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Layer structured MoS2 with intercalation of polyaniline and crystal defects was prepared, which delivers high reversible capacity and excellent cycle stability, including 77.8 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 and near 100% retention rate after 750 cycles.

Supplementary Figure 1. Basic functional characterization of B10G5 antibody. Supplementary Figure 2. Changes in serum levels of cytokines and chemokines with depletion of lymphocyte subsets during B10G5 therapy. Supplementary Figure 3. Anti-sMIC mAb B10G5 therapy significantly increase homeostatic proliferation of adoptively transferred NK cells. Supplementary Figure 4. B10G5 therapy did not impact CD4 T cell homeostasis but increased T-bet expression. Supplementary Figure S5. Undetectable endogenous SV40TAg epitope I-specific CD8 T cells shown by lack of positive staining by H-2Db-restrcited TAg epitope I-specific tetramer (Db/I-Tetramer). Supplementary Figure 6. Anti-sMIC mAb B10G5 therapy inhibits the growth of transplantable TRAMP-sMICB tumors. Supplementary Figure 7. Anti-sMIC therapy enhanced antigen-specific CD8 T cell responses in the transplantable TRAMP-C2-sMICB-OVA tumor model. Supplementary Figure 8. Therapeutic effect of B10G5 against well-differentiated TRAMP/MICB tumors. Supplementary Figure S9. Representative flow cytometry analyses demonstrating that depletion of NK cells during B10G5 therapy impairs CD4 T cell Th1 responses.

Purpose: The human tumor-derived soluble MHC I-chain–related molecule (sMIC) is highly immune suppressive in cancer patients and correlates with poor prognosis. However, the therapeutic effect of targeting sMIC has not been determined, due to the limitation that mice do not express homologs of human MIC. This study is to evaluate the therapeutic effect of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting sMIC in a clinically relevant transgenic animal model.Experimental Design: We treated the engineered MIC-expressing “humanized” TRAMP/MIC bitransgenic mice at advanced disease stages with a sMIC-neutralizing nonblocking anti-MIC mAb and assessed the therapeutic efficacy and associated mechanisms.Results: A sMIC-neutralizing nonblocking anti-MIC mAb effectively induced regression of primary tumors and eliminated metastasis without inducing systemic toxicity. The therapeutic effect is conferred by revamping endogenous antitumor immune responses, exemplified by restoring natural killer (NK) cell homeostasis and function, enhancing susceptibility of MIC+-tumor cells to NK cell killing, reviving and sustaining antigen-specific CD8 T-cell responses, augmenting CD4 T cells to Th1 responses, priming dendritic cells for antigen presentation, and remodeling tumor microenvironment to be more immune reactive.Conclusions: Therapy with a sMIC-neutralizing nonblocking anti-MIC mAb can effectuate antitumor immune responses against advanced MIC+ tumors. Our study provided strong rationale for translating sMIC-neutralizing therapeutic mAb into clinics, either alone or in combination with current ongoing standard immunotherapies. Clin Cancer Res; 21(21); 4819–30. ©2015 AACR.

Core-shell structured Ni-ZIF-67@ZIF-8 derived bimetal selenides encapsulating into a 3D interpenetrating dual-carbon framework (Ni3Se4@CoSe2@C/CNTs) have been designed and prepared via carbonization and subsequent selenization processes. In this hierarchical structure, Ni3Se4@CoSe2 nanocrystals were uniformly dispersed into the 3D carbon framework structure/carbon nanotubes networks, which greatly enhanced the electronic conductivity and further enabled ultrafast Na-ion diffusion kinetics. When used as anode materials of sodium ion battery (SIB), The Ni3Se4@CoSe2@C/CNTs electrode delivered the excellent rate capability of 206 mA h g-1 at 3 A g-1 and marvelous cyclic stability with capacity retention of 243 mA h g-1 after 600 cycles at 1 A g-1. This research provides a new way to prepare bimetallic selenide derived from MOF precursor with amazing heterostructure as the advanced anode materials for SIBs.

Simple synthesis strategy was adopted to prepare (NH4)2V6O16 with co-intercalation of Na+ and H2O, which not only enhances the binding energy between V-O layers but also successfully improves the structural stability during the cyclic process.

