A specific enterotype derived from gut microbiome of older individuals enables favorable responses to immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but inconsistent responses persist. Our study delves into the intriguing phenomenon of enhanced immunotherapy sensitivity in older individuals with cancers. Through a meta-analysis encompassing 25 small-to-mid-sized trials of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), we demonstrate that older individuals exhibit heightened responsiveness to ICB therapy. To understand the underlying mechanism, we reanalyze single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from multiple studies and unveil distinct upregulation of exhausted and cytotoxic T cell markers within the tumor microenvironment (TME) of older patients. Recognizing the potential role of gut microbiota in modulating the efficacy of immunotherapy, we identify an aging-enriched enterotype linked to improved immunotherapy outcomes in older patients. Fecal microbiota transplantation experiments in mice confirm the therapeutic potential of the aging-enriched enterotype, enhancing treatment sensitivity and reshaping the TME. Our discoveries confront the prevailing paradox and provide encouraging paths for tailoring cancer immunotherapy strategies according to an individual's gut microbiome profile.

The complex of tannic acid and cetylpyridinium chloride: An antibacterial and stain-removal cleaner for aligners.

INTRODUCTION: Effective aligner hygiene is recognized as an important part of orthodontic treatments and oral hygiene. However, there is no effective cleansing method for removable aligners. METHODS: In this study, we incorporated tannic acid (TA) with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) to develop the TA-CPC complex. The antibacterial properties of 15.8 mg/mL TA-CPC against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated in vitro, which were compared with 5.1 mg/mL TA, 10.7 mg/mL CPC, a commercial denture cleansing solution (YA; 15 mg/mL), and water. As for the assessment of stain-removal ability, the aligners stained by coffee were soaked in cleansing solutions, and the color changes (ΔE∗) were calculated on the basis of the CIE L∗a∗b∗ color system, and the National Bureau of Standards system was used for the clinical interpretation of the color change. Atomic force microscope examination, tensile property assessment, and wavelength dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis were performed to investigate the material compatibility of TA-CPC, and Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and live/dead assay were used to test the cytotoxicity of TA-CPC. RESULTS: The results showed that TA-CPC had a positive zeta-potential, and cation-π interaction changed the chemical environments of the phenyl group in TA-CPC, resulting in greater inhibition zones of S. aureus and E. coli than other cleaners. The quantification of the biofilm biomass and the fluorescent intensities also reflected that the TA-CPC solution exhibited better antibacterial ability. As for the ability of stain removal, ΔE∗ value of group TA-CPC was 2.84 ± 0.55, whereas those of stained aligners immersed with deionized distilled water, TA, YA, and CPC were 10.26 ± 0.04, 9.54 ± 0.24, 5.93 ± 0.36, and 4.69 ± 0.35, respectively. The visual inspection and National Bureau of Standards ratings also showed that the color of stained aligners cleansed by TA-CPC was much lighter than those of the other groups. Meanwhile, TA-CPC had good compatibility with the aligner material and cells. CONCLUSIONS: TA-CPC is a promising strategy to inhibit the formation of biofilms and remove the stains on the aligners safely, which may disinfect the aligners to improve oral health and help keep the transparent appearances of aligners without impacting the morphology and mechanical properties.

Multi-functionalized carbon nanotubes towards green fabrication of heterogeneous catalyst platforms with enhanced catalytic properties under NIR light irradiation.

Metal/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been attractive hybrid systems due to their high specific surface area and exceptional catalytic activity, but their challenging synthesis and dispersion impede their extensive applications. Herein, we report a facile and green approach towards the fabrication of metal/CNT composites, which utilizes a versatile glycopeptide (GP) both as a stabilizer for CNTs in water and as a reducing agent for noble metal ions. The abundant hydrogen bonds in GP endow the formed GP-CNTs with excellent plasticity, enabling the availability of polymorphic CNT species from dispersion to viscous paste, gel, and even to dough by increasing their concentration. The GP molecules can reduce metal precursors at room temperature without additional reducing agents, enabling the in situ immobilization of metal nanoparticles (e.g. Au, Ag, Pt, and Pd) on the CNT surface. The combination of the excellent catalytic properties of Pd particles with photothermal conversion capability of CNTs makes the Pd/CNT composite a promising catalyst for the fast degradation of organic pollutants, as demonstrated by a model catalytic reaction using 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The conversion of 4-NP using the Pd/CNT composite as the catalyst has increased by 1.6-fold under near infrared light illumination, benefiting from the strong light-to-heat conversion effect of CNTs. Our proposed strategy opens a new avenue for the synthesis of CNT composites as a sustainable and versatile catalyst platform.

