Insight into the fracture energy dissipation mechanism in elastomer composites via sacrificial bonds and fillers.

Most tough elastomer composites are reinforced by introducing sacrificial structures and fillers. Understanding the contribution of fillers and sacrificial bonds in elastomer composites to the energy dissipation is critical for the design of high-toughness materials. However, the energy dissipation mechanism in elastomer composites remains elusive. In this study, using a tearing test and time-temperature superposition, we investigate the effect of fillers and sacrificial bonds on the energy dissipation of elastomer composites consisting of poly(lipoic acid)/silver-coated Al fillers. We found that the fillers and sacrificial bonds mutually enhance both the intrinsic fracture energy and the bulk energy dissipation, and moreover the sacrificial bonds play a more important role in enhancing fracture toughness than the fillers. It is unreasonable to rely solely on the loss factor for bulk energy dissipation. The addition of sacrificial bonds results in a chain segment experiencing greater binding force compared to the addition of fillers. This suggests that the chain segment consumes more energy during its movement. By calculating the length of the Kuhn chain segment and the Kuhn number, it is evident that the addition of sacrificial bonds results in a greater binding force for the chain segment than the addition of fillers, and this enhanced binding force increases the energy consumption during the motion of the chain segment.

Eu3+ -doped LaF3 -based inorganic-organic hybrid nanostructured materials for broad-spectrum excitation and strong photoluminescence.

Inorganic-organic hybrid nanoparticles formed by lanthanide-doped nanostructures and organic ligands have been intensively studied, which could greatly increase their photoluminescence performance as a result of the energy transfer process from organic ligands to Ln3+ ions. However, the photoluminescence intensity and excitation spectral width are still quite limited on coordinating with a single type of organic ligand. In this work, Eu3+ -doped LaF3 (LaF3 :Eu3+ ) nanoparticles were prepared using a hydrothermal method, and were then hybridized with benzoic acid and thenoyltrifluoroacetone to form the hybrid nanostructures. After that, the hybrid nanostructures were mixed with 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile and methyl methacrylate to prepare the composites. The sample obtained by hybridization and composite doping with 5% Eu3+ exhibited the best photoluminescence performance. The excitation peak width and luminescence intensity of the hybrid nanostructures were significantly increased. The excitation spectral width of the inorganic-organic mixed hybrid nanostructures was particularly enhanced, and covered the whole ultraviolet band region of solar light on Earth. The prepared composites exhibited good optical properties.

The association of sex-biased ATRX mutation in female gastric cancer patients with enhanced immunotherapy-related anticancer immunity.

BACKGROUND: Genetic alterations have been proven to be the promising biomarkers for ICI response. However, sex biases in genetic alterations have been often ignored in the field of immunotherapy, which might specially influence the anticancer immunity and immunotherapy efficacy in male or female patients. Here, we have systematically evaluated the effect of the sex biases in somatic mutation of gastric cancer (GC) patients on the anticancer immunity and clinical benefit to immunotherapy. METHODS: Genomic and transcriptomic data of gastric cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). We also obtained the genomic and clinical data of a MSKCC ICI-treated cohort from cbioportal database. GC male and female-derived tumor somatic mutation profiles were compared by maftools R package. Single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was conducted to calculate the score of the anticancer immunity indicators including IFN-γ signaling, cytolytic activity (CYT) and antigen presenting machinery (APM). RESULTS: ATRX was found to mutate more frequently in female GC patients compared to male patients (FDR = 0.0108). Female GC patients with ATRX mutation manifested significantly more MSI-high subtypes, increased TMB and PDL1 expression as well as higher scores of IFN-γ signaling, CYT and APM. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) has shown that ATRX mutation might enhance the immunogenicity and anticancer immunity through affecting DNA damage repair pathways. In the ICI-treated cohort from MSKCC, GC patients with ATRX mutation were associated with prolonged overall survival. When stratifying the entire ICI-treated cohort by sex, female patients with ATRX mutation obtained significantly better survival benefits than that of ATRX mutant male patients (Female patients, HR of ATRX MT vs WT = 0.636, 95%CI = 0.455-0.890, P = 0.023; Male patients, HR of ATRX MT vs WT = 0.929, 95%CI = 0.596-1.362, P = 0.712). CONCLUSIONS: ATRX mutation might serve as a potential predictive biomarker for favorable clinical benefit to ICI in female GC patients. ATRX mutation could be applied in combination with other biomarkers of ICI response to better identify the female GC patients who will derive greater benefits from ICI therapy.

