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1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 120(23): e2300953120, 2023 Jun 06.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37253015

RESUMO

Self-healing is a bioinspired strategy to repair damaged conductors under repetitive wear and tear, thereby largely extending the life span of electronic devices. The self-healing process often demands external triggering conditions as the practical challenges for the widespread applications. Here, a compliant conductor with electrically self-healing capability is introduced by combining ultrahigh sensitivity to minor damages and reliable recovery from ultrahigh tensile deformations. Conductive features are created in a scalable and low-cost fabrication process comprising a copper layer on top of liquid metal microcapsules. The efficient rupture of microcapsules is triggered by structural damages in the copper layer under stress conditions as a result of the strong interfacial interactions. The liquid metal is selectively filled into the damaged site for the instantaneous restoration of the metallic conductivity. The unique healing mechanism is responsive to various structural degradations including microcracks under bending conditions and severe fractures upon large stretching. The compliant conductor demonstrates high conductivity of ∼12,000 S/cm, ultrahigh stretchability of up to 1,200% strain, an ultralow threshold to activate the healing actions, instantaneous electrical recovery in microseconds, and exceptional electromechanical durability. Successful implementations in a light emitting diode (LED) matrix display and a multifunctional electronic patch demonstrate the practical suitability of the electrically self-healing conductor in flexible and stretchable electronics. The developments provide a promising approach to improving the self-healing capability of compliant conductors.

2.
Small ; 20(23): e2305838, 2024 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38258379

RESUMO

Interstitial fluid (ISF) is an attractive alternative to regular blood sampling for health checks and disease diagnosis. Porous microneedles (MNs) are well suited for collecting ISF in a minimally invasive manner. However, traditional methods of molding MNs from microfabricated templates involve prohibitive fabrication costs and fixed designs. To overcome these limitations, this study presents a facile and economical additive manufacturing approach to create porous MNs. Compared to traditional layerwise build sequences, direct ink drawing with nanocomposite inks can define sharp MNs with tailored shapes and achieve vastly improved fabrication efficiency. The key to this fabrication strategy is the yield-stress fluid ink that is easily formulated by dispersing silica nanoparticles into the cellulose acetate polymer solution. As-printed MNs are solidified into interconnected porous microstructure inside a coagulation bath of deionized water. The resulting MNs exhibit high mechanical strength and high porosity. This approach also allows porous MNs to be easily integrated on various substrates. In particular, MNs on filter paper substrates are highly flexible to rapidly collect ISF on non-flat skin sites. The extracted ISF is used for quantitative analysis of biomarkers, including glucose, = calcium ions, and calcium ions. Overall, the developments allow facile fabrication of porous MNs for transdermal diagnosis and therapy.


Assuntos
Líquido Extracelular , Tinta , Nanocompostos , Agulhas , Nanocompostos/química , Porosidade , Líquido Extracelular/química , Animais
3.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol ; 108(1): 32, 2024 Dec.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38175237

RESUMO

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are considered a sustainable ingredient in livestock feed. However, addressing issues related to feed substrate and intestinal microbiota is essential to ensure optimal larval development. The aim of this study was to assess and elucidate the contribution of substrate nutrients and intestinal microbes to protein and fat synthesis in BSFL. The results showed that larvae that were fed high-quality feed (chicken feed) had high fat biomass, while larvae that were fed medium-quality feed (wheat bran) had high protein biomass. These results indicate that the original nutritional content of the feed cannot fully explain larval growth and nutrient utilization. However, the phenomenon could be explained by the functional metabolism of intestinal microbes. Chicken feed enhanced the fatty acid metabolism of middle intestine microorganisms in larvae within 0-7 days. This process facilitated larval fat synthesis. In contrast, wheat bran stimulated the amino acid metabolism in posterior intestine microorganisms in larvae within 4-7 days, leading to better protein synthesis. The findings of this study highlight the importance of the microbial functional potential in the intestine in regulating protein and lipid synthesis in BSFL, which is also influenced by the type of feed. In conclusion, our study suggests that both feed type and intestinal microbes play a crucial role in efficiently converting organic waste into high-quality insect protein and fat. Additionally, a mixed culture of chicken feed and wheat bran was found to be effective in promoting larval biomass while reducing feed costs. KEY POINTS: • Intestinal microbes explain BSFL growth better than feed substrates. • Chicken feed promotes fatty acid synthesis in the middle intestine • Wheat bran promotes amino acid synthesis in the posterior intestine.


Assuntos
Microbiota , Animais , Larva , Galinhas , Fibras na Dieta , Intestinos , Aminoácidos , Ácidos Graxos
4.
J Basic Microbiol ; : e202400001, 2024 Apr 28.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38679904

RESUMO

The ferric uptake regulator (Fur) is a global regulator that influences the expression of virulence genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Bioinformatics analysis suggests Fur may involve in iron acquisition via the identified regulatory box upstream of the yersiniabactin receptor gene fyuA. To observe the impact of the gene fyuA on the virulence of K. pneumoniae, the gene fyuA knockout strain and complementation strain were constructed and then conducted a series of phenotypic experiments including chrome azurol S (CAS) detection, crystal violet staining, and wax moth virulence experiment. To examine the regulatory relationship between Fur and the gene fyuA, green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene fusion assay, real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), gel migration assay (EMSA), and DNase I footprinting assay were used to clarify the regulatory mechanism of Fur on fyuA. CAS detection revealed that the gene fyuA could affect the generation of iron carriers in K. pneumoniae. Crystal violet staining experiment showed that fyuA could positively influence biofilm formation. Wax moth virulence experiment indicated that the deletion of the fyuA could weaken bacterial virulence. GFP reporter gene fusion experiment and RT-qPCR analysis revealed that Fur negatively regulated the expression of fyuA in iron-sufficient environment. EMSA experiment demonstrated that Fur could directly bind to the promoter region of fyuA, and DNase I footprinting assay further identified the specific binding site sequences. The study showed that Fur negatively regulated the transcriptional expression of fyuA by binding to upstream of the gene promoter region, and then affected the virulence of K. pneumoniae.

5.
Small ; 19(21): e2300386, 2023 May.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36823446

RESUMO

Stretchable microsupercapacitors represent emerging miniaturized energy-storage devices for next-generation deformable electronics. Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides (MXenes) are considered attractive electrode materials due to their metallic conductivity, hydrophilic surfaces, and excellent processability. Here, an ultrastretchable microsupercapacitor of interdigitated MXene microelectrodes with crumpled surface textures is created. The microsupercapacitor shows a series of attractive properties including a high specific capacitance of ≈185 mF cm-2 , ultrahigh stretchability up to 800% area strain, and ≈89.7% retention of the initial capacitance after 1000 stretch-relaxation cycles. In addition to static strains, the microsupercapacitor demonstrates robust mechanical properties to retain stable charging-discharging capability under dynamic stretching at different strain rates. A self-powering circuit system utilizes four microsupercapacitor packs to power a light-emitting diode (LED) array, which exhibits stable operations under large tensile strain and skin-attached wearable settings. The developments offer a generic design strategy to enhance the deformability of microsupercapacitors based on 2D nanomaterials.

6.
Int J Mol Sci ; 24(19)2023 Sep 28.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37834117

RESUMO

Previous studies have demonstrated that the intestinal abundance of Bacteroides uniformis is significantly higher in healthy controls than that in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, what effect B. uniformis has on the development of UC has not been characterized. Here, we show for the first time that B. uniformis F18-22, an alginate-fermenting bacterium isolated from the healthy human colon, protects against dextran-sulfate-sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. Specifically, oral intake of B. uniformis F18-22 alleviated colon contraction, improved intestinal bleeding and attenuated mucosal damage in diseased mice. Additionally, B. uniformis F18-22 improved gut dysbiosis in UC mice by increasing the abundance of anti-inflammatory acetate-producing bacterium Eubacterium siraeum and decreasing the amount of pro-inflammatory pathogenetic bacteria Escherichia-Shigella spp. Moreover, B. uniformis F18-22 was well-tolerated in mice and showed no oral toxicity after repeated daily administration for 28 consecutive days. Taken together, our study illustrates that B. uniformis F18-22 is a safe and novel probiotic bacterium for the treatment of UC from the healthy human colon.