Nickel Oxide Decorated Halloysite Nanotubes as Sulfur Host Materials for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries with high energy density still confront many challenges, such as polysulfide dissolution, the large volume change of sulfur, and fast capacity fading in long-term cycling. Herein, a naturally abundant clay material, halloysite, is introduced as a sulfur host material in the cathode of Li-S batteries. Nickel oxide nanoparticles are embedded into the halloysite nanotubes (NiO@Halloysite) by hydrothermal and calcination treatment to improve the affinity of halloysite nanotubes to polysulfides. The NiO@Halloysite composite loaded with sulfur (S/NiO@Halloysite) is employed as the cathode of Li-S batteries, which combines the physical confinements of tubular halloysite particles and good chemical adsorption ability of NiO. The S/NiO@Halloysite electrode exhibits a high discharge capacity of 1205.47 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C. In addition, it demonstrates enhanced cycling stability, retaining ≈60% of initial capacity after 450 cycles at 0.5 C. The synthesized NiO@Halloysite can provide a promising prospect and valuable insight into applying natural clay materials in Li-S batteries.

Enhanced Tripartite Interactions in Spin-Magnon-Mechanical Hybrid Systems.

Coherent tripartite interactions among degrees of freedom of completely different nature are instrumental for quantum information and simulation technologies, but they are generally difficult to realize and remain largely unexplored. Here, we predict a tripartite coupling mechanism in a hybrid setup comprising a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center and a micromagnet. We propose to realize direct and strong tripartite interactions among single NV spins, magnons, and phonons via modulating the relative motion between the NV center and the micromagnet. Specifically, by introducing a parametric drive (two-phonon drive) to modulate the mechanical motion (such as the center-of-mass motion of a NV spin in diamond trapped in an electrical trap or a levitated micromagnet in a magnetic trap), we can obtain a tunable and strong spin-magnon-phonon coupling at the single quantum level, with up to 2 orders of magnitude enhancement for the tripartite coupling strength. This enables, for example, tripartite entanglement among solid-state spins, magnons, and mechanical motions in quantum spin-magnonics-mechanics with realistic experimental parameters. This protocol can be readily implemented with the well-developed techniques in ion traps or magnetic traps and could pave the way for general applications in quantum simulations and information processing based on directly and strongly coupled tripartite systems.

Poly(ionic liquid) nanovesicles via polymerization induced self-assembly and their stabilization of Cu nanoparticles for tailored CO2 electroreduction.

Herein, we report a straightforward, scalable synthetic route towards poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) homopolymer nanovesicles (NVs) with a tunable particle size of 50 to 120 nm and a shell thickness of 15 to 60 nm via one-step free radical polymerization induced self-assembly. By increasing monomer concentration for polymerization, their nanoscopic morphology can evolve from hollow NVs to dense spheres, and finally to directional worms, in which a multilamellar packing of PIL chains occurred in all samples. The transformation mechanism of NVs' internal morphology is studied in detail by coarse-grained simulations, revealing a correlation between the PIL chain length and the shell thickness of NVs. To explore their potential applications, PIL NVs with varied shell thickness are in situ functionalized with ultra-small (1 âˆ¼ 3 nm in size) copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) and employed as electrocatalysts for CO2 electroreduction. The composite electrocatalysts exhibit a 2.5-fold enhancement in selectivity towards C1 products (e.g., CH4), compared to the pristine CuNPs. This enhancement is attributed to the strong electronic interactions between the CuNPs and the surface functionalities of PIL NVs. This study casts new aspects on using nanostructured PILs as new electrocatalyst supports in CO2 conversion to C1 products.

miR-20a-5p regulated SMAD6 to inhibit chondrogenesis of hDPSCs.

