Sulfhydryl functionalized two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXene for efficient removal of Hg2+ in water samples.

This study describes an adsorption method for the removal of Hg2+ from aquatic environments using sulfhydryl-functionalized Ti3C2Tx (SH-Ti3C2Tx). SH-Ti3C2Tx materials were synthesized through covalent interactions between dithiothreitol and two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx. The insertion of -SH groups increased the interlayer spacing of Ti3C2Tx, resulting in a 3-fold increase in the specific surface area of SH-Ti3C2Tx compared with the original Ti3C2Tx. The maximum Hg2+ adsorption capacity of SH-Ti3C2Tx was 3042 mg/g, which was 2.3-fold greater than that of Ti3C2Tx. After Hg2+ adsorption, SH-Ti3C2Tx was regenerated for repeated used by rinsing with HCl-thiourea. Next, SH-Ti3C2Tx was loaded onto a melamine sponge to construct SH-Ti3C2Tx adsorption columns suitable for continuous flow Hg2+ removal with extremely low flow resistance. Hg2+ removal rates exceeded 95 % when treating both high and low-concentration solutions (20 mg/L Hg2+ and 10 µg/L Hg2+). This study demonstrates the excellent adsorption-regeneration performance of SH-Ti3C2Tx, which has broad application prospects for the in-situ treatment of water contaminated with Hg2+.

The epidemiology of odontoid fractures: a study from the Swedish fracture register.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to characterize the occurrence of odontoid fractures within a Swedish population. METHODS: Prospective data of adults diagnosed with an odontoid fracture between 2015 and 2021 were retrieved from the Swedish Fracture Register (SFR). Epidemiologic data including age, sex, injury mechanism, injury type, fracture type (Anderson and D'Alonzo classification), neurological status and treatment type were requested from the SFR. Data pertinent to osteoporosis was retrieved from the Swedish National Patient Register. RESULTS: A total of 1,154 odontoid fractures were identified, of which 30 were type I fractures, 583 type II fractures, and 541 type III fractures. The mean (Standard Deviation [SD]) age was 77.2 (13.8) years. The prevalence of osteoporosis and neurological deficits did not differ between the fracture types. The majority of patients were treated non-surgically (81%). Male sex and patient age 18-30 years were commonly associated with a high-injury mechanism, especially motor vehicle accidents. In the type II fracture group, significantly more patients had fallen from standing height or less than in the type III group (66% vs. 58%, p = 0.01) while in contrast, motor vehicle accidents were more common in the type III fracture group (12% vs. type II: 8%, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Based on the SFR, the typical odontoid fracture patient is older and suffers a type II fracture. Most injuries were caused by low-energy trauma although in younger patients and males, they were associated with motor vehicle accidents. Across the patient population, odontoid fractures were usually treated non-surgically.

Ultralight Hierarchical Fe3O4/MoS2/rGO/Ti3C2Tx MXene Composite Aerogels for High-Efficiency Electromagnetic Wave Absorption.

Aerogel-based composites, renowned for their three-dimensional (3D) network architecture, are gaining increasing attention as lightweight electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbers. However, attaining high reflection loss, broad effective absorption bandwidth (EAB), and ultrathin thickness concurrently presents a formidable challenge, owing to the stringent demands for precise structural regulation and incorporation of magnetic/dielectric multicomponents with synergistic loss mechanisms within the 3D networks. In this study, we successfully synthesized a 3D hierarchical porous Fe3O4/MoS2/rGO/Ti3C2Tx MXene (FMGM) composite aerogel via directional freezing and subsequent heat treatment processes. Owing to their ingenious structure and multicomponent design, the FMGM aerogels, featured with abundant heterogeneous interface structure and magnetic/dielectric synergism, show exceptional impedance matching characteristics and diverse EM wave absorption mechanisms. After optimization, the prepared ultralight (6.4 mg cm-3) FMGM-2 aerogel exhibits outstanding EM wave absorption performance, achieving a minimal reflection loss of -66.92 dB at a thickness of 3.61 mm and an EAB of 6.08 GHz corresponding to the thickness of 2.3 mm, outperforming most of the previously reported aerogel-based absorbing materials. This research presents an effective strategy for fabricating lightweight, ultrathin, highly efficient, and broad band EM wave absorption materials.

