Digital synthetic polymers for information storage.

Digital synthetic polymers with uniform chain lengths and defined monomer sequences have recently become intriguing alternatives to traditional silicon-based information devices or natural biomacromolecules for data storage. The structural diversity of information-containing macromolecules endows the digital synthetic polymers with higher stability and storage density but less occupied space. Through subtly designing each unit of coded structure, the information can be readily encoded into digital synthetic polymers in a more economical scheme and more decodable, opening up new avenues for molecular digital data storage with high-level security. This tutorial review summarizes recent advances in salient features of digital synthetic polymers for data storage, including encoding, decoding, editing, erasing, encrypting, and repairing. The current challenges and outlook are finally discussed to offer potential solution guidance and new perspectives for the creation of next-generation digital synthetic polymers and broaden the scope of their applicability.

New Pyranone Derivatives and Sesquiterpenoid Isolated from the Endophytic Fungus Xylaria sp. Z184.

The fungus Xylaria sp. Z184, harvested from the leaves of Fallopia convolvulus (L.) Á. Löve, has been isolated for the first time. Chemical investigation on the methanol extract of the culture broth of the titles strain led to the discovery of three new pyranone derivatives, called fallopiaxylaresters A-C (1-3), and a new bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoid, named fallopiaxylarol A (4), along with the first complete set of spectroscopic data for the previously reported pestalotiopyrone M (5). Known pyranone derivatives (6-11), sesquiterpenoids (12-14), isocoumarin derivatives (15-17), and an aromatic allenic ether (18) were also co-isolated in this study. All new structures were elucidated by the interpretation of HRESIMS, 1D, 2D NMR spectroscopy, and quantum chemical computation approach. The in vitro antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and α-glucosidase-inhibitory activities of the selected compounds and the crude extract were evaluated. The extract was shown to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in murine RAW264.7 macrophage cells, with an inhibition rate of 77.28 ± 0.82% at a concentration of 50 µg/mL. The compounds 5, 7, and 8 displayed weak antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus areus subsp. aureus at a concentration of 100 µM.

Unraveling the Dynamic Molecular Motions of a Twin-Cavity Cage with Slow Configurational but Rapid Conformational Interconversions.

Featuring diverse structural motions/changes, dynamic molecular systems hold promise for executing complex tasks. However, their structural complexity presents formidable challenge in elucidating their kinetics, especially when multiple structural motions are intercorrelated. We herein introduce a twin-cavity cage that features interconvertible C3- and C1-configurations, with each configuration exhibiting interchangeable P- and M-conformations. This molecule is therefore composed of four interconnected chiral species (P)-C3, (M)-C3, (P)-C1, (M)-C1. We showcase an effective approach to decouple these sophisticated structural changes into two kinetically distinct pathways. Utilizing time-dependent 1H NMR spectroscopy at various temperatures, which disregards the transition between mirror-image conformations, we first determine the rate constant (kc) for the C3- to C1-configuration interconversion, while time-dependent circular dichroism spectroscopy at different temperatures quantifies the observed rate constant (kobs) of the ensemble of all the structural changes. As kobs ≫ ${{\rm { \gg }}}$ kc, it allows us to decouple the overall molecular motions into a slow configurational transformation and rapid conformational interconversions, with the latter further dissected into two independent conformational interchanges, namely (P)-C3 ← → ${ \mathbin{{\stackrel{\textstyle\rightarrow} { {\smash{\leftarrow}\vphantom{_{\vbox to.5ex{\vss}}}} } }} }$ (M)-C3 and (P)-C1 ← → ${ \mathbin{{\stackrel{\textstyle\rightarrow} { {\smash{\leftarrow}\vphantom{_{\vbox to.5ex{\vss}}}} } }} }$ (M)-C1. This work, therefore, sheds light on the comprehensive kinetic study of complex molecular dynamics, offering valuable insights for the rational design of smart dynamic materials for applications of sensing, separation, catalysis, molecular machinery, etc.

Antifouling Asymmetric Block Copolymer Nanofilms via Freestanding Interfacial Polymerization for Efficient and Sustainable Water Purification.

