M1 macrophage-derived exosomes inhibit cardiomyocyte proliferation through delivering miR-155.

BACKGROUND: M1 macrophages are closely associated with cardiac injury after myocardial infarction (MI). Increasing evidence shows that exosomes play a key role in pathophysiological regulation after MI, but the role of M1 macrophage-derived exosomes (M1-Exos) in myocardial regeneration remains unclear. In this study, we explored the impact of M1 macrophage-derived exosomes on cardiomyocytes regeneration in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: M0 macrophages were induced to differentiate into M1 macrophages with GM-CSF (50 ng/mL) and IFN-γ (20 ng/mL). Then M1-Exos were isolated and co-incubated with cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocyte proliferation was detected by pH3 or ki67 staining. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to test the level of miR-155 in macrophages, macrophage-derived exosomes and exosome-treated cardiomyocytes. MI model was constructed and LV-miR-155 was injected around the infarct area, the proliferation of cardiomyocytes was counted by pH3 or ki67 staining. The downstream gene and pathway of miR-155 were predicted and verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, qPCR and immunoblotting analysis. IL-6 (50 ng/mL) was added to cardiomyocytes transfected with miR-155 mimics, and the proliferation of cardiomyocytes was calculated by immunofluorescence. The protein expressions of IL-6R, p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The results showed that M1-Exos suppressed cardiomyocytes proliferation. Meanwhile, miR-155 was highly expressed in M1-Exos and transferred to cardiomyocytes. miR-155 inhibited the proliferation of cardiomyocytes and antagonized the pro-proliferation effect of interleukin 6 (IL-6). Furthermore, miR-155 targeted gene IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) and inhibited the Janus kinase 2(JAK)/Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3) signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: M1-Exos inhibited cardiomyocyte proliferation by delivering miR-155 and inhibiting the IL-6R/JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. This study provided new insight and potential treatment strategy for the regulation of myocardial regeneration and cardiac repair by macrophages.

Mechanistic insights into δ-MnO2/biochar-activated persulfate-treated wastewater containing antibiotics and heavy metals: Nonradical pathway and pivotal role of Cu(⠡) at low temperature.

Herein, we present a high efficiency system based on biochar loaded with layered manganese dioxide to remove tetracycline and heavy metals from livestock wastewater. Under the optimal conditions, the degradation efficiencies of TC in the δ-MnO2/BC/PS system were 85.5% at 25 °C and 38.5% at 5 °C. Radical quenching experiments revealed that radical reactions in the δ-MnO2/BC/PS system were weak under 15 °C. Adsorption degradation experiments showed that the system maintained good adsorption performance at 5 °C. Galvanic cell experiments and cyclic voltammetry showed that the δ-MnO2/BC material had good electrochemical activity and high stability in response to temperature, indicating that TC was degraded by a nonradical pathway that was not limited by temperature, such as electron transfer. Copper ion was important coadsorbent and coactivator of the reaction system. Furthermore, FTIR, XPS, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that Cu(II) in the system was involved in changing the manganese valence state in the δ-MnO2/BC material and increasing the -OH content of BC. Comparison of the different products generated during metabolic testing revealed that the reaction pathway of the system at low temperature (5 °C) differed from that at normal temperature (25 °C). The δ-MnO2/BC material demonstrated good removal ability for antibiotics and heavy metals at normal and low temperatures in actual biogas slurry. The study provides insight for improving the efficiency of environmentally friendly treatments of aquaculture wastewater in cold regions, which is of great significance for resource utilization.

Sustainable reprocessing of lithium iron phosphate batteries: A recovery approach using liquid-phase method at reduced temperature.

