Strategically constructed AlGaN doping barriers for efficient deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes.

Here, we propose a sandwich-like Si-doping scheme (undoped/Si-doped/undoped) in Al0.6Ga0.4N quantum barriers (QBs) to simultaneously promote the optoelectronic performances and reliability of deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs). Through experimental and numerical analyses, in the case of DUV-LEDs with conventional uniform Si-doping QB structure, severe operation-induced reliability degradation, including the increase of reverse leakage current (IR) and reduction of light output power (LOP), will offset the enhancement of optoelectronic performances as the Si-doping levels increase to an extent, which hinders further development of DUV-LEDs. According to a transmission electron microscope characterization and a numerical simulation, an improved interfacial quality in multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and more uniform carrier distribution within MQWs are demonstrated for our proposed Si-doping structure in comparison to the uniform Si-doping structure. Consequently, the proposed DUV-LED shows superior wall-plug efficiency (4%), IR at -6 V reduced by almost one order of magnitude, and slower LOP degradation after 168-h 100 mA-current-stress operation. This feasible doping scheme provides a promising strategy for the high-efficiency and cost-competitive DUV-LEDs.

Murine skeletal muscle satellite cells isolation and preliminary study on regulation in immune microenvironment during nurse cells formation of Trichinella spiralis infection.

As an intracellular parasitic nematode, Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) can induce the formation of nurse cells (NC) in host muscles and keep it to survive within the NC for an extended period. The formation of NC is similar to muscle cell injury and repair which lead to the arrest of satellite cells in the G2/M phase and build a suitable parasitic environment for the muscle larvae of T. spiralis. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in skeletal muscle repair through skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSC) and the host immune response during T. spiralis infection have not been fully elucidated. In this study, histopathological examination revealed that the severity of damage increased as the infection progressed in the soleus muscle. SMSCs were isolated from BALB/c mice infected with T. spiralis at 4, 21 and 35 days post-infection (dpi). The immunological characteristics of these cells were analyzed by real-time PCR and flow cytometry (FCM). FCM analysis revealed a notable increase in the expression of B7 homolog 1 (B7-H1) in SMSCs following T. spiralis infection, while conversely, the expression of inducible costimulatory ligand (ICOSL) significantly decreased. Furthermore, real-time PCR results showed that toll like receptor 3 (TLR3) expression in SMSCs of the infected mice was upregulated at 21 dpi. The expression levels of three subtypes (PPARα, PPARß and PPARγ) of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) also increased in the cells. This study highlights the immunological regulation significance of SMSCs host during T. spiralis infection and suggests that SMSCs actively participant in the local immune response to T. spiralis by regulating the interaction between the parasite and the host.

Actively tunable and switchable terahertz metamaterials with multi-band perfect absorption and polarization conversion.

In this paper, we theoretically present and numerically demonstrate an actively tunable and switchable multi-functional metamaterial based on vanadium dioxide (VO2) and graphene in the terahertz region. When VO2 is in the metallic phase, the proposed metamaterial serves as a multi-band perfect absorber, which exhibits the characteristics of insensitive polarization and robust tolerance for variations of the incidence angle. When VO2 is in the insulator phase, the proposed metamaterial acts as a polarization converter, which can simultaneously achieve perfect linear-to-linear and linear-to-circular polarization conversions. The simulation results show the cross-polarization conversion rate can reach ∼100% at the frequency region from 6.09 to 6.43 THz as well as 8.15 THz. Moreover, the ellipticity of linear-to-circular polarization conversion reaches ±1 at frequencies of 5.75 and 8.34 THz, respectively, which means the linear polarization waves can be completely converted into circular polarization waves. The proposed metamaterial provides new insight for the design of optoelectronic devices with multi-functionality in the terahertz region.

Impact of Three Thiazolidinone Compounds with Piperine Skeletons on Trehalase Activity and Development of Spodoptera frugiperda Larvae.