The nationwide distribution and trends of hepatitis C virus genotypes in mainland China.

Comprehensive data on hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes distribution is critical for treatment regimen selection, vaccine design, and drug development. This study aimed to understand the dynamic distribution of HCV genotypes in Mainland China. Three hundred sixty-two studies published from January 1993 to December 2017 involving 64 891 samples (5133 injecting drug users, 2748 volunteer blood donors, 1509 former paid plasma donors, 160 sexually encounters, and 1992 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV coinfection patients) were eligible for the quantitative synthesis estimation. Pooled proportion of HCV genotypes (and 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) was estimated through the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation by period, region, and risk group. A sharp decline of the subtype 1b was observed in all regions except in northwestern and central regions. The genotypes 3 and 6 showed an obvious increase in southern and southwestern regions and have already spread nationwide. After 2010, subtype 1b was the most dominant variant in all regions and risk groups, accounting for 54.0% (95% CI, 51.9-56.1) of all national infections. Subtype 2a was the second most prevalent strain in all regions except in the south and southwest, with 15.4% (95% CI, 13.1-17.8) national infections. The subtype 6a in southern region and 3b and 3a in southwestern region had a higher proportion of infections than that in other regions. In addition, the genotypes 3 and 6 are already prevalent in almost all risk groups. The distribution of HCV genotypes were sharply shifting in China in the past three decades. The HCV subtype 1b posed a sharp decline, whereas genotypes 3 and 6 played an increasing role in the regional and populational HCV pandemic.

Broadband UV Excited LaF3:Eu3+ Based Inorganic-Organic Mixed Hybrid Nanoparticles for Strong Luminescence.

Lanthanide ion doped nanoparticles can coordinate with some organic ligands to form the inorganic-organic hybrid nanoparticles, which exhibit greatly enhanced luminescence as a result of the energy transfer from the organic ligands to the lanthanide ions. However, when coordinating with a single type of organic ligand, their luminescence excitation spectral bandwidth is still quite limited. In this work, Eu3+-doped LaF3 (LaF3:Eu3+) nanoparticles, as the model inorganic material, were synthesized using the hydrothermal method. Instead of coordinating with a single type of organic ligand as previously studied, the LaF3:Eu3+ nanoparticles simultaneously coordinate with both benzoic acid and 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone to form the inorganic-organic mixed hybrid nanoparticles. The mixed hybrid nanoparticles possess a broadband excitation spectrum (200~400 nm) which perfectly covers the entire ultraviolet (UV) spectral range of the solar radiation. By down-converting the UV light to visible light, their broadband UV excitation spectrum will be extremely beneficial to the enhancement of the conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells.

Etching-induced ion exchange engineering of two-dimensional layered NiFeCo-based hydroxides for high energy charge storage.

Efficient and rapid synthesis of transition metal-based hydroxides with tailored microstructures has emerged as a promising approach to fabricate high-performance electrode materials for energy storage devices. However, many conventional synthesis methods are cumbersome, expensive and time-consuming, and the microstructures of electrode materials are usually uncontrollable. Herein, we propose a fast and cost-effective approach to electrochemically in situ grow NiFeCo-based ternary hydroxides (NiFeCo-THs) with layered nanosheet structures on pretreated nickel foam (NF). The in situ grown NiFeCo-THs were in direct contact with the NF to form a monolithic electrode as NiFeCo/NF. By engineering the ion exchange process for controlling the ionic ratio, the monolithic Ni1(Fe/Co = 1/1)0.5/NF electrode was fabricated and found to show the optimum electrochemical behavior with a specific capacitance of 2.32 C cm-2 at 2 mA cm-2 as a result of its characteristic microstructures. Furthermore, a hybrid supercapacitor was constructed utilizing the monolithic Ni1(Fe/Co = 1/1)0.5/NF electrode and activated carbon as the cathode and anode, respectively, and it was found to have an energy density of 81.1 µW h cm-2 at a power density of 808.8 µW cm-2. After 5000 cycles, 84.0% of the initial capacitance of the hybrid supercapacitor was maintained, and the monolithic Ni1(Fe/Co = 1/1)0.5/NF electrode still retained the arrayed nanosheet structure.

