Diel variations of airborne microbes and antibiotic resistance genes in Response to urban PM2.5 chemical properties during the heating season.

Among the components of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the contributions of airborne microorganisms and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to health risks have been overlooked. Airborne microbial dynamics exhibit a unique diurnal cycle due to environmental influences. However, the specific roles of PM2.5 chemical properties resulting from fossil fuel combustion in driving circadian fluctuations in microbial populations and ARGs remain unclear. This study explored the interactions between toxic components and microbial communities during the heating period to understand the variations in ARGs. Bacterial and fungal communities showed a higher susceptibility to diel variations in PM2.5 compared to their chemical properties. Mantel tests revealed that chemical properties and microbial community interactions contribute differently to ARG variations, both directly and indirectly, during circadian fluctuations. Our findings highlight that, during the daytime, the enrichment of pathogenic microorganisms and ARGs increases the risk of PM2.5 toxicity. Conversely, during the nighttime, the utilization of water-soluble ions by the fungal community increased, leading to a significant increase in fungal biomass. Notably, Aspergillus exhibited a significant correlation with mobile genetic elements and ARGs, implying that this genus is a crucial driver of airborne ARGs. This study provides novel insights into the interplay between the chemical composition, microbial communities, and ARGs in PM, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of effective air pollution control strategies.

[Advances in Mendelian randomization studies on autism spectrum disorder]. / å­Ÿå¾·å°”éšæœºåŒ–ç ”ç©¶åœ¨å­¤ç‹¬ç—‡è°±ç³»éšœç¢ä¸­çš„ç ”ç©¶è¿›å±•.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder with onset in infancy or early childhood. Mendelian randomization (MR) is a statistical method used to infer causal relationships between exposures and outcomes. This article summarizes MR studies related to ASD. Existing research supports a causal relationship between maternal inflammatory bowel disease in children with ASD, parental education levels, screen time exposure, obesity, insomnia, serum transferrin, decreased blood selenium, abnormal signals in brain functional MRI, interleukin-6, phosphodiesterase 2A, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3, mitochondrial ribosomal protein L33, serotonin, and ASD. However, it does not support a causal relationship between parental rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, neonatal jaundice in children with ASD, cytomegalovirus infection, asthma, oral ulcers, vitamin D levels, and ASD. This article reviews the etiological factors related to ASD and MR studies, aiming to explore and deepen the understanding of the pathophysiology of ASD. It provides strong statistical support for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ASD, and offers new methods and strategies for the etiological analysis of complex traits.

Space-confined manganese oxides nanosheets for efficient catalytic decomposition of ozone.

Ground-level ozone has long posed a substantial menace to human well-being and the ecological milieu. The widely reported manganese-based catalysts for ozone decomposition still facing the persisting issues encompass inefficiency and instability. To surmount these challenges, we developed a mesoporous silica thin films with perpendicular nanochannels (SBA(⊥)) confined Mn3O4 catalyst (Mn3O4@SBA(⊥)). Under a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 500,000 mL g-1 h-1, the Mn3O4@SBA(⊥) catalyst exhibited 100% ozone decomposition efficiency in 5 h and stability across a wide humidity range, which exceed the performance of bulk Mn3O4 and Mn3O4 confine in commonly reported SBA-15. Rapidly decompose 20 ppm O3 to a safety level below 100 µg m-3 in the presence of dust in smog chamber (60 × 60 × 60 cm) was also realized. This prominent catalytic performance can be attributed to the unique confined structure engenders the highly exposed active sites, facilitate the reactant-active sites contact and impeded the water accumulation on the active sites. This work offers new insights into the design of confined structure catalysts for air purification.

Bacillus subtilis alleviates excessive apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells in intrauterine growth restriction suckling piglets via the members of Bcl-2 and caspase families.

