Relationship between Peripheral Blood miR-181c, miR-101, and Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Complicated with Acute Stroke.

Objectives: To explore the relationship between peripheral blood microRNA-181c (miR-181c), microRNA-101 (miR-101), and cognitive impairment (CI) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) complicated with acute stroke (AS). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 70 patients with DM complicated with AS admitted to the hospital between January 2019 and December 2021. According to presence or absence of CI, they were divided into CI group (41 cases) and non-CI group (29 cases). The clinical characteristics and general data (blood glucose and blood lipid) of patients were statistically analyzed. The relative expression levels of miR-181c and miR-101 in peripheral blood were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The risk factors of CI were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. The diagnostic value of peripheral blood miR-181c and miR-101 for CI was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: The relative expression levels of peripheral blood miR-181c and miR-101 in the CI group were lower than those in the non-CI group (P < 0.05). The occurrence of CI was related to age, course of DM, AS location, time from onset to admission, HbA1c, TG, UA, and Hcy levels (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, AS location, HbA1c, miR-181c, and miR-101 were related influencing factors of CI in patients with DM complicated with AS (P < 0.05). The results of ROC curves analysis showed that AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of miR-181c combined with miR-101 for predicting CI were 0.865, 73.17%, and 89.66%, respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The peripheral blood miR-181c and miR-101 are low expressed in patients with DM complicated with AS, and advanced age, intracortical AS lesions, increased HbA1c, and low expression of miR-181c and miR-101 are all independent risk factors for CI in patients with DM complicated with AS. Besides, the combined detection of miR-181c and miR-101 expression has a good diagnostic value for CI.

Circular RNA circ_0021001 regulates miR-148b-3p/GREM1 axis to modulate proliferation and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is an abnormal expression in the intracranial arteries, which is related to the growth and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Circular RNA (circRNA) circ_0021001 (also named circARFIP2) has been identified to mediate the regulation of VSMCs proliferation. However, the molecular mechanism of circ_0021001 involved in VSMC dysfunction in IA is poorly defined. The expression levels of circ_0021001, microRNA-148b-3p (miR-148b-3p), and Gremlin 1 (GREM1) were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell viability, proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), and flow cytometry assays. Protein levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), p21, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 related X protein (Bax), and GREM1 were examined by western blot assay. The binding relationship between miR-148b-3p and circ_0021001 or GREM1 was predicted by StarBase and then verified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. The expression levels of circ_0021001 and GREM1 were increased, and that of miR-148b-3p was decreased in IA tissues and HUASMCs. Moreover, the downregulation of circ_0021001 could repress proliferation ability and induce apoptosis of HUASMCs. The mechanical analysis uncovered that circ_0021001 served as a sponge of miR-148b-3p to regulate GREM1 expression. Circ_0021001 silencing could suppress cell growth and induce apoptosis of HUASMCs partially through modulating the miR-148b-3p/GREM1, presented circ_0021001 as a promising therapeutic target for IA.

Synthesis, Fabrication, and Characterization of Functionalized Polydiacetylene Containing Cellulose Nanofibrous Composites for Colorimetric Sensing of Organophosphate Compounds.

Organophosphate (OP) compounds, a family of highly hazardous chemical compounds included in nerve agents and pesticides, have been linked to more than 250,000 annual deaths connected to various chronic diseases. However, a solid-state sensing system that is able to be integrated into a clothing system is rare in the literature. This study aims to develop a nanofiber-based solid-state polymeric material as a soft sensor to detect OP compounds present in the environment. Esters of polydiacetylene were synthesized and incorporated into a cellulose acetate nanocomposite fibrous assembly developed with an electrospinning technique, which was then hydrolyzed to generate more hydroxyl groups for OP binding. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Instron® tensile tester, contact angle analyzer, and UV-Vis spectroscopy were employed for characterizations. Upon hydrolysis, polydiacetylene esters in the cellulosic fiber matrix were found unaffected by hydrolysis treatment, which made the composites suitable for OP sensing. Furthermore, the nanofibrous (NF) composites exhibited tensile properties suitable to be used as a textile material. Finally, the NF composites exhibited colorimetric sensing of OP, which is visible to the naked eye. This research is a landmark study toward the development of OP sensing in a protective clothing system.

Structure and Properties of Polyamide Fabrics with Insect-Repellent Functionality by Electrospinning and Oxygen Plasma-Treated Surface Coating.