Deciphering the benefits and intensity levels of primary metabolites from Allium macrostemon Bunge and Allium chinense G. Don.

BACKGROUND: Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus is also named Xiebai in China. It is an edible vegetable, and also a famous herb for treating coronary heart disease. Allium chinense G. Don (ACGD) and Allium macrostemon Bunge (AMB) are it botanical sources. The aim of this study was to explore the cardioprotective effects, and decipher the visual spatial distribution and absolute content of primary metabolites derived from these two herbs. METHODS: H9c2 cells were used to perform the hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R)-induced myocardial injury model. Their protective effects were evaluated by apoptosis levels. Furthermore, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry imaging approach (MALDI-TOF MSI) was carried out to present the spatial location of primary metabolites including fatty acids, amino acids, carotenoids, and vitamins in these two Allium herbs. Multiple analytical methods were applied to perform quantitative analysis of these primary metabolites in AMB and ACGD bulbs by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). RESULTS: First, AMB and ACGD extracts both could increase the cell viability in H9c2 cells, and attenuate H/R-induced injury. They markedly decreased apoptosis, accompanied by activating the BCL-2/BAX pathway. Further, MALDI-TOF MSI-based relative quantification results showed several amino acids, fatty acids, carotenoids, and vitamins were largely rich in the tunics and outside scales of fresh bulbs, while some primary metabolites were abundant in their developing flower buds. Absolute quantification results displayed total contents of amino acids in ACGD bulbs were higher than those in AMB, while total contents of fatty acids and vitamins provides opposite trends in these two Allium herbs. The total contents of carotenoids and trace elements showed no significant differences between AMB and ACGD samples. CONCLUSIONS: This study would be helpful to understand the myocardial injury protection effects of these two Allium herbs, and the spatial accumulation and quantitative content levels of their main nutrients.

Facile Fabrication of Titanium Carbide (Ti3C2)-Bismuth Vanadate (BiVO4) Nano-Coupled Oxides for Anti-cancer Activity.

Background MXene is a newly discovered substance consisting of 2D transition metal carbides or nitrides, produced through the disintegration and etching of aluminum layers. It possesses numerous properties, including a high surface area, conductivity, strength, stiffness, negative zeta potential, and excellent volumetric capacitance. MXene is utilized in detecting anti-cancer medicine, while bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is synthesized to form an optimized material for anti-cancer activity applications. BiVO4 exhibits visible light absorption, strong chemical stability, and non-toxic properties. However, when loaded onto target stem cells, it can cause skin and respiratory irritation. Aim This study aimed to evaluate the facile fabrication of titanium carbide (Ti3C2)-BiVO4 nanomaterials coupled with oxides for anti-cancer activity. Moreover, it aimed to create Ti3C2-BiVO4 nanomaterials in combination with oxides using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess their potential as efficient and targeted anti-cancer agents. Methods and materials To prepare the 2D Ti3C2 MXene, 2.5 g of titanium aluminum carbide (Ti3AlC2) powder was dissolved in 60 mL of a 40% hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution in a polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) container. The etching process was made more efficient and completed in 24 hours by using a magnetic stirring system to keep the mixture stirred and heated continuously. The centrifugation was performed at 4000 rpm for five minutes. Subsequently, deionized water was used to wash the solution many times until its pH reached around 7. The appropriate Ti3C2 powder was made by vacuum drying the acquired sediment at 80°C for 24 hours. Monoclinic BiVO4 samples were synthesized via a hydrothermal method. Typically, 10 mmol of Bi(NO3)3.5H2O was dissolved in 100 mL of a 2 mol/L HNO3 solution and stirred uniformly. Subsequently, 10 mmol of ammonium metavanadate (NH4VO3) was added to the mixed solution. After being stirred for one hour, the mixture was transferred into a 100 mL sealed Teflon-lined stainless steel autoclave at 180°C for 16 hours. After cooling to room temperature, the sediment was washed three times with deionized water, ethanol, and acetone, respectively. Finally, the suspension was dried at 80°C, followed by calcination at 450°C for three hours to obtain BiVO4. Ti3C2-BiVO4 heterostructures were prepared by surface modification Ti3C2 using BiVO4 suspensions by a simple, cost-effective approach. Results Ti3C2 nanosheets were observed with BiVO4 particles, and the high crystalline nature of the compound was confirmed after XRD analysis and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The compound was found to be pure without any impurities and exhibited anti-cancer activity. Conclusion The XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), and EDS investigations provide an in-depth analysis of the structural, morphological, and compositional characteristics of Ti3C2-BiVO4 sheets. The XRD analysis proves the successful combination of different materials and the presence of crystalline phases. The FESEM imaging technique exposes the shape and arrangement of particles in sheets, while the EDS analysis verifies the elemental composition and uniform distribution. These investigations show that Ti3C2-BiVO4 composites have been successfully synthesized, indicating their potential for use in anti-cancer applications.

