Periosteum-derived mesenchymal stem cell alleviates renal fibrosis through mTOR-mediated Treg differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the hotspots of cellular therapy due to their low immunogenicity, potent immunoregulation, and unique renoprotection. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of periosteum-derived MSCs (PMSCs) in ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-mediated renal fibrosis. METHODS: Using cell proliferation assay, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and histologic analysis, the differences in cell characteristics, immunoregulation, and renoprotection of PMSCs were compared to the bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs), the most frequently studied stem cells in cellular therapy. In addition, the mechanism of PMSC renoprotection was investigated by 5' end of the RNA transcript sequencing (SMART-seq) and mTOR knockout mice. RESULTS: The proliferation and differentiation capabilities of PMSCs were stronger than those of BMSCs. Compared with BMSCs, the PMSCs exerted a better effect on alleviating renal fibrosis. Meanwhile, the PMSCs more effectively promote Treg differentiation. Treg exhaustion experiment indicated that Tregs exerted an important effect on inhibiting renal inflammation and acted as a critical mediator in PMSC renoprotection. Additionally, SMART-seq results implied that the PMSCs promoted Treg differentiation, possibly via the mTOR pathway. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that PMSC inhibited mTOR phosphorylation of Treg. After mTOR knockout, the PMSCs failed to promote Treg differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with BMSCs, the PMSCs exerted stronger immunoregulation and renoprotection that was mainly attributed to PMSC promotion for Treg differentiation by inhibiting the mTOR pathway.

Imaging the Surface/Interface Morphologies Evolution of Silicon Anodes Using in Situ/Operando Electron Microscopy.

Si-based rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have generated interest as silicon has remarkably high theoretical specific capacity. It is projected that LIBs will meet the increasing need for extensive energy storage systems, electric vehicles, and portable electronics with high energy densities. However, the Si-based LIB has a substantial problem due to the volume cycle variations brought on by Si, which result in severe capacity loss. Making Si-based anodes-enabled high-performance LIBs that are easy to utilize requires an understanding of the fading mechanism. Due to its distinct advantage in morphological changes from microscale to nanoscale, even approaching atomic resolution, electron microscopy is one of the most popular methods. Based on operando electron microscopy characterization, the general comprehension of the fading mechanism and the morphology evolution of Si-based LIBs are debated in this review. The current advancements in compositional and structural interpretation for Si-based LIBs using advanced electron microscopy characterization methods are outlined. The future development trends in pertinent silicon materials characterization methods are also highlighted, along with numerous potential research avenues for Si-based LIBs design and characterization.

A high areal capacity sodium-ion battery anode enabled by a free-standing red phosphorus@N-doped graphene/CNTs aerogel.

A novel and facile strategy for fabricating red phosphorus@nitrogen doped graphene/carbon nanotube aerogel (P@NGCA) is proposed as a free-standing anode for high energy sodium-ion batteries. Owing to an optimized structure of red P uniformly confined in porous NGCA with high conductivity and mechanical stability, the free-standing P@NGCA anode exhibits outstanding sodium storage performance with a high areal capacity of 3.3 mA h cm-2 and superior initial Coulombic efficiency of 80%.

Dioscin promotes autophagy by regulating the AMPK-mTOR pathway in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Dioscin is reported to alleviate the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. Autophagy plays an anti-inflammatory role in UC. We herein aimed to explore the biological functions of dioscin in autophagy in UC. METHODS: To explore the effects of dioscin on UC progression, a DSS-induced mouse model of UC was established. Body weight, disease activity index and macroscopic damage index scores were recorded for seven days. Hematoxylin & Eosin (HE) staining was used to stain colon sections and an BX53 microscope was prepared to observe pathological changes. The activities of glutathione, superoxidative dismutase, and malondialdehyde were determined by commercially available kits. Western blotting was performed to measure the protein levels of p-AMPK/AMPK, p-mTOR/mTOR and autophagy-related genes. RESULTS: The DSS-induced colitis and oxidative stress in mice were ameliorated after dioscin treatment. Dioscin promoted the phosphorylation of AMPK to inhibit mTOR activation and facilitated autophagy in DSS-induced mice model of UC. CONCLUSION: Dioscin promotes autophagy by promoting the phosphorylation of AMPK to inhibit mTOR activation in ulcerative colitis.

Correlation between the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and diabetic foot ulcer in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHOD: From January 2018 to August 2019, 206 patients with T2DM admitted to the Central Hospital of Wuhan, China, were enrolled in this study, including 104 patients with DFU (DFU group) and 102 patients without DFU (T2DM group). During the same period, 90 healthy subjects were randomly screened as normal controls (NC group). The correlation between PLR and DFU in patients with T2DM was explored by comparing the PLR of the subjects in the three groups. RESULTS: The PLRs of the DFU and T2DM groups were higher than that of the NC group, whereas the PLR of the DFU group was higher than that of the T2DM group (p < 0.05). PLR was positively correlated with the Wagner DFU grade (p < 0.001). Based on logistic regression analysis, PLR was found to be an independent risk factor for DFU (OR =1.029, 95% CI: 1.019 ~ 1.039, p < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the PLR showed that the area under the curve of the PLR for predicting diabetic foot ulcer was 0.776 (p < 0.001), and the analysis determined that the optimal critical value of the PLR for predicting DFU was 147.6. CONCLUSION: The PLR is significantly elevated in patients with DFU and positively correlated with the Wagner DFU grade, which might be a valuable marker for early diagnosis and assessment of severity of DFU.

Elevated Circulating IL-10 Producing Breg, but Not Regulatory B Cell Levels, Restrain Antibody-Mediated Rejection After Kidney Transplantation.

Background: Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) occupies a major position for chronic rejection after kidney transplantation. Regulatory B cell (Breg) has been reported to have an inhibitory immune function, which contributes to the resistance for AMR. Methods: A nested case-control study for nine healthy donors, 25 stable (ST) patients, and 18 AMR patients was performed to determine the type of Breg in maintaining immune tolerance and preventing AMR. Results: Compared to the ST group, circulating interleukin (IL)-10+ Bregs, but not Bregs, significantly decreased. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that rather than the circulating Bregs, decreased circulating IL-10+ Breg levels were positively associated with AMR. However, kidney B cell and IL-10 infiltration was significantly increased in the AMR group with high expression of C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13). In addition, circulating IL-10+ Bregs, rather than Bregs, remained higher than those at pre-operation, during the 90-day post-operation in immune homeostasis. Conclusion: The circulating IL-10+ Breg levels are more appropriate measures for assessing the resistance of AMR after kidney transplantation.