Membrane materials that resist nonspecific or specific adsorption are urgently required in widespread applications. In water purification, inevitable membrane fouling not only limits separation performance, but also remarkably increases operation requirements, and augments extra maintenance costs and higher energy consumption. In this work, we report a freestanding interfacial polymerization (IP) fabrication strategy for in-situ creation of asymmetric block copolymer (BCP) nanofilms with antifouling properties, greatly outperforming the conventional surface post-modification approaches. The resultant asymmetric BCP nanofilms with highly-dense, highly-hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) brushes, can be readily formed via a typical IP process of a double-hydrophilic BCP composed of an antifouling PEG block and a membrane-forming multiamine block. The asymmetric BCP nanofilms have been applied for efficient and sustainable natural water purification, demonstrating extraordinary antifouling capabilities accompanied with superior separation performance far beyond commercial polyamide nanofiltration membranes. The antifouling behaviors of BCP nanofilms derived from the combined effect of the hydration layer, electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance were further elucidated by water flux and fouling resistance in combination with all-atom molecular dynamics simulation. This work opens up a new avenue for large-scale and low-cost creation of broad-spectrum, asymmetric membrane materials with diverse functional "defect-free" surfaces in real-world applications.

The selective and sustainable separation of Cd(II) using C6MImT/[C6MIm]PF6 extractant.

Cadmium has been classified as a kind of human carcinogens, and has a strong mobility in the water environment and this can result in serious harm to human health and environmental safety. Here, a new selective and efficient extraction-recovery strategy for Cd purification is provided by using C6MimT/[C6Mim]PF6 as the green extractant. Due to the high compatibility between C6MimT and [C6Mim]PF6, C6MimT-Cd was efficiently separated from the aqueous phase. When the concentration of Cd(II) was 1000 mg/L, the extraction rate could reached 99.9 %. By comparing [C6MIm]BF4 with [C6MIm]PF6, the hydrophobicity restrained the ion exchange between cation and Cd and significantly reduced the loss of extractant. The extracted Cd(II) was separated in the form of precipitation after stripping. The extraction system of C6MimT/[C6Mim]PF6 was stable after several extraction-stripping cycles. The extraction of Cd(II) by C6MimT/[C6Mim]PF6 system mainly realized by forming a neutral and extractable cadmium complexes between Cd(II) and thione. Based on the natural complexation mechanism between metal and C6MImT, Cd exists as obvious competitive advantage in coordination with C6MimT compare to Pb, Zn, Mg, Cr, Fe. This work overcomes the problems of extractant loss and organic pollution caused by volatile or ion exchange, which can only reduce environmental hazards, but also promote the recovery of cadmium and other valuable resources.

Synthesis and influencing factors of high-performance concrete based on copper tailings for efficient solidification of heavy metals.

Copper tailings containing a large amount of heavy metals such as Pb, Cu, As, Mn, and Cr discharged from its mining are a typical bulk solid waste, which is highly hazardous to human and the environment. This research proposed a sustainable and effective method for the environmentally sound utilization of copper tailings solid waste. A high-strength concrete material with copper tailings as the main raw material was successfully prepared, with a 28-day compressive strength of up to 85.35 MPa, the flexural strength reached 12.46 MPa, and the tailings utilization rate of 60%. The mechanical properties and heavy metal stabilization properties of the prepared high-performance concrete were obtained by adding coarse aggregates such as river sand, while changing the sand rate, cementitious material admixture and water-cement ratio. A long-term leaching experiment of the high-strength concrete material with 190 day was carried and proved that the material can be made with low or no risk of heavy metal contamination in copper tailings. Incorporation of copper tailings into the high-performance concrete hydration mainly contains three mechanisms: (i) Pore sealing effect generated by the formation of tailings geopolymer prompted the hardening of the geopolymer layer to form a monolithic package structure; (ii) The active SiO2 material in copper tailings reacts with Ca(OH)2 in the hydration products to produce a strong volcanic ash effect; (iii) the primary hydration of 3CaO·SiO2(C3S) and 3CaO·Al2O3(C3A) in the cement, and the secondary hydration reaction induced by the copper tailings and silica fume. These mechanisms are blended with each other to form a dense microstructure of the slurry, which embodies extremely high mechanical properties on a macroscopic scale, providing a reference role for the bulk utilization of copper tailings.