Assuntos
Colite Ulcerativa , Colite , Probióticos , Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , Colite Ulcerativa/microbiologia , Colo/patologia , Bacteroides , Probióticos/uso terapêutico , Sulfato de Dextrana/efeitos adversos , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Colite/patologia
7.
FASEB J ; 35(5): e21549, 2021 05.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33913198

RESUMO

T cell factor-1 (TCF-1) (encoded by the TCF7 gene) is a transcription factor that plays important role during the T cell development and differentiation for T cell to exercise its functions including producing memory T cells. Not only TCF-1 can modulate the T cell development but also exerts various effects on the differentiation and function of mature CD8+ T cells. In addition, it drives the production and maintenance of the immune response of CD8+ T cells after PD-1 checkpoint blockade therapy. TCF-1 can serve as a potential target of immunotherapy and may provide promising novel treatment strategies for patients with cancer and infections. Moreover, TCF-1 is a potential biomarker of CD8+ T cell functionality to predict the efficacy of immunotherapy in fighting against cancer and infections. Herein, we summarize the role of TCF-1 in T cell development and its applications in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.


Assuntos
Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/imunologia , Diferenciação Celular , Doenças Transmissíveis/terapia , Memória Imunológica , Imunoterapia , Neoplasias/terapia , Fator 1 de Transcrição de Linfócitos T/metabolismo , Animais , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/metabolismo , Doenças Transmissíveis/imunologia , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Neoplasias/imunologia , Fator 1 de Transcrição de Linfócitos T/genética
8.
J Basic Microbiol ; 62(5): 593-603, 2022 May.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35132658

RESUMO

Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the major pathogens causing nosocomial infections. The regulator of capsule synthesis (Rcs) system is a complex signal transduction pathway that is involved in the regulation of virulence factors of K. pneumoniae as an important transcriptional regulator. The RcsAB box-like sequence was found to be present in the promoter-proximal regions of ykgK, one of the ECP fimbriae-related genes, which suggested the expression of ECP fimbriae may be regulated by RcsAB. The ykgK gene in K. pneumoniae has 86% similarity to the ecpR gene in Escherichia coli. Nucleotide sequence alignment revealed a similar ECP fimbriae gene cluster including six genes in K. pneumoniae, which was proved to be on the same operon in this study. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I assay, relative fluorescence expression, ß-galactosidase activity, and relative gene expression of ykgK in the wild-type and mutant strains were performed to determine the transcriptional regulation mechanism of RcsAB on ECP fimbriae. The mutant ΔykgK and complementary strain ΔykgK/cΔykgK were constructed to complete the Galleria mellonella larvae infection experiment and biofilm formation assay. This study showed that RcsAB binds directly to the promoter region of the ykgK gene to positively regulate ECP fimbriae-related gene clusters, and then positively affect the biofilm formation.


Assuntos
Infecções por Klebsiella , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Escherichia coli/genética , Fímbrias Bacterianas/genética , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Klebsiella pneumoniae/metabolismo , Óperon , Fatores de Virulência/genética
9.
Int J Mol Sci ; 23(6)2022 Mar 19.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35328760

RESUMO

Chloroplasts are the most major producers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during photosynthesis. However, the function of thylakoid ascorbate peroxidase (tAPX) in response to oxidative stress in wood trees is largely unknown. Our results showed that PtotAPX of Populus tomentosa could effectively utilize ascorbic acid (AsA) to hydrolyze hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in vitro. The overexpression or antisense of PtotAPX (OX-PtotAPX or anti-PtotAPX, respectively) in Populus tomentosa plants did not significantly affect plant morphology during plant growth. When treated with methyl viologen (MV), the OX-PtotAPX plants exhibited less morphological damage under stress conditions compared to WT plants. OX-PtotAPX plants maintained lower H2O2 levels and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, but more reduced AsA levels, a higher photosynthetic rate (Pn), and the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), whereas anti-PtotAPX plants showed the opposite phenotype. Furthermore, the activity of APX was slightly higher in OX-PtotAPX under normal growth conditions, and this activity significantly decreased after stress treatment, which was the lowest in anti-P. Based on these results, we propose that PtotAPX is important for protecting the photosynthetic machinery under severe oxidative stress conditions in P. tomentosa, and is a potential genetic resource for regulating the stress tolerance of woody plants.


