Enhanced therapeutic potential of Flotillins-modified MenSCs by improve the survival, proliferation and migration.

Menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells (MenSCs) have attracted increasing interest due to their excellent safety, and lack of ethical dilemma as well as their ability to be periodically obtained in a noninvasive manner. However, although preclinical research as shown the therapeutic potential of MenSCs in several diseases, their poor cell survival and low engraftment at disease sites reduce their clinical efficacy. Flotillins (including Flot1 and Flot2) are implicated in various cellular processes, such as vesicular trafficking, signal transduction, cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of Flotillins on MenSCs survival, proliferation and migration. Our experimental results show that MenSCs were modified to overexpress Flot1 and/or Flot2 without altering their intrinsic characteristics. Flot1 and Flot2 co-overexpression promoted MenSC viability and proliferation capacity. Moreover, Flot1 or Flot2 overexpression significantly promoted the migration and inhibited the apoptosis of MenSCs compared with the negative control group, and these effects were stronger in the Flot1 and Flot2 gene co-overexpression group. However, these effects were significantly reversed after Flot1 and/or Flot2 knockdown. In conclusion, our results indicate that Flot1 and Flot2 overexpression in MenSCs improved their proliferation and migration and inhibited their apoptosis, and this might be an effective approach to improve the efficiency of cell-based therapies.

In situ self-referenced intracellular two-electrode system for enhanced accuracy in single-cell analysis.

Since the emergence of single-cell electroanalysis, the two-electrode system has become the predominant electrochemical system for real-time behavioral analysis of single-cell and multicellular populations. However, due to the transmembrane placement of the two electrodes, cellular activities can be interrupted by the transmembrane potentials, and the test results are susceptible to influences from factors such as intracellular solution, membrane, and bulk solution. These limitations impede the advancement of single-cell analysis. Here, we propose a highly miniaturized and integrated in situ self-referenced intracellular two-electrode system (IS-SRITES), wherein both the working and reference electrodes are positioned inside the cell. Additionally, we demonstrated the stability (0.28 mV/h) of the solid-contact in situ Ag/AgCl reference electrode and the ability of the system to conduct standard electrochemical testing in a wide pH range (pH 6.0-8.0). Cell experiments confirmed the non-destructive performance of the electrode system towards cells and its capacity for real-time monitoring of intra- and extracellular pH values. Moreover, through equivalent circuits, finite element simulations, and drug delivery experiments, we illustrated that the IS-SRITES can yield more accurate test results and exhibit enhanced resistance to interference from the extracellular environment. Our proposed system holds the potential to enable the precise detection of intracellular substances and optimize the existing model of the electrode system for intracellular signal detection, thereby spearheading advancements in single-cell analysis.

Research on the Changes in Distribution and Habitat Suitability of the Chinese Red Panda Population.

The study of the dynamics of species habitat is of great significance for maintaining or adjusting the current habitat protection management strategy. However, the current research on the Chinese red panda's habitat is limited to the analysis of a single period, which makes it difficult to quantify the changes in its habitat on a temporal scale and greatly hinders the formulation of the overall protection and management strategies that are to be used for the Chinese red panda. This study simulated habitat suitability at different temporal scales to quantify the trend of changes in habitat quality and analyzed the reasons for the changes in habitat suitability in certain regions. The results showed that the overall suitability of the Chinese red panda's habitat increased and that the area of suitable habitats expanded. Suitable Chinese red panda habitats in the mountains of Qionglai (1662.73 km2), Daxiangling (230.30 km2), Xiaoxiangling (549.47 km2), and Liangshan (50.39 km2) increased by a total of 2452.89 km2. The suitability of habitats in the central part of the Liangshan Mountains has declined significantly, which is positively correlated with changes in temperature seasonality (BIO4, R = 0.18) and negatively correlated with changes in annual average temperature (BIO1, R = -0.03) as well as changes in the proportion of farmland (FARMLAND, R = -0.14). The local extinction of isolated populations of Chinese red pandas in the Minshan Mountains is the main factor leading to their distribution retreat rather than a decrease in habitat quality. The research results help us to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of conservation and management strategies for Chinese red pandas at different scales.

