Search

P2ry12 is a microglial marker gene. Recently, increasing evidence has demonstrated that its expression levels can vary in response to different CNS disorders and can affect microglial functions, such as polarization, plasticity, and migration. However, the expression and function of P2ry12 in microglia during ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) remain unclear. Here, we developed a computational method to obtain microglia-specific P2ry12 genes (MSPGs) using sequencing data associated with IRI. We evaluated the change in comprehensive expression levels of MSPGs during IRI and compared it to the expression of P2ry12 to determine similarity. Subsequently, the MSPGs were used to explore the P2ry12 functions in microglia through bioinformatics. Moreover, several animal experiments were also conducted to confirm the reliability of the results. The expression of P2ry12 was observed to decrease gradually within 24 h post injury. In response, microglia with reduced P2ry12 expression showed an increase in the expression of one receptor-encoding gene (Flt1) and three ligand-encoding genes (Nampt, Igf1, and Cxcl2). Furthermore, double-labeling immunofluorescence staining revealed that inhibition of P2ry12 blocked microglial migration towards vessels during IRI. Overall, we employ a combined computational and experimental approach to successfully explore P2ry12 expression and function in microglia during IRI.

The pathophysiology of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is largely unknown. Although pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is potentially curative, inoperable patients and persistent pulmonary hypertension (PH) following surgery remain a significant problem. In this study, we aim to describe the histopathological characteristics of CTEPH and explore the potential relationship between pulmonary arterial lesions, radiological parameters, and clinical manifestations. Endarterectomized tissues from 81 consecutive patients of CTEPH were carefully collected, sectioned, and examined by experienced pathologists. Pertinent clinical and radiological data were obtained from medical records and operative reports. Neointima, fresh/organized thrombi, recanalized regions, and atherosclerotic lesions were microscopically examined as previously described. Thrombi and atherosclerosis were dominant in UCSD classification level I PEA materials, while recanalized neo-vessels were more frequently observed in UCSD classification level III cases. Degenerative changes of the extracellular matrix were also noticed in the vascular bed. Atherosclerotic lesions were more frequently observed in cases with higher ratio of the pulmonary artery diameter to ascending aorta diameter (PA/AA) reflected by computed tomographic pulmonary arterial scanning. Furthermore, the removal of pulmonary artery complex lesions (with the combination of three to four types of lesions) by PEA was associated with lower postoperative mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) and decreased incidences of persistent PH. Our study demonstrates that the histopathological features of CTEPH are strongly linked with clinical manifestations and the postoperative outcome after PEA. These data may provide possible evidence for further studies in searching for appropriate causal factors underlying this disease.

Applying gel-type solid chlorine dioxide for the sustained release of chlorine dioxide has several shortcomings, such as no resistance to acid and alkali corrosion and poor mechanical properties. However, introducing quaternary ammonium, carboxyl, and amino groups into the hydrogel system can enhance its acid and alkali resistance. In this study, the effects of concentration of dry heat-modified starch, quaternized carboxymethyl cellulose, and chitin on the swelling behavior and mechanical properties of starch-based acid- and alkali-resistant hydrogels are investigated. The feasibility of the actual and predicted values of the tentative results is verified based on the response surface design to determine the optimal concentration ratio of acid- and alkali-resistant hydrogels. The results reveal that optimized process parameters are reliable. The maximum swelling ratio and compressive stress of the hydrogel are 5358.00% and 44.45 kPa, respectively, and its swelling behavior conforms to the pseudo second-order kinetic model. Thus, the present study can provide a new method of developing efficient starch-based chlorine dioxide hydrogels for the sustained release of chlorine dioxide.

