Scalable Customization of Crystallographic Plane Controllable Lithium Metal Anodes for Ultralong-Lasting Lithium Metal Batteries.

A formidable challenge to achieve the practical applications of rechargeable lithium (Li) metal batteries (RLMBs) is to suppress the uncontrollable growth of Li dendrites. One of the most effective solutions is to fabricate Li metal anodes with specific crystal plane, but still lack of a simple and high-efficient approach. Herein, a facile and controllable way for the scalable customization of polished Li metal anodes with highly preferred (110) and (200) crystallographic orientation (donating as polished Li(110) and polished Li(200), respectively) by regulating the times of accumulative roll bonding, is reported. According to the inherent characteristics of polished Li(110)/Li(200), the influence of Li atomic structure on the electrochemical performance of RLMBs is deeply elucidated by combining theoretical calculations with relative experimental proofs. In particular, a polished Li(110) crystal plane is demonstrated to induce Li+ uniform deposition, promoting the formation of flat and dense Li deposits. Impressively, the polished Li(110)||LiFePO4 full cells exhibit unprecedented cycling stability with 10 000 cycles at 10 C almost without capacity degradation, indicating the great potential application prospect of such textured Li metal. More valuably, this work provides an important reference for low-cost, continued, and large-scale production of Li metal anodes with highly preferred crystal orientation through roll-to-roll manufacturability.

The discovery of an anti-Candida xanthone with selective inhibition of Candida albicans GAPDH.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to discover novel antifungals targeting Candida albicans glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (CaGAPDH), have an insight into inhibitory mode, and provide evidence supporting CaGAPDH as a target for new antifungals. METHODS: Virtual screening was utilized to discover inhibitors of CaGAPDH. The inhibitory effect on cellular GAPDH was evaluated by determining the levels of ATP, NAD, NADH, etc., as well as examining GAPDH mRNA and protein expression. The role of GAPDH inhibition in C. albicans was supported by drug affinity responsive target stability and overexpression experiments. The mechanism of CaGAPDH inhibition was elucidated by Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics and site-specific mutagenesis based on docking. Chemical synthesis was used to produce an improved candidate. Different sources of GAPDH were used to evaluate inhibitory selectivity across species. In vitro and in vivo antifungal tests, along with anti-biofilm activity, were carried out to evaluate antifungal potential of GAPDH inhibitors. RESULTS: A natural xanthone was identified as the first competitive inhibitor of CaGAPDH. It demonstrated in vitro anti-C. albicans potential but also caused hemolysis. XP-W, a synthetic side-chain-optimized xanthone, demonstrated a better safety profile, exhibiting a 50-fold selectivity for CaGAPDH over human GAPDH. XP-W also exhibited potent anti-biofilm activity and displayed broad-spectrum anti-Candida activities in vitro and in vivo, including multi-azole-resistant C. albicans. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate for the first time that CaGAPDH is a valuable target for antifungal drug discovery, and XP-W provides a promising lead.

Circ-Luc7l Absence Attenuates Diabetic Nephropathy Progression by Reducing Mesangial Cell Excessive Proliferation, Inflammation, and Extracellular Matrix Accumulation via Mediating the miR-205-5p/Tgfbr1 Pathway.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) threatens the survival quality of patients, with complex pathogenesis. Circular RNA (circRNA) dysregulation occurs in DN development. This work aimed to investigate the role of circ-Luc7l in DN cell models and related molecular mechanisms. The expression of circ-Luc7l, microRNA (miR)-205-5p, and transforming growth factor-beta receptor 1 (Tgfbr1) was examined by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Cell viability and proliferation were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and EdU assay. The expression of extracellular matrix (ECM)-related markers and Tgrbr1 protein was measured by Western blot. The binding between miR-205-5p and circ-Luc7l or Tgfbr1 was validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay, or RNA pull-down assay. Experimental animal models were established to elucidate the function of circ-Luc7l in vivo. Circ-Luc7l expression was notably enhanced in high glucose (HG)-treated mesangial cells. Knockdown of circ-Luc7l attenuated HG-induced cell proliferation, inflammation, and ECM accumulation in vitro and relieved inflammation and ECM accumulation of kidneys of diabetic mice in vivo. Circ-Luc7l targeted miR-205-5p, and miR-205-5p inhibition rescued the depletion effects of circ-Luc7l knockdown on cell proliferation, inflammation, and ECM accumulation. MiR-205-5p bound to Tgfbr1 whose expression was negatively regulated by circ-Luc7l. Tgfbr1 overexpression also rescued the depletion effects of circ-Luc7l knockdown on cell proliferation, inflammation, and ECM accumulation. In HG conditions, increased circ-Luc7l upregulated Tgfbr1 expression via targeting miR-205-5p to induce DN progression.

