fibrosis,in 63.0%and 67.6%of the patients during the short-term and long-term follow-up,respectively.Short-term improvement was associated with factors including ribavirin usage,blood cholinesterase levels,alanine transaminase levels,albumin levels,and the baseline FIB-4 index,while long-term improvement was associated with factors such as aspartate transaminase levels,total protein level,and the baseline FIB-4 index.The current study emphasizes the importance of continuous assessment and post-treatment monitoring of liver fibrosis,which will provide crucial insights for enhancing patient care in hepatitis C management.展开更多
Potassium(K) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development and influences yield and quality of agricultural crops.Maize(Zea mays) is one of the most widely distributed crops worldwide.In China,althoug...Potassium(K) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development and influences yield and quality of agricultural crops.Maize(Zea mays) is one of the most widely distributed crops worldwide.In China,although maize consumes a large amount of K fertilizer,the K uptake/utilization efficiency(KUE)of maize cultivars is relatively low.Elucidation of KUE mechanisms and development of maize cultivars with higher KUE are needed.Maize KUE is determined by K+uptake,transport,and remobilization,which depend on a variety of K+channels and transporters.We review basic information about K+channels and transporters in maize,their functions and regulation,and the roles of K+in nitrogen transport,sugar transport,and salt tolerance.We discuss challenges and prospects for maize KUE improvement.展开更多
Background Soybean(Glycine max)meal is one of the important protein sources for fish,but the non-starch polysaccharides(NSP)in soybean meal impair the intestinal barrier function.Here we aimed to investigate whether x...Background Soybean(Glycine max)meal is one of the important protein sources for fish,but the non-starch polysaccharides(NSP)in soybean meal impair the intestinal barrier function.Here we aimed to investigate whether xylanase can alleviate the adverse effects on the gut barrier induced by soybean meal in Nile tilapia and to explore the possible mechanism.Results Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)(4.09±0.02 g)were fed with two diets including SM(soybean meal)and SMC(soybean meal+3,000 U/kg xylanase)for 8 weeks.We characterized the effects of xylanase on the gut barrier,and the transcriptome analysis was performed to investigate the underlying mechanism.Dietary xylanase improved intestinal morphology and decreased the concentration of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)in serum.The results of transcriptome and Western blotting showed that dietary xylanase up-regulated the expression level of mucin2(MUC2)which may be related to the inhibition of protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(perk)/activating transcription factor 4(atf4)signaling pathways.Microbiome analysis showed that addition of xylanase in soybean meal altered the intestinal microbiota composition and increased the concentration of butyric acid in the gut.Notably,dietary sodium butyrate was supplemented into the soybean meal diet to feed Nile tilapia,and the data verified that sodium butyrate mirrored the beneficial effects of xylanase.Conclusions Collectively,supplementation of xylanase in soybean meal altered the intestinal microbiota composition and increased the content of butyric acid which can repress the perk/atf4 signaling pathway and increase the expression of muc2 to enhance the gut barrier function of Nile tilapia.The present study reveals the mechanism by which xylanase improves the intestinal barrier,and it also provides a theoretical basis for the application of xylanase in aquaculture.展开更多
<strong>Objectives:</strong> To control the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic, it is meaningful to improve the home quarantine ability and home-quarantine compliancy of patients released from medica...<strong>Objectives:</strong> To control the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic, it is meaningful to improve the home quarantine ability and home-quarantine compliancy of patients released from medical isolation, and to prevent cross-contamination. This study aimed to up protocols for COVID-19 patients released from medical isolation. <strong>Methods:</strong> A total of 35 patients discharged from the isolation ward of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Sun Yat-sen University from January 22, 2020 to February 18, 2020 were included. The patients received health education through discharge preparation, education leaflets and videos. The patients were followed up on the 2nd, 7th and 14th day after discharge through WeChat and phone call. On the 2nd and 14th day after discharge, the patients completed the knowledge assessment, self-perceived burden survey and satisfaction survey using a self-made home quarantine knowledge paper. <strong>Results:</strong> There were statistical differences in the knowledge and understanding of home quarantine and self-perceived burden between the 2nd day and 14th day after home quarantine (P < 0.05). The completion rate of home quarantine was 94.3%, and the satisfaction rate was 96.7%. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> By improving the discharge preparation, conducting in-time follow-up after discharge via WeChat and phone call, and performing multi-channel health education, the follow-up researchers could help the patients perform a more effective home quarantine, which could effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19 epidemic.展开更多
Elderly patients with systemic disseminated <em>Penicillium marneffei </em>are generally more seriously ill with high mortality. In addition to clear diagnosis and timely treatment, careful nursing through...Elderly patients with systemic disseminated <em>Penicillium marneffei </em>are generally more seriously ill with high mortality. In addition to clear diagnosis and timely treatment, careful nursing throughout the hospitalization is particularly important for the patient’s recovery. Psychological nursing and family emotional support, the treatment of adverse drug reactions, systemic infection wound care, the prevention of pressure sores in long-term bedridden patients, antithrombotic nursing, disinfection isolation and the standard prevention of nosocomial cross infection all play decisive roles in the patient’s prognosis. After one month treatment and medical care, the patient was cured and was discharged from hospital. After discharge, the patient follow-up was carried out up to one year. This patient had completely recovered. In this paper, we report a successful nursing experience of an elderly patient with systemic disseminated <em>Penicillium marneffei.</em> With the summary of nursing key points, it could play a reference in the treatment and rehabilitation of similar patients.展开更多