A Piezoelectric MEMS Speaker with a Combined Function of a Silent Alarm.

To explore the versatility of speakers, a piezoelectric micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) speaker combining the function of a silent alarm is proposed, which mainly comprises a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) actuation layer and a rigid-flexible coupling supporting layer. Measurements performed on encapsulated prototypes mounted to an artificial ear simulator have revealed that, compared to a speaker with a rigid supporting layer, the sound pressure level (SPL) of the proposed piezoelectric MEMS speaker with a rigid-flexible coupling supporting layer is significantly higher and is especially higher by 4.1-20.1 dB in the frequency range from 20 Hz to 4.2 kHz, indicating that the rigid-flexible coupling supporting layer can improve the SPL significantly in low frequency. Moreover, the spectral distribution characteristic of its playback audio is similar to that of the commercial electromagnetic type. The device can also function as a silent alarm based on oral airflows in dangerous situations, as it performs well at recognizing words according to their unique voltage-signal characteristics, and can avoid the effects of external sound noise, body movement, long distance, and occlusion. This strategy provides inspiration for functional diversification of piezoelectric MEMS speakers.

Piezoelectric Dynamics of Arterial Pulse for Wearable Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring.

Piezoelectric arterial pulse wave dynamics are traditionally considered to be similar to those of typical blood pressure waves. However, achieving accurate continuous blood pressure wave monitoring based on arterial pulse waves remains challenging, because the correlation between piezoelectric pulse waves and their related blood pressure waves is unclear. To address this, the correlation between piezoelectric pulse waves and blood pressure waves is first elucidated via theoretical, simulation, and experimental analysis of these dynamics. Based on this correlation, the authors develop a wireless wearable continuous blood pressure monitoring system, with better portability than conventional systems that are based on the pulse wave velocity between multiple sensors. They explore the feasibility of achieving wearable continuous blood pressure monitoring without motion artifacts, using a single piezoelectric sensor. These findings eliminate the controversy over the arterial pulse wave piezoelectric response, and can potentially be used to develop a portable wearable continuous blood pressure monitoring device for the early prevention and daily control of hypertension.

H5N1 infection impairs the alveolar epithelial barrier through intercellular junction proteins via Itch-mediated proteasomal degradation.

The H5N1 subtype of the avian influenza virus causes sporadic but fatal infections in humans. H5N1 virus infection leads to the disruption of the alveolar epithelial barrier, a pathologic change that often progresses into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pneumonia. The mechanisms underlying this remain poorly understood. Here we report that H5N1 viruses downregulate the expression of intercellular junction proteins (E-cadherin, occludin, claudin-1, and ZO-1) in several cell lines and the lungs of H5N1 virus-infected mice. H5N1 virus infection activates TGF-ß-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), which then activates p38 and ERK to induce E3 ubiquitin ligase Itch expression and to promote occludin ubiquitination and degradation. Inhibition of the TAK1-Itch pathway restores the intercellular junction structure and function in vitro and in the lungs of H5N1 virus-infected mice. Our study suggests that H5N1 virus infection impairs the alveolar epithelial barrier by downregulating the expression of intercellular junction proteins at the posttranslational level.

Cross-platform analysis of public responses to the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence on Twitter and Reddit.