Hierarchical Ohmic Contact Interface Engineering for Efficient Hydrazine-Assisted Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Hydrazine oxidation reaction coupled with hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an effective strategy to achieve low energy water splitting for hydrogen production. In order to realize the application of hydrazine-assisted HER system, researchers have been focusing on the development of electrocatalysts with integrated dual active sites, while the performance under high current density is still unsatisfying. In this work, hierarchical Ohmic contact interface engineering is designed and used as a bridge between the NiMo and Ni2 P heterojunction toward industrial current density applications, with the charge transfer impedance greatly eliminated via such a pathway with low energy barrier. As a proof-of-concept, the importance of charge redistribution and energy barrier at the Ohmic contact interface is investigated by significantly reducing the voltage of overall hydrazine splitting (OHzS) at high current density. Intriguingly, the NiMo/Ni2 P hierarchical Ohmic contact heterojunction can drive current densities of 100 and 500 mA cm-2 with only 181 and 343 mV cell voltage in the OHzS electrolyzer with high electrocatalytic stability. The proposed hierarchical Ohmic contact interface engineering paves new avenue for hydrogen production with low energy consumption.

Anion-Immobilized Gel Polymer Electrolyte with a High Ion Transference Number for High-Performance Lithium/Sodium Metal Batteries.

Due to their high energy density, lithium/sodium metal batteries (LMBs/SMBs) are expected to be the next generation of energy storage systems. However, the further application of alkali metal batteries based on liquid electrolytes is limited due to increasing safety concerns. Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs), which combine the advantages of the high ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes and excellent mechanical properties of solid polymer electrolytes, are considered to play an irreplaceable role in the realization of high-performance alkali metal batteries. In this work, a flexible boron-containing GPE (B-GPE) with a cross-linked polymer network structure is prepared by a UV-induced process. The as-prepared B-GPE exhibits good ionic conductivity and has an extremely high ion transference number due to the electron-withdrawing effect of the boron moiety and the facile electrolyte uptake ability of the ethylene oxide chain. Furthermore, a "gentle" electrode/electrolyte contact is designed by a one-step in situ polymerization method, which can enhance ion transport within the electrode and at the electrode/electrolyte interface due to the presence of a continuous polymer phase for ion conduction. Therefore, LMBs and SMBs containing B-GPE are able to effectively inhibit the growth of dendrites while exhibiting excellent cycling stability. These comprehensive results indicate that this novel B-GPE possesses potential applications for high-performance alkali metal batteries.

Designing a Stable Solid Electrolyte Interphase on Lithium Metal Anodes by Tailoring a Mg Atom Center and the Inner Helmholtz Plane for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Arising from the extraordinary theoretical energy density, rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been reputed as one of the most appealing options for next-generation high-performance energy storage and conversion devices. Unfortunately, their industrial implementation has been strongly governed by the formation of Li dendrites caused by the unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film. Herein, we report a novel electrolyte by introducing the Mg(NO3)2 additive to suppress the growth of Li dendrites, further improving the cycling lifetime of Li-S batteries. On the one hand, Mg2+ can rapidly react with Li atoms to generate Mg atoms, replacing the Li atoms on the top surface of Li metal and forming the Mg center simultaneously. On the other hand, NO3- can be adsorbed in the inner Helmholtz plane and reduced as an inorganic-rich SEI film for stabilizing the Li metal anode when the electrolyte comes in contact with Li metal, effectively mitigating the formation of Li dendrites. Combining the experimental results and theoretical calculations, we confirm that the Mg atom center and the inorganic-rich SEI film are both beneficial for enhancing the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries. This work provides a new insight into the electrolyte additive and a possible alternative for the design of high-performance Li-S batteries beyond the LiNO3 additive.

