A perfusion host-microbe bioreactor (HMB) system that captures dynamic interactions of secreted metabolites between epithelial cells cocultured with a human gut anaerobe.

The human microbiota impacts a variety of diseases and responses to therapeutics. Due to a lack of robust in vitro models, detailed mechanistic explanations of host-microbiota interactions cannot often be recapitulated. We describe the design and development of a novel, versatile and modular in vitro system that enables indirect coculture of human epithelial cells with anaerobic bacteria for the characterization of host-microbe secreted metabolite interactions. This system was designed to compartmentalize anaerobes and human cells in separate chambers conducive to each organism's requisite cell growth conditions. Using perfusion, fluidic mixing, and automated sample collection, the cells continuously received fresh media, while in contact with their corresponding compartments conditioned supernatant. Supernatants from each chamber were collected in a cell-free time-resolved fashion. The system sustained low oxygen conditions in the anaerobic chamber, while also supporting the growth of a representative anaerobe (Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron) and a human colonic epithelial cell line (Caco-2) in the aerobic chamber. Caco-2 global gene expression changes in response to coculture with B. thetaiotaomicron was characterized using RNA sequencing. Extensive, targeted metabolomics analysis of over 150 central carbon metabolites was performed on the serially collected supernatants. We observed broad metabolite changes in host-microbe coculture, compared to respective mono-culture controls. These effects were dependent both on sampling time and the compartment probed (apical vs. basolateral). Coculturing resulted in the depletion of several important metabolites, including guanine, uridine 5'-monophosphate, asparagine, and thiamine. Additionally, while Caco-2 cells cultured alone predominantly affected the basolateral metabolite milieu, increased abundance of 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate and thymine on the basolateral side, occurred when the cells were cocultured with B. thetaiotaomicron. Thus, our system can capture the dynamic, competitive and cooperative processes between host cells and gut microbes.

Associations of Nativity and the Role of the Hispanic Paradox on the Cognitive Health of Older Latinos Living in the United States.

Background: US-based Latinos have lower education and income combined with higher health risks than non-Latino whites, but often 'paradoxically' evidence better health-related outcomes. Less work has investigated this paradox for cognitive-related outcomes despite nativity diversity. Objective: We evaluated cognitive aging within older Latinos of diverse nativity currently living in the US and participating in Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center studies. Methods: Participants without baseline dementia, who completed annual neuropsychological assessments (in English or Spanish) were grouped by US-born (n = 117), Mexico-born (n = 173), and born in other Latin American regions (LAr-born = 128). Separate regression models examined associations between nativity and levels of (N = 418) or change in (n = 371; maximum follow-up ∼16 years) global and domain-specific cognition. Results: Demographically-adjusted linear regression models indicated that foreign-born nativity was associated with lower levels of global cognition and select cognitive domains compared to US-born Latinos. No associations of nativity with cognitive decline emerged from demographically-adjusted mixed-effects models; however, Mexico-born nativity appeared associated with slower declines in working memory compared to other nativity groups (p-values ≥ 0.051). Mexico-born Latinos had relatively higher vascular burden and lower education levels than other nativity groups; however, this did not alter results. Conclusions: Nativity differences in baseline cognition may be due, in part, to accumulated stressors related to immigration and acculturation experienced by foreign-born Latinos which may hasten meeting criteria for dementia later in life. In contrast, Mexico-born participants' slower working memory declines, taken in the context of other participant characteristics including vascular burden, suggests the Hispanic Paradox may relate to factors with the potential to affect cognition.

