Polysaccharide H-1-2 Ameliorates High Glucose-Induced Podocyte Dysfunction by Suppressing Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition via Restoration of SIRT1 in Vivo and in Vitro.

Renal interstitial fibrosis, a pathological feature of diabetic nephropathy, is closely related to endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This study aimed to explore the effect of H-1-2, a polysaccharide of Pseudostellaria heterophylla, on high glucose (HG) induced-podocyte EMT in vivo and ex vivo. DBA/2 mice were given five consecutive days of streptozotocin injection to induce the diabetic nephropathy model. H-1-2 treatment effectively attenuated general states (bodyweight and blood glucose level) and reduced oral glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, kidney index, as well as the level of serum urine nitrogen, serum creatinine, and urinary albumin excretion rate in diabetic nephropathy mice. The injury and EMT of podocytes in diabetic nephropathy mice were restrained by H-1-2. After exposing podocytes to HG, the impaired cell viability, apoptosis, the downregulation of nephrin, synaptopodin, sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and P-cadherin, and the upregulation of N-cadherin were observed in podocytes. H-1-2 treatment could reverse these effects induced by HG. To uncover the mechanism underlying H-1-2 suppressing EMT, small interference RNA for SIRT1 was transfected into podocytes. Mechanically, silencing SIRT1 largely restrained the protective effect of H-1-2 on HG-induced podocytes. In conclusion, H-1-2 exerts a potential role in alleviating HG-induced dysfunction and EMT of podocytes in vivo and ex vivo via SIRT1.

Alternating Current Electroluminescence for Human-Interactive Sensing Displays.

The development of stimuli-interactive displays based on alternating current (AC)-driven electroluminescence (EL) is of great interest, owing to their simple device architectures suitable for wearable applications requiring resilient mechanical flexibility and stretchability. AC-EL displays can serve as emerging platforms for various human-interactive sensing displays (HISDs) where human information is electrically detected and directly visualized using EL, promoting the development of the interaction of human-machine technologies. This review provides a holistic overview of the latest developments in AC-EL displays with an emphasis on their applications for HISDs. AC-EL displays based on exciton recombination or impact excitations of hot electrons are classified into four representative groups depending upon their device architecture: 1) displays without insulating layers, 2) displays with single insulating layers, 3) displays with double insulating layers, and 4) displays with EL materials embedded in an insulating matrix. State-of-the-art AC HISDs are discussed. Furthermore, emerging stimuli-interactive AC-EL displays are described, followed by a discussion of scientific and engineering challenges and perspectives for future stimuli-interactive AC-EL displays serving as photo-electronic human-machine interfaces.

Humidity-Tolerant Moisture-Driven Energy Generator with MXene Aerogel-Organohydrogel Bilayer.

Free-standing and film-type moisture-driven energy generators (MEGs) that harness the preferential interaction of ionized moisture with hydrophilic materials are interesting because of their wearability and portability without needing a water container. However, most such MEGs work in limited humidity conditions, which provide a substantial moisture gradient. Herein, we present a high-performance MEG with sustainable power-production capability in a wide range of environments. The bilayer-based device comprises a negatively surface-charged, hydrophilic MXene (Ti3C2Tx) aerogel and polyacrylamide (PAM) ionic hydrogel. The preferential selection on the MXene aerogel of positive charges supplied from the salts and water in the hydrogel is predicted by the first-principle simulation, which results in a high electric output in a wide relative humidity range from 20% to 95%. Furthermore, by replacing the hydrogel with an organohydrogel of PAM that has excellent water retention and structural stability, a device with long-term electricity generation is realized for more than 15 days in a broad temperature range (from -20 to 80 °C). Our MXene aerogel MEGs connected in series supply sufficient power for commercial electronic components in various outdoor environments. Moreover, an MXene aerogel MEG works as a self-powered sensor for recognizing finger bending and facial expression.

A Breathable Knitted Fabric-Based Smart System with Enhanced Superhydrophobicity for Drowning Alarming.

Wearable strain sensors have aroused increasing interest in human motion monitoring, even for the detection of small physiological signals such as joint movement and pulse. Stable monitoring of underwater human motion for a long time is still a notable challenge, as electronic devices can lose their effectiveness in a wet environment. In this study, a superhydrophobic and conductive knitted polyester fabric-based strain sensor was fabricated via dip coating of graphene oxide and polydimethylsiloxane micro/nanoparticles. The water contact angle of the obtained sample was 156°, which was retained above 150° under deformation (stretched to twice the original length or bent to 80°). Additionally, the sample exhibited satisfactory mechanical stability in terms of superhydrophobicity and conductivity after 300 abrasion cycles and 20 accelerated washing cycles. In terms of sensing performance, the strain sensor showed a rapid and obvious response to different deformations such as water vibration, underwater finger bending, and droplet shock. With the good combination of superhydrophobicity and conductivity, as well as the wearability and stretchability of the knitted polyester fabric, this wireless strain sensor connected with Bluetooth can allow for the remote monitoring of water sports, e.g., swimming, and can raise an alert under drowning conditions.

Flexible and Transparent Electrode of Hybrid Ti3C2TX MXene-Silver Nanowires for High-Performance Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

The development of electrodes with high conductivity, optical transparency, and reliable mechanical flexibility and stability is important for numerous solution-processed photoelectronic applications. Although transparent Ti3C2TX MXene electrodes with high conductivity are promising, their suitability for displays remains limited because of the high sheet resistance, which is caused by undesirable flake junctions and surface roughness. Herein, a flexible and transparent electrode has been fabricated that is suitable for a full-solution-processed quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED). An MXene-silver nanowire (AgNW) hybrid electrode (MXAg) consists of a highly conductive AgNW network mixed with solution-processed MXene flakes. Efficient welding of wire-to-wire junctions with MXene flakes yields an electrode with a low sheet resistance and a high transparency of approximately 13.9 Ω sq-1 and 83.8%, respectively. By employing a thin polymer buffer layer of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), followed by mild thermal treatment, a hybrid PMMA-based MXene-AgNW (MXAg@PMMA) electrode in which the work function of an MXAg hybrid FTE physically embedded in PMMA (MXAg@PMMA) can be tuned by controlling the amount of MXene in the hybrid film facilitates the development of a high-performance solution-processed QLED that exhibits maximum external quantum and current efficiencies of approximately 9.88% and 25.8 cd/A, respectively, with excellent bending stability. This work function-tunable flexible transparent electrode based on solution-processed nanoconductors provides a way to develop emerging high-performance, wearable, cost-effective, and soft electroluminescent devices.