Corrigendum: CircAFF1 aggravates vascular endothelial cell dysfunction mediated by miR-516b/SAV1/YAP1 axis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00899.].

Disrupting circ-GNB4 mitigates high glucose-induced human mesangial cells injury by regulating the proliferation, ECM accumulation, inflammation and oxidative stress through circ-GNB4/miR-23c/EGR1 pathway [RETRACTED].

ABSTRACT: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus. Although G protein subunit beta 4 (GNB4)-derived circular RNA (circ-GNB4; hsa_circ_0068087) is a promising candidate biomarker in diabetes mellitus, whether circ-GNB4 participates in DN occurrence and development remains unknown. Herein, we focused on DN-associated human renal mesangial cells (HRMCs) injury, and HRMCs were exposed in high glucose (HG) condition. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, we found that circ-GNB4 and early growth response factor 1 (EGR1) were upregulated, whereas microRNA (miR)-23c was downregulated in DN patients' sera and HG-stimulated HRMCs. HG-induced injuries were measured by MTS method, western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and other special assay kits. Consequently, HG could inhibit superoxide dismutase activity, but induce cell proliferation and levels of malondialdehyde, Fibronectin, Collagen I, Collagen IV, interleukin-6, interleukin-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α. However, HG-induced these injuries were overall suppressed by silencing circ-GNB4 or overexpressing miR-23c. Moreover, miR-23c knockdown could counteract the effect of circ-GNB4 deficiency, and EGR1 restoration abrogated miR-23c overexpression role in HG-stimulated HRMCs. Notably, circ-GNB4 could target miR-23c and EGR1 was targeted by miR-23c, as confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation. Moreover, EGR1 expression was positively modulated by circ-GNB4 via miR-23c. Collectively, circ-GNB4 might be a novel mechanism of DN-induced HRMCs injury, and there was a circ-GNB4/miR-23c/EGR1 pathway underlying the proliferation, extracellular matrix accumulation, inflammation and oxidative stress. This study suggested circ-GNB4 as a potential target to interfere the development of DN.

Exhausting T Cells During HIV Infection May Improve the Prognosis of Patients with COVID-19.

T-cell reduction is an important characteristic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and its immunopathology is a subject of debate. It may be due to the direct effect of the virus on T-cell exhaustion or indirectly due to T cells redistributing to the lungs. HIV/AIDS naturally served as a T-cell exhaustion disease model for recognizing how the immune system works in the course of COVID-19. In this study, we collected the clinical charts, T-lymphocyte analysis, and chest CT of HIV patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection who were admitted to Jin Yin-tan Hospital (Wuhan, China). The median age of the 21 patients was 47 years [interquartile range (IQR) = 40-50 years] and the median CD4 T-cell count was 183 cells/µl (IQR = 96-289 cells/µl). Eleven HIV patients were in the non-AIDS stage and 10 were in the AIDS stage. Nine patients received antiretroviral treatment (ART) and 12 patients did not receive any treatment. Compared to the reported mortality rate (nearly 4%-10%) and severity rate (up to 20%-40%) among COVID-19 patients in hospital, a benign duration with 0% severity and mortality rates was shown by 21 HIV/AIDS patients. The severity rates of COVID-19 were comparable between non-AIDS (median CD4 = 287 cells/µl) and AIDS (median CD4 = 97 cells/µl) patients, despite some of the AIDS patients having baseline lung injury stimulated by HIV: 7 patients (33%) were mild (five in the non-AIDS group and two in the AIDS group) and 14 patients (67%) were moderate (six in the non-AIDS group and eight in the AIDS group). More importantly, we found that a reduction in T-cell number positively correlates with the serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), which is contrary to the reported findings on the immune response of COVID-19 patients (lower CD4 T-cell counts with higher levels of IL-6 and CRP). In HIV/AIDS, a compromised immune system with lower CD4 T-cell counts might waive the clinical symptoms and inflammatory responses, which suggests lymphocyte redistribution as an immunopathology leading to lymphopenia in COVID-19.

