Self-Assembly Method for Synthesizing High-Dimensional EMOFs with High Stability and Laser Response.

Dimension and solvent molecules affect the performance of energetic metal-organic frameworks (EMOFs). High-dimensional EMOFs are usually characterized by high stability and low sensitivity due to their complex network structure. However, solvent molecules affect the detonation performance of EMOFs, and these molecules may be removed at low temperatures, resulting in structural collapse and affecting the stability of EMOFs. In this work, zero-dimensional (0D) Co(AFTO)2·(H2O)2 (EMOF 1) and Ni(AFTO)2·(H2O)2 (EMOF 2) with coordinated water molecules and [Co(AFTO)2]n·EtOH (EMOF 3) and [Ni(AFTO)2]n (EMOF 4) (AFTO = 5-(4-amino-furazan-3-yl)-1-hydroxytetrazole) with high-dimensional structure were synthesized using hydrothermal and self-assembly methods in ethanol, respectively. Structural and performance tests show that EMOF 3 and 4 exhibit remarkable thermal stability and low mechanical sensitivity. This method is a simple, effective, and green technique for synthesizing high-dimensional EMOFs with high stability through self-assembly in ethanol solution. In addition, EMOF 3 and 4 can be used as primary green laser explosives.

Covalent Organic Framework-Supported Metallocene for Ethylene Polymerization.

The loading of homogeneous catalysts with support can dramatically improve their performance in olefin polymerization. However, the challenge lies in the development of supported catalysts with well-defined pore structures and good compatibility to achieve high catalytic activity and product performance. Herein, we report the use of an emergent class of porous material-covalent organic framework material (COF) as a carrier to support metallocene catalyst-Cp2 ZrCl2 for ethylene polymerization. The COF-supported catalyst demonstrates a higher catalytic activity of 31.1×106  g mol-1 h-1 at 140 °C, compared with 11.2×106  g mol-1 h-1 for the homogenous one. The resulting polyethylene (PE) products possess higher weight-average molecular weight (Mw ) and narrower molecular weight distribution (Ð) after COF supporting, that is, Mw increases from 160 to 308 kDa and Ð drops from 3.3 to 2.2. The melting point (Tm ) is also increased by up to 5.2 °C. Moreover, the PE product possesses a characteristic filamentous microstructure and demonstrates an increased tensile strength from 19.0 to 30.7 MPa and elongation at break from 350 to 1400 % after catalyst loading. We believe that the use of COF carriers will facilitate the future development of supported catalysts for highly efficient olefin polymerization and high-performance polyolefins.

Synthesis of CuII and CdII Metal-Organic Frameworks Based on 4,5-Bis(1-hydroxytetrazol-5-yl)-1,2,3-triazole and Their Effects as the Catalyst in Ammonium Perchlorate Thermal Decomposition.

Two new three-dimensional (3D) energetic metal-organic frameworks (EMOFs), namely, [Cu(OBTT)(NC2H8)2]n (1) and [Cd3(OBTT)2(H2O)2]n·4H2O (2), where H3OBTT = 4,5-bis(1-hydroxytetrazol-5-yl)-1,2,3-triazole, were prepared, and their structures were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, which revealed that the EMOFs feature a rigid 3D framework architecture. The possibility of these two EMOFs as potential catalysts for the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) was investigated. The results show that they have significant catalytic activity, up to reducing the peak temperature of AP decomposition from 704.0 to 613.6 K and contracting the decomposition temperature range from 451 to 320 K, which is almost one-third less than the decomposition temperature range of pure AP. The Kissinger and Ozawa-Doyle methods were used to calculate the kinetic parameters of the thermal decomposition of pure and mixed AP samples. The experimental results suggest that compound 1 has potential applications in the field of explosives and propellants. All properties suggest that compound 1 can be used as a potential catalyst.

Controllable Structural Modulation: Assembling Variable Dimension Energetic Metal-Organic Frameworks via Free Protons.

Herein, we provide an efficient strategy for constructing three-dimensional (3D) energetic coordination polymers (ECPs), namely, metal-organic frameworks (EMOFs), avoiding solvent coordination without changing the organic ligands or metal nodes. Three ECPs with the same ligand and metal center, namely, two-dimensional (2D) layer ECP [Pb(HOBTT)(H2O)2]n (1), 3D solvent-free EMOFs [Pb(HOBTT)]n (2), and dense [Pb3(OBTT)2]n (3) (H3OBTT = 4,5-bis(1-hydroxytetrazol-5-yl)-2H-1,2,3-triazole), were rationally designed and synthesized via free protons. As expected, the theoretical density of 3 (4.080 g·cm-3) is greater than those of 2 (3.299 g·cm-3) and 1 (3.055 g·cm-3). Thermal stabilities indicate that their decomposition temperature exceeds 300 °C. Theoretical calculations show that the detonation performance of 3 is better than that of 1 and 2. The detonation performance of 1-3 was further proven by laser irradiation.

