Search

Thermal injury repair is a complex process during which the maintenance of the proliferation and migration of human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) exert a crucial role. MicroRNAs have been proven to exert an essential function in repairing skin burns. This study delves into the regulatory effects of miR-24-3p on the migration and proliferation of HSFs that have sustained a thermal injury, thereby, providing deeper insight into thermal injury repair pathogenesis. The PPAR-β protein expression level progressively increased in a time-dependent manner on the 12th, 24th and 48th hour following the thermal injury of the HSFs. The knockdown of PPAR-β markedly suppressed the proliferation of and migration of HSF. Following thermal injury, the knockdown also promoted the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, TNF-α, PTGS-2 and P65 expression. PPAR-β contrastingly exhibited an opposite trend. A targeted relationship between PPAR-β and miR-24-3p was predicted and verified. miR-24-3p inhibited thermal injured HSF proliferation and migration and facilitated inflammatory cytokine expression through the regulation of PPAR-β. p65 directly targeted the transcriptional precursor of miR-24 and promoted miR-24 expression. A negative correlation between miR-24-3p expression level and PPAR-β expression level in rats' burnt dermal tissues was observed. Our findings reveal that miR-24-3p is conducive to rehabilitating the denatured dermis, which may be beneficial in providing effective therapy of skin burns.

Background: To reveal the alterations of tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA) expression profiles induced by hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment in diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and investigate new therapeutic targets. Materials & methods: tsRNA sequencing was employed in normal skin tissue, in DFUs, and after HBO treatment groups. A quantitative real-time PCR was used to validate tsRNA sequencing results and their targets levels. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to reveal their therapeutic functions in DFUs. Results: A total of 22 tsRNAs were differentially expressed in the three groups. Three selected tsRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR for further analysis, which were all significantly overexpressed in DFU while being normally expressed after HBO treatment. Bioinformatics analysis disclosed that these tsRNAs may play therapeutic roles through the regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway. Conclusion: tsRNAs may be novel useful targets for HBO to treat DFUs.

Designing hybrid transition metal compounds with optimized electronic structure and firmly dispersing them on a matrix to avoid aggregation and shedding is of great significance for achieving high electrocatalytic performances. Herein, an adsorption-complexation-calcination strategy based on channel confining effect is explored to obtain CoN-CoOx hybrid nanoparticles uniformly dispersed in mesoporous carbon. The CoN-CoOx/C composite exhibits excellent electrocatalytic behavior for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The half-wave potential and durability are comparable or superior to those of Pt/C. When applying as cathode catalyst for a primary zinc-air battery, the open-circuit voltage and peak power density reach up to 1.394 V and 109.8 mW·cm−2, respectively. A high gravimetric energy density of 950.3 Wh·kgZn−1 is delivered at 10 mA·cm−2 with good rate capability and stability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrates the favorable ORR intermediate adsorbability and metallic characteristics of CoN grains with oxide hybridization to optimize the electronic structure. This work provides a facile adjustable approach for obtaining highly dispersed nanoparticles with controllable hybrid composition on a substrate, which is important for future design and optimization of high-performance electrocatalysts.

To improve the sulfur loading capacity of lithium-sulfur batteries (Li-S batteries) cathode and avoid the inevitable “shuttle effect”, hollow N doped carbon coated CoO/SnO2 (CoO/SnO2@NC) composite has been designed and prepared by a hydrothermal-calcination method. The specific surface area of CoO/SnO2@NC composite is 85.464 m2·g−1, and the pore volume is 0.1189 cm3·g−1. The hollow core-shell structure as a carrier has a sulfur loading amount of 66.10%. The initial specific capacity of the assembled Li-S batteries is 395.7 mAh·g−1 at 0.2 C, which maintains 302.7 mAh·g−1 after 400 cycles. When the rate increases to 2.5 C, the specific capacity still has 221.2 mAh·g−1. The excellent lithium storage performance is attributed to the core-shell structure with high specific surface area and porosity. This structure effectively increases the sulfur loading, enhances the chemical adsorption of lithium polysulfides, and reduces direct contact between CoO/SnO2 and the electrolyte.