Microwave-Assisted Efficient Intercalation for Fast Fabrication of High-Quality and Large-Size Single-Layer Ti3C2Tx Nanosheets.

A novel microwave-assisted intercalation (MAI) strategy is proposed for fast and efficient intercalation of layered MXene to prepare large-size single-layer MXene. After LiF-HCl etching of Ti3AlC2, the as-prepared multi-layer Ti3C2Tx (M-T) are intercalated with Li3AlF6 as an intercalator and ethylene glycol (EG) as a solvent under microwave irradiation for 5 min. Furthermore, the dispersed high-quality large-sized single-layer Ti3C2Tx (S-T) nanosheets with a thickness of 1.66 nm and a large lateral size over 20 µm are achieved with a yield of over 60% after a further ultrasonic delamination followed by electrostatic precipitation, acid washing, and calcination. In addition, Pd/S-T composite catalyst, which is constructed with Pd nanoparticles supported on the as-prepared S-T nanosheets, exhibits an excellent performance for rapid and efficient selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes with H2 under a mild condition. At room temperature, full conversion of nitrobenzene and 100% aniline selectivity are achieved over Pd/S-T catalyst in 20 min with 0.5 MPa of H2 pressure. This work provides a novel method for facile, fast, and large-scale preparation of single-layer MXene and develops a new approach for constructing efficient nanocatalytic systems.

Identification of NR3C2 as a functional diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including the lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) subtypes, is a malignant tumor type with a poor 5-year survival rate. The identification of new powerful diagnostic biomarkers, prognostic biomarkers, and potential therapeutic targets in NSCLC is urgently required. Methods: The UCSC Xena, UALCAN, and GEO databases were used to screen and analyze differentially expressed genes, regulatory modes, and genetic/epigenetic alterations in NSCLC. The UCSC Xena database, GEO database, tissue microarray, and immunohistochemistry staining analyses were used to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic values. Gain-of-function assays were performed to examine the roles. The ESTIMATE, TIMER, Linked Omics, STRING, and DAVID algorithms were used to analyze potential molecular mechanisms. Results: NR3C2 was identified as a potentially important molecule in NSCLC. NR3C2 is expressed at low levels in NSCLC, LUAD, and LUSC tissues, which is significantly related to the clinical indexes of these patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggests that the altered NR3C2 expression patterns have diagnostic value in NSCLC, LUAD, and especially LUSC patients. Decreased NR3C2 expression levels can help predict poor prognosis in NSCLC and LUAD patients but not in LUSC patients. These results have been confirmed both with database analysis and real-world clinical samples on a tissue microarray. Copy number variation contributes to low NR3C2 expression levels in NSCLC and LUAD, while promoter DNA methylation is involved in its downregulation in LUSC. Two NR3C2 promoter methylation sites have high sensitivity and specificity for LUSC diagnosis with clinical application potential. NR3C2 may be a key participant in NSCLC development and progression and is closely associated with the tumor microenvironment and immune cell infiltration. NR3C2 co-expressed genes are involved in many cancer-related signaling pathways, further supporting a potentially significant role of NR3C2 in NSCLC. Conclusions: NR3C2 is a novel potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in NSCLC.

