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1.
Skin Res Technol ; 30(8): e70002, 2024 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39167023

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As a common chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease, psoriasis is characterized by erythema and scaly skin lesions, with infection as an integral part of the pathogenesis of many diseases. Many previous cases reported the impact of psoriasis on infection. However, the existing research fails to completely clarify the infection factors associated with the potential of these diseases and causality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen kinds of pathogens and their immune responses and psoriasis in the phenotype of 46 species of SNPs data were respectively obtained from the GWAS catalog database and the UK biobank database. With the help of R software, three methods of inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median (WME), and MR-Egger regression were used to analyze the causality of the dataset. RESULTS: According to the results of IVW analysis, there is a causal relationship between anti-Epstein Barr virus antibody and psoriasis (OR: 1.003, 95% CI: 1.001∼1.006, P = 0.046) with a positive correlation. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of MR analysis, there is a causal relationship between psoriasis and EBV infection, which indicates that EBV infection can increase the risk or severity of psoriasis. Therefore, in clinical scenarios, patients afflicted with psoriasis should be prevented from contracting the infection and recurrence of EBV as well as symptoms of psoriasis. The underlying immunological mechanism also provides a new perspective for experimental research.


Subject(s)
Mendelian Randomization Analysis , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Psoriasis , Psoriasis/genetics , Psoriasis/epidemiology , Humans , Genome-Wide Association Study , Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/genetics , Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/complications , Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/epidemiology , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics , Risk Factors
2.
Arch Dermatol Res ; 316(6): 224, 2024 May 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38787414

ABSTRACT

Psoriasis is renowned for its chronic nature and complex pathophysiology, with exosomes playing a crucial regulatory role within it. However, the proteomic composition of exosomes extracted from psoriasis cells remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to analyze the proteomic makeup of exosomes derived from psoriasis-model keratinocytes and compare it with that of normal controls, with the goal of identifying specific proteins that could aid in understanding the disease's pathology and potentially serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. The normal cultured keratinocyte line HaCaT served as the control group, while a concentration of 10 ng/mL of TNF-α was utilized to stimulate HaCaT cells and induce the formation of psoriasis model cells for the test group. Exosomes were extracted and prepared from the culture supernatant using the magnetic bead method, and their identity was confirmed through transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and Western blotting. Data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry was employed to detect the protein composition of exosomes, followed by GO, KEGG, Reactome, and PPI analyses. The analysis revealed a total of 2796 proteins within the exosomes, with 131 showing significant differential expression between the test and control groups. Notably, this study identified the proteins ADO, CBX1, and MIF within the exosomes derived from psoriasis model cells for the first time, highlighting their potential roles in angiogenesis, epigenetic regulation, and inflammatory responses in psoriasis. Several differentially expressed proteins identified in the KEGG enrichment analysis were implicated in immune infiltration pathways, keratinocyte-regulating pathways, angiogenesis pathways, and inflammation pathways. The identification of unique proteins within exosomes derived from psoriasis-model cells offers novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying psoriasis. These findings pave the way for further research into the biological functions of these exosomal proteins and their potential utility in diagnosing and treating psoriasis.


Subject(s)
Exosomes , Keratinocytes , Proteomics , Psoriasis , Exosomes/metabolism , Psoriasis/metabolism , Psoriasis/diagnosis , Psoriasis/pathology , Humans , Proteomics/methods , Keratinocytes/metabolism , HaCaT Cells , Proteome/metabolism , Mass Spectrometry , Biomarkers/metabolism , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism , Cell Line
3.
Nat Mater ; 23(4): 527-534, 2024 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38454027

ABSTRACT

The liquid-like feature of thermoelectric superionic conductors is a double-edged sword: the long-range migration of ions hinders the phonon transport, but their directional segregation greatly impairs the service stability. We report the synergetic enhancement in figure of merit (ZT) and stability in Cu1.99Se-based superionic conductors enabled by ion confinement effects. Guided by density functional theory and nudged elastic band simulations, we elevated the activation energy to restrict ion migrations through a cation-anion co-doping strategy. We reduced the carrier concentration without sacrificing the low thermal conductivity, obtaining a ZT of ∼3.0 at 1,050 K. Notably, the fabricated device module maintained a high conversion efficiency of up to ∼13.4% for a temperature difference of 518 K without obvious degradation after 120 cycles. Our work could be generalized to develop electrically and thermally robust functional materials with ionic migration characteristics.

