MicroRNA-483 amelioration of experimental pulmonary hypertension.

Endothelial dysfunction is critically involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and that exogenously administered microRNA may be of therapeutic benefit. Lower levels of miR-483 were found in serum from patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), particularly those with more severe disease. RNA-seq and bioinformatics analyses showed that miR-483 targets several PAH-related genes, including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), TGF-β receptor 2 (TGFBR2), β-catenin, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and endothelin-1 (ET-1). Overexpression of miR-483 in ECs inhibited inflammatory and fibrogenic responses, revealed by the decreased expression of TGF-β, TGFBR2, β-catenin, CTGF, IL-1β, and ET-1. In contrast, inhibition of miR-483 increased these genes in ECs. Rats with EC-specific miR-483 overexpression exhibited ameliorated pulmonary hypertension (PH) and reduced right ventricular hypertrophy on challenge with monocrotaline (MCT) or Sugen + hypoxia. A reversal effect was observed in rats that received MCT with inhaled lentivirus overexpressing miR-483. These results indicate that PAH is associated with a reduced level of miR-483 and that miR-483 might reduce experimental PH by inhibition of multiple adverse responses

Analysis on the intention and influencing factors of free influenza vaccination among the elderly people aged 70 and above in Hangzhou in 2022

BackgroundAlthough influenza vaccination is recommended for people aged 70 and above in Hangzhou, and the vaccine is provided free of charge, the elderly influenza vaccination rate is still low. The purpose of this study was to understand the barriers and motivations of older people in deciding to receive free influenza vaccine through questionnaires.MethodsThe method of stratified random sampling was adopted to take samples. A questionnaire survey was conducted among the elderly aged 70 years and above by face-to-face interview or telephone interview.ResultsA total of 11,663 elderly people aged 70–100 years were successfully and effectively interviewed. 85.98% of the respondent were willing to get the influenza shot, 8.91% were unwilling to get the influenza shot, and 5.11% were on vaccine hesitancy. The people of age of 70–79 years old (hesitancy: OR70~79 = 0.668, 95%CI: 0.571 0.782, Unwilling: OR70 − 79 = 0.755, 95%CI: 0.622 0.916), primary school degree or below (hesitancy: ORSecondary school degree or above = 1.467, 95%CI: 1.249 1.724, Unwilling: ORSecondary school degree or above = 1.255, 95%CI: 1.028 1.535), remote areas (hesitancy: ORnear central urban area = 2.111, 95%CI: 1.604 2.778, ORcentral urban area = 2.957, 95%CI: 2.255 3.877, Unwilling: ORnear central urban area = 1.687, 95%CI: 1.230 2.313. ORcentralurbanarea = 2.218, 95%CI: 1.626 3.027), and convenient for movement (hesitancy: ORyes = 0.494, 95%CI: 0.420 0.580, Unwilling: ORyes = 0.585, 95%CI: 0.480 0.713), understanding of the free vaccine policy (hesitancy: ORunderstand = 0.204, 95%CI: 0.171 0.245, Unwilling: ORunderstand = 0.164, 95%CI: 0.128 0.210), influenza knowledge level≥ 13 points (hesitancy: OR≥13points = 0.628, 95%CI: 0.533 0.739, Unwilling: OR≥13points = 0.538, 95%CI: 0.437 0.662), influenza vaccine knowledge level≥ 12 points (hesitancy: OR≥12points = 0.422, 95%CI: 0.350 0.508, Unwilling: OR≥12points = 0.370, 95%CI: 0.290 0.472), and social trust level ≥ 12 points (hesitancy: OR≥12points = 0.134, 95%CI: 0.112 0.160, Unwilling: OR≥12points = 0.220, 95%CI: 0.180 0.269) are more willing to receive free influenza vaccine.ConclusionThe proportion of elderly people aged 70 and above who are willing to receive free influenza vaccine is high in Hangzhou. But the level of knowledge about influenza, vaccine and trust in society is low. The government should continue to improve the elderly's awareness and trust in society through medical staff, family members, television and radio media, and guide the elderly to actively vaccinate against influenza. Effective publicity should be carried out through the above channels to guide the elderly to actively vaccinate against influenza

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Measurement of forward charged hadron flow harmonics in peripheral PbPb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV with the LHCb detector

Flow harmonic coefficients, v n , which are the key to studying the hydrodynamics of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) created in heavy-ion collisions, have been measured in various collision systems and kinematic regions and using various particle species. The study of flow harmonics in a wide pseudorapidity range is particularly valuable to understand the temperature dependence of the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio of the QGP. This paper presents the first LHCb results of the second- and the third-order flow harmonic coefficients of charged hadrons as a function of transverse momentum in the forward region, corresponding to pseudorapidities between 2.0 and 4.9, using the data collected from PbPb collisions in 2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV . The coefficients measured using the two-particle angular correlation analysis method are smaller than the central-pseudorapidity measurements at ALICE and ATLAS from the same collision system but share similar features