BACKGROUND: The intestine is a barrier resisting various stress responses. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can cause damage to the intestinal barrier via destroying the balance of intestinal epithelial cells' proliferation and apoptosis. Bacillus subtilis has been reported to regulate intestinal epithelial cells' proliferation and apoptosis. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine if B. subtilis could regulate intestinal epithelial cells' proliferation and apoptosis in intrauterine growth restriction suckling piglets. RESULTS: Compared with the normal birth weight group, the IUGR group showed greater mean optical density values of Ki-67-positive cells in the ileal crypt (P < 0.05). IUGR resulted in higher ability of proliferation and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells, by upregulation of the messenger RNA (mRNA) or proteins expression of leucine rich repeat containing G protein coupled receptor 5, Caspase-3, Caspase-7, ß-catenin, cyclinD1, B-cell lymphoma-2 associated agonist of cell death, and BCL2 associated X (P < 0.05), and downregulation of the mRNA or protein expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 and B-cell lymphoma-2-like 1 (P < 0.05). However, B. subtilis supplementation decreased the mRNA or proteins expression of leucine rich repeat containing G protein coupled receptor 5, SPARC related modular calcium binding 2, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 19, cyclinD1, Caspase-7, ß-catenin, B-cell lymphoma-2 associated agonist of cell death, and Caspase-3 (P < 0.05), and increased the mRNA expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: IUGR led to excessive apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells, which induced compensatory proliferation. However, B. subtilis treatment prevented intestinal epithelial cells of IUGR suckling piglets from excessive apoptosis. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Two previously undescribed cholestanol saponins from the rhizomes of Paris fargesii var. petiolata.

Two previously undescribed cholestanol saponins, parpetiosides F - G (1-2), and six known analogs (3-8) were isolated from the rhizomes of Paris fargesii var. petiolata. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analysis and chemical methods. Compound 1 was a rare 6/6/6/5/5 fused-rings cholestanol saponin with disaccharide moiety linked at C-26 of aglycone which was hardly seen in genus Paris. All of these compounds were discovered in this plant for the first time. In addition, the cytotoxicities of saponins (1-8) against three human cancer cell lines (U87, HepG2 and SGC-7901) were evaluated by CCK-8 method, and saponins 5-8 displayed certain cytotoxicities. The strong interactions between saponins 5-8 and SCUBE3, an oncogene for glioma cells, were displayed by molecular docking.

Combined Influence of Eight Lifestyle Factors on Metabolic Syndrome Incidence: A Prospective Cohort Study from the MECH-HK Study.

Although previous studies have shown significant associations between individual lifestyles and metabolic syndrome, limited studies have explored the combined effect of lifestyles. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a combined lifestyle score was associated with metabolic syndrome incidence in Hong Kong Chinese women. This prospective cohort study included 1634 women (55.9 ± 8.6 years) without baseline metabolic syndrome, diabetes, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Eight lifestyle factors (smoking, physical activity, sedentary time, sleep, stress, fatigue, diet, and alcohol) were included by assigning 0 (unhealthy) or 1 point (healthy). The overall score was the sum of these points, ranging from 0 (the least healthy) to 8 points (the healthiest). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed by the joint interim statement. During a 1.16-year follow-up, 179 (11.0%) new metabolic syndrome cases were identified. The incidences for the 0-3-point, 4-point, 5-point, and 6-8-point groups were 12.8% (79/618), 11.5% (42/366), 9.4% (29/309), and 8.5% (29/341), respectively. Compared to the lowest combined lifestyle score group, the highest group had a 47% reduced metabolic syndrome incidence, with an adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of 0.53 (0.33-0.86) (p = 0.010). These findings indicate that a higher combined lifestyle score was associated with a lower metabolic syndrome incidence in this population.

Photoactivation Inducing Multifunctional Coupling of Fluorophore for Efficient Tumor Therapy In Situ.