Lithium iron phosphate batteries, known for their durability, safety, and cost-efficiency, have become essential in new energy applications. However, their widespread use has highlighted the urgency of battery recycling. Inadequate management could lead to resource waste and environmental harm. Traditional recycling methods, like hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, are complex and energy-intensive, resulting in high costs. To address these challenges, this study introduces a novel low-temperature liquid-phase method for regenerating lithium iron phosphate positive electrode materials. By using N2H4·H2O as a reducing agent, missing Li+ ions are replenished, and anti-site defects are reduced through annealing. This process restores nearly all missing Li+ ions at 80 °C/6h. After high-temperature sintering at 700 °C/2h, the regenerated LiFePO4 matches commercial LiFePO4 in terms of anti-site defects and exhibits excellent performance with a 97 % capacity retention rate after 100 cycles at 1C. Compared to high-temperature techniques, this low-temperature liquid-phase method is simpler, safer, and more energy-efficient, offering a blueprint for reclaiming discarded LiFePO4 and similar materials.

Interspecific barrier effect driven by heavy metals makes soil bacterial functional assembly more stochastic.

Residual heavy metals in soils will destroy microbial community stability and influence its aggregation. However, exploring microbial ecology under heavy-metal stress still requires a conjoint analysis of bacterial interspecies communication and the community diversity maintenance mechanism. In this study, soil samples were collected from a heavy-metal-contaminated site in China to investigate the ecological response of indigenous microbial communities through high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that bacterial taxa and functions generated unusual decoupling phenomena. There were no significant differences in the diversity of species with the increase in concentration of heavy metals (Hg, Se, and Cr), but the functional diversity was lost. Also, the average niche breadth of bacterial species increased from 1.70 to 2.28, but community stability declined and the species assembly was always a deterministic process (NST <0.5). After the bacterial functional assembly changed from a stochastic process to a deterministic process (NST <0.5), it was transformed into a stochastic process (NST >0.5) again under the stress of high-concentration heavy metals, indicating that the collective stress resistance of bacterial communities changed from positive mutation into passive functional propagation. The research results can provide new insight into understanding the adaptive evolution of communities and ecosystem restoration under the stress of soil heavy metals.

From sub-Saharan Africa to China: Evolutionary history and adaptation of Drosophila melanogaster revealed by population genomics.

Drosophila melanogaster is a widely used model organism for studying environmental adaptation. However, the genetic diversity of populations in Asia is poorly understood, leaving a notable gap in our knowledge of the global evolution and adaptation of this species. We sequenced genomes of 292 D. melanogaster strains from various ecological settings in China and analyzed them along with previously published genome sequences. We have identified six global genetic ancestry groups, despite the presence of widespread genetic admixture. The strains from China represent a unique ancestry group, although detectable differentiation exists among populations within China. We deciphered the global migration and demography of D. melanogaster, and identified widespread signals of adaptation, including genetic changes in response to insecticides. We validated the effects of insecticide resistance variants using population cage trials and deep sequencing. This work highlights the importance of population genomics in understanding the genetic underpinnings of adaptation, an effort that is particularly relevant given the deterioration of ecosystems.

Large Polaron Condensation in a Pseudo-Bilayer Quantum Hall Composite.

There is much interest regarding the "coupled ferroelectricity and superconductivity" in the two-dimensional material, bilayer Td-MoTe2; however, the value and the type of electric polarization are unknown. The device structure and the measurement method show that the measured material is the composite of the pseudo-bilayer quantum Hall system, with a thickness of about thirty-six nanometers. The derived dielectric hysteresis loops and the calculated electronic structure reveal that the condensed large polarons are responsible for the reverse ferroelectricity and the coupled superconductivity. The maximum value of polaron-type electric polarization is ~12 nC/µm2 or 1.2 × 104 µc/cm2.

Transcriptome-wide expression landscape and starch synthesis pathway co-expression network in sorghum.