Assuntos
Populus , Tilacoides , Ascorbato Peroxidases/metabolismo , Cloroplastos/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de Plantas , Peróxido de Hidrogênio/metabolismo , Estresse Oxidativo , Fotossíntese/genética , Plantas Geneticamente Modificadas/genética , Populus/genética , Populus/metabolismo , Tilacoides/metabolismo
10.
Arch Microbiol ; 203(6): 3125-3133, 2021 Aug.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33811489

RESUMO

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) has been increasingly reported over the past three decades and causes severe infections. To increase our understanding of hvKP at the genome level, genome sequencing and comparative genome analysis were performed on 6 hvKPs. The whole genome DNA from 6 hvKPs with different capsular serotypes isolated in China was extracted. The genome sequencing and assembly results showed the genome size of the six hvKPs and GC content. Comparative analyses of the genomes revealed the gene homology and genome rearrangement in the 6 hvKPs compared with Klebsiella pneumonia NTUH-K2044. The phylogenetic tree based on full-genome SNPs of the 7 hvKPs showed that NTUH-K2044 formed a single clade, showing distant evolutionary distances with the other six strains, and the non-K1 hvKP strains had a relatively closer phylogenetic relationship. BLAST comparison analysis found that some selected virulence genes had different degrees of deletion in the non-K1 hvKPs. SNP-based virulence gene mutation analysis showed that some virulence genes had different degrees of SNP mutations. The whole-genome sequencing and comparative genome analysis of six hvKP strains with NTUH-K2044 provide us with a basic understanding of the genome composition, genetic polymorphism, evolution and virulence genes of hvKP and a basis for further research on these genes and the pathogenesis of hvKP.


Assuntos
Genoma Bacteriano , Klebsiella pneumoniae , China , Genoma Bacteriano/genética , Humanos , Infecções por Klebsiella/microbiologia , Klebsiella pneumoniae/classificação , Klebsiella pneumoniae/genética , Klebsiella pneumoniae/patogenicidade , Filogenia , Sorogrupo , Virulência/genética
11.
Artif Organs ; 45(3): 289-296, 2021 Mar.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32979870

RESUMO

Lung infection (LI) often occurs in patients with liver transplantation (LT). This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the risk factors associated with LI after LT. We retrieved relevant research published as of February 2020 from eight electronic databases. The studies were reviewed against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Z test was used to determine the combined odds ratio (OR) or the standardized mean difference (SMD) of the risk factors. We used the OR and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) or the SMD and its corresponding 95% CI to identify significant differences in risk factors. A total of nine studies were included, comprising a total of 1624 recipients. Six risk factors associated with LI were identified after LT: Model for end-stage liver disease score (MELD score) (SMD = 0.40), Child-Pugh class C (OR = 3.00), intensive care unit (ICU) hospital stay (SMD = 1.35), mechanical ventilation (SMD = 1.03), bilirubin (SMD = 0.39), and atelectasis (OR = 7.28). Although certain risk factors have been identified as important factors for LI after LT, which may provide a basis for clinical prevention, a well-designed prospective study should be conducted to validate the findings of this study.


Assuntos
Doença Hepática Terminal/cirurgia , Transplante de Fígado/efeitos adversos , Pneumonia/epidemiologia , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/epidemiologia , Atelectasia Pulmonar/epidemiologia , Bilirrubina/sangue , Doença Hepática Terminal/sangue , Doença Hepática Terminal/complicações , Doença Hepática Terminal/diagnóstico , Humanos , Unidades de Terapia Intensiva/estatística & dados numéricos , Tempo de Internação/estatística & dados numéricos , Testes de Função Hepática , Pneumonia/diagnóstico , Pneumonia/microbiologia , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/diagnóstico , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/microbiologia , Atelectasia Pulmonar/etiologia , Respiração Artificial/efeitos adversos , Respiração Artificial/estatística & dados numéricos , Medição de Risco/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores de Risco , Índice de Gravidade de Doença
12.
J Exp Bot ; 71(6): 1943-1955, 2020 03 25.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31858133

RESUMO

Vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE) is responsible for the maturation and activation of vacuolar proteins in plants. We found that ßVPE was involved in tapetal degradation and pollen development by transforming proproteases into mature protease in Arabidopsis thaliana. ßVPE was expressed specifically in the tapetum from stages 5 to 8 of anther development. The ßVPE protein first appeared as a proenzyme and was transformed into the mature enzyme before stages 7-8. The recombinant ßVPE protein self-cleaved and transformed into a 27 kDa mature protein at pH 5.2. The mature ßVPE protein could induce the maturation of CEP1 in vitro. ßvpe mutants exhibited delayed vacuolar degradation and decreased pollen fertility. The maturation of CEP1, RD19A, and RD19C was seriously inhibited in ßvpe mutants. Our results indicate that ßVPE is a crucial processing enzyme that directly participates in the maturation of cysteine proteases before vacuolar degradation, and is indirectly involved in pollen development and tapetal cell degradation.