Long non-coding RNA CDKN2B-AS1 regulates high glucose-induced human mesangial cell injury via regulating the miR-15b-5p/WNT2B axis.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B antisense RNA 1 (CDKN2B-AS1) has been reported to be related to diabetic nephropathy (DN) progression. However, the regulatory mechanisms of CDKN2B-AS1 in DN are unclear. METHODS: High glucose (HG) was used to induce human mesangial cells (HMCs) for establishing the DN model. Expression levels of CDKN2B-AS1, microRNA (miR)-15b-5p, wingless-Type family member 2B (WNT2B) mRNA in serum and HMCs were detected through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The viability and cell cycle progression of HMCs were determined with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) or flow cytometry assays. The levels of several proteins and inflammatory factors in HMCs were analyzed by western blotting or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The relationship between CDKN2B-AS1 or WNT2B and miR-15b-5p was verified with dual-luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: CDKN2B-AS1 and WNT2B were upregulated while miR-15b-5p was downregulated in serum of DN patients and HG-treated HMCs. CDKN2B-AS1 inhibition reduced HG-induced viability, cell cycle progression, ECM accumulation, and inflammation response in HMCs. CDKN2B-AS1 regulated WNT2B expression via competitively binding to miR-15b-5p. MiR-15b-5p inhibitor reversed CDKN2B-AS1 knockdown-mediated influence on viability, cell cycle progression, ECM accumulation, and inflammation response of HG-treated HMCs. The repressive effect of miR-15b-5p mimic on viability, cell cycle progression, ECM accumulation, and inflammation response of HG-treated HMCs was abolished by WNT2B overexpression. CONCLUSION: CDKN2B-AS1 regulated HG-induced HMC viability, cell cycle progression, ECM accumulation, and inflammation response via regulating the miR-15b-5p/WNT2B axis, provided a new mechanism for understanding the development of DN.

Trace analysis of 28 antibiotics in plant tissues (root, stem, leaf and seed) by optimized QuEChERS pretreatment with UHPLC-MS/MS detection.

Phytoremediation has proven to be an effective in-situ treatment technique for antibiotic contamination. Due to the immature methods of extracting multi-antibiotics in different plant tissues, the antibiotic absorption and transportation mechanism in the phytoremediation process has yet to be resolved. Therefore, an improved Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) pretreatment with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) detection method for 28 antibiotics in different plant tissues (root, stem, leaf and seed) was developed in this study. The optimized method showed satisfactory performance with recoveries for most antibiotics ranging from 70% to 130% (except sulfadoxine with 138 ± 8.84% in root, sulfameter with 68.9 ± 1.87% and sulfadoxine with 141 ± 10.0% in seed). The limits of detection (LODs) of the target compounds in root, stem, leaf and seed were 0.04 ± 0.02 ~ 2.50 ± 1.14 ng/g, 0.05 ± 0.02 ~ 1.78 ± 0.42 ng/g, 0.06 ± 0.01 ~ 2.50 ± 0.14 ng/g and 0.13 ± 0.10 ~ 3.64 ± 0.74 ng/g, respectively. This developed method was successfully applied to the determination of antibiotics in different tissues of hydroponic wetland plants exposed to antibiotics-spiked water for one-month. Sixteen of 28 spiked antibiotics were detected in plant tissue samples. Overall, of these 16 antibiotics, all were detected in root samples (from < LOQ to 1478 ± 353 ng/g), eleven in stem samples (from < LOQ to 425 ± 47.0 ng/g), and nine in leaf samples (from < LOQ to 429 ± 84.5 ng/g). This developed analytical method provided a robust tool for the simultaneous screening and determination of antibiotics in different plant tissues.

circAFF1 Aggravates Vascular Endothelial Cell Dysfunction Mediated by miR-516b/SAV1/YAP1 Axis.