Cost-effective, practical, and efficiently performing photosensitive resin composite materials are essential, as the current materials are expensive, lack better alternatives, and do not meet 3D printing standards. In this study, based on orthogonal experiments for photosensitive resin curing, we prepared a free-radical/cationic hybrid photosensitive UV cured resin (UVR) using acrylic ester and epoxy resin as the prepolymers, tripropylenediol diacrylate (TPGDA) as the active diluent, and triaryl sulfonium salt (I-160) and 2,2-dimethyl-α-hydroxy acetophenone (1173) as the photoinitiators, in the optimized formula of acrylic-ester:epoxy-resin:TPGDA:I-160:1173 = 37.5:37.5:20:2.5:2.5. Further, we investigated the effects of polyurethane acrylates (PUA) and Graphene oxide (GO) on the surface morphology, chemical structure, hydrophobicity, mechanical strength, and gelation rate of the hybrid resin. We observed that 20% PUA improved tensile strength to the maximum of 36.89 MPa from 16.42 MPa of the unmodified hybrid resin, whereas 1% GO reduced volume shrinkage to the minimum of 2.89% from 3.73% of the unmodified hybrid resin. These photosensitive resins with higher tensile strength and lower volume shrinkage can be used to synthesize high performance functional materials in the future.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) plays an important role in the performance of biological wastewater treatment systems. This study investigated the effect of the DO concentration on nutrient removal performance and microbial community structure in side-stream activated sludge hydrolysis (SSH) and conventional anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic (A2O) processes. The results showed that the change in DO had little effect on the removal performance of chemical oxygen demand (COD), and the removal efficiencies were about 90% for both reactors. Compared with the high DO level (4.1–6.9 mg/L), the A2O and SSH reactors had better nitrogen removal performance at low (0.5–2.2 mg/L) and moderate (2.2–3.9 mg/L) DO levels, with ammonia (NH4+-N) removal efficiencies of 88–89% and 89–91%, respectively, and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies of 74–76% and 75–81%, respectively. Directly reducing the DO concentration from high to low reduced the phosphate removal efficiencies of the A2O and SSH reactors from 80.2% and 86.2% to 63.1% and 70.6%, respectively, while re-elevating the DO concentration to moderate levels significantly improved the phosphate removal efficiencies to 94.6% and 96.0%, respectively. Compared to the A2O reactor, the SSH reactor had more stable and better nutrient removal performance under different DO conditions, partly due to the additional carbon sources produced through the sludge fermentation in the side-stream reactor. The decrease in the DO concentration resulted in a decrease in the relative abundance of Acinetobacter but an increase in the relative abundance of Competibacter, potentially leading to the deterioration in phosphorus removal.

In recent years, CO2 huff and puff has become one of the most important methods developed for unconventional shale oil reservoirs and has been widely used in all major shale oil fields. However, the microscopic mechanism of CO2 contacting with crude oil is complex, and the change law of the residual oil occurrence after CO2 injection is unclear. In this paper, a micro visualization fluid flow simulation experiment (microfluidic experiment) under high temperatures and high pressure of a shale reservoir was conducted to reveal the micro mechanism of CO2 and crude oil after contact at the microscale. This allows conclusion of more precise results than any experiment conducted in a room environment. Combined with gas–oil two-phase micro flow characteristics, the production mechanisms of crude oil by CO2 huff and puff at the pore scale are clarified, and the change characteristics of the remaining oil occurrence state after CO2 injection are quantified. The results show that CO2 mainly produces crude oil in macropores and microfractures in the injection stage of huff and puff, improves the mobility of crude oil through diffusion dissolution in the soaking stage, and that the driving of dissolved gas is dominant in depressurization production. The major micro-mechanisms for CO2 to improve shale oil are extraction and dissolution expansion, accompanied by a variety of secondary mechanisms, such as the miscibility effect, oil expansion, viscosity reduction and other contact effects, as well as the improvement of crude oil properties. The simulation results of huff and puff development show that soaking is an important stage to enhance oil recovery. With increasing soaking time or the soaking pressure, the recovery degree of crude oil will increase positively.

Wound dressing is an important tool for wound management. Designing wound dressings by combining various novel materials and drugs to optimize the peri-wound environment and promote wound healing is a novel concept. Hydrogels feature good ductility, high water content, and favorable oxygen transport, which makes them become some of the most promising materials for wound dressings. In addition, nanomaterials exhibit superior biodegradability, biocompatibility, and colloidal stability in wound healing and can play a role in promoting healing through their nanoscale properties or as carriers of other drugs. By combining the advantages of both technologies, several outstanding and efficient wound dressings have been developed. In this paper, we classify nano-based hydrogel dressings into four categories: hydrogel dressings loaded with a nanoantibacterial drug; hydrogel dressings loaded with oxygen-delivering nanomedicines; hydrogel dressings loaded with nanonucleic acid drugs; and hydrogel dressings loaded with other nanodelivered drugs. The design ideas, advantages, and challenges of these nano-based hydrogel wound dressings are reviewed and analyzed. Finally, we envisaged possible future directions for wound dressings in the context of relevant scientific and technological advances, which we hope will inform further research in wound management.

