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Abstract Hypertension is a frequent manifestation of chronic kidney disease but the ideal blood pressure (BP) target in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) (eGFR

Accumulating evidence demonstrated that miRNAs are highly involved in kidney fibrosis and Epithelial-Eesenchymal Transition (EMT), however, the mechanisms of miRNAs in kidney fibrosis are poorly understood. In this work, we identified that miR542-3p could promote EMT through down-regulating bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) expression by targeting BMP7 3′UTR. Firstly, real-time PCR results showed that miR542-3p was significantly up-regulated in kidney fibrosis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, Western blot results demonstrated that miR542-3p may promote EMT in the NRK52e cell line. In addition, we confirmed that BMP7, which played a crucial role in anti-kidney fibrosis and suppressed the progression of EMT, was a target of miR542-3p through Dual-Luciferase reporter assay, as did Western blot analysis. The effects of miR542-3p on regulating EMT could also be suppressed by transiently overexpressing BMP7 in NRK52e cells. Taken together, miR542-3p may be a critical mediator of the induction of EMT via directly targeting BMP7.

The metanephric mesenchyme (MM) cells are a subset of kidney progenitor cells and play an essential role in mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), the key step of nephron generation. Six2, a biological marker related to Wnt signaling pathway, promotes the proliferation, inhibits the apoptosis and maintains the un-differentiation of MM cells. Besides, LiCl is an activator of Wnt signaling pathway. However, the role of LiCl in cellular regulation of MM cells remains unclear, and the relationship between LiCl and Six2 in this process is also little known. Here, we performed EdU assay and flow cytometry assay to, respectively, detect the proliferation and apoptosis of MM cells treated with LiCl of increasing dosages. In addition, reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and Western-blot were conducted to measure the expression of Six2 and some maker genes of Wnt and bone-morphogenetic-protein (BMP) signaling pathway. Furthermore, luciferase assay was also carried out to detect the transcriptional regulation of Six2. Then we found LiCl promoted MM cell proliferation at low-concentration (10, 20, 30, and 40 mM). The expression of Six2 was dose-dependently increased in low-concentration (10, 20, 30, and 40 mM) at both mRNA and protein level. In addition, both of cell proliferation and Six2 expression in MM cells declined when dosage reached high-concentration (50 mM). However, Six2 knock-down converted the proliferation reduction at 50 mM. Furthermore, Six2 deficiency increased the apoptosis of MM cells, compared with negative control cells at relative LiCl concentration. However, the abnormal rise of apoptosis at 30 mM of LiCl concentration implies that it might be the reduction of GSK3β that increased cell apoptosis. Together, these demonstrate that LiCl can induce the proliferation and apoptosis of MM cells coordinating with Six2.

Nephron progenitor cells surround around the ureteric bud tips (UB) and inductively interact with the UB to originate nephrons, the basic units of renal function. This process is determined by the internal balance between self-renewal and consumption of the nephron progenitor cells, which is depending on the complicated regulation networks. It has been reported that Zeb1 regulates the proliferation of mesenchymal cells in mouse embryos. However, the role of Zeb1 in nephrons generation is not clear, especially in metanephric mesenchyme (MM). Here, we detected cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration in MM cells by EdU assay, flow cytometry assay and wound healing assay, respectively. Meanwhile, Western and RT-PCR were used to measure the expression level of Zeb1 and Six2 in MM cells and developing kidney. Besides, the dual-luciferase assay was conducted to study the molecular relationship between Zeb1 and Six2. We found that knock-down of Zeb1 decreased cell proliferation, migration and promoted cell apoptosis in MM cells and Zeb1 overexpression leaded to the opposite data. Western-blot and RT-PCR results showed that knock-down of Zeb1 decreased the expression of Six2 in MM cells and Zeb1 overexpression contributed to the opposite results. Similarly, Zeb1 promoted Six2 promoter reporter activity in luciferase assays. However, double knock-down of Zeb1 and Six2 did not enhance the apoptosis of MM cells compared with control cells. Nevertheless, double silence of Zeb1 and Six2 repressed cell proliferation. In addition, we also found that Zeb1 and Six2 had an identical pattern in distinct developing phases of embryonic kidney. These results indicated that there may exist a complicated regulation network between Six2 and Zeb1. Together, we demonstrate Zeb1 promotes proliferation and apoptosis and inhibits the migration of MM cells, in association with Six2.