Apricots,scientifically known as Prunus armeniaca L,are drupes that resemble and are closely related to peaches or plums.As one of the top consumed fruits,apricots are widely grown worldwide except in Antarctica.A hig...Apricots,scientifically known as Prunus armeniaca L,are drupes that resemble and are closely related to peaches or plums.As one of the top consumed fruits,apricots are widely grown worldwide except in Antarctica.A high-quality reference genome for apricot is still unavailable,which has become a handicap that has dramatically limited the elucidation of the associations of phenotypes with the genetic background,evolutionary diversity,and population diversity in apricot.DNA from P.armeniaca was used to generate a standard,size-selected library with an average DNA fragment size of~20 kb.The library was run on Sequel SMRT Cells,generating a total of 16.54 Gb of PacBio subreads(N50=13.55 kb).The high-quality P.armeniaca reference genome presented here was assembled using long-read single-molecule sequencing at approximately 70×coverage and 171×Illumina reads(40.46 Gb),combined with a genetic map for chromosome scaffolding.The assembled genome size was 221.9 Mb,with a contig NG50 size of 1.02 Mb.Scaffolds covering 92.88%of the assembled genome were anchored on eight chromosomes.Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs analysis showed 98.0%complete genes.We predicted 30,436 protein-coding genes,and 38.28%of the genome was predicted to be repetitive.We found 981 contracted gene families,1324 expanded gene families and 2300 apricot-specific genes.The differentially expressed gene(DEG)analysis indicated that a change in the expression of the 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase(NCED)gene but not lycopene beta-cyclase(LcyB)gene results in a lowβ-carotenoid content in the white cultivar“Dabaixing”.This complete and highly contiguous P.armeniaca reference genome will be of help for future studies of resistance to plum pox virus(PPV)and the identification and characterization of important agronomic genes and breeding strategies in apricot.展开更多
Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)is a kind of mental disorder caused by severe traumatic events.It has a high incidence,a serious of impacts on the physical and mental health of patients.Especially in the current s...Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)is a kind of mental disorder caused by severe traumatic events.It has a high incidence,a serious of impacts on the physical and mental health of patients.Especially in the current situation of COVID-19,the researches on PTSD are particularly important,but the choice of drugs available for PTSD is limited and it is often accompanied by adverse reactions.In the field of acupuncture,there are many clinical research evidences suggested that PTSD is a predominant disease of acupuncture.However,its action mechanisms have not been fully elucidated,so the possible mechanisms of acupuncture in treating PTSD were discussed.展开更多
Salient detection approaches mainly use single local cues or global cues as its inputs features to detect salient objects,which are sensitive to complex background,so the effect of detection were not satisfactory.In t...Salient detection approaches mainly use single local cues or global cues as its inputs features to detect salient objects,which are sensitive to complex background,so the effect of detection were not satisfactory.In this paper,we investigate the traits of saliency detection and observed the two following facts:Firstly,high-level saliency cues achieve better saliency detection results than low-level saliency cues.Secondly,multi-difference cues achieve better saliency detection results than single difference cues.Based on deeply analysis,we proposed an image saliency detection algorithm through high level multi-difference cues(HMDS).By using multi-difference,not only HMDS could remove the non-salient region effectively,but also it could enhance the pixel value of salient region at the same time.In order to evaluate the performance of HMDS,the proposed method is compared with seven state-of-the-art algorithms on five popular datasets.The final experimental results show that the proposed method performs effectiveness,and will have a perfect application prospect.展开更多
Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease driven by the aberrant activation of dendritic cells(DCs)and T cells,ultimately leading to increased production of cytokines such as interleukin(IL)-23 and IL-17...Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease driven by the aberrant activation of dendritic cells(DCs)and T cells,ultimately leading to increased production of cytokines such as interleukin(IL)-23 and IL-17A.It is established that the cGAS-STING pathway is essential for psoriatic inflammation,however,the specific role of cGAS-STING signaling in DCs within this context remains unclear.In this study,we demonstrated the upregulation of cGAS-STING signaling in psoriatic lesions by analyzing samples from both clinical patients and imiquimod(IMQ)-treated mice.Using a conditional Sting-knockout transgenic mouse model,we elucidated the impact of cGAS-STING signaling in DCs on the activation of IL-17-and IFN-γ-producing T cells in psoriatic inflammation.Ablation of the Sting hampers DC activation leads to decreased numbers of IL-17-producing T cells and Th1 cells,and thus subsequently attenuates psoriatic inflammation in the IMQ-induced mouse model.Furthermore,we explored the therapeutic potential of the STING inhibitor C-176,which reduces psoriatic inflammation and enhances the anti-IL-17A therapeutic response.Our results underscore the critical role of cGAS-STING signaling in DCs in driving psoriatic inflammation and highlight a promising psoriasis treatment.展开更多