With the proliferation of modern integrated electronic and telecommunication systems, high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with flexibility, outstanding thermal conductive properties and superior EMI shielding performances are designed to solve the problems of electromagnetic radiation and heat accumulation. Herein, flexible asymmetric trilaminar architecture film with good mechanical properties is prepared via the facile three-step vacuum-assisted filtration (VAF) followed by hot-pressing approach, which is composed of silver-plated aramid nanofibers (ANF-Ag), ANF- Fe3O4&CNT (ANF-FC) and ANF-reduced graphene oxide (ANF-rGO) layers. The conductive ANF-Ag and ANF-rGO layers acted as the EMI shielding, thermal conductive layers, and supporting substrate layers. The magnetic ANF-FC layer played the role in synergistically enhancing the EMI shielding performance. The resultant flexible and asymmetric trilaminar hybrid membrane exhibited maximum thermal conductivity of 8.5 W·m-1K-1 and EMI SE of 67.5 dB, but also maintained a high tensile strength of 75.5 MPa and superb electrical conductivity of 2.46×106 S/m. This asymmetric trilaminar structures film holds great promise to addresses issues of electromagnetic radiation and heat accumulation for personal smart electronic devices, wearable electronics, electronic telecommunication systems.

The mechanism/effect of surface etching and post-process of Kevlar Fiber (KF) by metal ions were investigated in detail by etching Kevlar-29 fiber with different solutions. After the post-process of heat or solvent treatment, surface morphology changes of etched fibers were further discussed. Etching mechanisms have been demonstrated according to the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction instrument, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results exhibited that the coarsening of KF surface was caused by stress cracking instead of chain degradation. Furthermore, the cracks produced by stress cracking will extend lengthwise along the fiber surface due to the breakdown of hydrogen bonds. In addition, it is shown that the stress concentration appears on the fiber surface. In all, the etching mechanism consists of two parts: stress cracking and crack propagation. The proposed etching mechanism is of great significance to further improve the fiber surface and enhance the bond with the resin.

A micro-scale rod-like heterostructure derived from molybdenum-based metal organic framework (Mo-MOF) has been successfully prepared via subsequent annealing treatment, which assembled from N-doped carbon encapsulated MoSe2 nanosheets grown on the surface of MoO2 microrod (named as MoO2@MoSe2@NC). For this novel heterostructure, the MoO2 nanoparticles assembled into rod core not only serve as supporting substrate for facilitating the fast kinetics of Li+ cations inside the electrode but also protect the MoSe2 structure from restacking in the charge/discharge process. Moreover, the outer-layered MoSe2 nanosheets enable the fast lithium ion movement owing to its large interlayer spacing. Moreover, this unique rod-like core–shell structure composite could further effectively alleviate the structural strains caused by large volume expansion during charge/discharge process, thus leading to stable electrochemical performance when evaluated as anode material for lithium ion batteries. Electrochemical testing exhibits that the MoO2@MoSe2@NC heterostructure presents highly reversible capacity of 468 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and superior rate capability (318 mAh g−1 even at 5.0 A g−1), which is attributed to the synergistic effect of N-doped carbon encapsulated MoSe2 nanosheets and MoO2 nanoparticles.

The investigation on rechargeable potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) has been revitalized owing to the unique characteristics of abundant reserves and comparable energy density over lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which hold huge potential for grid-scale electrical energy storage systems. Currently, the lack of appropriate anode materials has hindered the development of PIBs. Metal chalcogenides (MCs) including metal oxides, sulfides, selenides, and their carbon-based hybrids have aroused tremendous attention as anodes for PIBs in the scientific community due to the benefits of high theoretical capacity and various physicochemical properties. Herein, a comprehensive overview is provided on the recent achievements of MCs and their carbon-based hybrids, and the effects of nanostructured MCs on the future of PIBs technologies are discussed in detail by studying their inherent diverse attributes. Besides, several effective measures are emphasized to deal with imminent issues faced by MCs in PIBs, proposing valuable insights for the development of potassium-based rechargeable batteries.