Dihydroartemisinin ameliorates the liver steatosis in metabolic associated fatty liver disease mice by attenuating the inflammation and oxidative stress and promoting autophagy.

PURPOSE: To explore the effect and potential mechanism of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on metabolism-related fatty liver disease. METHODS: A metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) mice model was induced with continuous supplies of high-fat diet. DHA was intraperitoneally injected into mice. The weight of mice was monitored. The concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in serum were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The liver tissues were stained by hematoxylin and eosin and oil red O. The level of inflammation, oxidative stress, and autophagy was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, biochemical examination, Western blot and transmission electron microscope assays. RESULTS: DHA treatment reduced theMAFLD-enhanced the level of weight gain, the concentrations of TC, TG, LDL and malonaldehyde, while increasedthe MAFLD-decreased the concentrations of HDL and superoxide dismutase. DHA ameliorated the MAFLD-aggravated pathological changes and the number of lipid droplets. Low dose of DHA declined the MAFLD-induced the enhancement of the expression of inflammatory factor. DHA treatment increased the MAFLD-enhanced the level of autophagy related protein, while decreased the MAFLD-reduced the protein level of p62. The increased level of autophagy was confirmed by transmission electron microscope. CONCLUSIONS: DHA can improve liver steatosis in MAFLD mice by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress and promoting autophagy.

A Systematic Pan-Cancer Analysis of MEIS1 in Human Tumors as Prognostic Biomarker and Immunotherapy Target.

BACKGROUND: We intended to explore the potential immunological functions and prognostic value of Myeloid Ecotropic Viral Integration Site 1 (MEIS1) across 33 cancer types. METHODS: The data were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and Gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets. Bioinformatics was used to excavate the potential mechanisms of MEIS1 across different cancers. RESULTS: MEIS1 was downregulated in most tumors, and it was linked to the immune infiltration level of cancer patients. MEIS1 expression was different in various immune subtypes including C2 (IFN-gamma dominant), C5 (immunologically quiet), C3 (inflammatory), C4 (lymphocyte depleted), C6 (TGF-b dominant) and C1 (wound healing) in various cancers. MEIS1 expression was correlated with Macrophages_M2, CD8+T cells, Macrophages_M1, Macrophages_M0 and neutrophils in many cancers. MEIS1 expression was negatively related to tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI) and neoantigen (NEO) in several cancers. Low MEIS1 expression predicts poor overall survival (OS) in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) patients, while high MEIS1 expression predicts poor OS in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and low grade glioma (LGG) patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that MEIS1 is likely to be a potential new target for immuno-oncology.

Structural Equation Model Analysis of HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitude, and Sex Education Among Freshmen in Jiangsu, China.

Background: The study of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) related knowledge, attitude, and sex education status of Jiangsu freshmen was conducted, which can provide data support directionally for the prevention work of HIV/AIDS among this population. Methods: Male students (4,006) and female students (4,279) were selected from 20 universities or colleges in the Jiangsu province. The knowledge, attitudes, and sex education of freshmen were conducted with an online questionnaire. The log-binomial regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of HIV/AIDS knowledge. In addition, a structural equation model was used to analyze students' health needs that affect knowledge awareness and knowledge mastery. Results: The overall awareness rate of AIDS knowledge was 87.4%. The students in undergraduate colleges (OR = 2.523, 95% CI=2.223~2.864) and independent colleges (OR = 1.389, 95%CI = 1.172~1.646) were more likely to have a higher awareness compared with the students in junior colleges. In this study, 2,011 freshmen approved of premarital behavior, 4,921 freshmen insisted on using condoms when having sex, and 8,138 freshmen were willing to take HIV antibody test when they suspected they were infected. In total, 4,703 freshmen believed that sexual health education was necessary for colleges and universities, and most of them (57.2%) hoped that sex education in schools should be improved. The direct effect of sex education on knowledge awareness and attitude is 0.15 and 0.58. The mediation effect test found that the pass ability knowledge path of sex education indirectly affected sexual attitudes (0.05). Conclusion: The awareness rate of HIV/AIDS among Jiangsu freshmen has not reached the national standard. Health education has a significant positive effect on knowledge awareness and attitude; however, students' needs in terms of time, place, and degree of sex education have not been met in time. It is necessary to strengthen the HIV/AIDS health education of college students in multiple ways.

