A Redox Flow Battery-Integrated Rechargeable H2/O2 Fuel Cell.

The practical application of the H2/O2 proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is being greatly limited by the use of high-cost Pt as electrode catalysts. Furthermore, the H2/O2 PEMFC is nonrechargeable and thus precludes kinetics energy recovery when equipped on electric vehicles and peak power regulation when combined to power grids. Here, we demonstrate a rechargeable H2/O2 PEMFC through embedding a redox flow battery into a conventional H2/O2 PEMFC. This flow battery employs H2/O2 reactive redox pairs such as NO3-/NO-Br2/Br- and H4SiW12O40/H5SiW12O40 whose redox potentials are as close as possible to those of O2/H2O and H2/H2O, respectively, so that the chemical potential losses during their reactions with O2 at the cathode and H2 at the anode were minimized. More importantly, the electrochemical reversibility allows the H2/O2 reacted redox pairs to be easily regenerated through fuel cell discharging on catalyst-free carbon electrodes at a low overpotential and brings in the fuel cell both chemical and electrical rechargeability, thereby realizing integrated functions of electricity generation- storage as well as efficient operation (achieving an open-circuit potential of 0.96 V and a peak power density of 0.57 W/cm2, which are comparable to a conventional H2/air PEMFC) with catalyst-free carbon electrodes.

Symmetry-Induced Regulation of Pt Strain Derived from Pt3 Ga Intermetallic for Boosting Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Pt-based fuel cell catalysts with excellent activity and stability for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been developed through strain regulation in recent years. Herein, this work demonstrates that symmetry-induced strain regulation of Pt surface of PtGa intermetallic compounds can greatly enhance the catalytic performance of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). With the strain environment varies derived from the lattice mismatch of analogous PtGa core but different symmetry, the Pt surface of the PtGa alloy and the Pt3 Ga (Pm 3 ¯ $\bar{3}$ m) precisely realize 0.58% and 2.7% compressive strain compared to the Pt3 Ga (P4/mmm). Experimental and theoretical results reveal that when the compressive stress of the Pt lattice increases, the desorption process of O* intermediates becomes accelerated, which is conducive to oxygen reduction. The Pt3 Ga (Pm 3 ¯ $\bar{3}$ m) with high symmetry and compressive Pt surface exhibit the highest mass and specific activities of 2.18 A mgPt -1 and 5.36 mA cm-2 , respectively, which are more than one order of magnitude higher than those of commercial Pt/C catalysts. This work demonstrates that material symmetry can be used to precisely modulate Pt surface stress to enhance the ORR, as well as provide a distinct platform to investigate the relationship between Pt compressibility and catalytic activity.

Avoiding threats, but not acquiring benefits, explains the effect of future time perspective on promoting health behavior.

Promoting health behavior among the public is always a pressing issue. The present research systematically investigated the association between future time perspective and adherence to health behavior including dietary habits, physical activities, and substance use in a Chinese college student sample (N = 519). Results showed that individuals with stronger future time perspective were more likely to adhere to health behavior. Moreover, building upon the health belief model and the protection motivation theory, the present research further explored the underlying mechanisms. Results revealed that it is perceived threats of not carrying out health behavior, but not perceived benefits of carrying out health behavior, that asymmetrically explained the association between stronger future time perspective and greater adherence to health behavior. These findings contribute to both the future time perspective literature and the health behavior literature.

Robot-Guided Stereotactic Puncture and Drainage in the Treatment of Thalamic Abscess.

Brain abscess is rare in clinic, the reported incidence is only 0.4 to 0.90 per 100,000 population, and most of them have a history of prodromal infection. Headache and fever are the most common clinical symptoms, and only a few are accompanied by neurological disorders. For the treatment of brain abscess, the most commonly used treatment is stereotactic puncture drainage and antibacterial therapy. A patient with a left thalamic abscess with no history of prodromal infection was reported. Stereotactic puncture and drainage were performed under the guidance of the Ruimi robot. The bacterial culture of the abscess was Streptococcus constellation ( Streptococcus constellatus ). The patient was discharged after 4 weeks of antibacterial treatment with vancomycin. The patients were followed up half a year after the operation, the prognosis was good and there was no recurrence.