4.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces ; 15(38): 45128-45136, 2023 Sep 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37708382

ABSTRACT

The demand for miniaturization and integration in next-generation advanced high-/pulsed-power devices has resulted in a strong desire for dielectric capacitors with high energy storage capabilities. However, practical applications of dielectric capacitors have been hindered by the challenge of poor energy-storage density (Urec) and efficiency (η) caused by large remanent polarization (Pr) and low breakdown strength (BDS). Herein, we take a method of heterovalent ion substitution engineering in combination with the multilayer capacitor (MLCC) technology and thus achieve a large maximum polarization (Pmax), zero Pr, and high BDS in the AgNbO3 (AN) system simultaneously and obtain excellent Urec and η. The substitution of Sm3+ for Ag+ in SmxAN+Mn MLCCs at x ≥ 0.01 decreases the M1-M2 phase transition temperature, and the antiferroelectric (AFE) M2 phase appears at room temperature, which is beneficial to achieving a low Pr value. Due to the low Pr value and high BDS ∼ 1300 kV·cm-1, an excellent Urec ∼9.8 J·cm-3 and PD,max ∼ 34.8 MW·cm-3 were achieved in SmxAN+Mn MLCCs at x = 0.03. The work suggests a paradigm that can enhance the energy storage capabilities of AFE MLCCs to meet the demanding requirements of advanced energy storage applications.

5.
Nat Commun ; 14(1): 1166, 2023 Mar 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36859413

ABSTRACT

Dielectric capacitors with high energy storage performance are highly desired for next-generation advanced high/pulsed power capacitors that demand miniaturization and integration. However, the poor energy-storage density that results from the low breakdown strength, has been the major challenge for practical applications of dielectric capacitors. Herein, we propose a heterovalent-doping-enabled atom-displacement fluctuation strategy for the design of low-atom-displacements regions in the antiferroelectric matrix to achieve the increase in breakdown strength and enhancement of the energy-storage density for AgNbO3-based multilayer capacitors. An ultrahigh breakdown strength ~1450 kV·cm-1 is realized in the Sm0.05Ag0.85Nb0.7Ta0.3O3 multilayer capacitors, especially with an ultrahigh Urec ~14 J·cm-3, excellent η ~ 85% and PD,max ~ 102.84 MW·cm-3, manifesting a breakthrough in the comprehensive energy storage performance for lead-free antiferroelectric capacitors. This work offers a good paradigm for improving the energy storage properties of antiferroelectric multilayer capacitors to meet the demanding requirements of advanced energy storage applications.

6.
Nat Commun ; 13(1): 6087, 2022 Oct 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36241619

ABSTRACT

GeTe is a promising mid-temperature thermoelectric compound but inevitably contains excessive Ge vacancies hindering its performance maximization. This work reveals that significant enhancement in the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) could be realized by defect structure engineering from point defects to line and plane defects of Ge vacancies. The evolved defects including dislocations and nanodomains enhance phonon scattering to reduce lattice thermal conductivity in GeTe. The accumulation of cationic vacancies toward the formation of dislocations and planar defects weakens the scattering against electronic carriers, securing the carrier mobility and power factor. This synergistic effect on electronic and thermal transport properties remarkably increases the quality factor. As a result, a maximum ZT > 2.3 at 648 K and a record-high average ZT (300-798 K) were obtained for Bi0.07Ge0.90Te in lead-free GeTe-based compounds. This work demonstrates an important strategy for maximizing the thermoelectric performance of GeTe-based materials by engineering the defect structures, which could also be applied to other thermoelectric materials.

8.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces ; 14(27): 30991-30999, 2022 Jul 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35759732