Photoactivatable molecules, with high-precision spatialtemporal control, have largely promoted bioimaging and phototherapy applications of fluorescent dyes. Here, the first photoactivatable sensor (BI) is described that can be triggered by broad excitation light (405-660 nm), which further undergoes intersystem crossing and H-atom transfer processes to forming superoxide anion radicals (O2 -• ) and carbon radicals. Particularly, the photoinduced gain of carbon-centered radicals (BI•) allows for radical-radical coupling to afford the combined crosslink product (BI─BI), which would be oxidized in the presence of O2 -• to produce an extended conjugate system with near infrared emission (820 nm). Besides, the photochemically generated product (Cy─BI) possesses ultra-high photothermal conversion efficiency up to 90.9%, which optimized phototherapy potential. What's more, Western Blot assay reveals that both BI and the photoproduct Cy─BI can efficiently inhibit the expression of CHK1, and the irradiation of BI and Cy─BI further induces apoptosis and ultimately enhances the phototherapeutic effects. Thus, the combination of cell cycle block inducing apoptosis, photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy treatments significantly suppress solid tumor in vivo antitumor efficacy explorations. This is a novel finding in developing photoactivatable molecules, as well as the broad applicability of photoimaging and phototherapy in tumor-related areas.

Extraction and characterization of polysaccharides from blackcurrant fruits and its inhibitory effects on acetylcholinesterase.

Microwave assisted aqueous two-phase system (MA-ATPS) was used to simultaneously extract two polysaccharides from blackcurrant. Under the suitable ATPS (ethanol/(NH4)2SO4, 26.75 %/18.98 %) combining with the optimal MA conditions (liquid-to-material ratio 58.5 mL/g, time 9.5 min, temperature 60.5 °C, power 587 W) predicted by response surface methodology, the yields of the top/bottom phase polysaccharides were 13.08 ± 0.37 % and 42.65 ± 0.89 %, respectively. After purification through column chromatography, the top phase polysaccharide (PRTP) and bottom phase polysaccharide (PRBP) were obtained. FT-IR, methylation and NMR analyses confirmed that the repeating unit in the backbone of PRTP was →2, 5)-α-L-Araf-(1 â†’ 3)-α-D-Manp-(1 â†’ 6)-ß-D-Galp-(1 â†’ 6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 â†’ 4)-α-L-Rhap-(1 â†’ 4)-α-D-GalAp-(1→, while the possible unit in PRBP was →4)-α-L-Rhap-(1 â†’ 3)-α-D-Manp-(1 â†’ 6)-ß-D-Galp-(1 â†’ 6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 â†’ 2, 5)-α-L-Araf-(1 â†’ 4)-α-D-GalAp-(1→. PRBP with relatively low molecular weight exhibited better stability, rheological property, free radical scavenging and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities than PRTP. PRTP and PRBP were reversible mixed-type inhibitors for AChE, and the conformation of AChE was changed after binding with the polysaccharides. Molecular docking, fluorescence and isothermal titration calorimetry assays revealed that PRTP and PRBP quenched the fluorescence through static quenching mechanism, and the van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding played key roles in the stability of polysaccharide-enzyme complexes. This study provided a theoretical basis for blackcurrant polysaccharides as AChE inhibitors to treat Alzheimer's disease.

Confining Bismuth-Halide Perovskite in Mesochannels of Silica Nanomembranes for Exceptional Photocatalytic Abatement of Air Pollutants.

Spatially confined photocatalysis has emerged as a viable strategy for the intensification of various redox reactions, but the influence of confined structure on reaction behavior is always overlooked in gas-solid reactions. Herein, we report a nanomembrane with confining Cs3 Bi2 Br9 nanocrystals inside vertical channels of porous insulated silica thin sheets (CBB@SBA(⊥)) for photocatalytic nitric oxide (NO) abatement. The ordered one-dimensional (1D) pore channels with mere 70 nm channel length provide a highly accessible confined space for catalytic reactions. A record-breaking NO conversion efficiency of 98.2 % under a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 3.0×106  mL g-1 h-1 , as well as exceptionally high stability over 14 h and durability over a wide humidity range (RH=15-90 %) was realized over SBA(⊥) confined Cs3 Bi2 Br9 , well beyond its nonconfined analogue and the Cs3 Bi2 Br9 confine in Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA-15). Mechanism studies suggested that the insulated pore channels of SBA(⊥) in CBB@SBA(⊥) endow concentrated electron field and enhanced mass transfer that render high exposure of reactive species and lower reaction barrier needs for ⋅O2 - formation and NO oxidation, as well as prevents structural degradation of Cs3 Bi2 Br9 . This work expands an innovative strategy for designing efficient photocatalysts for air pollution remediation.