Immunotherapy has shown robust efficacy in treating a broad spectrum of hematological and solid cancers.Despite the transformative impact of immunotherapy on cancer treatment,several outstanding challenges remain.Thes...Immunotherapy has shown robust efficacy in treating a broad spectrum of hematological and solid cancers.Despite the transformative impact of immunotherapy on cancer treatment,several outstanding challenges remain.These challenges include on-target off-tumor toxicity,systemic toxicity,and the complexity of achieving potent and sustainable therapeutic efficacy.Synthetic biology has emerged as a promising approach to overcome these obstacles,offering innovative tools for engineering living cells with customized functions.This review provides an overview of the current landscape and future prospects of cancer immunotherapy,particularly emphasizing the role of synthetic biology in augmenting its specificity,controllability,and efficacy.We delineate and discuss two principal synthetic biology strategies:those targeting tumor surface antigens with engineered immune cells and those detecting intratumoral disease signatures with engineered gene circuits.This review concludes with a forwardlooking perspective on the enduring challenges in cancer immunotherapy and the potential breakthroughs that synthetic biology may contribute to the field.展开更多
Polyamines have been discovered for hundreds of years and once considered as a class of phytohormones.Polyamines play critical roles in a range of developmental processes.However,the molecular mechanisms of polyamine ...Polyamines have been discovered for hundreds of years and once considered as a class of phytohormones.Polyamines play critical roles in a range of developmental processes.However,the molecular mechanisms of polyamine signaling pathways remain poorly understood.Here,we measured the contents of main types of polyamines,and found that endogenous level of thermospermine(T-Spm)in Arabidopsis thaliana is comparable to those of classic phytohormones and is significantly lower than those of putrescine(Put),spermidine(Spd),and spermine(Spm).We further found a nodule-like structure around the junction area connecting the shoot and root of the T-Spm biosynthetic mutant acl5 and obtained more than 50 suppressors of acl5 nodule structure(san)through suppressor screening.An in-depth study of two san suppressors revealed that NAP57 and NOP56,core components of box H/ACA and C/D snoRNPs,were essential for T-Spm-mediated nodule-like structure formation and plant height.Furthermore,analyses of rRNA modifications showed that the overall levels of pseudouridylation and 2′-O-methylation were compromised in san1 and san2 respectively.Taken together,these results establish a strong genetic relationship between rRNA modification and T-Spm-mediated growth and development,which was previously undiscovered in all organisms.展开更多
Dear Editor,The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas(CRISPR-Cas)systems,including type II Cas9 and type V Cas12 systems,which serve in the adaptive immunity of prokaryotes against viruses,have...Dear Editor,The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas(CRISPR-Cas)systems,including type II Cas9 and type V Cas12 systems,which serve in the adaptive immunity of prokaryotes against viruses,have been developed into genome-editing tools(Anzalone et al.,2020;Doudna,2020).Compared with type II systems,the type V systems including V-A to V-K showed more functional diversity(Yan et al.,2019).Amongst them,Cas12i has a relatively smaller size(1,033-1,093 aa),compared to SpCas9 and Cas12a,and has a 5'-TTN protospacer adjacent motif(PAM)preference(Yan et al.,2019).展开更多
Approximately 140 million people worldwide are homozygous carriers of APOE4(ε4),a strong genetic risk factor for late onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease(AD),91%of whom will develop AD at earlier age tha...Approximately 140 million people worldwide are homozygous carriers of APOE4(ε4),a strong genetic risk factor for late onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease(AD),91%of whom will develop AD at earlier age than heterozygous carriers and noncarriers.Susceptibility to AD could be reduced by targeted editing of APOE4,but a technical basis for controlling the off-target effects of base editors is necessary to develop low-risk personalized gene therapies.Here,we first screened eight cytosine base editor variants at four injection stages(from 1-to 8-cell stage),and found that FNLS-YE1 variant in 8-cell embryos achieved the comparable base conversion rate(up to 100%)with the lowest bystander effects.In particular,80%of AD-susceptibleε4 allele copies were converted to the AD-neutralε3 allele in humanε4-carrying embryos.Stringent control measures combined with targeted deep sequencing,whole genome sequencing,and RNA sequencing showed no DNA or RNA off-target events in FNLS-YE1-treated human embryos or their derived stem cells.Furthermore,base editing with FNLS-YE1 showed no effects on embryo development to the blastocyst stage.Finally,we also demonstrated FNLS-YE1 could introduce known protective variants in human embryos to potentially reduce human susceptivity to systemic lupus erythematosus and familial hypercholesterolemia.Our study therefore suggests that base editing with FNLS-YE1 can efficiently and safely introduce known preventive variants in 8-cell human embryos,a potential approach for reducing human susceptibility to AD or other genetic diseases.展开更多
