Combination of Dendrobium Mixture and Metformin Curbs the Development and Progression of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Targeting the lncRNA NEAT1

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the efficacy of combination treatment with dendrobium mixture and metformin (Met) in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its effects on NEAT1 and the Nrf2 signaling pathway. METHODS: H9c2 cells were maintained in medium supplemented with either low (5.5 mmol/L) or high (50 mmol/L) glucose. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-glucose diet and administered a single, low dose of streptozotocin (35 mg/kg) via intraperitoneal injection to induce the development of DM. After induction of DM, the rats were treated with dendrobium mixture (10 g/kg) and Met (0.18 g/kg) daily for 4 weeks. Next, quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR and western blotting were performed to evaluate the expression levels of target genes and proteins. Flow cytometry was performed to assess apoptosis, and hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to evaluate the morphological changes in rat cardiac tissue. RESULTS: In patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and myocardial cells and heart tissues from rats with high glucose-induced DM, NEAT1 was downregulated, and the expression levels of Nrf2 were decreased (p<0.01, p<0.001). The combination of dendrobium mixture and Met upregulated the expression of NEAT1 which upregulated Nrf2 by targeting miR-23a-3p, resulting in reduced apoptosis and improved cardiac tissue morphology (p<0.01, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Dendrobium mixture and Met upregulated the expression of NEAT1 in DCM, thereby inhibiting apoptosis of myocardial cells

Research on vibration mechanism and control technology of building structure under earthquake action

The large engineering building structures are costly and thus complex to maintain due to their chances of failure under various hazardous conditions. These buildings are needed to be protected against the damage due to the hazards like earthquake, wind, seismic waves, etc. This article focuses on the investigation of vibration mechanism and control strategies for protection of buildings from the hazardous situations. The article presents a robust solution of utilization of magnetorheological dampers for vibration control applications in complex structures. It aims at developing a reliable decentralized model to track and monitor the building structures and control them before the earthquake actions are encountered. This article develops a novel dynamically optimized and decentralized mechanism using the PID controller for the self-regulation of conventional PID controller-based method. The major goal of decentralization is to ensure that each of the subsystem is compatible with one another and can also work independently with a higher efficiency at the time of fault. The combination of decentralization and self-regulation is tested for a tall building structural model with 10 floors. The proposed approach is compared with the conventional PID based mechanism under the faulty condition in order to illustrate its dynamism and usefulness for practical implementation. The proposed simulated model provides 95.54 % earthquake tracking precision and can be used for developing the earthquake protective schemes for the adequate survivability of tall building structures as well as to safeguard the human occupant in it

A tough and mechanically stable adhesive hydrogel for non-invasive wound repair

Wound healing has been a great challenge throughout human history. Improper treatment for wounds is so easy to lead to infection and a series of serious symptoms, even death. Because of the ability of absorbing fluid and keeping a moist environment, the hydrogel with 3D networks is ideal candidate for wound dressing. More important, it has good biocompatibility. However, most of the hydrogel dressings reported have weak mechanical properties and adhesion properties, which greatly limit their clinical application. Herein, a tough adhesive hydrogel with good mechanical stability for non-invasive wound repair is reported. The hydrogel is composed of polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PEGDA), chitosan (CS) and chitin nano-whisker (CW). PEGDA and CS form interpenetrating network hydrogel through free radical polymerization reaction under the UV light. The introduction of CW further enhances the toughness of the hydrogel. The pH-sensitive CS can form adhesion to various materials through topological adhesion. As a wound closure repair material, PEGDA/CS/CW hydrogel not only has the characteristic of effectively closing the wound, defending against invading bacteria, and keeping the wound clean, but also has good tensile and mechanical stability, which is expected to realize the closure and repair of joints and other moving parts of the wound. This adhesive hydrogel is proven a promising material for wound closure repair

Full-length single-cell RNA-seq applied to a viral human cancer:applications to HPV expression and splicing analysis in HeLa S3 cells

Background: Viral infection causes multiple forms of human cancer, and HPV infection is the primary factor in cervical carcinomas Recent single-cell RNA-seq studies highlight the tumor heterogeneity present in most cancers, but virally induced tumors have not been studied HeLa is a well characterized HPV+ cervical cancer cell line Result: We developed a new high throughput platform to prepare single-cell RNA on a nanoliter scale based on a customized microwell chip Using this method, we successfully amplified full-length transcripts of 669 single HeLa S3 cells and 40 of them were randomly selected to perform single-cell RNA sequencing Based on these data, we obtained a comprehensive understanding of the heterogeneity of HeLa S3 cells in gene expression, alternative splicing and fusions Furthermore, we identified a high diversity of HPV-18 expression and splicing at the single-cell level By co-expression analysis we identified 283 E6, E7 co-regulated genes, including CDC25, PCNA, PLK4, BUB1B and IRF1 known to interact with HPV viral proteins Conclusion: Our results reveal the heterogeneity of a virus-infected cell line It not only provides a transcriptome characterization of HeLa S3 cells at the single cell level, but is a demonstration of the power of single cell RNA-seq analysis of virally infected cells and cancers