Pathological vascular endothelial damage caused by hypoxia is the basis of many vascular-related diseases. However, the role of circular RNA in hypoxic vascular injury is still poorly understood. Here, we found that hypoxia induced AFF1 circular RNA (circAFF1) can activate the SAV1/YAP1 and lead to the dysfunction of vascular endothelial cells. In HUV-EC-C and HBEC-5i cells, circAFF1 was upregulated under CoCl2 induced hypoxic conditions. The abnormal expression of circAFF1 inhibited the proliferation, tube formation, migration of vascular endothelial cells. The effect of circAFF1 is achieved by the adsorption of miR-516b to release SAV1, which in turn causes the phosphorylation of YAP1. Moreover, we found that the upregulation of circAFF1 in 235 Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Taken together, we clarify the role of circAFF1/miR-516b/SAV1/YAP1 axis in vascular endothelial dysfunction and its potential early diagnostic value of disease caused by hypoxia injury in blood vessels.

Resveratrol Plays Protective Roles on Kidney of Uremic Rats via Activating HSP70 Expression.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of resveratrol on kidney of uremic rats and to explore whether the mechanism is associated with heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression. METHODS: Sixty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly separated into 5 groups, including sham group, uremic model group, and different doses of resveratrol group (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, and 20 mg/kg). The serum creatinine (Cr) and urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were detected by Automatic Biochemical Analyzer (ABA). The pathological changes of renal tissues and the renal interstitial fibrosis were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Masson, respectively. The expression of HSP70 protein in renal tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of HSP70 and NF-κB pathway-related proteins were detected by Western blot. To further validate the protective role of resveratrol through activating HSP70 in uremic rats, HSP70 activator (17-AAG) and HSP70 inhibitor group (MKT-077) were used. RESULTS: In the model group, the levels of Cr and BUN in serum were significantly increased, and the renal interstitial collagen deposition was also obviously increased (p < 0.05). Compared with the model group, the levels of Cr and BUN in different doses of resveratrol groups were remarkably declined, and the renal interstitial collagen deposition was declined (p < 0.05). Resveratrol also significantly improved the renal tissue lesions when compared with the model group. In renal tissues, different doses of resveratrol treatment remarkably raised HSP70 and p-IκBα expression and also remarkably declined the level of p-P65 protein (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the effect of 17-AAG was similar to 20 mg/kg resveratrol on NF-κB pathway-related proteins expression. After the added MKT-077 in the resveratrol treatment group, the levels of HSP70 and p-IκBα in the renal tissue were remarkably declined; however, the levels of p-P65 protein was remarkably raised (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Resveratrol played a protective role on the kidney of uremic rats through activating HSP70 expression.

Resveratrol Reduces Kidney Injury in a Rat Model of Uremia and is Associated with Increased Expression of Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp70).

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the effects of resveratrol on kidney function in a rat model of uremia and the expression of heat shock proteins. MATERIAL AND METHODS The rat model of uremia was developed by 5/6 nephrectomy of Sprague-Dawley rats. The Hsp70 inhibitor MKT-077, a rhodacyanine dye, was used. The study groups included rats with sham surgery (the sham group), the rat model of uremia (the model group), the solvent-treated control group (the control group), the rat model treated with resveratrol group (the resveratrol group), the rat model treated with MKT-077 (the MKT-077 group), and the resveratrol+MKT-077 group. Kidney tissues were studied histologically. Renal cell apoptosis was detected by the TUNEL method. Expression of p53, Bax, and Bcl-2 mRNA and protein were detected by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry, respectively. RESULTS Compared with the sham group, the expression levels of heat shock proteins Hsp70, Hsp90, Hsp27, Hsp25, Hsp40, and Hsp60 in the kidney of the rat model group increased to different degrees. Compared with the model group, the Hsp70 levels in the resveratrol group were significantly increased (p<0.05). Compared with the model group, treatment with MKT-077 reduced the survival rate of rats, which was increased following resveratrol treatment. Compared with the resveratrol group, renal function in the resveratrol+MKT-077 group was significantly reduced (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS In a rat model of uremia, resveratrol reduced renal injury and improved both renal function and survival, which were associated with increased expression of Hsp70.