In response to escalating challenges in energy conservation and emission reduction,this study delves into the complexities of heat transfer in two-phase flows and adjustments to combustion processes within coal-fired ...In response to escalating challenges in energy conservation and emission reduction,this study delves into the complexities of heat transfer in two-phase flows and adjustments to combustion processes within coal-fired boilers.Utilizing a fusion of hybrid modeling and automation technologies,we develop soft measurement models for key combustion parameters,such as the net calorific value of coal,flue gas oxygen content,and fly ash carbon content,within theDistributedControl System(DCS).Validated with performance test data,thesemodels exhibit controlled root mean square error(RMSE)and maximum absolute error(MAXE)values,both within the range of 0.203.Integrated into their respective automatic control systems,thesemodels optimize two-phase flow heat transfer,finetune combustion conditions,and mitigate incomplete combustion.Furthermore,this paper conducts an in-depth exploration of the generationmechanismof nitrogen oxides(NOx)and low oxygen emission reduction technology in coal-fired boilers,demonstrating a substantial reduction in furnace exit NOx generation by 30%to 40%and the power supply coal consumption decreased by 1.62 g/(kW h).The research outcomes highlight the model’s rapid responsiveness,enabling prompt reflection of transient variations in various economic indicator parameters.This provides a more effective means for real-time monitoring of crucial variables in coal-fired boilers and facilitates timely combustion adjustments,underscoring notable achievements in boiler combustion.The research not only provides valuable and practical insights into the intricacies of two-phase flow heat transfer and heat exchange but also establishes a pioneering methodology for tackling industry challenges.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52203066,51973157,61904123)the Tianjin Natural Science Foundation (18JCQNJC02900)+3 种基金National innovation and entrepreneurship training program for college students (202310058007)Tianjin Municipal college students’innovation and entrepreneurship training program (202310058088)the Science&Technology Development Fund of Tianjin Education Commission for Higher Education (Grant No.2018KJ196)State Key Laboratory of Membrane and Membrane Separation,Tiangong University。
文摘Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are considered highly promising as next-generation energy storage systems due to high theoretical capacity(2600 Wh kg^(-1))and energy density(1675 mA h g^(-1))as well as the abundant natural reserves,low cost of elemental sulfur,and environmentally friendly properties.However,several challenges impede its commercialization including low conductivity of sulfur itself,the severe“shuttle effect”caused by lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)during charge–discharge processes,volume expansion effects and sluggish reaction kinetics.As a solution,polar metal particles and their compounds have been introduced as the main hosts for sulfur cathode due to their robust catalytic activity and adsorption capability,effectively suppressing the“shuttle effect”of Li PSs.Bimetallic alloys and their compounds with multi-functional properties exhibit remarkable electrochemical performance more readily when compared to single-metal materials.Well-designed bimetallic materials demonstrate larger specific surface areas and richer active sites,enabling simultaneous high adsorption capability and strong catalytic properties.The synergistic effect of the“adsorption-catalysis”sites accelerates the adsorptiondiffusion-conversion process of Li PSs,ultimately achieving a long-lasting Li-S battery.Herein,the latest progress and performance of bimetallic materials in cathodes,separators,and interlayers of Li-S batteries are systematically reviewed.Firstly,the principles and challenges of Li-S batteries are briefly analyzed.Then,various mechanisms for suppressing“shuttle effects”of Li PSs are emphasized at the microscale.Subsequently,the performance parameters of various bimetallic materials are comprehensively summarized,and some improvement strategies are proposed based on these findings.Finally,the future prospects of bimetallic materials are discussed,with the hope of providing profound insights for the rational design and manufacturing of high-performance bimetallic materials for LSBs.
基金supported by the Provincial Science and Technology Innovative Program for Carbon Peak and Carbon neutrality of Jiangsu of China (BE2022422)National Natural Science Foundation of China (32373145)。
文摘Background Intestinal barrier is a dynamic interface between the body and the ingested food components, however, dietary components or xenobiotics could compromise intestinal integrity, causing health risks to the host. Gossypol, a toxic component in cottonseed meal(CSM), caused intestinal injury in fish or other monogastric animals. It has been demonstrated that probiotics administration benefits the intestinal barrier integrity, but the efficacy of probiotics in maintaining intestinal health when the host is exposed to gossypol remains unclear. Here, a strain(YC) affiliated to Pediococcus pentosaceus was isolated from the gut of Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus) and its potential to repair gossypol-induced intestinal damage was evaluated.Results A total of 270 Nile tilapia(2.20 ± 0.02 g) were allotted in 3 groups with 3 tanks each and fed with 3 diets including CON(control diet), GOS(control diet containing 300 mg/kg gossypol) and GP(control diet containing 300 mg/kg gossypol and 10^(8) colony-forming unit(CFU)/g P. pentosaceus YC), respectively. After 10 weeks, addition of P. pentosaceus YC restored growth retardation and intestinal injury induced by gossypol in Nile tilapia. Transcriptome analysis and si RNA interference experiments demonstrated that NOD-like receptors(NLR) family caspase recruitment domain(CARD) domain containing 3(Nlrc3) inhibition might promote intestinal stem cell(ISC) proliferation, as well as maintaining gut barrier integrity. 16S r RNA sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) revealed that addition of P. pentosaceus YC altered the composition of gut microbiota and increased the content of propionate in fish gut. In vitro studies on propionate's function demonstrated that it suppressed nlrc3 expression and promoted wound healing in Caco-2 cell model.Conclusions The present study reveals that P. pentosaceus YC has the capacity to ameliorate intestinal barrier injury by modulating gut microbiota composition and elevating propionate level. This finding offers a promising strategy for the feed industry to incorporate cottonseed meal into fish feed formulations.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.:82074092),Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,China(Grant No.:2021A1515012219)Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine“Double First-Class”and High-level University Discipline Collaborative Innovation Team Project,China(Grant No.:2021xk81) and Graduate Research Innovation Project of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine,China.