Developing suitable electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage devices by biomorph assisted design has become a fascinating topic due to the fantastic properties derived from bio-architectures. Herein, zephyranthes-like Co2NiSe4 arrays grown on butterfly wings derived three-dimensional (3D) carbon framework (Z-Co2NiSe4/BWC) is fabricated via hydrothermal assembly and further conversion method. Benefiting from its unique structure and multi-components, the obtained Z-Co2NiSe4/BWC electrode for supercapacitor delivers an excellent specific capacitance of 2,280 F·g−1 at 1 A·g−1. Impressively, the constructed asymmetric supercapacitor using Co2NiSe4/BWC as positive electrode and activated butterfly wings carbon as negative electrode acquires a high energy density of 42.9 Wh·kg−1 at a power density of 800 W·kg−1 with robust stability of 94.6% capacitance retention at 10 A·g−1 after 5,000 cycles. Moreover, the Z-Co2NiSe4/BWC as anode for sodium-ion batteries exhibits a high specific capacity of 568 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1 and high cycling stability (maintaining 80.1% of the second cycle after 100 cycles). The outstanding electrochemical performances are ascribed to that the synergistic effect of bimetallic selenides and N-doped carbon improves electrochemical activities and conductivity. One-dimensional (1D) nanoneedles grown on 3D porous framework increase the exposure of redox-active sites, endow adequate transmission channels of electrons/ions, and guarantee stability of the electrode during charge/discharge processes. This study will shed light on the avenue towards extending such nanohybrids to excellent energy storage applications.

Enterococcus faecalis is the main cause of refractory root canal infections in human teeth. The control of root canal infection is one of the conditions necessary for the successful treatment of refractory root canal infections. In the present study, nano-scale silver–zinc–calcium–silica particles loaded with different ratios of silver–zinc were successfully prepared (Ag0.5Zn3-MCSNs and Ag0.5Zn10-MCSNs). The release profiles, antibacterial activity against E. faecalis, infiltration depth into dentinal tubules, biocompatibility and effects on dentin microhardness in vitro were investigated. In addition, the antimicrobial effects of the particles against Enterococcus faecalis reinfection were evaluated in vivo in the teeth of beagle dogs. Ag, Zn, Ca and Si were released from Ag–Zn-MCSNs, and the atomic ratio of silver and zinc released can reach the optimal value of 1 : 12 (Ag0.5Zn10-MCSNs). The particles also showed good biocompatibility and antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis and did not reduce the hardness of dentin. The nanoparticles could be driven into the dentinal tubules of dentin slices by ultrasonic activation. In the root canals of beagle dogs, both Ag0.5Zn3-MCSNs and Ag0.5Zn10-MCSNs demonstrated strong preventive effects against E. faecalis infection. The Ag–Zn–Ca–Si mesoporous nanoparticles may develop into a new effective root canal disinfectant or root canal sealer.

In this paper, using molybdenum disulfide doped with gold nanoclusters (Au NCs@MoS2) as the substrate, an aflatoxin aptamer sensor was constructed utilizing iron porphyrin organic porous material modified with streptavidin and loaded with gold nano-bipyramids (SA-Au NBPs@ porous aromatic framework (PAF)-40-Fe) as a label. The catalyzed reduction current of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by Au NBPs@PAF-40-Fe was detected which is proportional to the concentration of aflatoxin B1. Thereby, quantitative detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is achieved. Under the optimal conditions, the linear range of the sensor is 0.05 ~ 85 ng/mL with detection limit of 0.017 ng/mL and the linear correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9825. The average recovery is 99.28 %. This aflatoxin aptamer sensor has good selectivity and provides a highly sensitive method for the detection of aflatoxin.

Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is one of the dominant bacteria for refractory infections of teeth. Silver ions (Ag+) have been proved to be a strong bactericide but with high cytotoxicity and ...

Objective Thermal injury repair is a complex process during which maintaining the proliferation of human dermis fibroblasts (HDFs) and synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role. In the present study, we analyzed potential molecular markers and the probable association between differentially-expressed lncRNAs and protein-coding genes within denatured dermis following thermal injury, attempting to provide further insights to thermal injury repair pathogenesis. Methods and main results We found that the expression of 3940 lncRNAs was increased, while that of 1438 lncRNAs was reduced in the denatured dermis following thermal injury when compared to normal tissue. Of them, 338 were upregulated and 154 were downregulated by more than 128 times. Via cross-check with another microarray profile analysis on differentially-expressed lncRNAs after thermal injury, LINC00302 was found to be downregulated after thermal injury; more importantly, this skin-specially expressed lncRNA is located near a series of genes related to multiple skin inflammation and skin barrier-associated genomes. LINC00302 overexpression promoted the cell viability and the protein levels of α-SMA and Collagen I in HDFs. Conclusions In conclusion, mRNAs and lncRNAs could be differentially expressed in the denatured dermis following thermal injury. mRNA and lncRNA regulatory signaling pathways could participate in thermal injury repair pathogenesis. More importantly, LINC00302 may play a critical role in thermal injury repair.

Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram-positive facultative anaerobe involved in many fatal or refractory infections of humans. Silver, often used as silver ions (Ag+) or nanoparticles (AgNPs), is a strong and broad-spectrum antibacterial agent, but E. faecalis shows resistance against it. Despite this, the knowledge about the resistance of E. faecalis against silver is still lacking. In this study, the silver-resistant E. faecalis strains (AgR and ANR E. faecalis) were established through a serial selection method. Their biological and silver-resistant features as well as the Gene Ontology (GO) in comparison with the original E. faecalis were evaluated. The results showed that the silver-resistant E. faecalis could proliferate as original bacteria and had strong resistance against both Ag+ and AgNPs. The minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of AgNO3 on original, AgR, and ANR E. faecalis were 400 mg/L, 600 mg/L, and 500 mg/L, and the MBCs of AgNPs on these strains were 80 mg/L, 110 mg/L, and 130 mg/L, respectively. GO analysis revealed significant difference (P

miR-126, an endothelial-specific microRNA, is associated to vascular integrity and angiogenesis. It is well established that angiogenesis plays a critical role in burn wound healing. However, there was a lack of understanding of the mechanism by which miR-126 regulates angiogenesis during burn wound healing. HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) is a well-characterized long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. Sciellin (SCEL), a precursor to the cornified envelope of human keratinocytes, has been shown to inhibit migration and invasion capabilities of colorectal cancer cells. In this study, a cohort of 20 burn wound tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues were collected. LncRNA and messenger RNA expression profiles were screened by microarray analysis in five pairs of samples with mostly increased miR-126 levels. miR-126 was highly expressed in burn wound tissues and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exposed to heat stress, whereas HOTAIR and SCEL were down-regulated after thermal injury. Bioinformatic analysis, dual luciferase reporter assay, and quantitative real-time PCR were conducted to validate that HOTAIR and SCEL competitively bind to miR-126 to function as the competitive endogenous RNA. miR-126 promoted endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis, but suppressed apoptosis, while HOTAIR and SCEL exerted opposite effects in HUVECs. The biological functions were determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, Annexin-V-FITC/PI (propidium iodide/fluorescein isothiocyanate) staining, transwell migration, and tube formation assays. Collectively, our study revealed that HOTAIR/miR-126/SCEL axis contributes to burn wound healing through mediating angiogenesis.

Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is commonly considered to be one of chief culprits of secondary and persistent root canal infections. As antibiotic resistance has become a global issue, in order to reduce the use of antibiotics, metal ions have recently been widely used as an alternative. Silver ions (Ag(+)) have been proved to be a strong bactericide but with high cytotoxicity and discoloration property. Triton X-100 (TX-100) and Ag(+) were co-used for the first time as a clinical intracanal medication to obtain both enhanced antibacterial effect and low cytotoxicity. The synergistic antibacterial effect of TX-100 + Ag(+) was tested on both planktonic and biofilm-resident E. faecalis on dentine. And the cytotoxicity was tested on MC3T3-E1 cells. Results confirmed the antibacterial activity against both planktonic and biofilm-resident E. faecalis was dramatically improved after TX-100 incorporation. TX-100 and Ag(+) mixture demonstrated a similar inhibitory effect as the 2% chlorhexidine (CHX), while the cytotoxicity was much lower than 2% CHX (p

Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is a Gram-positive bacterium closely related to many refractory infections of human and shows the resistant ability against the antibacterial effects of silver. Simvastatin is a semisynthetic compound derived from lovastatin and a hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A(HMG-COA) reductase inhibitor showing certain inhibitive effects on bacteria. The main purpose of this study was to establish and characterize the Ag+/silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-resistant E. faecalis, and further evaluate the function of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the silver resistance and the effect of simvastatin on the silver-resistance of E. faecalis. The results showed that the established silver-resistant E. faecalis had strong resistance against both Ag+ and AgNPs and simvastatin could decrease the silver-resistance of both original and Ag+/AgNPs-resistant E. faecalis. The Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), High-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) and mapping images showed that the silver ions or particles aggregated and confined in the EPS on surface areas of the cell membrane when the silver-resistant E. faecalis were incubated with Ag+ or AgNPs. When the simvastatin was added, the silver element was not confined in the EPS and entered the bacteria. These findings may indicate that the silver resistance of E. faecalis was derived from the entrapping function of EPS, but simvastatin could compromise the function of EPS to decrease the silver resistant ability of E. faecalis.

