Myocardial infarction drives trained immunity of monocytes, accelerating atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Survivors of acute coronary syndromes face an elevated risk of recurrent atherosclerosis-related vascular events despite advanced medical treatments. The underlying causes remain unclear. This study aims to investigate whether myocardial infarction (MI)-induced trained immunity in monocytes could sustain proatherogenic traits and expedite atherosclerosis. METHODS: Apolipoprotein-E deficient (ApoE-/-) mice and adoptive bone marrow transfer chimeric mice underwent MI or myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (IR). A subsequent 12-week high-fat diet (HFD) regimen was implemented to elucidate the mechanism behind monocyte trained immunity. In addition, classical monocytes were analysed by flow cytometry in the blood of enrolled patients. RESULTS: In MI and IR mice, blood monocytes and bone marrow-derived macrophages exhibited elevated spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK), lysine methyltransferase 5A (KMT5A), and CCHC-type zinc finger nucleic acid-binding protein (CNBP) expression upon exposure to a HFD or oxidized LDL (oxLDL) stimulation. MI-induced trained immunity was transmissible by transplantation of bone marrow to accelerate atherosclerosis in naive recipients. KMT5A specifically recruited monomethylation of Lys20 of histone H4 (H4K20me) to the gene body of SYK and synergistically transactivated SYK with CNBP. In vivo small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibition of KMT5A or CNBP potentially slowed post-MI atherosclerosis. Sympathetic denervation with 6-hydroxydopamine reduced atherosclerosis and inflammation after MI. Classical monocytes from ST-elevation MI (STEMI) patients with advanced coronary lesions expressed higher SYK and KMT5A gene levels. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the crucial role of monocyte trained immunity in accelerated atherosclerosis after MI, implying that SYK in blood classical monocytes may serve as a predictive factor for the progression of atherosclerosis in STEMI patients.

Branched chain amino acids metabolism in heart failure.

As a terminal stage of various cardiovascular diseases, heart failure is of great concern due to its high mortality rate and limited treatment options. Researchers are currently focusing their efforts on investigating the metabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids to enhance the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. Simultaneously, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, play significant roles in blood glucose regulation, protein synthesis, and insulin sensitivity. However, disrupted BCAAs metabolism has been associated with conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and atherosclerosis. This article explores intricate metabolic pathways, unveiling the connection between disrupted BCAAs metabolism and the progression of heart failure. Furthermore, the article discusses therapeutic strategies, assesses the impact of BCAAs on cardiac dysfunction, and examines the potential of modulating BCAAs metabolism as a treatment for heart failure. BCAAs and their metabolites are also considered as biomarkers for evaluating cardiac metabolic risk. In conclusion, this article elucidates the multifaceted roles of BCAAs in heart failure and cardiovascular health, providing guidance for future research and intervention measures.

DFT Study of Zn-Modified SnP3: A H2S Gas Sensor with Superior Sensitivity, Selectivity, and Fast Recovery Time.

The adsorption properties of Cu, Ag, Zn, and Cd-modified SnP3 monolayers for H2S have been studied using density functional theory (DFT). Based on phonon spectrum calculations, a structurally stable intrinsic SnP3 monolayer was obtained, based on which four metal-modified SnP3 monolayers were constructed, and the band gaps of the modified SnP3 monolayers were significantly reduced. The adsorption capacity of Cu, Zn-modified SnP3 was better than that of Ag, Cd-modified SnP3. The adsorption energies of Cu-modified SnP3 and Zn-modified SnP3 for H2S were -0.749 eV and -0.639 eV, respectively. In addition, Cu-modified SnP3 exhibited chemisorption for H2S, while Zn-modified SnP3 exhibited strong physisorption, indicating that it can be used as a sensor substrate. Co-adsorption studies showed that ambient gases such as N2, O2, and H2O had little effect on H2S. The band gap change rate of Zn-modified SnP3 after adsorption of H2S was as high as -28.52%. Recovery time studies based on Zn-modified SnP3 showed that the desorption time of H2S was 0.064 s at 298 K. Therefore, Zn-modified SnP3 can be used as a promising sensor substrate for H2S due to its good selectivity, sensitivity, and fast recovery time.

Dual-color blending based visual LAMP for food allergen detection: A strategy with enlarged color variation range and contrast.

Food allergy has been a serious public health problem around the world. Its prevention relies heavily on the effective avoidance of any contaminated food, making clear and accurate detection very important. LAMP is one of the most potent methods for allergen rapid detection. However, its current colorimetric readouts usually have low color contrast and narrow color variation range. Thus, here we proposed a strategy based on color evolution to enlarge the variation range as well as the contrast to improve its suitability for naked-eye observation. By simply blending two commonly used color change processes during amplification, a wider color variation window, and a near contrast color change, purple-to-green with a hues difference of 10 were obtained. Three important allergens (walnuts, hazelnuts, and peanuts) were tested with a comparable sensitivity towards fluorescent real-time LAMP. Its feasibility for practical use has also been studied. This simple but effective strategy provides a new idea for the colorimetric detection of LAMP amplicons and can be applied to various fields.