A chimeric adenovirus-vectored vaccine based on Beta spike and Delta RBD confers a broad-spectrum neutralization against Omicron-included SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Urgent research into innovative severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines that may successfully prevent various emerging emerged variants, particularly the Omicron variant and its subvariants, is necessary. Here, we designed a chimeric adenovirus-vectored vaccine named Ad5-Beta/Delta. This vaccine was created by incorporating the receptor-binding domain from the Delta variant, which has the L452R and T478K mutations, into the complete spike protein of the Beta variant. Both intramuscular (IM) and intranasal (IN) vaccination with Ad5-Beta/Deta vaccine induced robust broad-spectrum neutralization against Omicron BA.5-included variants. IN immunization with Ad5-Beta/Delta vaccine exhibited superior mucosal immunity, manifested by higher secretory IgA antibodies and more tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) in respiratory tract. The combination of IM and IN delivery of the Ad5-Beta/Delta vaccine was capable of synergically eliciting stronger systemic and mucosal immune responses. Furthermore, the Ad5-Beta/Delta vaccination demonstrated more effective boosting implications after two dosages of mRNA or subunit recombinant protein vaccine, indicating its capacity for utilization as a booster shot in the heterologous vaccination. These outcomes quantified Ad5-Beta/Delta vaccine as a favorable vaccine can provide protective immunity versus SARS-CoV-2 pre-Omicron variants of concern and BA.5-included Omicron subvariants.

Comparison of PD-L1 (22C3) Expression in Paired Primary and Metastatic Breast Carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) is being used as a predictive marker of the benefit derived from immunotherapy in several cancer types, including breast cancer. However, the insight gleaned of the prognostic and predictive value of PD-L1 status and its correlation with molecular characteristics during breast cancer progression remains limited. METHODS: We performed an PD-L1 (22C3) assay in pre-treatment primary and metastatic tumor sections from 33 patients with breast carcinoma, matched for post neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p-NACT). PD-L1 expression was evaluated using 3 scoring methods: immune cell (IC) and tumor cell (TC) with a 1% as the cutoff value, and combined positive scores (CPS) with a 1 as the cutoff value. Twenty-two samples from 11 patients had successful fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based molecular data available for analysis. RESULTS: In the 33 pre-treatment primary tumors, PD-L1 IC, TC, and CPS showed positive correlation with stromal tumor infiltrate lymphocytes (sTIL), histological grade 3, and triple negative breast carcinoma (TNBC). In the matched metastatic tumors, only PD-L1 IC showed a positive correlation with sTIL. The primary tumors showed a higher PD-L1 expression than the matched metastatic tumors by IC and CPS. Negative to positive conversion by CPS was identified in the metastatic tumors from lung, pleura and liver. p-NACT tumors also showed a trend of lower PD-L1 expression compared to the pre-treatment tumors. Six patients had matched samples for molecular and PD-L1 comparison, and none of them showed consistent gene alterations or PD-L1 expression among the primary, p-NACT and metastatic tumors. CONCLUSION: Our study showed a decrease in PD-L1 expression and disconnected molecular features during breast cancer progression. Repeating PD-L1 IHC testing could be considered in some specific metastatic sites if primary tumors were negative. Further studies are needed to identify other predictive factors for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in patients with breast carcinoma.

Loss of the APP regulator RHBDL4 preserves memory in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

Characteristic cerebral pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) such as glucose hypometabolism or the accumulation of cleavage products of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), known as Aß peptides, lead to sustained endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and neurodegeneration. To preserve ER homeostasis, cells activate their unfolded protein response (UPR). The rhomboid-like-protease 4 (RHBDL4) is an enzyme that participates in the UPR by targeting proteins for proteasomal degradation. We demonstrated previously that RHBLD4 cleaves APP in HEK293T cells, leading to decreased total APP and Aß. More recently, we showed that RHBDL4 processes APP in mouse primary mixed cortical cultures as well. Here, we aim to examine the physiological relevance of RHBDL4 in the brain. We first found that brain samples from AD patients and an AD mouse model (APPtg) showed increased RHBDL4 mRNA and protein expression. To determine the effects of RHBDL4's absence on APP physiology in vivo, we crossed APPtg mice to a RHBDL4 knockout (R4 KO) model. RHBDL4 deficiency in APPtg mice led to increased total cerebral APP and Aß levels when compared to APPtg controls. Contrary to expectations, as assessed by cognitive tests, RHBDL4 absence rescued cognition in 5-month-old female APPtg mice. Informed by unbiased RNAseq data, we demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that RHBDL4 absence leads to greater levels of active ß-catenin due to decreased proteasomal clearance. Decreased ß-catenin activity is known to underlie cognitive defects in APPtg mice and AD. Our work suggests that RHBDL4's increased expression in AD, in addition to regulating APP levels, leads to aberrant degradation of ß-catenin, contributing to cognitive impairment.