The facile design and preparation of polyelectrolytes is a frontier topic in the fields of polymer science, energy storage devices and catalysis. Herein, linear water soluble cellulosic poly(protic ionic liquid) (CPIL) electrolytes were facilely and atom economically prepared after the dissolution of cellulose in the newly developed DBU/CO2/DMSO solvent system, followed by the simple addition of succinic anhydride under mild conditions. The DBU not only participated in the dissolution of cellulose as a solvent component, but also acted as an organocatalyst for the acylation reaction of cellulose with succinic anhydride, as well as a cation component in the targeted CPIL electrolytes. The reaction was optimized, and the effect of the reaction conditions on the chemical and physical properties of the CPILs was investigated. And then, as a proof of concept, the CPIL electrolyte aqueous solution was successfully used as the catalytic reaction media for the Knoevenagel condensation reaction. It was found that the reaction was homogeneous at the beginning, and the products could precipitate out from the media with the proceeding of the reaction, thus affording satisfactory filtration yields ranging from 56.7% to 93.8%. The solution properties of the CPIL aqueous solution were primarily investigated towards an in-depth understanding of the catalytic mechanism, by which a synergetic catalytic mechanism of the CPILs was proposed, and the reaction started with a nucleophilic addition reaction, and was then followed by a fast dehydration reaction. Finally, the direct reusability potential of the CPIL aqueous solution after the product filtration was also primarily investigated for the Knoevenagel condensation reaction.

Silver nanoparticles are deposited on aramid fiber surfaces by a three-step process. Calcium chloride/ethanol coarsening of the aramid fiber is followed by surface functionalization with poly(dopamine) and electroless silver plating. The chemical structure and elemental composition of the aramid fibers are determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. The surface morphology of the modified aramid fibers is investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The crystalline structure and thermal stability of the modified aramid fibers before and after silver plating are analyzed by X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analyses. A four-point probe is used to determine the electrical resistivity of the silver-plated aramid fibers. The results show that after the silver plating of the aramid fiber surface, its electrical resistance was reduced. At 20 g/L AgNO3, the silver layer on the aramid fiber surface is stable and durable with a high electrical resistivity.

Background The increased activity of regulatory B cells (Breg) is known to be involved in immunosuppression during helminth infection, which is characterized by inducing IL-10-producing Breg cells. However, the current knowledge of B cell subsets differentiation and IL-10-independent immunoregulatory mechanisms of B cells in schistosomiasis is insufficient. Methods BALB/c mice were percutaneously infected with cercariae for investigating the profile of B cell subsets during Schistosoma japonicum infection. B cells isolated from the spleen or peritoneal cavity were analyzed for the regulatory phenotype after stimulation with soluble egg antigens (SEA) in vitro. CD4+ T cells were then cocultured with B cells pretreated with or without anti-PD-L1 antibody for investigating the role of B cells from infected mice on regulating CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, the in vivo administration of anti-PD-L1 antibody was conducted to investigate the role of PD-L1 in regulating host immunity during infection. Results The percentages of peritoneal and splenic B-1a cells, as well as marginal zone B (MZB) cells were decreased at eight and twelve weeks after infection compared to those from uninfected mice. In splenic B cells, TGF-β expression was increased at eight weeks but declined at twelve weeks of infection, and PD-L1 expression was elevated at both eight and twelve weeks of infection. In addition, SEA stimulation in vitro significantly promoted the expression of IL-10 in peritoneal B cells and CD5 in splenic B cells, and the SEA-stimulated splenic and peritoneal B cells preferentially expressed PD-L1 and TGF-β. The splenic B cells from infected mice were able to suppress the function of Th1 and Th2 cells in vitro but to expand the expression of Tfh transcription factor Bcl6, which was further enhanced by blocking PD-L1 of B cells before co-cultivation. Moreover, Th2 response and Bcl6 expression in CD4+ T cells were also increased in vivo by blocking PD-L1 after infection, although the hepatic pathology was slightly influenced. Conclusions Our findings revealed that S. japonicum infection modulates the differentiation of B cell subsets that have the capability to affect the CD4+ T cell response. This study contributes to a better understanding of B cells immune response during schistosomiasis.