The gene expression landscape across different tissues and developmental stages reflects their biological functions and evolutionary patterns. Integrative and comprehensive analyses of all transcriptomic data in an organism are instrumental to obtaining a comprehensive picture of gene expression landscape. Such studies are still very limited in sorghum, which limits the discovery of the genetic basis underlying complex agricultural traits in sorghum. We characterized the genome-wide expression landscape for sorghum using 873 RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets representing 19 tissues. Our integrative analysis of these RNA-seq data provides the most comprehensive transcriptomic atlas for sorghum, which will be valuable for the sorghum research community for functional characterizations of sorghum genes. Based on the transcriptome atlas, we identified 595 housekeeping genes (HKGs) and 2080 tissue-specific expression genes (TEGs) for the 19 tissues. We identified different gene features between HKGs and TEGs, and we found that HKGs have experienced stronger selective constraints than TEGs. Furthermore, we built a transcriptome-wide co-expression network (TW-CEN) comprising 35 modules with each module enriched in specific Gene Ontology terms. High-connectivity genes in TW-CEN tend to express at high levels while undergoing intensive selective pressure. We also built global and seed-preferential co-expression networks of starch synthesis pathways, which indicated that photosynthesis and microtubule-based movement play important roles in starch synthesis. The global transcriptome atlas of sorghum generated by this study provides an important functional genomics resource for trait discovery and insight into starch synthesis regulation in sorghum.

Chromosome-level Subgenome-aware de novo Assembly of Saccharomyces bayanus Provides Insight into Genome Divergence after Hybridization.

Interspecies hybridization is prevalent in various eukaryotic lineages and plays important roles in phenotypic diversification, adaption, and speciation. To better understand the changes that occurred in the different subgenomes of a hybrid species and how they facilitated adaptation, we completed chromosome-level de novo assemblies of all 16 pairs chromosomes for a recently formed hybrid yeast, Saccharomyces bayanus strain CBS380 (IFO11022), using Nanopore MinION long-read sequencing. Characterization of S. bayanus subgenomes and comparative analysis with the genomes of its parent species, S. uvarum and S. eubayanus, provide several new insights into understanding genome evolution after a relatively recent hybridization. For instance, multiple recombination events between the two subgenomes have been observed in each chromosome, followed by loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in most chromosomes in nine chromosome pairs. In addition to maintaining nearly all gene content and synteny from its parental genomes, S. bayanus has acquired many genes from other yeast species, primarily through the introgression of S. cerevisiae, such as those involved in the maltose metabolism. In addition, the patterns of recombination and LOH suggest an allotetraploid origin of S. bayanus. The gene acquisition and rapid LOH in the hybrid genome probably facilitated its adaption to maltose brewing environments and mitigated the maladaptive effect of hybridization.

Nomogram predicting the efficacy of transurethral surgery in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram for predicting the efficacy of transurethral surgery in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients. METHODS: Patients with BPH who underwent transurethral surgery in the West China Hospital and West China Shang Jin Hospital were enrolled. Patients were retrospectively involved as the training group and were prospectively recruited as the validation group for the nomogram. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to generate nomogram for predicting the efficacy of transurethral surgery. The discrimination of the nomogram was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration plots were applied to evaluate the calibration of the nomogram. RESULTS: A total of 426 patients with BPH who underwent transurethral surgery were included in the study, and they were further divided into a training group (n = 245) and a validation group (n = 181). Age (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.15, P < 0.01), the compliance of the bladder (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.20-4.67, P < 0.01), the function of the detrusor (OR 5.92, 95% CI 2.10-16.6, P < 0.01), and the bladder outlet obstruction (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.07-4.54, P < 0.01) were incorporated in the nomogram. The AUC of the nomogram was 0.825 in the training group, and 0.785 in the validation group, respectively. CONCLUSION: The nomogram we developed included age, the compliance of the bladder, the function of the detrusor, and the severity of bladder outlet obstruction. The discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were confirmed by internal and external validation.

Interleukin-2 enhancer binding factor 2 negatively regulates the replication of duck hepatitis A virus type 1 by disrupting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity of 3D polymerase.