Altered Motor Activity Patterns within 10-Minute Timescale Predict Incident Clinical Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Fractal motor activity regulation (FMAR), characterized by self-similar temporal patterns in motor activity across timescales, is robust in healthy young humans but degrades with aging and in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Objective: To determine the timescales where alterations of FMAR can best predict the clinical onset of AD. Methods: FMAR was assessed from actigraphy at baseline in 1,077 participants who had annual follow-up clinical assessments for up to 15 years. Survival analysis combined with deep learning (DeepSurv) was used to examine how baseline FMAR at different timescales from 3 minutes up to 6 hours contributed differently to the risk for incident clinical AD. Results: Clinical AD occurred in 270 participants during the follow-up. DeepSurv identified three potential regions of timescales in which FMAR alterations were significantly linked to the risk for clinical AD: <10, 20-40, and 100-200 minutes. Confirmed by the Cox and random survival forest models, the effect of FMAR alterations in the timescale of <10 minutes was the strongest, after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions: Subtle changes in motor activity fluctuations predicted the clinical onset of AD, with the strongest association observed in activity fluctuations at timescales <10 minutes. These findings suggest that short actigraphy recordings may be used to assess the risk of AD.

Differences in clinical characteristics of early-onset and late-onset severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections in neonates.

Differences in clinical characteristics of early-onset and late-onset severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in neonates remain unclear. This study aimed to determine whether there are differences in the main clinical, radiological, and laboratory features of early-onset and late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections in neonates. This single-center, prospective cohort study enrolled neonates with SARS-CoV-2 infection from December 7, 2022, to January 3, 2023, and evaluated their clinical characteristics during hospitalization. All neonates (N = 58) infected with SARS-CoV-2 within 28 days of birth who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Taizhou Hospital were included. These neonates were classified into the early-onset (diagnosed within 7 days of birth) and late-onset (diagnosed more than 7 days after birth) groups. The symptoms, treatment, and prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection were the main study outcomes. The incidence of hospitalization attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection was 10.6% (58 of 546 neonates) in Linhai. Sixteen (28%) of the 58 SARS-CoV-2 infections were early-onset cases, and 42 (72%) were late-onset cases. The common symptoms among the late-onset group were fever (p < 0.001) and cough (p < 0.001). Neonates with late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infection (p < 0.001) were significantly more likely to develop pneumonia.  Conclusion: The clinical symptoms and rates of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection in neonates differed between the early-onset and late-onset groups. Different clinical management is necessary for neonates with early-onset and late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections. What is Known: • Neonates are susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). • Differences in clinical characteristics of early-onset and late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections in neonates remain unclear. What is New: • Fever and cough were the most common symptoms among neonates with late-onset infection. • Neonates with late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to develop pneumonia.

Inhibiting mtDNA-STING-NLRP3/IL-1ß axis-mediated neutrophil infiltration protects neurons in Alzheimer's disease.

Neutrophil is a pathophysiological character in Alzheimer's disease. The pathogen for neutrophil activation in cerebral tissue is the accumulated amyloid protein. In our present study, neutrophils infiltrate into the cerebra in two models (transgenic model APP/PS1 and stereotactic injection model) and promote neuron apoptosis, releasing their cellular constituents, including mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). We found that both Aß1-42 and mtDNA could provoke neutrophil infiltration into the cerebra, and they had synergistic effects when they presented together. This neutrophillic neuroinflammation upregulates expressions of STING, NLRP3 and IL-1ß. These inflammatory cytokines with mtDNA constitute the mtDNA-STING-NLRP3/IL-1ß axis, which is the prerequisite for neutrophil infiltration. When any factor in this pathway is depleted, the migration of neutrophils into cerebral tissue is ceased, with neurons and cognitive function being protected. Thus, we provide a novel perspective to alleviate the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Cisplatin-induced oxPAPC release enhances MDSCs infiltration into LL2 tumour tissues through MCP-1/CCL2 and LTB4/LTB4R pathways.

