A Dual Functional Bioinspired Lubricant for Osteoarthritis Treatment and Potential Prevention

Osteoarthritis (OA), primarily characterized by the deterioration of articular cartilage, is a highly prevalent joint-disabling disease. The pathological onset and progression of OA are closely related to cartilage lubrication dysfunction and synovial inflammation. Synergistic options targeted at restorative lubrication and anti-inflammation are expected to be the most attractive candidates to treat OA and perhaps help prevent it. Herein, a bioinspired lubricant (HA/PA@Lipo) was fabricated by combining anionic hyaluronan-graft-poly(2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid sodium salt) (HA/PA) with cationic liposomes (Lipo) via electrostatic interaction. HA/PA@Lipo mimicked the lubrication complex located on the outer cartilage surface and was endowed cartilage with excellent cartilage-lubricating performances. After the antioxidant gallic acid (GA) was loaded for dual functionality, HA/PA@Lipo-GA was prepared with added anti-inflammatory properties. HA/PA@Lipo-GA showed favorable biocompatibility with C28/I2 cells, inhibited the production of reactive oxygen, and regulated the expression levels of anabolic genes and proteins. The therapeutic effects of HA/PA@Lipo-GA were evaluated using a sodium iodoacetate–induced OA rat model, and the preventive effects of HA/PA@Lipo-GA were estimated in vivo. The results suggested the robust potential of HA/PA@Lipo-GA with dual functions as a candidate option for OA treatment and prevention

Updated Emission Inventories for Speciated Atmospheric Mercury from Anthropogenic Sources in China

China is the largest contributor to global atmospheric mercury (Hg), and accurate emission inventories in China are needed to reduce large gaps existing in global Hg mass balance estimates and assess Hg effects on various ecosystems. The China Atmospheric Mercury Emission (CAME) model was developed in this study using probabilistic emission factors generated from abundant on-site measurements and literature data. Using this model, total anthropogenic Hg emissions were estimated to be continuously increasing from 356 t in 2000 to 538 t in 2010 with an average annual increase rate of 4.2%. Industrial coal combustion, coal-fired power plants, nonferrous metal smelting, and cement production were identified to be the dominant Hg emission sources in China. The ten largest contributing provinces accounted for nearly 60% of the total Hg emissions in 2010. Speciated Hg emission inventory was developed over China with a grid-resolution of 36 × 36 km, providing needed emission fields for Hg transport models. In this new inventory, the sectoral Hg speciation profiles were significantly improved based on the latest data from field measurements and more detailed technology categorization. The overall uncertainties of the newly developed inventory were estimated to be in the range of −20% to +23%

Unraveling the Nucleation and Growth Mechanism of Potassium Metal on 3D Skeletons for Dendrite-Free Potassium Metal Batteries

Designing three-dimensional (3D) porous carbonaceous skeletons for K metal is one of the most promising strategies to inhibit dendrite growth and enhance the cycle life of potassium metal batteries. However, the nucleation and growth mechanism of K metal on 3D skeletons remains ambiguous, and the rational design of suitable K hosts still presents a significant challenge. In this study, the relationships between the binding energy of skeletons toward K and the nucleation and growth of K are systematically studied. It is found that a high binding energy can effectively decrease the nucleation barrier, reduce nucleation volume, and prevent dendrite growth, which is applied to guide the design of 3D current collectors. Density functional theory calculations show that P-doped carbon (P-carbon) exhibits the highest binding energy toward K compared to other elements (e.g., N, O). As a result, the K@P-PMCFs (P-binding porous multichannel carbon nanofibers) symmetric cell demonstrates an excellent cycle stability of 2100 h with an overpotential of 85 mV in carbonate electrolytes. Similarly, the perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride || K@P-PMCFs cell achieves ultralong cycle stability (85% capacity retention after 1000 cycles). This work provides a valuable reference for the rational design of 3D current collectors

Effect of siRNA based knock-down on the colony formation and migration of pancreatic cancer cell lines.

<p>A: Examples of the results of typical colony forming assays over 7 days after siRNA-treatment; B: Growth area compared to NC1 (statistically significant difference between RAI3 and NC2 is demonstrated by * for P<0.01 and ** for P<0.001 performed by t-test); C: Typical images of migrated cells in negative control (NC) and knock-down with GPRC5a siRNA (RAI3) in different cell lines; D: Number of migrated cells after 48 hour siRNA-treatment and subsequently 16 hours migration assay (* indicates statistically significant differences (P<0.05) in t-test between the negative control with non-sense-siRNA (NC) and the knock-down with GPRC5a-siRNA (RAI3)). (n = 3).</p

Univariate analysis of clinico pathological variables of the 376 patients with pancreatic cancer analyzed on the TMA.

<p>Univariate analysis of clinico pathological variables of the 376 patients with pancreatic cancer analyzed on the TMA.</p

Natural Variation in Banana Varieties Highlights the Role of Melatonin in Postharvest Ripening and Quality

This study aimed to investigate the role of melatonin in postharvest ripening and quality in various banana varieties with contrasting ripening periods. During the postharvest life, endogenous melatonin showed similar performance with ethylene in connection to ripening. In comparison to ethylene, melatonin was more correlated with postharvest banana ripening. Exogenous application of melatonin resulted in a delay of postharvest banana ripening. Moreover, this effect is concentration-dependent, with 200 and 500 μM treatments more effective than the 50 μM treatment. Exogenous melatonin also led to elevated endogenous melatonin content, reduced ethylene production through regulation of the expression of <i>MaACO1</i> and <i>MaACS1</i>, and delayed sharp changes of quality indices. Taken together, this study highlights that melatonin is an indicator for banana fruit ripening in various varieties, and the repression of ethylene biosynthesis and postharvest ripening by melatonin can be used for biological control of postharvest fruit ripening and quality

Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model for different variables.

<p>Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model for different variables.</p

Effect of treatment with GPRC5a-siRNA over 72 hours.

<p>A: Number of living cells in negative controls (NC; 1: Medium, 2: non-sense-siRNA), positive control (PC; eg5-siRNA) and knock-down with two different GPRC5a-siRNA (RAI3_A and RAI3_B). Statistically significant differences in t-test are marked with * for P-Value < 0.001 and ** for P-Value < 0.05; B: Western blot and quantitative real time PCR with RAI3 antibody confirms the successful knock-down using siRNA (for functional analysis the GPRC5A.1 siRNA was chosen) (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0170390#pone.0170390.s001" target="_blank">S1 Fig</a>). (n = 5).</p

RAI3 immunohistochemistry as diagnostic and prognostic instrument.

<p>A: Definition and calculation of a diagnostic score for the presence of a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); B: Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve for the diagnostic score using for distinction of PDAC from Normal or Chronic Pancreatitis (CP) tissue (Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for two exemplary cut-off-points); C: Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis (statistically significant differences between apical expression over 30% and less (p = 0.017) according to Log-Rank-test).</p

Expression of RAI3 in human tissue and cell lines.

<p>TMA—Immunochemistry with RAI3-Antibody in different types of pancreatic tissue. Presentation in 20-fold magnification of A-C: Normal; D: Chronic pancreatits (CP), E: Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN); F—H: Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Three parameters were considered: RAI3-Intensity (I), RAI3-Expression (Ex) and Apical RAI3-Expression (aEx); I,J: Differential expression of RAI3 mRNA respective protein in common pancreatic cell lines and primary pancreatic cell lines measured by qRT-PCR (I) and Western Blot (J) with a conspicuously low expression in BxPc3 and PaCaDD165 in comparison to the other cell lines in the group. (n = 3).</p