OBJECTIVES: Chondrogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) is highly promising for cartilage repair. The specific mechanism, however, still needs to be explicated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we isolated hDPSCs and transfected cells with lentiviruses containing an over-expression, knock-down, or negative control of miR-20a-5p. Three-D pellet cultures of hDPSCs were used for the chondrogenic induction. Following the pellet culture period, chondrogenesis was assessed by histological and immunohistochemical analysis and expression of chondrogenic-related genes. Dual-luciferase report assay was performed to determine potential targeted genes of miR-20a-5p, and the phosphorylation levels of P65 and IκBα were explored. Animal experiments were performed to determine the effect of miR-20a-5p on cartilage regeneration. RESULTS: miR-20a-5p was showed to repress the expression of SMAD6 to inhibit the chondrogenic differentiation of hDPSCs. Accordingly, the knock-down of miR-20a-5p promoted cartilage regeneration in the osteochondral defects of rats. Mechanically, it is indicated that NF-κB signaling is the potential down-stream network of miR-20a-5p/Smad6 crosstalk during chondrogenic differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: miR-20a-5p could target SMAD6 to activate NF-κB signaling pathway, and thus inhibit chondrogenesis of hDPSCs, which provided promising therapeutic target for cartilage defects clinically.

miR-17-92 cluster in osteoarthritis: Regulatory roles and clinical utility.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent articular disease, especially in aged population. Caused by multi-factors (e.g., trauma, inflammation, and overloading), OA leads to pain and disability in affected joints, which decreases patients' quality of life and increases social burden. In pathophysiology, OA is mainly characterized by cartilage hypertrophy or defect, subchondral bone sclerosis, and synovitis. The homeostasis of cell-cell communication is disturbed as well in such pro-inflammatory microenvironment, which provides clues for the diagnosis and treatment of OA. MicoRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs that regulate various processes via post-transcriptional mechanisms. The miR-17-92 cluster is an miRNA polycistron encoded by the host gene called MIR17HG. Mature miRNAs generated from MIR17HG participate in biological activities such as oncogenesis, neurogenesis, and modulation of the immune system. Accumulating evidence also indicates that the expression level of miRNAs in the miR-17-92 cluster is tightly related to the pathological processes of OA, such as chondrocyte apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation, bone remodeling, and synovitis. In this review, we aim to summarize the roles of the miR-17-92 cluster in the underlying molecular mechanism during the development and progression of OA and shed light on the new avenue of the diagnosis and treatment of OA.

Drug delivery systems for treatment of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.

The number of people suffering from temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) has been increasing. TMJOA cause joint noise, pain on TMJ and/or masticatory muscles, and restricted mandibular movement, which disturb eating, laughing and conversation, and impose serious lifestyle impediments. Chondrocyte apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation, synovitis, and subchondral bone remodeling are the main pathological features of TMJOA. Various drug delivery systems are developed to controlled release at specific activation sites with high bioactivity and inhibit rapid dilution to enable long-term therapeutic response, which present great potential for the treatment of TMJOA. This review focuses on recently developed drug delivery systems by different administration in the TMJOA treatment, and summarizes their effects, duration, safety, and limitations, which would pave the way for development of TMJOA therapy.

Poly(ionic liquid) Nanovesicle-Templated Carbon Nanocapsules Functionalized with Uniform Iron Nitride Nanoparticles as Catalytic Sulfur Host for Li-S Batteries.

Poly(ionic liquid)s (PIL) are common precursors for heteroatom-doped carbon materials. Despite a relatively higher carbonization yield, the PIL-to-carbon conversion process faces challenges in preserving morphological and structural motifs on the nanoscale. Assisted by a thin polydopamine coating route and ion exchange, imidazolium-based PIL nanovesicles were successfully applied in morphology-maintaining carbonization to prepare carbon composite nanocapsules. Extending this strategy further to their composites, we demonstrate the synthesis of carbon composite nanocapsules functionalized with iron nitride nanoparticles of an ultrafine, uniform size of 3-5 nm (termed "FexN@C"). Due to its unique nanostructure, the sulfur-loaded FexN@C electrode was tested to efficiently mitigate the notorious shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in Li-S batteries. The cavity of the carbon nanocapsules was spotted to better the loading content of sulfur. The well-dispersed iron nitride nanoparticles effectively catalyze the conversion of LiPSs to Li2S, owing to their high electronic conductivity and strong binding power to LiPSs. Benefiting from this well-crafted composite nanostructure, the constructed FexN@C/S cathode demonstrated a fairly high discharge capacity of 1085 mAh g-1 at 0.5 C initially, and a remaining value of 930 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles. In addition, it exhibits an excellent rate capability with a high initial discharge capacity of 889.8 mAh g-1 at 2 C. This facile PIL-to-nanocarbon synthetic approach is applicable for the exquisite design of complex hybrid carbon nanostructures with potential use in electrochemical energy storage and conversion.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of gingival crevicular fluids to identify novel biomarkers of gingival recession in orthodontic patients.

