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Highlights The introduction of MoS2 generates a “kill three birds with one stone” effect to the original binary MXene/ANF system: lubrication toughening mechanical performance; reduction in secondary reflection pollution of electromagnetic wave; and improvement in the performance of photothermal conversion. After the introduction of MoS2 into MXene/ANF (60:40), the strain and toughness were increased by 53.5% (from 18.3% to 28.1%) and 61.7% (from 8.9 to 14.5 MJ m−3), respectively. Fortunately, the SER decreases by 22.4%, and the photothermal conversion performance was increased by 22.2% from ~ 45 to ~ 55 °C.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) tetrapods have received much interest due to their unique morphology, that is, four arms con‐ nected to one centre. Tetrapod networks possess the excellent electronic properties of the ZnO semiconductor, which is attractive for photoelectrode materials in energy- conversion devices because of their advantages in electron extraction and transportation. In this review, we have discussed recent advancements in the field of ZnO tetrapod synthesis, including vapour transport synthesis and the wet chemical method, together with their advantages and disadvantages in terms of morphology control and yield regulation. The developments and improvements in the applications of ZnO nanotetrapods in photovoltaics, including dye-sensitized solar cells and polymer solar cells, are also described. Our aim is to give readers a compre‐ hensive and critical overview of this unique morphology of ZnO, including synthesis control and growth mechanism, and to understand the role of this particular morphology in the development of solar cells. The future research directions in ZnO tetrapods-based solar cell are also discussed.

We successfully developed a GH-PP-Pt/GCE electrode by compounding graphene hydrogel (GH) with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and in situ electrodeposition of Pt nanoparticles. The experimental results prove that the performance of GH-PP-Pt/GCE to trace copper ions significantly improved, the sensitivity reaches 45.673 µA/µmol L−1, the limit of detection is as low as 9.9 nmol L−1, and the linear range is 0.08–10 µmol L−1. Its detection ability is at a relatively high level among the existing Cu2+ electrochemical detection sensors, and the repeatability, stability, and anti-interference are good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive astrocytes play critical roles in the occurrence of various neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Activation of astrocytes is often accompanied by a glycolysis-dominant metabolic switch. However, the role and molecular mechanism of metabolic reprogramming in activation of astrocytes have not been clarified. Here, we found that PKM2, a rate-limiting enzyme of glycolysis, displayed nuclear translocation in astrocytes of EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis) mice, an animal model of multiple sclerosis. Prevention of PKM2 nuclear import by DASA-58 significantly reduced the activation of mice primary astrocytes, which was observed by decreased proliferation, glycolysis and secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Most importantly, we identified the ubiquitination-mediated regulation of PKM2 nuclear import by ubiquitin ligase TRIM21. TRIM21 interacted with PKM2, promoted its nuclear translocation and stimulated its nuclear activity to phosphorylate STAT3, NF-κB and interact with c-myc. Further single-cell RNA sequencing and immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that TRIM21 expression was upregulated in astrocytes of EAE. TRIM21 overexpressing in mice primary astrocytes enhanced PKM2-dependent glycolysis and proliferation, which could be reversed by DASA-58. Moreover, intracerebroventricular injection of a lentiviral vector to knockdown TRIM21 in astrocytes or intraperitoneal injection of TEPP-46, which inhibit the nuclear translocation of PKM2, effectively decreased disease severity, CNS inflammation and demyelination in EAE. Collectively, our study provides novel insights into the pathological function of nuclear glycolytic enzyme PKM2 and ubiquitination-mediated regulatory mechanism that are involved in astrocyte activation. Targeting this axis may be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of astrocyte-involved neurological disease.

Chinese government had implemented 8 rounds of National Centralized Drug Procurement (NCDP) in mainland China from 2019 to 2023. The purpose of this study is to assess the affordability profile and variation of policy-related antihypertensive drugs in the context of NCDP, generic substitution, and basic medical insurance policy pre-NCDP (in 2018) and post-NCDP (in 2023) in Xi’an. The affordability of 34 NCDP policy-related drugs, including 17 bid-winning generic drugs (GDs) in the NCDP list and 17 originator brands (OBs) containing the same ingredients with these GDs, was analyzed and compared, respectively, by the standard survey method of World Health Organization and Health Action International (i.e., the ratio of monthly out-of-pocket expenditure to minimum daily wage standard). Under pre-NCDP policy, the monthly out-of-pocket drug cost of all OBs and 10 GDs was more than 1 day’s wage and was unaffordable. Under post-NCDP policy, the affordability of all drugs was improved dramatically; for uninsured patients, 11 OBs and only GD (lercanidipine tablets) were still unaffordable; for patients with Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance, all of OBs and GDs were affordable, and for patients with Urban and Rural Residents Basic Medical Insurance, 7 OBs were unaffordable, and all of GDs was considered affordable. The implementation of the NCDP policy had remarkably enhanced affordability of selected drugs. GDs are more affordable than OBs. There was obvious affordability discrepancy between outpatients with different types of medical insurance in Xi’an. To enhance affordability of antihypertensive drugs, more effective and long-term measures should be implemented, such as expanding the scope of centralized purchased drugs, promoting substitution of GDs for OBs, and increasing reimbursement of outpatient drug expenses for patients with urban and rural residents’ basic medical insurance.

