Cell reprogramming therapy for Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is typically characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.Many studies have been performed based on the supplementation of lost dopaminergic neurons to treat Parkinson’s disease.The initial strategy for cell replacement therapy used human fetal ventral midbrain and human embryonic stem cells to treat Parkinson’s disease,which could substantially alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in clinical practice.However,ethical issues and tumor formation were limitations of its clinical application.Induced pluripotent stem cells can be acquired without sacrificing human embryos,which eliminates the huge ethical barriers of human stem cell therapy.Another widely considered neuronal regeneration strategy is to directly reprogram fibroblasts and astrocytes into neurons,without the need for intermediate proliferation states,thus avoiding issues of immune rejection and tumor formation.Both induced pluripotent stem cells and direct reprogramming of lineage cells have shown promising results in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.However,there are also ethical concerns and the risk of tumor formation that need to be addressed.This review highlights the current application status of cell reprogramming in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease,focusing on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells in cell replacement therapy,including preclinical animal models and progress in clinical research.The review also discusses the advancements in direct reprogramming of lineage cells in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease,as well as the controversy surrounding in vivo reprogramming.These findings suggest that cell reprogramming may hold great promise as a potential strategy for treating Parkinson’s disease.

Al^(3+) doped CeO_(2) for proton conducting fuel cells

Developing high ionic conducting electrolytes is crucial for applying proton-conducting fuel cell(PCFCs)practically.The cur-rent study investigates the effect of alumina on the structural,morphological,electrical,and electrochemical properties of CeO_(2).Lattice oxygen vacancies are induced in CeO_(2) by a general doping concept that enables fast ionic conduction at low-temperature ranges(300-500℃)for PCFCs.Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction(XRD)patterns established the pure cubic fluorite structure of Al-doped CeO_(2)(ADC)samples and confirmed Al ions’fruitful integration in the CeO_(2) lattice.The electronic structure of the alumina-doped ceria of the materials(10ADC,20ADC,and 30ADC)has been investigated.As a result,it was found that the best composition of 30ADC-based electrolytes induced maximum lattice oxygen vacancies.The corresponding PCFC exhibited a maximum power output of 923 mW/cm^(2)at 500℃.Moreover,the investigation proves the proton-conducting ability of alumina-doped ceria-based fuel cells by using an oxide ion-blocking layer.

高官能度聚氨酯丙烯酸酯的设计制备及光固化性能

为了提高树脂的光固化活性,以不同官能度的苯酐聚酯多元醇(PAPP)为核,异佛尔酮二异氰酸酯(IPDI)和季戊四醇三丙烯酸酯(PET3A)为支设计制备了一系列高官能度聚氨酯丙烯酸酯。将其与活性稀释剂、光引发剂复配,通过紫外光(UV)固化,得到树脂浇铸体。用红外光谱、UV固化机、万能材料试验机、动态力学热分析仪及同步热分析等对光固化树脂及其浇铸体的结构、活性、力学及热学性能等进行测试分析。结果表明,合成了预期结构的聚氨酯丙烯酸酯,当其碳碳双键官能度从6增加到12时,树脂湿膜(100μm)光固化时间从21 s下降至18 s;树脂浇铸体弯曲与拉伸性能呈上升趋势,冲击韧性则有所降低; Tg从135℃上升到147℃,耐热性能变好。

Bronze TiO2 as a cathode host for lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs)are very promising for large-scale electrochemical energy storage.However,dissolution and shuttling of lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)intermediates have severely affected their overall electrochemical properties and limited their practical application.Designing polar cathode hosts that can effectively bind LiPSs and simultaneously promote their redox conversion is crucial for realizing high-performance LSBs.Herein,we report bronze TiO2(TiO2-B)nanosheets(~5 nm in thickness)chemically bonded with carbon as a novel multifunctional cathode host for advanced LSBs.Experimental observation and first-principles density functional theory(DFT)calculations reveal that the TiO2-B with exposed(100)plane and Ti^3+ions exhibited high chemical affinity toward polysulfides and effectively confined them at surface.Meantime,Ti^3+ions and interface coupling with carbon promoted electronic conductivity of the composite cathode,leading to enhanced redox conversion kinetics of LiPSs during charge/discharge.Consequently,the as-assembled TiO2-B/S cathode manifested high capacity(1165 mAh/g at 0.2 C),excellent rate capability(244 mAh/g at 5 C)and outstanding cyclability(572 mAh/g over 500cycles at 0.2 C).This work sheds insights on rational design and fabrication of novel functional electrode materials for beyond Li-ion batteries.

