Autophagy Protects the Blood-Brain Barrier Through Regulating the Dynamic of Claudin-5 in Short-Term Starvation

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for the exchange of nutrient and ions to maintain the homeostasis of central nervous system (CNS). BBB dysfunction is commonly associated with the disruption of endothelial tight junctions and excess permeability, which results in various CNS diseases. Therefore, maintaining the structural integrity and proper function of the BBB is essential for the homeostasis and physiological function of the CNS. Here, we showed that serum starvation disrupted the function of endothelial barrier as evidenced by decreased trans-endothelial electrical resistance, increased permeability, and redistribution of tight junction proteins such as Claudin-5 (Cldn5). Further analyses revealed that autophagy was activated and protected the integrity of endothelial barrier by scavenging ROS and inhibiting the redistribution of Cldn5 under starvation, as evidenced by accumulation of autophagic vacuoles and increased expression of LC3II/I, ATG5 and LAMP1. In addition, autophagosome was observed to package and eliminate the aggregated Cldn5 in cytosol as detected by immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) and stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscope. Moreover, Akt-mTOR-p70S6K pathway was found to be involved in the protective autophagy induced by starvation. Our data demonstrated that autophagy played an essential role in maintaining the integrity of endothelial barrier by regulating the localization of Cldn5 under starvation

Neural network models for seabed stability: a deep learning approach to wave-induced pore pressure prediction

Wave cyclic loading in submarine sediments can lead to pore pressure accumulation, causing geohazards and compromising seabed stability. Accurate prediction of long-term wave-induced pore pressure is essential for disaster prevention. Although numerical simulations have contributed to understanding wave-induced pore pressure response, traditional methods lack the ability to simulate long-term and real oceanic conditions. This study proposes the use of recurrent neural network (RNN) models to predict wave-induced pore pressure based on in-situ monitoring data. Three RNN models (RNN, LSTM, and GRU) are compared, considering different seabed depths, and input parameters. The results demonstrate that all three RNN models can accurately predict wave-induced pore pressure data, with the GRU model exhibiting the highest accuracy (absolute error less than 2 kPa). Pore pressure at the previous time step and water depth are highly correlated with prediction, while wave height, wind speed, and wind direction show a secondary correlation. This study contributes to the development of wave-induced liquefaction early warning systems and offers insights for utilizing RNNs in geological time series analysis

In Situ Measurements of the Mechanical Properties of Electrochemically Deposited Li₂CO₃ and Li₂O Nanorods

Solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) is “the most important but least understood (component) in rechargeable Li-ion batteries”. The ideal SEI requires high elastic strength and can resist the penetration of a Li dendrite mechanically, which is vital for inhibiting the dendrite growth in lithium batteries. Even though Li$_{2}$CO$_{3}$ and Li$_{2}$O are identified as the major components of SEI, their mechanical properties are not well understood. Herein, SEI-related materials such as Li$_{2}$CO$_{3}$ and Li$_{2}$O were electrochemically deposited using an environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM), and their mechanical properties were assessed by in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) and inverse finite element simulations. Both Li$_{2}$CO$_{3}$ and Li$_{2}$O exhibit nanocrystalline structures and good plasticity. The ultimate strength of Li$_{2}$CO$_{3}$ ranges from 192 to 330 MPa, while that of Li$_{2}$O is less than 100 MPa. These results provide a new understanding of the SEI and its related dendritic problems in lithium batteries

Microarray Analysis of Differentially Expressed Profiles of Circular RNAs in a Mouse Model of Intestinal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury with and Without Ischemic Postconditioning

Background/Aims: Ischemic postconditioning (iPoC) represents a promising strategy to mitigate ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of the intestine, yet the mechanisms of this treatment remain to be elucidated. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of endogenous non-coding RNAs, have recently been recognized as important regulators of gene expression and pathological processes. Here, we aimed to investigate the expression patterns of circRNAs after intestinal I/R with and without iPoC and, furthermore, to explore the potential mechanisms of iPoC in relation to the differentially expressed circRNAs. Methods: The global circRNA and mRNA expression profiles in mouse intestinal mucosa were initially screened by microarray (n = 3 per group) and quantitative real-time PCR was used to validate the expression pattern of circRNAs and mRNAs. Bioinformatics analysis including Gene ontology, KEGG pathway analysis, microRNA binding sites identification and circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network construction were utilized for in-depth mechanism exploration. Results: There were 4 up- and 58 downregulated circRNAs as well as 322 up- and 199 downregulated mRNAs in the intestinal I/R group compared with the sham group, whereas compared with I/R, iPoC treatment significantly upregulated 12 circRNAs and 129 mRNAs and downregulated 21 circRNAs and 174 mRNAs. The expression levels of a randomly selected set of 6 circRNAs and 5 mRNAs were successfully validated by qRT-PCR. Through a systematic comparison of the direction of circRNA expression changes in all groups, we identified two circRNAs, circRNA_012412 and circRNA_016863, that may be closely associated with the protective mechanisms of iPoC. Finally, four possible circRNA_012412/circRNA_016863-miRNA-mRNA pathways were predicted, which may play important roles in endogenous protective signaling in iPoC. Conclusions: This study was the first to comprehensively delineate the expression profiles of circRNAs in a mouse model of intestinal I/R and iPoC and provides novel clues for understanding the mechanisms of iPoC against intestinal I/R injury

Pasture Types and Echinococcus multilocularis, Tibetan Communities

Our study showed that open pastures had more small mammal burrows than fenced pastures in Tibetan pastoralist communities in 2003. This characteristic was linked to a higher prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in dogs and indicates that pasture type may affect E. multilocularis transmission