Dysfunction in the suppressive function of regulatory T cells (Tregs) has been related to the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the importance of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in regulating various biological process, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, etc. However, the role of circRNAs in modulating the suppressive functions of psoriatic Tregs and the underlying mechanisms have not been investigated. Here, by using circRNA microarray analysis, we discovered four upregulated and four downregulated circRNAs in psoriatic Tregs. Quantitative real-time PCR further confirmed a significant increase of circ_0003738 in psoriatic Tregs. Importantly, knockdown of circ_0003738 by lentivirus in psoriatic Tregs could restore their suppressive functions via inhibiting the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and interferon (IFN)-γ. Moreover, we found that circ_0003738 could bind to miR-562 to release the inhibition of target gene IL-17RA (IL-17 receptor A), thus promoting IL-17A signaling in psoriatic Tregs. In parallel, circ_0003738 acted also as a sponge for miR-490-5p and relieved inhibition for the target gene IFNGR2, which promoted IFN-γ signaling in psoriatic Tregs. Our study demonstrated that upregulated circ_0003738 decreased the suppressive function of psoriatic Tregs via the miR-562/IL17RA and miR-490-5p/IFNGR2 (IFN-γ receptor 2) axis, which indicated the involvement of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of dysfunctional Tregs. These findings will provide new therapeutic targets for the treatment of psoriasis.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) tetrapods have received much interest due to their unique morphology, that is, four arms connected to one centre. Tetrapod networks possess the excellent electronic properties of the ZnO semiconductor, which is attractive for photoelectrode materials in energyconversion devices because of their advantages in electron extraction and transportation. In this review, we have discussed recent advancements in the field of ZnO tetrapod synthesis, including vapour transport synthesis and the wet chemical method, together with their advantages and disadvantages in terms of morphology control and yield regulation. The developments and improvements in the applications of ZnO nanotetrapods in photovoltaics, including dye-sensitized solar cells and polymer solar cells, are also described. Our aim is to give readers a comprehensive and critical overview of this unique morphology of ZnO, including synthesis control and growth mechanism, and to understand the role of this particular morphology in the development of solar cells. The future research directions in ZnO tetrapods-based solar cell are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dosage regimen of vancomycin, teicoplanin and daptomycin remains controversial for critically ill patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Monte Carlo simulation was applied to identify the optimal regimens of antimicrobial agents in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections based on the mechanisms of different CRRT modalities on drug clearance. The optimal vancomycin dosage for patients received a CRRT doses ≤ 30 mL/kg/h was 20 mg/kg loading dose followed by 500 mg every 8 h, while 1 g every 12 h was appropriate when 35 mL/kg/h was prescribed. The optimal teicoplanin dosage under a CRRT dose ≤ 25 mL/kg/h was four loading doses of 10 mg/kg every 12 h followed by 10 mg/kg every 48 h, 8 mg/kg every 24 h and 6 mg/kg every 24 h for continuous veno-venous hemofiltration, continuous veno-venous hemodialysis and continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration, respectively. When the CRRT dose increased to 30–35 mL/kg/h, the teicoplanin dosage should be increased by 30%. The recommended regimen for daptomycin was 6–8 mg/kg every 24 h under a CRRT dose ≤ 25 mL/kg/h, while 8–10 mg/kg every 24 h was optimal under 30–35 mg/kg/h. The CRRT dose has an impact on probability of target attainment and CRRT modality only influences teicoplanin.

Dopamine receptor potently modulates glutamate signalling, synaptic plasticity and neuronal network adaptations in various pathophysiological processes. Although key intracellular signalling cascades have been identified, the cellular mechanism by which dopamine and glutamate receptor-mediated signalling interplay at glutamate synapse remain poorly understood. Among the cellular mechanisms proposed to aggregate D1R in glutamate synapses, the direct interaction between D1R and the scaffold protein PSD95 or the direct interaction with the glutamate NMDA receptor (NMDAR) have been proposed. To tackle this question we here used high-resolution single nanoparticle imaging since it provides a powerful way to investigate at the sub-micron resolution the dynamic interaction between these partners in live synapses. We demonstrate in hippocampal neuronal networks that dopamine D1 receptors (D1R) laterally diffuse within glutamate synapses, in which their diffusion is reduced. Disrupting the interaction between D1R and PSD95, through genetical manipulation and competing peptide, did not affect D1R dynamics in glutamatergic synapses. However, preventing the physical interaction between D1R and the GluN1 subunit of NMDAR abolished the synaptic stabilization of diffusing D1R. Together, these data provide direct evidence that the interaction between D1R and NMDAR in synapses participate in the building of the dopamine-receptor-mediated signalling, and most likely to the glutamate-dopamine cross-talk.

The pathogenesis of bullous pemphigoid (BP) is characterized by the T cell-dependent production of autoantibodies. Recent studies have indicated that follicular T helper cells (Tfh), the key modulator of B cell activation and autoantibody production, are critical in the development of several autoimmune diseases. Tfh cells perform their functions via IL-21, their hallmark cytokine. In the present study, the frequencies of Tfh cells were investigated in the peripheral blood samples of BP patients to evaluate whether Tfh cells involve in this clinical entity. Significantly higher Tfh cell counts were observed in the peripheral blood of BP patients than those in healthy controls (median: 11.25% vs. 4.95%, respectively; P