Assuntos
Proteínas de Arabidopsis , Arabidopsis , Cisteína Endopeptidases , Cisteína Proteases , Pólen , Arabidopsis/genética , Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Cisteína Proteases/genética , Cisteína Proteases/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de Plantas , Pólen/genética , Pólen/metabolismo , Vacúolos/metabolismo
13.
Int J Mol Sci ; 20(14)2019 Jul 13.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31337083

RESUMO

Histone acetylation and deacetylation play essential roles in eukaryotic gene regulation. HD2 (HD-tuins) proteins were previously identified as plant-specific histone deacetylases. In this study, we investigated the function of the HDT1 gene in the formation of stem vascular tissue in Arabidopsis thaliana. The height and thickness of the inflorescence stems in the hdt1 mutant was lower than that of wild-type plants. Paraffin sections showed that the cell number increased compared to the wild type, while transmission electron microscopy showed that the size of individual tracheary elements and fiber cells significantly decreased in the hdt1 mutant. In addition, the cell wall thickness of tracheary elements and fiber cells increased. We also found that the lignin content in the stem of the hdt1 mutants increased compared to that of the wild type. Transcriptomic data revealed that the expression levels of many biosynthetic genes related to secondary wall components, including cellulose, lignin biosynthesis, and hormone-related genes, were altered, which may lead to the altered phenotype in vascular tissue of the hdt1 mutant. These results suggested that HDT1 is involved in development of the vascular tissue of the stem by affecting cell proliferation and differentiation.


Assuntos
Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Arabidopsis/genética , Histona Desacetilases/genética , Desenvolvimento Vegetal/genética , Caules de Planta/genética , Feixe Vascular de Plantas/genética , Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Parede Celular/genética , Parede Celular/metabolismo , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de Plantas , Histona Desacetilases/metabolismo , Lignina/metabolismo , Mutação , Fenótipo , Caules de Planta/metabolismo , Feixe Vascular de Plantas/metabolismo , Xilema/citologia , Xilema/genética , Xilema/metabolismo
14.
J Vis Exp ; (205)2024 Mar 22.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38587399

RESUMO

Catheter-related infection (CRI) is a common nosocomial infection caused by candida albicans during catheter implantation. Typically, biofilms are formed on the outer surface of the catheter and lead to disseminated infections, which are fatal to patients. There are no effective prevention and treatment management in clinics. Therefore, it is urgent to establish an animal model of CRI for the preclinical screening of new strategies for its prevention and treatment. In this study, a polyethylene catheter, a widely used medical catheter, was inserted into the back of the BALB/c mice after hair removal. Candida albicans ATCC MYA-2876 (SC5314) expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein was subsequently inoculated on the skin's surface along the catheter. Intense fluorescence was observed on the surface of the catheter under a fluorescent microscope 3 days later. Mature and thick biofilms were found on the surface of the catheter via scanning electron microscopy. These results indicated the adhesion, colonization, and biofilm formation of candida albicans on the surface of the catheter. The hyperplasia of the epidermis and the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the skin specimens indicated the histopathological changes of the CRI-associated skin. To sum up, a mouse CRI model was successfully established. This model is expected to be helpful in the research and development of therapeutic management for candida albicans associated CRI.


