Interfacial effects on the polarization of BiFeO3BiFeO_{3} films

By considering an interfacial layer between the electrode and the $BiFeO_{3}$($BFO$) layer, the polarization and the hysteresis behavior of $BFO$ film are simulated. It is found that the non-ferroelectric interface will increase the coercive field, and remarkably suppress the polarization of the ultrathin film under low applied fields. Due to the competition between the interfacial effect and the internal compressive stress, the maximum polarization on the P-E loop of a $BFO$ film can be independent on the film thickness under an adequate applied field.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure

Correlation between glycaemic variability and prognosis in diabetic patients with CKD

Introduction: Glycaemic variability (GV), rather than glucose level, has been shown to be an important factor associated with in-hospital mortality. The coefficient of variation of glucose (GLUCV) is one of the methods used to evaluate GV. However, the clinical significance of GLUCV in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as a risk factor for long-term adverse changes is unknown. Material and methods: In this retrospective study, we extracted data of adult DM patients diagnosed with CKD from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-IV). We sought to investigate the relationship between GV and in-hospital mortality as well as 30-day mortality. A non-parametric test was used to compare baseline characteristics between groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression model were used to analyse the risk factors associated with in-hospital and 30-day mortality. Results: A total of 1572 DM patients with CKD were included in our data analysis. The quartile of the GLUCV values was used to assign subjects to 4 groups: GLUCV1 (GLUCV < 24), GLUCV2 (24 ≤ GLUCV < 31), GLUCV3 (31 ≤ GLUCV < 39) and GLUCV 4 (GLUCV ≥ 39). COX regression analysis revealed that the GLUCV was an independent risk factor for in-hospital and 30-day mortality [GLUCV2 group (HR = 0.639, 95% CI: 0.454–0.899, p = 0.010), GLUCV3 group (HR = 0.668, 95% CI: 0.476–0.936, p = 0.019), and GLUCV3 group (HR = 0.726, 95% CI: 0.528–0.999, p = 0.049)]. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was steeper in the GLUCV1 and GLUCV4 groups, and the survival rate decreased in a time-dependent manner. Conclusions: Herein, we validated GV as a mortality risk factor for DM patients with CKD. Therefore, monitoring and adjusting GV in hospitalized patients might have a significant treatment benefit

Association of Mitochondrial DNA Polymerase γ Gene <i>POLG1</i> Polymorphisms with Parkinsonism in Chinese Populations

Background: Mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma (POLG1) mutations were associated with levodopa-responsive Parkinsonism. POLG1 gene contains a number of common nonsynonymous SNPs and intronic regulatory SNPs which may have functional consequences. It is of great interest to discover polymorphisms variants associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), both in isolation and in combination with specific SNPs.Materials and Methods: We conducted a case-control study and genotyped twenty SNPs and poly-Q polymorphisms of POLG1 gene including in 344 Chinese sporadic PD patients and 154 healthy controls. All the polymorphisms of POLG1 we found in this study were sequenced by PCR products with dye terminator methods using an ABI-3100 sequencer. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium (LD) for association between twenty POLG1 SNPs and PD were calculated using the program Haploview.Principal Results: We provided evidence for strong association of four intronic SNPs of the POLG1 gene (new report: c.2070-12T>A and rs2307439: c.2070-64G>A in intron 11, P = 0.00011, OR = 1.727; rs2302084: c.3105-11T>C and rs2246900: c.3105-36A>G in intron 19, P = 0.00031, OR = 1.648) with PD. However, we did not identify any significant association between ten exonic SNPs of POLG1 and PD. Linkage disequilibrium analysis indicated that c.2070-12T>A and c.2070-64G>A could be parsed into one block as Haplotype 1 as well as c.3105-11T>C and c.3105-36A>G in Haplotype 2. In addition, case and control study on association of POLG1 CAG repeat (poly-Q) alleles with PD showed a significant association (P = 0.03, OR = 2.16) of the non-10/11Q variants with PD. Although intronic SNPs associated with PD didn't influence POLG1 mRNA alternative splicing, there was a strong association of c.2070-12T>A and c.2070-64G>A with decreased POLG1 mRNA level and protein levels.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that POLG1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of PD in Chinese populations.</p

Enhancing Production of Pinene in Escherichia coli by Using a Combination of Tolerance, Evolution, and Modular Co-culture Engineering

α-Pinene is a natural and active monoterpene, which is widely used as a flavoring agent and in fragrances, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels. Although it has been successfully produced by genetically engineered microorganisms, the production level of pinene is much lower than that of hemiterpene (isoprene) and sesquiterpenes (farnesene) to date. We first improved pinene tolerance to 2.0% and pinene production by adaptive laboratory evolution after atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis and overexpression of the efflux pump to obtain the pinene tolerant strain Escherichia coli YZFP, which is resistant to fosmidomycin. Through error-prone PCR and DNA shuffling, we isolated an Abies grandis geranyl pyrophosphate synthase variant that outperformed the wild-type enzyme. To balance the expression of multiple genes, a tunable intergenic region (TIGR) was inserted between A. grandis GPPSD90G/L175P and Pinus taeda Pt1Q457L. In an effort to improve the production, an E. coli-E. coli modular co-culture system was engineered to modularize the heterologous mevalonate (MEV) pathway and the TIGR-mediated gene cluster of A. grandis GPPSD90G/L175P and P. taeda Pt1Q457L. Specifically, the MEV pathway and the TIGR-mediated gene cluster were integrated into the chromosome of the pinene tolerance strain E. coli YZFP and then evolved to a higher gene copy number by chemically induced chromosomal evolution, respectively. The best E. coli-E. coli co-culture system of fermentation was found to improve pinene production by 1.9-fold compared to the mono-culture approach. The E. coli-E. coli modular co-culture system of whole-cell biocatalysis further improved pinene production to 166.5 mg/L

Increased CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells correlate with poor short-term outcomes in hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure patients

BackgroundThe roles of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in chronicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have been confirmed. We aimed to explore alteration of Treg in patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).MethodsThirty-two HBV-related ACLF patients, 44 chronic hepatitis B patients, and 41 healthy controls were recruited. We detected frequencies of peripheral Treg and intrahepatic forkhead winged helix transcription factor (Foxp3)+ cells. Inhibitory activity of Treg was assessed by functional suppression assays. Serum interferon-γ and interleukin-10 were also determined.ResultsPeripheral Treg and intrahepatic Foxp3+ cells were more markedly increased in ACLF than chronic hepatitis B and controls (all p < 0.001), and the Foxp3+ cells located predominantly in the portal areas. The Treg frequency was positively correlated with HBV DNA load, international normalized ratio, model of end stage liver disease score, and serum interleukin-10 level in ACLF patients. Functional assays in vitro demonstrated that ACLF patients exhibited higher suppressive effects of Treg on proliferations of autologous CD4+CD25− T cells than controls. On logistic regression, prolonged international normalized ratio and higher peripheral Treg frequency predicted 30-day survival of ACLF.ConclusionThe patients with HBV-related ACLF exhibit increased amounts of Treg, of which redistribution from periphery to liver seems to modulate liver inflammation. Higher Treg amounts are associated with more severe liver disease in ACLF, and its level in combination with international normalized ratio may assist prediction of short-term outcomes of HBV-related ACLF