tRF3-IleAAT reduced extracellular matrix synthesis in diabetic kidney disease mice by targeting ZNF281 and inhibiting ferroptosis.

It is well established that the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) in mesangial cells is a major determinant of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Elucidating the major players in ECM synthesis may be helpful to provide promising candidates for protecting against DKD progression. tRF3-IleAAT is a tRNA-derived fragment (tRF) produced by nucleases at tRNA-specific sites, which is differentially expressed in the sera of patients with diabetes mellitus and DKD. In this study we investigated the potential roles of tRFs in DKD. Db/db mice at 12 weeks were adapted as a DKD model. The mice displayed marked renal dysfunction accompanied by significantly reduced expression of tRF3-IleAAT and increased ferroptosis and ECM synthesis in the kidney tissues. The reduced expression of tRF3-IleAAT was also observed in high glucose-treated mouse glomerular mesangial cells. We administered ferrostatin-1 (1 mg/kg, once every two days, i.p.) to the mice from the age of 12 weeks for 8 weeks, and found that inhibition of the onset of ferroptosis significantly improved renal function, attenuated renal fibrosis and reduced collagen deposition. Overexpression of tRF3-IleAAT by a single injection of AAV carrying tRF3-IleAAT via caudal vein significantly inhibited ferroptosis and ECM synthesis in DKD model mice. Furthermore, we found that the expression of zinc finger protein 281 (ZNF281), a downstream target gene of tRF3-IleAAT, was significantly elevated in DKD models but negatively regulated by tRF3-IleAAT. In high glucose-treated mesangial cells, knockdown of ZNF281 exerted an inhibitory effect on ferroptosis and ECM synthesis. We demonstrated the targeted binding of tRF3-IleAAT to the 3'UTR of ZNF281. In conclusion, tRF3-IleAAT inhibits ferroptosis by targeting ZNF281, resulting in the mitigation of ECM synthesis in DKD models, suggesting that tRF3-IleAAT may be an attractive therapeutic target for DKD.

High-performance monolayer MoS2nanosheet GAA transistor.

In this article, a 0.7 nm thick monolayer MoS2nanosheet gate-all-around field effect transistors (NS-GAAFETs) with conformal high-κmetal gate deposition are demonstrated. The device with 40 nm channel length exhibits a high on-state current density of ~410µAµm-1with a large on/off ratio of 6 × 108at drain voltage = 1 V. The extracted contact resistance is 0.48 ± 0.1 kΩµm in monolayer MoS2NS-GAAFETs, thereby showing the channel-dominated performance with the channel length scaling from 80 to 40 nm. The successful demonstration of device performance in this work verifies the integration potential of transition metal dichalcogenides for future logic transistor applications.

Printed Divisional Optical Biochip for Multiplex Visualizable Exosome Analysis at Point-of-Care.

Rapid detection of various exosomes is of great significance in early diagnosis and postoperative monitoring of cancers. Here, a divisional optical biochip is reported for multiplex exosome analysis via combining the self-assembly of nanochains and precise surface patterning. Arising from resonance-induced near-field enhancement, the nanochains show distinct color changes after capturing target exosomes for direct visual detection. Then, a series of divisional nanochain-based biochips conjugated with several specific antibodies are fabricated through designed hydrophilic and hydrophobic patterns. Because of the significant wettability difference, one sample droplet is precisely self-splitting into several microdroplets enabling simultaneous identification of multiple target exosomes in 30 min with a sensitivity of 6 × 107 particles mL-1 , which is about two orders lower than enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Apart from the trace amount detection, excellent semiquantitative capability is demonstrated to distinguish clinical exosomes from glioblastoma patients and healthy people. This method is simple, versatile, and highly efficient that can be extended as a diagnostic tool for many diseases, promoting the development of liquid biopsy.