文摘Inhibiting the death receptor 3(DR3)signaling pathway in group 3 innate lymphoid cells(ILC3s)presents a promising approach for promoting mucosal repair in individuals with ulcerative colitis(UC).Paeoniflorin,a prominent component of Paeonia lactiflora Pall.,has demonstrated the ability to restore barrier function in UC mice,but the precise mechanism remains unclear.In this study,we aimed to delve into whether paeoniflorin may promote intestinal mucosal repair in chronic colitis by inhibiting DR3 signaling in ILC3s.C57BL/6 mice were subjected to random allocation into 7 distinct groups,namely the control group,the 2%dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)group,the paeoniflorin groups(25,50,and 100 mg/kg),the anti-tumor necrosis factor-like ligand 1A(anti-TL1A)antibody group,and the IgG group.We detected the expression of DR3 signaling pathway proteins and the proportion of ILC3s in the mouse colon using Western blot and flow cytometry,respectively.Meanwhile,DR3-overexpressing MNK-3 cells and 2%DSS-induced Rag1^(-/-)mice were used for verification.The results showed that paeoniflorin alleviated DSS-induced chronic colitis and repaired the intestinal mucosal barrier.Simultaneously,paeoniflorin inhibited the DR3 signaling pathway in ILC3s and regulated the content of cytokines(interleukin-17A,granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor,and interleukin-22).Alternatively,paeoniflorin directly inhibited the DR3 signaling pathway in ILC3s to repair mucosal damage independently of the adaptive immune system.We additionally confirmed that paeoniflorin-conditioned medium(CM)restored the expression of tight junctions in Caco-2 cells via coculture.In conclusion,paeoniflorin ameliorates chronic colitis by enhancing the intestinal barrier in an ILC3-dependent manner,and its mechanism is associated with the inhibition of the DR3 signaling pathway.
基金sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.82273691)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.BK20190106)+2 种基金the Nanjing Important Science&Technology Specific Projects(Grant No.2021-11005)the National Natural Youth Science Foundation of China(Grant No.81703273)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.
文摘Despite achieving a high cure rate with the direct-acting antivirals(DAAs)in hepatitis C treatment,further research is needed to identify additional benefits of the DAA therapy.The current study evaluated liver fibrosis improvement in 848 hepatitis C patients treated with DAAs,who also achieved sustained virologic response.By the fibrosis-4(FIB-4)index,patients were categorized based on their baseline fibrosis levels,and the improvement in fibrosis was analyzed in both short-term(9-26 weeks)and long-term(≥36 weeks)follow-up.The results showed a significant decrease in the FIB-4 index,indicating an improvement in liver fibrosis,in 63.0%and 67.6%of the patients during the short-term and long-term follow-up,respectively.Short-term improvement was associated with factors including ribavirin usage,blood cholinesterase levels,alanine transaminase levels,albumin levels,and the baseline FIB-4 index,while long-term improvement was associated with factors such as aspartate transaminase levels,total protein level,and the baseline FIB-4 index.The current study emphasizes the importance of continuous assessment and post-treatment monitoring of liver fibrosis,which will provide crucial insights for enhancing patient care in hepatitis C management.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFF1000500)National Natural Science Foundation of China (32025004, 32161133014, and31921001)Beijing Outstanding University Discipline Program。
文摘Potassium(K) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development and influences yield and quality of agricultural crops.Maize(Zea mays) is one of the most widely distributed crops worldwide.In China,although maize consumes a large amount of K fertilizer,the K uptake/utilization efficiency(KUE)of maize cultivars is relatively low.Elucidation of KUE mechanisms and development of maize cultivars with higher KUE are needed.Maize KUE is determined by K+uptake,transport,and remobilization,which depend on a variety of K+channels and transporters.We review basic information about K+channels and transporters in maize,their functions and regulation,and the roles of K+in nitrogen transport,sugar transport,and salt tolerance.We discuss challenges and prospects for maize KUE improvement.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2019YFE0115000).