Octogen (HMX) is widely used as a high explosive and constituent in plastic explosives, nuclear devices, and rocket fuel. The direct discharge of wastewater generated during HMX production threatens the environment. In this study, we used the electrochemical oxidation (EO) method with a PbO2-based anode to treat HMX wastewater and investigated its degradation performance, mechanism, and toxicity evolution under different conditions. The results showed that HMX treated by EO could achieve a removal efficiency of 81.2% within 180 min at a current density of 70 mA/cm2, Na2SO4 concentration of 0.25 mol/L, interelectrode distance of 1.0 cm, and pH of 5.0. The degradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics (R2 > 0.93). The degradation pathways of HMX in the EO system have been proposed, including cathode reduction and indirect oxidation by •OH radicals. The molecular toxicity level (expressed as the transcriptional effect level index) of HMX wastewater first increased to 1.81 and then decreased to a non-toxic level during the degradation process. Protein and oxidative stress were the dominant stress categories, possibly because of the intermediates that evolved during HMX degradation. This study provides new insights into the electrochemical degradation mechanisms and molecular-level toxicity evolution during HMX degradation. It also serves as initial evidence for the potential of the EO-enabled method as an alternative for explosive wastewater treatment with high removal performance, low cost, and low environmental impact.

The six-hourly ERA-interim reanalysis data were used to analyze the intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) characteristics of the zonal wind in the exit region of the East Asian subtropical westerly jet (EAJ) during the winter (November to April). The results indicate that from East Asia to the North Pacific, the zonal wind in the upper troposphere shows significant 10–40-day oscillations, propagating eastward toward the jet exit region. The strength of the intraseasonal zonal wind anomaly increases from the lower troposphere to the upper troposphere, reaching a peak between 300 and 200 hPa. The zonal wind ISO in the jet exit area is closely related to the intraseasonal inverse temperature tendency between the north and south of the jet exit in the troposphere. In the acceleration (deceleration) phase of the intraseasonal west wind, the air temperature decreases (increases) in the north of the exit and increases (decreases) in the south of the exit. The intraseasonal temperature tendency is stronger in the north of the EAJ exit than that in the south. In the north of the EAJ exit, the intraseasonal temperature tendency is decided by the temperature advection, where the whole troposphere is controlled by the north wind in the west wind acceleration phase and controlled by the south wind in the west wind deceleration phase, so the intensity of temperature advection is strong. However, adiabatic heating plays a decisive role in affecting the temperature evolution in the south of the jet exit area, and the intraseasonal meridional wind is the opposite between the mid-upper troposphere and the lower troposphere, resulting in weak temperature advection and the weak temperature tendency. Therefore, although the zonal wind ISO in the jet exit area is the result of the joint action of the ISOs in different latitudes, the influence of mid-high latitudes is particularly important.

The mass production of graphene oxide (GO) unavoidably elevates the chance of human exposure, as well as the possibility of release into the environment with high stability, raising public concern as to its potential toxicological risks and the implications for humans and ecosystems. Therefore, a thorough assessment of GO toxicity, including its potential reliance on key physicochemical factors, which is lacking in the literature, is of high significance and importance. In this study, GO toxicity, and its dependence on oxidation level, elemental composition, and size, were comprehensively assessed. A newly established quantitative toxicogenomic-based toxicity testing approach, combined with conventional phenotypic bioassays, were employed. The toxicogenomic assay utilized a GFP-fused yeast reporter library covering key cellular toxicity pathways. The results reveal that, indeed, the elemental composition and size do exert impacts on GO toxicity, while the oxidation level exhibits no significant effects. The UV-treated GO, with significantly higher carbon-carbon groups and carboxyl groups, showed a higher toxicity level, especially in the protein and chemical stress categories. With the decrease in size, the toxicity level of the sonicated GOs tended to increase. It is proposed that the covering and subsequent internalization of GO sheets might be the main mode of action in yeast cells.