Effect of galvanic vestibular stimulation on stroke patients with lateropulsion / 中国康复理论与实践

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of galvanic vestibular stimulation on stroke patients with lateropulsion. MethodsFrom February to October, 2023, 30 stroke patients with lateropulsion in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were divided into control group (n = 15) and experimental group (n = 15) randomly. The control group received routine rehabilitation and sham galvanic vestibular stimulation, and the experimental group received routine rehabilitation and true galvanic vestibular stimulation, for two weeks. They were assessed with Scale for Contraversive Pushing (SCP), subjective visual vertical (SVV), Line Cancellation Test (LCT), Star Cancellation Test (SCT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Holden Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) and Barthel Index (BI) before and after treatment. ResultsAll the indexes improved in both groups after intervention (|t| > 2.461, Z > 3.000, P < 0.05), except the SVV orientation, SVV certainty and SCT in the control group; while the SCP, SVV certainty, LCT and FAC were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.189, Z = -2.862, P < 0.05), and the differences before and after intervention were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.382, P < 0.05), except LCT. SCP was correlated with SVV orientation, SVV certainty, SCT, BBS, BI and FAC (|r| > 0.381, P < 0.05). ConclusionGalvanic vestibular stimulation can improve the lateropulsion, balance, walking function and activities of daily living in stroke patients, which may be related to improvement for spatial cognitive function, especially vertical perception.

Association of sugar sweetened beverage consumption with insomnia and depressive symptoms among first grade middle school students from Yunnan Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the association of sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption with insomnia and depressive symptoms among first grade middle school students from Yunnan Province, so as to provide evidence to guide interventions for the treatment of these symptoms in this population.@*Methods@#From October to December 2022, 8 500 firstgrade middle school students from 11 counties in Yunnan Province were selected by cluster random sampling. Depressive symptoms, SSB consumption, and insomnia symptoms among students were evaluated by the Child Depression Scale (CDI), dietary frequency questionnaire, and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). A Logistic regression model was employed to analyze the relationship between SSB consumption, insomnia, depressive symptoms, and their interaction effects among students.@*Results@#The detection rate of depressive symptoms was 28.3%, and having insomnia symptoms ( OR=6.07, 95%CI =5.46-6.75), consuming carbonated beverages ( OR=1.20, 95%CI =1.08-1.34), tea ( OR=1.13, 95%CI =1.02-1.25), energy drinks ( OR=1.36, 95%CI =1.23-1.50), and other beverages ( OR=1.32, 95%CI =1.19-1.45) were positively correlated with depressive symptoms among first grade middle school students ( P < 0.05). Carbonated beverages (additive effect: OR=2.96, 95%CI =2.72-3.22, multiplicative effect: OR=4.75, 95%CI =4.25- 5.32 ), fruit drinks (additive effect: OR=2.61, 95%CI =2.40-2.82; multiplicative effect: OR=4.43, 95%CI =3.94-4.97), tea (additive effect: OR=2.70, 95%CI =2.47-2.89; multiplicative effect: OR=4.34, 95%CI =3.86-4.89), energy drinks (additive effect: OR=2.82, 95%CI =2.61-3.05; multiplicative effect: OR=4.48, 95%CI =3.92-5.12), sweetened milk (additive effect: OR= 2.73, 95%CI =2.06-2.96; multiplicative effect: OR=4.61, 95%CI =4.12-5.17) and other beverages (additive effect: OR= 2.73 , 95%CI =2.53-2.95; multiplicative effect: OR=4.56, 95%CI =4.00-5.20) had both additive and multiplicative effects with insomnia, and increased the risk of depressive symptoms in first grade middle school students ( P <0.01).@*Conclusions@#The interaction between the consumption of SSB and insomnia symptoms may increase the risk of depressive symptoms among first grade middle school students in Yunnan Province. It is necessary to advocate middle school students to reduce SSB intake, in order to decrease the occurrence of depressive symptoms among this population.

