An efficient two-polymer binder for high-performance silicon nanoparticle-based lithium-ion batteries: A systematic case study with commercial polyacrylic acid and polyvinyl butyral polymers

Silicon is one of the most promising anode materials for high energy density lithium ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity and natural abundance. Unfortunately, significant challenges arise due to the large volume change of silicon upon lithiation/delithiation which inhibit its broad commercialization. An advanced binder can, in principle, reversibly buffer the volume change, and maintain strong adhesion toward various components as well as the current collector. In this work, we present the first report on the applicability of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) polymer as a binder component for silicon nanoparticles-based LIBs. Characteristic binder properties of commercial PVB and polyacrylic acid (PAA) polymers are compared. The work focuses on polymer mixtures of PVB polymers with PAA, for an improved binder composition which incorporates their individual advantages. Different ratios of polymers are systematically studied to understand the effect of particular polymer chains, functional groups and mass fractions, on the electrochemical performance. We demonstrate a high-performance polymer mixture which exhibits good binder-particle interaction and strong adhesion to Cu-foil. PAA/PVB-based electrode with a Si loading of ∼1 mg/cm2 tested between 0.01 and 1.2 V vs. Li/Li+ demonstrate specific capacities as high as 2170 mAh/g after the first hundred cycles. © The Author(s) 2019

Effects of posture and venous insufficiency on endothelial-dependent and -independent cutaneous vasodilation in the perimalleolar region

Objectives: To assess the effects of posture, endothelial function and venous insufficiency on cutaneous microvascular vasodilator function in the gaiter area, in particular defining factors which may affect microangiopathy and ulcer formation. Methods: Endothelial-dependent and –independent vasodilator responses to incremental-doses of acetylcholine (Ach) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were evaluated in the perimalleolar region in the supine and standing positions in middle-aged patients with isolated superficial venous insufficiency (ISVI) (n=25) and health controls (n=28) using laser Doppler fluximetry (LDF) and iontophoresis of vasodilators. Results: The venoarteriolar reflex (vasoconstriction on standing) was equally present in both groups, and reduced the vasodilator responses to SNP in the upright position (e.g for patients with ISVI, peak SNP response was 82+11 PU [standing] vs 123+15 PU [supine]). The presence of ISVI had no effect on endothelial vasodilator function in the supine position, but on standing cutaneous reactivity to Ach was significantly reduced (e.g peak Ach response 69+8 PU [ISVI] vs 109+11 PU [controls], p<0.003). Conclusions: Upright posture impairs cutaneous endothelial-dependent vasodilation in the gaiter area of patients with ISVI. This may be of clinical and prognostic utility in identifying which patients with uncomplicated ISVI are at highest risk of tissue breakdown and ulcer formation in the gaiter area

MORPHOGENESIS OF KNEE HYALINE CARTILAGE DURING INTRAARTICULAR INJECTION OF PLATELET-RICH AUTOLOGOUS PLASMA AND/OR HYALURONIC ACID PREPARATION IN RATS WITH EXPERIMENTAL OSTEOARTHRITIS