Endovascular Stent Implantation in the Treatment of Vertebrobasilar Dolichoectasia.

Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is a rare disease in clinic, with an incidence of 0.06% and 5.8%. It is a progressive vascular disease caused by the dilatation, tortuosity, and prolongation of vertebral and basilar arteries caused by a variety of factors. VBD can lead to hemodynamic changes, ischemic stroke, compression symptoms due to vasodilation, neurological dysfunction, hydrocephalus, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and other clinical manifestations. However, because the condition of VBD is complex and changeable, the treatment of VBD is not uniform. With the development of vascular intervention, especially the development of stent technology, it may become an effective method for the treatment of VBD. Two patients with VBD were treated with endovascular stent implantation.

Surface Anion Promotes Pt Electrocatalysts with High CO Tolerance in Fuel-Cell Performance.

Platinum reaches considerable activity and stability as an electrocatalyst but is not always capable of maintaining such performance under CO poisoning, particularly in CO residual fuels for practical proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this work, we report that surface anions including a series of nonmetal elements on Pt nanoparticles result in outstanding CO tolerance for electrocatalysts in fuel cells. In particular, phosphorus surface-anion-modified Pt (denoted as P-Pt) possesses more than 10-fold enhancement of CO tolerance (only 8.4% decay) than commercial Pt/C, which can serve as a robust electrocatalyst both in CO poisoning half cells and full cells. Moreover, the general mechanism and principle were proposed, stating that surface anions should be selected preferentially to offer electron feedback to downshift the d-band center for the Pt surface, successfully weakening CO adsorption and leading to high-tolerance capability. We anticipate that surface anions on a Pt surface can bring robust electrocatalysts for practical PEMFCs and offer novel insights for high-performance Pt-based electrocatalysts.

Case report: Cavernous hemangioma in the right frontoparietal junction.

Background: Primary intraosseous cavernous hemangioma is a benign tumor with slow growth and is rarely seen in clinics. The clinical manifestations of most patients are progressive enlargement of the head mass. Case presentation: We report a 30-year-old female patient with cavernous hemangioma at the frontoparietal junction. Upon admission, the right frontal lobe mass was progressively enlarged for 3 years and underwent lesion resection and stage I skull reconstruction. The postoperative outcome was good, with no recurrence at 1-year follow-up. Conclusion: Primary intraosseous cavernous hemangioma is a relatively rare clinical tumor, the pathogenesis of which is still unclear, and most of them have no specific clinical manifestations. Characteristic imaging findings are highly suspicious of this disease, but the definitive diagnosis still depends on histopathological examination. Currently, total surgical resection of the tumor is a relatively effective and preferred treatment.

A comparative analysis of differentially expressed genes in rostral and caudal regions after spinal cord injury in rats.

The initial mechanical damage of a spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers a progressive secondary injury cascade, which is a complicated process integrating multiple systems and cells. It is crucial to explore the molecular and biological process alterations that occur after SCI for therapy development. The differences between the rostral and caudal regions around an SCI lesion have received little attention. Here, we analyzed the differentially expressed genes between rostral and caudal sites after injury to determine the biological processes in these two segments after SCI. We identified a set of differentially expressed genes, including Col3a1, Col1a1, Dcn, Fn1, Kcnk3, and Nrg1, between rostral and caudal regions at different time points following SCI. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that these genes were involved in response to mechanical stimulus, blood vessel development, and brain development. We then chose Col3a1, Col1a1, Dcn, Fn1, Kcnk3, and Nrg1 for quantitative real-time PCR and Fn1 for immunostaining validation. Our results indicate alterations in different biological events enriched in the rostral and caudal lesion areas, providing new insights into the pathology of SCI.