Bone morphogenetic protein 4 inhibits pulmonary fibrosis by modulating cellular senescence and mitophagy in lung fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of myofibroblasts is critical to fibrogenesis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Senescence and insufficient mitophagy in fibroblasts contribute to their differentiation into myofibroblasts, thereby promoting the development of lung fibrosis. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), a multifunctional growth factor, is essential for the early stage of lung development; however, the role of BMP4 in modulating lung fibrosis remains unknown. METHODS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of BMP4 in lung fibrosis using BMP4-haplodeleted mice, BMP4-overexpressed mice, primary lung fibroblasts and lung samples from patients with IPF. RESULTS: BMP4 expression was downregulated in IPF lungs and fibroblasts compared to control individuals, negatively correlated with fibrotic genes, and BMP4 decreased with transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 stimulation in lung fibroblasts in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In mice challenged with bleomycin, BMP4 haploinsufficiency perpetuated activation of lung myofibroblasts and caused accelerated lung function decline, severe fibrosis and mortality. BMP4 overexpression using adeno-associated virus 9 vectors showed preventative and therapeutic efficacy against lung fibrosis. In vitro, BMP4 attenuated TGF-ß1-induced fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production by reducing impaired mitophagy and cellular senescence in lung fibroblasts. Pink1 silencing by short-hairpin RNA transfection abolished the ability of BMP4 to reverse the TGF-ß1-induced myofibroblast differentiation and ECM production, indicating dependence on Pink1-mediated mitophagy. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of BMP4 on fibroblast activation and differentiation was accompanied with an activation of Smad1/5/9 signalling and suppression of TGF-ß1-mediated Smad2/3 signalling in vivo and in vitro. CONCLUSION: Strategies for enhancing BMP4 signalling may represent an effective treatment for pulmonary fibrosis.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of phenylpiperazine-phenylacetate derivatives as rapid recovery hypnotic agents.

In this paper, we designed and synthesized a series of novel phenylpiperazine-phenylacetate derivatives as rapid recovery hypnotic agents. The best compound 10 had relatively high affinity for the GABAA receptor and low affinity for thirteen other off-target receptors. In three animal models (mice, rats, and rabbits), compound 10 exerted potent hypnotic effects (HD50 = 5.2 mg/kg in rabbits), comparable duration of the loss of righting reflex (LORR), and significant shorter recovery time (time to walk) than propanidid. Furthermore, compound 10 (TI = 18.1) showed higher safety profile than propanidid (TI = 14.7) in rabbits. Above results suggested that compound 10 may have predictable and rapid recovery profile in anesthesia.

Discovery of a novel class of benzoxazole derivatives as histamine H3 receptor ligands for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

To discover effective analgesics, we summarize the synthesis, optimization, and pharmacological anti-nociceptive effects of a novel series of benzoxazole derivatives targeting H3 receptor (H3R). The new benzoxazoles were assayed in vitro for histamine H3R and H1R binding affinity. The best compound 8d (2-methyl-6-(3-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)propoxy)benzo[d]oxazole) exhibited high affinity for H3R (Ki = 19.7 nM), high selectivity for ten other off-target receptors, and negligible effects on human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG, cardiac ion channel). In rodent animals, compound 8d dose-dependently reversed formalin-evoked pain (Phase I, ED50 = 6.0 mg/kg; Phase II, ED50 = 7.8 mg/kg) and CCI-induced neuropathic pain (chronic constriction injury, ED50 = 15.6 mg/kg). Furthermore, compound 8d showed an excellent safety profile in acute toxicity test (LD50 > 2000 mg/kg) with a therapeutic index (TI = LD50/ED50) > 250 and showed a desirable drug-like pharmacokinetic profile. Above characteristics indicate that compound 8d represents a promising candidate analgesic for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

When cultural values meets professional values: a qualitative study of chinese nurses' attitudes and experiences concerning death.