The need for light-weight and high-strength insect-repellant fabrics is of critical importance to the cessation of viral diseases. The goal of the study is to investigate the structure and properties of insect-repellent polyamide fabrics for use in protective garments to guard against mosquitos. Permethrin was applied to the polyamide fabrics through incorporation into the nylon 6 polymer solution during electrospinning and dip coating onto the control untreated and oxygen plasma-treated polyamide fabrics: electropun nylon 6 nanofiber nonwovens, commercially available nylon 6 warp knit tricot, and nylon 66 double weft, knit interlock fabrics. The incorporation of permethrin into the polymer solution before the formation of fibers demonstrated the most efficient way to apply permethrin to the fiber/fabric systems. The plasma treatment significantly increased the amount of permethrin on the surface of the fabrics. All permethrin-containing polyamide fabrics showed excellent fastness of the insecticide to light. The electrospun nylon 6 nonwovens demonstrated the best fastness to washing among the plasma-treated electrospun nylon 6, nylon 66 double weft knit, and nylon 6 warp-knit tricot. All permethrin-treated fabrics were repellent and caused higher percentage of mosquito escape compared to the control untreated fabrics.

Tunable Wettability of Biodegradable Multilayer Sandwich-Structured Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes.

This research aims to develop multilayer sandwich-structured electrospun nanofiber (ENF) membranes using biodegradable polymers. Hydrophilic regenerated cellulose (RC) and hydrophobic poly (lactic acid) (PLA)-based novel multilayer sandwich-structures were created by electrospinning on various copper collectors, including copper foil and 30-mesh copper gauzes, to modify the surface roughness for tunable wettability. Different collectors yielded various sizes and morphologies of the fabricated ENFs with different levels of surface roughness. Bead-free thicker fibers were collected on foil collectors. The surface roughness of the fine fibers collected on mesh collectors contributed to an increase in hydrophobicity. An RC-based triple-layered structure showed a contact angle of 48.2°, which is comparable to the contact angle of the single-layer cellulosic fabrics (47.0°). The polar shift of RC membranes on the wetting envelope is indicative of the possibility of tuning the wetting behavior by creating multilayer structures. Wettability can be tuned by creating multilayer sandwich structures consisting of RC and PLA. This study provides an important insight into the manipulation of the wetting behavior of polymeric ENFs in multilayer structures for applications including chemical protective clothing.

TiO2-Doped Chitosan Microspheres Supported on Cellulose Acetate Fibers for Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange.

Chitosan/cellulose acetate (CS/CA) used as a biopolymer systema, with the addition of TiO2 as photocatalyst (C-T/CA) were fabricated by alternating electrospinning/electrospraying technology. The uniform dispersion of TiO2 and its recovery after the removal of methyl orange (MO) was achieved by incorporating TiO2 in CS electrosprayed hemispheres. The effects of pH values, contact time, and the amount of TiO2 on adsorption and photocatalytic degradation for MO of the C-T/CA were investigated in detail. When TiO2 content was 3 wt %, the highest MO removal amount for fiber membranes (C-T-3/CA) reached 98% at pH value 4 and MO concentration of 40 mg/L. According to the data analysis, the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm model were well fitted to kinetic and equilibrium data of MO removal. Especially for C-T-3/CA, the fiber membrane exhibited multiple layers of adsorption. All these results indicated that adsorption caused by electrostatic interaction and photocatalytic degradation were involved in the MO removal process. This work provides a potential method for developing a novel photocatalyst with excellent catalytic activity, adsorbing capability and recycling use.

MicroRNA­130a inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasive ability of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by downregulating Rho­kinase 2.