A Rice NAC Transcription Factor Promotes Leaf Senescence via ABA Biosynthesis.

It is well known that abscisic acid (ABA)-induced leaf senescence and premature leaf senescence negatively affect the yield of rice (Oryza sativa). However, the molecular mechanism underlying this relationship, especially the upstream transcriptional network that modulates ABA level during leaf senescence, remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate a rice NAC transcription factor, OsNAC2, that participates in ABA-induced leaf senescence. Overexpression of OsNAC2 dramatically accelerated leaf senescence, whereas its knockdown lines showed a delay in leaf senescence. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR, dual-luciferase, and yeast one-hybrid assays demonstrated that OsNAC2 directly activates expression of chlorophyll degradation genes, OsSGR and OsNYC3 Moreover, ectopic expression of OsNAC2 leads to an increase in ABA levels via directly up-regulating expression of ABA biosynthetic genes (OsNCED3 and OsZEP1) as well as down-regulating the ABA catabolic gene (OsABA8ox1). Interestingly, OsNAC2 is upregulated by a lower level of ABA but downregulated by a higher level of ABA, indicating a feedback repression of OsNAC2 by ABA. Additionally, reduced OsNAC2 expression leads to about 10% increase in the grain yield of RNAi lines. The novel ABA-NAC-SAGs regulatory module might provide a new insight into the molecular action of ABA to enhance leaf senescence and elucidates the transcriptional network of ABA production during leaf senescence in rice.

Large-area snow-like MoSe2 monolayers: synthesis, growth mechanism, and efficient electrocatalyst application.

This study explores the large-area synthesis of controllable morphology, uniform, and high-quality monolayer. MoSe2 is essential for its potential application in optoelectronics, photocatalysis, and renewable energy sources. In this study, we successfully synthesized snow-like MoSe2 monolayers using a simple chemical vapor deposition method. Results reveal that snow-like MoSe2 is a single crystal with a hexagonal structure, a thickness of ∼0.9 nm, and a lateral dimension of up to 20 µm. The peak position of the photoluminescence spectra is ∼1.52 eV corresponding to MoSe2 monolayer. The growth mechanism of the snow-like MoSe2 monolayer was investigated and comprised a four-step process during growth. Finally, we demonstrate that the snow-like MoSe2 monolayers are ideal electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs), reflected by a low Tafel slope of ∼68 mV/decade. Compared with the triangular-shaped MoSe2 monolayer, the hexangular snow-like shape with plentiful edges is superior for perfect electrocatalysts for HERs or transmission devices of optoelectronic signals.

Isolation and whole genome sequencing of fetal cells from maternal blood towards the ultimate non-invasive prenatal testing.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study were to develop a methodology of isolating fetal cells from maternal blood and use deep sequence demonstrating the promise for complete and accurate genetic screening compared to other non-invasive prenatal testing. METHODS: Here in this study, we developed a double negative selection (DNS) procedure to unbiasedly enrich fetal cells. After validated by short tandem repeat (STR), the isolated circulating fetal cells (CFCs) were subjected to deep whole genome sequencing analysis. RESULTS: Our DNS protocol significantly increasing the purity of the mimic fetal cells from 1 in 1 million nucleated cells in whole blood to 1:8 to 1:30 (12.5%-3.33%) after 2 steps of enrichment. Isolated single fetal cell obtained a coverage rate (86.8%) and allelic dropout rate (24.90%) comparative to the reported results of human cell line. Several disease-associated variants were identified in the whole genome sequencing data of isolated CFCs and further confirmed in the sequencing data of unamplified gDNA. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the robustness of DNS and STR to collect CFCs from peripheral maternal blood for the first time coupled with deep sequencing technique demonstrates the possibility of comprehensive non-invasive prenatal testing of genetic disorders using isolated CFCs.

OsNAC2 encoding a NAC transcription factor that affects plant height through mediating the gibberellic acid pathway in rice.

