Zincophilic Metal-Organic-Framework Interface Mitigating Dendrite Growth for Highly Reversible Zinc Metal Batteries.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries are the ideal candidate for large-scale energy storage systems owing to their high safety and low cost. However, the uncontrolled deposition and parasitic reaction of Zn metal anode hinder their commercial application. Here, the 2D metal-organic-framework (MOF) nanoflakes covered on the surface of Zn are proposed to enable dendrite-free for long lifespan Zn metal batteries. The MOF can facilitate the desolvation process to accelerate reaction kinetic due to its special channel structure. The abundant zincopilicity sites of MOF can realize the homogenous Zn2+ deposition. Consequently, their synergetic effect makes the MOF protected Zn anode good electrochemical performance with a long cycle life of 1400 h at 1 mA cm-2 and a high depth of discharge of 30 mAh cm-2 (DOD ≈ 54%) continued for over 700 h. This work provides a novel strategy for high-performance rechargeable Zn-ion batteries.

Quasi-Solid-State All-V2O5 Battery.

Solid-state symmetrical battery represents a promising paradigm for future battery technology. However, its development is hindered by the deficiency of high-performance bipolar electrodes and compatible solid electrolytes. Herein, a quasi-solid-state all-V2O5 battery constructed by a binder-free carbon fabric-V2O5 nanowires@graphene (CVOG) bipolar electrode and a softly cross-linked polyethylene oxide-based solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) is reported. The synergetic effect of nano-structuring of V2O5, hierarchical conductive network, and graphene wrapping endows the CVOG electrode with boosted reaction kinetics and suppressed vanadium dissolution. The cathodic and anodic reactions of CVOG are decoupled by electrochemical analysis, conceiving the feasibility of constructing all-V2O5 full battery. In manifesting the solid-state all-V2O5 battery, the robust and elastic SPE exhibits high ionic conductivity, tight/self-adaptable electrolyte-electrode contact, and a low charge-transfer barrier. The resultant solid-state full battery exhibits a high reversible capacity of 158 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C, good capacity retention of over 61% from 0.1 C to 2 C, and remarkable cycling stability of 77% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 1 C, which surpass other solid-state symmetrical batteries. Hence, this work provides a practice of high-performance solid-state batteries with symmetrical configuration and is constructive for next-generation battery technology.

The Guidelines for the Design and Synthesis of Transition Metal Atom Doped Carbon Dots.

Atoms doping is a practical approach to modulate the physicochemical properties of carbon dots (CDs) and thus has garnered increasing attention in recent years. Compared to non-metal atoms, transition metal atoms (TMAs) possess more unoccupied orbitals and larger atomic radii. TMAs doping can significantly alter the electronic structure of CDs and bestow them with new intrinsic characteristics. TMAs-doped CDs have exhibited widespread application potential as a new class of single-atom-based nanomaterials. However, challenges remain for the successful preparation and precise design of TMAs-doped CDs. The key to successfully preparing TMA-doped CDs lies in anchoring TMAs to the carbon precursors before the reaction. Herein, taking the formation mechanism of TMAs-doped CDs as a starting point, we systematically summarized the ligands employed for synthesizing TMAs-doped CDs and proposed the synthetic strategy involving multiple ligands. Additionally, we summarize the functional properties imparted to CDs by different TMA dopants to guide the design of TMA-doped CDs with different functional characteristics. Finally, we describe the bottlenecks TMAs-doped CDs face and provide an outlook on their future development.

Idebenone Antagonizes P53-Mediated Neuronal Oxidative Stress Injury by Regulating CD38-SIRT3 Protein Level.