According to current concepts, the influence of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and high molecular hyaluronates (HA) on the repair of hyaline cartilage during its inflammatory and degenerative changes has been insufficiently studied yet. The objective of the work was to evaluate the morphological changes in the structure of hyaline cartilage in experimental osteoarthritis after intra-articular injection of PRP and/or HA. Material and methods. The authors used 50 adult rats of Wistar line, weighing 250±2,2 g., distributed into five groups of 10 animals (two control and three experimental groups). An experimental gonarthosis was simulated on four groups of animals. Animals of the first experimental group received intra-articular injection of PRP, the second group – HA, the third – both PRP and HA. Results. No morphological signs of degenerative and inflammatory changes in the first control group were identified. Following osteoarthritis simulation the articular cartilage thinned to 121±20,4 microns (p&lt;0,05) and the volume fraction of chondrocyte decreased to 1,2±0,6% (p&lt;0,05). The authors observed an uneven coloration of collagen fibers with severe tinctorial properties disorder of the articular cartilage matrix. After the RPR introduction the authors observed tickening of the articular cartilage up to 275±18,9 micron (p&lt;0,05) and the volume fraction of chondrocytes up to 18,4±2,0% (p&lt;0,05). The contour of the cartilage surface became smoother with the formation of a cell-free zone. Collagen fibers demonstrated a uniform distribution, tinctorial properties of cartilage matrix in all areas were preserved, no signs of inflammation were noted. After HA introduction the authors observed thickening of the cartilage plate up to 264±21,3 microns (p&lt;0,05) and the volume fraction of chondrocytes up to 11,6±1,2% (p&lt;0,05). The surface of the cartilage featured uneven contours due to multiple areas of pulping. Uneven tinctorial properties of cartilage matrix, thickness and orientation of collagen fibres were retained. No signes of inflammation were observed. After the combined consecutive application of PRP and HA cartilage thickness increased up to 268±15,3 microns (p&lt;0,05) and the volume fraction of chondrocytes increased up to 12,7±0,9% (p&lt;0,05). Individual portions of pulping on the cartilage surface were observed. Tinctorial properties of the cartilage matrix were preserved; the focal uneven staining of collagen fibers in the basal zone was observed. No signs of inflammation were noted. Conclusion. During osteoarthritis simulation in knee joints of experimental Wistar line rats the authors observed severe structural changes in articular hyaline cartilage including complete destruction accompanied by vascular proliferation and granulomatous inflammation. Intraarticular injections of PRP, HA as well as PRP in combination with HA during the simulation of osteoarthrosis were accompanied by a decrease in the severity of degenerative and dystrophic processes and improval of tinctorial properties of articular cartilage matrix. Sole application of PRP or consecutive application of PRP followed by HA were observed as having the more significant reparative effect on articular cartilage as compared to HA

K19 capsular polysaccharide of acinetobacter baumannii is produced via a Wzy polymerase encoded in a small genomic island rather than the KL19 capsule gene cluster

© 2016 The Authors.Polymerization of the oligosaccharides (K units) of complex capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) requires a Wzy polymerase, which is usually encoded in the gene cluster that directs K unit synthesis. Here, a gene cluster at the Acinetobacter K locus (KL) that lacks a wzy gene, KL19, was found in Acinetobacter baumannii ST111 isolates 28 and RBH2 recovered from hospitals in the Russian Federation and Australia, respectively. However, these isolates produced long-chain capsule, and a wzy gene was found in a 6.1 kb genomic island (GI) located adjacent to the cpn60 gene. The GI also includes an acetyltransferase gene, atr25, which is interrupted by an insertion sequence (IS) in RBH2. The capsule structure from both strains was→3)-α-D-GalpNAc-(1→4)-α-D-GalpNAcA-(1→3)-β-D-QuipNAc4NAc-(1→, determined using NMR spectroscopy. Biosynthesis of the K unit was inferred to be initiated with QuiNAc4NAc, and hence the Wzy forms the β-(1→3) linkage between QuipNAc4NAc and GalpNAc. The GalpNAc residue is 6-O-acetylated in isolate 28 only, showing that atr25 is responsible for this acetylation. The same GI with or without an IS in atr25 was found in draft genomes of other KL19 isolates, as well as ones carrying a closely related CPS gene cluster, KL39, which differs from KL19 only in a gene for an acyltransferase in the QuiNAc4NR synthesis pathway. Isolates carrying a KL1 variant with the wzy and atr genes each interrupted by an ISAba125 also have this GI. To our knowledge, this study is the first report of genes involved in capsule biosynthesis normally found at the KL located elsewhere in A. baumannii genomes

K19 capsular polysaccharide of acinetobacter baumannii is produced via a Wzy polymerase encoded in a small genomic island rather than the KL19 capsule gene cluster

© 2016 The Authors.Polymerization of the oligosaccharides (K units) of complex capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) requires a Wzy polymerase, which is usually encoded in the gene cluster that directs K unit synthesis. Here, a gene cluster at the Acinetobacter K locus (KL) that lacks a wzy gene, KL19, was found in Acinetobacter baumannii ST111 isolates 28 and RBH2 recovered from hospitals in the Russian Federation and Australia, respectively. However, these isolates produced long-chain capsule, and a wzy gene was found in a 6.1 kb genomic island (GI) located adjacent to the cpn60 gene. The GI also includes an acetyltransferase gene, atr25, which is interrupted by an insertion sequence (IS) in RBH2. The capsule structure from both strains was→3)-α-D-GalpNAc-(1→4)-α-D-GalpNAcA-(1→3)-β-D-QuipNAc4NAc-(1→, determined using NMR spectroscopy. Biosynthesis of the K unit was inferred to be initiated with QuiNAc4NAc, and hence the Wzy forms the β-(1→3) linkage between QuipNAc4NAc and GalpNAc. The GalpNAc residue is 6-O-acetylated in isolate 28 only, showing that atr25 is responsible for this acetylation. The same GI with or without an IS in atr25 was found in draft genomes of other KL19 isolates, as well as ones carrying a closely related CPS gene cluster, KL39, which differs from KL19 only in a gene for an acyltransferase in the QuiNAc4NR synthesis pathway. Isolates carrying a KL1 variant with the wzy and atr genes each interrupted by an ISAba125 also have this GI. To our knowledge, this study is the first report of genes involved in capsule biosynthesis normally found at the KL located elsewhere in A. baumannii genomes

K19 capsular polysaccharide of acinetobacter baumannii is produced via a Wzy polymerase encoded in a small genomic island rather than the KL19 capsule gene cluster

© 2016 The Authors.Polymerization of the oligosaccharides (K units) of complex capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) requires a Wzy polymerase, which is usually encoded in the gene cluster that directs K unit synthesis. Here, a gene cluster at the Acinetobacter K locus (KL) that lacks a wzy gene, KL19, was found in Acinetobacter baumannii ST111 isolates 28 and RBH2 recovered from hospitals in the Russian Federation and Australia, respectively. However, these isolates produced long-chain capsule, and a wzy gene was found in a 6.1 kb genomic island (GI) located adjacent to the cpn60 gene. The GI also includes an acetyltransferase gene, atr25, which is interrupted by an insertion sequence (IS) in RBH2. The capsule structure from both strains was→3)-α-D-GalpNAc-(1→4)-α-D-GalpNAcA-(1→3)-β-D-QuipNAc4NAc-(1→, determined using NMR spectroscopy. Biosynthesis of the K unit was inferred to be initiated with QuiNAc4NAc, and hence the Wzy forms the β-(1→3) linkage between QuipNAc4NAc and GalpNAc. The GalpNAc residue is 6-O-acetylated in isolate 28 only, showing that atr25 is responsible for this acetylation. The same GI with or without an IS in atr25 was found in draft genomes of other KL19 isolates, as well as ones carrying a closely related CPS gene cluster, KL39, which differs from KL19 only in a gene for an acyltransferase in the QuiNAc4NR synthesis pathway. Isolates carrying a KL1 variant with the wzy and atr genes each interrupted by an ISAba125 also have this GI. To our knowledge, this study is the first report of genes involved in capsule biosynthesis normally found at the KL located elsewhere in A. baumannii genomes

K19 capsular polysaccharide of acinetobacter baumannii is produced via a Wzy polymerase encoded in a small genomic island rather than the KL19 capsule gene cluster

© 2016 The Authors.Polymerization of the oligosaccharides (K units) of complex capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) requires a Wzy polymerase, which is usually encoded in the gene cluster that directs K unit synthesis. Here, a gene cluster at the Acinetobacter K locus (KL) that lacks a wzy gene, KL19, was found in Acinetobacter baumannii ST111 isolates 28 and RBH2 recovered from hospitals in the Russian Federation and Australia, respectively. However, these isolates produced long-chain capsule, and a wzy gene was found in a 6.1 kb genomic island (GI) located adjacent to the cpn60 gene. The GI also includes an acetyltransferase gene, atr25, which is interrupted by an insertion sequence (IS) in RBH2. The capsule structure from both strains was→3)-α-D-GalpNAc-(1→4)-α-D-GalpNAcA-(1→3)-β-D-QuipNAc4NAc-(1→, determined using NMR spectroscopy. Biosynthesis of the K unit was inferred to be initiated with QuiNAc4NAc, and hence the Wzy forms the β-(1→3) linkage between QuipNAc4NAc and GalpNAc. The GalpNAc residue is 6-O-acetylated in isolate 28 only, showing that atr25 is responsible for this acetylation. The same GI with or without an IS in atr25 was found in draft genomes of other KL19 isolates, as well as ones carrying a closely related CPS gene cluster, KL39, which differs from KL19 only in a gene for an acyltransferase in the QuiNAc4NR synthesis pathway. Isolates carrying a KL1 variant with the wzy and atr genes each interrupted by an ISAba125 also have this GI. To our knowledge, this study is the first report of genes involved in capsule biosynthesis normally found at the KL located elsewhere in A. baumannii genomes

Are small nucleolar RNAs "cRISPRable"? A report on box C/D small nucleolar RNA editing in human cells

© 2019 Royal Society of Chemistry. All rights reserved. CRISPR technologies are nowadays widely used for targeted knockout of numerous protein-coding genes and for the study of various processes and metabolic pathways in human cells. Most attention in the genome editing field is now focused on the cleavage of protein-coding genes or genes encoding long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), while the studies on targeted knockout of intron-encoded regulatory RNAs are sparse. Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) present a class of non-coding RNAs encoded within the introns of various host genes and involved in post-transcriptional maturation of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) in eukaryotic cells. Box C/D snoRNAs direct 2'-O-methylation of rRNA nucleotides. These short RNAs have specific elements in their structure, namely, boxes C and D, and a target-recognizing region. Here, we present the study devoted to CRISPR/ Cas9-mediated editing of box C/D snoRNA genes in Gas5. We obtained monoclonal cell lines carrying mutations in snoRNA genes and analyzed the levels of the mutant box C/D snoRNA as well as the 2'-O-methylation status of the target rRNA nucleotide in the obtained cells. Mutations in SNORD75 in the obtained monoclonal cell line were shown to result in aberrant splicing of Gas5 with exclusion of exons 3 to 5, which was confirmed by RT-PCR and RNA-Seq. The obtained results suggest that SNORD75 contains an element for binding of some factors regulating maturation of Gas5 pre-lncRNA. We suggest that METTL3/METTL14 is among such factors, and m6A-methylation pathways are involved in regulation of Gas5 splicing. Our results shell light on the role of SNORDs in regulating splicing of the host gene

Are small nucleolar RNAs "cRISPRable"? A report on box C/D small nucleolar RNA editing in human cells

© 2019 Royal Society of Chemistry. All rights reserved. CRISPR technologies are nowadays widely used for targeted knockout of numerous protein-coding genes and for the study of various processes and metabolic pathways in human cells. Most attention in the genome editing field is now focused on the cleavage of protein-coding genes or genes encoding long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), while the studies on targeted knockout of intron-encoded regulatory RNAs are sparse. Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) present a class of non-coding RNAs encoded within the introns of various host genes and involved in post-transcriptional maturation of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) in eukaryotic cells. Box C/D snoRNAs direct 2'-O-methylation of rRNA nucleotides. These short RNAs have specific elements in their structure, namely, boxes C and D, and a target-recognizing region. Here, we present the study devoted to CRISPR/ Cas9-mediated editing of box C/D snoRNA genes in Gas5. We obtained monoclonal cell lines carrying mutations in snoRNA genes and analyzed the levels of the mutant box C/D snoRNA as well as the 2'-O-methylation status of the target rRNA nucleotide in the obtained cells. Mutations in SNORD75 in the obtained monoclonal cell line were shown to result in aberrant splicing of Gas5 with exclusion of exons 3 to 5, which was confirmed by RT-PCR and RNA-Seq. The obtained results suggest that SNORD75 contains an element for binding of some factors regulating maturation of Gas5 pre-lncRNA. We suggest that METTL3/METTL14 is among such factors, and m6A-methylation pathways are involved in regulation of Gas5 splicing. Our results shell light on the role of SNORDs in regulating splicing of the host gene