OBJECTIVE: To identify gingival recession-related biomarkers in orthodontic patients, we compared the proteome of gingival crevicular fluids (GCF) from healthy gingiva without orthodontic treatment (GH), healthy gingiva undergoing orthodontic treatment (OGH), and recessed gingiva undergoing orthodontic treatment (OGR). METHODS: GCF samples were obtained from the anterior teeth of 15 volunteers (n = 5/group). Quantitative proteomic analysis was performed using DIA-based liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were used to annotate differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to detect and filter biomarker candidates, while Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) Networks were utilized to determine the interactions between these DEPs. RESULTS: A total of 253, 238, and 101 DEPs were found in OGR vs. OGH, OGR vs. GH, and OGH vs. GH groups, respectively. Based on the Venn diagram of three groups, 128 DEPs in OGR vs. OGH group were identified as specific proteins associated with progressive gingival recession (GR) during orthodontic treatment. Molecular function analysis showed that 128 DEPs were enriched in "molecular binding", including antigen binding, RNA binding, double-stranded RNA binding, cadherin binding involved in cell-cell adhesion, vinculin binding, S100 protein binding, and Ral GTPase binding. The majority of these DEPs were also involved in cytoskeletal regulation. In addition, biological process analysis showed an enrichment in translation, while cellular component analysis indicated that 128 DEPs were related to extracellular exosome. Furthermore, Ribosome and Phagosome were the top two terms in KEGG analysis. The results of ROC analysis demonstrated that 26 proteins could be potential biomarker candidates for GR. PPI networks analysis predicted that IQGAP1, ACTN1, TLN1, VASP, FN1, FERMT3, MYO1C, RALA, RPL35, SEC61G, KPNB1, and NPM1 could be involved in the development of GR via cytoskeletal regulation. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we identified several GCF proteins associated with GR after orthodontic treatment. These findings could contribute to the prevention of GR in susceptible patients before the initiation of orthodontic treatment. SIGNIFICANCE: Orthodontic patients with GR often report esthetic defects or root hypersensitivity during orthodontic treatment, especially at the anterior teeth site. GCF, rich in protein, is an easily accessible source of potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of periodontal diseases; however, little is known about the changes in GCF proteome associated with GR in orthodontic patients. In this study we firstly used DIA-based LC-MS/MS to evaluate the proteome and to identify the biomarker candidates for GR in orthodontic patients. These findings will improve our understanding of GR during orthodontic treatment, and could contribute to an earlier diagnosis, or even prevention, of GR in susceptible populations before orthodontic treatment.

Regulatory mechanism of miR-20a-5p expression in Cancer.

MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are non-coding single-stranded RNA molecules encoded by endogenous genes with a length of about 22 nucleotides. The dysregulation of miRNAs has been proven to be one of the vital causes of cancer, which makes them a biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Compared with surgery and chemotherapy, nucleic acid therapy targeting specific miRNAs is a promising candidate for cancer treatment. miR-20a-5p plays an anticancer role in high-incidence human cancers such as cervical cancer, breast cancer and leukemia, which is of great importance in the diagnosis of cancers. The up-regulation and down-regulation of miR-20a-5p offers a possible breakthrough for the treatment of cancers. In this paper, we aim to investigate the functional significance of miR-20a-5p in different cancers, reviewing the expression differences of miR-20a-5p in cancer, while systematically summarizing the changes of circRNA-miR-20a-5p networks, and probe how it promotes messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation or inhibits mRNA translation to regulate downstream gene expression. We've also summarized the biogenesis mechanism of miRNAs, and emphasized its role in cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and cell migration. On this basis, we believe that miR-20a-5p is a promising and effective marker for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.

Identification of novel natural inhibitors targeting AKT Serine/Threonine Kinase 1 (AKT1) by computational study.

