Architecting O3/P2 layered oxides by gradient Mn doping for sodium-ion batteries.

O3 phase layered oxides are highly attractive cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries because of their high capacity and decent initial Coulombic efficiency. However, their rate capability and long cycling life are unsatisfactory due to the narrow Na+ transfer channel and irreversible phase transitions of O3 phase during sodiation/desodiation process. Constructing O3/P2 multiphase structures has been proven to be an effective strategy to overcome these challenges. In this study, we synthesized bi-phasic structured O3/P2 Na(Ni2/9Fe1/3Cu1/9Mn1/3)1-xMnxO2 (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05) materials through Mn doping during sodiation process. Benefiting from surface P2 phase layer with the enhanced Na+ transfer dynamics and high structural stability, the Na(Ni2/9Fe1/3Cu1/9Mn1/3)0.98Mn0.02O2 (NFCM-M2) cathode delivers a reversible capacity of 139.1 mA h g-1 at 0.1 C, and retains 71.4 % of its original capacity after 300 cycles at 1 C. Our work provides useful guidance for designing multiphase cathodes and offers new insights into the structure-performance correlation for sodium-ion cathode materials.

Association between hearing loss and physical performance in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: The correlation between hearing loss (HL) and physical performance in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) remains poorly investigated. This study explored the association between HL and physical performance in patients on MHD. METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2020 and April 2021 in seven hemodialysis centers in Shanghai and Suzhou, China. The hearing assessment was performed using pure-tone average (PTA). Physical performance was assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), handgrip strength, and gait speed. RESULTS: Finally, 838 adult patients (male, 516 [61.6%]; 61.2 ± 2.6 years) were enrolled. Among them, 423 (50.5%) had mild to profound HL (male, 48.6% and female, 53.4%). Patients with HL had poorer physical performance than patients without HL (p < 0.001). TUGT was positively correlated with PTA (r = 0.265, p < 0.001), while handgrip strength and gait speed were negatively correlated with PTA (r = -0.356, p < 0.001 and r = -0.342, p < 0.001, respectively). Physical performance in patients aged <60 years showed significant dose-response relationships with HL. After adjusting for confounders, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for HL across the TUGT quartiles (lowest to highest) were 1.00 (reference), 1.15 (0.73-1.81), 1.69 (1.07-2.70), and 2.87 (1.69-4.88) (p for trend = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Lower prevalence of HL was associated with a faster TUGT and a stronger handgrip strength in patients on MHD.

Novel Low-Strain Layered/Rocksalt Intergrown Cathode for High-Energy Li-Ion Batteries.

Both layered- and rocksalt-type Li-rich cathode materials are drawing great attention due to their enormous capacity, while the individual phases have their own drawbacks, such as great volume change for the layered phase and low electronic and ionic conductivities for the rocksalt phase. Previously, we have reported the layered/rocksalt intergrown cathodes with nearly zero-strain operation, while the use of precious elements hinders their industrial applications. Herein, low-cost 3d Mn4+ ions are utilized to partially replace the expensive Ru5+ ions, to develop novel ternary Li-rich cathode material Li1+x[RuMnNi]1-xO2. The as-designed Li1.15Ru0.25Mn0.2Ni0.4O2 is revealed to have a layered/rock salt intergrown structure by neutron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The as-designed cathode exhibits ultrahigh lithium-ion reversibility, with 0.86 (231.1 mAh g-1) out of a total Li+ inventory of 1.15 (309.1 mAh g-1). The X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering spectra further demonstrate that the high Li+ storage of the intergrown cathode is enabled by leveraging cationic and anionic redox activities in charge compensation. Surprisingly, in situ X-ray diffraction shows that the intergrown cathode undergoes extremely low-strain structural evolution during the charge-discharge process. Finally, the Mn content in the intergrown cathodes is found to be tunable, providing new insights into the design of advanced cathode materials for high-energy Li-ion batteries.