ABSTRACT

One of the notorious problems in BiFeO3-based piezoelectric ceramics is how to limit the formation of Bi25FeO39 and Bi2Fe4O9 impurities to achieve excellent piezoelectric performance. In this study, a one-step preparation technology, namely, excluding PVA, calcining, and sintering are completed in one step, instead of three steps in the ordinary sintering method, is developed to prepare BiFeO3-xBaTiO3 (BF-xBT) ceramics. The significance of this one-step method is that the thermodynamically unstable region of BiFeO3 is successfully avoided based on the Gibbs free energy of BiFeO3, Bi25FeO39, and Bi2Fe4O9. Benefiting from preventing the formation of Bi25FeO39 and Bi2Fe4O9 impurities, the resultant ceramics show dense structures, macroscopic stripe domains, and a small number of island domains and display saturated P-E curves, sharp I-V characteristics, butterfly-shape S-E loops, and good piezoelectric properties (d33 = 174-199 pC/N; TC = 494-513 °C). By analyzing X-ray diffraction patterns of BF-xBT (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) powders at different calcination temperatures (Tcal), the different reaction mechanisms between 750 °C ≤ Tcal ≤ 900 °C and 950 °C ≤ Tcal ≤ 1000 °C are revealed. When 750 °C ≤ Tcal ≤ 900 °C, Bi3+ diffuses into Fe2O3 particles to form BiFeO3 and Bi25FeO39 and then reacts with BaTiO3; in this temperature range, the formed Bi25FeO39 is hard to eliminate. At 950 °C ≤ Tcal ≤ 1000 °C, Bi3+ and Fe ions simultaneously diffuse into BaTiO3 to form BF-xBT, which is beneficial to preventing the formation of Bi25FeO39 and the improvement of performance.

9.
World Allergy Organ J ; 15(5): 100651, 2022 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35600837

ABSTRACT

Background: House dust mites (HDMs) are the main source of indoor inhalatory allergens that cause IgE-mediated allergic diseases. The discovery and identification of HDM allergens are important for the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases. Objective: We sought to identify a Group 39 Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) allergen, namely Der p 39, and explore its immunodominant IgE epitopes. Methods: Homology analysis of amino acid (aa) sequences in HDM and human troponin C (TnC)-like protein was performed. Total RNA of Der p was extracted and used to amplify Der p 39 cDNA with specific primers. Recombinant Der p 39 protein was expressed with a pET-His prokaryotic expression system and purified with Ni-NTA resins. IgE binding was evaluated with western blot, dot blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) experiments. The IgE binding epitopes of Der p 39 were identified by observing HDM-allergic sera interactions with truncated and hybrid proteins formed from Der p 39 and human TnC-like proteins. Results: The Der p 39 open reading frame (ORF) cDNA was found to be 462 base pairs and registered in the NCBI library (GenBank no. MZ336019.1). Der p 39, which encoded 153 aa, was found to have 35.63% and 99.35% homology with human TnC and Dermatophagoides farina (Der f) 39, respectively. IgE-ELISA showed IgE binding with expressed and purified recombinant Der p 39 (18 kDa) in 5/87 (5.75%) HDM-allergic sera samples. Analyses of IgE binding with Der p 39-based truncated and hybrid proteins indicated that IgE binding epitopes are likely located in the C-terminal region and dependent on conformational structure. The data from this study were submitted to the World Health Organization and International Union of Immunological Societies (WHO/IUIS) Allergen Nomenclature database. Conclusion: Der p 39 was identified as a minor HDM allergen with a conformational IgE binding epitope. These findings could have important theoretical implications in the development of HDM allergy diagnostics and therapeutics.

10.
Food Funct ; 13(6): 3621-3631, 2022 Mar 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35262138

ABSTRACT

Mast cells (MCs) are the main effector cells in the onset of high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI)-mediated allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to test whether dihydrocoumarin (DHC), a food flavoring agent derived from Melilotus officinalis, can block IgE-induced MC activation effects and to examine the potential molecular mechanisms by which DHC affects MC activation. Rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBLs) and mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) were sensitized with anti-dinitrophenol (DNP) immunoglobulin (Ig)E antibodies, stimulated with DNP-human serum albumin antigen, and treated with DHC. Western blot analyses were performed to detect the expression of signaling proteins. Murine IgE-mediated passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) and ovalbumin (OVA)-induced active systemic anaphylaxis (ASA) models were used to examine DHC effects on allergic reactions in vivo. DHC inhibited MC degranulation, as evidenced by reduced ß-hexosaminidase activity and histamine levels, and reduced morphological changes associated with MC activation, namely cellular elongation and F-actin reorganization. DHC inhibited the activation of MAPK, NF-κB, and AP-1 pathways in IgE-activated MCs. Additionally, DHC could attenuate IgE/Ag-induced allergic reactions (dye extravasation and ear thickening) in PCA as well as OVA challenge-induced reactions in ASA mice (body temperature, serum histamine and IL-4 secretion changes). In conclusion, DHC suppressed MC activation. DHC may represent a new MC-suppressing treatment strategy for the treatment of IgE-mediated allergic diseases.