Frequent alterations in cytoskeleton remodelling genes in primary and metastatic lung adenocarcinomas

The landscape of genetic alterations in lung adenocarcinoma derived from Asian patients is largely uncharacterized. Here we present an integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis of 335 primary lung adenocarcinomas and 35 corresponding lymph node metastases from Chinese patients. Altogether 13 significantly mutated genes are identified, including the most commonly mutated gene TP53 and novel mutation targets such as RHPN2, GLI3 and MRC2. TP53 mutations are furthermore significantly enriched in tumours from patients harbouring metastases. Genes regulating cytoskeleton remodelling processes are also frequently altered, especially in metastatic samples, of which the high expression level of IQGAP3 is identified as a marker for poor prognosis. Our study represents the first large-scale sequencing effort on lung adenocarcinoma in Asian patients and provides a comprehensive mutational landscape for both primary and metastatic tumours. This may thus form a basis for personalized medical care and shed light on the molecular pathogenesis of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma

High Capacity Nano-Sized Carbon Spheres for Lithium-Ion Battery Anode Materials

A one-step hydrothermal method is reported for synthesizing carbon spheres (Cs) with sucrose as the carbon resource for the anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Firstly, the influences of synthesis temperature and time on particle size and the morphology of the Cs were researched. Then, modified carbon spheres (MCs) were synthesized with some surfactants, such as hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Finally, nano-sized MCs with an average diameter of 70 nm, owning the smooth surface and uniform spherical morphology systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The outstanding performances of nano-sized MCs synthesized with PVA were demonstrated as anode materials in LIBs. The higher initial discharge capacity of 1180 mAhg−1 and the excellent discharge capacity of 470 mAhg−1 were obtained respectively at 100 mAg−1 (0.27 C) over 50 cycles. The nano-sized MCs has also shown remarkable performance of rate capability of 284.6 mAhg−1 at 1.5 C. In addition, the cycling reversibility of the nano-sized MCs is more stable than that of the sub-micron sized MCs modified with CTAB and no surfactant respectively

Economic benefit analysis of the collaboration between a pumped storage power plant and a thermal power plant

Pumped storage power plants are one of the significant means for regulating power systems， holding crucial importance for their secure， economical， and stable operation. The current research status of economic benefit analysis of pumped storage power plants is introduced， and the static and dynamic economic benefit analysis method of the collaboration between a pumped storage power plant and a thermal power plant is put forward. Moreover， the collaboration between a 4×300 MW pumped storage power plant and a 2×1 000 MW thermal power plant in a region is taken as an example to analyze the economic benefits resulting from their collaboration. The detailed calculation methods for the economic benefits of pumped storage units such as peak shaving and valley filling， frequency modulation， phase modulation， and contingency reserves are presented. These calculations can serve as a rational foundation for the collaboration between pumped storage power plants and thermal power plants

Functional Stem Cell Sorting via Integrative Droplet Synchronization

10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01312Anal. Chem. 2020,92117915-792

Profiling and Structural Characterization of High Neu5Gc or Sulfate-Containing <i>O</i>-glycans from Hyla Rabbit Intestinal Mucin

Intestinal mucins constitute the major component of the mucus covering the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby forming a barrier against microbial colonization. Rabbits are bred in large numbers worldwide, with little known about intestinal O-glycosylation despite this insight being crucial to the understanding of host-pathogen interactions. In the present study, a major mucin-type glycopeptide (RIF6) of hyla rabbit intestine was isolated and the O-glycans were extensively characterized based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) combined with bioinformatics approaches. Thirty-three O-glycans were identified, and most of them were sulfated or sialylated glycans. It was worth noting that Neu5Gc-containing structures within sialylated O-glycans accounted for 91%, which were extremely different from that of other species including humans, mice, chickens, etc. Sulfated glycans accounted for 58%, unique disufated and sulfated-sialylated glycans were also detected in rabbit intestinal mucin. These structural characterization reflected species diversity and may provide deeper insights into explaining the adaptability of hyla rabbit to the environment