Mediating effect of gait speed on the relationship between ankle-brachial index and mild cognitive impairment in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing hemodialysis are highly predisposed to arterial disease, poor physical performance, and cognitive impairment. However, the connection between them is not yet known. We aimed to investigate the mediating effect of physical performance on the relationship between arterial stiffness and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study. The final analyzed hemodialysis patients comprised 616 subjects (men 391, women 225) from seven dialysis units in Shanghai, China. MCI was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale. Arterial function was measured by ankle-brachial index (ABI) and branchial-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV). Physical function was assessed by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Logistic regression and mediation model were used to analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the final analysis sample (n = 616) was 59.0 ± 12.0 years. Hemodialysis patients with MCI were more likely to have lower ABI (p < 0.001) and higher baPWV (p < 0.01). After adjusting for covariates, lower ABI (abnormal ≤0.9 and borderline 0.91-0.99) were positively associated with MCI (OR = 4.43, 95% CI = 1.89-10.39; OR = 4.83, 95% CI = 1.61-14.46). SPPB total score and its components standing balance, gait speed score were negatively associated with MCI. In the mediational model, gait speed played a mediating role (indirect effect ab = -0.21; 95% CI = -0.58 to -0.03) in the association of ABI (≤0.9) and MMSE, while standing balance and chair stands did not. CONCLUSIONS: Lower gait speed mediates a positive association between ABI and MCI in hemodialysis patients. Suitable interventions for physical performance, especially gait speed, may reduce the risk of MCI in hemodialysis patients.

Relationship Between Serum Indirect Bilirubin Levels and Cardiovascular Events and All-Cause Mortality in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients.

Purpose: Unconjugated bilirubin is one of the most endogenous antioxidant substances. Mildly elevated total bilirubin concentrations may protect against cardiovascular disease and total death. However, most studies only focused on the association between serum total bilirubin and the risk of cardiovascular disease and total death. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum indirect bilirubin (IBIL) and the cardiovascular events in maintenance hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods : This retrospective cohort study included 284 maintenance hemodialysis patients. Patients were divided into two groups according to the median IBIL level: high IBIL group (IBIL ≥3.0 µmol/L) and low IBIL group (IBIL <3.0 µmol/L). All demographic and laboratory data were recorded at baseline. The endpoint was cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. Results: During the median follow-up time of 62 months, 96 patients developed cardiovascular disease. There were 134 deaths. In Kaplan-Meier analysis curves, the risk of cardiovascular events in the low IBIL group was significantly higher than high IBIL group (P < 0.001). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, the risk of cardiovascular events in high IBIL group was 0.484 times (95% CI 0.278-0.844, P = 0.010) the risk in low IBIL group. However, there was no significant association between serum IBIL level and all-cause mortality (P = 0.269). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that lower circulating IBIL levels were associated with the increased risk of cardiovascular events in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Renewable Vanillin-Based Thermoplastic Polybutadiene Rubber: High Strength, Recyclability, Self-Welding, Shape Memory, and Antibacterial Properties.

The vast majority of traditional vulcanized rubber products are insoluble and infusible, which is difficult to reprocess and biodegrade, resulting in black pollution. In addition, although most rubber materials based on covalent adaptive networks (CANs) can achieve structural reconstruction, the lack of traditional vulcanization system leads to a decline in strength. In this study, biobased vanillin derivatives (PV) were synthesized to cross-link the commercially available 1,2-polybutadiene rubber precursor to construct imine-based CANs, thereby fabricating a resource-renewable, recyclable, and degradable high-performance rubber material. Due to the rigid tripod structure of the PV, the tensile strength of the material can achieve as high as 16.24 MPa, ranking among the best in the field of recyclable polybutadiene-based materials. Benefiting from the dynamic imine unit, the "dynamic covalent bridge" can be re-established to repair the damaged network and endow the material with excellent weldability. And, shape memory faculty of the material was proved and depicted. Moreover, this material displayed excellent antibacterial property originates from the introduced Schiff-base structure. By mixing with graphene, the application of action sensors can also be achieved.

Klotho/FGF23 and Wnt in SHPT associated with CKD via regulating miR-29a.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, the interaction between Klotho/fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) axis and Wnt signaling has been recognized to be responsible for chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated comorbidities, including secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of the interaction between Klotho/FGF23 axis and Wnt. METHODS: A SHPT model was successfully established with a high-phosphorus diet plus 5/6 nephrectomy. Cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and calcium deposit experiment were applied to detect the proliferation and calcium levels. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence (IF) were used to determine the expression or location of FGF23, calcification-related factors and ß-catenin after lentivirus-mediated Klotho overexpression. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to further validate the transcriptional regulation between microRNA-29a (miR-29a) and Dickkopf-1 (DDK1). RESULTS: We found increased serum biochemical factors including parathyroid hormone (PTH), phosphorus, calcium, enhanced parathyroid calcification, and decreased expressions of Klotho in a rat model of secondary hyperparathyroidism. Moreover, genetic-induced upregulation of Klotho inhibited the proliferation, reduced the calcification and the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and downregulated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in parathyroid cells. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanistically, Klotho suppressed miR-29a expression, led to upregulated expression of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling inhibitor DKK1, and finally downregulated the activity of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. These findings suggest a novel molecular mechanism in the pathogenesis of CKD-associated SHPT, which provides a potential therapeutic target in the future.

