Extracellular vesicles from human urine-derived stem cells delay aging through the transfer of PLAU and TIMP1

Aging increases the risks of various diseases and the vulnerability to death.Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging that contributes greatly to aging and aging-related diseases.This study demonstrates that extracellular vesicles from human urine-derived stem cells(USC-EVs)efficiently inhibit cellular senescence in vitro and in vivo.The intravenous injection of USC-EVs improves cognitive function,increases physical fitness and bone quality,and alleviates aging-related structural changes in different organs of senescence-accelerated mice and natural aging mice.The anti-aging effects of USC-EVs are not obviously affected by the USC donors’ages,genders,or health status.Proteomic analysis reveals that USC-EVs are enriched with plasminogen activator urokinase(PLAU)and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1(TIMP1).These two proteins contribute importantly to the anti-senescent effects of USC-EVs associated with the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases,cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A(P16INK4a),and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A(P21cip1).These findings suggest a great potential of autologous USC-EVs as a promising anti-aging agent by transferring PLAU and TIMP1 proteins.

Evidence of aircraft activity impact on local air quality: A study in the context of uncommon airport operation

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH) was suspended to contain the spread of COVID-19,while Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) saw a tremendousflight reduction.Closure of a major international airport is extremely rare and thus represents a unique opportunity to straightforwardly observe the impact of airport emissions on local air quality.In this study,a series of statistical tools were applied to analyze the variations in air pollutant levels in the vicinity of WUH and SHA.The results of bivariate polar plots show that airport SHA and WUH are a major source of nitrogen oxides.NOx,NO_(2)and NO diminished by 55.8%,44.1%,76.9%,and 40.4%,33.3% and 59.4% during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to those in the same period of 2018 and 2019,under a reduction in aircraft activities by 58.6%and61.4%.The concentration of NO_(2),SO_(2)and PM_(2.5)decreased by 77.3%,8.2%,29.5%,right after the closure of airport WUH on 23 January 2020.The average concentrations of NO,NO_(2)and NOxscatter plots at downwind of SHA after the lockdown were 78.0%,47.9%,57.4%and 62.3%,34.8%,41.8%lower than those during the same period in 2018 and 2019.However,a significant increase in O_(3)levels by 50.0% and 25.9%at WUH and SHA was observed,respectively.These results evidently show decreased nitrogen oxides concentrations in the airport vicinity due to reduced aircraft activities,while amplified O_(3)pollution due to a lower titration by NO under strong reduction in NOxemissions.