Online social networks (OSNs) have become a powerful tool to study collective human responses to extreme events such as earthquakes. Most previous research concentrated on a single platform and utilized users' behaviors on a single platform to study people's general responses. In this study, we explore the characteristics of people's behaviors on different OSNs and conduct a cross-platform analysis of public responses to earthquakes. Our findings support the Uses and Gratification theory that users on Reddit and Twitter are engaging with platforms that they may feel best reflect their sense of self. Using the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes as our study cases, we collected 510,579 tweets and 45,770 Reddit posts (including 1437 submissions and 44,333 comments) to answer the following research questions: (1) What were the similarities and differences between public responses on Twitter and Reddit? (2) Considering the different mechanisms of Twitter and Reddit, what unique information of public responses can we learn from Reddit as compared with Twitter? By answering these research questions, we aim to bridge the gap of cross-platform public responses research towards natural hazards. Our study evinces that the users on the two different platforms have both different topics of interest and different sentiments towards the same earthquake, which indicates the necessity of investigating cross-platform OSNs to reveal a more comprehensive picture of people's general public responses towards certain disasters. Our analysis also finds that r/conspiracy subreddit is one of the major venues where people discuss the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes on Reddit and different misinformation/conspiracies spread on Twitter and Reddit platforms (e.g., "Big one is coming" on Twitter and "Nuclear test" on Reddit).

Fabrication and Characterization of Iridium Oxide pH Microelectrodes Based on Sputter Deposition Method.

pH value plays an important role in many fields such as chemistry and biology; therefore, rapid and accurate pH measurement is very important. Because of its advantages in preparation, wide test range, rapid response, and good biocompatibility, iridium oxide material has received more and more attention. In this paper, we present a method for preparing iridium oxide pH microelectrodes based on the sputter deposition method. The sputtering parameters of iridium oxide are also studied and optimized. Open-circuit potential tests show that microelectrodes exhibit near-Nernstian pH response with good linearity (about 60 mV/pH), fast response, high stability (a slight periodic fluctuation of potential change <2.5 mV in 24 h), and good reversibility in the pH range of 1.00-13.00.

Chitosan derivative corrosion inhibitor for aluminum alloy in sodium chloride solution: A green organic/inorganic hybrid.

A novel and eco-friendly chitosan derivative was synthesized as green corrosion inhibitors on C3003 aluminum alloy in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. In this paper, CP was prepared by Schiff Base reaction with chitosan and 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde. Then, TiO2 was dispersed in CP to prepare CPT nanocomposite. The corrosion inhibition effect of CPT on C3003 aluminum alloy at different concentrations were studied with electrochemical techniques and surface analysis. The results showed that the maximum inhibition efficiency of CPT nanocomposite reaches to 94.5 % at 200 ppm after the immersed in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for 72 h. Meanwhile, the contact angle increases to 120° due to the formation of hydrophobic substances. The strategy of organic/inorganic hybrid can provide the inspiration for the development of chitosan corrosion inhibitor with low concentration and high efficiency.

Identification of a novel pepper-infecting monopartite begomovirus in China.

Three full-length monopartite begomovirus sequences were obtained from two field-collected pepper plants exhibiting severe leaf yellowing disease symptoms in Yunnan province of China. The three full-length viral sequences contain 2,748 nucleotides (nt) and share the highest nt sequence similarity (88.2% identity) with that of malvastrum yellow vein Yunnan virus (MYVYNV). The betasatellite molecules of the two viruses share the highest sequence similarity (99.3% identity) with that of malvastrum yellow vein Yunnan betasatellite (MYVYNB). Based on the current species demarcation criteria for the genus Begomovirus, these three newly identified isolates can be considered members of a novel monopartite Begomovirus species, and we have named this virus "pepper yellow leaf curl virus" (PepYLCV). Phylogenetic analysis showed that PepYLCV clustered with pepper leaf curl Yunnan virus (PepLCYNV). Recombination analysis revealed that PepYLCV is likely to have originated through a recombination event between MYVYNV and tomato leaf curl Yunnan virus (TLCYnV).

Assimilation of Both Column- and Layer-Integrated Dust Opacity Observations in the Martian Atmosphere.