Analysis of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Hepatitis B Among Freshmen in Jiangsu Based on Lasso-Logistic Regression and Structural Equation Model.

Objective: We aimed to describe the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) status of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among freshmen who were in the class of 2020 and from Jiangsu Province. Methods: A random multistage sampling had been used to screen freshmen to conduct online questionnaire. The chi-square test was applied for pairwise comparison between sub-groups. Lasso regression and logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of KAP about HBV. A structural equation model was established to explore the relationships among KAP of HBV. Results: The total awareness rate of HBV among freshmen was 63.1%. More than 50% of freshmen reported that they were not willing to live with hepatitis B carriers. Only 51.0% of students had been immunized against HBV. The knowledge of HBV among students whose fathers had college/bachelor degree or above was 1.464 times higher than those whose fathers' education level was junior high school or below (95% CI = 1.277~1.677). Both of positive attitude and behavior among female students were 1.424 times (95% CI = 1.329~1.525) and 1.468 times (95% CI = 1.291~1.669) than that within male students, respectively. The positive behaviors of students whose mothers had college education or above were 1.347 times higher than those whose mothers had the degree of junior high or below (95% CI = 1.147~1.582). Students who living with their parents were 1.167 times likely to have positive behaviors than those who living in other methods (95% CI = 1.020~1.334). The structural equation model had shown that the direct effect of knowledge on preventive motivation, attitude and behavior was 0.28, 0.53 and 0.10, respectively. Conclusion: The population of freshmen still was far from a comprehensive understanding of HBV prevention and treatment. It is suggested that administrators of colleges and universities should pay more attentions to education of HBV knowledge as well as take multi-channel measures for prevention and management.

Interfacial Coordination Interaction Enables Soft Elastomer Composites High Thermal Conductivity and High Toughness.

Soft elastomers have attracted wide applications, such as soft electronic devices and soft robotics, due to their ability to undergo large deformation with a small external force. Most elastomers suffer from poor toughness and thermal conductivity, which limits their use. The addition of inorganic fillers can enhance the thermal conductivity and toughness, but it deteriorates the softness (low Young's modulus and high stretchability). Integrating thermal conductivity, toughness, and softness into one elastomer is still a challenge. Here, we report a strategy of interfacial coordination interaction to achieve soft elastomer composites with high thermal conductivity and high toughness. We demonstrate the strategy by using poly(lipoic acid) elastomer and silver-coated aluminum filler as model, where silver-sulfur coordination cross-links are formed at the interface. The resultant elastomer composite shows high streachability (450%), high thermal conductivity (2.35 W m-1 K-1), low modulus (321 kPa), and high toughness (3496 J m-2), which cannot be achieve in existing elastomers. The time domain thermoreflectance technique demonstrates that the silver-sulfur coordination interaction lowers the interfacial thermal resistance, resulting in enhanced thermal conductivity of the elastomer composites. The excellent softness stems from lower bonding energy of the silver-sulfur coordination cross-links compared with covalent chemical cross-links. The high toughness also benefits from the interfacial silver-sulfur coordination interaction that can dissipate more energy upon deformation. We further demonstrate the potential application of the thermally conductive, tough, and soft elastomer composites for thermal management of chip and soft electronic devices.

MicroRNA-122-5p Inhibition Improves Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Damage in Dietary-Induced Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Through Targeting FOXO3.