Stretched graded-index multimode optical fiber as a saturable absorber for erbium-doped fiber laser mode locking.

A novel mode-locking method based on the nonlinear multimode interference in the stretched graded-index multimode optical fiber (GIMF) is proposed in this Letter. The simple device geometry, where the light is coupled in and out of the stretched GIMF via single-mode fibers, is demonstrated to exhibit the temporal intensity discrimination required for mode locking. The nonlinear saturable absorber (SA) characteristics of the device are controllable by simply adjusting the strength of the stretching applied. The modulation depth of the device, which consists of ∼23.5 cm GIMF, is tuned from 10.37% to 22.27%. Such a simple SA enables the wavelength-switchable mode-locking operation in a ring Er-doped fiber laser, and ultrafast pulses with a pulse width of 506 fs at 1572.5 nm and 416 fs at 1591.4 nm were generated. The versatility and simplicity of the SA device, together with the possibility of scaling the pulse energy, make it highly attractive in ultrafast photonics.

Saturable absorber based on a single mode fiber - graded index fiber - single mode fiber structure with inner micro-cavity.

An Er-doped mode-locked fiber laser with a saturable absorber based on single mode - graded index multimode - single mode fiber (SMF-GIMF-SMF) with inner micro-cavity is demonstrated. The modulation depth of the saturable absorber was measured to be 1.9% when the SMF-GIMF-SMF structure is bent to a certain state. Such a simple saturable absorber enables the mode-locking operation in a ring Er-doped fiber laser and ultrafast pulses with pulse energy of 0.026 nJ and pulse width of 528 fs at the fundamental repetition rate of 14.34 MHz can be generated. In addition, the harmonic mode-locking operation can also be achieved.

Survey of prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women in urban areas of China / 中华妇产科杂志

Objective To investigate the prevalence of iron deficiency(ID)and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnant women in urban areas of China. Methods The study was a national cross-sectional survey conducted from September 19th, 2016 to November 20th, 2016. According to the classification of the National Bureau of Statistics, all survey sites were set up in 6 regions of the country. Pregnant women were continuously selected using multistage stratified sampling. A total of 12 403 pregnant women were collected and examined for serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels. Results The median serum ferritin level during pregnancy was 20.60 μg/L(11.78-36.98 μg/L), the hemoglobin level was(118±12)g/L. With the progress of pregnancy, the levels of serum ferritin and hemoglobin decreased gradually. The median serum ferritin levels in the first, second trimester and third trimester were 54.30 μg/L(34.48-94.01 μg/L), 28.60 μg/L(16.40-50.52 μg/L), and 16.70 μg/L(10.20-27.00 μg/L)respectively(P<0.01). The mean hemoglobin levels were(127 ± 10)g/L,(119 ± 11)g/L and(117 ± 11)g/L respectively(P<0.01). The prevalence of ID in urban pregnant women was 48.16%(5 973/12 403), and IDA prevalence was 13.87% (1 720/12 403). The prevalence of IDA in the first, second trimester and third trimester were 1.96% (20/1 019), 8.40%(293/3 487)and 17.82%(1 407/7 897), respectively(P<0.01). The prevalence of standardized ID and IDA were significantly different in various regions of China(P<0.01). The standardized prevalence of ID were relatively higher in East China and Northeast China, 57.37% and 53.41% respectively, while it was the lowest in Southwest China, 30.51%. The standardized prevalence of IDA in South Central, Northwest, and East China were relatively high, 21.30%, 16.97% and 17.53% respectively, and the standardized prevalence of IDA in Southwest China was the lowest, 5.44%,the differents in various regions were significant(all P<0.01). Conclusion The current phenomenon of ID and IDA in pregnant women is still very common,and nutrition and health care during pregnancy should be strengthened.