Subject(s)
Anaphylaxis , Mast Cells , Anaphylaxis/drug therapy , Animals , Cell Degranulation , Flavoring Agents/metabolism , Immunoglobulin E/metabolism , Inflammation/metabolism , Mice , Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis , Rats
11.
Cell Mol Neurobiol ; 42(5): 1373-1384, 2022 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33481118

ABSTRACT

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a neurotrophic factor produced locally in the central nervous system which can promote axonal regeneration, protect motoneurons, and inhibit neuroinflammation. In this study, we used the zebrafish spinal transection model to investigate whether IGF-1 plays an important role in the recovery of motor function. Unlike mammals, zebrafish can regenerate axons and restore mobility in remarkably short period after spinal cord transection. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence showed decreased IGF-1 expression in the lesion site. Double immunostaining for IGF-1 and Islet-1 (motoneuron marker)/GFAP (astrocyte marker)/Iba-1 (microglia marker) showed that IGF-1 was mainly expressed in motoneurons and was surrounded by astrocyte and microglia. Following administration of IGF-1 morpholino at the lesion site of spinal-transected zebrafish, swimming test showed retarded recovery of mobility, the number of motoneurons was reduced, and increased immunofluorescence density of microglia was caused. Our data suggested that IGF-1 enhances motoneuron survival and inhibits neuroinflammation after spinal cord transection in zebrafish, which suggested that IGF-1 might be involved in the motor recovery.


Subject(s)
Spinal Cord Injuries , Zebrafish , Animals , Axons/metabolism , Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism , Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/pharmacology , Mammals , Motor Neurons/metabolism , Nerve Regeneration/physiology , Neuroinflammatory Diseases , Spinal Cord/metabolism , Spinal Cord Injuries/metabolism
12.
Adv Mater ; 33(43): e2103633, 2021 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34494316

ABSTRACT

Pores in a solid can effectively reduce thermal conduction, but they are not favored in thermoelectric materials due to simultaneous deterioration of electrical conductivity. Conceivably, creating a porous structure may endow thermoelectric performance enhancement provided that overwhelming reduction of electrical conductivity can be suppressed. This work demonstrates such an example, in which a porous structure is formed leading to a significant enhancement in the thermoelectric figure of merit (zT). By a unique BiI3 sublimation technique, pore networks can be introduced into tetrahedrite Cu12 Sb4 S13 -based materials, accompanied by changes in their hierarchical structures. The addition of a small quantity of BiI3 (0.7 vol%) results in a ≈72% reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity, whereas the electrical conductivity is improved due to unexpected enhanced carrier mobility. As a result, an enhanced zT of 1.15 at 723 K in porous tetrahedrite and a high conversion efficiency of 6% at ΔT = 419 K in a fabricated segmented single-leg based on this porous material are achieved. This work offers an effective way to concurrently modulate the electrical and thermal properties during the synthesis of high-performance porous thermoelectric materials.

13.
Micron ; 143: 103023, 2021 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33540231

ABSTRACT

Distinguishing cashmere and sheep wool fibers is a challenge. In this study, we propose a residual net-based method for the identification of cashmere and sheep wool fibers. First, optical microscopic images of six different types of cashmere and sheep wool fibers were collected, and then the sample images were data-augmented. Several classic convolutional neural network (CNN) models were trained and tested with the sample images. The comparison showed that the proposed residual net model with 18 weight layers had the highest accuracy, with an overall accuracy above 97.1 % on the test set; the highest accuracy on the Australian merino wool and Mongolian brown cashmere, both above 98 %; and the lowest accuracy on the Chinese white cashmere, above 95 %. The trained model exhibited a fast detection speed, processing 6000 sample images in less than 20 s.

14.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces ; 13(3): 4192-4202, 2021 Jan 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33438390

ABSTRACT

BiFeO3-BaTiO3 is a promising high-temperature piezoelectric ceramic that possesses both good electromechanical properties and a Curie temperature (TC). Here, the piezoelectric charge constants (d33) and strain coefficients (d*33) of (1 - x)BiFeO3-xBaTiO3 (BF-xBT; 0.20 ≤ x ≤ 0.50) lead-free piezoelectrics were investigated at room temperature. The results showed a maximum d33 of 225 pC/N in the BF-0.30BT ceramic and a maximum d*33 of 405 pm/V in the BF-0.35BT ceramic, with TCs of 503 and 415 °C, respectively. To better understand the performance enhancement mechanisms, a phase diagram was established using the results of XRD, piezoresponse force microscopy, TEM, and electrical property measurements. The superb d33 of the BF-0.30BT ceramic arose because of its location in the optimum point in the morphotropic phase boundary, low oxygen vacancy (VO··) concentration, and domain heterogeneity. The superior d*33 of the BF-0.35BT ceramic was attributed to a weak relaxor behavior between coexisting macrodomains and polar nanoregions. The presented strategy provides guidelines for designing high-temperature BF-BT ceramics for different applications.