Trehalases (TREs) are pivotal enzymes involved in insect development and reproduction, making them prime targets for pest control. We investigated the inhibitory effect of three thiazolidinones with piperine skeletons (6a, 7b, and 7e) on TRE activity and assessed their impact on the growth and development of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda. The compounds were injected into FAW larvae, while the control group was treated with 2% DMSO solvent. All three compounds effectively inhibited TRE activity, resulting in a significant extension of the pupal development stage. Moreover, the treated larvae exhibited significantly decreased survival rates and a higher incidence of abnormal phenotypes related to growth and development compared to the control group. These results suggest that these TRE inhibitors affect the molting of larvae by regulating the chitin metabolism pathway, ultimately reducing their survival rates. Consequently, these compounds hold potential as environmentally friendly insecticides.

Mechanism of acacetin regulating hepatic stellate cell apoptosis based on network pharmacology and experimental verification.

Background: Hepatic fibrosis is caused by various liver diseases and eventually develops into liver cancer. There is no specific drug approved for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis in the world. Acacetin (AC), a natural flavonoid, is widely present in nature in various plants, such as black locust, Damiana, Silver birch. It has been reported that acacetin can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells and induce apoptosis. Purpose: In this study, we investigated the effect of acacetin on hepatic stellate cell apoptosis, thereby improving hepatic fibrosis, and combined experimental validation and molecular docking to reveal the underlying mechanism. Result: First, we discovered that acacetin inhibited hepatic stellate cell proliferation as well as the expression of fibrosis-related proteins α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen type I 1 gene (COL1A1) in LX2 cells. Acacetin was then found to promote apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells through the caspase cascade pathway. Network pharmacology screening showed that TP53, CASP3, CASP8, BCL2, PARP1, and BAX were the most important targets related to apoptosis in the PPI network. GO and KEGG analyses of these six important targets were performed, and the top 10 enriched biological processes and related signaling pathways were revealed. Further network pharmacology analysis proved that apoptosis was involved in the biological process of acacetin's action against hepatic stellate cells. Finally, molecular docking revealed that acacetin binds to the active sites of six apoptotic targets. In vitro experiments further confirmed that acacetin could promote the apoptosis of LX2 cells by inducing the activation of P53, thereby improving hepatic fibrosis. Conclusion: acacetin induces P53 activation and promotes apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells thereby ameliorating hepatic fibrosis.

Passivating Defects via Retarding the Reaction Rate of FAI and PbI2 Enables Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

The two-step sequential deposition strategy has garnered widespread usage in the fabrication of high-performance perovskite solar cells based on FAPbI3. However, the rapid reaction between FAI and PbI2 during preparation often leads to incomplete reactions, reducing the device efficiency and stability. Herein, we introduced a multifunctional additive, 2-thiophenyl trifluoroacetone (TTA), into the FAI precursor. The incorporation of TTA has proven to be highly effective in slowing the reaction rate between FAI and PbI2, resulting in increased perovskite formation and improved efficiency and stability of the devices. TTA's CF3 groups interact with FAI via hydrogen bonding, effectively suppressing FA+ defects. The S and C═O groups share lone pair electrons with uncoordinated Pb2+, leading to a reduction in perovskite film defects and suppressing nonradiative recombination. Additionally, the CF3 groups impart hydrophobicity, protecting the perovskite film from moisture-induced erosion. As a result, the TTA-modified perovskite film achieves a Champion efficiency of 23.42% compared to the control's 21.52, with 20.58% efficiency for a 25 cm2 solar module. Remarkably, the unencapsulated Champion device retains 86% of its initial PCE after 1080 h under dark conditions (60 ± 5 °C, 35 ± 5% RH), indicating enhanced long-term stability. These findings offer a promising and cost-effective tactic for high-quality perovskite film fabrication.

Residues of chlorpyrifos in the environment induce resistance in Aedes albopictus by affecting its olfactory system and neurotoxicity.