BACKGROUND: In China, there is a culture of death-avoidance and death-denying. Influenced by this distinctive socio-cultural views surrounding death, nurses often find it challenging to handle death and care for dying patients. This study explores the nurses' attitudes and coping strategies concerning death and caring for dying patients in a cultural context of death taboo. METHODS: This research is a qualitative study that employs in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nurses from two major hospitals in Guangzhou, China. Overall, 28 nurses from four departments with high patient death rate were recruited and interviewed. All of the interviews were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: The nurses who participated in this study expressed attitudes toward death and caring for dying patients from both a personal dimension and a professional dimension. The personal dimension is influenced by traditional culture and societal attitudes towards death and dying, while their professional dimension is congruent with the nursing and palliative care values concerning death and dying. With an obvious discrepancy between these two dimensions, Chinese nurses adopt three strategies in their practice to solve this tension: boundary-drawing to separate their personal and professional life, complying with the existing cultural values at work, and constructing positive meanings for end-of-life care. CONCLUSION: In a society that traditionally avoids making any reference to death, it is useful to reduce cultural taboo and construct positive meanings in end-of-life care, death education and the development of palliative care. Meanwhile, nurses also need institutional support, education and training to transition smoothly from a novice to a mature professional when handling patient death.

Temperature-Responsive Photoluminescence and Elastic Properties of 1D Lead Halide Perovskites R- and S-(Methylbenzylamine)PbBr3.

Low-dimensional metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have received much attention due to their striking semiconducting properties tunable at a molecular level, which hold great potential in the development of next-generation optoelectronic devices. However, the insufficient understanding of their stimulus-responsiveness and elastic properties hinders future practical applications. Here, the thermally responsive emissions and elastic properties of one-dimensional lead halide perovskites R- and S-MBAPbBr3 (MBA+ = methylbenzylamine) were systematically investigated via temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) experiments and first-principles calculations. The PL peak positions of both perovskites were redshifted by about 20 nm, and the corresponding full width at half maximum was reduced by about 40 nm, from ambient temperature to about 150 K. This kind of temperature-responsive self-trapped exciton emission could be attributed to the synergistic effect of electron-phonon coupling and thermal expansion due to the alteration of hydrogen bonding. Moreover, the elastic properties of S-MBAPbBr3 were calculated using density functional theory, revealing that its Young's and shear moduli are in the range of 6.5-33.2 and 2.8-19.5 GPa, respectively, even smaller than those of two-dimensional MHPs. Our work demonstrates that the temperature-responsive emissions and low elastic moduli of these 1D MHPs could find use in flexible devices.

Rapid and Economical Chemoselective Metabolomics Using Boronate Ester Formation on a Monolithic Substrate.

Although chemoselective labeling strategies show great potential in in-depth description of metabolomics, the associated time and expense limit applications in high-throughput and routine analysis. We report a fast and effective chemoselective labeling strategy based on multifunctionalized monolithic probes. A rapid pH-responsive boronate ester reaction was employed to immobilize and release probe molecules from substrate in 5 min. The mesoporous surface and hierarchically porous channels of the substrate allowed for accelerated labeling reactions. Moreover, the discernible boron beacons allowed for recognition of labeled metabolites with no need for expensive isotopic encoding. This new strategy has been successfully used for submetabolome analysis of yeast cells, serum, and faeces samples, with improved sensitivity for short chain fatty acids up to 1 600 times compared with non-labeled liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods.

Anion-Dependent Outstanding Luminescence Enhancement of Eu(D-facam)3 Upon Coexistence With the Tetramethylammonium Cation.

The effect of a series of tetramethylammonium salts with different counter anions on the photophysical properties of a chiral Eu(III) complex (Eu(D-facam)3 ) was investigated. Anion-dependent luminescence of the Eu(III) complex was observed, and particularly in the presence of acetate ions, an outstanding luminescence enhancement (>300 times) and induced circularly polarized luminescence (glum =-0.63) were obtained. The energy transfer process was then evaluated using key photophysical parameters, and it was found that the sensitisation efficiency of the Eu(III) complex significantly increased in the presence of tetramethylammonium acetate (TMAOAc). The interactions between Eu(D-facam)3 and TMAOAc were confirmed by luminescence analysis, circular dichroism spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass spectral measurements.

