Effect of intense pulsed-light therapy on hair regrowth in C57BL/6J mice mediated by WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of low-fluence intense pulsed light (IPL) on hair  growth in C57BL/6 mice, and to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of IPL actions on hair growth.Methods: After low-fluence IPL irradiation was applied to depilated dorsal skin of C57BL/6 mice in the telogen, or resting hair cycle phase, tissue samples were obtained and used for histopathological analysis. Hair growth was analyzed by measuring hair length. In addition, protein expression levels of WNT3A and β-catenin were assayed by western blot.Results: Low-fluence IPL irradiation promoted hair growth by inducing the anagen, or growth, phase in telogenic C57BL/6J mice. In particular, hair growth analysis suggested that application of low-fluence IPL induced an earlier transition from telogen to anagen phase and prolonged the duration of anagen phase compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Moreover, western blotting assay revealed that WNT3A and β-catenin protein levels were up-regulated compared to the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: These findings suggest that low-fluence IPL irradiation may be effective for promoting hair regrowth via activation of the WNT/β-catenin pathway, and may, therefore, be a potential novel therapeutic treatment to stimulate hair regrowth.Keywords: Intense pulsed light, Hair follicles, Hair growth, WNT3a/β-catenin  pathwa

TiEV: The Tongji Intelligent Electric Vehicle in the Intelligent Vehicle Future Challenge of China

TiEV is an autonomous driving platform implemented by Tongji University of China. The vehicle is drive-by-wire and is fully powered by electricity. We devised the software system of TiEV from scratch, which is capable of driving the vehicle autonomously in urban paths as well as on fast express roads. We describe our whole system, especially novel modules of probabilistic perception fusion, incremental mapping, the 1st and the 2nd planning and the overall safety concern. TiEV finished 2016 and 2017 Intelligent Vehicle Future Challenge of China held at Changshu. We show our experiences on the development of autonomous vehicles and future trends

Evidence for microbial iron reduction in the methanic sediments of the oligotrophic southeastern Mediterranean continental shelf

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Vigderovich, H., Liang, L., Herut, B., Wang, F., Wurgaft, E., Rubin-Blum, M., & Sivan, O. Evidence for microbial iron reduction in the methanic sediments of the oligotrophic southeastern Mediterranean continental shelf. Biogeosciences, 16(16), (2019): 3165-3181, doi: 10.5194/bg-16-3165-2019.Dissimilatory iron reduction is probably one of the oldest types of metabolisms that still participates in important biogeochemical cycles, such as those of carbon and sulfur. It is one of the more energetically favorable anaerobic microbial respiration processes and is usually coupled to the oxidation of organic matter. Traditionally this process is thought to be limited to the shallow part of the sedimentary column in most aquatic systems. However, iron reduction has also been observed in the methanic zone of many marine and freshwater sediments, well below its expected zone and occasionally accompanied by decreases in methane, suggesting a link between the iron and the methane cycles. Nevertheless, the mechanistic nature of this link (competition, redox or other) has yet to be established and has not been studied in oligotrophic shallow marine sediments. In this study we present combined geochemical and molecular evidences for microbial iron reduction in the methanic zone of the oligotrophic southeastern (SE) Mediterranean continental shelf. Geochemical porewater profiles indicate iron reduction in two zones, the uppermost part of the sediment, and the deeper zone, in the layer of high methane concentration. Results from a slurry incubation experiment indicate that the deep methanic iron reduction is microbially mediated. The sedimentary profiles of microbial abundance and quantitative PCR (qPCR) of the mcrA gene, together with Spearman correlation between the microbial data and Fe(II) concentrations in the porewater, suggest types of potential microorganisms that may be involved in the iron reduction via several potential pathways: H2 or organic matter oxidation, an active sulfur cycle, or iron-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane. We suggest that significant upward migration of methane in the sedimentary column and its oxidation by sulfate may fuel the microbial activity in the sulfate methane transition zone (SMTZ). The biomass created by this microbial activity can be used by the iron reducers below, in the methanic zone of the sediments of the SE Mediterranean.This study was supported by the joint grant of Israel Science Foundation and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (ISF-NSFC) (grant numbers 31661143022 (FW) and 2561/16 (OS)). Funding was provided to Hanni Vigderovich by the Mediterranean Sea Research Center of Israel