Aedes albopictus, a virus-vector pest, is primarily controlled through the use of insecticides. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of resistance in Ae. albopictus in terms of chlorpyrifos neurotoxicity to Ae. albopictus and its effects on the olfactory system. We assessed Ca2+-Mg2+-ATP levels, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), Monoamine oxidase (MAO), odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), and olfactory receptor (OR7) gene expression in Ae. albopictus using various assays including Y-shaped tube experiments and DanioVision analysis to evaluate macromotor behavior. Our findings revealed that cumulative exposure to chlorpyrifos reduced the activity of neurotoxic Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase and ChAT enzymes in Ae. albopictus to varying degrees, suppressed MAO-B enzyme expression, altered OBPs and OR7 expression patterns, as well as affected evasive response, physical mobility, and cumulative locomotor time under chlorpyrifos stress conditions for Ae. albopictus individuals. Consequently, these changes led to decreased feeding ability, reproductive capacity, and avoidance behavior towards natural enemies in Ae. albopictus populations exposed to chlorpyrifos stressors over time. To adapt to unfavorable living environments, Ae. albopictus may develop certain tolerance mechanisms against organophosphorus pesticides. This study provides valuable insights for guiding rational insecticide usage or dosage adjustments targeting the nervous system of Ae. albopictus.

Comparative transcriptomic and metabolomics analysis of modified atmosphere responses in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

Modified atmosphere is effective in controlling Tribolium castaneum Herbst, but it has adaptations. Comprehending the potential mechanism of resistance to T. castaneum in a modified atmosphere will help advance related management methods. This study conducted a comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis to understand the physiological mechanism of T. castaneum in adapting to CO2 stress. Results showed that there were a large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in T. castaneum treated with different concentrations of CO2. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed significant enrichment of DEGs mainly in binding, catalytic activity, cell, membrane, membrane part, protein-containing complex, biological regulation, and cellular and metabolic process. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that different treatments had different effects on the metabolic pathways of T. castaneum. DEGs induced by 25% CO2 were involved in arginine and proline metabolism, and 50% air + 50% CO2 treatment affected most kinds of metabolic pathways, mainly the signal transduction pathway, including PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, neurotrophin signaling pathway, insulin signaling pathway, and thyroid hormone signaling. Ribosome and DNA replication were enriched under high CO2 stress (75% and 95%). The metabolomics revealed that different concentrations of CO2 treatments might inhibit the growth of T. castaneum through acidosis, or they may adapt to anoxic conditions through histamine and N-acetylhistamine. Multiple analyses have shown significant changes in histamine and N-acetylhistamine levels, as well as their associated genes, with increasing CO2 concentration. In conclusion, this study comprehensively revealed the molecular mechanism of T. castaneum responding to CO2 stress and provided the basis for an effectively modified atmosphere in the T. castaneum.

3D-MRI super-resolution reconstruction using multi-modality based on multi-resolution CNN.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: High-resolution (HR) MR images provide rich structural detail to assist physicians in clinical diagnosis and treatment plan. However, it is arduous to acquire HR MRI due to equipment limitations, scanning time or patient comfort. Instead, HR MRI could be obtained through a number of computer assisted post-processing methods that have proven to be effective and reliable. This paper aims to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN) based super-resolution reconstruction framework for low-resolution (LR) T2w images. METHOD: In this paper, we propose a novel multi-modal HR MRI generation framework based on deep learning techniques. Specifically, we construct a CNN based on multi-resolution analysis to learn an end-to-end mapping between LR T2w and HR T2w, where HR T1w is fed into the network to offer detailed a priori information to help generate HR T2w. Furthermore, a low-frequency filtering module is introduced to filter out the interference from HR-T1w during high-frequency information extraction. Based on the idea of multi-resolution analysis, detailed features extracted from HR T1w and LR T2w are fused at two scales in the network and then HR T2w is reconstructed by upsampling and dense connectivity module. RESULTS: Extensive quantitative and qualitative evaluations demonstrate that the proposed method enhances the recovered HR T2w details and outperforms other state-of-the-art methods. In addition, the experimental results also suggest that our network has a lightweight structure and favorable generalization performance. CONCLUSION: The results show that the proposed method is capable of reconstructing HR T2w with higher accuracy. Meanwhile, the super-resolution reconstruction results on other dataset illustrate the excellent generalization ability of the method.