Idebenone, an antioxidant used in treating oxidative damage-related diseases, has unclear neuroprotective mechanisms. Oxidative stress affects cell and mitochondrial membranes, altering Adp-ribosyl cyclase (CD38) and Silent message regulator 3 (SIRT3) protein expression and possibly impacting SIRT3's ability to deacetylate Tumor protein p53 (P53). This study explores the relationship between CD38, SIRT3, and P53 in H2O2-injured HT22 cells treated with Idebenone. Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining after determining appropriate H2O2 and Idebenone concentrations.In this study, Idebenone was found to reduce apoptosis and decrease P53 and Caspase3 expression in H2O2-injured HT22 cells by detecting apoptosis-related protein expression. Through bioinformatics methods, CD38 was identified as the target of Idebenone, and it further demonstrated that Idebenone decreased the expression of CD38 and increased the level of SIRT3. An increased NAD+/NADH ratio was detected, suggesting Idebenone induces SIRT3 expression and protects HT22 cells by decreasing apoptosis-related proteins. Knocking down SIRT3 downregulated acetylated P53 (P53Ac), indicating SIRT3's importance in P53 deacetylation.These results supported that CD38 was used as a target of Idebenone to up-regulate SIRT3 to deacetylate activated P53, thereby protecting HT22 cells from oxidative stress injury. Thus, Idebenone is a drug that may show great potential in protecting against reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced diseases such as Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. And it might be able to compensate for some of the defects associated with CD38-related diseases.

Evaluation of tumor microvasculature with 3D ultrasound localization microscopy based on 2D matrix array.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of tumor microvascular morphology is of great significance in tumor diagnosis, therapeutic effect prediction, and surgical planning. Recently, two-dimensional ultrasound localization microscopy (2DULM) has demonstrated its superiority in the field of microvascular imaging. However, it suffers from planar dependence and is unintuitive. We propose a novel three-dimensional ultrasound localization microscopy (3DULM) to avoid these limitations. METHODS: We investigated 3DULM based on a 2D array for tumor microvascular imaging. After intravenous injection of contrast agents, all elements of the 2D array transmit and receive signals to ensure a high and stable frame rate. Microbubble signal extraction, filtering, positioning, tracking, and other processing were used to obtain a 3D vascular map, flow velocity, and flow direction. To verify the effectiveness of 3DULM, it was validated on double helix tubes and rabbit VX2 tumors. Cisplatin was used to verify the ability of 3DULM to detect microvascular changes during tumor treatment. RESULTS: In vitro, the sizes measured by 3DULM at 3 mm and 13 mm were 178 µ m and 182 µ m , respectively. In the rabbit tumors, we acquired 9000 volumes to reveal vessels about 30 µ m in diameter, which surpasses the diffraction limit of ultrasound in traditional ultrasound imaging, and the results matched with micro-angiography. In addition, there were significant changes in vascular density and curvature between the treatment and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of 3DULM was verified in vitro and in vivo. Hence, 3DULM may have potential applications in tumor diagnosis, tumor treatment evaluation, surgical protocol guidance, and cardiovascular disease. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: 3D ultrasound localization microscopy is highly sensitive to microvascular changes; thus, it has clinical potential for tumor diagnosis and treatment evaluation. KEY POINTS: • 3D ultrasound localization microscopy is demonstrated on double helix tubes and rabbit VX2 tumors. • 3D ultrasound localization microscopy can reveal vessels about 30 µ m in diameter-far smaller than traditional ultrasound. • This form of imaging has potential applications in tumor diagnosis, tumor treatment evaluation, surgical protocol guidance, and cardiovascular disease.

Clinical significance and immune landscape of a novel ferroptosis-related prognosis signature in osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor that usually occurs in adolescents aged 10-20 years and is associated with poor prognosis. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent cell death mechanism that plays a vital role in cancer. METHODS: Osteosarcoma transcriptome data were downloaded from the public database TARGET and from previous studies. A prognostic risk score signature was constructed using bioinformatics analysis, and its efficacy was determined by analyzing typical clinical features. The prognostic signature was then validated with external data. Differences in immune cell infiltration between high- and low-risk groups were analyzed. The potential of the prognostic risk signature as a predictor of immunotherapy response was evaluated using the GSE35640 (melanoma) dataset. Five key genes expression were measured by real-time PCR and western blot in human normal osteoblasts and osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, malignant biological behaviors of osteosarcoma cells were tested by modulating gene expression level. RESULTS: We obtained 268 ferroptosis-related genes from the online database FerrDb and published articles. Transcriptome data and clinical information of 88 samples in the TARGET database were used to classify genes into two categories using clustering analysis, and significant differences in survival status were identified. Differential ferroptosis-related genes were screened, and functional enrichment showed that they were associated with HIF-1, T cells, IL17, and other inflammatory signaling pathways. Prognostic factors were identified by univariate Cox regression and LASSO analysis, and a 5-factor prognostic risk score signature was constructed, which was also applicable for external data validation. Experimental validation indicated that the mRNA and protein expression level of MAP3K5, LURAP1L, HMOX1 and BNIP3 decreased significantly, though meanwhile MUC1 increased in MG-63 and SAOS-2 cells compared with hFOB1.19 cells. Cell proliferation and migration ability of SAOS-2 were affected based on alterations of signature genes. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in immune cell infiltration between high- and low-risk groups indicated that the five ferroptosis-related prognostic signature was constructed and could be used to predict the response to immunotherapy in osteosarcoma.

The neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio is associated with all-cause mortality in patients with chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we evaluated the predictive utility of neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) for all-cause mortality in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: Patients diagnosed as CHF enrolled in this retrospective cohort study were from Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, capital medical university. Admission NPAR was calculated as neutrophil percentage divided by serum albumin. The endpoints of this study were defined as 90-day, 1-year and 2-year all-cause mortality. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression model was performed to confirm the association between NPAR and all-cause mortality. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the ability for NPAR to predict all-cause mortality. RESULTS: The 90-day (P = 0.009), 1-year (P < 0.001) and 2-year (P < 0.001) all-cause mortality in 622 patients with CHF were increased as admission NPAR increased. Multivariable Cox regression analysis found the higher NPAR value was still independently associated with increased risk of 90-day (Group III versus Group I: HR, 95% CI: 2.21, 1.01-4.86, P trend = 0.038), 1-year (Group III versus Group I: HR, 95% CI:2.13, 1.30-3.49, P trend = 0.003), and 2-year all-cause mortality (Group III versus Group I: HR, 95% CI:2.06, 1.37-3.09, P trend = 0.001), after adjustments for several confounders. ROC curves revealed that NPAR had a better ability to predict all-cause mortality in patients with CHF, than either albumin or the neutrophil percentage alone. CONCLUSIONS: NPAR was independently correlated with 90-day, 1-year, and 2-year all-cause mortality in patients with CHF.

Variants of ADPGK gene and its effect on the male reproductive organ parameters and sperm count in Hu sheep.

ADP-dependent glucokinase (ADPGK) plays an important role instead of hexokinase in regulating energy metabolism via the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas Pathway. And energy provided via glycolysis promotes testis development and spermatogenesis. In this study, 466 Hu sheep were screened for mutations in the ADPGK gene to examine the association of the ADPGK gene polymorphisms with the testis traits and spermatogenesis. The NC_056060.1: g.31295 C > T SNP was found in the 3'-UTR region, resulting in two genotypes CC and TC type with genotypic frequencies of 0.66 and 0.34, respectively. This mutation was significantly associated with testis weight, testis long circumference, testis short girth, epididymis weight, and sperm concentration (p < 0.05). Moreover, TC genotype individuals had an increased tendency in the expression of the ADPGK gene and had significant reproductive performance advantages compared with CC genotype individuals in the study. And compared with the small testes (<50 g), the ADPGK gene expression of big testes (>160 g) increased significantly. This indicates an association between the ADPGK gene and reproductive organ parameters and sperm count in selected Hu sheep breed, and this SNP may serve as an effective DNA molecular marker for marker-assisted selection in Hu sheep breeding programs.

Plasma sLRP-1 Level Independently Relates to a Higher Risk of Moderate-Severe Stenosis by Gensini Score in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients.