Ternary transition metal oxides have attracted increasing attention due to their many merits, and will enhance electrochemical performance via the synergistic effects of the different single metal oxides. Herein, ZnCo2O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon (ZnCo2O4@NC) polyhedrons have been successfully prepared through a facile two-step method. The as-prepared products had a uniform size and consisted mainly of interconnected ZnCo2O4 nanoparticles (NPs), which were uniformly distributed in the materials. As a result, the ZnCo2O4@NC polyhedrons of ZnCo-700 show a superb specific capacity of approximately 1601 mA h g−1 over 50 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. A reversible capacity of 1082 mA h g−1 was retained after 300 cycles at 1 A g−1, and a superb reversible capacity of 775 mA h g−1 was attained even when the current density was increased to 5 A g−1. These distinguished electrochemical properties could be ascribed mainly to the uniquely advantageous structural and compositional features.

Lu Yang,1,* Li Sun,1 Yalan Cao,1 Qi Wang,1,2 Anni Song,1 Ru Zhu,1 Wenqi Liu,1 Shengjun Lu1,* 1Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shengjun Lu; Wenqi Liu, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 15307159688 ; +86 13886014791, Fax +86-27-83692608, Email Lushengjun@hust.edu.cn; liu_wq2002cn@hotmail.comPurpose: In schistosomiasis-associated hepatic fibrosis, the role of murine UL16-binding protein-like transcript 1 (MULT1), the strongest ligand of natural killer group 2-member D receptor (NKG2D), remains unclear. Here, Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice administered with MULT1-encoding DNA were used to test MULT1 as a potential therapy for schistosomiasis-associated hepatic fibrosis and explore relevant mechanisms.Materials and Methods: A recombinant plasmid encoding MULT1 (p-rMULT1) was constructed and administered to Schistosoma japonicum-infected BALB/c mice via hydrodynamic tail vein injection. Egg granulomas in liver, hepatic fibrosis biomarkers and levels of cytokines were investigated. Comparisons of CD4+ T, CD8+ T, NK and NKT proportions as well as their phenotype were performed not only between Schistosoma infected, p-rMULT1 treated group and Schistosoma infected, backbone plasmid pEGFP-N1 treated group but also between infected, nontreated group and health control group.Results: Reduced area of granuloma formation and fibrosis around single eggs, downregulated expression of collagen I, α-smooth muscle actin, TGF-β and IL-10, and upregulated expression of IFN-γ, were observed in the livers of p-rMULT1 treated mice. p-rMULT1 treatment improved Schistosoma infection impacted immune microenvironment by modulating proportion of CD4+ T CD8+ T, natural killer (NK) and NKT cells, enhancing expression of NKG2D, in lymphocytes, and augmenting IFN-γ secretion by CD4+ T, CD8+ T, NK and NKT cells, as well as partially reversing some other phenotype changes of lymphocytes.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, we provided the first in vivo evidence that MULT1 is a favorable anti-fibrosis factor in the context of schistosomiasis. The inhibitory effect of MULT1 overexpression on schistosomiasis associated with hepatic fibrosis may result from augmenting the proportion and function of NKG2D-expressing immune cells, and from enhancing NK- and T-cell activation, as well as regulating the helper T (Th)1/Th2 balance.Keywords: schistosomiasis, NKG2D, liver fibrosis, IFN-γ, natural killer cells, T lymphocytes

Background: Osteitis fibrosa cystica is a rare benign, lytic bone lesion attributed to hyperparathyroidism. The high level of parathyroid hormone cause rapid bone loss.Case presentation: The patient is a 50-year-old male complaining of severe sustained pain of the right knee joint. Imaging studies were suspicious for a benign tumor of the right distal femur. Biopsy under CT guidance showed numerous osteoclast aggregation and hemosiderin deposition around the bone trabeculae. Blood tests disclosed significantly elevated parathyroid hormone, serum calcium, serum alkaline phosphatase. Parathyroid ultrasonography and CT scan showed a solid mass in front of the trachea at the thoracic entrance plane. After resection of the mass, the clinical symptoms were relieved and the radiological findings were significantly improved, which further confirmed the diagnosis.Conclusions: Metabolic diseases-associated bone lesions require a comprehensive diagnosis of multiple inspection items.An interprofessional team approach to the diagnosis and treatment of Osteitis fibrosa cystica will provide the best outcome.