Longitudinal analysis of CSF HIV RNA in untreated people with HIV: Identification of CSF controllers.

Interindividual variation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA setpoint in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and its determinants are poorly understood, but relevant for HIV neuropathology, brain reservoirs, viral escape, and reseeding after antiretroviral interruptions. Longitudinal multicentric study on demographic, clinical, and laboratory correlates of CSF HIV RNA in 2000 follow-up visits from 597 people with HIV (PWH) off antiretroviral therapy (ART) and with plasma HIV RNA > the lower limit of quantification (LLQ). Factors associated with CSF control (CSFC; CSF HIV RNA < LLQ while plasma HIV RNA > LLQ) and with CSF/plasma discordance (CSF > plasma HIV RNA > LLQ) were also assessed through mixed-effects models. Posthoc and sensitivity analyses were performed for persistent CSFC and ART-naïve participants, respectively. Over a median follow-up of 2.1 years, CSF HIV RNA was associated with CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, CSF leukocytes, blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, biomarkers of iron and lipid metabolism, serum globulins, past exposure to lamivudine, and plasma HIV RNA (model p < 0.0001). CSFC (persistent in 7.7% over 3 years) and CSF/plasma discordance (persistent in <0.01% over 1 year) were variably associated with the same parameters (model p < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses confirmed most of the previous associations in participants never exposed to ART. Persistent CSFC was associated with higher CD4+ T-cell count nadir (p < 0.001), lower serum globulins (p = 0.003), and lower CSF leukocytes (p < 0.001). Without ART, one in 13 PWH had persistently undetectable CSF HIV RNA, while persistent CSF/plasma discordance was extremely rare over years. Immune responses, inflammation, BBB permeability, and iron and lipid metabolism were all associated with HIV replication in CSF.

The causal relationship between serum metabolites and the risk of psoriasis: a Mendelian randomization and meta-analysis study.

Objective: To explore the influence of serum metabolites on the risk of psoriasis. Methods: In the initial stage, we applied Mendelian randomization to evaluate the association between 1,400 serum metabolites and the risk of psoriasis. Causal effects were primarily assessed through the Inverse-Variance Weighted method and Wald Ratio's odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals. False Discovery Rate was used for multiple comparison corrections. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using Cochran's Q Test, MR-PRESSO. MR-Steiger Test was employed to check for reverse causality. In the validation stage, we sought other sources of psoriasis GWAS data to verify the initial results and used meta-analysis to combine the effect sizes to obtain robust causal relationships. In addition, we also conducted metabolic pathway enrichment analysis on known metabolites that have a causal relationship with the risk of psoriasis in both stages. Results: In the initial stage, we identified 112 metabolites causally associated with psoriasis, including 32 metabolite ratios and 80 metabolites (69 known and 11 unknown). In the validation stage, 24 metabolites (16 known, 1 unknown, and 7 metabolite ratios) were confirmed to have a causal relationship with psoriasis onset. Meta-analysis results showed that the overall effect of combined metabolites was consistent with the main analysis in direction and robust in the causal relationship with psoriasis onset. Of the 16 known metabolites, most were attributed to lipid metabolism, with 5 as risk factors and 8 as protective factors for psoriasis. Peptidic metabolite Gamma-glutamylvaline levels had a negative causal relationship with psoriasis, while exogenous metabolite Catechol sulfate levels and amino acid 3-methylglutaconate levels had a positive causal relationship with the disease onset. The metabolites associated with psoriasis risk in the two stages are mainly enriched in the following metabolic pathways: Glutathione metabolism, Alpha Linolenic Acid and Linoleic Acid Metabolism, Biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, Arachidonic acid metabolism, Glycerophospholipid metabolism. Conclusion: Circulating metabolites may have a potential causal relationship with psoriasis risk, and targeting specific metabolites may benefit psoriasis diagnosis, disease assessment, and treatment.