[Sanshentongmai Mixture Improves Oxidative Damage in Rat Cardiomyocytes H9C2 via Upregulation of microRNA-146a]. / 三参通脉合剂通过上调microRNA-146aæ”¹å–„å¤§é¼ å¿ƒè‚Œç»†èƒžH9C2的氧化损伤.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Sanshentongmai (SSTM) mixture on the regulation of oxidative damage to rat cardiomyocytes (H9C2) through microRNA-146a and its mechanism. Methods: H9C2 were cultured in vitro, H2O2 was used as an oxidant to create an oxidative damage model in H9C2 cells. SSTM intervention was administered to the H9C2 cells. Then, the changes in H2O2-induced oxidative damage in H9C2 cells and the expression of microRNA-146a were observed to explore the protective effect of SSTM on H9C2 and its mechanism. H9C2 cells cultured i n vitro were divided into 3 groups, including a control group, a model group of H2O2-induced oxidative damage (referred to hereafter as the model group), and a group given H2O2 modeling plus SSTM intervention at 500 µg/L for 72 h (referred to hereafter as the treatment group). The cell viability was measured by CCK8 assay. In addition, the levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (Nt-proBNP), nitric oxide (NO), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP), and angiotensin were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression level of microRNA-146a was determined by real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Result: H9C2 cells were pretreated with SSTM at mass concentrations ranging from 200 to 1500 µg/L. Then, CCK8 assay was performed to measure cell viability and the findings showed that the improvement in cell proliferation reached its peak when the mass concentration of SSTM was 500 µg/L, which was subsequently used as the intervention concentration. ELISA was performed to measure the indicators related to heart failure, including Nt-proBNP, NO, Hs-CRP, and angiotensin Ⅱ. Compared with those of the control group, the expressions of Nt-proBNP and angiotensin Ⅱ in the treatment group were up-regulated (P<0.05), while the expression of NO was down-regulated (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of Hs-CRP between the treatment group and the control group. These findings indicate that SSTM could effectively ameliorate oxidative damage in H9C2 rat cardiomyocytes. Finally, according to the RT-PCR findings for the expression of microRNA-146a in each group, H2O2 treatment at 15 µmol/L could significantly reduce the expression of microRNA-146a, and the expression of microRNA-146a in the treatment group was nearly doubled compared with that in the model group. There was no significant difference between the treatment group and the control group. Conclusion: SSTM can significantly resist the H2O2-induced oxidative damage of H9C2 cells and may play a myocardial protective role by upregulating microRNA-146a.

Electrochemical CO2 Reduction to Multicarbon Products on Non-Copper Based Catalysts.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) to value-added multicarbon (C2+) products offers a promising approach for achieving carbon neutrality and storing intermittent renewable energy. Copper (Cu)-based electrocatalysts generally play the predominant role in this process. Yet recently, more and more non-Cu materials have demonstrated the capability to convert CO2 into C2+, which provides impressive production efficiency even exceeding those on Cu, and a wider variety of C2+ compounds not achievable with Cu counterparts. This motivates us to organize the present review to make a timely and tutorial summary of recent progresses on developing non-Cu based catalysts for CO2-to-C2+. We begin by elucidating the reaction pathways for C2+ formation, with an emphasis on the unique C-C coupling mechanisms in non-Cu electrocatalysts. Subsequently, we summarize the typical C2+-involved non-Cu catalysts, including ds-, d- and p-block metals, as well as metal-free materials, presenting the state-of-the-art design strategies to enhance C2+ efficiency. The system upgrading to promote C2+ productivity on non-Cu electrodes covering microbial electrosynthesis, electrolyte engineering, regulation of operational conditions, and synergistic co-electrolysis, is highlighted as well. Our review concludes with an exploration of the challenges and future opportunities in this rapidly evolving field.