A new dust data assimilation scheme has been developed for the UK version of the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique Martian General Circulation Model. The Analysis Correction scheme (adapted from the UK Met Office) is applied with active dust lifting and transport to analyze measurements of temperature, and both column-integrated dust optical depth (CIDO), τ ref (rescaled to a reference level), and layer-integrated dust opacity (LIDO). The results are shown to converge to the assimilated observations, but assimilating either of the dust observation types separately does not produce the best analysis. The most effective dust assimilation is found to require both CIDO (from Mars Odyssey/THEMIS) and LIDO observations, especially for Mars Climate Sounder data that does not access levels close to the surface. The resulting full reanalysis improves the agreement with both in-sample assimilated CIDO and LIDO data and independent observations from outside the assimilated data set. It is thus able to capture previously elusive details of the dust vertical distribution, including elevated detached dust layers that have not been captured in previous reanalyzes. Verification of this reanalysis has been carried out under both clear and dusty atmospheric conditions during Mars Years 28 and 29, using both in-sample and out of sample observations from orbital remote sensing and contemporaneous surface measurements of dust opacity from the Spirit and Opportunity landers. The reanalysis was also compared with a recent version of the Mars Climate Database (MCD v5), demonstrating generally good agreement though with some systematic differences in both time mean fields and day-to-day variability.

H1N1 Influenza Virus Cross-Activates Gli1 to Disrupt the Intercellular Junctions of Alveolar Epithelial Cells.

Influenza A virus (IAV) primarily infects the airway and alveolar epithelial cells and disrupts the intercellular junctions, leading to increased paracellular permeability. Although this pathological change plays a critical role in lung tissue injury and secondary infection, the molecular mechanism of IAV-induced damage to the alveolar barrier remains obscure. Here, we report that Gli1, a transcription factor in the sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway, is cross-activated by the MAP and PI3 kinase pathways in H1N1 virus (PR8)-infected A549 cells and in the lungs of H1N1 virus-infected mice. Gli1 activation induces Snail expression, which downregulates the expression of intercellular junction proteins, including E-cadherin, ZO-1, and Occludin, and increases paracellular permeability. Inhibition of the Shh pathway restores the levels of Snail and intercellular junction proteins in H1N1-infected cells. Our study suggests that Gli1 activation plays an important role in disrupting the intercellular junctions and in promoting the pathogenesis of H1N1 virus infections.

The Gli1-Snail axis contributes to Salmonella Typhimurium-induced disruption of intercellular junctions of intestinal epithelial cells.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a facultative intracellular pathogen that damages gastrointestinal tissue and causes severe diarrhoea. The mechanisms by which Salmonella disrupts epithelial barrier and increases the paracellular permeability are incompletely understood. Our present study aims to determine the role of Gli1, a transcription factor activated in the sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway, in decreasing the levels of apical junction proteins in a Salmonella-infected human colonic epithelial cancer cell line, Caco-2, and in the intestinal tissue of Salmonella-infected mice. Here, we report that S. Typhimurium increased the mRNA and protein levels of Gli1 and Snail, a downstream transcription factor that plays an important role in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). S. Typhimurium also decreased the levels of E-cadherin and three tight junction proteins (ZO-1, claudin-1, and occludin). Gli1 siRNA and GANT61, a Gli1-specific inhibitor, blocked S. Typhimurium-induced Snail expression, restored the levels of E-cadherin and tight junction proteins, and prevented S. Typhimurium-increased paracellular permeability. Further study showed that Gli1 was cross-activated by the MAP and PI-3 kinase pathways. S. Typhimurium devoid of sopB, an effector of the Type 3 secretion system (T3SS) responsible for AKT activation, was unable to induce Snail expression and to decrease the expression of apical junction proteins. Our study uncovered a novel role of Gli1 in mediating the Salmonella-induced disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier.

Degradation of norfloxacin by copper-doped Bi2WO6-induced sulfate radical-based visible light-Fenton reaction.