Misregulated microRNA network has been emerging as the main regulator in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The deregulation of miR-122-5p is associated with the liver disease. However, the specific role and molecular mechanism of miR-122-5p in NAFLD remain unclear. In this study, we have reported that the high-fat diet (HFD) or palmitic acid (PA) significantly upregulated the hepatic miR-122-5p expression in vivo and in vitro. Inhibition of miR-122-5p suppressed accumulation-induced inflammation of lipids and oxidative stress damage in PA-treated L02 cells and HFD-induced fatty liver. The effect of the miR-122-5p inhibitor on NAFLD did not depend on insulin resistance-mediated PI3K/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway but rather on the upregulation of its downstream FOXO3. Subsequently, we validated that miR-122-5p directly binds to the predicted 3'-UTR of FOXO3 to inhibit its gene expression. Conversely, silencing FOXO3 abolished the hepatic benefits of miR-122-5p inhibition to obese mice by decreasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes of superoxide dismutase (SOD). This study provides a novel finding that FOXO3 was the target gene of miR-122-5p to attenuate inflammatory response and oxidative stress damage in dietary-induced NAFLD. Our study provided evidence to reveal the physiological role of miR-122-5p in dietary-induced NAFLD.

Study on the Influencing Factors of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice About Tuberculosis Among Freshmen in Jiangsu, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Adolescents aged from 19 to 22 are the main high-risk population of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). This study aimed to understand the current status of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) about TB among freshmen from Jiangsu colleges and universities. Analyze its influencing factors and explore the interrelationships of KAP. This provides a basis for building a reversing mechanism for health education on tuberculosis prevention and treatment in middle and high schools. Methods: A multistage randomly was used to select freshmen to conduct this online survey. The χ 2 test was used to compare the rates. Construct linear regression model, logistic regression model, decision tree model and random forest model, use grid search to adjust the parameters of the model, and use multiple models to explore the influencing factors of the overall awareness rate of students' core knowledge of tuberculosis. Results: A total of 6980 freshmen in colleges and universities were investigated. The total awareness rate was 89.02%, and the awareness rate of all core knowledge about TB was 58.94%. It is characterized by general demographic data, and all core knowledge is known as a label to establish a model, based on the f1- of the four models The score believes that the random forest model has the best fitting effect, and the ranking of the influencing factors included in the model is school type (0.72) >father's education (0.15) >family monthly income (0.03) >mother's education, gender, region (0.02); a structural equation model is established, and the modified knowledge and attitude path coefficient is 0.29 (P<0.05); the attitude and behavior path coefficient is 0.64 (P<0.05). Conclusion: The total awareness rate of core knowledge of Jiangsu college freshmen reaches the national requirements, but the overall awareness rate is low. It is necessary to strengthen the health education of tuberculosis for those with identified risk factors.

The Molecular Epidemiological and Immunological Characteristics of HIV-1 CRF01_AE/B Recombinants in Nanjing, China.

Human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) CRF01_AE/B recombinants are newly emerging strains that are spreading rapidly in Southern and Eastern China. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular epidemiological characteristics of HIV-1 CRF01_AE/B recombinants in Nanjing and to explore the impact of these novel strains on the immunological status. A total of 1,013 blood samples from newly diagnosed HIV-1-infected patients were collected in Nanjing from 2015 to 2019, among which 958 partial Pol sequences were sequenced successfully. We depicted the molecular epidemiological characteristics of CRF01_AE/B recombinants by the molecular evolutionary analysis, Bayesian system evolution analysis, and transmission network analysis. The generalized additive mixed model was applied to evaluate the CD4+ T-cell count change of CRF01_AE/B recombinants. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to assess the time from combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation to immune reconstruction. We have identified 102 CRF01_AE/B recombinants (102/958, 10.65%) in Nanjing, including CRF67_01B (45/102, 44.12%), CRF68_01B (35/102, 34.31%), and CRF55_01B (22/102, 12.57%). According to the Bayesian phylogenetic inference, CRF55_01B had a rapid decline stage during 2017-2019, while CRF67_01B and CRF68_01B have experienced a fast growth phase during 2014-2015 and then remained stable. We have constructed 83 transmission networks, in which three larger clusters were composed of CRF67_01B and CRF68_01B. CRF01_AE/B recombinants manifested a faster decrease rate of CD4+ T-cell count than CRF_07BC but similar to CRF01_AE. The probability of achieving immune reconstruction in CRF01_AE/B recombinants was lower than CRF07_BC in the subgroup of baseline CD4+ T-cell count at cART initiation <300 cells/µl. In summary, CRF67_01B and CRF68_01B were the major strains of CRF01_AE/B recombinants in Nanjing, which have formed large transmission clusters between Nanjing and other provinces. CRF01_AE/B recombinants might be associated with rapid disease progression and poor immune reconstruction. The continuous epidemiological monitoring of CRF01_AE/B recombinants should be highly emphasized.

