Construction of an Interfacial Layer of Aramid Fibers Grafted with Glycidyl POSS Assisted by Heat Treatment and Evaluation of Interfacial Adhesion Properties with Epoxy Resin.

The surface of para-aramid fibers (AFs) was modified via air-assisted heat pretreatment and solution impregnation by varying the glycidyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) content. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed an ester group, confirming the graft reaction between glycidyl POSS and oxidized AFs. The mechanical properties of AFs could be altered by varying the glycidyl POSS content. The modified AFs exhibited an optimal tensile strength after embedding 5 wt % glycidyl POSS on the fiber surface. The thermal stability of the modified fibers decreased; however, no obvious changes in crystallinity were observed by varying the glycidyl POSS content. Moreover, the tensile strength of monofilament increased from 23.8 to 25.8 cN·dtex-1, the thickness of the grafted layer on the fiber surface was above 30-40 nm after the graft modification with 5 wt % glycidyl POSS, and the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) increased by 62.55% to 26.22 MPa. Thus, the modified glycidyl AFs can be used for the reinforcement of composite materials.

HMGA2 Synergizes with EZH2 to Mediate Epithelial Cell Inflammation and Apoptosis in Septic Lung Dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: High mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) has been increasingly acknowledged to be significantly expressed in malignant tumors. However, it has been discovered to serve as a pro-inflammatory factor in several diseases. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of HMGA2 in septic lung injury. METHODS: Human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells were subjected to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to construct models. The effects of HMGA2 knockdown on cell viability, inflammation, and apoptosis were evaluated. Following the verification of the association between HMGA2 and Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), the impacts of EZH2 on HMGA2 regulation were determined. RESULTS: The levels of HMGA2 in the LPS-treated cells were all significantly elevated. HMGA2 knockdown alleviated damage caused by LPS in cellular viability, and reduced inflammation and apoptosis. Whereas EZH2 overexpression reversed the impacts of HMGA2 knockdown on these aspects, indicating EZH2 participated in the regulation of HMGA2 on cells. CONCLUSION: HMGA2 could synergize with EZH2 to induce lung epithelial cell destruction in septic lung injury. Herein, targets for treatment have been investigated, which involves suppressing pro-inflammatory factors to reduce the body's inflammatory response.

Highly stable folic acid functionalized copper-nanocluster/silica nanoparticles for selective targeting of cancer cells.

In this paper, we present a novel strategy to construct folic acid functionalized conjugated Cu nanoclusters (CuNCs) and silica (SiO2) nanocomposites for targeted detection of cancer cells. First of all, BSA capped CuNCs were encapsulated into a SiO2 matrix. The resulting CuNCs@SiO2 nanoparticles showed bright red fluorescence with an enhanced photoluminescence quantum yield compared with free CuNCs, as well as improved stability in a complex biological environment owning to the protection of the SiO2 matrix. Upon attachment of folic acid via the poly-l-lysine conjugates (PLL-FA) on the surface of CuNCs@SiO2 driven by electrostatic interaction, the as-prepared CuNCs@SiO2/PLL-FA nanocomposites are capable of selectively recognizing folate receptor (FR) over-expressed cancer cells rather than FR-negative cells. The cell viability assay proved the low biotoxicity of CuNCs@SiO2/PLL-FA nanocomposites toward living cells and the in vitro cellular imaging assay results demonstrated their selective endocytosis of FR-positive cells (KB cells), bringing about red fluorescence labeling within the cells. Intriguingly, our strategy provides a novel route to synthesize functional CuNCs@SiO2/PLL-FA nanocomposites equipped with superior fluorescence properties, high stability against external stimuli and good biocompatibility, and have great application potential in bioimaging imaging and targeted cell detection.