Poly(1,2-glycerol carbonate) nanoparticles for delivery of hydrophilic therapeutics

Hydrophilic therapeutics, including a wide range of peptides, proteins and small molecule drugs, play a pivotal role in biomedicine. To overcome their unfavorable pharmacokinetics such as rapid clearance and poor permeability through lipid membranes, various delivery strategies based on liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, lipophilic prodrugs have been investigated. However, the toxicity associated with the systemic administration of these formulations limits their applications. Previously, we developed poly(1,2-glycerol carbonate) nanoparticles (PGC NPs) that readily entrap a hydrophobic small molecule drug and deliver it to peritoneal tumors post intraperitoneal injection. Here, we designed PGC NPs capable of loading hydrophilic drugs with high efficiency. The Cy5-BSA loaded NPs achieved a high encapsulation efficiency of 92.97% and drug loading of 3.55 wt%, with sustained release for one week. AntiPD1-loaded NPs reached ~100% encapsulation efficiency and released a substantial dose of antibodies by day 7. The secondary structure of polyclonal antibodies loaded in the NPs was not affected by the formulation process, as demonstrated by the characteristic peaks and valleys on the CD spectra. Minimal cytotoxicity to NIH/3T3 and MSTO-211H/Luc cells was observed after treatment with up to 1.5 mg/mL blank NPs over 24 hours, indicating biosafety of the NPs. Additionally, a promising assay was developed for assessing anti-PD1/PDL1 efficacy in vitro. Our findings suggest that PGC NPs loaded with hydrophilic drugs hold potential as safe and effective drug delivery systems.2025-05-24T00:00:00

Lanthanum Significantly Contributes to the Growth of the Fine Roots’ Morphology and Phosphorus Uptake Efficiency by Increasing the Yield and Quality of <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Taproots

The occurrence of different degrees of phosphorus deficiency in the vast majority of G. uralensis cultivation regions worldwide is common. There is a pressing need within the cultivated G. uralensis industry to identify appropriate exogenous substances that can enhance the uptake of phosphorus and improve both the yield and quality of the taproots of G. uralensis. This study was conducted to investigate the fine root and taproot morphology, physiological characteristics, and secondary metabolite accumulation in response to the supply of varying concentrations of LaCl3 to G. uralensis, to determine the optimal concentration of LaCl3 that can effectively enhance the yield and quality of G. uralensis’s taproots, while also alleviating its reliance on soil phosphate fertilizer. The findings indicate that the foliar application of lanthanum enhanced root activity and increased APase activity, eliciting alterations in the fine root morphology, leading to promoting the accumulation of biomass in grown G. uralensis when subjected to P-deficient conditions. Furthermore, it was observed that the nutrient uptake of G. uralensis was significantly improved when subjected to P-deficient conditions but treated with LaCl3. Additionally, the yield and quality of the medicinal organs of G. uralensis were significantly enhanced

Generating Multi-group Homogenized Cross-sections Using Continuous-energy Monte Carlo Method for Fast Reactor Analysis

The deterministic two-step method for the fast reactor neutronics calculation, composed of cross-section homogenization and diffusion or transport core calculations, was widely applied in the fast reactor engineering design and analysis field. The homogenized cross-section calculation method based on Monte Carlo with continuous-energy and fine geometry can provide high-precision cross-sections for advanced fast reactors. The current development status and trends of coupling Monte Carlo-generated homogenized cross-sections with diffusion and transport core calculations were briefly reviewed in this paper. The methods discussed include the Monte Carlo flux-volume homogenization method, the superhomogenization equivalence technique (SPH), and the Monte Carlo flux-moment homogenization method (MHT). The MET-1000 metal fuel fast reactor is used as a benchmark. The SPH equivalent techniques are widely used to preserve the reaction rates of a reference heterogeneous model and a homogenous model. In this paper, the SPH was applied to the control rods' cross-section address to improve the diffusion core calculations. This equivalence technique reduces the overestimation of the control rod worth using the diffusion core solver from 13.5% to 0.35% and improves power distribution prediction accuracy. With SPH correction, the MC/diffusion in this work exhibits about <±4% error as the insertion of control rods in power distribution. For the transport core calculations, the reasons for core reactivity overestimation were quantitatively analyzed, and the MHT method was developed. The basic principle of the MHT homogenization method is to incorporate the anisotropy of the total cross-section concerning the incident angle into the scattering matrix. This allows for the consideration of cross-section anisotropy while maintaining the generality of the generated total cross-section within the core transport solver. The MHT reduces the error of the transport core solving of MET-1000 by 698 pcm. The factors that cause the residual bias were discussed, but there is only about 130 pcm unsolved bias. The flux-volume homogenization method exhibits uneven error distribution, tending to underestimate the power at the inner core top and overestimate the power at the outer core bottom, with errors ranging from -3.63% to +4.02%. The MHT homogenization method reduces power prediction errors, with errors ranging between -2.39% and +2.76%, and achieves a more uniform error distribution. This work presented Monte Carlo homogenized cross-section generation methods applicable to diffusion and transport core calculations for fast reactor neutronics analysis. The MHT homogenization method provides a novel approach for generating cross-sections suitable for core transport calculations in Monte Carlo simulations. However, further validation is needed with different core solvers and fast reactors such as small fast reactors and more heterogenous fast reactors. The Monte Carlo homogenization method still requires extensive research in various aspects, including the generation of discontinuous factors, the BN leakage model, and methods for handling historical effects