Corrigendum: ATP6V0C is associated with febrile seizures and epilepsy with febrile seizures plus.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.889534.].

Low expression of lysosome-related genes KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD promote cancer cell proliferation and tumor associated M2 macrophage polarization in lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Recent research has shown that lysosomes play a critical role in the onset and progression of malignancy by regulating tumor cell death through several mechanisms. Nevertheless, the involvement of lysosome-associated genes (LSAGs) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is still not well understood. Methods: LSAGs were identified in malignant lung epithelial cells, as well as biologically and functionally annotated by the comprehensive integration of single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing data. Prognostic characterization of LSAGs was established, of which the accuracy and reliability were assessed by one-way Cox and LASSO regression. Correlations between LSAG properties and immune cell infiltration, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy were analyzed by integrated omics data. Finally, we characterized the expression of three LSAGs (KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD) in malignant lung epithelium and assessed their impact on tumor malignancy related phenotypes. Results: We identified 18 LSAGs associated with prognosis, of which 3 LSAGs were used to construct prognostic models. High-risk patients had worse survival and the model predicted it better than other clinical indicators. Based on the functional enrichment analyses, LSAGs were associated with binding and molecular activity functions, inhibition of DNA damage repair and tumor growth, IL7 signaling pathway, and glycolysis. M0 macrophages and M1 macrophages were substantially enriched in high-risk patients. Conversely, there was a considerable enrichment of resting dendritic cells and M2 macrophages in patients at low risk. We also found that risk scores predicted the outcome of immunotherapy. In vitro, we found that KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD were lowly expressed in malignant epithelial cells and patients with low expression of KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD had a higher percentage of M2 macrophage infiltration. Overexpression of KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD suppressed the proliferation and invasion of malignant cells, and M0 macrophages remarkably reduced M2 macrophage polarization and cellular secretion of pro-tumor cytokines. Conclusions: We used three LASGs-KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD-to develop and validate a predictive signature for LUAD patients. Furthermore, we found that low expression of KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD promotes lung cancer cell proliferation and invasion and M2 macrophage polarization. Our study may provide fresh perspectives for customized immunotherapy.

BMSCs-driven graphite oxide-grafted-carbon fibers reinforced polyetheretherketone composites as functional implants: in vivo biosafety and osteogenesis.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are increasingly becoming a potential treatment approach for bone injuries due to the multi-lineage differentiation potential, ability to recognize damaged tissue sites and secrete bioactive factors that can enhance tissue repair. The aim of this work was to improve osteogenesis of carbon fibers reinforced polyetheretherketone (CF/PEEK) implants through bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)-based therapy. Moreover, bioactive graphene oxide (GO) was introduced into CF/PEEK by grafting GO onto CF to boost the osteogenic efficiency of BMSCs. Subsequently, CF/PEEK was implanted into the symmetrical skull defect models of SD rats. Then in vivo biosafety and osteogenesis were evaluated. The results indicated that surface wettability of CF/PEEK was effectively improved by GO, which was beneficial for the adhesion of BMSCs. The pathological tissue sections stained with H&E showed no significant pathological change in the main organs including heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney, which indicated no acute systemic toxicity. Furthermore, bone mineralization deposition rate of CF/PEEK containing GO was 2.2 times that of pure CF/PEEK. The X-ray test showed that the surface of CF/PEEK containing GO was obviously covered by more newly formed bone tissue than pure CF/PEEK after 8 weeks of implantation. This work demonstrated that GO effectively enhanced surface bioactivity of CF/PEEK and assisted BMSCs in accelerating differentiation into bone tissue, providing a feasible strategy for improving osteogenesis of PEEK and CF/PEEK.

Melanin-mediated accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in human hair: Insights from biomonitoring and cell exposure studies.