Despite great progress, the current cancer treatments often have obvious toxicity and side effects. and a poor prognosis (some patients). One of the reasons for the poor prognosis is that certain enzymes prevent anticancer drugs from killing tumor cells. AKT1 is involved in regulating PI3K/AKT/mTOR, a tumor-generating pathway. Ipatasertib, a highly selective inhibitor of AKT1, is widely used in the treatment of tumors. In this study, many structural and biochemical methodswere used to find better AKT1(Threonine Kinase 1) inhibitors, which laid a foundation for the further development of AKT1 inhibitors and provided new drugs for the treatment of tumors. ZINC15 database and Discovery Studio 4.5, a computer-aided drug screening software with many modules (LibDock for virtual screening, ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion) and TOPKAT (toxicity prediction module) for the toxicity and properties analysis, and MD simulation for stability prediction), were employed. CCK8 assay, ELISA assay genicity and higher tolerance to cytochrome P4502D6. MD simulations indicated they could bind with AKT1 stably in the natural environment. The cell experiment and specific assay for AKT1 inhibition showed they could inhibit the proliferation and AKT1 expression of MG63 cells (Osteosarcoma cells). Moreover, these novel compounds with structural modifications can be potential contributors that lead to further rational drug design for targeting AKT1.AbbreviationAKT1, AKT Serine/Threonine Kinase 1; ADME, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion; TOPKAT, toxicity prediction by Computer assisted technology; CCK8, Cell Counting Kit 8; ELISA, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; CYP2D6, cytochrome P4502D6 inhibition; GBM, Glioblastoma; AGC kinase, protein kinase A, G, and C families (PKA, PKC, PKG); PKB, protein kinase B; PAM pathway, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway; OS, overall survival; PFS, progression-free survival; LD50, lethal dose half in rats; LOAEL, lowest observed adverse effect level; NPT, normal pressure and temperature; PME, particle mesh Ewald; LINCS, linear constraint solver; RMSD, root-mean-square deviation; BBB, blood-brain barrier; DS, Discovery Studio; DTP, Developmental toxicity potential; PPB, Plasma protein binding; MTD, Maximum Tolerated Dosage; AB, Aerobic Biodegradability; NTP, US. National Toxicology Program; DTP, developmental toxicity potential.

Template synthesis of dual-functional porous MoS2 nanoparticles with photothermal conversion and catalytic properties.

Advanced catalysis triggered by photothermal conversion effects has aroused increasing interest due to its huge potential in environmental purification. In this work, we developed a novel approach to the fast degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-Nip) using porous MoS2 nanoparticles as catalysts, which integrate the intrinsic catalytic property of MoS2 with its photothermal conversion capability. Using assembled polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) block copolymers as soft templates, various MoS2 particles were prepared, which exhibited tailored morphologies (e.g., pomegranate-like, hollow, and open porous structures). The photothermal conversion performance of these featured particles was compared under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. Intriguingly, when these porous MoS2 particles were further employed as catalysts for the reduction of 4-Nip, the reaction rate constant was increased by a factor of 1.5 under NIR illumination. We attribute this catalytic enhancement to the open porous architecture and light-to-heat conversion performance of the MoS2 particles. This contribution offers new opportunities for efficient photothermal-assisted catalysis.

Potential Pathogenic Genes and Mechanism of Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Study Based on WGCNA and Bioinformatics Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to explore the high-risk pathogenic driver genes for the occurrence and development of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) based on the bioinformatics method at the molecular level, to further elaborate the molecular mechanism of the pathogenesis of AS, and to provide potential biological targets for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical AS. METHODS: The gene expression profile data GSE16879 were downloaded from the GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) database, and weighted gene coexpression network analysis was performed. Highly correlated genes were divided into 14 modules, and 582 genes contained in the yellow (classic module) and 59 genes contained in grey60 (hematologic module) modules had the strongest correlation with AS. After protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, the top 20 genes with the highest scores were obtained from classic module and hematologic module, respectively. The DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery) database was used for Gene Ontology analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis to analyze the biological functions of high-risk genes related to AS. RESULTS: The results showed that the process of signal recognition particle-dependent cotranslational protein targeting to membrane, ribosome, nicotinamide adenine diphosphate hydride dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) activity, platelet activation, integrin complex, and extracellular matrix binding were enriched. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, weighted gene coexpression network analysis, an efficient system biology algorithm, was used to analyze the high-risk pathogenic driver gene of AS. We provide new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical AS and new ideas for further study.