Self-Strengthening, Self-Welding, Shape Memory, and Recyclable Polybutadiene-Based Material Driven by Dual-Dynamic Units.

A covalent adaptable network can endow rubber materials with recyclability and reprocessability and is expected to alleviate black pollution caused by end-of-life rubber. However, the loss of traditional vulcanization systems severely sacrifices their strength, and the tensile strength in the current study rarely exceeds 10 MPa unless fillers are added. In this work, we proposed a self-strengthening process based on dual-dynamic units (imine and disulfide), briefly, under heating, phenylsulfur radicals generated from aromatic disulfide bonds can react with double bonds (mostly vinyl) and/or couple with allyl sites, thus reforming a stronger cross-linked network. The neighboring imine unit is not affected and provides excellent thermal reprocessability and chemical recyclability. The result shows that the tensile strength can reach 19.27 MPa via self-strengthening without adding fillers or any other additives, and this ultra-high-strength is much higher than those of all known recyclable polybutadiene-based rubber materials. In addition, the material also has malleability, shape memory, and self-welding properties. By doping carbon nanotubes, a recyclable conductive composite can also be achieved. In general, we envision that this enhanced strategy has great potential to be generalized for all elastomers containing double bonds (such as styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, isoprene rubber, and their derivatives). The reprocessability and self-welding are practical for on-site assembly or repair of composite parts and extend the service life of materials.

Continued evolution of H6 avian influenza viruses isolated from farms in China between 2014 and 2018.

H6 avian influenza virus (AIV) is one of the most prevalent AIV subtypes in the world. Our previous studies have demonstrated that H6 AIVs isolated from live poultry markets pose a potential threat to human health. In recent years, increasing number of H6 AIVs has been constantly isolated from poultry farms. In order to understand the biological characteristics of H6 AIVs in the context of farms, here, we analyzed the phylogenetic relationships, antigenicity, replication in mice and receptor binding properties of H6 AIVs isolated from farms in China between 2014 and 2018. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 19 different genotypes were formed among 20 representative H6 viruses. Notably, the internal genes of these H6 viruses exhibited complicated relationships with different subtypes of AIVs worldwide, indicating that these viruses are the products of complex and frequent reassortment events. Antigenic analysis revealed that 13 viruses tested were divided into three antigenic groups. 10 viruses examined could all replicate in the respiratory organs of infected mice without prior adaptation. Receptor binding analysis demonstrated that some of the H6 AIVs bound to both α-2, 3-linked glycans (avian-type receptor) and α-2, 6-linked glycans (human-type receptor), thereby posing a potential threat to human health. Together, these findings revealed the prevalence, complicated genetic evolution, diverse antigenicity, and dual receptor binding specificity of H6 AIVs in the settings of poultry farms, which emphasize the importance to continuously monitor the evolution and biological properties of H6 AIVs in nature.

Thermally stable vanadium complexes supported by the iminophenyl oxazolinylphenylamine ligands: synthesis, characterization and application for ethylene (co-)polymerization.

In this work, a series of oxovanadium complexes bearing the ligands (S,E)-(+)-2, 6-dialkyl-N-(2-((2-(4-isopropyl-4,5-dihydrooxazole-2-yl)phenyl)amino)benzylidene)aniline (dialkyl = dimethyl (V1), diethyl (V2), and isopropyl (V3)) have been synthesized and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Moreover, the molecular structures of complexes V2 and V3 were defined by X-ray diffraction. On activation with ethylaluminium sesquichloride (Al2Et3Cl3), these complexes exhibited high activity towards ethylene polymerization (up to 1.39 × 107 g molv-1 h-1) and showed excellent thermal stability (up to 60 °C). The obtained polyethylene had a moderate molecular weight (21.9 × 104 to 66.4 × 104 g mol-1) and exhibited narrow distribution (1.91 to 2.86) and unimodal features. The effect of the substituents on the ligands was also investigated in detail. The compound bearing the diisopropyl group showed the highest activity toward ethylene polymerization as the bimolecular deactivation of the catalyst can be effectively inhibited by the steric hindrance of the ortho-substituent on aniline. The complex V2 with moderate steric hindrance was also evaluated as a catalyst for the copolymerization of ethylene with norbornene and showed moderate to high activity.

