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Several widely recognized metabolites play a role in regulating the pathophysiological processes of various disorders. Nonetheless, the lack of effective biomarkers for the early diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and premature ovarian failure (POF) has led to the discovery of serum-based metabolic biomarkers for these disorders. We aimed to identify various differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) through serum-based metabolic profiling in patients with PCOS and POF and in healthy individuals by using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Furthermore, heatmap clustering, correlation, and Z-score analyses were performed to identify the top DEMs. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enriched pathways of DEMs were determined using metabolite-based databases. Moreover, the clinical significance of these DEMs was evaluated on the basis of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Significantly dysregulated expressions of several metabolites were observed in the intergroup comparisons of the PCOS, POF, and healthy control groups. Furthermore, 6 DEMs were most frequently observed among the three groups. The expressions of these DEMs were not only directly correlated but also exhibited potential significance in patients with PCOS and POF. Novel metabolites with up/downregulated expressions can be discovered in patients with PCOS and POF using serum-based metabolomics; these metabolites show good diagnostic performance and can act as effective biomarkers for the early detection of PCOS and POF. Furthermore, these metabolites might be involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms of PCOS and POF via interplay with corresponding genes.

T-regulatory (Treg)/T-helper 17 (Th17) imbalance is associated with preeclampsia (PE). Herein, we aimed to explore the effect and mechanism of lncRNA NEAT1 on the Treg/Th17 balance. The levels of nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1), miR-485-5p, and absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) in CD4+ T cells were determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Treg and Th17 cells were examined using flow cytometry. The relationship between miR-485-5p and NEAT1 or AIM2 was assessed using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation. All the data indicated that NEAT1 was upregulated in PE. The number of Treg cells decreased and was negatively related to NEAT1, whereas the number of Th17 cells increased and was positively related to NEAT1 in PE. Knockdown of NEAT1 increased the Treg cells and Treg/Th17 but decreased Th17 cells. Furthermore, NEAT1 sponges miR-485-5p to suppress the target AIM2 levels. Inhibition of miR-485-5p or upregulation of AIM2 abrogated the effect on Treg/Th17 balance induced by knockdown of NEAT1. In conclusion, silencing of NEAT1 promoted Treg/Th17 balance via the miR-485-5p/AIM2 axis in PE, suggesting that NEAT1 is a potential target for the treatment of PE.

The oral microbiota are closely related to human health. Nonetheless, to the best of our knowledge, their relationship with membranous nephropathy (MN) remains unstudied. The saliva microbiota collected from 22 patients with MN and 15 healthy controls were analyzed by next‑generation sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was subsequently carried out. The Chao1 and Shannon indices in patients with MN were higher than those in healthy controls. Analysis of similarities revealed that the oral microbiota in the patient group were significantly different from those in the healthy controls. At the genus level, the abundance of

We conducted a systematic study to evaluate the relationship of exposure to aerosols with specific focus on airborne ultrafine particles and the effective dose in the lungs of humans or animals. By multiplying particle concentration size distributions with lung deposition curves of the Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) model, the lung deposition concentrations, which could be directly linked to the effective dose via inhalation rate and exposure time, were estimated. The calculations were performed on a number of representative particle size distributions ex-tracted from measurement data in the literature. Apart from the evaluation of the lung depos-ited particle concentration, we investigated whether and how the lung deposited particle con-centration depended on the diameter of the main mode of the considered size distribution and if there was a potential animal surrogate for human beings in inhalation exposure studies. The average deep-lung deposited fraction (sum of alveolar and trachea-bronchial deposited concentrations divided by the ambient concentration) depended on the inhaled aerosol size distribution and the considered metric (number, surface area or mass). It was slightly higher in terms of number than for surface area and mass. Moreover, the lung deposited particle frac-tion depended also on the diameter of the main mode of the inhaled aerosol size distribution: the smaller the diameter of the main mode, the higher the lung deposited particle fraction. Our study aims at a better understanding of the correlations between the particle parameters meas-ured in exposure studies and the dose metrics in the lung, which in turn facilitates the risk as-sessment of ambient ultrafine particles.