15.
J Colloid Interface Sci ; 581(Pt A): 350-361, 2021 Jan 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32771744

ABSTRACT

Adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation are promising technologies for eliminating antibiotics (e.g. tetracycline) in aquatic environments. However, traditional powdery nanomaterials are limited by drawbacks of difficult separation and lack of synergistic function, which do not conform to the practical demand. Herein, we developed a simple one-step gelation-pyrolysis route to fabricate hydrophilic three-dimensional (3D) porous photocatalytic adsorbent, in which CuO nanoparticles are uniformly and firmly embedded in nitrogen-doped (N-doped) porous carbon frameworks. The obtained N-doped carbon/CuO bulky composites exhibited excellent ability to adsorb tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), which was subsequently photo-oxidized under visible light. Their hydrophilic nature favors the adsorption processes toward TC, with a maximum adsorption capacity reaching 25.03 mg∙g-1. In addition, >94.4% of TC molecules could be photo-degraded in 4 h with good cycling efficiency after three consecutive tests. Finally, a reaction scheme for removal process of TC was proposed. The obtained 3D porous N-doped carbon/CuO nanocomposites show great promise for efficient removal of antibiotics in aqueous solution by synergistically utilizing adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation processes.


Subject(s)
Nanoparticles , Tetracycline , Adsorption , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Carbon , Catalysis , Copper , Nitrogen , Porosity , Water
16.
Neurochem Res ; 45(9): 2128-2142, 2020 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32556930

ABSTRACT

The abnormal production of short chain fatty acid (SCFAs) caused by gut microbial dysbiosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study sought to evaluate how butyrate, one of SCFAs, affect the pathology in a subacute 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine hydrochloride (MPTP) treated mouse model of PD. Sodium butyrate (NaB; 165 mg/kg/day i.g., 7 days) was administrated from the day after the last MPTP injection. Interestingly, NaB significantly aggravated MPTP-induced motor dysfunction (P < 0.01), decreased dopamine (P < 0.05) and 5-HT (P < 0.05) levels, exacerbated declines of dopaminergic neurons (34%, P < 0.05) and downregulated expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, 47%, P < 0.05), potentiated glia-mediated neuroinflammation by increasing the number of microglia (17%, P < 0.05) and activating astrocytes (28%, P < 0.01). In vitro study also confirmed that NaB could significantly exacerbate pro-inflammatory cytokines expression (IL-1ß, 4.11-fold, P < 0.01; IL-18, 3.42-fold, P < 0.01 and iNOS, 2.52-fold, P < 0.05) and NO production (1.55-fold, P < 0.001) in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. In addition, NaB upregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, 3.52-fold, P < 0.05; IL-18, 1.72-fold, P < 0.001) and NLRP3 (3.11-fold, P < 0.001) in the colon of PD mice. However, NaB had no effect on NFκB, MyD88 and TNF-α expression in PD mice. Our results indicate that NaB exacerbates MPTP-induced PD by aggravating neuroinflammation and colonic inflammation independently of the NFκB/MyD88/TNF-α signaling pathway.


Subject(s)
Butyric Acid/toxicity , Inflammation/physiopathology , Parkinson Disease, Secondary/physiopathology , 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine , Animals , Astrocytes/drug effects , Cell Line , Colon/drug effects , Cytokines/metabolism , Dopamine/metabolism , Dopaminergic Neurons/drug effects , Hypokinesia/physiopathology , Inflammation/chemically induced , Lipopolysaccharides , Male , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Microglia/drug effects , Parkinson Disease, Secondary/chemically induced , Serotonin/metabolism , Tight Junctions/metabolism , Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/metabolism
17.
Research (Wash D C) ; 2020: 1672051, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32190833