Soluble low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (sLRP-1) plays a crucial role in facilitating inflammation, lipid accumulation, and atherosclerosis, and the latter factors are involved in the pathology of cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to explore the ability of plasma sLRP-1 for reflecting stenosis degree in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. sLRP-1 was detected from plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 169 ACS patients and 77 non-ACS subjects (as controls) after admission. Our study illustrated that sLRP-1 was increased in ACS patients versus controls (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, sLRP-1 was positively correlated with body mass index (P = 0.021), white blood cells (P = 0.009), neutrophils (P = 0.002), cardiac troponin I (P = 0.009), and brain natriuretic peptide (P = 0.008) in ACS patients. Notably, sLRP-1 was positively associated with the Gensini score (P = 0.002) and Gensini score stratified stenosis severity (P = 0.004) in ACS patients. After adjustment, sLRP-1 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.333, P = 0.045] independently estimated a higher risk of moderate-severe stenosis, so did numbers of coronary artery lesions (OR = 2.869, P = 0.001), but ejection fraction forecasted a lower risk (OR = 0.880, P = 0.012). Interestingly, a combination of sLRP-1, ejection fraction, and numbers of coronary artery lesions exhibited a good ability to estimate moderate-severe stenosis risk with an area under the curve (95% confidence interval) of 0.845 (0.783-0.906). In summary, increased plasma sLRP-1 represents an aggravated inflammation, impaired cardiac function, and especially a higher stenosis severity in ACS patients.

Engineering Escherichia coli for efficient and economic production of C-glycosylflavonoids by deleting YhhW and regulating pH.

C-glycosylflavonoids have a number of pharmacological activities. An efficient method for the preparation of C-glycosylflavonoids is through metabolic engineering. Thus, it is important to prevent the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids for producing C-glycosylflavonoids in the recombinant strain. In this study, two critical factors for the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids were clarified. The quercetinase (YhhW) gene from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) was expressed, purified, and characterized. YhhW effectively degraded quercetin 8-C-glucoside, orientin, and isoorientin, while the degradation of vitexin and isovitexin was not significant. Zn2+ can significantly reduce the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids by inhibiting the activity of YhhW. pH was another key factor causing the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids, and C-glycosylflavonoids were significantly degraded with pH exceeding 7.5 in vitro or in vivo. On this basis, two strategies, deleting YhhW gene from the genome of E. coli and regulating pH during the bioconversion, were developed to relieve the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids. Finally, the total degradation rates for orientin and quercetin 8-C-glucoside decreased from 100 to 28% and 65% to 18%, respectively. The maximum yield of orientin reached 3353 mg/L with luteolin as substrate, and the maximum yield of quercetin 8-C-glucoside reached 2236 mg/L with quercetin as substrate. Therefore, the method described herein for relieving the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids may be widely used for the biosynthesis of C-glycosylflavonoids in recombinant strains.

Hierarchical K-Birnessite-MnO2 Carbon Framework for High-Energy-Density and Durable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Battery.

MnO2 -based material is one of the most promising cathode candidates of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs), but its commercialization is hindered by the sluggish reaction kinetics and poor structural stability. Herein, a hierarchical framework consisting of core-shell structured carbon nanotubes@K-birnessite-MnO2 enwrapped by graphene/carbon black bicomponent networks (CNT@KMO@GC) via a simple method for ZIBs is designed and developed. The hierarchical framework characterized with favorable K+ preintercalation, δ-phase, and vertically aligned nanoflake arrays of KMO and 3D electrically conductive network shows the enhanced electronic/ionic conductivity and improved wettability with electrolyte, resulting in the fast charge/mass transport and stable structural stability of CNT@KMO@GC. When used as cathode in ZIBs, CNT@KMO@GC exhibits exciting electrochemical performance with remarkable capacity (405.5 mAh g-1 at 0.30 A g-1 ), high rate performance (166.6 mAh g-1 up to 10.0 A g-1 ), and impressive cycling stability (almost no capacity decay after 2000 cycles and 77.3% retention after 10 000 cycles at 10.0 A g-1 ). The energy storage mechanism of CNT@KMO@GC is clarified as H+ /Zn2+ coinsertion/extraction via electrochemical analysis and ex situ characterization. This study offers an innovative paradigm for the advance of ZIBs.