While human hair is widely used to monitor micro-organic contaminants (MOCs), their incorporation mechanisms are poorly understood. Melanin, known to facilitate the accumulation of drugs in hair, hasn't been studied in the field of MOCs. Here, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of priority MOCs, were investigated through hair biomonitoring as well as cell exposure experiments. PAH concentrations and melanin contents were measured in black and white hairs from the same individual. The results showed that five dominant PAHs (phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene and chrysene) in black hair (0.66 ng/g - 35.1 ng/g) were significantly higher than those in white hair (0.52 ng/g - 29.6 ng/g). Melanin contents in black hair (14.9 - 48.9 ng/g) were markedly higher than in white hair (0.35 - 2.15 ng/g) and were correlated to PAH concentrations, hinting melanin-mediated accumulation of PAHs in hair. The in vitro experiment using murine melanoma cells demonstrates that PAH levels in cells were affected by melanin, suggesting the affinity of melanin to PAHs. Both biomonitoring and cell exposure experiment implicate the pivotal role of melanin in PAH accumulation in hair. Therefore, to ensure the accuracy of hair biomonitoring for MOCs, attention must be paid to the melanin content uniformity.

Risk factors for repeated percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of hemodialysis vascular access after initial intervention.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is a significant intervention to deal with occlusion and stenosis of vascular access. The study aimed to explore the risk factors of repeated PTA (re-PTA) after the initial intervention in patients undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: This retrospective study included 180 patients who underwent successful PTA for the first time between March 2016 and December 2020. Information on demographic, clinical, anatomical, and medication variables was collected. Survival curves were plotted using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the risk factors associated with re-PTA were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses. RESULTS: The primary clinical patency rates at 6, 12, and 24 months after PTA were found to be 85.2%, 70.7%, and 58.6%, respectively. The univariate Cox proportion hazards analysis revealed the association of non-antiplatelet agents (HR 2.368 95% CI 1.351 to 4.150, p = .003) and arteriovenous graft (AVG) (HR 2.096 95% CI 1.147 to 3.831, p = .016) with re-PTA. However, only non-antiplatelet therapy showed statistical significance (HR 2.368 95% CI 1.351 to 4.150, p = .003) in multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Among the patients undergoing hemodialysis, the use of antiplatelet agents was associated with a lower risk of re-PTA. Therefore, the use of antiplatelet drugs may reduce the rates of re-PTA and help in maintaining the patency of vascular access.

Mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma of the ovary.

Mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma is a new class of rare subtypes of the female reproductive system. Its clinical symptoms are similar to other types of ovarian tumors. The diagnosis is based on pathological and immunohistochemical methods. The main treatment option is surgery combined with chemotherapy. Few cases have been reported at home and abroad. We reported a case of a 45-year-old woman with a cystic solid mass in the left adnexa. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma of the left ovary and mature cystic teratoma (partial infiltration of the small intestine). This case had no specific clinical symptoms. Immunohistochemical findings showed positive results of GATA3, TTF1, CD10, ER, and PR. Paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy were given after the operation. Currently, no specific criteria are available for diagnosis and treatment of the disease. This article aims to improve the understanding of clinicians in this disease and create a basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Network pharmacology and gut microbiota insights: unraveling Shenling Baizhu powder's role in psoriasis treatment.