Decision tree model of depressive symptoms among first grade students from multi ethnic middle schools in Yunnan Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the occurrence and predictive factors of depressive symptoms among multi ethnic middle school students in Yunnan Province, so as to provide a referential framework for schools to carry out targeted mental health education.@*Methods@#From October to December 2022, 8 500 first grade students from 23 middle schools were selected from 11 minority areas in Yunnan Province by cluster random sampling method. Demographic information and data relating to the students lifestyles were collected by questionnaire, and the Children s Depression Inventory (CDI) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms. Chi square test was performed to compare differences in the detection rate of depressive symptoms among first grade middle school students for univariate analysis. A decision tree model of depressive symptoms in middle school students was established by using the Chi squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID).@*Results@#The detection rate of depressive symptoms among first grade students from multi ethnic middle schools in Yunnan Province was 28.26%. The decision tree model of depressive symptoms was academic stress ( χ 2=469.08) at the first level, breakfast behaviors (low/moderate academic stress: χ 2=155.49; severe academic stress: χ 2=105.24) at the second level, and the number of close friends (low/moderate academic stress and consuming breakfast 0- 2 days weekly: χ 2=23.15; low/moderate academic stress and consuming breakfast 3-4 days weekly: χ 2=14.99; severe academic stress and consuming breakfast 0-2 days weekly: χ 2=29.26; severe academic stress and consuming breakfast 3-4 days weekly: χ 2=20.15), ethnicity ( χ 2=78.22) and drinking ( χ 2=50.36) at the third level ( P <0.01).@*Conclusions@#The study identifies academic stress, breakfast behaviors, number of close friends, drinking and ethnicity as predictive factors of depressive symptoms among multi ethnic middle school students in Yunnan Province. Schools should develop targeted strategies for preventing and managing depressive symptoms in middle school students, so as to reduce their occurrence.

[Effect and mechanism of Jiming Powder on myocardial fibrosis in mice with myocardial infarction].

Jiming Powder is a traditional ancient prescription with good therapeutic effect in the treatment of heart failure, but its mechanism lacks further exploration. In this study, a mouse model of coronary artery ligation was used to evaluate the effect and mechanism of Jiming Powder on myocardial fibrosis in mice with myocardial infarction. The study constructed a mouse model of heart failure after myocardial infarction using the method of left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. The efficacy of Jiming Powder was evaluated from multiple angles, including ultrasound imaging, hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, Masson staining, Sirius Red staining, and serum myocardial enzyme spectrum detection. Western blot analysis was performed to detect key proteins involved in ventricular remodeling, including transforming growth factor-ß1(TGF-ß1), α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 3a(Wnt3a), ß-catenin, matrix metallopeptidase 2(MMP2), matrix metallopeptidase 3(MMP3), TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1(TIMP1), and TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 2(TIMP2). The results showed that compared with the model group, the high and low-dose Jiming Powder significantly reduced the left ventricular internal diameter in systole(LVID;s) and diastole(LVID;d), increased the left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS), effectively improved cardiac function in mice after myocardial infarction, and effectively reduced the levels of myocardial injury markers such as creatine kinase(CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme(CK-MB), and lactic dehydrogenase(LDH), thus protecting ischemic myocardium. HE staining showed that Jiming Powder could attenuate myocardial inflammatory cell infiltration after myocardial infarction. Masson and Sirius Red staining demonstrated that Jiming Powder effectively inhibited myocardial fibrosis, reduced the collagen Ⅰ/Ⅲ ratio in myocardial tissues, and improved collagen remodeling after myocardial infarction. Western blot results showed that Jiming Powder reduced the expression of TGF-ß1, α-SMA, Wnt3a, and ß-catenin, decreased the levels of MMP2, MMP3, and TIMP2, and increased the level of TIMP1, suggesting its role in inhibiting cardiac fibroblast transformation, reducing extracellular matrix metabolism in myocardial cells, and lowering collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA content, thus exerting an anti-myocardial fibrosis effect after myocardial infarction. This study revealed the role of Jiming Powder in improving ventricular remodeling and treating myocardial infarction, laying the foundation for further research on the pharmacological effect of Jiming Powder.