Anion-Dependent Outstanding Luminescence Enhancement of Eu(D-facam)3 Upon Coexistence With the Tetramethylammonium Cation.

The front cover artwork is provided by the group of Norihisa Kobayashi and Kazuki Nakamura at Chiba University. The image shows the drastic luminescence enhancement and induced circular polarization of Eu(D-facam)3 in the presence of tetramethylammonium acetate. Read the full text of the Article at 10.1002/cphc.202100609.

Association of pet-keeping in home with self-reported asthma and asthma-related symptoms in 11611 school children from China.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the associations between domestic pets and respiratory health in children. METHODS: We randomly recruited 11,611 school children from Zhongshan, a southern city in China. Information about the respiratory symptoms and disease history of the recruited children, the status of domestic pets, and other related risk factors were collected from March to July 2016. RESULTS: We identified cat-keeping at home increases the risk of persistent cough (OR, 1.77; 95%CI, 1.03-3.05); poultry-keeping at home increases the risk of current asthma (OR, 3.87; 95%CI, 1.08-13.92) and allergic rhinitis (OR, 1.84; 95%CI, 1.01-3.37); sleeping with pets increases the risk of persistent phlegm (OR, 5.04; 95%CI, 1.05-24.28), doctor-diagnosed asthma (OR, 3.35; 95%CI, 1.31-8.57) and current asthma (OR, 4.94; 95%CI, 1.05-23.31) in children. CONCLUSIONS: Cat-keeping and molds on the wall of the house had the multiplicative and additive interaction in doctor-diagnosed asthma. In conclusion, pet-keeping increased the risk of respiratory symptoms in children.

Controlled Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Catenated Cages.

Constructing hierarchical superstructures to achieve comparable complexity and functions to proteins with four-level hierarchy is challenging, which relies on the elaboration of novel building blocks with complex structures. We present a series of catenated cages with unique structural complexity and tailorability. The rational design was realized as such: A catenane of two symmetric cages (CSC), CSC-1, with all rigid imine panels was converted to a catenane of two dissymmetric cages (CDC), CDC-1, with two exterior flexible amine panels, and CDC-5 was tailored from CDC-1 by introducing an additional methyl group on each blade to increase lateral hindrance. CDC-1s with the most irregular and flexible configuration formed supramolecular dimers, which self-organized into 3D continuous wavelike plank with a three-level hierarchy, previously undiscovered by conventional building blocks. A drastically different 3D triclinic crystalline phase with a four-level hierarchy and trigonal phase with a three-level hierarchy were constructed of distorted CSC-1s and the most symmetric CDC-5s, respectively. The wavelike plank exhibited the lowest order, and the triclinic phase had a lower order than the trigonal phase which had the highest order. It correlates with the configuration of the primary structures, namely, the most disordered shape of CDC-1, the low-order configuration of CSC-1, and the most ordered geometry of CDC-5. The catenated cages with subtle structural differences therefore provide a promising platform for the search of emerging hierarchical superstructures that might be applied to proton conductivity, ferroelectricity, and catalysis.

Estimating leaf chlorophyll content by laser-induced fluorescence technology at different viewing zenith angles.

Leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) is a key indicator of a plant's physiological status. Fast and non-destructive monitoring of chlorophyll content in plants through remote sensing is very important for accurate diagnosis and assessment of plant growth. Through the use of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technology, this study aims to compare the predictive ability of different single fluorescence characteristic and fluorescence characteristic combinations at various viewing zenith angles (VZAs) combined with multivariate analysis algorithms, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and support vector machine (SVM), for estimating the LCC of plants. The SVM models of LCC estimation were proposed, and fluorescence characteristics-fluorescence peak (FP), fluorescence ratio (FR), PCA, and first-derivative (FD) parameter-and fluorescence characteristic combinations (FP+FR, FP+FD, FR+FD, FP+FR+FD) were used as input variables for the models. Experimental results demonstrated that the effect of single fluorescence characteristics on the predictive performance of SVM models was: FR>FD>FP>PCA. Compared with other models, 0° SVM was the optimal model for estimating LCC by higher R2. The fluorescence spectra and FD spectra observed at 0° and 30° were superior to those observed at 15°, 45°, and 60°. Thus, appropriate VZA must also be considered, as it can improve the accuracy of LCC monitoring. In addition, compared with single fluorescence characteristic, the FP+FR+FD was the optimal combination of fluorescence characteristics to estimate the LCC for the SVM model by higher R2, indicating better predictive performance. The experimental results show that the combination of LIF technology and multivariate analysis can be effectively used for LCC monitoring and has broad development prospects.