Excellent electrochemical stability of Co3O4array with carbon hybridization derived from metal-organic framework.

Hybrid supercapacitors have attracted considerable attention for the use in the energy storage systems due to the simultaneous possession of high power and energy. Herein, Co3O4array with amorphous carbon on Ni foam has been derived from the Co-MOF. The electrochemical dynamics and energy storage mechanism of the prepared electrode have been investigated, which reveals the enhancement of the capacitive behavior with the scan rate. The electrochemically active specific surface area (ECSA) of our sample is calculated as 1416 cm2for per square centimeter of electrode. The prepared material exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance (3.17 F · cm-2at 1 mA · cm-2and 2.076 F · cm-2at 30 mA · cm-2). Further, the long-term life shows 96.7% capacity retention at 50 mV · s-1after 20 000 cycles in KOH aqueous electrolyte. The Coulomb efficiency is noted to range from 95% to 100% even after 20 000 cycles. Further, the symmetrical solid-state supercapacitor represents a wide operating voltage range and high scan rate for practical applications. Three charged solid-state supercapacitors are observed to lit 160 parallel green LEDs (20 mA, 2.2V) for approximately 50 s. These findings from this study confirm the potential of Co3O4array with carbon hybridization as an effective supercapacitor electrode material.

Correction: The inactivation mechanism of chemical disinfection against SARS-CoV-2: from MD and DFT perspectives.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D0RA06730J.].

Highly Selective Adsorption on SiSe Monolayer and Effect of Strain Engineering: A DFT Study.

The adsorption types of ten kinds of gas molecules (O2, NH3, SO2, CH4, NO, H2S, H2, CO, CO2, and NO2) on the surface of SiSe monolayer are analyzed by the density-functional theory (DFT) calculation based on adsorption energy, charge density difference (CDD), electron localization function (ELF), and band structure. It shows high selective adsorption on SiSe monolayer that some gas molecules like SO2, NO, and NO2 are chemically adsorbed, while the NH3 molecule is physically adsorbed, the rest of the molecules are weakly adsorbed. Moreover, stress is applied to the SiSe monolayer to improve the adsorption strength of NH3. It has a tendency of increment with the increase of compressive stress. The strongest physical adsorption energy (-0.426 eV) is obtained when 2% compressive stress is added to the substrate in zigzag direction. The simple desorption is realized by decreasing the stress. Furthermore, based on the similar adsorption energy between SO2 and NH3 molecules, the co-adsorption of these two gases are studied. The results show that SO2 will promote the detection of NH3 in the case of SO2-NH3/SiSe configuration. Therefore, SiSe monolayer is a good candidate for NH3 sensing with strain engineering.

The inactivation mechanism of chemical disinfection against SARS-CoV-2: from MD and DFT perspectives.

Exploring effective disinfection methods and understanding their mechanisms on the new coronavirus is becoming more active due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). By combining molecular dynamics and first-principles calculations, we investigate the interaction mechanism of chemical agents with 3CL hydrolase of SARS-CoV-2. The radial distribution functions indicate that the biocidal ingredients are sensitive to the unsaturated oxygen atoms of 3CL hydrolase and their interactions remarkably depend on the concentration of the biocidal ingredients. Besides, we find that the adsorption performance of the active ingredients for the unsaturated oxygen atoms is superior to other styles of atoms. These computational results not only decipher the inactivation mechanism of chemical agents against SARS-CoV-2 from the molecule-level perspective, but also provide a theoretical basis for the development and application of new chemical methods with a high disinfection efficiency.

High-performance humidity sensor using Schottky-contacted SnS nanoflakes for noncontact healthcare monitoring.

Humidity sensors based on flexible sensitive nanomaterials are very attractive in noncontact healthcare monitoring. However, the existing humidity sensors have some shortcomings such as limited sensitivity, narrow relative humidity (RH) range, and a complex process. Herein, we show that a tin sulphide (SnS) nanoflakes-based sensor presents high humidity sensing behaviour both in rigid and flexible substrate. The sensing mechanism based on the Schottky nature of a SnS-metal contact endows the as-fabricated sensor with a high response of 2491000% towards a wide RH range from 3% RH to 99% RH. The response and recovery time of the sensor are 6 s and 4 s, respectively. Besides, the flexible SnS nanoflakes-based humidity sensor with a polyimide substrate can be well attached to the skin and exhibits stable humidity sensing performance in the natural flat state and under bending loading. Moreover, the first-principles analysis is performed to prove the high specificity of SnS to the moisture (H2O) in the air. Benefiting from its promising advantages, we explore some application of the SnS nanoflakes-based sensors in detection of breathing patterns and non-contact finger tips sensing behaviour. The sensor can monitor the respiration pattern of a human being accurately, and recognize the movement of the fingertip speedily. This novel humidity sensor shows great promising application in physiological and physical monitoring, portable diagnosis system, and noncontact interface localization.