Rapid Screening Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Polygoni Vivipari Rhizoma by Multi-Step Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion, Ultrafiltration and HPLC.

Polygoni Vivipari Rhizoma (PVR), the dried root of Polygonum viviparum, has been used as herbal medicine in China for a long time. In the present study, a new method based on multi-step matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD), ultrafiltration and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for screening alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) from PVR was proposed. First, three different PVR extractions were prepared by multi-step MSPD with 15% methanol, 60% methanol and 100% methanol. Second, the alpha-glucosidase inhibition tests for the three extracts were carried out, and the 60% methanol extraction showed the best activity. Then, the AGIs screening experiment was performed with ultrafiltration and HPLC analysis using the 60% methanol extraction. Seven binding components (quercetin-3-O-vicianoside, quercetin 3-O-neohesperidoside, rutin, hyperoside, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, luteolin-7-O-neohesperidoside, kaempferol 3-glucuronide) were found. These seven components were further validated as the AGIs by molecular docking analysis. The developed method was a rapid and efficient tool for screening AGIs from PVR, which provided scientific data for the bioactive components study of PVR.

Synergistic Effect of Microstructure Engineering and Local Crystal Structure Tuning to Improve the Cycling Stability of Ni-Rich Cathodes.

Ultrahigh Ni-rich layered oxides have been regarded as one of the most promising cathode candidates. However, cycling instability induced by interfacial reactions and irreversible H2-H3 lattice distortion is yet to be demonstrated by an effective strategy that could construct a stable grain interface and microstructure. Here, Ni-rich cathode LiNi0.92Co0.05Mn0.03O2 is modified by B and Ti to realize the synchronous regulation of a microstructure and the oxygen framework robustness. Compared with the large equiaxed crystalline grains for the pristine cathode, highly elongated grains with a strong radially oriented crystallographic texture in which the (003) facet is maximized are produced for Ti and B-modified LiNi0.92Co0.05Mn0.03O2. With the suppressed H2-H3 phase transition and cation mixing provided by radially oriented grains and turned local crystal oxygen framework robustness during cycling, the co-modified cathode exhibits enhanced Li+ diffusion kinetics and a capacity retention of 78.3% after 100 cycles, which outperformed the 38.5% for the pristine cathode. The improved cycling performance suggests the significance of the turned microstructure and local crystal structure in suppressing internal strain and crystal structure degradation. The synchronous realization of microstructure engineering and local crystal structure turning by optimal element combination would provide a heuristic solution for the construction of high perform Ni-rich cathodes.

Catalyst-Free Vitrimer Cross-Linked by Biomass-Derived Compounds with Mechanical Robustness, Reprocessability, and Multishape Memory Effects.

Vitrimerization of thermoset polymers plays an important role in addressing resource recovery and reuse. Vitrimer elastomers with good mechanical properties often require well-designed crosslinking agents or fillers, but this increases processing complexity or reduces vitrimer dynamic properties. In this report, a simple green strategy to build a strong vitrimer elastomer is designed. Commercially available epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) is cross-linked with biomass-derived D-Fructose 1,6-bisphosphoric acid to get a vitrimer elastomer cross-linked by ß-hydroxy phosphate ester bonds and has abundant hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds can preferentially break and dissipate energy under external forces, which makes the sample robust. The topological network can be reformed at high temperatures through the dynamic exchange of ß-hydroxy phosphate ester bonds, which gives the material malleability and recyclability. In addition, through the strategy of combining reprocessing and welding, multiple shape memory effects can be achieved in one postprocessing step. Considering that a variety of commercially available epoxy polymers are easily available, it is believed that this strategy can be a simple and versatile way to enable commercial epoxy polymers to achieve green crosslinking through biomass crosslink agents, which results in robust and recyclable vitrimers based on ß-hydroxy phosphate bonds.

Undernutrition when young and the risk of poor renal function in adulthood in women with diabetes in Shanghai, China.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of undernutrition when young on the risk of poor renal function in adulthood in women with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We studied diabetic women born between 1921 and 1958 who were exposed to the 1959-to-1962 Chinese famine when they were 0 to 37 years old. Exposure age was classified as young adulthood (18 to 37 years), adolescence (10 to 17 years), or childhood (0 to 9 years). The Adolescence group, which was provided with the largest amount of food during the famine, was used as the control group, and variance and binary logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: The prevalences of low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the Childhood, Adolescence, and Young adulthood groups were 5.26%, 22.39%, and 79.24%, respectively. The risk of low eGFR for the Young adulthood group (odds ratio [OR] 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10, 2.48), but not for the Childhood group (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.68, 1.78), was higher than that for the Adolescence group after adjustment for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Undernutrition during young adulthood significantly increases the risk of renal dysfunction in adult women with diabetes. Therefore, the nutrition of less affluent young women should be improved.