In this work, a series of Cu(ii)-doped Bi2WO6 nanomaterials with good photo-response properties were facile synthesized and used to obtain efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation activity for norfloxacin (NOF) removal under visible LED light irradiation. It was found that Cu-Bi2WO6 presents superior catalytic performance for NOF degradation in comparison with pristine Bi2WO6, attributed to the partial substitution of Bi3+ by Cu ions. Moreover, the effects of experimental conditions were carefully investigated, including PMS concentration, catalyst dosage and initial pH, and the experimental data fitted well with the pseudo-first-order model. Experimental results implied that there was a synergic effect of visible LED light energy and the sulfate radical (SR)-Fenton reaction. Additionally, the 5Cu-Bi2WO6 nanomaterial presented the best degradation efficiency of 89.27% and exhibited high NOF degradation in 5 cycles with limited Cu leaching. Furthermore, EPR and radical quenching experiments were performed to identify the reactive oxygen species presented in the SR-photo-Fenton reaction. Finally, the major degradation intermediates of NOF were detected, and a possible degradation pathway was given. Thus, a mechanism of the significant photocatalytic activity enhancement by copper doping of the Bi2WO6 catalyst was proposed.

Rearranging Online Tubes for Streaming Video Synopsis: A Dynamic Graph Coloring Approach.

To efficiently browse long surveillance videos, the video synopsis technique is often used to rearrange tubes (i.e., tracks of moving objects) along the temporal axis to form a much shorter video. In this process, two key issues need to be addressed, i.e., the minimization of spatial tube collision and the maximization of temporal video condensation. In addition, when a surveillance video comes as a stream, an online algorithm with the capability of dynamically rearranging tubes is also required. Toward this end, this paper proposes a novel graph-based tube rearrangement approach for online video synopsis. The relationships among tubes are modeled with a dynamic graph, whose nodes (i.e., object masks of tubes) and edges (i.e., relationships) can be progressively inserted and updated. Based on this graph, we propose a dynamic graph coloring algorithm to efficiently rearrange all tubes by determining when they should appear. Extensive experimental results show that our approach can condense online surveillance video streams in real time with less tube collision and high compact ratio.

Role of c-Jun terminal kinase (JNK) activation in influenza A virus-induced autophagy and replication.

The non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of different influenza A virus (IAV) strains can differentially regulate the activity of c-Jun terminal kinase (JNK) and PI-3 kinase (PI3K). Whether varying JNK and PI3K activation impacts autophagy and IAV replication differently remains uncertain. Here we report that H5N1 (A/mallard/Huadong/S/2005) influenza A virus induced functional autophagy, as evidenced by increased LC3 lipidation and decreased p62 levels, and the presence of autolysosomes in chicken fibroblast cells. H9N2 (A/chicken/Shanghai/F/98) virus weakly induced autophagy, whereas H1N1 virus (A/PR/8/34, PR8) blocked autophagic flux. H5N1 virus activated JNK but inhibited the PI-3 kinase pathway. In contrast, N9N2 virus infection led to modest JNK activation and strong PI-3 kinase activation; whereas H1N1 virus activated the PI-3 kinase pathway but did not activate JNK. SP600125, a JNK inhibitor, inhibited H5N1 virus-induced autophagy and virus replication in a DF-1 chicken fibroblast cell line. Our study uncovered a previously unrecognized role of JNK in IAV replication and autophagy.

Effect of methionine deficiency on oxidative stress and apoptosis in the small intestine of broilers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of methionine (Met) deficiency on antioxidant functions (in the duodenal, jejunal and ileal mucosa) and apoptosis in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum of broiler chickens. A total of 120 one-day-old Cobb broilers were divided into two groups and fed a Metdeficient diet and a control diet, respectively, for six weeks. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), the ability to inhibit hydroxyl radicals, and glutathione (GSH) content were significantly decreased in the Met-deficient group compared to the control. In contrast, malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly higher in the Met-deficient group. As measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase 2'-deoxyuridine 5'- triphosphate dUTP nick end-labelling (TUNEL) and flow cytometry (FCM), the percentages of apoptotic cells were significantly increased. In conclusion, dietary Met deficiency can cause oxidative stress and then induce increased apoptosis in the intestine. Oxidative stress contributes to intestinal apoptosis. This results in the impairment of local intestinal mucosal immunity due to oxidative stress and apoptosis in the small intestine. The results of this study provide new experimental evidence for understanding the negative effects of Met deficiency on mucosal immunity or the functions of other immune tissues.