The regeneration of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) is of critical importance because of the severe shortage of FFRs during large-scale outbreaks of respiratory epidemics, such as COVID-19. Comprehensive experiments regarding FFR regeneration were performed in this study with model bacteria to illustrate the decontamination performance of the regeneration processes. The results showed that it is dangerous to use a contaminated FFR without any microbe inactivation treatment because the bacteria can live for more than 8 h. The filtration efficiency and surface electrostatic potential of 75% ethanol-treated FFRs were significantly reduced, and a most penetrating particle size of 200 nm was observed. Steam and microwave irradiation (MWI) showed promising decontamination performances, achieving 100% inactivation in 90 and 30 min, respectively. The filtration efficiencies of steam-treated FFRs for 50 and 100 nm particles decreased from 98.86% and 99.51% to 97.58% and 98.79%, respectively. Ultraviolet irradiation (UVI) effectively inactivated the surface bacteria with a short treatment of 5 min and did not affect the filtration performance. However, the UV dose reaching different layers of the FFP2 mask sample gradually decreased from the outermost layer to the innermost layer, while the model bacteria on the second and third layers could not be killed completely. UVI+MWI and steam were recommended to effectively decontaminate the used respirators and still maintain the respirators' filtration efficiency. The present work provides a comprehensive evaluation for FFR regeneration in terms of the filtration efficiencies for 50-500 nm particles, the electrostatic properties, mechanical properties, and decontamination effects.

This paper describes a novel method for measuring fiber orientations in nonwoven web images by using Bézier fitting curves to detect corners of fiber edges and to separate crossing fiber edges. First, the Canny detector was adopted to extract fiber edges. Second, Bézier curve fitting was used to fit each fiber edge for calculating the curvature of every point on the edge. Third, corner points were detected by locating points where the curvatures were minimal on various edges and below the threshold to divide edges into segments for orientation calculations. Last, a formula calculating the fiber orientation statistics based on the Euclidean distance was established. The experiment results demonstrated that the proposed method is robust for analyzing different nonwoven web images, and has a high accuracy for corner detection and fiber orientation calculation.

Ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution jeopardizes both the global climate and public health. Therefore, there is a need for a cost-effective and energy-efficient air filter. Herein, a low filtration resistance polyacrylonitrile (PAN) three-dimensional composite membrane with high porosity was controllably fabricated via multi-jet free surface electrospinning. The composite nanofibrous membrane, composed of ternary structures including scaffold nanofibers, microspheres and thin nanofibers, was demonstrated as an air filter for the first time. The scaffold nanofibers constituted a stable skeletal framework in which the microspheres were embedded; the microspheres enlarged the inter-fiber voids thus greatly reducing the pressure drop, while thin nanofibers with diameters of 84 nm interwoven with the scaffold nanofibers improved the collision probability of the airborne particles and guaranteed a robust filtration performance without sacrificing filtration efficiency. Additionally, the embedded microspheres also significantly improved the mechanical properties of the membrane. The fabricated high porosity three-dimensional composite membrane exhibited high filtration efficiency (99.99%) and low pressure drop (126.7 Pa) to sodium chloride (NaCl) aerosol particles under an airflow velocity of 5.3 cm s−1. Furthermore, the as-prepared membrane demonstrated high PM2.5 filtration efficiency (99.24%) in a dynamic PM2.5 filtration system simulating the typical operation environment of an air filter. The low resistance three-dimensional composite membrane fabricated via free surface electrospinning is not only efficient for laboratory research but can also be applied to industrial production and in commercial applications.

Figure S1. TNF-α did not cause PIEC death. (A) PIECs were treated with or without rhTNF-α (20 ng/ml) for 48 h, rhTNF-α (20 ng/ml) + cycloheximide (CHX, High: 10 μg/ml) or rhTNF-α (20 ng/ml) + CHX (Low: 2 μg/ml) for 2.5 h as positive controls. Lysates were analyzed by western-blotting with antibodies against Cleaved Caspase 3 and actin. (B) PIECs were treated with rhTNF-α (20 ng/ml) or medium as a negative control (NC) for 0, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, or 96 h. The cell number was assessed with CCK8. (C) PIECs were treated with recombinant human IL-2 (20 ng/ml), IL-15 (100 ng/ml), IL-8 (100 ng/ml), IL-6 (20 ng/ml), G-CSF (100 ng/ml), G-MCSF (50 ng/ml), IFNγ (50 ng/ml), IL-4 (20 ng/ml), or medium as a negative control (NC) for 48 h. The cell number was assessed with CCK8. Data are representative of at least three independent experiments (mean ± SEM). *p

Table S1. Listing of primers and primer sequences for real-time PCR. (DOC 47 kb)

Figure S3. Loss of P38 in PIECs was mediated by P38-specific siRNA oligos. (A-B) PIECs were transfected with control siRNA oligo or with P38-specific siRNA oligos. After 48 h, total RNA was collected and the mRNA levels of P38 were measured by RT-PCR (A), and lysates were analyzed by western-blotting (right side) with antibodies against P38, or actin (B). Data are representative of at least three independent experiments (mean ± SEM). ***p

The booming development of commercial products containing graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) triggers growing concerns over their release into the air. Precise prediction of human respiratory system deposition of airborne GNPs, especially in alveolar region, is very important for inhalation exposure assessment. In this study, the pulmonary deposition of airborne GNPs was predicted by the multiple-path particle dosimetry (MPPD) model with consideration of GNPs plate-like shape and folded structure effect. Different equivalent diameters of GNPs were derived and utilized to describe different deposition mechanisms in the MPPD model. Both of small GNPs (geometric lateral size dg < 0.1 μm) and large GNPs (dg > 10 μm) had high deposition fractions in human respiratory system. The total deposition fractions for 0.1 μm and 30 μm GNPs were 41.6% and 75.6%, respectively. Most of the small GNPs deposited in the alveolar region, while the large GNPs deposited in the head airways. The aerodynamic diameter of GNPs was much smaller than the geometric lateral dimension due to the nanoscale thickness. For GNPs with geometric lateral size of 30 μm, the aerodynamic diameter was 2.98 μm. The small aerodynamic diameter of plate-like GNPs enabled deposition in the alveolar region, and folded GNPs had higher alveolar deposition than planar GNPs. Heavy breathing led to higher GNPs deposition fraction in head airways and lower deposition fractions in the alveolar region than resting breathing. Our results reveal that large GNPs can have small enough aerodynamic diameters to be respirable and deposit beyond the ciliated airways. The plate-like morphology and folded structure of GNPs resulted in higher alveolar deposition compared to spherical particles.

With the wide applications of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in the industries, more concerns are raised about the effectiveness of filtration technology to control GNPs release during manufacturing and handling processes. Accurate prediction of the capture efficiency of airborne GNPs is significant to avoid occupational exposure. Herein, the aerodynamic property and filtration mechanisms of airborne GNPs with plate-like shape and folded structure were studied. Different equivalent diameters of GNPs (aerodynamic diameter da, mobility diameter dm) were derived and used to describe diverse mechanisms in the filtration model. The capture efficiency of plate-like GNPs and sphere-like NaCl particles was measured with Nuclepore membranes and nanofibrous membranes to assess the particle shape effect during filtration. The plate-like GNPs showed higher capture efficiency due to the larger interception length. SEM measurement showed that not only planar GNPs, GNPs with folded structure also occurred due to the large lateral size to thickness ratio and strong mechanical stimulation in the atomization process. For GNPs with aerodynamic diameter of 0.5 – 0.9 μm, the capture efficiency for folded GNPs decreased by 20 – 30% according to the analytical calculation. In addition, the effects of membrane structural parameters (Nuclepore membrane pore radius, fiber diameter, solidity) on the quality factor (Qf) were systematically analyzed to evaluate the overall filtration performance. This study not only elucidates the effect of plate-like shape and folded structure on the aerodynamics of airborne GNPs, but also contributes to better design of Nuclepore and nanofibrous membranes to improve the filtration performance of plate-like particles.

Due to recent serious air pollution especially in Asian countries, electret air filters with ultra-high efficiency have attracted much attention. However, the crucial issue of restraining charge dissipation to maintain stable electrostatic capture efficiency is still challenging. Herein, electret mechanisms, charge degradation kinetics and lifetime in filtration applications of electrospun membranes and corona-charged membranes exposed to isopropanol vapor and high humidity were studied. The surface potential degradation was measured in an in-situ discharging and monitoring setup. Electrospun membranes have longer charge retention time compared to corona-charged membranes. A dual-level trap model based on shallow and deep traps was proposed to quantitatively describe charge aging characteristics. It revealed that besides surface charges, volume charges in traps with deep energy levels were also formed during electrospinning. Furthermore, the charge storage mechanism of electrospun membranes was investigated by thermally stimulated depolarization current technique, which demonstrated that volume charges were trapped in the membrane and dipole charges were generated during electrospinning. Direct charge mapping on individual electrospun nanofiber was also achieved by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy. With the benefit of volume charges in deep traps, the filtration efficiency of electrospun membranes only decreased by 3.67% after 40 h at 95% humidity. With abundant volume charges and reinforced charge stability, electrospun membranes consisting of polymers with inherent dielectric characteristics exhibit robust filtration performance and become a promising material for air pollution control.

Electret filter materials have attracted wide attention because of their low pressure drop and high filtration efficiency. Few studies have measured the filtration performance and the charging status of the charged filters during soot particle loading. In this study, the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) needle felt filters were charged by a corona discharge method. The filtration efficiency and surface potential were investigated during the soot particle loading process. The effects of NaCl particles, soot particles and A2 dust on surface potential and filtration efficiency were investigated. The reusability of charged filters and the effect of temperature on surface potential were studied. The results indicated that the initial filtration efficiency of charged PTFE needle felt filters (PNFFs) was greatly improved compared with that of uncharged PNFFs. The attenuation rate of the surface potential at 100 °C was faster than that at room temperature. The surface potential decreased with the start of particle deposition on the filters, correspondingly, the filtration efficiency of the charged PNFFs decreased. The efficiency of charged PNFFs loaded by soot particle decreased first and then increased, with the transition point corresponding to 20 Pa of pressure drop growth. With the same increment of pressure drop, soot particles with higher conductivity caused more efficiency degradation than NaCl particles. The reusability of the charged filters was affected by the effectiveness of dust cake removal and the particle conductivity.

Under normal conditions, the activity of platelets is stringently and precisely balanced between activation and quiescent state. This guarantees rapid hemostasis and avoids uncontrolled thrombosis. However, excessive platelet activation and resulting thrombotic microangiopathy are frequently observed in pig-to-primate xenotransplantation models. Endothelium-derived inhibitory mechanisms play an important role in regulation of platelet activation. These mainly include nitric oxide (NO), prostacyclin PGI

A method of suppressing the multimodal size distribution of InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) using molecular beam epitaxy through flattening the substrate surface is reported in this work. It is found that the surface roughness plays an important role in the growth of QDs through continuous surface evolution (SEQDs). SEQDs are the main components of small QD ensemble in QDs with multimodal size distribution. It is suggested that most of the SEQDs are very likely to nucleate during the growth interruption rather than during the deposition. The growth of QDs on a smoother surface has largely reduced the density of SEQDs. The photoluminescence line width of uniform QDs is found to be only 17 meV at a low temperature.

Low-temperature step-graded high indium content InAlAs (In% = 0.75) metamorphic buffer layers with reverse step layer grown on GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy are investigated in this paper. The composition and the strain relaxation of the top InAlAs layer are determined by high-resolution triple-axis X-ray diffraction measurements, which show that the top InAlAs layer is nearly fully relaxed and the growth parameters for these samples have little influence on the strain relaxation ratio. Surface morphology is observed by reflection high-energy electron diffraction pattern and atomic force microscopy. The surface morphology is found to depend strongly on both the growth temperature and the As flux. Compared with other samples, the sample growth under the optimized conditions has the smallest value of root mean square surface roughness. Furthermore, the omega - 2 theta and omega scans of the triple-axis X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy result also show the sample grown under the optimized conditions has good crystalline quality. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Serials InAsxSb1-x samples grown on GaAs (0 0 1) substrates by solid source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been investigated. The high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM) results reveal that the quality and the surface morphology of InAsxSb1-x strongly depend on the III/V ratio, growth temperature and the thickness of nucleation layer. When growth temperature is 400 degrees C, In:As:Sb is about 1:0.4:2, and the thickness of the nucleation layer is 30 nm, the sample has the smallest FWHM (797 aresec), much better than the recent results [S. Nakamura, P. Jayavel, T. Kyama, Y. Hayakawa, J. Crystal Growth 300 (2007) 497; F. Gao, N. Chen, L. Liu, X.W. Zhang, J. Wu, Z. Yin, J. Crystal Growth 304 (2007) 472]. These results demonstrate that much better samples can be obtained by MBE. AFM surface particle analysis results show that surface morphology strongly associates with the surface particle size. Small particle size makes surface smooth and large particle size makes surface rough. Through optimizing the growth conditions, our samples have better crystal quality and smoother surface morphology. The sample which has the best crystal quality shows that the carrier mobility and density is 1.3 x 10(4) cm(2)/V s and 1.3 x 10(17) cm(3) at room temperature. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The paper discusses the extent to the scale of the electrospun fiber membrane. Literatures show that two distinct methods of raising electrospun nanofiber production can be employed via spinning from a setup of multiple nozzles arranged side by side or from an expanse of polymer solution (needleless electrospinning). Both of these methods are thoroughly explored by considering the variations available within either of their respective productivities. Their mechanisms are duly dealt with by looking at principles and parameters behind the process performances and an analysis of the strategies devised to deal with the shortcomings and ensure process feasibility is given. It has to be noted that most of the available work on electrospinning and their applications is achieved via single needle electrospinning. In this review, a projection is taken to be accomplished whether the nanofiber production can be consistently raised to commercial levels at the exceptional application routes so far produced by the conventional electrospinning means.

CD4(+) T helper cells are classical but constantly reinterpreted T-cell subset, playing critical roles in a diverse range of inflammatory responses or diseases. Depending on the cytokines they release and the immune responses they mediate, CD4(+) T cells are classically divided into two major cell populations: Th1 and Th2 cells. However, recent studies challenged this Th1/Th2 paradigm by discovering several T-helper cell subsets with specific differentiation program and functions, including Th17 cells, Treg cells, and Tfh cells. In this chapter, we summarize the current understanding and recent progresses on the Th17 lineage differentiation and its effector impacts on variety of inflammatory responses or disease pathogenesis.

The InAs/InGaAs dots-in-a-well (DWELL) structures were grown on both GaAs(311) B and (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Quantum dots (QDs) grown on GaAs(311) B substrate are of higher density and more uniform size distribution, yet QDs grown on GaAs(100) substrate demonstrate a bimodal size distribution. The growth mechanism of these surface morphologies was briefly discussed. We found that the photoluminescence (PL) linewidth of DWELL grown on GaAs(311) B substrate was much narrower than the linewidth of DWELL grown on GaAs(100), which suggests a promising advantage in many QD based devices. We also found the temperature had a stronger impact on the PL intensity of DWELL grown on GaAs(311) B, which was explained by the lower thermal active energy and higher density of interfacial point defects of DWELL grown on GaAs(311) B. These results provide people a rather comprehensive insight into the advantages and disadvantages of DWELL grown on GaAs(311) B substrates.

We report the spatial intensity distributions of the laser-induced charge and spin polarizations in GaAs∕AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) detected by using second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging technique. The spin polarized electrons in the 2DEG are pumped by a single linear polarized laser beam and probed by another beam which produces reflective SHG. By comparing the images of SHG probed with left- and right-circular polarized laser beams, the spatial distributions of the effective charge and spin polarizations in the 2DEG sample are mapped out.