Plant height and flowering time are key agronomic traits affecting yield in rice (Oryza sativa). In this study, we investigated the functions in rice growth and development of OsNAC2, encoding a NAC transcription factor in rice. Transgenic plants that constitutively expressed OsNAC2 had shorter internodes, shorter spikelets, and were more insensitive to gibberellic acid (GA(3)). In addition, the levels of GAs decreased in OsNAC2 overexpression plants, compared with the wild-type. Moreover, flowering was delayed for approximately 5 days in transgenic lines. The transcription of Hd3a, a flowering-time related gene, was suppressed in transgenic lines. In addition, transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing OsNAC2 were also more insensitive to GA(3). The expression levels of GA biosynthetic genes OsKO2 and OsKAO were repressed. The expression of OsSLRL, encoding a repressor in the GA signal pathway, and OsEATB, which encodes a repressor of GA biosynthesis, were both enhanced. Western blotting indicated that DELLA also accumulated at the protein level. Dual-luciferase reporter analyses, yeast one-hybrid assays and ChIP-qPCR suggested that OsNAC2 directly interacted with the promoter of OsEATB and OsKO2. Taken together, we proposed that OsNAC2 is a negative regulator of the plant height and flowering time, which acts by directly regulating key genes of the GA pathway in rice.

The NAC family transcription factor OsNAP confers abiotic stress response through the ABA pathway.

Plants respond to environmental stresses by altering gene expression, and several genes have been found to mediate stress-induced expression, but many additional factors are yet to be identified. OsNAP is a member of the NAC transcription factor family; it is localized in the nucleus, and shows transcriptional activator activity in yeast. Analysis of the OsNAP transcript levels in rice showed that this gene was significantly induced by ABA and abiotic stresses, including high salinity, drought and low temperature. Rice plants overexpressing OsNAP did not show growth retardation, but showed a significantly reduced rate of water loss, enhanced tolerance to high salinity, drought and low temperature at the vegetative stage, and improved yield under drought stress at the flowering stage. Microarray analysis of transgenic plants overexpressing OsNAP revealed that many stress-related genes were up-regulated, including OsPP2C06/OsABI2, OsPP2C09, OsPP2C68 and OsSalT, and some genes coding for stress-related transcription factors (OsDREB1A, OsMYB2, OsAP37 and OsAP59). Our data suggest that OsNAP functions as a transcriptional activator that plays a role in mediating abiotic stress responses in rice.

GATA4: Regulation of expression and functions in goat granulosa cells.

GATA4 plays a pivotal role in the reproductive processes of mammals. However, the research on GATA4 in goat ovary is limited. This study aimed to study the expression and function of GATA4 in goat ovary. Utilizing real-time PCR and western blot analysis, we studied the expression and regulatory mechanisms of GATA4 in goat ovary and granulosa cells (GCs). We found that GATA4 was expressed in all follicle types in the goat ovary, with significantly higher levels in GCs of larger follicles (>3 mm) compared to those in smaller follicles (<3 mm). Additionally, we demonstrated that human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) induced GATA4 mRNA expression via the activation of PKA, MEK, p38 MAPK, PKC, and PI3K pathways in vitro. Our study also showed that hCG suppressed the levels of miR-200b and miR-429, which in turn directly target GATA4, thereby modulating the basal and hCG-induced expression of GATA4. Functionally, we examined the effect of siRNA-mediated GATA4 knockdown on cell proliferation and hormone secretion in goat GCs. Our results revealed that knockdown of GATA4, miR-200b, and miR-429 suppressed cell proliferation. Moreover, knockdown of GATA4 decreased estradiol and progesterone production by inhibiting the promoter activities of CYP11A1, CYP19A1, HSD3B, and StAR. Collectively, our findings suggest a critical involvement of GATA4 in regulating goat GC survival and steroidogenesis.

[Functions of ANAC092 involved in regulation of anther development in Arabidopsis thaliana].

NAC family is a class of transcription factors that have been typically found in plant with various functions. This type of genes plays a key regulatory role in secondary plant growth, cell division, senescence, especially in the hormone and signaling pathways. ANAC092 was reported to function in relation to lateral root development and senescence. The promoter and in situ hybridization analyses showed that ANAC092 was expressed temporally in the process of anther development. The gene was expressed in tapetum at stages 8-11 of anther development and reached the highest amount at stages 9-10, which was overlapped with the expression period of AMS (Aborted microspores). In this study, we constructed ANAC092 over-expression system, and identified homozygous transgenic lines. Compared with the wild type, the number of pollen grains in the transgenic line was decreased significantly, but the length of pollen grain was increased. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of genes related to pollen development, e.g., SPL, EMS1, DYT1, and AMS was in-creased in the over-expression plants. Bioinformatics results showed that ANAC092 promoter sequence possessed seven AMS binding sites. All the results showed that ANAC092 is possibly located in the downstream of AMS and plays an im-portant role in the process of pollen development.