Lung cancer is the leading global cause of cancer-related death, however, resistance to chemotherapy drugs remains a huge barrier to effective treatment. The elevated recruitment of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) to tumour after chemotherapy has been linked to resistance of chemotherapy drugs. Nevertheless, the specific mechanism remains unclear. oxPAPC is a bioactive principal component of minimally modified low-density lipoproteins and regulates inflammatory response. In this work, we found that cisplatin, oxaliplatin and ADM all increased oxPAPC release in tumour. Treating macrophages with oxPAPC in vitro stimulated the secretion of MCP-1 and LTB4, which strongly induced monocytes and neutrophils chemotaxis, respectively. Injection of oxPAPC in vivo significantly upregulated the percentage of MDSCs in tumour microenvironment (TME) of wild-type LL2 tumour-bearing mice, but not CCL2-/- mice and LTB4R-/- mice. Critically, oxPAPC acted as a pro-tumor factor in LL2 tumour model. Indeed, cisplatin increased oxPAPC level in tumour tissues of WT mice, CCL2-/- and LTB4R-/- mice, but caused increased infiltration of Ly6Chigh monocytes and neutrophils only in WT LL2-bearing mice. Collectively, our work demonstrates cisplatin treatment induces an overproduction of oxPAPC and thus recruits MDSCs infiltration to promote the tumour growth through the MCP-1/CCL2 and LTB4/LTB4R pathways, which may restrict the effect of multiple chemotherapy. This provides evidence for a potential strategy to enhance the efficacy of multiple chemotherapeutic drugs in the treatment of lung cancer by targeting oxPAPC.

Learning from vertically distributed data across multiple sites: An efficient privacy-preserving algorithm for Cox proportional hazards model with variable selection.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a lossless distributed algorithm for regularized Cox proportional hazards model with variable selection to support federated learning for vertically distributed data. METHODS: We propose a novel distributed algorithm for fitting regularized Cox proportional hazards model when data sharing among different data providers is restricted. Based on cyclical coordinate descent, the proposed algorithm computes intermediary statistics by each site and then exchanges them to update the model parameters in other sites without accessing individual patient-level data. We evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm with (1) a simulation study and (2) a real-world data analysis predicting the risk of Alzheimer's dementia from the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP). Moreover, we compared the performance of our method with existing privacy-preserving models. RESULTS: Our algorithm achieves privacy-preserving variable selection for time-to-event data in the vertically distributed setting, without degradation of accuracy compared with a centralized approach. Simulation demonstrates that our algorithm is highly efficient in analyzing high-dimensional datasets. Real-world data analysis reveals that our distributed Cox model yields higher accuracy in predicting the risk of Alzheimer's dementia than the conventional Cox model built by each data provider without data sharing. Moreover, our algorithm is computationally more efficient compared with existing privacy-preserving Cox models with or without regularization term. CONCLUSION: The proposed algorithm is lossless, privacy-preserving and highly efficient to fit regularized Cox model for vertically distributed data. It provides a suitable and convenient approach for modeling time-to-event data in a distributed manner.

High-Performance Infrared Detectors Based on Black Phosphorus/Carbon Nanotube Heterojunctions.

Infrared detectors have broad application prospects in the fields of detection and communication. Using ideal materials and good device structure is crucial for achieving high-performance infrared detectors. Here, we utilized black phosphorus (BP) and single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films to construct a vertical van der Waals heterostructure, resulting in high-performance photovoltaic infrared detectors. In the device, a strong built-in electric field was formed in the heterojunction with a favored energy-band matching between the BP and the SWCNT, which caused a good photovoltaic effect. The fabricated devices exhibited a diode-like rectification behavior in the dark, which had a high rectification ratio up to a magnitude of 104 and a low ideal factor of 1.4. Under 1550 nm wavelength illumination, the 2D BP/SWCNT film photodetector demonstrated an open-circuit voltage of 0.34 V, a large external power conversion efficiency (η) of 7.5% and a high specific detectivity (D*) of 3.1 × 109 Jones. This external η was the highest among those for the photovoltaic devices fabricated with the SWCNTs or the heterostructures based on 2D materials and the obtained D* was also higher than those for most of the infrared detectors based on 2D materials or carbon materials. This work showcases the application potential of BP and SWCNTs in the detection field.