文摘Background Soybean(Glycine max)meal is one of the important protein sources for fish,but the non-starch polysaccharides(NSP)in soybean meal impair the intestinal barrier function.Here we aimed to investigate whether xylanase can alleviate the adverse effects on the gut barrier induced by soybean meal in Nile tilapia and to explore the possible mechanism.Results Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)(4.09±0.02 g)were fed with two diets including SM(soybean meal)and SMC(soybean meal+3,000 U/kg xylanase)for 8 weeks.We characterized the effects of xylanase on the gut barrier,and the transcriptome analysis was performed to investigate the underlying mechanism.Dietary xylanase improved intestinal morphology and decreased the concentration of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)in serum.The results of transcriptome and Western blotting showed that dietary xylanase up-regulated the expression level of mucin2(MUC2)which may be related to the inhibition of protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(perk)/activating transcription factor 4(atf4)signaling pathways.Microbiome analysis showed that addition of xylanase in soybean meal altered the intestinal microbiota composition and increased the concentration of butyric acid in the gut.Notably,dietary sodium butyrate was supplemented into the soybean meal diet to feed Nile tilapia,and the data verified that sodium butyrate mirrored the beneficial effects of xylanase.Conclusions Collectively,supplementation of xylanase in soybean meal altered the intestinal microbiota composition and increased the content of butyric acid which can repress the perk/atf4 signaling pathway and increase the expression of muc2 to enhance the gut barrier function of Nile tilapia.The present study reveals the mechanism by which xylanase improves the intestinal barrier,and it also provides a theoretical basis for the application of xylanase in aquaculture.
文摘<strong>Objectives:</strong> To control the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic, it is meaningful to improve the home quarantine ability and home-quarantine compliancy of patients released from medical isolation, and to prevent cross-contamination. This study aimed to up protocols for COVID-19 patients released from medical isolation. <strong>Methods:</strong> A total of 35 patients discharged from the isolation ward of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Sun Yat-sen University from January 22, 2020 to February 18, 2020 were included. The patients received health education through discharge preparation, education leaflets and videos. The patients were followed up on the 2nd, 7th and 14th day after discharge through WeChat and phone call. On the 2nd and 14th day after discharge, the patients completed the knowledge assessment, self-perceived burden survey and satisfaction survey using a self-made home quarantine knowledge paper. <strong>Results:</strong> There were statistical differences in the knowledge and understanding of home quarantine and self-perceived burden between the 2nd day and 14th day after home quarantine (P < 0.05). The completion rate of home quarantine was 94.3%, and the satisfaction rate was 96.7%. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> By improving the discharge preparation, conducting in-time follow-up after discharge via WeChat and phone call, and performing multi-channel health education, the follow-up researchers could help the patients perform a more effective home quarantine, which could effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19 epidemic.
文摘Elderly patients with systemic disseminated <em>Penicillium marneffei </em>are generally more seriously ill with high mortality. In addition to clear diagnosis and timely treatment, careful nursing throughout the hospitalization is particularly important for the patient’s recovery. Psychological nursing and family emotional support, the treatment of adverse drug reactions, systemic infection wound care, the prevention of pressure sores in long-term bedridden patients, antithrombotic nursing, disinfection isolation and the standard prevention of nosocomial cross infection all play decisive roles in the patient’s prognosis. After one month treatment and medical care, the patient was cured and was discharged from hospital. After discharge, the patient follow-up was carried out up to one year. This patient had completely recovered. In this paper, we report a successful nursing experience of an elderly patient with systemic disseminated <em>Penicillium marneffei.</em> With the summary of nursing key points, it could play a reference in the treatment and rehabilitation of similar patients.
基金supported by the research of the National Key R&D Program of China(2018YFD1000606-4)the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Fund for Young Scholars(QNJJ201702,QNJJ201925)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31401836)the Municipal Natural Science Foundation of Beijing(6162012).
文摘Apricots,scientifically known as Prunus armeniaca L,are drupes that resemble and are closely related to peaches or plums.As one of the top consumed fruits,apricots are widely grown worldwide except in Antarctica.A high-quality reference genome for apricot is still unavailable,which has become a handicap that has dramatically limited the elucidation of the associations of phenotypes with the genetic background,evolutionary diversity,and population diversity in apricot.DNA from P.armeniaca was used to generate a standard,size-selected library with an average DNA fragment size of~20 kb.The library was run on Sequel SMRT Cells,generating a total of 16.54 Gb of PacBio subreads(N50=13.55 kb).The high-quality P.armeniaca reference genome presented here was assembled using long-read single-molecule sequencing at approximately 70×coverage and 171×Illumina reads(40.46 Gb),combined with a genetic map for chromosome scaffolding.The assembled genome size was 221.9 Mb,with a contig NG50 size of 1.02 Mb.Scaffolds covering 92.88%of the assembled genome were anchored on eight chromosomes.Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs analysis showed 98.0%complete genes.We predicted 30,436 protein-coding genes,and 38.28%of the genome was predicted to be repetitive.We found 981 contracted gene families,1324 expanded gene families and 2300 apricot-specific genes.The differentially expressed gene(DEG)analysis indicated that a change in the expression of the 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase(NCED)gene but not lycopene beta-cyclase(LcyB)gene results in a lowβ-carotenoid content in the white cultivar“Dabaixing”.This complete and highly contiguous P.armeniaca reference genome will be of help for future studies of resistance to plum pox virus(PPV)and the identification and characterization of important agronomic genes and breeding strategies in apricot.