The interaction between viral components and cellular proteins plays a crucial role in viral replication. In a previous study, we showed that the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) is an essential element for the replication of duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1). However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. To gain a deeper understanding of this mechanism, we used an RNA pull-down and a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry assay to identify new host factors that interact with the 3'-UTR. We selected interleukin-2 enhancer binding factor 2 (ILF2) for further analysis. We showed that ILF2 interacts specifically with both the 3'-UTR and the 3D polymerase (3Dpol) of DHAV-1 through in vitro RNA pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation assays, respectively. We showed that ILF2 negatively regulates viral replication in duck embryo fibroblasts (DEFs), and that its overexpression in DEFs markedly suppresses DHAV-1 replication. Conversely, ILF2 silencing resulted in a significant increase in viral replication. In addition, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) activity of 3Dpol facilitated viral replication by enhancing viral RNA translation efficiency, whereas ILF2 disrupted the role of RdRP in viral RNA translation efficiency to suppress DHAV-1 replication. At last, DHAV-1 replication markedly suppressed the expression of ILF2 in DEFs, duck embryo hepatocytes, and different tissues of 1 day-old ducklings. A negative correlation was observed between ILF2 expression and the viral load in primary cells and different organs of young ducklings, suggesting that ILF2 may affect the viral load both in vitro and in vivo.

Making commercial bracelet smarter with a biochemical button module.

Despite the rapid development of mobile health based on wearable devices in recent years, lack of access to biochemical detection remains a vital challenge for most commercial wearable devices, which hinders the provision of effective electronic health records (EHRs) for disease control strategies, and further constraining the development of personalized precision medicine. Herein, we propose a strategy to graft biochemical detection function onto commercial bracelet. Different from the conventional development process of designing a completely new wearable biochemical device, we prefer to upgrade existing commercial wearable device to achieve simpler, faster, and more effective research and commercialization processes. An affordable and user-friendly biochemical button module has been designed that enables to integrate sensitive, specific, and rapid biochemical detection function into the idle space on the strap of the bracelet without increasing the size of the main body. This "Smart Bracelet Plus" shows the ability to simultaneously monitor physical and biochemical signals, and will serve as a reliable and systematic personal diagnostics and monitoring platform for providing real-time EHRs for disease control strategies and improving the efficiency of the healthcare system.

Linc-smad7 is involved in the regulation of lipid synthesis in mouse mammary epithelial cells.

Long intergenic non-coding RNA(lincRNA) is transcribed from the intermediate regions of coding genes and plays a pivotal role in the regulation of lipid synthesis. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is widely prevalent in eukaryotic mRNAs and serves as a regulatory factor in diverse biological processes. This study aims to delineate the mechanism by which Linc-smad7 mediates m6A methylation to regulate milk fat synthesis. Tissue expression analysis in this study revealed a high expression of Linc-smad7 in breast tissue during pregnancy. Cell proliferation assays, including CCK8 and EdU assays, demonstrated that Linc-smad7 had no significant impact on the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells. However, during mammary epithelial cell differentiation, the overexpression of Linc-smad7 led to reduced lipid formation, whereas interference with Linc-smad7 promoted lipogenesis. Mechanistically, Linc-smad7 was found to modulate RNA m6A levels, as evidenced by dot blot assays and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-Seq). Subsequent validation through RT-qPCR corroborated these findings, aligning with the m6A sequencing outcomes. Furthermore, co-transfection experiments elucidated that Linc-smad7 regulates lipid synthesis in mammary epithelial cells by influencing the expression of METTL14. In summary, these findings underscore the regulatory role of Linc-smad7 in controlling METTL14 gene expression, thereby mediating m6A modifications to regulate lipid synthesis in mammary epithelial cells.

Magnetically driven Janus conical vertical array for all-weather freshwater collection.

The engineering of multifunctional structures with special surface wettability is highly desirable for all-weather freshwater production, but relevant research is scarce. In this study, a Janus conical vertical array was designed and fabricated via a magnetically driven spray-coating method for the first time. Benefiting from the special structure and wettability enhancement of the array in terms of solar absorption, fog capture and merging, droplet movement and evaporation area, all-weather freshwater production consisting of high-quality daytime solar vapor generation (water evaporation rate approximately 2.43 kg m-2 h-1, 1 kW m-2) and nighttime fog collection (water collection rate approximately 3.536 g cm-2 h-1) can be realized concurrently. When the designed array is employed for outdoor environments (114°35'E, 30°38'N, average daily temperature 34.9 °C, average daily humidity 64.0%), reliable and efficient daily pure water yields of 19.13 kg m-2-26.09 kg m-2 are obtainable. We believe that the proposed strategy for fabricating a Janus conical vertical array is novel in the integration of solar vapor generation and fog collection, which has great significance for all-weather freshwater production.

