Search

Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a kind of hemorrhagic stroke which causes neurological deficits in survivors. Huperzine A has a neuroprotective effect, but its role in SAH is unclear. Therefore, we explore the effect of Huperzine A on neurological deficits induced by SAH and the related mechanism. In this study, Evans blue assay, TUNEL staining, immunofluorescence, western blot analysis, and ELISA are conducted. We find that Huperzine A can improve neurological deficits and inhibit the apoptosis of nerve cells in SAH rats. Huperzine A treatment can improve the upregulation of brain water content, damage of blood-brain barrier, fibrinogen and matrix metalloprotein 9 expressions and the downregulation of ZO-1 and occludin expressions induced by SAH. Huperzine A inhibit the expressions of proteins involved in pyroptosis in endothelial cells in SAH rats. The increase in MDA content and decrease in SOD activity in SAH rats can be partly reversed by Huperzine A. The ROS inducer H2O2 can induce pyroptosis and inhibit the expressions of ZO-1 and occludin in endothelial cells, which can be blocked by Huperzine A. In addition, the increase in the entry of p65 into the nucleus in endothelial cells can be partly reversed by Huperzine A. Huperzine A may delay the damage of blood-brain barrier in SAH rats by inhibiting oxidative stress-mediated pyroptosis and tight junction protein expression downregulation through the NF-κB pathway. Overall, Huperzine A may have clinical value for treating SAH.

In view of the problem that paste flux is difficult to spread uniformly on the surface of filler metal, the adhesion behavior of the different concentrations of paste flux on the surface of filler metal was studied by the equipment of OM, wetting angle tester and surface tensiometer. The results show that adhesive layer is gradually thickened with the increase of the concentration of paste flux. A small amount of shrinkage appears in the thin adhesive layer. however, mass paste flux slides off filler metal when adhesive layer is thicker, accompanying by severe aggregation and shrinkage. For the ideal surface, the adhesive tension of paste flux with different concentrations of paste flux is the same. For the actual surface, the stripe groove additional pressure is formed when paste flux wets stripe groove, and the additional pressure is the main reason for the lagging phenomenon of the shrinkage of the adhesive layer. With the increase of paste flux concentration, the additional pressure decreases, the hysteresis resistance decreases, and the shrinkage increases. A relationship is satisfied when the shrinkage takes place in thin adhesive layer, this is ΔWC ≥ A+ΔP. Whether the shrinkage occurs mainly depends on the adhesion tension and the additional pressure.

The development of advanced efficient and durable non-precious metal-based anode catalysts for photo-assisted direct methanol fuel cells remains a significant challenge. In this study, Ce-doped Co3O4 (Ce–Co3O4) was prepared by a three-step process involving hydrothermal synthesis, cation exchange and calcination. The introduction of Ce can not only induce more Co3+ with oxidation properties, but also expand the light absorption range and improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. In an alkaline solution and under visible light irradiation, Ce–Co3O4 showed high current density (31.4 A g−1), high photo-response current (3.52 A g−1) and good long-term stability (the current density retention was 82% after 13 h under visible light irradiation). The reaction mechanism for the photo-assisted methanol oxidation was investigated by a series of optical characterization studies (UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Mott–Schottky, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance). The results indicated that the strong oxidative photogenerated hole (h+), ˙OH, and ˙O2− were beneficial for the oxidation of methanol and COads. This study provides a good idea for the design of efficient non-precious metal based anode catalysts for photo-assisted direct methanol fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), marked by chronic pain from neural damage, is closely associated with inflammation. The role of OTULIN, a key regulator in inflammation and autophagy, is not fully understood in TN. The regulatory mechanism of OTULIN, a key protein involved in modulating inflammatory responses and autophagy processes, remains incompletely elucidated, particularly in the context of TN and neuroinflammation. Methods: An infraorbital nerve ligation‐induced rat model of TN was used. OTULIN's expression was modulated using adenovirus vectors and short hairpin RNA. The impact on pain and inflammatory responses was assessed via quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, immunofluorescence, and transcriptomic analysis. Results: Enhanced OTULIN expression significantly increased head withdrawal thresholds and reduced pain sensitivity and neuroinflammatory markers in the model. Conversely, silencing OTULIN exacerbated pain and inflammation. Transcriptomic data revealed OTULINs influence on both inflammatory and autophagy pathways, specifically in suppressing NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and promoting autophagy. In vitro experiments demonstrated OTULIN's inhibition of inflammatory markers in microglia and neurons. Conclusion: OTULIN is crucial in modulating TN, reducing neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation by activating the autophagy pathway and inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its substantial theoretical capacity, silicon (Si) is a prospective anode material for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the challenges of a substantial volume expansion and inferior conductivity in Si-based anodes restrict the electrochemical stability. To address this, a yolk-shell-structured Si–carbon composite, featuring adjustable void sizes, was synthesized using tin (Sn) as a template. A uniform coating of tin oxide (SnO2) on the surface of nano-Si particles was achieved through a simple annealing process. This approach enables the removal of the template with concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) instead of hydrofluoric acid (HF), thereby reducing toxicity and corrosiveness. The conductivity of Si@void@Carbon (Si@void@C) was further enhanced by using a high-conductivity carbon layer derived from pitch. By incorporating an internal void, this yolk-shell structure effectively enhanced the low Li+/electron conductivity and accommodated the large volume change of Si. Si@void@C demonstrated an excellent electrochemical performance, retaining a discharge capacity of 735.3 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 1.0 A g−1. Even at a high current density of 2.0 A g−1, Si@void@C still maintained a discharge capacity of 1238.5 mAh g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides lead to widespread devastation and significant loss of life in mountainous regions around the world. Susceptibility assessments can provide critical data to help decision‐makers, for example, local authorities and other organizations, mitigating the landslide risk, although the accuracy of existing studies needs to be improved. This study aims to assess landslide susceptibility in the Thua Thien Hue province of Vietnam using deep neural networks (DNNs) and swarm‐based optimization algorithms, namely Adam, stochastic gradient descent (SGD), Artificial Rabbits Optimization (ARO), Tuna Swarm Optimization (TSO), Sand Cat Swarm Optimization (SCSO), Honey Badger Algorithm (HBA), Marine Predators Algorithm (MPA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The locations of 945 landslides occurring between 2012 and 2022, along with 14 conditioning factors, were used as input data to build the DNN and DNN‐hybrid models. The performance of the proposed models was evaluated using the statistical indices receiver operating characteristic curve, area under the curve (AUC), root mean square error, mean absolute error (MAE), R2 and accuracy. All proposed models had a high accuracy of prediction. The DNN‐MPA model had the highest AUC value (0.95), followed by DNN‐HBA (0.95), DNN‐ARO (0.95), DNN‐Adam (0.95), DNN‐SGD (0.95), DNN‐TSO (0.93), DNN‐PSO (0.9) and finally DNN‐SCSO (0.83). High‐precision models have identified that the majority of the western region of Thua Thien Hue province is very highly susceptible to landslides. Models like the aforementioned ones can support decision‐makers in updating large‐scale sustainable land‐use strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral infections continue to represent major challenges to public health, and an enhanced mechanistic understanding of the processes that contribute to viral life cycles is necessary for the development of new therapeutic strategies.sup.1. Viperin, a member of the radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) superfamily of enzymes, is an interferon-inducible protein implicated in the inhibition of replication of a broad range of RNA and DNA viruses, including dengue virus, West Nile virus, hepatitis C virus, influenza A virus, rabies virus.sup.2 and HIV.sup.3,4. Viperin has been suggested to elicit these broad antiviral activities through interactions with a large number of functionally unrelated host and viral proteins.sup.3,4. Here we demonstrate that viperin catalyses the conversion of cytidine triphosphate (CTP) to 3E-deoxy-3',4E-didehydro-CTP (ddhCTP), a previously undescribed biologically relevant molecule, via a SAM-dependent radical mechanism. We show that mammalian cells expressing viperin and macrophages stimulated with IFN[alpha] produce substantial quantities of ddhCTP. We also establish that ddhCTP acts as a chain terminator for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerases from multiple members of the Flavivirus genus, and show that ddhCTP directly inhibits replication of Zika virus in vivo. These findings suggest a partially unifying mechanism for the broad antiviral effects of viperin that is based on the intrinsic enzymatic properties of the protein and involves the generation of a naturally occurring replication-chain terminator encoded by mammalian genomes. Viperin inhibits the replication of various viruses by catalysing the conversion of CTP to ddhCTP, which is a unique nucleotide that functions as replication-chain terminator of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases., Author(s): Anthony S. Gizzi [sup.1] , Tyler L. Grove [sup.1] , Jamie J. Arnold [sup.2] , Joyce Jose [sup.2] , Rohit K. Jangra [sup.3] , Scott J. Garforth [sup.1] , [...]