Fluoride-induced alterations of synapse-related proteins in the cerebral cortex of ICR offspring mouse brain.

Fluoride (F) exposure causes cognitive dysfunction in humans and animals. However, the precise molecular mechanisms by which fluoride exerts its neurotoxic effects are poorly understood. In this study, an animal model of fluoride exposure was created by providing ICR mice were treated with vehicle F at a dose of 0 (control group), 50 (low-fluoride group) or 100 mg/L (high-fluoride group) in water for one month. After the mice mated, parents and offspring were treated and maintained under these conditions. The cognitive abilities of the mice were examined using a Morris water maze test. Results indicated that fluoride exposure significantly prolonged the escape latency period and decreased the number of crossings in a particular zone. Histopathologic analysis revealed the shrinkage and fragmentation of glial cells in the fluoride-treated groups. Pyramidal cells in the cerebral cortices of fluoride-treated groups were fewer than those of the control group. The expression of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and synaptic proteins of the cerebral cortex in mouse offspring was assayed using RT-PCR and Western blot. Fluoride exposure possibly induced a significantly decreased expression of MAP2, synaptophysin (SYP) and developmentally regulated brain protein (Dbn) at protein and mRNA levels. Glutamate receptor (N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, NMDAR) was also expressed, and this finding was consistent with the reduced MAP2, SYP and Dbn expression. Therefore, fluoride-mediated reduction in cognitive dysfunction is likely caused by the disruption of the expression of these synapse-associated proteins, resulting in attenuated neuronal functioning.

Pathogenicity of reassortant H9 influenza viruses with different NA genes in mice and chickens.

To better understand the influence of different NA genes on pathogenicity of H9 viruses, three reassortant H9 viruses (rH9N1, H9N2 and rH9N3) were generated and characterized. All three viruses replicated efficiently in eggs and MDCK cells, whereas the rH9N1 and rH9N3 replicated more efficiently than H9N2 in A549 cells. The rH9N3 replicated more efficiently than rH9N1 and H9N2 viruses in mice, however, rH9N3 replicated and shed less efficiently than the H9N2 virus in chickens. Further studies indicate that N3 had higher NA activity and released virus from erythrocytes faster, which may improve the adaptation of H9 influenza virus to mammals.

Phylogenetic analysis and pathogenicity of H3 subtype avian influenza viruses isolated from live poultry markets in China.

H3 subtype influenza A virus is one of the main subtypes that threats both public and animal health. However, the evolution and pathogenicity of H3 avian influenza virus (AIV) circulating in domestic birds in China remain largely unclear. In this study, seven H3 AIVs (four H3N2 and three H3N8) were isolated from poultry in live poultry market (LPM) in China. Phylogenetic analyses of full genomes showed that all viruses were clustered into Eurasian lineage, except N8 genes of two H3N8 isolates fell into North American lineage. Intriguingly, the N8 gene of one H3N8 and PB2, PB1, NP and NS of two H3N2 isolates have close relationship with those of the highly pathogenic H5N8 viruses circulating in Korea and United States, suggesting that the H3-like AIV may contribute internal genes to the highly pathogenic H5N8 viruses. Phylogenetic tree of HA gene and antigenic cross-reactivity results indicated that two antigenically different H3 viruses are circulating in LPM in China. Most of the H3 viruses replicated in mice lung and nasal turbinate without prior adaptation, and the representative H3 viruses infected chickens without causing clinical signs. The reassortment of H3 subtype influenza viruses warrants continuous surveillance in LPM in China.