Compressive strain in Cu catalysts: Enhancing generation of C2+ products in electrochemical CO2 reduction.

Elastic strain in Cu catalysts enhances their selectivity for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR), particularly toward the formation of multicarbon (C2+) products. However, the reasons for this selectivity and the effect of catalyst precursors have not yet been clarified. Hence, we employed a redox strategy to induce strain on the surface of Cu nanocrystals. Oxidative transformation was employed to convert Cu nanocrystals to CuxO nanocrystals; these were subsequently electrochemically reduced to form Cu catalysts, while maintaining their compressive strain. Using a flow cell configuration, a current density of 1 A/cm2 and Faradaic efficiency exceeding 80% were realized for the C2+ products. The selectivity ratio of C2+/C1 was also remarkable at 9.9, surpassing that observed for the Cu catalyst under tensile strain by approximately 7.6 times. In-situ Raman and infrared spectroscopy revealed a decrease in the coverage of K+ ion-hydrated water (K·H2O) on the compressively strained Cu catalysts, consistent with molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations. Finite element method simulations confirmed that reducing the coverage of coordinated K·H2O water increased the probability of intermediate reactants interacting with the surface, thereby promoting efficient C-C coupling and enhancing the yield of C2+ products. These findings provide valuable insights into targeted design strategies for Cu catalysts used in the eCO2RR.

Ankrd1 inhibits the FAK/Rho-GTPase/F-actin pathway by downregulating ITGA6 transcriptional to regulate myoblast functions.

Skeletal muscle constitutes the largest percentage of tissue in the animal body and plays a pivotal role in the development of normal life activities in the organism. However, the regulation mechanism of skeletal muscle growth and development remains largely unclear. This study investigated the effects of Ankrd1 on the proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts. Here, we identified Ankrd1 as a potential regulator of muscle cell development, and found that Ankrd1 knockdown resulted in the proliferation ability decrease but the differentiation level increase of C2C12 cells. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyzes as well as RNA-seq results showed that Ankrd1 knockdown activated focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/F-actin signal pathway with most genes significantly enriched in this pathway upregulated. The integrin subunit Itga6 promoter activity is increased when Ankrd1 knockdown, as demonstrated by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. This study revealed the molecular mechanism by which Ankrd1 knockdown enhanced FAK phosphorylation activity through the alteration of integrin subunit levels, thus activating FAK/Rho-GTPase/F-actin signal pathway, eventually promoting myoblast differentiation. Our data suggested that Ankrd1 might serve as a potential regulator of muscle cell development. Our findings provide new insights into skeletal muscle growth and development and valuable references for further study of human muscle-related diseases.

Actn2 defects accelerates H9c2 hypertrophy via ERK phosphorylation under chronic stress.

BACKGROUND: In humans, ACTN2 mutations are identified as highly relevant to a range of cardiomyopathies such as DCM and HCM, while their association with sudden cardiac death has been observed in forensic cases. Although ACTN2 has been shown to regulate sarcomere Z-disc organization, a causal relationship between ACTN2 dysregulation and cardiomyopathies under chronic stress has not yet been investigated. OBJECTIVE: In this work, we explored the relationship between Actn2 dysregulation and cardiomyopathies under dexamethasone treatment. METHODS: Previous cases of ACTN2 mutations were collected and the conservative analysis was carried out by MEGA 11, the possible impact on the stability and function of ACTN2 affected by these mutations was predicted by Polyphen-2. ACTN2 was suppressed by siRNA in H9c2 cells under dexamethasone treatment to mimic the chronic stress in vitro. Then the cardiac hypertrophic molecular biomarkers were elevated, and the potential pathways were explored by transcriptome analysis. RESULTS: Actn2 suppression impaired calcium uptake and increased hypertrophy in H9c2 cells under dexamethasone treatment. Concomitantly, hypertrophic molecular biomarkers were also elevated in Actn2-suppressed cells. Further transcriptome analysis and Western blotting data suggested that Actn2 suppression led to the excessive activation of the MAPK pathway and ERK cascade. In vitro pharmaceutical intervention with ERK inhibitors could partially reverse the morphological changes and inhibit the excessive cardiac hypertrophic molecular biomarkers in H9c2 cells. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed a functional role of ACTN2 under chronic stress, loss of ACTN2 function accelerated H9c2 hypertrophy through ERK signaling. A commercial drug, Ibudilast, was identified to reverse cell hypertrophy in vitro.