Hyaluronan injection versus oral glucosamine and diclofenac in the treatment of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to compare the effects of 4 biweekly hyaluronan (HA) injection with glucosamine and diclofenac oral administration on TMJ OA patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included TMJ OA patients who had the treatment of 4 biweekly HA injection (group HA) or oral glucosamine hydrochloride for 3 months and diclofenac sodium for 2 weeks (group G/D), and had complete data at first-visit, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Clinical signs and symptoms were scored by anamnestic dysfunction index (Ai) and clinical dysfunction index (Di), and condylar bone changes were evaluated by CBCT scoring system. RESULTS: We included 22 patients in group HA and 20 patients in group G/D. After HA injection, Ai was decreased from 4.3 to 1.6(CI [- 4.0, - 1.4]) at 3-month follow-up, which was smaller than that in group G/D significantly. Di in group HA was declined significantly from 8.1 at first-visit to 3.6 at 3-month follow-up, while Di in group G/D scarcely changed until at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Neither HA injection nor oral glucosamine/diclofenac showed positive effect on the bone of TMJs during follow-ups with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: HA injection alleviated signs and symptoms of TMJ OA rapidly and presented superior clinical effects over oral glucosamine with diclofenac. However, both treatments did not limit the bone destruction of TMJs significantly. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This cohort study provides knowledge on the symptom relief and bone changes of TMJ OA patients when treated with HA injection or glucosamine and diclofenac oral administration.

Colloidal dispersion of poly(ionic liquid)/Cu composite particles for protective surface coating against SAR-CoV-2.

Herein, we report a waterproof anti-SARS-CoV-2 protective film prepared by spray-coating of an aqueous colloidal dispersion of poly(ionic liquid)/copper (PIL/Cu) composite nanoparticles onto a substrate. The PIL dispersion was prepared by suspension polymerization of 3-dodecyl-1-vinylimdiazolium bromide in water at 70°C. The copper acetate salt was added into the PIL nanoparticle dispersion and in situ reduced into copper nanoparticles anchoring onto the PIL nanoparticles. Despite being waterborne, the PIL in bulk is intrinsically insoluble in water and the formed coating is stable in water. The formed surface coating by PIL/copper composite nanoparticles was able to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 virions by 90.0% in 30 minutes and thus may effectively prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 through surface contact. This method may provide waterborne dispersions for a broad range of antivirus protective surface coatings for both outdoor and indoor applications.

Circular RNAs as potential regulators in bone remodeling: a narrative review.

OBJECTIVE: In this review, we focus on the recent progress of circular ribonucleic acids (circRNAs)-related molecular mechanisms in the processes of osteogenesis and osteoclastogenesis, and explore their roles in the development of bone-remodeling disorders. BACKGROUND: The well-coupled bone-formation and bone-resorption processes are vital in bone remodeling. Once the balance is disrupted, bone-remodeling disorders (e.g., osteoporosis and osteopetrosis) occur, severely affecting patients' quality of life. CircRNAs, the newly discovered members of the non-coding RNA family, have been reported to act as key checkpoints of various signaling pathways that influence osteoblasts and osteoclasts functions, thus regulating the physiological and pathological processes of bone homeostasis. METHODS: Three English and three Chinese databases [i.e., PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE (via Ovid), Chinese Biomedical Literature, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and VIP databases] were searched to June 2021 without language restrictions. Studies exploring the roles of circRNAs in key bone remodeling mediators, such as Smad-dependent bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß), Wnts, runt-related transcription factor (RUNX), forkhead boxes (FOXs), colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG), and circRNA-related bone-remodeling disorders, were included. CONCLUSIONS: Many circRNAs have been shown to promote osteogenesis and facilitate osteoclast differentiation via diverse mechanisms, and thus modulate the process of bone homeostasis. The imbalance or impairment of these two parts causes diseases, such as osteoporosis, and osteonecrosis of the femoral head, which are also closely correlated to the aberrant presence of circRNAs. Current evidence provides us with promising diagnosis and treatment methods for some bone homeostasis disorders.