Influence of contest on Chinese college students' health literacy based on repeated cross-sectional studies.

Objective: Chinese college students' level of health literacy is low, so, we explored the effect of knowledge contests on health literacy (HL) among Chinese college students. Participants: Students from universities in Jiangsu, China. Methods: Two repeated cross-sectional studies were used to compare the effects of the college students' contests. Chi-square tests and variance analysis were used to compare the HL levels and scores, respectively; logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Results: The levels of HL after each contest were significantly higher than those in the baseline survey (p < .05). There were statistically significant score differences (p = .023 and p = .001) after the contests in the two studies. Multivariable analysis of HL contest showed that school, grade, profession, completion time, and contest history were statistically significant. Conclusions: HL among Chinese college students was low and it is helpful to regularly hold health knowledge contests to improve these levels, especially for most non-medical students.

Health literacy of college freshmen in jiangsu, China: A 3-year longitudinal survey.

ABSTRACT: Health literacy (HL) has become an important public health issue and received growing attention in recent years. However, knowledge about the HL of adolescents and young adults is limited.[1] This study aimed to investigate the awareness rate of HL and its related factors among college freshmen in Jiangsu, China. And the results were used to support the promotion intervention to improve the HL of at-risk groups among this population.A total of 25,272 freshmen were surveyed through multi-stage stratified random sampling from 20 colleges and universities in Jiangsu province between 2016 to 2018. Data were obtained using the "Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire" (2013 edition). Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the factors influencing HL levels.The awareness rate of HL of college freshmen in Jiangsu province was 26.6% among the 25,272 subjects. The awareness rate of HL tended to increase from 2016 to 2018, which was 17.9%, 21.5%, and 39.6%, respectively (P < 0.001). Specifically, except for chronic diseases, knowledge and attitudes, knowledge and attitudes toward health-related behavior and lifestyle, health-related skill and scientific views of health, infection diseases, safety and first aid, medical care, health information awareness rate all have improved to a certain degree (P < .001). The independent factors associated with HL awareness rate were sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.099, (1.039 -1.164)), residence (urban: OR = 1.141, (1.056∼1.234)), educational system (OR = 2.133, (1.975-2.305)), only child or not (OR = 1.087, (1.018-1.161)), family structure (OR = 1.192, (1.078-1.319)) and maternal education level (high school: OR = 1.183 (1.067-1.313); university and more: OR = 1.481 (1.324-1.658)).Awareness rate of HL of college freshmen is associated with multi-complex factors, further works are recommended to improve the HL levels of college freshmen, especially for the aspect of chronic diseases.

The miR-122 inhibition alleviates lipid accumulation and inflammation in NAFLD cell model.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence showed that the expression of miR-122 was abnormal in NAFLD patients; however, the role of miR-122 on lipid accumulation and inflammation in NAFLD is not clear. METHODS: RT-qPCR was applied to detect the expression levels of miR-122 and pro-inflammatory cytokines following transfected with miR-122 inhibitor or treated with oleic acid (OA). Detection of lipid accumulation was performed by triglyceride content test and oil red o staining assay. Western blotting was applied to detect the protein levels of TLR7, TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κBp65. RESULTS: We found that the OA promoted lipid accumulation and pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion and activated TLR4/MyD88/NF-κBp65 signalling pathway, which were restored following transfected with miR-122 inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that miR-122 inhibition alleviates lipid accumulation and inflammation in L02 cell induced by OA may through inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κBp65 signalling pathway. The protective mechanism of miR-122 inhibition in NAFLD must be explored in future studies.