基金Supported by Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(819QN223).
文摘Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)is a kind of mental disorder caused by severe traumatic events.It has a high incidence,a serious of impacts on the physical and mental health of patients.Especially in the current situation of COVID-19,the researches on PTSD are particularly important,but the choice of drugs available for PTSD is limited and it is often accompanied by adverse reactions.In the field of acupuncture,there are many clinical research evidences suggested that PTSD is a predominant disease of acupuncture.However,its action mechanisms have not been fully elucidated,so the possible mechanisms of acupuncture in treating PTSD were discussed.
文摘Salient detection approaches mainly use single local cues or global cues as its inputs features to detect salient objects,which are sensitive to complex background,so the effect of detection were not satisfactory.In this paper,we investigate the traits of saliency detection and observed the two following facts:Firstly,high-level saliency cues achieve better saliency detection results than low-level saliency cues.Secondly,multi-difference cues achieve better saliency detection results than single difference cues.Based on deeply analysis,we proposed an image saliency detection algorithm through high level multi-difference cues(HMDS).By using multi-difference,not only HMDS could remove the non-salient region effectively,but also it could enhance the pixel value of salient region at the same time.In order to evaluate the performance of HMDS,the proposed method is compared with seven state-of-the-art algorithms on five popular datasets.The final experimental results show that the proposed method performs effectiveness,and will have a perfect application prospect.
基金supported by China National Natural Science Foundation(grant nos.82374445,82303061,82305233 and 82373179)Shanghai Shuguang Scholar(grant no.22SG42)+3 种基金Scientific research project of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission(grant no.20224Z0019)Key Discipline Construction Project of Shanghai Three Year Action Plan for Strengthening the Construction of Public Health System(grant no.GWVI-11.1-24)High-level Chinese Medicine Key Discipline Construction Project(Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine Clinic)of National Administration of TCM(grant no.zyyzdxk-2023065)Evidence-based dermatology base sponsored by state Administration of Traditional Chinese medicine.
文摘Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease driven by the aberrant activation of dendritic cells(DCs)and T cells,ultimately leading to increased production of cytokines such as interleukin(IL)-23 and IL-17A.It is established that the cGAS-STING pathway is essential for psoriatic inflammation,however,the specific role of cGAS-STING signaling in DCs within this context remains unclear.In this study,we demonstrated the upregulation of cGAS-STING signaling in psoriatic lesions by analyzing samples from both clinical patients and imiquimod(IMQ)-treated mice.Using a conditional Sting-knockout transgenic mouse model,we elucidated the impact of cGAS-STING signaling in DCs on the activation of IL-17-and IFN-γ-producing T cells in psoriatic inflammation.Ablation of the Sting hampers DC activation leads to decreased numbers of IL-17-producing T cells and Th1 cells,and thus subsequently attenuates psoriatic inflammation in the IMQ-induced mouse model.Furthermore,we explored the therapeutic potential of the STING inhibitor C-176,which reduces psoriatic inflammation and enhances the anti-IL-17A therapeutic response.Our results underscore the critical role of cGAS-STING signaling in DCs in driving psoriatic inflammation and highlight a promising psoriasis treatment.
文摘Immunotherapy has shown robust efficacy in treating a broad spectrum of hematological and solid cancers.Despite the transformative impact of immunotherapy on cancer treatment,several outstanding challenges remain.These challenges include on-target off-tumor toxicity,systemic toxicity,and the complexity of achieving potent and sustainable therapeutic efficacy.Synthetic biology has emerged as a promising approach to overcome these obstacles,offering innovative tools for engineering living cells with customized functions.This review provides an overview of the current landscape and future prospects of cancer immunotherapy,particularly emphasizing the role of synthetic biology in augmenting its specificity,controllability,and efficacy.We delineate and discuss two principal synthetic biology strategies:those targeting tumor surface antigens with engineered immune cells and those detecting intratumoral disease signatures with engineered gene circuits.This review concludes with a forwardlooking perspective on the enduring challenges in cancer immunotherapy and the potential breakthroughs that synthetic biology may contribute to the field.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31788103,32122012,32100221,91940302,31430024)the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA24040202)+1 种基金the Chinese Academy of Sciences Youth Innovation Promotion Association(2019099)the CAS Key Technology Talent Program(2017)。
文摘Polyamines have been discovered for hundreds of years and once considered as a class of phytohormones.Polyamines play critical roles in a range of developmental processes.However,the molecular mechanisms of polyamine signaling pathways remain poorly understood.Here,we measured the contents of main types of polyamines,and found that endogenous level of thermospermine(T-Spm)in Arabidopsis thaliana is comparable to those of classic phytohormones and is significantly lower than those of putrescine(Put),spermidine(Spd),and spermine(Spm).We further found a nodule-like structure around the junction area connecting the shoot and root of the T-Spm biosynthetic mutant acl5 and obtained more than 50 suppressors of acl5 nodule structure(san)through suppressor screening.An in-depth study of two san suppressors revealed that NAP57 and NOP56,core components of box H/ACA and C/D snoRNPs,were essential for T-Spm-mediated nodule-like structure formation and plant height.Furthermore,analyses of rRNA modifications showed that the overall levels of pseudouridylation and 2′-O-methylation were compromised in san1 and san2 respectively.Taken together,these results establish a strong genetic relationship between rRNA modification and T-Spm-mediated growth and development,which was previously undiscovered in all organisms.