Revealing the activity of Co3Mo3N and Co3Mo3N0.5 as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water is governed by electrocatalysts used. Multiple factors such as crystal structure, composition and morphology dictate the final catalytic performance. However, as multicomponent materials are developed to replace noble metals in the HER, it has become increasingly difficult to identify intrinsically active materials. Hence, there is an imperative for phase-pure catalysts to be synthetized and tested without obscuring contributions from impurities or substrates. Herein, we demonstrate that phase-pure, unsupported Co3Mo3N achieves a competitively low overpotential (OVP) of 108 ± 8 mV at 10 mA cm‒2 in 0.5 M H2SO4. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals weakly binding metal sites as the catalytic centres for the HER in the nitride. Remarkably, the N-deficient Co3Mo3N0.5 shows similar electrochemical properties but has limited chemical stability under cathodic bias. Thus, even though nitrogen sites play only a minor role in catalytic performance, their occupancy is crucial for the stability of nitride catalysts in the corrosive electrolyte. The composite of Co3Mo3N on Ni-foam sustains 10 ± 0.7 mA cm‒2 at applied potential of just 20 mV over extended time, highlighting the utility of nitrides for future design of stable and active HER catalytic systems

Electrochemical Microsensors for the Detection of Cadmium(II) and Lead(II) Ions in Plants

Routine determination of trace metals in complex media is still a difficult task for many analytical instruments. The aim of this work was to compare three electro-chemical instruments [a standard potentiostat (Autolab), a commercially available miniaturized potentiostat (PalmSens) and a homemade micropotentiostat] for easy-to-use and sensitive determination of cadmium(II) and lead(II) ions. The lowest detection limits (hundreds of pM) for both metals was achieved by using of the standard potentiostat, followed by the miniaturized potentiostat (tens of nM) and the homemade instrument (hundreds of nM). Nevertheless, all potentiostats were sensitive enough to evaluate contamination of the environment, because the environmental limits for both metals are higher than detection limits of the instruments. Further, we tested all used potentiostats and working electrodes on analysis of environmental samples (rainwater, flour and plant extract) with artificially added cadmium(II) and lead(II). Based on the similar results obtained for all potentiostats we choose a homemade instrument with a carbon tip working electrode for our subsequent environmental experiments, in which we analyzed maize and sunflower seedlings and rainwater obtained from various sites in the Czech Republic

Neutrophil depletion reduces edema formation and tissue loss following traumatic brain injury in mice

Background: Brain edema as a result of secondary injury following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major clinical concern. Neutrophils are known to cause increased vascular permeability leading to edema formation in peripheral tissue, but their role in the pathology following TBI remains unclear. Methods: In this study we used controlled cortical impact (CCI) as a model for TBI and investigated the role of neutrophils in the response to injury. The outcome of mice that were depleted of neutrophils using an anti-Gr-1 antibody was compared to that in mice with intact neutrophil count. The effect of neutrophil depletion on blood-brain barrier function was assessed by Evan's blue dye extravasation, and analysis of brain water content was used as a measurement of brain edema formation (24 and 48 hours after CCI). Lesion volume was measured 7 and 14 days after CCI. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess cell death, using a marker for cleaved caspase-3 at 24 hours after injury, and microglial/macrophage activation 7 days after CCI. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test for non-parametric data. Results: Neutrophil depletion did not significantly affect Evan's blue extravasation at any time-point after CCI. However, neutrophil-depleted mice exhibited a decreased water content both at 24 and 48 hours after CCI indicating reduced edema formation. Furthermore, brain tissue loss was attenuated in neutropenic mice at 7 and 14 days after injury. Additionally, these mice had a significantly reduced number of activated microglia/macrophages 7 days after CCI, and of cleaved caspase-3 positive cells 24 h after injury. Conclusion: Our results suggest that neutrophils are involved in the edema formation, but not the extravasation of large proteins, as well as contributing to cell death and tissue loss following TBI in mice

Folate Intake and Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene Polymorphisms as Predictive and Prognostic Biomarkers for Ovarian Cancer Risk

Folic acid and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) may affect the development of human cancer. However, few studies have evaluated folate intake and MTHFR in susceptibility to and prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. We conducted a prospective case-control study in 215 ovarian cancer patients and 218 controls (all Chinese) between Jan. 2004 and Jan. 2007. MTHFR C677T genotyping was done by PCR-RFLP. All patients were followed up until Dec. 2010. We found a 2.43-fold increased risk of ovarian cancer among MTHFR 677TT carriers, and a decreased risk of ovarian cancer in individuals with high folate intake (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.32–0.94). Cox regression survival analysis showed that among the ovarian cancer patients, those carrying the 677TT genotype had a higher risk of death (HR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.20–4.79), while high folate intake was associated with a lower risk of death (HR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.33–0.88). Moreover, MTHFR 677CC carriers with higher folate intake showed a lower risk of death from ovarian cancer (HR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.27–0.82). In summary, high folate intake may lessen susceptibility and improve the prognosis of ovarian cancer patients, while the MTHFR 677TT genotype appears to increase ovarian cancer risk and worsen its prognosis in a Chinese population