Background: Psoriasis, a chronic skin condition characterized by systemic inflammation and altered gut microbiota, has been a target of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for centuries. Shenling Baizhu Powder (SLBZP), a TCM formulation, holds promise for treating inflammatory diseases, but its specific role in psoriasis and impact on gut microbiota is not fully understood. Objective: This study aims to elucidate the mechanism of SLBZP in treating psoriasis, integrating component analysis, network pharmacology, and experimental validation in mice models. Methods: We commenced with a detailed component analysis of SLBZP using liquid chromatograph and mass spectrometer (LC-MS). Network pharmacology analysis was used to predict the potential action targets and pathways of SLBZP in psoriasis. An in vivo experiment was conducted with psoriasis mice models, treated with SLBZP. Therapeutic effects were assessed via symptomatology, histopathology, and immunohistochemical analysis. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: A total of 42 main components and quality markers were identified, primarily from licorice and ginseng, including flavonoids, saponins and other markers. PPI topology analysis showed that TNF, IL-6, IL-1ß, TP53 and JUN were the core DEPs. 168 signaling pathways including lipid and atherosclerosis, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway and Th17 cell differentiation were enriched by KEGG. SLBZP demonstrated significant therapeutic effects on psoriasis in mice, with alterations in skin pathology and biomarkers. Additionally, notable changes in gut microbiota composition were observed post-treatment, indicating a possible gut-skin axis involvement. Conclusion: This research has pinpointed lipid metabolism as a key pathway in the treatment of psoriasis with SLBZP. It explores how SLBZP's modulation of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism can alleviate psoriasis, suggesting that balancing gut microbiota may reduce inflammation mediators and offer therapeutic benefits. This underscores lipid metabolism modulation as a potential new strategy in psoriasis treatment.

First Insight into Fetal Exposure to Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers Revealed by Infant Hair and Meconium: Occurrence, Biotransformation, and Accumulation.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the embryonic and developmental toxicity of plasticizers. Thus, understanding the in utero biotransformation and accumulation of plasticizers is essential to assessing their fate and potential toxicity in early life. In the present study, 311 infant hair samples and 271 paired meconium samples were collected at birth in Guangzhou, China, to characterize fetal exposure to legacy and emerging plasticizers and their metabolites. Results showed that most of the target plasticizers were detected in infant hair, with medians of 9.30, 27.6, and 0.145 ng/g for phthalate esters (PAEs), organic phosphate ester (OPEs), and alternative plasticizers (APs), and 1.44, 0.313, and 0.066 ng/g for the metabolites of PAEs, OPEs, and APs, respectively. Positive correlations between plasticizers and their corresponding primary metabolites, as well as correlations among the oxidative metabolites of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH), were observed, indicating that infant hair retained the major phase-I metabolism of the target plasticizers. While no positive correlations were found in parent compounds or their primary metabolites between paired infant hair and meconium, significant positive correlations were observed among secondary oxidative metabolites of DEHP and DINCH in hair and meconium, suggesting that the primary metabolites in meconium come from hydrolysis of plasticizers in the fetus but most of the oxidative metabolites come from maternal-fetal transmission. The parent compound/metabolite ratios in infant hair showed a decreasing trend across pregnancy, suggesting in utero accumulation and deposition of plasticizers. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report in utero exposure to both parent compounds and metabolites of plasticizers by using paired infant hair and meconium as noninvasive biomonitoring matrices and provides novel insights into the fetal biotransformation and accumulation of plasticizers across pregnancy.

Novel Zn0.079V2O5·0.53H2O/Graphene aerogel as high-rate and long-life cathode materials of aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted more and more attention due to their advantages of low cost, high safety and environmental protection. Unfortunately, the unsatisfactory capacity at high current density and long-term cycling performance of cathode materials hinder the development of ZIBs. Here, a novel Zn0.079V2O5·0.53H2O/graphene (ZVOH@rGO) hybrid aerogel composed of ultrathin Zn0.079V2O5·0.53H2O (ZVOH) nanoribbons and 3D continuous graphene conductive network was successfully prepared and used as cathode of ZIBs. Taking advantage of the synergistic effects associated with ion doping, morphology control and unique aerogel structure, the ZVOH@rGO electrode demonstrated ultrafast charge/discharge capability and remarkable cycling stability: A high reversible capacity of 286.7 mAh g-1 was achieved at a current density as large as 30 A g-1, and an impressive capacity retention ratio of 75.6 % was realized over 9800 ultra-long cycles at 12 A g-1. This work is of great significance for the synthesis modification of vanadium oxides and the development of high performance ultrafast charge-discharge ZIBs.