In-hospital outcomes following surgery versus conservative therapy in elderly patients with C2 fractures: a propensity score-matched analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Second cervical vertebrae (C2) fractures are a common traumatic spinal injury in the elderly population. Surgical fusion and nonoperative bracing are two primary treatments for cervical instability, but the former is often withheld in the elderly due to concerns for poor postoperative outcomes arising from patient frailty. This study sought to evaluate the in-hospital differences in mortality, outcomes, and discharge disposition in elderly patients with C2 fractures undergoing surgical intervention compared with conservative therapy. METHODS: The National Trauma Data Bank was queried from 2017 to 2019 for all patients aged ≥ 65 years with C2 fractures undergoing either surgical stabilization or conservative therapy. Propensity score matching was performed using k-nearest neighbors with replacement based on patient demographics, comorbidities, insurance type, injury severity, and fracture type. Group differences were compared using Student t-tests and Pearson's chi-square tests with Benjamini-Hochberg multiple comparisons correction. Subgroup analyses were performed in the 65-74, 75-79, and 80+ year age subgroups. RESULTS: Six thousand forty-nine patients were identified, of whom 2156 underwent surgery and 3893 received conservative treatment. Following matching, the surgery group had significantly lower mortality rates (5.52% vs 9.6%, p < 0.001), a longer mean hospital length of stay (LOS; 12.64 vs 7.49 days p < 0.001), and slightly higher rates of several complications (< 3% difference), as well as lower rates of discharge home (14.56% vs 23.52%, p < 0.001) and to hospice (1.07% vs 2.09%, p = 0.02) and a higher rate of discharge to intermediate care (68.83% vs 48.28%, p < 0.001). Similar trends in mortality and LOS were noted in all 3 subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: In elderly patients with C2 fractures, surgical stabilization confers a small survival advantage with a slightly higher in-hospital complication rate compared to conservative therapy. The increased rate of discharge to rehabilitation may represent better long-term prognosis following surgery. The increased risk of short-term complications is present but relatively small, thus surgery should not be withheld in patients with good long-term prognosis.

Unconventional Electrocatalytic CO Conversion to C2 Products on Single-Atomic Pd-Agn Sites.

The electrochemical reduction of CO or CO2 into C2+ products has mostly been focused on Cu-based catalysts. Although Ag has also been predicted as a possible catalyst for the CO-to-C2+ conversion from the thermodynamic point of view, however, due to its weak CO binding strength, CO rapidly desorbs from the Ag surface rather than participates in deep reduction. In this work, we demonstrate that single-atomic Pd sites doped in Ag lattice can tune the CO adsorption behavior and promote the deep reduction of CO toward C2 products. The monodispersed Pd-Agn sites enable the CO adsorption with both Pd-atop (PdL) and Pd-Ag bridge (PdAgB) configurations, which can increase the CO coverage and reduce the C-C coupling energy barrier. Under room temperature and ambient pressure, the Pd1Ag10 alloy catalyst exhibited a total CO-to-C2 Faradaic efficiency of ~37% at ‒0.83 V, with appreciable current densities and electrochemical stability, thus featuring unconventional non-Cu electrocatalytic CO-to-C2 conversion capability.

A review of the genetic background in complicated WT1-related disorders.

The Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene was first identified in 1990 as a strong candidate for conferring a predisposition to Wilms tumor. The WT1 protein has four zinc finger structures (DNA binding domain) at the C-terminus, which bind to transcriptional regulatory sequences on DNA, and acts as a transcription factor. WT1 is expressed during kidney development and regulates differentiation, and is also expressed in glomerular epithelial cells after birth to maintain the structure of podocytes. WT1-related disorders are a group of conditions associated with an aberrant or absent copy of the WT1 gene. This group of conditions encompasses a wide phenotypic spectrum that includes Denys-Drash syndrome (DDS), Frasier syndrome (FS), Wilms-aniridia-genitourinary-mental retardation syndrome, and isolated manifestations of nephropathy or Wilms tumor. The genotype-phenotype correlation is becoming clearer: patients with missense variants in DNA binding sites including C2H2 sites manifest DDS and develop early-onset and rapidly developing end-stage kidney disease. A deeper understanding of the genotype-phenotype correlation has also been obtained in DDS, but no such correlation has been observed in FS. The incidence of Wilms tumor is higher in patients with DDS and exon-truncating variants than in those with non-truncating variants. Here, we briefly describe the genetic background of this highly complicated WT1-related disorders.

Target Detection of Diamond Nanostructures Based on Improved YOLOv8 Modeling.

Boron-doped diamond thin films exhibit extensive applications in chemical sensing, in which the performance could be further enhanced by nano-structuring of the surfaces. In order to discover the relationship between diamond nanostructures and properties, this paper is dedicated to deep learning target detection methods. However, great challenges, such as noise, unclear target boundaries, and mutual occlusion between targets, are inevitable during the target detection of nanostructures. To tackle these challenges, DWS-YOLOv8 (DCN + WIoU + SA + YOLOv8n) is introduced to optimize the YOLOv8n model for the detection of diamond nanostructures. A deformable convolutional C2f (DCN_C2f) module is integrated into the backbone network, as is a shuffling attention (SA) mechanism, for adaptively tuning the perceptual field of the network and reducing the effect of noise. Finally, Wise-IoU (WIoU)v3 is utilized as a bounding box regression loss to enhance the model's ability to localize diamond nanostructures. Compared to YOLOv8n, a 9.4% higher detection accuracy is achieved for the present model with reduced computational complexity. Additionally, the enhancement of precision (P), recall (R), mAP@0.5, and mAP@0.5:0.95 is demonstrated, which validates the effectiveness of the present DWS-YOLOv8 method. These methods provide effective support for the subsequent understanding and customization of the properties of surface nanostructures.

Rational Design of Flexible, Self-Supporting, and Binder-Free Prussian White/KetjenBlack/MXene Composite Electrode for Sodium-Ion Batteries with Boosted Electrochemical Performance.

Due to their cost-effectiveness, abundant resources, and suitable working potential, sodium-ion batteries are anticipated to establish themselves as a leading technology in the realm of grid energy storage. However, sodium-ion batteries still encounter challenges, including issues related to low energy density and constrained cycling performance. In this study, a self-supported electrode composed of Prussian white/KetjenBlack/MXene (TK-PW) is proposed. In the TK-PW electrode, the MXene layer is coated with Prussian white nanoparticles and KetjenBlack with high conductivity, which is conducive to rapid Na+ dynamics and effectively alleviates the expansion of the electrode. Notably, the electrode preparation method is uncomplicated and economically efficient, enabling large-scale production. Electrochemical testing demonstrates that the TK-PW electrode retains 74.9% of capacity after 200 cycles, with a discharge capacity of 69.7 mAh·g-1 at 1000 mA·g-1. Furthermore, a full cell is constructed, employing a hard carbon anode and TK-PW cathode to validate the practical application potential of the TK-PW electrode.

Transcriptome Analysis of Myocardial Ischemic-Hypoxic Injury in Rats and Hypoxic H9C2 Cells.

