Comparative transcriptome profiling reveals RNA splicing alterations and biological function in patients exposed to occupational noise.

Genetic factors play an important role in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Alternative splicing (AS) is an essential mechanism affecting gene expression associated with disease pathogenesis at the post-transcriptional level, but has rarely been studied in NIHL. To explore the role of AS in the development of NIHL, we performed a comprehensive analysis of RNA splicing alterations by comparing the RNA-seq data from blood samples from NIHL patients and subjects with normal hearing who were exposed to the same noise environment. A total of 356 differentially expressed genes, including 23 transcription factors, were identified between the two groups. Of particular note was the identification of 56 aberrant alternative splicing events generated by 41 differentially expressed genes between the two groups, with exon skipping events accounting for 54% of all the differentially alternative splicing (DAS) events. The results of functional enrichment analysis showed that these intersecting DAS genes and differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in autophagy and mitochondria-related pathways. Together, our findings provide insights into the role of AS events in susceptibility and pathogenesis of NIHL.

Effect of Carbon Sources on the Catalytic Performance of Ni/ß-Mo2C.

In this paper, Ni/ß-Mo2C(S) and Ni/ß-Mo2C(G) were prepared from solution-derived precursor with two different carbon sources (starch and glucose) and tested as anodic noble-metal-free catalysts in air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The carburized catalyst samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The activity of the electrocatalyst towards the oxidation of several common microbial fermentation products (formate, lactate, and ethanol) was studied for MFC based on Klebsiella pneumoniae conditions. The composite MFC anodes were fabricated, and their catalytic behavior was investigated. With different carbon sources, the crystalline structure does not change and the crystallinity and surface area increase. The electrocatalytic experiments show that the Ni/ß-Mo2C(G) gives the better bio- and electrocatalytic performance than Ni/ß-Mo2C(S) due to its higher crystallinity and BET surface area.

Ni3Mo3C as anode catalyst for high-performance microbial fuel cells.

Ni3Mo3C was prepared by a modified organic colloid method and explored as anode catalyst for high-performance microbial fuel cell (MFC) based on Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae). The prepared sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The activity of the sample as anode catalyst for MFC based on K. pneumoniae was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and polarization curve measurement. The results show that the adding of nickel in Mo2C increases the BET surface area of Mo2C and improves the electrocatalytic activity of Mo2C towards the oxidation of microbial fermentation products. The power density of MFC with 3 mg cm(-2) Ni3Mo3C anode is far higher than that of the MFC with carbon felt as anode without any catalyst, which is 19 % higher than that of Mo2C anode and produced 62 % as much as that of Pt anode, indicating that Ni3Mo3C is comparative to noble metal platinum as anode electrocatalyst for MFCs by increasing the loading.