Defective metal-organic framework derived from the waste plastic bottles for rapid and efficient nitroimidazole antibiotics removal.

In order to alleviate the pressure on the ecological environment and human health caused by wastewater of nitroimidazole antibiotics and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastic waste, we propose a strategy of using defective MIL-68(Al) (d-MIL-68(Al)) derived from waste PET plastic for dimetridazole (DMZ) capture. The resulting d-MIL-68(Al) exhibits an excellent adsorption capacity of 555.6 mg g-1, which is three times of pristine MIL-68(Al) (181.8 mg g-1), demonstrating that the defective structures in d-MIL-68(Al) play a crucial role in the adsorption process. Remarkably, d-MIL-68(Al) can remove nearly 97% of DMZ in the first 10 s, and the removal efficiency reached 99% after adsorption equilibrium, affording a record kinetic rate constant k2 (2.84 g mg-1 min-1). In short, d-MIL-68(Al) possesses both an ultrafast adsorption rate and outstanding adsorption capacity toward DMZ compared with reported adsorbents. Mechanism analysis reveals that the excellent DMZ adsorption performances can be ascribed to the abundant active sites caused by defective structures, as well as the π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions between MOF and DMZ. Hence, d-MIL-68(Al) derived from waste PET plastic is an efficient porous adsorbent for rapid DMZ removal, which not only possesses great potential for wastewater treatment, but also reduces the harmful PET plastic waste, reflecting the concept of sustainable development.

MiR-135b-5p targets ADAM12 to suppress invasion and accelerate trophoblast apoptosis in preeclampsia.

INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia was a serious complication often leaded to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Abnormal placental miR-135b-5p expression in preeclampsia was observed in our preliminary investigation. However, the role of miR-135b-5p in preeclampsia was unclear. METHODS: We determined the miR-135b-5p expression pattern at the fetomaternal interface and levels in placental tissue and exosomes. MiR-135b-5p expression in the trophoblast cell line HTR8/SVneo was manipulated by transient agomir or antagomir transfection or establishment of HTR8/SVneo cell line stably overexpressing miR-135b or miR-135b-5p-sponger. Then the function of miR-135b-5p on the motility of HTR8/SVneo cells, and its effects on cell viability was determined. Finally, we confirmed the relationship between miR-135b-5p and ADAM12. RESULTS: MiR-135b-5p exclusively expressed in the villous cytotrophoblast, and extravillous trophoblast. Significant miR-135b-5p upregulation was observed in the placenta and peripheral plasma exosomes in preeclampsia, and could be a highly sensitive molecular marker for preeclampsia. Elevated miR-135b-5p expression significantly promoted apoptosis and inhibited HTR8/SVneo cell invasion and migration. Binding of miR-135b-5p to the ADAM12 mRNA 3'-untranslated region was predicted by bioinformatics analysis and confirmed using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. High miR-135-5p levels inhibit the invasion and migration of trophoblastic cells, possibly by directly binding to the 3'-UTR of DADM12 and suppressing its translation efficiency, thereby nullifying the promotion of trophoblast invasion and migration via ADAM12. DISCUSSION: Abnormal upregulation of miR-135b-5p may be involved in preeclampsia through triggering trophoblast apoptosis and impeding trophoblast invasion and migration by targeting ADAM12.

Analysis of Coupling Coordination Degree between Big Health Industry and Pension Service.

With the aging of the population, the problem of providing for the aged has been paid more and more attention. The big health industry and old-age care services will complement and promote each other in terms of industrial factors, industrial layout, and policy linkage and form a coupling effect in this process. Hospital services and pension services are professional property service formats, and they are also the exploration achievements of the property management industry in implementing the supply-side structural reform, transformation, upgrading, and development and are indispensable forces for the property management industry to participate in building a better life. The health and happiness of the elderly is an important symbol of social civilization and progress, and it is also an important content of implementing the Healthy China Action. The pension industry serving the healthy life of the aged population will form a huge demand for the big health industry, and its development will drive the big health industry. Based on the background of the big health system, this paper analyzes the current situation and crux of the development of aged care services in China and puts forward ways to improve the quality of aged care services by optimizing the effective supply of aged care services, improving the environment of aged care services, and strengthening the precise supervision of aged care services.