Anti-inflammatory Activity of a Polypeptide Fraction From Achyranthes bidentate in Amyloid ß Oligomers Induced Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), and anti-inflammation has been considered as a potential therapeutic strategy. Achyranthes bidentate polypeptide fraction k (ABPPk) was shown to protect neurons from death and suppress microglia and astrocyte activation in PD model mice. However, how ABPPk regulates neuroinflammation to exert a neuroprotective role remains unclear. Toxic Aß oligomers (AßOs) can trigger inflammatory response and play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. In the present study, for the first time, we investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of ABPPk on neuroinflammation in AßOs-induced models of AD. In vitro, ABPPk pretreatment dose-dependently inhibited AßOs-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines mRNA levels in BV2 and primary microglia. ABPPk pretreatment also reduced the neurotoxicity of BV2 microglia-conditioned media on primary hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, ABPPk down-regulated the AßOs-induced phosphorylation of IκBα and NF-κB p65 as well as the expression of NLRP3 in BV2 microglia. In vivo, ABPPk pre-administration significantly improved locomotor activity, alleviated memory deficits, and rescued neuronal degeneration and loss in the hippocampus of AßOs-injected mice. ABPPk inhibited the activation of microglia in hippocampal CA3 region and suppressed the activation of NF-κB as well as the expression of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, and ASC in the brain after AßOs injection. ABPPk hindered the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and promoted the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the brain. Notably, the polarization experiment on BV2 microglia demonstrated that ABPPk inhibited M1-phenotype polarization and promoted M2-phenotype polarization by activating the LPS- or AßOs-impaired autophagy in microglia. Taken together, our observations indicate that ABPPk can restore the autophagy of microglia damaged by AßOs, thereby promoting M2-phenotype polarization and inhibiting M1-phenotype polarization, thus playing a role in regulating neuroinflammation and alleviating neurotoxicity.

Loc680254 regulates Schwann cell proliferation through Psrc1 and Ska1 as a microRNA sponge following sciatic nerve injury.

Peripheral nerve injury triggers sequential phenotype alterations in Schwann cells, which are critical for axonal regeneration. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are long transcripts without obvious coding potential. It has been reported that lncRNAs participate in diverse biological processes and diseases. However, the role of lncRNA in Schwann cells and peripheral nerve regeneration is unclear. Here, we identified an lncRNA, loc680254, which is upregulated in rat sciatic nerve after peripheral nerve injury. The loc680254 knockdown inhibits Schwann cell proliferation, enhances apoptosis, and hinders cell cycle, while loc680254 overexpression has the opposite effect. Mechanically, we found that loc680254 might act as a microRNA sponge to regulate the expression of mitosis-related gene, spindle and kinetochore associated complex subunit 1 (Ska1) and proline/serine-rich coiled-coil 1 (Psrc1). Silencing of Psrc1 or Ska1 attenuates the effect of loc680254 overexpression on Schwann cell proliferation. Finally, we repaired the rat sciatic nerve gap with chitosan scaffolds loaded with loc680254-overexpressing Schwann cells and evaluated axon regeneration and functional recovery. Our results indicated that loc680254 is a new potential modulator for Schwann cell proliferation, which could be targeted to develop novel therapeutic strategies for peripheral nerve repair.

Revascularization After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex pathological process. The initial mechanical damage is followed by a progressive secondary injury cascade. The injury ruptures the local microvasculature and disturbs blood-spinal cord barriers, exacerbating inflammation and tissue damage. Although endogenous angiogenesis is triggered, the new vessels are insufficient and often fail to function normally. Numerous blood vessel interventions, such as proangiogenic factor administration, gene modulation, cell transplantation, biomaterial implantation, and physical stimulation, have been applied as SCI treatments. Here, we briefly describe alterations and effects of the vascular system on local microenvironments after SCI. Therapies targeted at revascularization for SCI are also summarized.