ABSTRACT

The optimization of thermoelectric materials involves the decoupling of the transport of electrons and phonons. In this work, an increased Mg1-Mg2 distance, together with the carrier conduction network protection, has been shown as an effective strategy to increase the weighted mobility (U = µm ∗3/2) and hence thermoelectric power factor of Mg3+δ Sb2-y Bi y family near room temperature. Mg3+δ Sb0.5Bi1.5 has a high carrier mobility of 247 cm2 V-1 s-1 and a record power factor of 3470 µW m-1 K-2 at room temperature. Considering both efficiency and power density, Mg3+δ Sb1.0Bi1.0 with a high average ZT of 1.13 and an average power factor of 3184 µW m-1 K-2 in the temperature range of 50-250°C would be a strong candidate to replace the conventional n-type thermoelectric material Bi2Te2.7Se0.3. The protection of the transport channel through Mg sublattice means alloying on Sb sublattice has little effect on electron while it significantly reduces phonon thermal conductivity, providing us an approach to decouple electron and phonon transport for better thermoelectric materials.

18.
Polymers (Basel) ; 12(3)2020 Mar 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32178415

ABSTRACT

Hydrolytic stability and oxidative stability are the core properties of sulfonated polynaphthylimides (SPIs) as proton exchange membranes. The chemical structure of SPIs directly influences the performance. Herein, three different series of branched SPIs were designed and prepared using 1,3,5-tris (2-trifluoromethyl-4-aminophenoxy) benzene as a trifunctional monomer and three non-sulfonated diamine monomers, such as 4,4'-oxydianiline (ODA), 2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane (6FODA), and 4,4'-(9-fluorenylidene)dianiline (BFDA). The effect of the chemical structure and degree of branching on SPIs properties is discussed. The results showed that by controlling the chemical structure and degree of branching, the chemical stability of SPIs changed significantly. SPI-6FODA with two ether linkages and a hydrophobic CF3 group has higher hydrolytic stability than SPI-ODA with only one ether linkage. In addition, with the increase of the introduced B3 monomer, the oxidation stability of SPI-6FODA has been greatly improved. We successfully synthesized SPIs with a high hydrolytic stability and oxidative stability.

19.
Exp Cell Res ; 387(1): 111772, 2020 02 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31836471

ABSTRACT

Aggregation of α-Synuclein is central to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, these α-Synuclein inclusions are not only present in brain, but also in gut. Enteroendocrine cells (EECs), which are directly exposed to the gut lumen, can express α-Synuclein and directly connect to α-Synuclein-containing nerves. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota and microbial metabolite short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) has been implicated as a driver for PD. Butyrate is an SCFA produced by the gut microbiota. Our aim was to demonstrate how α-Synuclein expression in EECs responds to butyrate stimulation. Interestingly, we found that sodium butyrate (NaB) increases α-Synuclein mRNA expression, enhances Atg5-mediated autophagy (increased LC3B-II and decreased SQSTM1 (also known as p62) expression) in murine neuroendocrine STC-1 cells. Further, α-Synuclein mRNA was decreased by the inhibition of autophagy by using inhibitor bafilomycin A1 or by silencing Atg5 with siRNA. Moreover, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was significantly inhibited and cell apoptosis was activated by NaB. Conditioned media from NaB-stimulated STC-1 cells induced inflammation in SH-SY5Y cells. Collectively, NaB causes α-Synuclein degradation by an Atg5-dependent and PI3K/Akt/mTOR-related autophagy pathway.


Subject(s)
Autophagy-Related Protein 5/metabolism , Butyric Acid/pharmacology , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , Signal Transduction/drug effects , TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , alpha-Synuclein/metabolism , Animals , Apoptosis/drug effects , Autophagy/drug effects , Cell Line , Mice , RNA, Messenger/metabolism
20.
Nanoscale ; 11(21): 10306-10313, 2019 May 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31099817

ABSTRACT

Motivated by the recent experimental exfoliation of ß-Cu2S thin films and the theoretical finding of a new phase labeled the δ-Cu2S monolayer, we carried out extensive studies on thermal conductivity and thermoelectric properties of the new phase using first principles combined with Boltzmann transport theory, focusing on the analysis of group velocities, Gruneisen parameters, three-phonon scattering rates, and the scattering phase space. Our results show that the δ-Cu2S monolayer exhibits an intrinsically ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.10 W m-1 K-1 at 800 K. Such an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity leads to a high thermoelectric figure of merit ZT = 1.33 at 800 K in an optimum p-type doping concentration, which is not only larger than the value of 1.23 in In2S3 doped Cu2S at 850 K but also comparable with the value of 1.7 in Cu1.97S at 1000 K, exhibiting good potential in thermoelectric applications.

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