Higher expression levels of aquaporin (AQP)1 and AQP5 in the lungs of arid-desert living Lepus yarkandensis.

Water transport across epithelial cells that line the airways and alveoli is a crucial component of lung physiology. Aquaporins (AQPs) facilitate water transport across the air space-capillary barrier in the distal lung. However, the roles of lung AQPs in desert animal adaptation to dry airstream environments are still unclear. A hare (Lepus yarkandensis) only lives in the Tarim Basin, and its living environment is an arid climate with rare precipitation. We studied cellular localization and expression levels of AQP1, AQP3, AQP4 and AQP5 in L. yarkandensis lungs by immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. The lung of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that inhabit in mesic environment was similarly studied. Obtained results in two species of animals were compared to investigate whether AQPs in the lung altered expression in the animal living in arid region. AQP1 was localized to the endothelial cells in capillaries and venules surrounding terminal bronchioles and alveoli. AQP5 was localized to the ciliated columnar cells in terminal bronchioles and the alveolar type I cells in the alveolus. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed higher AQP1 and AQP5 mRNA levels in L. yarkandensis compared to O. cuniculus. Similar results were obtained by Western blot. These results revealed that the higher expression levels of AQP1 and AQP5 played a significant role in water transport in the lungs of arid-desert living L. yarkandensis and might accelerate water transport from capillary compartments to the airspace.

Review of paper-based microfluidic analytical devices for in-field testing of pathogens.

Pathogens cause various infectious diseases and high morbidity and mortality which is a global public health threat. The highly sensitive and specific detection is of significant importance for the effective treatment and intervention to minimise the impact. However, conventional detection methods including culture and molecular method gravely depend on expensive equipment and well-trained skilled personnel, limiting in the laboratory. It remains challenging to adapt in resource-limiting areas, e.g., low and middle-income countries (LMICs). To this end, low-cost, rapid, and sensitive detection tools with the capability of field testing e.g., a portable device for identification and quantification of pathogens, has attracted increasing attentions. Recently, paper-based microfluidic analytical devices (µPADs) have shown a promising tool for rapid and on-site diagnosis, providing a cost-effective and sensitive analytical approach for pathogens detection. The fast turn-round data collection may also contribute to better understanding of the risks and insights on mitigation method. In this paper, critical developments of µPADs for in-field detection of pathogens both for clinical diagnostics and environmental surveillance are reviewed. The future development, and challenges of µPADs for rapid and onsite detection of pathogens are discussed, including using the cross-disciplinary development with, emerging techniques such as deep learning and Internet of Things (IoT).