Genetic Dissection of Growth Traits in a Unique Chicken Advanced Intercross Line.

The advanced intercross line (AIL) that is created by successive generations of pseudo-random mating after the F2 generation is a valuable resource, especially in agricultural livestock and poultry species, because it improves the precision of quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping compared with traditional association populations by introducing more recombination events. The growth traits of broilers have significant economic value in the chicken industry, and many QTLs affecting growth traits have been identified, especially on chromosomes 1, 4, and 27, albeit with large confidence intervals that potentially contain dozens of genes. To promote a better understanding of the underlying genetic architecture of growth trait differences, specifically body weight and bone development, in this study, we report a nine-generation AIL derived from two divergent outbred lines: High Quality chicken Line A (HQLA) and Huiyang Bearded (HB) chicken. We evaluate the genetic architecture of the F0, F2, F8, and F9 generations of AIL and demonstrate that the population of the F9 generation sufficiently randomized the founder genomes and has the characteristics of rapid linkage disequilibrium decay, limited allele frequency decline, and abundant nucleotide diversity. This AIL yielded a much narrower QTL than the F2 generations, especially the QTL on chromosome 27, which was reduced to 120 Kb. An ancestral haplotype association analysis showed that most of the dominant haplotypes are inherited from HQLA but with fluctuation of the effects between them. We highlight the important role of four candidate genes (PHOSPHO1, IGF2BP1, ZNF652, and GIP) in bone growth. We also retrieved a missing QTL from AIL on chromosome 4 by identifying the founder selection signatures, which are explained by the loss of association power that results from rare alleles. Our study provides a reasonable resource for detecting quantitative trait genes and tracking ancestor history and will facilitate our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying chicken bone growth.

Multiple ancestral haplotypes harboring regulatory mutations cumulatively contribute to a QTL affecting chicken growth traits.

In depth studies of quantitative trait loci (QTL) can provide insights to the genetic architectures of complex traits. A major effect QTL at the distal end of chicken chromosome 1 has been associated with growth traits in multiple populations. This locus was fine-mapped in a fifteen-generation chicken advanced intercross population including 1119 birds and explored in further detail using 222 sequenced genomes from 10 high/low body weight chicken stocks. We detected this QTL that, in total, contributed 14.4% of the genetic variance for growth. Further, nine mosaic precise intervals (Kb level) which contain ancestral regulatory variants were fine-mapped and we chose one of them to demonstrate the key regulatory role in the duodenum. This is the first study to break down the detail genetic architectures for the well-known QTL in chicken and provides a good example of the fine-mapping of various of quantitative traits in any species.

Food intake-related genes in chicken determined through combinatorial genome-wide association study and transcriptome analysis.

The chicken gizzard is the primary digestive and absorptive organ regulating food intake and metabolism. Body weight is a typical complex trait regulated by an interactive polygene network which is under the control of an interacting network of polygenes. To simplify these genotype-phenotype associations, the gizzard is a suitable target organ to preliminarily explore the mechanism underlying the regulation of chicken growth through controlled food intake. This study aimed to identify key food intake-related genes through combinatorial GWAS and transcriptome analysis. We performed GWAS of body weight in an F2 intercrossed population and transcriptional profiling analysis of gizzards from chickens with different body weight. We identified a major 10 Mb quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 1 and numerous minor QTL distributed among 24 chromosomes. Combining data regarding QTL and gizzard gene expression, two hub genes, MLNR and HTR2A, and a list of core genes with small effect were found to be associated with food intake. Furthermore, the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway was found to play a key role in regulating the appetite of chickens. The present results show the major-minor gene interactions in metabolic pathways and provide insights into the genetic architecture and gene regulation during food intake in chickens.

Development and characterization of marker-free and transgene insertion site-defined transgenic wheat with improved grain storability and fatty acid content.

