Asymmetric nanoparticle may go “active” at room temperature

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that an asymmetrically shaped nanoparticle in dilute solution possesses a spontaneously curved trajectory within a finite time interval, instead of the generally expected random walk. This unexpected dynamic behavior has a similarity to that of active matters, such as swimming bacteria, cells, or even fish, but is of a different physical origin. The key to the curved trajectory lies in the non-zero resultant force originated from the imbalance of the collision forces acted by surrounding solvent molecules on the asymmetrically shaped nanoparticle during its orientation regulation. Theoretical formulae based on microscopic observations have been derived to describe this non-zero force and the resulting motion of the asymmetrically shaped nanoparticle

Temporal and bidirectional association between blood pressure variability and arterial stiffness: Cross-lagged cohort study

BACKGROUND: The causal relationship between blood pressure variability (BPV) and arterial stiffness remains debated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the temporal and bidirectional associations between long-term BPV and arterial stiffness using a cohort design with multiple surveys. METHODS: Participants from the Beijing Health Management Cohort who underwent health examinations from visit 1 (2010-2011) to visit 5 (2018-2019) were enrolled in this study. Long-term BPV was defined as intraindividual variation using the coefficient of variation (CV) and SD. Arterial stiffness was measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). The bidirectional relationship between BPV and arterial stiffness was explored using cross-lagged analysis and linear regression models, with records before and after visit 3 categorized as phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. RESULTS: Of the 1506 participants, who were a mean of 56.11 (SD 8.57) years old, 1148 (76.2%) were male. The cross-lagged analysis indicated that the standardized coefficients of BPV at phase 1 directing to the baPWV level at phase 2 were statistically significant but not vice-versa. The adjusted regression coefficients of the CV were 4.708 (95% CI 0.946-8.470) for systolic blood pressure, 3.119 (95% 0.166-6.073) for diastolic pressure, and 2.205 (95% CI 0.300-4.110) for pulse pressure. The coefficients of the SD were 4.208 (95% CI 0.177-8.239) for diastolic pressure and 4.247 (95% CI 0.448-8.046) for pulse pressure. The associations were predominant in the subgroup with hypertension, but we did not observe any significant association of baPWV level with subsequent BPV indices. CONCLUSIONS: The findings supported a temporal relationship between long-term BPV and arterial stiffness level, especially among people with hypertension

The Effect of Different Laser Irradiation on Cyclophosphamide-Induced Leucopenia in Rats

Objective. To assess the effect of different lasers on cyclophosphamide- (CTX-) induced leucopenia in rats. Methods. 11 rats were normal control and 55 rats were injected with a dose of 80 mg/kg CTX for the first time and 40 mg/kg on the 6th and the 11th days to establish a leucopenia model. Rats of the irradiation groups received a 5-minute laser irradiation with either single 10.6 μm or 650 nm laser or alternatively 10.6 μm–650 nm laser irradiation, besides a sham treatment on acupoint Dazhui (DU 14) and acupoint Zusanli (ST 36) of both sides, 8 times for 16 days. Normal and model control group received no treatment. Results. On day 16 after the first CTX injection, the WBC counts from all the laser irradiation groups were significantly higher than those from the model control and the sham group (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences compared with the normal control (P>0.05). The TI of 10.6 μm–650 nm laser irradiation group was significantly higher than that of the model control group (P<0.05). Conclusions. The single and combined 10.6 μm and 650 nm laser irradiation on ST36 and DU14 accelerated the recovery of the WBC count in the rats with leucopenia

Association of abnormal lung function and its subtypes with arterial stiffness: A longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have reported the cross-sectional relationship between lung function and arterial stiffness, while the longitudinal association remains unclear to date. This study aimed to investigate whether abnormal lung function and its subtypes at baseline are associated with increased arterial stiffness using a cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a secondary analysis extracting 2461 participants from Beijing Health Management Cohort as baseline and annually followed for development of arterial stiffness. Abnormal lung function was defined by forced expiratory volume in 1s \u3c 80% of the predicted value, forced vital capacity of the predicted value, or forced expiratory volume in 1s/ forced vital capacity ratio \u3c 70%. Increased arterial stiffness was determined by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity ≥ 1400 cm/s. Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the hazard ratio and population attributable fraction. The mean age was 42.8±8.1 years, and 444 (18.0%) cases developed increased arterial stiffness during a median follow-up of 3.0 years. The adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) of arterial stiffness was 1.47 (95% CI, 1.10–1.96) for abnormal lung function, with a population attributable fraction of 3.9% (95% CI, 0.8–7.1). Of subtypes, only obstructive ventilatory dysfunction was significantly associated with arterial stiffness (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.06 [95% CI, 1.27–3.36]), not restricted ventilatory dysfunction (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.54–1.65]). Consistent results were observed on multiple sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated a longitudinal association of abnormal lung function with increased arterial stiffness using a large cohort, especially for the obstructive ventilatory dysfunction

Circular RNA circHIPK3 Promotes the Proliferation and Differentiation of Chicken Myoblast Cells by Sponging miR-30a-3p

Circular RNAs and microRNAs widely exist in various species and play crucial roles in multiple biological processes. It is essential to study their roles in myogenesis. In our previous sequencing data, both miR-30a-3p and circular HIPK3 (circHIPK3) RNA, which are produced by the third exon of the HIPK3 gene, were differentially expressed among chicken skeletal muscles at 11 embryo age (E11), 16 embryo age (E16), and 1-day post-hatch (P1). Here, we investigated their potential roles in myogenesis. Proliferation experiment showed that miR-30a-3p could inhibit the proliferation of myoblast. Through dual-luciferase assay and Myosin heavy chain (MYHC) immunofluorescence, we found that miR-30a-3p could inhibit the differentiation of myoblast by binding to Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2 C (MEF2C), which could promote the differentiation of myoblast. Then, we found that circHIPK3 could act as a sponge of miR-30a-3p and exerted a counteractive effect of miR-30a-3p by promoting the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts. Taking together, our data suggested that circHIPK3 could promote the chicken embryonic skeletal muscle development by sponging miR-30a-3p