文摘Dear Editor,The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas(CRISPR-Cas)systems,including type II Cas9 and type V Cas12 systems,which serve in the adaptive immunity of prokaryotes against viruses,have been developed into genome-editing tools(Anzalone et al.,2020;Doudna,2020).Compared with type II systems,the type V systems including V-A to V-K showed more functional diversity(Yan et al.,2019).Amongst them,Cas12i has a relatively smaller size(1,033-1,093 aa),compared to SpCas9 and Cas12a,and has a 5'-TTN protospacer adjacent motif(PAM)preference(Yan et al.,2019).
基金supported by Chinese National Science and Technology major project R&D Program of China(2018YFC2000101)Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Science(XDB32060000)+7 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.31871502,31901047,31925016,91957122,82021001,and 31922048)Basic Frontier Scientific Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences From 0 to 1 original innovation project(ZDBS-LYSM001)Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project(2018SHZDZX05)Shanghai City Committee of Science and Technology Project(18411953700,18JC1410100,19XD1424400 and 19YF1455100)Innovative Research Team of High-Level Local Universities in Shanghai(SHSMU-ZDCX20212200 and SHSMU-ZLCX20210200)International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(153D31KYSB20170059)Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China(2020M681417 and 2021T140684)Sailing Program of Shanghai(21YF1453000)(to J.H.).
文摘Approximately 140 million people worldwide are homozygous carriers of APOE4(ε4),a strong genetic risk factor for late onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease(AD),91%of whom will develop AD at earlier age than heterozygous carriers and noncarriers.Susceptibility to AD could be reduced by targeted editing of APOE4,but a technical basis for controlling the off-target effects of base editors is necessary to develop low-risk personalized gene therapies.Here,we first screened eight cytosine base editor variants at four injection stages(from 1-to 8-cell stage),and found that FNLS-YE1 variant in 8-cell embryos achieved the comparable base conversion rate(up to 100%)with the lowest bystander effects.In particular,80%of AD-susceptibleε4 allele copies were converted to the AD-neutralε3 allele in humanε4-carrying embryos.Stringent control measures combined with targeted deep sequencing,whole genome sequencing,and RNA sequencing showed no DNA or RNA off-target events in FNLS-YE1-treated human embryos or their derived stem cells.Furthermore,base editing with FNLS-YE1 showed no effects on embryo development to the blastocyst stage.Finally,we also demonstrated FNLS-YE1 could introduce known protective variants in human embryos to potentially reduce human susceptivity to systemic lupus erythematosus and familial hypercholesterolemia.Our study therefore suggests that base editing with FNLS-YE1 can efficiently and safely introduce known preventive variants in 8-cell human embryos,a potential approach for reducing human susceptibility to AD or other genetic diseases.
文摘In response to escalating challenges in energy conservation and emission reduction,this study delves into the complexities of heat transfer in two-phase flows and adjustments to combustion processes within coal-fired boilers.Utilizing a fusion of hybrid modeling and automation technologies,we develop soft measurement models for key combustion parameters,such as the net calorific value of coal,flue gas oxygen content,and fly ash carbon content,within theDistributedControl System(DCS).Validated with performance test data,thesemodels exhibit controlled root mean square error(RMSE)and maximum absolute error(MAXE)values,both within the range of 0.203.Integrated into their respective automatic control systems,thesemodels optimize two-phase flow heat transfer,finetune combustion conditions,and mitigate incomplete combustion.Furthermore,this paper conducts an in-depth exploration of the generationmechanismof nitrogen oxides(NOx)and low oxygen emission reduction technology in coal-fired boilers,demonstrating a substantial reduction in furnace exit NOx generation by 30%to 40%and the power supply coal consumption decreased by 1.62 g/(kW h).The research outcomes highlight the model’s rapid responsiveness,enabling prompt reflection of transient variations in various economic indicator parameters.This provides a more effective means for real-time monitoring of crucial variables in coal-fired boilers and facilitates timely combustion adjustments,underscoring notable achievements in boiler combustion.The research not only provides valuable and practical insights into the intricacies of two-phase flow heat transfer and heat exchange but also establishes a pioneering methodology for tackling industry challenges.