DataColor: unveiling biological data relationships through distinctive color mapping.

In the era of rapid advancements in high-throughput omics technologies, the visualization of diverse data types with varying orders of magnitude presents a pressing challenge. To bridge this gap, we introduce DataColor, an all-encompassing software solution meticulously crafted to address this challenge. Our aim is to empower users with the ability to handle a wide array of data types through an assortment of tools, while simultaneously streamlining parameter selection for rapid insights and detailed enhancements. DataColor stands as a robust toolkit, encompassing 23 distinct tools coupled with over 600 parameters. The defining characteristic of this toolkit is its adept utilization of the color spectrum, allowing for the representation of data spanning diverse types and magnitudes. Through the integration of advanced algorithms encompassing data clustering, normalization, squarified layouts, and customizable parameters, DataColor unveils an abundance of insights that lay hidden within the intricate relationships embedded in the data. Whether you find yourself navigating the analysis of expansive datasets or embarking on the quest to visualize intricate patterns, DataColor stands as the comprehensive and potent solution. We extend the availability of DataColor to all users at no cost, accessible through the following link: https://github.com/frankgenome/DataColor.

Revealing microscopic dynamics: in situ liquid-phase TEM for live observations of soft materials and quantitative analysis via deep learning.

In various domains spanning materials synthesis, chemical catalysis, life sciences, and energy materials, in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods exert a profound influence. These methodologies enable the real-time observation and manipulation of gas-phase and liquid-phase reactions at the nanoscale, facilitating the exploration of pivotal reaction mechanisms. Fundamental research areas like crystal nucleation, growth, etching, and self-assembly have greatly benefited from these techniques. Additionally, their applications extend across diverse fields such as catalysis, batteries, bioimaging, and drug delivery kinetics. However, the intricate nature of 'soft matter' presents a challenge due to the unique molecular properties and dynamic behavior of these substances that remain insufficiently understood. Investigating soft matter within in situ liquid-phase TEM settings demands further exploration and advancement compared to other research domains. This research harnesses the potential of in situ liquid-phase TEM technology while integrating deep learning methodologies to comprehensively analyze the quantitative aspects of soft matter dynamics. This study centers on diverse phenomena, encompassing surfactant molecule nucleation, block copolymer behavior, confinement-driven self-assembly, and drying processes. Furthermore, deep learning techniques are employed to precisely analyze Ostwald ripening and digestive ripening dynamics. The outcomes of this study not only deepen the understanding of soft matter at its fundamental level but also serve as a pivotal foundation for developing innovative functional materials and cutting-edge devices.

Development of a stemness-related prognostic index to provide therapeutic strategies for bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease with varying clinical outcomes. Recent evidence suggests that cancer progression involves the acquisition of stem-like signatures, and assessing stemness indices help uncover patterns of intra-tumor molecular heterogeneity. We used the one-class logistic regression algorithm to compute the mRNAsi for each sample in BLCA cohort. We subsequently classified BC patients into two subtypes based on 189 mRNAsi-related genes, using the unsupervised consensus clustering. Then, we identified nine hub genes to construct a stemness-related prognostic index (SRPI) using Cox regression, LASSO regression and Random Forest methods. We further validated SRPI using two independent datasets. Afterwards, we examined the molecular and immune characterized of SRPI. Finally, we conducted multiply drug screening and experimental approaches to identify and confirm the most proper agents for patients with high SRPI. Based on the mRNAsi-related genes, BC patients were classified into two stemness subtypes with distinct prognosis, functional annotations, genomic variations and immune profiles. Using the SRPI, we identified a specific subgroup of BC patients with high SRPI, who had a poor response to immunotherapy, and were less sensitive to commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, FGFR inhibitors, and EGFR inhibitors. We further identified that dasatinib was the most promising therapeutic agent for this subgroup of patients. This study provides further insights into the stemness classification of BC, and demonstrates that SRPI is a promising tool for predicting prognosis and therapeutic opportunities for BC patients.