Recent Advances in the Fabrication and Performance Optimization of Polyvinyl Alcohol Based Vascular Grafts.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the diseases with the highest morbidity and mortality rates worldwide, and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a fast and effective treatment. More researchers are investigating in artificial blood vessels due to the limitations of autologous blood vessels. Despite the availability of large-diameter vascular grafts (Ø > 6 mm) for clinical use, small-diameter vascular grafts (Ø < 6 mm) have been a challenge for researchers to overcome in recent years. Vascular grafts made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and PVA-based composites have excellent biocompatibility and mechanical characteristics. In order to gain a clearer and more specific understanding of the progress in PVA vascular graft research, particularly regarding the preparation methods, principles, and functionality of PVA vascular graft, this article discusses the mechanical properties, biocompatibility, blood compatibility, and other properties of PVA vascular graft prepared or enhanced with different blends using various techniques that mimic natural blood vessels. The findings reveal the feasibility and promising potential of PVA or PVA-based composite materials as vascular grafts.

Bioaerosols in the atmosphere: A comprehensive review on detection methods, concentration and influencing factors.

In the past few decades, especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the effects of atmospheric bioaerosols on human health, the environment, and climate have received great attention. To evaluate the impacts of bioaerosols quantitatively, it is crucial to determine the types of bioaerosols in the atmosphere and their spatial-temporal distribution. We provide a concise summary of the online and offline observation strategies employed by the global research community to sample and analyze atmospheric bioaerosols. In addition, the quantitative distribution of bioaerosols is described by considering the atmospheric bioaerosols concentrations at various time scales (daily and seasonal changes, for example), under various weather, and different underlying surfaces. Finally, a comprehensive summary of the reasons for the spatiotemporal distribution of bioaerosols is discussed, including differences in emission sources, the impact process of meteorological factors and environmental factors. This review of information on the latest research progress contributes to the emergence of further observation strategies that determine the quantitative dynamics of public health and ecological effects of bioaerosols.

Gelatin/calcium chloride electrospun nanofibers for rapid hemostasis.

Blood coagulation is the body's main defense to bleeding caused by trauma and is divided into endogenous and exogenous pathways. Calcium ions play a very important role in the process of blood coagulation, as the ions activate the many enzymes that are required for coagulation. In this paper, gelatin hemostatic membranes containing calcium ions were prepared by electrospinning. The fibers were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The biocompatibility and coagulation processes using the calcium ion-containing gelatin fibrous membranes were evaluated in vitro with dynamic whole-blood coagulation tests, hemolysis tests, coagulation time tests, and platelet adhesion tests. It was demonstrated that the calcium ion-containing gelatin membranes had lower hemolysis rates and shorter clotting times than commercially available hemostatic sponges and hemostatic gauzes. In vivo hemostasis experiments were also conducted on the tail vein and liver of mice. Animal experiments demonstrated that the incorporation of calcium ions into the electrospun gelatin membranes promoted platelet aggregation, ensured adhesion of the electrospun membrane to the wound and reduced the bleeding volume and hemostasis time. The composite calcium ion-gelatin electrospun membranes exhibited good in vivo and in vitro hemostatic abilities and accelerated blood clotting by stimulating the coagulation pathway to promote platelet aggregation at the wounds and the formation of mature blood clots for a new approach for acute trauma treatment.

miR-548e Sponged by ZFAS1 Regulates Metastasis and Cisplatin Resistance of OC by Targeting CXCR4 and let-7a/BCL-XL/S Signaling Axis.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a severe malignancy featuring a poor prognosis due to rapid metastasis and chemotherapy resistance. In this study, we extensively investigated the upstream and downstream mechanisms of miR-548e in regulating OC progression and cisplatin resistance. Our results indicated that ZFAS1 was highly expressed and promoted OC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and cisplatin resistance by directly suppressing miR-548e expression. ZFAS1 co-localized with miR-548e in the cytosols of OC cells. miR-548e repressed CXCR4 expression, and elevated CXCR4 expression promoted OC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and cisplatin resistance. Cisplatin resistance induced by ZFAS1 and CXCR4 overexpression in OC cells was mediated by their suppression on let-7a and elevation of BCL-XL/S expression. ZFAS1 knockdown and miR-548e and let-7a overexpression impaired cisplatin resistance and suppressed lung metastatic nodule formation in nude mice. In conclusion, ZFAS1 binds with miR-548e to enhance CXCR4 expression to promote OC cell proliferation and metastasis, which also enhances cisplatin resistance by suppressing let-7a and elevating BCL-XL/S protein expression.

A Physic Nut Stress-Responsive HD-Zip Transcription Factor, JcHDZ07, Confers Enhanced Sensitivity to Salinity Stress in Transgenic Arabidopsis.

Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factors are reported to play crucial roles in the growth, development, and stress responses of plants. However, there is little knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in physic nut's stress tolerance generally, or the functions of its HD-Zip genes. In the present study, a HD-Zip family transcription factor, designated JcHDZ07, was isolated from physic nut. Expression profile analysis showed that salinity stress inhibited the expression of JcHDZ07. Transient expression of JcHDZ07-YFP in Arabidopsis protoplast cells revealed that JcHDZ07 was a nuclear-localized protein. Additionally, no obvious difference in growth and development between wild-type and JcHDZ07-overexpressing plants was observed in the absence of stress. Our results further indicated that JcHDZ07 overexpressing transgenic plants had lower proline contents, lower survival rates, and activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase, but higher relative electrical leakage and malonaldehyde contents compared with wild-type plants under salinity stress conditions, suggesting that overexpression of JcHDZ07 confers enhanced sensitivity to salinity stress in transgenic Arabidopsis. Expression of salt stress-responsive genes were upregulated in leaves of transgenic plants under salinity stress, but less strongly than in wild-type plants. Collectively, our results suggest that JcHDZ07 functions as an important regulator during the process of plant responses to salinity stress.