Dipole field in nitrogen-enriched carbon nitride with external forces to boost the artificial photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide.

Artificial photosynthesis is a promising strategy for efficient hydrogen peroxide production, but the poor directional charge transfer from bulk to active sites restricts the overall photocatalytic efficiency. To address this, a new process of dipole field-driven spontaneous polarization in nitrogen-rich triazole-based carbon nitride (C3N5) to harness photogenerated charge kinetics for hydrogen peroxide production is constructed. Here, C3N5 achieves a hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis rate of 3809.5 µmol g-1 h-1 and a 2e- transfer selectivity of 92% under simulated sunlight and ultrasonic forces. This high performance is attributed to the introduction of rich nitrogen active sites of the triazole ring in C3N5, which brings a dipole field. This dipole field induces a spontaneous polarization field to accelerate a rapid directional electron transfer process to nitrogen active sites and therefore induces Pauling-type adsorption of oxygen through an indirect 2e- transfer pathway to form hydrogen peroxide. This innovative concept using a dipole field to harness the migration and transport of photogenerated carriers provides a new route to improve photosynthesis efficiency via structural engineering.

Satellite cell-derived exosome-mediated delivery of microRNA-23a/27a/26a cluster ameliorates the renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis in mouse diabetic nephropathy.

Renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) is considered as the final convergent pathway of diabetic nephropathy (DN) without effective therapies currently. MiRNAs play a key role in fibrotic diseases and become promising therapeutic targets for kidney diseases, while miRNA clusters, formed by the cluster arrangement of miRNAs on chromosomes, can regulate diverse biological functions alone or synergistically. In this study, we developed clustered miR-23a/27a/26a-loaded skeletal muscle satellite cells-derived exosomes (Exos) engineered with RVG peptide, and investigated their therapeutic efficacy in a murine model of DN. Firstly, we showed that miR-23a-3p, miR-26a-5p and miR-27a-3p were markedly decreased in serum samples of DN patients using miRNA sequencing. Meanwhile, we confirmed that miR-23a-3p, miR-26a-5p and miR-27a-3p were primarily located in proximal renal tubules and highly negatively correlated with TIF in db/db mice at 20 weeks of age. We then engineered RVG-miR-23a/27a/26a cluster loaded Exos derived from muscle satellite cells, which not only enhanced the stability of miR-23a/27a/26a cluster, but also efficiently delivered more miR-23a/27a/26a cluster homing to the injured kidney. More importantly, administration of RVG-miR-23a/27a/26a-Exos (100 µg, i.v., once a week for 8 weeks) significantly ameliorated tubular injury and TIF in db/db mice at 20 weeks of age. We revealed that miR-23a/27a/26a-Exos enhanced antifibrotic effects by repressing miRNA cluster-targeting Lpp simultaneously, as well as miR-27a-3p-targeting Zbtb20 and miR-26a-5p-targeting Klhl42, respectively. Knockdown of Lpp by injection of AAV-Lpp-RNAi effectively ameliorated the progression of TIF in DN mice. Taken together, we established a novel kidney-targeting Exo-based delivery system by manipulating the miRNA-23a/27a/26a cluster to ameliorate TIF in DN, thus providing a promising therapeutic strategy for DN.