MicroRNA­130a (miR­130a) has been reported to be downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the roles and underlying tumor­suppressive mechanisms of miR­130a in the pathogenesis of HCC remain unclear. In the current study, reduced expression of miR­130a was observed in tumor tissues of patients with HCC in addition to in four HCC cell lines, BEL­7402, MHCC97H, HepG2 and Huh7. Results of methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assays identified decreased growth rates of MHCC97H and HepG2 cells transfected with miR­130a mimics. The in vitro colony formation assays demonstrated that the number of colonies formed by cells transfected with miR­130a mimics and cells transfected with miR­130a inhibitors was lower and higher, respectively, than that formed by the cells transfected with miR­negative control. In addition, it was identified that overexpression of miR­130a reduced the migration and invasiveness of MHCC97H and HepG2 cells. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that miR­130a directly targeted the 3'­untranslated region of Rho­kinase 2 (ROCK2) mRNA. Northern and western blot analyses indicated that miR­130a could modulate the mRNA and protein expression of ROCK2. Additionally, small­interfering RNA­mediated knockdown of ROCK2 decreased the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of MHCC97H and HepG2 cells. Overall, these observation suggest that miR­130a is a regulator of ROCK2 and can inhibit proliferation, migration and invasive ability of HCC cells, at least in part, by suppressing the expression of ROCK2. The current study provides further insight into the molecular mechanisms of HCC pathogenesis and suggests a new potential biotarget for HCC treatment.

Development of a numerical model to predict physiological strain of firefighter in fire hazard.

This paper aims to develop a numerical model to predict heat stress of firefighter under low-level thermal radiation. The model integrated a modified multi-layer clothing model with a human thermoregulation model. We took the coupled radiative and conductive heat transfer in the clothing, the size-dependent heat transfer in the air gaps, and the controlling active and controlled passive thermal regulation in human body into consideration. The predicted core temperature and mean skin temperature from the model showed a good agreement with the experimental results. Parametric study was conducted and the result demonstrated that the radiative intensity had a significant influence on the physiological heat strain. The existence of air gap showed positive effect on the physiological heat strain when air gap size is small. However, when the size of air gap exceeds 6 mm, a different trend was observed due to the occurrence of natural convection. Additionally, the time length for the existence of the physiological heat strain was greater than the existence of the skin burn under various heat exposures. The findings obtained in this study provide a better understanding of the physiological strain of firefighter and shed light on textile material engineering for achieving higher protective performance.

In Situ Self-Assembled Nanocomposites from Bacterial Cellulose Reinforced with Eletrospun Poly(lactic acid)/Lipids Nanofibers.

The goal of this study is to explore a new strategy to improve the mechanical and hydrophobic properties of bacterial cellulose (BC) mats. The present work is the first to report the preparation of in situ self-assembled BC nanocomposites using electrospun hydrophobic poly(lactic acid) (PLA) or PLA/lipids (PLA/Lip) nanofiber mats as foundation for BC nanofiber growth. Adding electrospun PLA mats to the BC culture media led to a two-fold increase in toughness with a 52% increase in elongation of the nanocomposites with regard to BC. The incorporation of electrospun PLA and PLA/Lip nanofiber mats lowered the moisture regain and water vapor transmission of BC nanocomposites relative to pure BC mats. The interfacial bonding between the individual components of a nanocomposite is a key factor for the improvement of composite strength, stiffness, and barrier properties; thus additional strategies to improve interaction between hydrophilic BC and hydrophobic PLA fibers need to be explored.

Increasing Mechanical Properties of 2-D-Structured Electrospun Nylon 6 Non-Woven Fiber Mats.

Tensile strength, Young's modulus, and toughness of electrospun nylon 6 non-woven fiber mats were improved by increasing individual nanofiber strength and fiber-fiber load sharing. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used as reinforcement to increase the strength of the electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers. Young's modulus, tensile strength, and toughness of the nylon 6 non-woven fiber mats electrospun from 20 wt % solutions increased 51%, 87%, and 136%, respectively, after incorporating 1 wt % CNTs into the nylon 6 nanofibers. Three methods were investigated to enhance fiber-fiber load sharing: increasing friction between fibers, thermal bonding, and solvent bonding. The addition of beaded nylon 6 nanofibers into the non-woven fiber mats to increase fiber-fiber friction resulted in a statistically significantly increase in Young's modulus over comparable smooth non-woven fiber mats. After annealing, tensile strength, elongation, and toughness of the nylon 6 non-woven fiber mats electrospun from 20 wt % + 10 wt % solutions increased 26%, 28%, and 68% compared to those from 20 wt % solutions. Solvent bonding with formic acid vapor at room temperature for 30 min caused increases of 56%, 67%, and 39% in the Young's modulus, tensile strength, and toughness of non-woven fiber mats, respectively. The increases attributed to increased individual nanofiber strength and solvent bonding synergistically resulted in the improvement of Young's modulus of the electrospun nylon 6 non-woven fiber mats.