Biological characteristics and conservation genetics of the narrowly distributed rare plant Cinnamomum chago(Lauraceae)

Cinnarnomum chago （family Lauraceae） is an essential source of timber and oil. This plant is narrowly distributed in the western part of the Yunnan Province. In this study, the distribution, habitat, and biological characteristics of C chago were examined through field investigation. The genetic diversity and the variation of the remnant populations were also studied using the inter-simple sequence repeat technique. Results showed that C chago is mainly distributed in the upstream tributary mountains of Lancang River in Yunlong County of Yunnan Province. The species distribution exhibited a fragmented pattern with five isolated populations and high-frequency anthropogenic interference. A combination of morphological features （opposite leaves, pinnate leaf veins, absence of glandular fossa, large drupe, small punch, and pollen surface with triangular spike grain, with cushion bumps at the base） indicated that C. chago is a key phylogenetic taxon between the two sections of Asian Cinnamomurn plants （Sect. Camphora （Trew） Meissn. and Sect. Cinnamomum）. Analysis of the genetic diversity of C. chago indicated that it has a moderately high level of genetic diversity at the population and species levels （populations level： Ne - 1.629, H = 0.348, I=0.504, and PPB = 83.3%; species level： Ne - 1.864, H = 0.460, I = 0.652, and PPB - 100%）. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that 17% of the genetic variation was divided between the populations, whereas 83% was observed within the populations. Based on these results, we suggest the inclusion of C. chago in the Wild Plants with Extremely Small Populations in China. Moreover, the species should be given special attention and protection. Some strategies were proposed for the conservation of the C. chago populations.

Excessive level of dietary insect protein negatively changed growth metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles of largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides)

Hermetia illucens(HI)meal is a promising substitute for fish meal(FM)in the feeds of farmed fish.However,the impacts of dietary HI meal on largemouth bass(LMB)remain unknown.In this study,we formulated three isonitrogenous and isolipid diets with 0%(HI0,control),20%(H120)and 40%(HI40)of FM substituted by HI meal.A total of 270 juvenile largemouth bass with an initial body weight of 10.02±0.03 g were used(30 fish per tank).After an 80-day feeding trial,the fish fed with the HI40 diet demonstrated decreased growth performance and protein efficiency ratio(PER),and increased liver oxidative indices and lipid accumulation compared to the control(P<0.05).Transcriptomic analysis revealed the effects of high dietary HI meal on liver gene expression.Consistent with the reduced growth and disturbed liver oxidative status,the upregulated genes were enriched in the biological processes associated with protein catabolism and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress;while the downregulated genes were enriched in cellular proliferation,growth,metabolism,immunity and maintenance of tissue homeostasis.Differential metabolites in the liver samples were also identified by untargeted metab-olomic assay.The results of joint transcriptomic-metabolomic analyses revealed that the pathways such as one carbon pool by folate,propanoate metabolism and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism were disturbed by high dietary HI meal.In summary,our data revealed the candidate genes,metabolites and biological pathways that account for the adverse effects of high HI meal diet on the growth and health of LMB.

Vertically coupled ZnO nanorods on MoS2 monolayers with enhanced Raman and photoluminescence emission

Hybrid structures composed of layered materials have received much attention due to their exceptional tunable optical, electronic and catalytic properties. Here, we describe a hydrothermal strategy for coupling vertical ZnO nanorods on MoS2 monolayers without a catalyst. These vapor-solid-grown MoS2 monolayers aid in growing vertical ZnO nanorods via epitaxy. Enhanced Raman and photoluminescence emissions were observed from the MoS2 monolayers under the ZnO nanorods in these coupled structures, which was attributed to the light antenna effect of the ZnO nanorods. These hybrid and incorporation protocols for layered materials will provide new perspectives and opportunities for promoting the construction of heterojunctions with adjustable layered structures leading to fascinating fundamental phenomena and advanced devices.

Reduced pigmentation and thyroid hormone disruption in zebrafish embryos caused by industrial sludge near Bohai Bay,China

In recent years,pollution caused by the discharge of industrial wastewater into Bohai Bay has posed a potential threat to the health of surrounding residents.Sludge was collected from the outlet of a factory that discharges effluent into Bohai Bay,and alcohol extracts of sludge(SE)were prepared.We confirmed by UPLC-MS/MS analysis that the SE contained PAHs,including fluorene,pyrene,and phenanthrene.Zebrafish embryos as animal models were exposed to 0.1,0.3,0.5,1 and 5 mg/mL SE from 2 to 4 h post-fertilization(hpf)until 120 hpf.The results showed that SE caused a concentration-dependent increase in mortality and a decrease in hatchability.We found that SE significantly reduced eye pigmentation and decreased the movement of embryos and larvae.In addition,SE decreased triiodothyronine(T3)content and down-regulated the mRNA expression of some thyroid hormone-related genes including TPO and Thrβ,and caused the up-regulation of Dio2 and Dio3 at 120 hpf.Exposure to three individual PAHs found in SE,namely fluorene,pyrene,and phenanthrene,caused morphological and transcriptional changes that were similar to those caused by SE exposure.These findings indicate that PAHs in SE can reduce the pigmentation of zebrafish,which may be related to the genetic changes associated with thyroid hormones,and that zebrafish eye pigmentation can be used as an indicator of PAHs exposure.