Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol/carbon dioxide modified polyethyleneimine composite nanofiber scaffolds

A novel biocompatible polyvinyl alcohol/carbon dioxide modified polyethyleneimine (PVA/PEI-CO2) composite nanofiber was fabricated by a green and facile protocol, which reduces the cytotoxicity of PEI through the surface modification of the PEI with CO2. The 13C NMR spectrum, elemental analysis, and TGA show that CO2 has been incorporated in the PEI surface resulting in a relatively stable structure. The resulting PVA/PEI-CO2 composite nanofibers have been characterized by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), contact angle, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the average diameters of the nanofibers range from 265 ± 53 nm to 423 ± 80 nm. The cytotoxicity of PVA/PEI-CO2 composite nanofibers was assessed by cytotoxicity evaluation using the growth and cell proliferation of normal mice Schwann cells. SEM and the MTT assay demonstrated the promotion of cell growth and proliferation on the PVA/PEI-CO2 composite scaffold. It suggests that PEI-CO2 can have tremendous potential applications in biological material research

Photonic Floquet time crystals

The public and scientists constantly have different perspectives. While on a time crystal, they stand in line and ask: What is a time crystal? Show me a material that is spontaneously crystalline in time? This study synthesizes a photonic material of Floquet time crystals and experimentally observes its indicative period-2T beating. We explicitly reconstruct a discrete time-crystalline ground state and reveal using an appropriately-designed photonic Floquet simulator the rigid period-doubling as a signature of the spontaneous breakage of the discrete time-translational symmetry. Unlike the result of the exquisite many-body interaction, the photonic time crystal is derived from a single-particle topological phase that can be extensively accessed by many pertinent nonequilibrium and periodically-driven platforms. Our observation will drive theoretical and technological interests toward condensed matter physics and topological photonics, and demystify time crystals for the non-scientific public.Comment: 39 pages, 5 figures, supplementary materials, 6 suppl. figure

Transcriptionally active HERV-H retrotransposons demarcate topologically associating domains in human pluripotent stem cells.

Chromatin architecture has been implicated in cell type-specific gene regulatory programs, yet how chromatin remodels during development remains to be fully elucidated. Here, by interrogating chromatin reorganization during human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) differentiation, we discover a role for the primate-specific endogenous retrotransposon human endogenous retrovirus subfamily H (HERV-H) in creating topologically associating domains (TADs) in hPSCs. Deleting these HERV-H elements eliminates their corresponding TAD boundaries and reduces the transcription of upstream genes, while de novo insertion of HERV-H elements can introduce new TAD boundaries. The ability of HERV-H to create TAD boundaries depends on high transcription, as transcriptional repression of HERV-H elements prevents the formation of boundaries. This ability is not limited to hPSCs, as these actively transcribed HERV-H elements and their corresponding TAD boundaries also appear in pluripotent stem cells from other hominids but not in more distantly related species lacking HERV-H elements. Overall, our results provide direct evidence for retrotransposons in actively shaping cell type- and species-specific chromatin architecture

Superstructured carbon materials: design and energy applications

Carbon materials are key components in energy storage and conversion devices and most directly impact device performance. The need for advanced carbon materials has become more pressing with the increasing demand for high-performance energy conversion and storage facilities. Nonetheless, realizing significant performance improvements across devices remains challenging because of the difficulties in controlling irregularly organized microstructures and the specific carbon structures concerned. With the aim of realizing devisable structures, adjustable functions, and performance breakthroughs, this review proposes the concept of superstructured carbons. In fact, superstructured carbons are a category of carbon-based materials characterized by precisely built pores, networks, and interfaces. This unique category meets the particular functional demands of high-performance devices and exceeds the rigid structure of traditional carbons. In the context of these superstructured carbons, we present methods for realizing both custom-built structures and target-oriented functionalities. For specific energy-related reactions, we emphasize the targeted property-structure relationships in these well-defined superstructured carbons. Finally, future developments and practicability challenges of superstructured carbons are also proposed

Suppression of lung cancer in murine model: treated by combination of recombinant human endostsatin adenovirus with low-dose cisplatin