AIMS: This study aimed to address inconsistencies in results between the H9C2 myocardial hypoxia (MH) cell line and myocardial infarction (MI) rat models used in MI research. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and underlying molecular mechanisms using RNA sequencing technology. METHODS: RNA sequencing was used to analyse DEGs in MI rat tissues and H9C2 cells exposed to hypoxia for 24 h. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were used to identify key biological processes and pathways. Weighted correlation network analysis [weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA)] was used to construct gene co-expression networks, and hub genes were compared with published MI datasets [Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)] for target identification. RESULTS: GO analysis revealed enrichment of immune inflammation and mitochondrial respiration processes among 5139 DEGs in MI tissues and 2531 in H9C2 cells. KEGG analysis identified 537 overlapping genes associated with metabolism and oxidative stress pathways. Cross-analyses using the published GSE35088 and GSE47495 datasets identified 40 and 16 overlapping genes, respectively, with nine genes overlapping across all datasets and our models. WGCNA identified a key module in the MI model enriched for mRNA processing and protein binding. GO analysis revealed enrichment of mRNA processing, protein binding and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I assembly in MI and H9C2 MH models. Five relevant hub genes were identified via a cross-analysis between the 92 hub genes that showed a common expression trend in both models. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals both shared and distinct transcriptomic responses in the MI and H9C2 models, highlighting the importance of model selection for studying myocardial ischaemia and hypoxia.

Stretchable Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Array with Sophisticated Sensitivity, Strain-Insensitivity, and Reproducibility.

This study delves into the development of a novel 10 by 10 sensor array featuring 100 pressure sensor pixels, achieving remarkable sensitivity up to 888.79 kPa-1, through the innovative design of sensor structure. The critical challenge of strain sensitivity inherent is addressed in stretchable piezoresistive pressure sensors, a domain that has seen significant interest due to their potential for practical applications. This approach involves synthesizing and electrospinning polybutadiene-urethane (PBU), a reversible cross-linking polymer, subsequently coated with MXene nanosheets to create a conductive fabric. This fabrication technique strategically enhances sensor sensitivity by minimizing initial current values and incorporating semi-cylindrical electrodes with Ag nanowires (AgNWs) selectively coated for optimal conductivity. The application of a pre-strain method to electrode construction ensures strain immunity, preserving the sensor's electrical properties under expansion. The sensor array demonstrated remarkable sensitivity by consistently detecting even subtle airflow from an air gun in a wind sensing test, while a novel deep learning methodology significantly enhanced the long-term sensing accuracy of polymer-based stretchable mechanical sensors, marking a major advancement in sensor technology. This research presents a significant step forward in enhancing the reliability and performance of stretchable piezoresistive pressure sensors, offering a comprehensive solution to their current limitations.

Harnessing Holey MXene/Graphene Oxide Heterostructure to Maximize Ion Channels in Lamellar Film for High-Performance Capacitive Deionization.

2D Ti3C2Tx MXene-based film electrodes with metallic conductivity and high pseudo-capacitance are of considerable interest in cutting-edge research of capacitive deionization (CDI). Further advancement in practical use is however impeded by their intrinsic limitations, e.g., tortuous ion diffusion pathway of layered stacking, vulnerable chemical stability, and swelling-prone nature of hydrophilic MXene nanosheet in aqueous environment. Herein, a nanoporous 2D/2D heterostructure strategy is established to leverage both merits of holey MXene (HMX) and holey graphene oxide (HGO) nanosheets, which optimize ion transport shortcuts, alleviate common restacking issues, and improve film's mechanical and chemical stability. In this design, the nanosized in-plane holes in both handpicked building blocks build up ion diffusion shortcuts in the composite laminates to accelerate the transport and storage of ions. As a direct outcome, the HMX/rHGO films exhibit remarkable desalination capacity of 57.91 mg g-1 and long-term stability in 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution at 1.2 V. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations and ex situ wide angle X-ray scattering jointly demonstrate that the conductive 2D/2D networks and ultra-short ion diffusion channels play critical roles in the ion intercalation/deintercalation process of HMX/rHGO films. The study paves an alternative design concept of freestanding CDI electrodes with superior ion transport efficiency.