De Novo Construction of Catenanes with Dissymmetric Cages by Space-Discriminative Post-Assembly Modification.

Considerable efforts have been made to increase the topological complexity of mechanically interlocked molecules over the years. Three-dimensional catenated structures composed of two or several (usually symmetrical) cages are one representative example. However, owing to the lack of an efficient universal synthetic strategy, interlocked structures made up of dissymmetric cages are relatively rare. Since the space volume of the inner cavity of an interlocked structure is smaller than that outside it, we developed a novel synthetic approach with the voluminous reductant NaBH(OAc)3 that discriminates this space difference, and therefore selectively reduces the outer surface of a catenated dimer composed of two symmetric cages, thus yielding the corresponding catenane with dissymmetric cages. Insight into the template effect that facilitates the catenation of cages was provided by computational and experimental techniques.

The effects of CXCL10 polymorphisms on COPD susceptibility.

The polymorphisms of cytokine genes has been reported to modulate the individual's susceptibility to environmental stimuli in COPD development. C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10) mediates recruitment inflammatory cells such as monocytes. Therefore, it may play a key role in COPD. Here, a case-control study was conducted to evaluate the association between CXCL10 tag-SNPs and COPD risk. Four tag-SNPs including rs4256246, rs4508917, rs56061981, and rs56316945 were identified based on the linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis in 30 healthy controls. The associations between these four tag-SNPs and COPD risk were further evaluated in 480 COPD cases and 488 controls. We found that the "T" allele of rs56061981 was significantly associated with reducing risk of COPD, while "G" allele of rs56316945 was significantly associated with increasing risk of COPD. SNP rs56316945 was significantly associated with increasing risk of COPD under different models except recessive model after adjusting the sex, age, pack year, and biomass. SNP rs56061981 was significantly associated with decreasing COPD risk under different models except recessive model after adjusting the sex, age, pack year, and biomass. Stratified analysis of smoking status and biomass with SNPs supported rs56061981 may interact with biomass and smoking thus modulate COPD susceptibility and rs56216945 was apparently associated with the severity of pulmonary function of COPD patients. This study suggests that rs56061981 and rs56216945 in CXCL10 gene promoter contribute COPD susceptibility.

Establishment and evaluation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease model by chronic exposure to motor vehicle exhaust combined with lipopolysaccharide instillation.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? In this study, by using motor vehicle exhaust (MVE) exposure with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) instillation, we established, evaluated and compared MVE, LPS and MVE+LPS treatment-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) models in mice. What is the main finding and its importance? Our study demonstrated that the combination of chronic exposure to MVE with early LPS instillation can establish a mouse model with some features of COPD, which will allow researchers to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms linking air pollution and COPD pathogenesis. ABSTRACT: Although it is well established that motor vehicle exhaust (MVE) has a close association with the occurrence and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), very little is known about the combined effects of MVE and intermittent or chronic subclinical inflammation on COPD pathogenesis. Therefore, given the crucial role of inflammation in the development of COPD, we wanted to establish an animal model of COPD using both MVE exposure and airway inflammation, which could mimic the clinical pathological changes observed in COPD patients and greatly benefit the study of the molecular mechanisms of COPD. In the present study, we report that mice undergoing chronic exposure to MVE and intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) successfully established COPD, as characterized by persistent air flow limitation, airway inflammation, inflammatory cytokine production, emphysema and small airway remodelling. Moreover, the mice showed significant changes in ventricular and vascular pathology, including an increase in right ventricular pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy and remodelling of pulmonary arterial walls. We have thus established a new mouse COPD model by combining chronic MVE exposure with early intratracheal instillation of LPS, which will allow us to study the relationship between air pollution and the development of COPD and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms.