Determining the Degree of [001] Preferred Growth of Ni(OH)\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Nanoplates

Determining the degree of preferred growth of low-dimensional materials is of practical importance for the improvement of the synthesis methods and applications of low-dimensional materials. In this work, three different methods are used to analyze the degree of preferred growth of the Ni(OH)2 nanoplates synthesized without the use of a complex anion. The results suggest that the preferred growth degree of the Ni(OH)2 nanoplates calculated by the March parameter and the expression given by Zolotoyabko, which are based on the analysis and texture refinement of the X-ray diffraction pattern, are in good accordance with the results measured by SEM and TEM imaging. The method using the shape function of crystallites is not suitable for the determination of the preferred growth degree of the Ni(OH)2 nanoplates. The method using the March parameter and the expression given by Zolotoyabko can be extended to the analysis of block materials

Regulatory effects of IRF4 on immune cells in the tumor microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is implicated in tumorigenesis, chemoresistance, immunotherapy failure and tumor recurrence. Multiple immunosuppressive cells and soluble secreted cytokines together drive and accelerate TME disorders, T cell immunodeficiency and tumor growth. Thus, it is essential to comprehensively understand the TME status, immune cells involved and key transcriptional factors, and extend this knowledge to therapies that target dysfunctional T cells in the TME. Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) is a unique IRF family member that is not regulated by interferons, instead, is mainly induced upon T-cell receptor signaling, Toll-like receptors and tumor necrosis factor receptors. IRF4 is largely restricted to immune cells and plays critical roles in the differentiation and function of effector cells and immunosuppressive cells, particularly during clonal expansion and the effector function of T cells. However, in a specific biological context, it is also involved in the transcriptional process of T cell exhaustion with its binding partners. Given the multiple effects of IRF4 on immune cells, especially T cells, manipulating IRF4 may be an important therapeutic target for reversing T cell exhaustion and TME disorders, thus promoting anti-tumor immunity. This study reviews the regulatory effects of IRF4 on various immune cells in the TME, and reveals its potential mechanisms, providing a novel direction for clinical immune intervention

Electrical contact properties between Yb and few-layer WS2_2

Charge injection mechanism from contact electrodes into two-dimensional (2D) dichalcogenides is an essential topic for exploiting electronics based on 2D channels, but remains not well understood. Here, low-work-function metal ytterbium (Yb) was employed as contacts for tungsten disulfide (WS$_2$) to understand the realistic injection mechanism. The contact properties in WS$_2$ with variable temperature (T) and channel thickness (tch) were synergetically characterized. It is found that the Yb/WS$_2$ interfaces exhibit a strong pinning effect between energy levels and a low contact resistance (R_\rm{C}) value down to $5\,k\Omega\cdot\mu$m. Cryogenic electrical measurements reveal that R_\rm{C} exhibits weakly positive dependence on T till 77 K, as well as a weakly negative correlation with tch. In contrast to the non-negligible R_\rm{C} values extracted, an unexpectedly low effective thermal injection barrier of 36 meV is estimated, indicating the presence of significant tunneling injection in subthreshold regime and the inapplicability of the pure thermionic emission model to estimate the height of injection barrier

Comparing levonorgestrel intrauterine system versus hysteroscopic resection in patients with postmenstrual spotting related to a niche in the caesarean scar (MIHYS NICHE trial) : Protocol of a randomised controlled trial

Funding This work was supported by National Key Research and Development Programme (2018YFC1002102), Research Project of Shanghai Health and Fitness Commission (201940012,20184Y0344)),Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty (shslczdzk01802), Medical Engineering Cross Funds from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (YG2017QN38, ZH2018QNA36, YG2021ZD31), Medical innovation research project of the 2020 'Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan' of Shanghai Science and Technology Commission (20Y11907700), and Clinical Science and Technology Innovation Project of Shanghai Hospital Development Center(SHDC22020216).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Research Progress on Extraction, Structure, Functions and Mechanism of Action of Mesona Polysaccharide

Mesona is a special edible and medicinal food in China. The country has an abundant Mesona output and a large number of Mesona consumers. Polysaccharide is one of the important active components in Mesona, which has a variety of biological activities in disease prevention and treatment. Currently, Mesona polysaccharide has been widely used in Chinese Traditional medicine, herbal tea, as well as jelly. However, there are problems such as insufficient development of deep-processing products. In this paper, the domestic and foreign literature in the past recent years are retrieved and collected. This article comprehensively proposes the extraction, isolation and purification technologies of Mesona polysaccharide, as well as their characteristic structures, and rheological and gelling properties. Additionally, their functional activities and the underlying mechanism of action on antioxidant, regulation of gut flora, anti-hyperglycemia, anti-hyperlipidemia, liver protection and immunoregulation are systematically reviewed. This review provides useful ideas and guidance for the basic research as well as the commercialization of research on Mesona

Regional cerebral metabolic levels and turnover in awake rats after acute or chronic spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common cause of disability, which often leads to sensorimotor cortex dysfunction above the spinal injury site. However, the cerebral regional effects on metabolic information after SCI have been little studied. Here, adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into acute and chronic treatment groups and sham groups with day-matched periods. The Basso, Beatte, and Bresnahan scores method were utilized to evaluate the changes in behaviors during the recovery of the animals, and the metabolic information was measured with the 1 H-observed/13 C-edited NMR method. Total metabolic concentrations in every region were almost similar in both treated groups. However, the metabolic kinetics in most regions in the acute group were significantly altered (P < .05), particularly in the cortical area, thalamus and medulla (P < .01). After long-term recovery, some metabolic kinetics were recovered, especially in the temporal cortex, occipital cortex, and medulla. The metabolic kinetic changes revealed the alteration of metabolism and neurotransmission in different brain regions after SCI, which present evidence for the alternation of brain glucose oxidation. Therefore, this shows the significant influence of SCI on cerebral function and neuroscience research. This study also provides the theoretical basis for clinical therapy after SCI, such as mitochondrial transplantation. Keywords: NMR; brain regions; metabolic kinetics; neurotransmitters; spinal cord injury

Antibodies to Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein Are Pathogenic in Mice and May Be Clinically Relevant in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is an autoantigen in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and experimental models of arthritis. This study was undertaken to investigate the structure, function, and relevance of anti-COMP antibodies. Methods. We investigated the pathogenicity of monoclonal anti-COMP antibodies in mice using passive transfer experiments, and we explored the interaction of anti-COMP antibodies with cartilage using immunohistochemical staining. The interaction of the monoclonal antibody 15A11 in complex with its specific COMP epitope P6 was determined by x-ray crystallography. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a surface plasma resonance technique were used to study the modulation of calcium ion binding to 15A11. The clinical relevance and value of serum IgG specific to the COMP P6 epitope and its citrullinated variants were evaluated in a large Swedish cohort of RA patients. Results. The murine monoclonal anti-COMP antibody 15A11 induced arthritis in naive mice. The crystal structure of the 15A11-P6 complex explained how the antibody could bind to COMP, which can be modulated by calcium ions. Moreover, serum IgG specific to the COMP P6 peptide and its citrullinated variants was detectable at significantly higher levels in RA patients compared to healthy controls and correlated with a higher disease activity score. Conclusion. Our findings provide the structural basis for binding a pathogenic anti-COMP antibody to cartilage. The recognized epitope can be citrullinated, and levels of antibodies to this epitope are elevated in RA patients and correlate with higher disease activity, implicating a pathogenic role of anti-COMP antibodies in a subset of RA patients.</p

Efficient spin–orbit torque switching in perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB facilitated by Fe2O3 underlayer

Spin–orbit torque (SOT) is recognized as an effective way to manipulate magnetization in spintronic devices. For the low-power consumption and high-endurance requirements of future computer architectures, reducing the critical SOT switching current density and improving SOT efficiency are crucial, especially in the perpendicularly magnetized structures. Here, we have conducted a comprehensive study on improving the SOT efficiency of the Ta/CoFeB structure with a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy by inserting an oxide insulating layer Fe2O3 as the bottom layer. We found that only a 1–5 nm thickness of Fe2O3 significantly reduces the SOT critical switching current by 70% and enhances the spin Hall angle of Ta. The spin Hall angle increases from 0.078 for pure Ta/CoFeB to 0.13 for Fe2O3/Ta/CoFeB, and both types of spin–orbit torques, damping-like and field-like torques, are significantly enhanced. It is suggested that the atomic diffusion of O from the Fe2O3 underlayer leads to the partial oxidization of the Ta layer as well as the Ta/CoFeB interfaces, accounting for the observed enhanced SOT efficiency. Our results provide a reliable method to improve the SOT performance in perpendicularly magnetized structures by inserting the oxide underlayer using magnetron sputtering, in favor of its potential real-world application in spintronic devices