An Autoimmunogenic and Proinflammatory Profile Defined by the Gut Microbiota of Patients With Untreated Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: Changes in gut microbiota have been linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but knowledge is limited. Our study aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of the contribution of gut microbiota to the immunopathogenesis of SLE. METHODS: Fecal metagenomes from 117 patients with untreated SLE and 52 SLE patients posttreatment were aligned with 115 matched healthy controls and analyzed by whole-genome profiling. For comparison, we assessed the fecal metagenome of MRL/lpr mice. The oral microbiota origin of the gut species that existed in SLE patients was documented by single-nucleotide polymorphism-based strain-level analyses. Functional validation assays were performed to demonstrate the molecular mimicry of newly found microbial peptides. RESULTS: Gut microbiota from individuals with SLE displayed significant differences in microbial composition and function compared to healthy controls. Certain species, including the Clostridium species ATCC BAA-442 as well as Atopobium rimae, Shuttleworthia satelles, Actinomyces massiliensis, Bacteroides fragilis, and Clostridium leptum, were enriched in SLE gut microbiota and reduced after treatment. Enhanced lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis aligned with reduced branched chain amino acid biosynthesis was observed in the gut of SLE patients. The findings in mice were consistent with our findings in human subjects. Interestingly, some species with an oral microbiota origin were enriched in the gut of SLE patients. Functional validation assays demonstrated the proinflammatory capacities of some microbial peptides derived from SLE-enriched species. CONCLUSION: This study provides detailed information on the microbiota of untreated patients with SLE, including their functional signatures, similarities with murine counterparts, oral origin, and the definition of autoantigen-mimicking peptides. Our data demonstrate that microbiome-altering approaches may offer valuable adjuvant therapies in SLE.

A Novel Strategy to Fabricate Cation-Cross-linked Graphene Oxide Membrane with High Aqueous Stability and High Separation Performance.

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have shown enormous promise in desalination and molecular/ionic sieving. However, the instability of GO membranes in aqueous solutions seriously hinders their practical applications. Herein, we report a novel and simple strategy to fabricate stable GO membranes in water-based environments through the insertion of various metal cations from metal foils (e.g., copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) foils) and natural deposition. Based on the cation-π, coordination, and electrostatic interaction between metal cations and GO nanosheets, the aqueous stability and mechanical strength of the membranes are significantly improved. The permeation rates for acetone, toluene, and p-xylene molecules across the GO membrane cross-linked by copper ions with a deposition time of 24 h are 0.966, 0.074, and 0.100 mol m-2 h-1, respectively. Moreover, this membrane displays excellent separation performance, and the separation factor of K+/Mg2+ is up to 68.8 in mono-/multivalent metal cation sieving, which indicate the effective molecular/ionic sieving performance. Meanwhile, the ionic sieving of the GO membrane cross-linked by copper ions has excellent repeatability and long-term stability. The versatility of this natural deposition strategy to fabricate GO membranes cross-linked by metal cations is investigated by using Fe foil, Zn foil, and Ni foil as well as other porous substrates such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethersulfone (PES), and nylon membranes and filter paper. This fabrication strategy also enables low-cost preparation of large-area GO membranes. Therefore, GO membranes cross-linked by metal cations and prepared by this simple metal cation incorporation strategy have large potential application for molecular/ionic sieving in various solution systems.

Hydrothermal synthesis, evolution, and electrochemical performance of LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 nanostructures.

LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 (LMFP) materials are synthesized by the hydrothermal approach in an organic-free and surfactant-free aqueous solution. The phase and morphological evolution of the material intermediates at different reaction temperatures and times are characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM, respectively. The results show that during temperature increase, the solubility product (Ksp) of the precursors (Li3PO4, Fe3(PO4)2 and (Mn,Fe)3(PO4)2) is the decisive parameter for the precipitation processes. Once the temperature locates at the range of 100-110 °C, the unstable precursors dissolve quickly and then LMFP nuclei are formed, followed by a dissolution-reprecipitation process. As the reaction progresses, the primary particles self-aggregate to form rod or plate particles to reduce the overall surface energy through oriented attachment (OA) and the Ostwald ripening (OR) mechanism. Moreover, the resultant concentration of the precursor significantly affects the crystal size of LMFP by altering the supersaturation degree of solution at the nucleation stage. The carbon coated LMFP nanostructure synthesized at 0.6 mol L(-1) (resultant concentration of PO4(3-)) delivers discharge capacities of 155, 100 and 81 mA h g(-1) at 0.1, 5 and 20 C rate, respectively. The understanding of nanostructural evolution and its influence on the electrochemical performance will pave a way for a high-performance LMFP cathode.