Decreased Connectivity in Precuneus of the Ventral Attentional Network in First-Episode, Treatment-Naïve Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Network Homogeneity and Independent Component Analysis.

Background and Objective: The ventral attentional network (VAN) can provide quantitative information on cognitive problems in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Nevertheless, little is known about network homogeneity (NH) changes in the VAN of these patients. The aim of this study was to examine the NH values in the VAN by independent component analysis (ICA) and compare the NH values between MDD patients and the normal controls (NCs). Methods: Attentional network test and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were collected from 73 patients, and 70 NCs matched by gender, age, and education years. ICA and NH were employed to evaluate the data. Moreover, the NH values were compared, and Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to assess the correlations with the executive control reaction time (ECRT). Results: Our results showed that the first-episode, treatment-naive MDD patients had decreased NH in the right precuneus (PCu) and abnormal ECRT compared with NCs. However, no significant correlation was found between the NH values and measured clinical variables. Conclusion: Our results highlight the potential importance of VAN in the pathophysiology of cognitive problems in MDD, thus offering new directions for future research on MDD.

Hierarchical-pore UiO-66-NH2 xerogel with turned mesopore size for highly efficient organic pollutants removal.

Persistent organic pollutants in water are not only a potential threat to human health, but also cause damage to the ecological environment. Hence, the removal of large organic pollutants from wastewater is of great importance for environmental protection. Herein, hierarchical-pore UiO-66-NH2 xerogels (H-UiO-66-NH2 xerogels) with different mesopore size, H-UiO-66-NH2-11.6 nm and H-UiO-66-NH2-3.7 nm, were successfully synthesized by combining sol-gel-based method and acid modulator, featuring the characteristics of simple operation, rapid and scalable process, low cost, and the high space-time yield (STY). N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms reveal that the obtained H-UiO-66-NH2 xerogels possess high surface area, hierarchical-pore structures, large pore volume, and turntable mesopore size. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrate that H-UiO-66-NH2-11.6 nm has excellent adsorption performance for reactive red 195 (RR 195) dye removal. The maximum adsorption capacity of H-UiO-66-NH2-11.6 nm is 884.96 mg g-1, which is 4.7 times of the microporous UiO-66-NH2 (185.15 mg g-1). Moreover, the removal efficiency of H-UiO-66-NH2-11.6 nm for RR 195 can exceed 99 %. The adsorption mechanism reveals that the excellent RR 195 capture stems from the large mesoporous structure and abundant adsorption sites provided by the Zr cluster and -NH2 groups in H-UiO-66-NH2-11.6 nm. Besides, H-UiO-66-NH2-11.6 nm also exhibits a much larger adsorption capacity for some other organic pollutants, such as tetracycline, reactive black 5, and amoxicillin, demonstrating that the H-UiO-66-NH2 xerogel has great potential for organic pollutant removal.