Analysis of antioxidants in Chrysanthemum indici flos by online gradient extraction and HPLC-FRAP.

Chrysanthemum indici flos (CIF), a traditional functional beverage, has been used in China for thousands of years. However, research on the antioxidant properties and compounds in CIF is insufficient. In the current study, an online gradient extraction (OGE) coupled with a high performance liquid chromatography-ferric reducing antioxidant power (HPLC-FRAP) system for rapid identification of antioxidants in CIF was proposed. The CIF sample (0.3 mg) was extracted online by a gradient mobile phase (acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid), separated on a Poroshell 120 SB-Aq column, and then detected for the anti-oxidative activity with the online FRAP assay. 36 peaks were found and 28 compounds were identified. Among them, 18 peaks showed antioxidant activity, six of which were detected in CIF for the first time. The total analytical time was less than 45 min, including sample extraction, separation, and antioxidant identification. The results indicate that the OGE-HPLC-FRAP system is a simple, efficient and rapid tool for screening antioxidants in CIF, which provides the scientific data of CIF's antioxidant research and is helpful to improve the quality evaluation of CIF.

Toxicity of deltamethrin to Eriocheir sinensis and the isolation of a deltamethrin-degrading bacterium, Paracoccus sp. P-2.

Deltamethrin is used widely in Eriocheir sinensis aquaculture to remove wild fish and parasites. The residual deltamethrin greatly affects the growth and quality of E. sinensis. In this study, the LC50 of deltamethrin against E. sinensis at 24, 48 and 96 h was determined to be 6.5, 5.0 and 2.8 µg/L, respectively. The enzyme activity and gene transcription of SOD, CAT, and PO in the hepatopancreas of E. sinensis after deltamethrin stimulation showed an increasing tendency, and these enzymes reached their maximum activities at 6-10 d. The MDA content accumulated with increased time of deltamethrin stress. After 15 d of deltamethrin stress, the hepatopancreas of E. sinensis was found to be damaged based on HE staining. These results showed that deltamethrin is highly toxic to E. sinensis. But the half-life of deltamethrin is long and mainly relies on biodegradation. To resolve the pollution of residual deltamethrin, a strain of deltamethrin-degrading bacteria, P-2, was isolated from the sediment of an E. sinensis culture pond. Through morphological observation, physiological and biochemical identification and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, we found that this strain belonged to Paracoccus sp. When the pH was 7, the substrate concentration was low, the inoculation amount was high, and the deltamethrin degradation effect of Paracoccus sp. P-2 was good. The deltamethrin residue in the hepatopancreas and muscle of E. sinensis decreased significantly when Paracoccus sp. P-2 was added at 6.0 × 108 CFU/L. The degradation efficiency of Paracoccus sp. P-2 in the hepatopancreas and muscle was more than 70%. These results showed that Paracoccus sp. P-2, the first deltamethrin-degrading bacterium in aquaculture, could be used to remove residual deltamethrin and improve the food safety of E. sinensis.

Assembling of Reprocessable Polybutadiene-Based Vitrimers with High Strength and Shape Memory via Catalyst-Free Imine-Coordinated Boroxine.

Vitrimers endow cross-linked polymers with malleability and reprocessability via exchange reactions. However, designing of reprocessable, shape-memory polymer materials with high strength via a catalyst-free method remains a challenge under mild conditions. Here, we propose a facile strategy to address this dilemma by introducing the exchangeable imine bond and N-coordinated boroxine into a polybutadiene (PB)-based network. Specifically, PB grafted with 2-aminoethanethiol is reacted with the formyl group of phenylboronic acid and dehydrated to form a dual-dynamic covalently cross-linked network at room temperature. The dynamic network draws on the advantage of imine (toughness) and N-coordinated boroxine (strength), making the PB-based materials exhibit favorable malleability, mechanical property, reprocessability, and thermal-induced shape-memory behavior. We can obtain customized high mechanical properties by tuning the cross-linking density, and the tensile strength reaches a high value (12.35 MPa) without fillers or any other additives. Meanwhile, the unique network framework makes the material recycle over several times without sacrificing its property. This work presents a facile and effective approach to achieve a multifunctional polymer with customized attributes. Besides, this strategy can recycle end-of-life rubber to alleviate environmental pollution and provide inspiration for fabricating targeted materials by uniting the dynamic covalent or noncovalent bonds.