Evidence of central nervous system infection and neuroinvasive routes, as well as neurological involvement, in the lethality of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a significant and urgent threat to global health. This review provided strong support for central nervous system (CNS) infection with SARS-CoV-2 and shed light on the neurological mechanism underlying the lethality of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among the published data, only 1.28% COVID-19 patients who underwent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests were positive for SARS-CoV-2 in CSF. However, this does not mean the absence of CNS infection in most COVID-19 patients because postmortem studies revealed that some patients with CNS infection showed negative results in CSF tests for SARS-CoV-2. Among 20 neuropathological studies reported so far, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the brain of 58 cases in nine studies, and three studies have provided sufficient details on the CNS infection in COVID-19 patients. Almost all in vitro and in vivo experiments support the neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV-2. In infected animals, SARS-CoV-2 was found within neurons in different brain areas with a wide spectrum of neuropathology, consistent with the reported clinical symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Several lines of evidence indicate that SARS-CoV-2 used the hematopoietic route to enter the CNS. But more evidence supports the trans-neuronal hypothesis. SARS-CoV-2 has been found to invade the brain via the olfactory, gustatory, and trigeminal pathways, especially at the early stage of infection. Severe COVID-19 patients with neurological deficits are at a higher risk of mortality, and only the infected animals showing neurological symptoms became dead, suggesting that neurological involvement may be one cause of death.

Decellularized matrix could affect the proliferation and differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells in vitro.

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: Recently, decellularized matrix (DCM) is considered as a new biomaterial for tissue regeneration. To explore the possible application of DCM in periodontal regeneration, the effect of DCM from three different cells on the proliferation and differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) was investigated. METHODS: DCM derived from human periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs), dental pulp cells (DPCs), and gingival fibroblasts (GFs) were fabricated using Triton X-100/NH4 OH combined with DNase I. Allogeneic PDLSCs were cultured on PDLC-DCM, DPC-DCM, and GF-DCM, respectively. The proliferative capacity of PDLSCs was evaluated by PicoGreen assay kit. The expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), runt-related transcription factor-2 (RUNX2), osteocalcin (OCN), collagen I (COL1), periostin (POSTN), and cementum protein 1 (CEMP1) were detected by qRT-PCR and western blotting. RESULTS: PDLC-DCM, DPC-DCM, and GF-DCM had similar and integrated networks of extracellular matrix, as well as significantly decreased DNA content. Compared with control group in which PDLSCs were directly seeded in culture plates, PDLC-DCM, DPC-DCM, and GF-DCM promoted the proliferation of re-seeded PDLSCs. Additionally, PDLSCs on DCM exhibited higher mRNA and protein expression levels of ALP, RUNX2, OCN, and COL1. The expression of POSTN in PDLC-DCM group was significantly higher than control group at both mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: PDLC-DCM, DPC-DCM, and GF-DCM could enhance the proliferation of PDLSCs. PDLC-DCM facilitated osteogenic differentiation and periodontal ligament differentiation of PDLSCs, while DPC-DCM and GF-DCM promoted osteogenic differentiation.

Clinical evaluation of xenogeneic collagen matrix versus free gingival grafts for keratinized mucosa augmentation around dental implants: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

AIM: To evaluate the outcomes of an apically repositioned flap (ARF) plus xenogeneic collagen matrix (XCM) in augmenting keratinized mucosa width (KMW) around dental implants when compared with ARF plus free gingival grafts (FGG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six participants with at least one site with KMW ≤2 mm were randomized into FGG or XCM group. Clinical examinations were performed at baseline and at 2 and 6 months after surgery, including KMW, keratinized mucosa thickness, gingival index (GI), and probing depth (PD). Post-operative pain and patient satisfaction were also evaluated. RESULTS: At 6 months, FGG attained a greater increase of KMW and thicker mucosa than XCM (4.1 ± 1.6 mm vs. 1.8 ± 1.0 mm, p < .001; 1.7 ± 0.6 mm vs. 1.2 ± 0.3 mm, p < .01). Regarding GI, PD, post-operative pain, aesthetic outcomes, and patient satisfaction, no significant difference could be detected. Moreover, the operation time of XCM group was shorter (60 ± 9 min vs. 39 ± 8 min, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: FGG could result in greater increase of KMW than XCM, though both could increase KMW, maintain peri-implant health, and attain comparable aesthetic outcomes. The use of XCM was associated with reduced operation time.