Rapamycin protect puromycin amino nucleoside induced podocyte injury by up-regulating autophagy / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To explore the protective effect of rapamycin and the role of autophagy on podocyte injury induced by pu-romycin amino nucleoside.Methods:The mice podocytes cell 5(MPC5)were randomly divided into four groups:Control group,PAN group(50 μg/ml PAN);rapamycin group(RAP group,100 ng/ml,200 ng/ml,300 ng/ml rapamycin)and PAN+rapamycin group (PAN+RAP group,treated with rapamycin before PAN).The apoptosis of podocytes were detected by Annexin V/PI.Transmission electronic microscopy was used to observe the formation of autophagosome.The expression of autophagic markers,LC3,p62,and 4EBP1,P70S6K,mTOR were detected by Western blot.Results: The podocyte apoptotic rate was significantly decreased when the podocytes were treated with rapamycin compared with PAN group.Further,more autophagosomes appeared in cytoplasm of podocytes in RAP and PAN+RAP group compared with PAN group.And the expression of LC3Ⅱ was significantly increased in rapamycin treated podocytes,whereas the expression of p62 was decreased markedly.Phosphorylation of mTOR,4EBP1 and P70S6K was decreased rapamycin treated groups.Conclusion: Podocyte autophagy was inhibited by PAN, and the apoptosis of podocytes was promoted.Rapamycin protect puromycin amino nucleoside induced podocyte injury by upregulating autophagy and it may be concerned with mTOR 4EBP1 and P70S6K signaling pathway.

Effect of Vitamin D and Tacrolimus Combination Therapy on IgA Nephropathy.

BACKGROUND To explore the effects and the mechanism of vitamin D (VD) and tacrolimus (TAC) combinatorial therapy in the treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in a rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS IgAN rat models constructed by oral immunization with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (n=30) and were treated with: saline (model group), TAC (TAC group), or TAC+VD therapy (TAC+VD group) through gavage daily for 14 days. Serum creatinine (Scr), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and urinary protein (UAE) levels were determined. Histopathology of renal tissues was examined after hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The levels of cytokines TGF-ß1, IL-5, IFN-γ, and IL-4 in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Changes in TLR4/NF-κB pathway were evaluated by western blot. RESULTS Both TAC and TAC+VD treatment significantly restored the dysregulated Scr, ALB, BUN, and UAE levels in IgAN rats. TAC+VD therapy more prominently restored Scr and UAE levels (p<0.05). TAC+VD therapy demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing glomerular mesangial cells hyperplasia, reducing thickening of the glomerular basement membrane and glomerular infiltration of inflammatory cells. Thymus and spleen indexes were also increased (p<0.05). The levels of TGF-ß1, IL-5, and IL-4 of the TAC+VD group were also lower than those of the TAC group (p<0.05). The TAC+VD group also demonstrated increased IFN-γ, and decreased p-P65/P65 and TLR4 compared to the TAC group. CONCLUSIONS TAC+VD combinatorial therapy can effectively alleviate renal tissue damage in IgAN rats by regulating immune response and the NF-κB/TLR4 pathway.

The change of platelet mitochondrial ATPase-6 gene in patients with benzene induced chronic myeloid leukemia / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of platelet mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate synthase 6( ATPase-6)gene in patients with occupational chronic myeloid leukemia( CML) caused by benzene. METHODS: Five occupational benzene induced CML patients were selected as the case group and 21 healthy workers without benzene exposure were selected as the control group,venous blood were drew from these study subjects. The number of platelet was counted. The level of mitochondrial ATPase-6 gene was examined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The platelet count in case group was lower than that of control group [( 135. 2 ± 32. 6) ×10~9/ L vs( 239. 7 ± 77. 5) ×10~9/ L,P < 0. 05]. The ratio of ATPase-6 gene / platelet was higher than that of control group( median: 3. 43 ×10~(-4)copies vs 1. 87 ×10~(-4)copies,P < 0. 05). The ATPase-6 gene level in case group showed no significant difference when compared with that of control group( median: 4. 83 ×10~7 copies / L vs 3. 24 ×10~7 copies / L,P > 0. 05). CONCLUSION: The benzene induced CML patients shows more sensitive change in ratio of ATPase-6 gene / platelet than in ATPase-6 gene level.