Evaluating genomic signatures of aging in brain tissue as it relates to Alzheimer's disease.

Telomere length (TL) attrition, epigenetic age acceleration, and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) decline are established hallmarks of aging. Each has been individually associated with Alzheimer's dementia, cognitive function, and pathologic Alzheimer's disease (AD). Epigenetic age and mtDNAcn have been studied in brain tissue directly but prior work on TL in brain is limited to small sample sizes and most studies have examined leukocyte TL. Importantly, TL, epigenetic age clocks, and mtDNAcn have not been studied jointly in brain tissue from an AD cohort. We examined dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) tissue from N = 367 participants of the Religious Orders Study (ROS) or the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP). TL and mtDNAcn were estimated from whole genome sequencing (WGS) data and cortical clock age was computed on 347 CpG sites. We examined dementia, MCI, and level of and change in cognition, pathologic AD, and three quantitative AD traits, as well as measures of other neurodegenerative diseases and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD). We previously showed that mtDNAcn from DLPFC brain tissue was associated with clinical and pathologic features of AD. Here, we show that those associations are independent of TL. We found TL to be associated with ß-amyloid levels (beta = - 0.15, p = 0.023), hippocampal sclerosis (OR = 0.56, p = 0.0015) and cerebral atherosclerosis (OR = 1.44, p = 0.0007). We found strong associations between mtDNAcn and clinical measures of AD. The strongest associations with pathologic measures of AD were with cortical clock and there were associations of mtDNAcn with global AD pathology and tau tangles. Of the other pathologic traits, mtDNAcn was associated with hippocampal sclerosis, macroscopic infarctions and CAA and cortical clock was associated with Lewy bodies. Multi-modal age acceleration, accelerated aging on both mtDNAcn and cortical clock, had greater effect size than a single measure alone. These findings highlight for the first time that age acceleration determined on multiple genomic measures, mtDNAcn and cortical clock may have a larger effect on AD/AD related disorders (ADRD) pathogenesis than single measures.

Surgical Treatment of Osteosarcoma Induced Distant Pre-Metastatic Niche in Lung to Facilitate the Colonization of Circulating Tumor Cells.

Recently, the major challenge in treating osteosarcoma patients is the metastatic disease, most commonly in the lungs. However, the underlying mechanism of recurrence and metastasis of osteosarcoma after surgical resection of primary tumor remains unclear. This study aims to investigate whether the pulmonary metastases characteristic of osteosarcoma is associated with surgical treatment and whether surgery contributes to the formation of pre-metastatic niche in the distant lung tissue. In the current study, the authors observe the presence of circulating tumor cells in patients undergoing surgical resection of osteosarcoma which is correlated to tumor recurrence. The pulmonary infiltrations of neutrophils and Gr-1+ myeloid cells are characterized to form a pre-metastatic niche upon the exposure of circulating tumor cells after surgical resection. It is found that mitochondrial damage-associated molecular patterns released from surgical resection contribute to the formation of pre-metastatic niche in lung through IL-1ß secretion. This study reveals that surgical management for osteosarcoma, irrespective of the primary tumor, might promote the formation of postoperative pre-metastatic niche in lung which is with important implications for developing rational therapies during peri-operative period.