Assuntos
Candida albicans , Infecções Relacionadas a Cateter , Humanos , Camundongos , Animais , Catéteres , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Biofilmes , Antifúngicos
15.
J Vis Exp ; (204)2024 Feb 02.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38372379

RESUMO

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the common infections caused by Candida albicans (C. albicans), which increasingly concerns surgeons and scientists. Generally, biofilms that can shield C. albicans from antibiotics and immune clearance are formed at the infection site. Surgery involving the removal of the infected implant, debridement, antimicrobial treatment, and reimplantation is the gold standard for the treatment of PJI. Thus, establishing animal PJI models is of great significance for the research and development of new drugs or therapeutics for PJI. In this study, a smooth nickel-titanium alloy wire, a widely used implant in orthopedic clinics, was inserted into the femoral joint of a C57BL/6 mouse before the C. albicans were inoculated into the articular cavity along the wire. After 14 days, mature and thick biofilms were observed on the surface of implants under a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). A significantly reduced bone trabecula was found in the H&E staining of the infected joint specimens. To sum up, a mouse PJI model with the advantages of easy operation, high successful rate, high repeatability, and high clinical correlation was established. This is expected to be an important model for clinical studies of C. albicans biofilm-related PJI prevention.


Assuntos
Candidíase , Infecções Relacionadas à Prótese , Animais , Camundongos , Candida albicans , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Biofilmes , Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Modelos Animais de Doenças
16.
ACS Sens ; 9(3): 1515-1524, 2024 03 22.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38447091

RESUMO

Stretchable sweat sensors are promising technology that can acquire biomolecular insights for health and fitness monitoring by intimate integration with the body. However, current sensors often require microfabricated microfluidic channels to control sweat flow during lab-on-body analysis, which makes effective and affordable sweat sampling a significant practical challenge. Here, we present stretchable and sweat-wicking patches that utilize bioinspired smart wettable membranes for the on-demand manipulation of sweat flow. In a scalable process, the membrane is created by stacking hydrophobic elastomer nanofibers onto soft microfoams with predefined two-dimensional superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic patterns. The engineered heterogeneous wettability distribution allows these porous membranes to achieve enhanced extraction and selective collection of sweat in embedded assays. Despite the simplified architecture, the color reactions between sweat and chemical indicators are inhibited from directly contacting the skin to achieve a largely improved operation safety. The sensing patches can simultaneously quantify pH, urea, and calcium in sweat through digital colorimetric analysis with smartphone images. The construction with all compliant materials renders these patches soft and stretchy to achieve conformal attachment to the skin. Successfully analyzing sweat compositions after physical exercises illustrates the practical suitability of these skin-attachable sensors for health tracking and point-of-care diagnosis.


Assuntos
Colorimetria , Suor , Suor/química , Ação Capilar , Pele , Biomarcadores/análise
17.
Phytomedicine ; 110: 154644, 2023 Feb.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36634381

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke is a major global cause of mortality and permanent disability.  Studies have shown that autophagy is essential to maintain cell homeostasis and inevitably lead to neuronal damage after cerebral ischemia. Gomisin N (GN), lignin isolated from Schisandra chinensis, possesses multiple pharmacological activities. However, there is no research on the potential of GN for neuroprotection in ischemic stroke. PURPOSE: The current work aimed to explore the potential therapeutic possibilities of GN on ischemic stroke and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. STUDY DESIGN: The neuroprotective effects of GN on PC12 cells induced by oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) and mice with middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) injury were investigated. METHODS: On day 3 after ischemia, the infarct volume and neurological function were assessed. The level of autophagy was measured in vivo and in vitro using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining. The interaction between GN and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was investigated by molecular docking. Additionally, the expressions of critical proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and autophagy markers were determined by western blotting. RESULTS: In compared to the Model group, GN might considerably improve the neurological and locomotor function following a stroke, as well as lower the volume of the cerebral infarct volume and the number of autophagosomes. GN therapy may suppress autophagy by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in the penumbra. In vitro, MDC and TEM results showed that GN treatment obviously suppressed autophagy. Meanwhile, GN downregulated LC3II/LC3I expression ratio while upregulated the p62 expression level. In further studies, GN dramatically boosted the expression ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, and p-mTOR/mTOR proteins in PC12 cells following OGD/R damage. However, the PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) reversed the increase of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, and p-mTOR/mTOR expression ratio induced by GN administration. Also, LY294002 significantly partially attenuated GN induced reduction of autophagy and increase of cell viability compared with GN treatment alone. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we first demonstrate the neuroprotective effects of GN on MCAO mice and OGD/R induced PC12 cells injury. A possible mechanism by which GN prevents ischemic stroke is proposed: GN could restrain autophagy by stimulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways. More effects and mechanisms of GN on the rehabilitation of ischemic stroke are worthy to be explored in the future.