A typical C-type lectin, perlucin-like protein, is involved in the innate immune defense of whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

C-type lectins are a large group of the pattern-recognition proteins, and have been reported to be involved in invertebrate innate immunity, such as cell adhesion, bacterial clearance, phagocytosis, prophenoloxidase activation and encapsulation. Here, a perlucin-like protein (PLP), a typical C-type lectin, was identified from the cDNA library of the shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. LvPLP contains a 540 bp open reading frame, encoding a protein of 179 amino acids that includes a single carbohydrate-recognition domain. Phylogenetic analysis showed that LvPLP was clustered into a single group together with other perlucins from molluscs. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that LvPLP was expressed mainly in the hemocytes, hemolymph, heart and gills. The transcription of LvPLP was significantly induced at 9 h by both Gram- bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio anguillarum. Meanwhile, recombinant LvPLP (rLvPLP) bound directly to lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan with different affinity. rLvPLP showed a strong ability to bind to Gram+ (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram- bacteria (V. parahaemolyticus and V. anguillarum), and could induce agglutination of V. parahaemolyticus and V. anguillarum, but not S. aureus and B. subtilis in the presence Ca2+. Further study showed that when LvPLP was knocked down by RNAi, three phagocytosis-related genes (peroxinectin, mas-like protein and dynamin) and four antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes (crustin, ALF1, ALF2 and ALF3) were significantly decreased. Altogether, these results demonstrated that LvPLP played a vital role in L. vannamei immune response towards bacterial challenge by binding and agglutinating bacteria and influencing phagocytosis and AMP expression.

The Correlation between Serum Uric Acid and Renal Function in Elderly Chinese Diabetes with Normoalbuminuria.

OBJECTIVE: The elder diabetic patients increases rapidly in China and often accompany with hyperuricemia. Recently evidences show that renal function has been impaired in part of diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and renal function in Chinese elder diabetes with normoalbuminuria. METHODS: The physical examination data from 1052 cases of diabetic residents with normoalbuminuria aged 70 years and over in the Jiangchuan community of Minhang District, Shanghai, from October 2011 to September 2014 was analyzed retrospectively. Each received height, body weight, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), blood pressure (BP), and collected samples of fasting blood and morning urine to detect blood routine, blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood lipids, serum creatinine, urinary albumin, urine creatinine, and urine PH value. Correlation between SUA and renal function, an index of which is estimated using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), was analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence of hyperuricemia was 21.10%. Levels of WC and triglyceride (TG) increased and the levels of HbA1c, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), eGFR, and urine PH decreased while the levels of SUA increased. Moreover, negative correlation of eGFR with age, WC, leukocyte, and SUA (Pearson r=0.415) was observed via Pearson correlation analysis. It indicates the strong association between SUA and eGFR. Furthermore, eGFR independently associated with SUA, age, leukocyte, hemoglobin (Hb), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) was confirmed by multiple linear stepwise regression analysis. CONCLUSION: SUA may play an important role in the decrease of eGFR in elderly Chinese diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria.

Semi-Interpenetrating Polymer Networks Based on Cyanate Ester and Highly Soluble Thermoplastic Polyimide.

Thermoplastic polyimide (TPI) was synthesized via a traditional one-step method using 2,3,3',4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (3,4'-BPDA), 4,4'-oxydianiline (4,4'-ODA), and 2,2'-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine (TFMB) as the monomers. A series of semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) were produced by dissolving TPI in bisphenol A dicyanate (BADCy), followed by curing at elevated temperatures. The curing reactions of BADCy were accelerated by TPI in the blends, reflected by lower curing temperatures and shorter gelation time determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheological measurements. As evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, phase separation occurred and continuous TPI phases were formed in semi-IPNs with a TPI content of 15% and 20%. The properties of semi-IPNs were systematically investigated according to their glass transition temperatures (Tg), thermo-oxidative stability, and dielectric and mechanical properties. The results revealed that these semi-IPNs possessed improved mechanical and dielectric properties compared with pure polycyanurate. Notably, the impact strength of semi-IPNs was 47%-320% greater than that of polycyanurate. Meanwhile, semi-IPNs maintained comparable or even slightly higher thermal resistance in comparison with polycyanurate. The favorable processability and material properties make TPI/BADCy blends promising matrix resins for high-performance composites and adhesives.