ß1-Adrenoceptor antibodies induce PPCM via inhibition of PGC-1α related pathway.

OBJECTIVES: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a pregnancy-associated and life-threatening cardiac disease. However, the causes and pathogenesis are not fully understood. Accumulating studies show that cardiomyopathy often appears to be associated with elevated levels of ß1-adrenoceptor (ß1AR) antibodies, indicating a possible involvement of ß1AR antibodies in the development of PPCM. DESIGN: We injected the antigen peptide segment of the ß1AR into the postpartum Wistar rats to make the immune models and their cardiac function was detected by echocardiography. Also, the concentration of ß1AR antibodies and apoptosis rate of left ventricular myocytes was tested by SA-ELISA, TUNEL, HE staining, qRT-PCR and western blot methods. Finally, the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and its related proteins were examined by qRT-PCR and western blot methods. RESULTS: We found that the level of ß1AR antibodies in the serum was significantly increased and the postpartum rats exhibited symptoms of PPCM after autoimmunity. Moreover, the expression of peroxisome PGC-1α, which was a master regulator of mitochondrial metabolism, and its downstream transcript vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), was decreased in autoimmune perinatal rats. In addition, the expression of the apoptosis factor caspase 3 as well as the apoptosis rate of left ventricular myocytes was significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that the symptoms of PPCM that appeared in autoimmune perinatal rats may be due to the increase of ß1AR antibodies, which inhibited the pathway associated with peroxisome PGC-1α.

Solution-Processed All-V2 O5 Battery.

Exploring new battery technologies will promote the advance of energy storage systems. Designing a symmetrical-structured rechargeable battery with the same electrode materials is a meaningful exploration for battery technology. Here, a solution-processed all-V2 O5 rechargeable battery with V2 O5 as both anode and cathode is presented, in which the anionic/cationic redox reactions are decoupled by precisely clamping its working potential windows. The battery shows good electrochemical performance with high capacity of 151 mAh g-1 at 0.10 C, good rate performance with 70% capacity retention when the current increases from 0.10 to 5 C, and promising cycling stability over 83% capacity retention after 900 cycles at 1 C. Moreover, the battery is highly profitable for simplified fabrication and scalable production, which benefits from its symmetrical configuration as well as the solution-processed strategy. This work offers a new paradigm to construct advanced symmetrical energy storage devices.

ß1 adrenoceptor antibodies induce myocardial apoptosis via inhibiting PGC-1α-related pathway.

BACKGROUND: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is life-threatening heart disease. However, the causes and pathogenesis of PPCM remain unclear. Previous studies found that ß1 adrenoceptor antibodies (ß1AA) had possible involvement in the development of PPCM. In the present study, we determined the potential relationship between PPCM and ß1AA, including the mechanism of ß1AA leading to PPCM. METHODS: We extracted the ß1AA from the postpartum Wistar rats that were injected by the antigen peptide segment of the ß1 adrenoceptor to produce PPCM. We tested the effects of ß1AA on H9C2 cell line by CCK-8, LDH, TUNEL, SA-ELISA, qRT-PCR, and western blot methods. Furthermore, PGC-1α was overexpressed to rescue the effect of ß1AA on H9C2 cells. RESULTS: We found that the extracted ß1AA induced apoptosis of cardiac myocytes of H9C2 cell line. Moreover, the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), which is a master regulator of mitochondrial metabolism, and its downstream transcript vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) got decreased in H9C2 cells after ß1AA treatment. In addition, the effect of ß1AA could be inhibited by atenolol, the antagonist of ß1 adrenoceptors (ß1AR) and imitated by isoprenaline, the agonist of ß1AR. Furthermore, overexpression of PGC-1α in the H9C2 cells rescued the apoptosis of cells and inhibitory expression of VEGF induced by ß1AA. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the symptoms of PPCM due to myocardial cell apoptosis induced by ß1AA inhibiting the PGC-1α-related pathway impairs mitochondrial energy metabolism. Therefore, our results uncover a previously unknown role of the ß1AA pathway in the etiology of PPCM and provide a novel potential target for the treatment of PPCM.