Assuntos
Isquemia Encefálica , AVC Isquêmico , Fármacos Neuroprotetores , Traumatismo por Reperfusão , Ratos , Camundongos , Animais , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinases/metabolismo , Fármacos Neuroprotetores/farmacologia , Fármacos Neuroprotetores/uso terapêutico , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Serina-Treonina Quinases TOR/metabolismo , Isquemia Encefálica/tratamento farmacológico , Isquemia Encefálica/metabolismo , Oxigênio/metabolismo , Traumatismo por Reperfusão/prevenção & controle , Autofagia
18.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces ; 15(23): 28675-28683, 2023 Jun 14.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37270696

RESUMO

In the rising field of stretchable electronics, liquid metals are ideal candidate conductors with metallic conductivity and intrinsic deformability. The complex patterning methods of liquid metal features have limited their widespread applications. In this study, we report a maskless fabrication approach for the facile and scalable patterning of liquid metal conductors on an elastomer substrate. Laser-activated patterns are employed as versatile templates to define arbitrary liquid metal patterns. The as-prepared liquid metal features show an excellent conductivity of 3.72 × 104 S/cm, a high resolution of 70 µm, ultrahigh stretchability of up to 1000% strain, and electromechanical durability. The practical suitability of liquid metal conductors is demonstrated by fabricating a stretchable light-emitting diode (LED) matrix and a smart sensing glove. The maskless fabrication technique introduced here allows versatile patterning of liquid metal conductors with affordable costs, which may stimulate a broad range of applications in stretchable electronic devices and systems.

19.
Nutrients ; 15(19)2023 Sep 24.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37836407

RESUMO

Dietary intake of the sulfated polysaccharide from edible alga E. clathrata (ECP) has recently been illustrated to attenuate ulcerative colitis (UC) by targeting gut dysbiosis in mice. However, ECP is not easily absorbed in the gut and, as a potential candidate for next-generation prebiotics development, how it is fermented by human gut microbiota has not been characterized. Here, using in vitro anaerobic fermentation and 16S high-throughput sequencing, we illustrate for the first time the detailed fermentation characteristics of ECP by the gut microbiota of nine UC patients. Our results indicated that, compared to that of glucose, fermentation of ECP by human gut microbiota produced a higher amount of anti-inflammatory acetate and a lower amount of pro-inflammatory lactate. Additionally, ECP fermentation helped to shape a more balanced microbiota composition with increased species richness and diversity. Moreover, ECP significantly stimulated the growth of anti-colitis bacteria in the human gut, including Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides ovatus, Blautia spp., Bacteroides uniformis, and Parabacteroides spp. Altogether, our study provides the first evidence for the prebiotic effect of ECP on human gut microbiota and sheds new light on the development of ECP as a novel prebiotic candidate for the prevention and potential treatment of UC.


Assuntos
Colite Ulcerativa , Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Microbiota , Humanos , Camundongos , Animais , Colite Ulcerativa/terapia , Fermentação , Polissacarídeos/farmacologia , Prebióticos
20.
J Colloid Interface Sci ; 650(Pt A): 203-210, 2023 Nov 15.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37402326

RESUMO

Achieving all-solid-state lithium-based batteries with high energy densities requires lightweight and ultrathin solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) with high Li+ conductivity, but this still poses significant challenges. Herein, we designed a robust and mechanically flexible SSE (denoted BC-PEO/LiTFSI) by using an environmentally friendly and low-cost approach that involves bacterial cellulose (BC) as a three-dimensional (3D) rigid backbone. In this design, BC-PEO/LiTFSI is tightly integrated and polymerized through intermolecular hydrogen bonding, and the rich oxygen-containing functional groups from the BC filler also provide the active site for Li+ hopping transport. Therefore, the all-solid-state Li-Li symmetric cell with BC-PEO/LiTFSI (containing 3% BC) showed excellent electrochemical cycling properties over 1000 h at a current density of 0.5 mA cm-2. Furthermore, the Li-LiFePO4 full cell showed steady cycling performance under 3 mg cm-2 areal loading at a current of 0.1 C, and the resultant Li-S full cell maintained over 610 mAh g-1 for upward of 300 cycles at 0.2 C and 60 °C.

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