Incorporation of a Toll-like receptor 2/6 agonist potentiates mRNA vaccines against cancer and infectious diseases.

mRNA vaccines have emerged rapidly in recent years as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent against various diseases including cancer and infectious diseases. Improvements of mRNA vaccines have been underway, among which boosting of efficacy is of great importance. Pam2Cys, a simple synthetic metabolizable lipoamino acid that signals through Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/6 pathway, eliciting both humoral and cellular adaptive immune responses, is an interesting candidate adjuvant. To investigate the enhancement of the efficacies of mRNA vaccines by Pam2Cys, the adjuvant was incorporated into mRNA-lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to achieve co-delivery with mRNA. Immunization with the resulting mRNA-LNPs (Pam2Cys) shaped up the immune milieu in the draining lymph nodes (dLNs) through the induction of IL-12 and IL-17, among other cytokines. Antigen presentation was carried out mainly by migratory and dLN-resident conventional type 2 DCs (cDC2s) and significantly more potent antitumor responses were triggered in both prophylactic and therapeutic tumor models in a CD4+ and CD8+ T cell-dependent fashion. Accompanying memory antitumor immunity was also established. Moreover, the vaccine also stimulated much more robust humoral and cellular immunity in a surrogate COVID-19 prophylactic model. Last but not the least, the new vaccines exhibited good preliminary safety profiles in murine models. These facts warrant future development of Pam2Cys-incorporated mRNA vaccines or relevant mRNA therapeutics for clinical application.

Low levels of neutralizing antibodies against XBB Omicron subvariants after BA.5 infection.

The COVID-19 response strategies in Chinese mainland were recently adjusted due to the reduced pathogenicity and enhanced infectivity of Omicron subvariants. In Chengdu, China, an infection wave was predominantly induced by the BA.5 subvariant. It is crucial to determine whether the hybrid anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity following BA.5 infection, coupled with a variety of immune background, is sufficient to shape the immune responses against newly emerged Omicron subvariants, especially for XBB lineages. To investigate this, we collected serum and nasal swab samples from 108 participants who had been infected in this BA.5 infection wave, and evaluated the neutralization against pseudoviruses. Our results showed that convalescent sera from individuals, regardless of vaccination history, had remarkably compromised neutralization capacities against the newly emerged XBB and XBB.1.5 subvariants. Although post-vaccination with BA.5 breakthrough infection slightly elevated plasma neutralizing antibodies against a part of pseudoviruses, the neutralization activities were remarkably impaired by XBB lineages. Furthermore, we analyzed the impacts of the number of vaccinations, age, and sex on the humoral and cellular immune response after BA.5 infection. Our findings suggest that the neutralization against XBB lineages that elicited by current hybrid immunity after BA.5 infection, are remained at low levels, indicating an urgent need for the development of next-generation of COVID-19 vaccines that designed based on the XBB sub-lineages and other future variants.

Diclazuril-induced expression of CDK-related kinase 2 in the second-generation merozoites of Eimeria tenella.

Diclazuril is a classic anticoccidial drug. The key molecules of diclazuril in anticoccidial action allows target screening for the development of anticoccidial drugs. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) are prominent target proteins in apicomplexan parasites. In this study, a diclazuril anticoccidiosis animal model was established, and the transcription and translation levels of the CDK-related kinase 2 of Eimeria tenella (EtCRK2) were detected. mRNA and protein expression levels of EtCRK2 decreased in the infected/diclazuril group compared with those in the infected/control group. In addition, immunofluorescence analysis showed that EtCRK2 was localised in the cytoplasm of the merozoites. The fluorescence intensity of EtCRK2 in the infected/diclazuril group was significantly weaker than that in the infected/control group. The anticoccidial drug diclazuril against E.tenella affects the expression pattern of EtCRK2 molecule, and EtCRK2 is a potential target for new drug development.