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) possess high intrinsic catalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER); however, the low electronic conductivity hinders their further development as high-performance electrocatalysts. To address this problem, NiFe LDH is synthesized and exfoliated into positively charged nanosheets, followed by assembling with negatively charged carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Under the effect of electrostatic interaction, NiFe LDH and CNTs layers are alternately stacked to form an intercalating heterostructure of NiFe LDH/CNTs. This unique configuration provides both sufficient active sites and efficient charge/electron transport channels for OER electrocatalysis. By tuning the relative amounts of NiFe LDH and CNTs, the optimized composite only needs a low overpotential of 234 mV (vs. RHE) to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2, showing better OER activity than that of RuO2. The excellent performance should be attributed to the synergy between active NiFe LDH and conductive CNTs, as well as the intercalated structure with high accessible surface area.

Designing and synthesizing high-efficiency non-precious metal electrocatalysts are of great significance for electrochemical reduction of oxygen. A simple coadsorption-pyrolysis method is developed to synthesize ultra-small CoO nanoparticles and Co-N-C lamellae supported on ordered mesoporous carbon (MC). The optimized CoO/Co-N-C/MC electrocatalyst has good catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a half-wave potential of 0.78 V vs. RHE and a limiting current density of 5.01 mA cm−2. The high ORR activity, together with the superior stability compared with Pt/C, make it a good choice as cathode catalyst in zinc-air batteries (ZABs). The as-assembled ZAB has a high open circuit voltage of 1.397 V and a specific capacity of 842 mAh gZn−1 at 10 mA cm−2. The good performance is attributed to the abundant ultrafine CoO particles and Co-N-C lamellae as catalytic active sites, as well as the mesoporous substrate for efficient mass/charge transport.

Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), a Gram-positive facultative anaerobe, is reported to take responsibility for a large portion of refractory root canal infections and root canal re-infections of human teeth. Chlorhexidine is a strong bactericide against E. faecalis but cannot infiltrate into dentinal tubules. On the other hand, a common negative effect of root canal medicaments is the decrease of dentin microhardness. In this study, poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA) submicron particles were applied as delivery carriers to load and release the chlorhexidine as well as calcium and phosphorus. The release profiles, antibacterial ability against E. faecalis, infiltration ability into dentinal tubules, biocompatibility and effects on dentin microhardness of these particles were investigated. Results revealed that encapsulated chemicals could be released in a sustained manner from the particles. The particles also exhibited excellent biocompatibility on MC3T3-E1 cells and significant antimicrobial property against E. faecalis. On dentin slices, the particles could be driven into dentinal tubules by ultrasonic activiation and inhibit E. faecalis colonization. Besides, dentin slices medicated with the particles displayed an increase in microhardness. In conclusion, PLGA submicron particles carrying chlorhexidine, calcium and phosphorus could be developed into a new intra-canal disinfectant for dental treatments.

A mixture system of small molecular organics/polymer is widely applied in various industries. A relatively accurate determination of their miscibility is crucial for well understanding and predicting their phase behaviors and material properties. However, miscibility results from different literature could vary much. This study systematically compares various approaches to determine the mixture miscibility, e.g., the interaction parameter (χ), solubility, observations of the phase separation, and a deviation of glass transition temperature (Tg) or melting temperature (Tm), and demonstrates the advantages, disadvantages, general suitability of each method. Four botanical organics, i.e., β-carotene, betulinic acid, astaxanthin, and curcumin, are used as model small molecular compounds. A widely-used, noncrystallizable, hydrophobic polymer of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA, LA:GA = 55:45) is employed as a model polymer. This systematic comparison is expected to provide a guide to selecting a suitable determination of small organics/polymer miscibility, beneficial for better predicting the phase stability of an amorphous mixture in applications.

To achieve robust and efficient architecture for supercapacitor electrodes, seeds of Toona sinensis (STS) with honeycomb structure are used as template to obtain STS derived carbon (STSC), which act as substrate for both negative and positive electrodes of a battery-type supercapacitor. When activated by KOH, the as obtained anodic a-STSC-1-600 with a big specific surface area of 1031.6 m g−1 shows a specific capacitance of 210.0 F g−1 at 1 A g−1. After hydrothermally growing Ni–Co layered double hydroxide, the as obtained cathodic Ni–Co LDH/STSC-0-800 exhibits a big specific capacitance of 992.2 F g−1 (1 A g−1). Both electrodes show excellent rate capability due to the stable and unblocked honeycomb structure. When constructing into a battery-type supercapacitor (Ni–Co LDH/STSC-0-800||a-STSC-1-600), a wide working voltage window of 1.5 V is achieved. The device delivers a relatively high energy density of 23.5 Wh kg−1 and a power density of 959.7 W kg−1, with decent rate capability and cycling stability. This work explores a simple way to fabricate highly-interconnected carbon substrate and its further processing on fabricating efficient anodic and cathodic materials for battery-type supercapacitors.