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The sustained growth of tumors necessitates neovascularization. As one of the potent endogenous vascular inhibitors, endostatin has been widely used in antiangiogenesis therapy for tumor. Cisplatin is normally administered in chemotherapy for lung cancer but accompanied with serious side effects. In the current study, we investigated a novel chemo-antiangiogenesis therapeutic strategy to both improve toxic effects on lung cancer cells and reduce damages to normal cells in the anti-tumor therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In vitro, we transduced LLC cells with Ad-hEndo and collected supernatants. Western blotting analysis of the supernatants revealed expression of endostatin. In vivo, to fully investigate the suppression effect on murine lung cancer of the combination therapy, we injected recombinant human endostatin adenovirus intratumorally plus a low dose of cisplatin intraperitoneally routinely. The tumor volume and survival time were observed. Angiogenesis was apparently inhibited within the tumor tissues and on the alginate beads. Assessment of apoptotic cells by the TUNEL assay was conducted in the tumor tissues.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The combination treatment significantly suppressed the tumor growth and prolonged survival time of the murine LLC tumor model. This anti-tumor activity was associated with decreased microvessel density and increased apoptotic index of tumor cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>According to the results in this study, recombinant human endostatin adenovirus in combination with a low dose of cisplatin demonstrated apparent synergistic anti-tumor activity without marked toxicity. Thus, these observations may provide a rational alternative for lung cancer treatment.</p

Construction and Evaluation of the Tumor-Targeting, Cell-Penetrating Multifunctional Molecular Probe iCREKA

A novel tumor stroma targeting and membrane-penetrating cyclic peptide, named iCREKA, was designed and labeled by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and positron emitter 18F to build the tumor-targeting tracers. The FITC-iCREKA was proved to have significantly higher cellular uptake in the glioma U87 cells in the presence of activated MMP-2 than that in absence of activated MMP-2 by cells fluorescence test in vitro. The tumor tissue fluorescence microscope imaging demonstrated that FITC-iCREKA accumulated in the walls of the blood vessels and the surrounding stroma in the glioma tumor at 1 h after intravenous injection. While at 3 h after injection, FITC-iCREKA was found to be uptaken in the tumor cells. However, the control FITC-CREKA can only be found in the tumor stroma, not in the tumor cells, no matter at 1 h or 3 h after injection. The whole-animal fluorescence imaging showed that the glioma tumor could be visualized clearly with high fluorescence signal. The microPET/CT imaging further demonstrated that 18F-iCREKA could target U87MG tumor in vivo from 30 min to 2 h after injection. The present study indicated the iCREKA had the capacity of tumor stroma targeting and the membrane-penetrating. It was potential to be developed as the fluorescent and PET tracers for tumor imaging

Fragmentation Function and Hadronic Production of the Heavy Supersymmetric Hadrons

The light top-squark \sto may be the lightest squark and its lifetime may be `long enough' in a kind of SUSY models which have not been ruled out yet experimentally, so colorless `supersymmetric hadrons (superhadrons)' (\sto \bar{q}) ($q$ is a quark except $t$-quark) may be formed as long as the light top-squark \sto can be produced. Fragmentation function of \sto to heavy `supersymmetric hadrons (superhadrons)' (\sto \bar{Q}) ($\bar{Q}=\bar{c}$ or $\bar{b}$) and the hadronic production of the superhadrons are investigated quantitatively. The fragmentation function is calculated precisely. Due to the difference in spin of the SUSY component, the asymptotic behavior of the fragmentation function is different from those of the existent ones. The fragmentation function is also applied to compute the production of heavy superhadrons at hadronic colliders Tevatron and LHC under the so-called fragmentation approach. The resultant cross-section for the heavy superhadrons is too small to observe at Tevatron, but great enough at LHC, even when all the relevant parameters in the SUSY models are taken within the favored region for the heavy superhadrons. The production of `light superhadrons' (\sto \bar{q}) ($q=u, d, s$) is also roughly estimated. It is pointed out that the production cross-sections of the light superhadrons (\sto \bar{q}) may be much greater than those of the heavy superhadrons, so that even at Tevatron the light superhadrons may be produced in great quantities.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure