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Boron nitride nanosheets (BNN) were prepared by molten hydroxide-assisted liquid exfoliation from hexagonal boron nitride powder with an effectively high yield, and then modified with hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCCP) to obtain HCCP-BNN. The series of samples were applied to prepare flame-retardant cotton fabrics with the impregnation-drying method, and successful treatment was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The combustion performance of the as-prepared cotton fabrics was tested and evaluated. After coating with HCCP-BNN, the combustion rate of the fabric is reduced in vertical and horizontal combustion conditions and the limiting oxygen-index value of cotton fabric increases to 24.1, becoming less flammable than the blank cotton. The fibrous structure of the BNN and HCCP-BNN coated fabrics is relatively complete after combustion, which indicates that BNN have a certain protective effect on the fabric. The results demonstrate HCCP-BNN as an effective flame-retardant for cotton fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the potential use of metformin, a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, in enhancing the efficacy of GPRC5D CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma (MM). GPRC5D is a receptor that has shown promise as a target for CAR T-cell therapy in MM. However, the reduced or missing expression of GPRC5D in MM cells poses a challenge to treatment efficacy. Preclinical studies have shown that metformin can enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy and inhibit the growth of myeloma cells. The study found that pretreatment of myeloma cells with metformin increased the sensitivity of GPRC5D CAR T-cells to kill myeloma cells. The findings suggest that metformin could be used as an adjunct therapy to improve the outcomes of GPRC5D CAR T-cell therapy in MM. [Extracted from the article]

Current research reports that lactate affects Treg metabolism, although the precise mechanism has only been partially elucidated. In this study, we presented evidence demonstrating that elevated lactate levels enhanced cell proliferation, suppressive capabilities, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in human Tregs. The expression levels of Monocarboxylate Transporters 1/2/4 (MCT1/2/4) regulate intracellular lactate concentration, thereby influencing the varying responses observed in naive Tregs and memory Tregs. Through mitochondrial isolation, sequencing, and analysis of human Tregs, we determined that α-1,3-Mannosyl-Glycoprotein 2-β-N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferase (MGAT1) served as the pivotal driver initiating downstream N-glycosylation events involving progranulin (GRN) and hypoxia-upregulated 1 (HYOU1), consequently enhancing Treg OXPHOS. The mechanism by which MGAT1 was upregulated in mitochondria depended on elevated intracellular lactate that promoted the activation of XBP1s. This, in turn, supported MGAT1 transcription as well as the interaction of lactate with the translocase of the mitochondrial outer membrane 70 (TOM70) import receptor, facilitating MGAT1 translocation into mitochondria. Pretreatment of Tregs with lactate reduced mortality in a xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) model. Together, these findings underscored the active regulatory role of lactate in human Treg metabolism through the upregulation of MGAT1 transcription and its facilitated translocation into the mitochondria.

E 2 H 2 (E = As, Sb, Bi) structures involving multiple bonds have attracted much attention recently. The E 2 H 3 + cations (protonated E 2 H 2 ) are predicted to be viable with substantial proton affinities (>180 kcal/mol). Herein, the bonding characters and energetics of a number of E 2 H 3 + isomers are explored through CCSD(T) and DFT methods. For the As 2 H 3 + system, the CCSD(T)/cc-pVQZ-PP method predicts that the vinylidene-like structure lies lowest in energy, with the trans and cis isomers higher by 6.7 and 9.3 kcal/mol, respectively. However, for Sb 2 H 3 + and Bi 2 H 3 + systems, the trans isomer is the global minimum, while the energies of the cis and vinylidene-like structures are higher, respectively, by 2.0 and 2.4 kcal/mol for Sb 2 H 3 + and 1.6 and 15.0 kcal/mol for Bi 2 H 3 + . Thus, the vinyledene-like structure is the lowest energy for the arsenic system but only a transition state of the bismuth system. With permanent dipole moments, all minima may be observable in microwave experiments. Besides, we have also obtained transition states and planar-cis structures with higher energies. The current results should provide new insights into the various isomers and provide a number of predictions for future experiments.

Exposure to fine particular matter (≤2.5 μM, PM 2.5 ) contributes to increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a simple polyphenol found in virgin olive oil, is considered to be beneficial for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. The current study determined whether HT could improve PM 2.5 -induced adiposity and insulin resistance (IR), and explored the underlying mechanisms. Fifteen adult female C57BL/6j mice on a chow diet were randomly divided into three groups receiving (1) sterile PBS, (2) PM 2.5 suspended in sterile PBS (1 mg/mL) and (3) PM 2.5 +HT (50 mg/kg/day). PM 2.5 /PBS exposure was administered by oropharynx instillation every other day and HT supplementation was achieved by gavage every day. Four-week PM 2.5 exposure did not affect body weight, but significantly increased visceral fat mass. The abdominal adiposity coincided with adipocyte hypertrophy and proliferation in visceral white adipose tissue (WAT), as well as decreased metabolic activity in brown adipose tissue and subcutaneous WAT. PM 2.5 enhanced the oxidative stress by diminishing antioxidant enzyme activities in liver and serum, whereas contents of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in liver and serum were elevated. These changes were accompanied by macrophage infiltration and activation of NF-κB pathway in the liver. Moreover, PM 2.5 exposure led to glucose intolerance and insulin insensitivity, impaired hepatic glycogenesis, and decreased insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation in peripheral tissues. Importantly, HT treatment prevented PM 2.5 -induced visceral adipogenesis, oxidative stress, hepatic inflammation and NF-κB activation, systemic and peripheral IR. In vitro, after HepG2 cells were incubated with PM 2.5 (0, 5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL), reduced glutathione depletion and 4-HNE, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, MDA increment in a dose-dependent manner were observed; likewise, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Further, with antioxidant NAC and NF-κB inhibitor PDTC, we confirmed that HT attenuated PM 2.5 -induced IR through restraining NF-κB activation evoked by oxidative stress. In addition, HT could expand gut microbiota richness, reduce pathogenic bacteria and accommodate the microbial architecture in PM 2.5 -exposed mice, which were correlated with parameters of adiposity, oxidative stress and glycometabolism. HT could effectively correct imbalanced oxidative stress triggered by PM 2.5 , in turn ameliorated NF-κB pathway and insulin signaling. Gut microbiota may mediate the actions of HT., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)