Efficacy of nano-carbonate apatite dentifrice in relief from dentine hypersensitivity following non-surgical periodontal therapy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Dentine hypersensitivity (DH) could occur or intensify after non-surgical periodontal therapy because of the exposure of dentine tubules, but currently no gold standard exists to treat DH. It has been demonstrated that nano-sized particles presented potential for dentine tubules blocking and remineralization. This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the efficacy of dentifrice containing nano-carbonate apatite (n-CAP) in reducing dentine hypersensitivity (DH) after non-surgical periodontal therapy. METHODS: 48 periodontitis patients with DH were included in this clinical trial. After non-surgical periodontal therapy, patients included were randomized to test and control group and the respective dentifrices were applied at chairside, after which they were instructed to brush teeth with the allocated dentifrices twice a day at home. Periodontal parameters were recorded at baseline and the last follow-up. DH was measured by air-blast test and recorded by visual analogue scale (VAS) and Schiff sensitivity scale at baseline, after polishing (0 week) and 2/4/6 weeks. RESULTS: 45 participants completed the follow-up. Periodontal parameters were improved and comparable between groups. Significant reduction in DH was observed in both groups at all time-points compared to baseline in terms of VAS and Schiff score. The test group achieved significantly greater relief from hypersensitivity compared with the control group after 4-week at-home use (for change of VAS, test group: 2.27 ± 2.47 versus control group: 1.68 ± 2.24, p = 0.036; for change of Schiff, test group: 0.94 ± 0.92 versus control group: 0.61 ± 0.83, p < 0.001). The 6-week results showed borderline significance between groups in terms of change of Schiff (p = 0.027) and no significance in terms of change of VAS (p = 0.256). CONCLUSIONS: Home-use of n-CAP based dentifrice had some benefit on alleviation of DH following non-surgical periodontal therapy after 4 weeks compared to the control product. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (No. ChiCTR-IPR-17011678, http://www.chictr.org.cn/, registered 16 June, 2017).

Cysteine/Penicillamine Ligation Independent of Terminal Steric Demands for Chemical Protein Synthesis.

The chemical ligation of two unprotected peptides to generate a natural peptidic linkage specifically at the C- and N-termini is a desirable goal in chemical protein synthesis but is challenging because it demands high reactivity and selectivity (chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity). We report an operationally simple and highly effective chemical peptide ligation involving the ligation of peptides with C-terminal salicylaldehyde esters to peptides with N-terminal cysteine/penicillamine. The notable features of this method include its tolerance of steric hinderance from the side groups on either ligating terminus, thereby allowing flexible disconnection at sites that are otherwise difficult to functionalize. In addition, this method can be expanded to selective desulfurization and one-pot ligation-desulfurization reactions. The effectiveness of this method was demonstrated by the synthesis of VISTA (216-311), PD-1 (192-288) and Eglin C.

Efficacy of xenogeneic collagen matrix in the treatment of gingival recessions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of xenogeneic collagen matrix (XCM) for the treatment of single or multiple gingival recessions in terms of clinical parameters and patient-related outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Various electronic databases (The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc.) from 1966 to April 2018 and hand literatures were searched. Quality of the included studies was assessed through the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias tool. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate risk ratios and mean differences. RESULTS: Nine randomized controlled trials were included. The results revealed a higher percentage of mean root coverage (MRC) and a greater recession reduction (RecRed) for single recessions for the combination of coronally advanced flap (CAF) with XCM compared to CAF alone (n = 3; MD = 10.00%; 95%CI [3.56%; 16.43%]; p = 0.002) (n = 3; MD = 0.35 mm; 95%CI [0.10 mm; 0.60 mm]; p = 0.005). Comparing XCM with connective tissue graft (CTG), no significant differences were detected in MRC or RecRed for single and multiple recessions. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of XCM under CAF could improve MRC and RecRed at single tooth recessions. Initial data suggest that XCM shows promising results to improve the clinical efficacy of CAF for multiple recessions. In addition, XCM could be a valid alternative to CTG in terms of MRC and RecRed at both single and multiple recessions. Based on limited evidence, XCM may decrease postoperative morbidity and operation time compared to CTG.