Apobec-1 complementation factor (A1CF) is a heterogeneous nuclear ribonuceloprotein (hnRNP) and mediates apolipoprotein-B mRNA editing. A1CF can promote the regeneration of the liver by post-transcriptionally stabilizing Interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA. It also contains two transcriptional variants-A1CF64 and A1CF65, distinguished by the appearance of a 24-nucleotide motif which contributes to the corresponding eight-amino acid motif of EIYMNVPV. For the first time, we demonstrated that the EIYMNVPV motif was essential for A1CF nucleus localization, A1CF deficient of the EIYMNVPV motif, A1CF (-8aa) showed cytoplasm distribution. More importantly, we found that A1CF (-8aa), but not its full-length counterpart, can promote proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells accompanied with increased level of IL-6 mRNA. Furthermore, silencing of IL-6 attenuated A1CF (-8aa)-induced proliferation in MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, notably, these findings suggest that A1CF (-8aa) promoted proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro viewing IL-6 as a target. Thus, the EIYMNVPV motif could be developed as a potential target for basal-like breast cancer therapy.

Polarizing beam splitters (PBSs) are fundamental components of optical systems and are crucial for sensing, communication, and imaging tasks. Traditional PBS devices, assembled using right-angle prisms with dielectric coatings, face challenges such as bulkiness and limited versatility in deflection directions. To address these limitations, we meticulously make metasurfaces for enhanced PBS performance. Metasurfaces, composed of subwavelength structures, manipulate wavefronts, polarization, and light intensity. Using metasurfaces in the design of PBS devices, we can precisely tailor the structure to manipulate the deflection angles of light beams, ensuring that they align with the desired specifications. Our experimental results closely align with simulation outcomes, showcasing deflection angles of a 1.5 mm diameter metasurface near ±15 degrees for s- and p-polarizations in a wavelength of 940-nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic materials have found extensive applications in everyday life and various industries due to their outstanding attributes such as waterproofing, exceptional anti-corrosion and self-cleaning capabilities. Nonetheless, their limited mechanical stability hinders their widespread use on ceramic surfaces. This study aims to address these limitations by employing industrial waste porcelain powder as a raw material and co-firing technology to create a micro-rough structure on ceramic surfaces. Furthermore, the impact of this rough structure on the wear resistance and hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic coating is investigated using the finite element method. The results indicate that the mechanical stability of the hydrophobic coating experiences a more pronounced enhancement with increasing distribution density of the micron rough structure of waste porcelain powder (WPPMRS). A dense rough structure does not only reduce its concentrated stress and improve its anti-wear ability, but also reduce the concentrated stress of hydrophobic coating to improve the protection of the coating. As a result, it substantially enhances the mechanical properties and stability of the hydrophobic coating. This work will provide valuable insights into the utilization of waste porcelain powder in sustainable superhydrophobic ceramics.

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel aortic arch fenestrated membrane-covered stent graft implanted in situ in large animals after long-term maintenance. Methods Three healthy male Large White pigs (named PD01, PD05, PZ02 respectively), weighing 86-150 kg and aged 12-14 months, were selected. Under general anesthesia and intubation, thoracotomy was performed through the fourth intercostal space on the left side of the pigs to establish extracorporeal circulation. The aortic arch fenestrated covered stent was implanted by incising the aorta. Postoperative follow-up was conducted for 6 months, with safety and efficacy analyzed through routine blood tests, biochemical indices, ultrasonography, angiography, dissection, and pathology. Results In all three animals, postoperative levels of red blood cells, plasma hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets remained stable. The ALT of three animals elevated immediately after operation, the AST only elevated in PZ02. The albumin of three animals decreased and the levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen increased immediately after operation. All the indexes returned to normal along with time. Cardiac ultrasound results after the implantation of the aortic arch fenestrated covered stent showed no significant clinical signs of aortic valve stenosis in terms of transvalvular pressure gradient and blood flow velocity until the endpoint. Digital subtraction angiography revealed that the positioning of the fenestrated covered stents was satisfactory, with no instances of displacement or other adverse phenomena. No obvious thrombosis, perforation, or infection occurred in the experimental animals. Conclusion The novel aortic arch fenestrated covered stent system meets the basic requirements for artificial vascular substitutes. It can simplify surgical procedures, shorten operation time, and reduce the incidence of postoperative complications. Additionally, this stent system exhibits good tissue compatibility and safety.