The Effect and Mechanism of lncRNA NR2F1-As1/miR-493-5p/MAP3K2 Axis in the Progression of Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: LncRNA NR2F1-AS1 has been identified as an oncogene in some human tumors, such as breast cancer, nonsmall cell lung cancer, and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Nonetheless, whether NR2F1-AS1 is involved in the progression of gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. METHODS: The expression patterns of NR2F1-AS1, MAP3K2, and miR-493-5p in GC tissues and cells were detected by RT-qPCR. The protein expression of MAP3K2 was assessed by the Western blotting assay. The MTT assay and flow cytometry were performed to measure cell proliferation and cell apoptosis in GC cells. The transwell assay was adopted to assess cell migration in GC cells. The relationship between NR2F1-AS1, MAP3K2, and miR-493-5p was verified by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: The increased NR2F1-AS1 and MAP3K2 expressions were discovered in GC tissues and cells compared with control groups. Knockdown of NR2F1-AS1 and MAP3K2 dramatically suppressed cell proliferation and migration, while it enhanced cell apoptosis in GC cells. In addition, NR2F1-AS1 was found to be a sponge of miR-493-5p, and MAP3K2 was a downstream gene of miR-493-5p. Moreover, the expression of MAP3K2 was notably reduced by miR-493-5p, and NR2F1-AS1 counteracted the inhibition of miR-493-5p. CONCLUSION: Thus, NR2F1-AS1 was verified to regulate GC cell progression by sponging miR-493-5p to upregulate MAP3K2 expression.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of the perioperative enhanced recovery after surgery concept on the surgical treatment of acute appendicitis in children.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), as a new concept in surgery, has dramatically changed the mode of perioperative treatment for children with acute appendicitis. METHODS: The retrieval strategy developed by the Cochrane Collaboration was conducted using the CNKI database, Wanfang Medical Network, PubMed, EBSCO, Medline, and Cochrane database by combining subject headings and free words. A review of the randomized controlled trials on the use of the ERAS concept in the perioperative treatment of acute appendicitis in children was conducted between the establishment of the database and May 15, 2021. Keywords included enhanced recovery after surgery, fast track surgery, ERAS, FTS, child, infant, and appendicitis. The quality of the literature was evaluated according to the RevMan 5.3 software provided by the Cochrane Collaboration. RESULTS: Five randomized controlled trials on ERAS in children with acute appendicitis were finally included. The heterogeneity of postoperative stay time was tested in 4 studies using continuous variables, with Chi-squared test (Chi2) =221.52, degree of freedom (df) =3, I2=99%>50%. An overall analysis using a random effects model showed that the ERAS group was significantly different compared to the control group [Z=5.26; mean difference (MD) =-1.65; 95% CI: -2.27 to -1.03; P<0.00001]. The heterogeneity of the readmission rate was tested in 5 studies using dichotomous variables, with Chi2=5.11, df =3, I2=41%<50%, P=0.91. Overall analysis using a fixed effects model showed no statistically significant difference between the ERAS group and the control group [Z=0.80; odds ratio (OR) =1.16; 95% CI: 0.81 to 1.66; P=0.42]. The heterogeneity of the recurrence rate was tested in 4 studies using dichotomous variables, with Chi2=3.73, df =3, I2=20%<50%, P=0.29. Overall analysis using a fixed effects model showed no statistically significant difference between the ERAS group and the control group (Z=1.14; OR =0.76; 95% CI: 0.47 to 1.22; P=0.26). DISCUSSION: The results of the meta-analysis confirmed that perioperative application of the ERAS concept in children with acute appendicitis can promote the rehabilitation of children, reduce the postoperative stay time, and reduce the readmission rate and reoperation rate.

IL-17-producing alveolar macrophages mediate allergic lung inflammation related to asthma.

IL-17 is a pivotal proinflammatory molecule in asthmatics. However, the cellular source of IL-17 in asthma has not been identified to date. In this study, we report that macrophages rather than Th17 cells are the main producer of IL-17 in allergic inflammation related to asthma. After OVA challenge in a mouse model mimicking allergic asthma, the increased IL-17(+) cells in the lung were mainly CD11b(+)F4/80(+) macrophages, instead of T cells or others. Importantly, IL-17(+) alveolar macrophages (AMs), but not IL-17(+) interstitial macrophages, were significantly increased after allergen challenge. The increase of IL-17(+) AMs was not due to the influx of IL-17(+) macrophages from circulation or other tissues, but ascribed to the activation of AMs by mediator(s) secreted by IgE/OVA-activated mast cells. Depleting alveolar macrophages or neutralizing IL-17 prevented the initiation of OVA-induced asthma-related inflammation by inhibiting the increase of inflammatory cells and inflammatory factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Th2 cytokine IL-10 could down-regulate IL-17 expression in alveolar macrophages. The increased IL-17 and the decreased IL-10 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were further confirmed in asthmatic patients. These findings suggest that IL-17 is mainly produced by macrophages but not Th17 cells in allergic inflammation related to asthma. Mast cell-released mediators up-regulate the expression of IL-17 by macrophages, whereas IL-10 down-regulates IL-17 expression.

An iPSC line (TYWHSTi002-A) derived from a patient with Pendred syndrome caused by compound heterozygous mutations in the SLC26A4 gene.

Pendred syndrome (PDS) is hereditary and is characterized by thyroid enlargement, cochlea abnormalities, and hearing impairment. In this study, we established an induced pluripotent stem cell line from a PDS patient with familial thyroid disorder, caused by compound heterozygous mutations in SLC26A4 (NM_000441.1; c.919-2A>G and c.1614 + 1G>A). Isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the patient were reprogrammed using the transgene free Sendai viral vectors, encoding SOX2, OCT4, KLF4, and cMYC. The resulting iPSC line was verified based on morphology, pluripotency markers, and differentiation potential into all three germ layers, and demonstrated typical features in accordance with those of embryo stem cells.