Expanded Graphite/Paraffin/Silicone Rubber as High Temperature Form-stabilized Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage and Thermal Interface Materials.

In this work, expanded graphite/paraffin/silicone rubber composite phase-change materials (PCMs) were prepared by blending the expanded graphite (EG), paraffin wax (PW) and silicone rubber (SR) matrix. It has been shown that PW fully penetrates into the three dimensional (3D) pores of EG to form the EG/PW particles, which are sealed by SR and evenly embedded in the SR matrix. As a result of the excellent thermal stability of SR and the capillary force from the 3D pores of EG, the EG/PW/SR PCMs are found to have good shape stability and high reliability. After being baked in an oven at 150 °C for 24 h, the shape of the EG/PW/SR PCMs is virtually unchanged, and their weight loss and latent heat drop are only 7.91 wt % and 11.3 J/g, respectively. The latent heat of the EG/PW/SR composites can reach up to 43.6 and 41.8 J/g for the melting and crystallizing processes, respectively. The super cooling of PW decreased from 4.2 to 2.4 due to the heterogeneous nucleation on the large surface of EG and the sealing effect of the SR. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity of the EG/PW/SR PCMs reaches 0.56 W·m-1·K-1, which is about 2.8 times and 3.73 times of pure PW and pristine SR, respectively. The novel EG/PW/SR PCMs with superior shape and thermal stabilities will have a potential application in heat energy storage and thermal interface materials (TIM) for electronic devices.

Growth of ß-NaYF4:Eu3+ Crystals by the Solvothermal Method with the Aid of Oleic Acid and Their Photoluminescence Properties.

Lanthanide-doped hexagonal ß-NaYF4 crystals have received much attention in recent years due to their excellent photoluminescence properties. However, lanthanide-doped ß-NaYF4 crystals with micron and submicron scales as well as uniform morphology have received less attention. In this study, Eu3+-doped ß-NaYF4 (ß-NaYF4:Eu3+) crystals of micron and submicron size scales were synthesized using the solvothermal method with ethylene glycol as the solvent. The ß-NaYF4:Eu3+ crystals were highly crystallized. A comparison of the characteristics of the ß-NaYF4:Eu3+ crystals synthesized with and without the use of oleic acid as a surfactant was conducted. It was found that the utilization of oleic acid as a surfactant during their synthesis greatly decreased their particle size from micron to submicron scale, while adding a small amount of ethanol further reduced their particle size. In addition, they exhibited much smoother surfaces and more uniform morphologies, which were hexagonal prism bipyramids. The microstructural characteristics and photoluminescence properties of the ß-NaYF4:Eu3+ crystals were studied in detail. Results showed that ß-NaYF4:Eu3+ crystals prepared with the aid of oleic acid as a surfactant during their synthesis exhibited stronger photoluminescence.

Broadening the Photoluminescence Excitation Spectral Bandwidth of YVO4:Eu3+ Nanoparticles via a Novel Core-Shell and Hybridization Approach.

For many optoelectronic applications, it is desirable for the lanthanide-doped phosphors to have broad excitation spectrum. The excitation mechanism of the lanthanide-doped YVO4, a high quantum efficient lasing material, primarily originates from the energy transfer process from the host VO43- complexes to the lanthanide ions, which has an excitation spectral bandwidth range of 230-330 nm. For applications in silicon solar cells, such phosphors can convert ultraviolet light to visible light for more efficient power generation, but this spectral range is still not broad enough to cover the entire ultraviolet spectrum of solar light. In this work, a novel core-shell and inorganic-organic hybridization strategy has been employed to fabricate Eu3+-doped YVO4 nanoparticles to broaden their photoluminescence excitation spectral bandwidth to the range of 230-415 nm, covering the entire ultraviolet spectrum of solar light and enabling their potential applications in silicon solar cells.