Development of marker-free and transgene insertion site-defined (MFTID) transgenic plants is essential for safe application of transgenic crops. However, MFTID plants have not been reported for wheat (Triticum aestivum). Here, we prepared a RNAi cassette for suppressing lipoxygenase (LOX) gene expression in wheat grains using a double right border T-DNA vector. The resultant construct was introduced into wheat genome via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, with four homozygous marker-free transgenic lines (namely GLRW-1, -3, -5 and -8) developed. Aided by the newly published wheat genome sequence, the T-DNA insertion sites in GLRW-3 and GLRW-8 were elucidated at base-pair resolution. While the T-DNA in GLRW-3 inserted in an intergenic region, that of GLRW-8 inactivated an endogenous gene, which was thus excluded from further analysis. Compared to wild -type (WT) control, GLRW-1, -3 and -5 showed decreased LOX gene expression, lower LOX activity and less lipid peroxidation in the grains; they also exhibited significantly higher germination rates and better seedling growth after artificial ageing treatment. Interestingly, the three GLRW lines also had substantially increased contents of several fatty acids (e.g., linoleic acid and linolenic acid) in their grain and flour samples than WT control. Collectively, our data suggest that suppression of grain LOX activity can be employed to improve the storability and fatty acid content of wheat seeds and that the MFTID line GLRW-3 is likely of commercial value. Our approach may also be useful for developing the MFTID transgenic lines of other crops with enhanced grain storability and fatty acid content.

Analysis of the functions of TaGW2 homoeologs in wheat grain weight and protein content traits.

GW2 is emerging as a key genetic determinant of grain weight in cereal crops; it has three homoeologs (TaGW2-A1, -B1 and -D1) in hexaploid common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Here, by analyzing the gene editing mutants that lack one (B1 or D1), two (B1 and D1) or all three (A1, B1 and D1) homoeologs of TaGW2, several insights are gained into the functions of TaGW2-B1 and -D1 in common wheat grain traits. First, both TaGW2-B1 and -D1 affect thousand-grain weight (TGW) by influencing grain width and length, but the effect conferred by TaGW2-B1 is stronger than that of TaGW2-D1. Second, there exists functional interaction between TaGW2 homoeologs because the TGW increase shown by a double mutant (lacking B1 and D1) was substantially larger than that of their single mutants. Third, both TaGW2-B1 and -D1 modulate cell number and length in the outer pericarp of developing grains, with TaGW2-B1 being more potent. Finally, TaGW2 homoeologs also affect grain protein content as this parameter was generally increased in the mutants, especially in the lines lacking two or three homoeologs. Consistent with this finding, two wheat end-use quality-related parameters, flour protein content and gluten strength, were considerably elevated in the mutants. Collectively, our data shed light on functional difference between and additive interaction of TaGW2 homoeologs in the genetic control of grain weight and protein content traits in common wheat, which may accelerate further research on this important gene and its application in wheat improvement.

Isolation of rat Schwann cells based on cell sorting.

The present study presented a protocol that can be used to obtain rapidly a high purity of proliferating rat Schwann cells from freshly dissociated rat peripheral nerves. The sciatic nerves of newborn rats (1­3 day old) were dissociated, and the Schwann cells (SCs) were purified using fluorescence­activated cell sorting (FACS) based on the SC membrane­specific expression of the low­affinity nerve growth factor receptor, p75NGFR and oligodendrocyte marker 4. Following sorting, the cells were plated on poly­l­lysine­coated dishes in SC culture medium containing DMEM with 10% FBS, 1% penicillin/streptomycin, 2 µM forskolin and 10 ng/ml HRG. The purified rat SCs were propagated for passaging until confluent. This protocol resulted in SC cultures, which were >98% pure. This FACS­based protocol can be used to facilitate future investigations of general SC biology.

Optimized double-digest genotyping by sequencing (ddGBS) method with high-density SNP markers and high genotyping accuracy for chickens.