In order to explore the response of the precious tree species Toonaciliate var. pubescens to different amounts of different fertilizers, the young forest of T. ciliate var. pubescens was taken as the research object. A random block design was used to analyze the effects of fertilization on the growth, leaf nutrients and physiology of young forest of T. ciliate var. pubescens, and three fertilization levels (high, medium and low) were set, including nitrogenous fertilizer (N), phosphate fertilizer (P), compound fertilizer (CF) and slow-release fertilizer (SRF). The results were as follows: (1) Fertilization could promote the height and diameter at breast height (DBH) growth, and the effects of nitrogenous fertilizer and compound fertilizer were more obvious. The average tree height, average DBH and average volume of 4-year old tree with nitrogenous fertilizer increased by 15.0%, 21.9% and 67.5% compared with CK (no fertilizer), respectively, and the annual average growth of DBH under low nitrogenous fertilizer (N1) treatment was the highest (2.99 cm). Compared with CK, the average tree height, average DBH and average volume of compound fertilizer were increased by 16.7%, 19.2% and 54.3%, respectively. High slow-release fertilizer (SRF3) and low phosphate (P1) had the largest annual increases in tree height and DBH (1.96 m and 2.33 cm) in the 4th year, respectively. (2) Fertilization significantly increased chlorophyll content and non-structural carbohydrate content in leaves of T. ciliate var. pubescens, nitrogenous fertilizer significantly promoted the synthesis of soluble sugar and phosphate fertilizer significantly promoted the synthesis of starch. (3) N1 and phosphate fertilizer significantly promote the increase of N and P contents, respectively, and phosphate fertilizer, compound fertilizer and nitrogenous fertilizer significantly increased K content in leaves. (4) The principal component analysis showed that the effect of fertilizer to promote growth was nitrogenous fertilizer>compound fertilizer>phosphate fertilizer>slow-release fertilizer>no fertilizer. Among them, N1, i.e. 100 g·plant-1·year-1, had the highest comprehensive evaluation value. Comprehensive fertilization cost and benefit, nitrogenous fertilizer or compound fertilizer can effectively promote the growth and development of T. ciliate var. pubescens young forest. It is recommended to apply 100 g nitrogenous fertilizer per plant per year in young forest stage. The results can provide a reference for the forest nutrient management in the early stage of afforestation.

A method for modeling performance degradation with multiple dimensional scale (MDS) transformation and genetic algorithm optimized support vector regression (GA-SVR) is proposed to improve the prediction accuracy of electric vehicle reducers by fully exploiting the performance degradation information. The features of vibration signals are extracted by using time domain, frequency domain, and time-frequency domain signal analyzing methods, and then the comprehensive degradation feature indicators are established by using the MDS algorithm. All the above-mentioned indicators are used as the data set for training and prediction. The optimal penalty parameter C and kernel parameter g are determined by using the genetic algorithm. A performance degradation model with high-precision is established based on the GA-SVR model by analyzing the testing data. The experiment results show that the prediction accuracy by using the proposed method is much higher than the results using PSO-SVR, GS-SVR and back propagation (BP) neural network. The RMSE values are reduced by 50.63%, 75.16% and 84.73%, and the R2 values are increased respectively by 3.93%, 6.51% and 9.51%, which proves the superiority of the proposed method.