Cationic crosslinked carbon dots-adjuvanted intranasal vaccine induces protective immunity against Omicron-included SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Mucosal immunity plays a significant role in the first-line defense against viruses transmitted and infected through the respiratory system, such as SARS-CoV-2. However, the lack of effective and safe adjuvants currently limits the development of COVID-19 mucosal vaccines. In the current study, we prepare an intranasal vaccine containing cationic crosslinked carbon dots (CCD) and a SARS-CoV-2 antigen, RBD-HR with spontaneous antigen particlization. Intranasal immunization with CCD/RBD-HR induces high levels of antibodies with broad-spectrum neutralization against authentic viruses/pseudoviruses of Omicron-included variants and protects immunized female BALB/c mice from Omicron infection. Despite strong systemic cellular immune response stimulation, the intranasal CCD/RBD-HR vaccine also induces potent mucosal immunity as determined by the generation of tissue-resident T cells in the lungs and airway. Moreover, CCD/RBD-HR not only activates professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), dendritic cells, but also effectively targets nasal epithelial cells, promotes antigen binding via sialic acid, and surprisingly provokes the antigen-presenting of nasal epithelial cells. We demonstrate that CCD is a promising intranasal vaccine adjuvant for provoking strong mucosal immunity and might be a candidate adjuvant for intranasal vaccine development for many types of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

Mendelian Randomization and Transcriptome-Wide Association Analysis Identified Genes That Were Pleiotropically Associated with Intraocular Pressure.

BACKGROUND: Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major modifiable risk factor for glaucoma. However, the mechanisms underlying the controlling of IOP remain to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE: To prioritize genes that are pleiotropically associated with IOP. METHODS: We adopted a two-sample Mendelian randomization method, named summary-based Mendelian randomization (SMR), to examine the pleiotropic effect of gene expression on IOP. The SMR analyses were based on summarized data from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on IOP. We conducted separate SMR analyses using Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and Consortium for the Architecture of Gene Expression (CAGE) expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data. Additionally, we performed a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) to identify genes whose cis-regulated expression levels were associated with IOP. RESULTS: We identified 19 and 25 genes showing pleiotropic association with IOP using the GTEx and CAGE eQTL data, respectively. RP11-259G18.3 (PSMR = 2.66 × 10-6), KANSL1-AS1 (PSMR = 2.78 × 10-6), and RP11-259G18.2 (PSMR = 2.91 × 10-6) were the top three genes using the GTEx eQTL data. LRRC37A4 (PSMR = 1.19 × 10-5), MGC57346 (PSMR = 1.19 × 10-5), and RNF167 (PSMR = 1.53 × 10-5) were the top three genes using the CAGE eQTL data. Most of the identified genes were found in or near the 17q21.31 genomic region. Additionally, our TWAS analysis identified 18 significant genes whose expression was associated with IOP. Of these, 12 and 4 were also identified by the SMR analysis using the GTEx and CAGE eQTL data, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the 17q21.31 genomic region may play a critical role in the regulation of IOP.

High-performance diodes based on black phosphorus/carbon nanomaterial heterostructures.

The performance of diodes, which are the basic building blocks in integrated circuits, highly depends on the materials used. Black phosphorus (BP) and carbon nanomaterials with unique structures and excellent properties can form heterostructures with favorable band matching to fully utilize their respective advantages and thus achieve high diode performance. Here, high-performance Schottky junction diodes based on a two-dimensional (2D) BP/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) film heterostructure and a BP nanoribbon (PNR) film/graphene heterostructure were investigated for the first time. The fabricated Schottky diode based on the heterostructure with the 10 nm-thick 2D BP stacked on the SWCNT film had a rectification ratio of 2978 and a low ideal factor of 1.5. The Schottky diode based on the heterostructure with the PNR film stacked on the graphene exhibited a high rectification ratio of 4455 and an ideal factor of 1.9. The high rectification ratios for both devices were attributed to the large Schottky barriers formed between the BP and carbon materials, thus leading to a small reverse current. We found that the thickness of the 2D BP in the 2D BP/SWCNT film Schottky diode and the stacking order of the heterostructure in the PNR film/graphene Schottky diode had a significant effect on the rectification ratio. Furthermore, the rectification ratio and breakdown voltage of the resulting PNR film/graphene Schottky diode were larger than those of the 2D BP/SWCNT film Schottky diode, which was attributed to the larger bandgap of the PNRs compared to the 2D BP. This study demonstrates that high-performance diodes can be achieved via the collaborative application of BP and carbon nanomaterials.