Effects of Groove and Steel Fiber on Shear Properties of Concrete with Recycled Coarse Aggregate

In this paper, a series of shear specimens with or without groove were manufactured to mainly analyze the effects of grooves (or shear section height) and steel fibers on the shear properties of concrete with recycled coarse aggregate through double-side direct shear test. In addition, the relationship between the shear strength and the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete with recycled coarse aggregate (SFRCAC) was also discussed. The experimental results showed that the peak load, deformation corresponding to the peak load and calculated shear strength of the specimens with grooves were lower than those of the specimens without grooves. The steel fiber and recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) had a significant effect on the shear properties of SFRCAC. As the volume content of steel fibers increased, the shear strength of SFRCAC and the corresponding deformation increased gradually. With the replacement ratio of RCA increasing, the shear strength of SFRCAC decreased but the corresponding deformation increased gradually. Finally, the formula for calculating the shear strength of SFRCAC was proposed by analyzing and fitting the test results and the data of related literature

Enhancement of low-speed piezoelectric wind energy harvesting by bluff body shapes: Spindle-like and butterfly-like cross-sections

Fluid-structure interaction can be utilized to harvest the low-speed wind energy for sustaining the low-power sensors for structural health monitoring. To enhance the low-speed wind energy harvesting, this study proposes the novel spindle-like and butterfly-like bluff bodies by coupling both the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) and galloping phenomena. Comprehensive wind tunnel experiments are conducted to investigate the advantages of the two bluff bodies in terms of the bluff body cross-sections and installment directions. The experimental results demonstrate that for both the spindle-like and butterfly-like bluff bodies, the vertical installment and small width ratio are beneficial to the performance in a broad range of wind speeds. Compared to a conventional galloping-based energy harvester, owing to the coupling between the VIV and galloping, the vertical spindle-like bluff body with the smallest width ratio can reduce the threshold wind speed of activating the energy harvesting function by over 13%, and improve the maximum voltage output by over 160%. Finally, taking the spindle-like bluff body as an example, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies are conducted by using XFlow software to interpret the physical insight of performance enhancement. The CFD results show that the vertical installment direction and a small width ratio play an important role. The two designs can lead to a stronger aerodynamic force due to the fast vortex shedding, which improves the energy conversion efficiency from the flow-induced vibrations

Effect of distribution status of the spot matrix on tensile behavior for 42CrMoV when conducting discrete laser surface strengthening: Based on experiment and simulation

High strength and high toughness are important indicators of material load-bearing capacity and reliability. The challenge remains on how to improve the material strength while maintaining its toughness during conventional surface treatments, such as overall hardening. This paper proposed a multi-pass discrete laser spot hardening (DLSH) process based on time-domain energy modulation. The characteristics of 42CrMoV alloy steel treated with multi-pass DLSH process, compared with conventional DLSH process, were investigated in terms of surface quality, microstructure evolution, and tensile properties. The results demonstrated that the surface quality of the hardened point lattice using multi-pass processing was significantly improved, and the microstructure was refined after multiple rapid austenitization cycles. Additionally, different “soft-hard” distribution states were formed on the sample surface. The ultimate tensile strength of the samples treated with conventional DLSH and multi-pass DLSH processes was increased by 9.5% and 5.2% respectively. However, the latter exhibited significantly higher elongation at fracture and showed a ductile fracture, while the former displayed brittle fracture. The multi-pass DLSH process maintained the original material toughness while enhancing its strength. Therefore, the multi-pass DLSH process holds significant importance in improving surface quality and material toughness in laser hardening applications