High-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are crucial to improve the resolution and accuracy of genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS). Numerous approaches, including whole genome sequencing, genome sampling sequencing, and SNP chips are able to discover or genotype markers at different densities and costs. Achieving an optimal balance between sequencing resolution and budgets, especially in large-scale population genetics research, constitutes a major challenge. Here, we performed improved double-enzyme digestion genotyping by sequencing (ddGBS) on chicken. We evaluated eight double-enzyme digestion combinations, and EcoR I- Mse I was chosen as the optimal combination for the chicken genome. We firstly proposed that two parameters, optimal read-count point (ORP) and saturated read-count point (SRP), could be utilized to determine the optimal sequencing volume. A total of 291,772 high-density SNPs from 824 animals were identified. By validation using the SNP chip, we found that the consistency between ddGBS data and the SNP chip is over 99%. The approach that we developed in chickens, which is high-quality, high-density, cost-effective (300 K, $30/sample), and time-saving (within 48 h), will have broad applications in animal breeding programs.

The synthetic antihyperlipidemic drug potassium piperate selectively kills breast cancer cells through inhibiting G1-S-phase transition and inducing apoptosis.

Piper longum L. is a well-known traditional antihyperlipidemic medicine in China, containing medicinal constituents of piperine, pipernonaline and piperlonguminine in its fruit. However, the antitumor properties of these constituents have not yet been studied. We found that potassium piperate (GBK), a derivative of piperine, inhibited proliferation of cancer cells. GBK selectively inhibited the G1-S-phase transition in breast cancer cells and the G1 arrest was correlated with induction of p27 expression, which is an inhibitor for cyclin-dependent kinases, and inhibition of cyclin A, cyclin E and cyclin B expression. Moreover, GBK treatment led to a downregulation of the mini-chromosome maintenance protein expression and induction of mitochondrial-dependent cell apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Our results also suggested that GBK might also inhibit cancer cell proliferation through epigenetic signaling pathways. A synergistic effect in inhibition of cancer cell proliferation was found when GBK was combined with chemotherapy medicines etoposide phosphate or cisplatin at middle or low doses in vitro. These results show that GBK is a novel potential anti-breast cancer drug that inhibits cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis.

LAMP3 expression correlated with poor clinical outcome in human ovarian cancer.

Lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 belongs to the lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein family, which is associated with lymph node, metastasis, poor overall survival, and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Epithelial ovarian cancer is one of the most deadly global female gynecologic malignant tumors. Its clinical outcome is poor and most epithelial ovarian cancer patients tend to relapse because of drug resistance. However, lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 expression in epithelial ovarian cancer and its relationship between clinicopathologic factors remain poorly understood. To clarify the prognostic implications of lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 in epithelial ovarian cancer, we analyzed both messenger RNA and protein levels of lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 in ovarian carcinomas. Polymerase chain reaction results showed higher expression of lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 messenger RNA in epithelial ovarian cancer than in noncancerous tissues. Immunohistochemical results showed that high lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 cytoplasmic expression was significantly related to tumor grade ( p = 0.038), lymph node metastasis ( p = 0.049), metastasis ( p < 0.001), level of CA125 ( p = 0.030), and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) ( p < 0.001). High lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 nuclear expression was significantly associated with tumor grade ( p = 0.046), tumor single or double (representative whether the tumor involving one or both ovaries) ( p = 0.016), metastasis ( p < 0.001), and FIGO stage ( p < 0.001). Survival analysis indicated that high lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 cytoplasmic expression (hazard ratio: 4.632, 95% confidence interval: 2.421-8.864; p < 0.001), patients' age (hazard ratio: 1.729, 95% confidence interval: 1.027-2.911; p = 0.039), and FIGO stage (hazard ratio: 2.049, 95% confidence interval: 1.113-3.774; p = 0.021) were significantly correlated with poor survival outcome of epithelial ovarian cancer patients.