Tyres made of natural rubber (NR) filled with silica (SiO2) are usually called energy-saving tyres with excellent resistance to wet slip and low friction resistance. It’s noted that the tyres tend to aging and produce static electricity caused by poor electrical and thermal conductivity of NR and SiO2. Therefore, it’s urgent to prepare NR/SiO2 composites with enhanced thermal conductivity and antistatic performance. Here, a simple, efficient, and green method is applied to obtain graphene nanosheets (GNs) compatible well with NR, and the influence of GNs dosage on the properties of SiO2/NR composites are explored. The results show that GNs are helpful to improve mechanical properties and solvent resistance of SiO2/NR composites. Outstandingly, the thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of 2.0wt%GNs/SiO2/NR composites are increased by 60% and 5 orders of magnitude compared with SiO2/NR composites, reaching to 0.29W·m-1·K-1 and 4.2×10-8 S/m respectively. It’s expected that GNs can become a candidate for improving thermal conductivity and antistatic properties of energy-saving tyres.

Core-shell structured Ni-ZIF-67@ZIF-8 derived bimetal selenides encapsulating into a 3D interpenetrating dual-carbon framework (Ni

HLA-A2 is the most common serological HLA type among all ethnic groups. Through advances in DNA typing, more than 800 subtypes of HLA-A2 have been identified, and the existence of heterogeneity of antigen specificity among the HLA-A2 subtypes has been suggested by retrospective analyses of allogeneic transplantation patients and by studies of antigen amino acid structure. However, prior to this study, the antigenicity of a given subtype or the mismatch extent between two given subtypes could not be studied in vitro. Here, we used a modified autologous lymphocyte-monocyte coculture method to reveal heterogeneity of antigen specificity among HLA-A2 subtypes. The coculture was set up with HLA-A2 (non-A*02:01) lymphocytes and monocytes, and the monocytes were coated with an HLA-A*02:01/IgG1-Fc fusion protein (dimer) by high-affinity binding of the IgG1-Fc to FcgRI. Lymphocyte proliferation following coculture indicated that HLA-A*02:01 showed antigenicity against the HLA-A2 (non-A*02:01) subtype. Among the most frequent HLA-A2 subtypes in the Chinese population (HLA-A*02:01, -A*02:03, -A*02:06 and -A*02:07), we identified significant -A*02:01 antigenicity for T cells from -A*02:03 or -A*02:06 but not -A*02:07 individuals. Our findings were consistent with retrospective studies of allograft patients with a limited number of involved subtypes, indicating that this modified coculture method provides a practical and reliable means to study the antigenicity of HLA allele subtypes in vitro.

Long non-coding RNA heart and neural crest derivatives expressed 2-antisense RNA 1 (lncRNA HAND2-AS1) is a known tumor suppressor gene in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma; however, its function in osteosarcoma is currently unknown. In the present study, HAND2-AS1 expression in the tumor tissues and adjacent healthy tissues of patients with osteosarcoma, and in the serum of patients and heathy controls was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. lncRNA HAND2-AS1 small interfering RNA was transfected into osteosarcoma cells, and cell proliferation, glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression and glucose uptake were detected using the Cell Counting Kit-8, western blotting and glucose uptake assays, respectively. The results revealed that the expression levels of HAND2-AS1 were reduced in cancer tissues compared with those in healthy tissues. Levels of HAND2-AS1 were also reduced in the serum of patients with osteosarcoma compared with those of the control subjects. A significant association was observed between serum levels of HAND2-AS1 and tumor size, but not tumor metastasis. HAND2-AS1-knockdown promoted osteosarcoma cell proliferation, increased glucose uptake and upregulated GLUT1 expression. It was therefore concluded that lncRNA HAND2-AS1 may inhibit the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells by targeting glucose metabolism.

Polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) were blended in a twin-screw extruder with a compatibilizer of PLA grafted using glycidyl methacrylate (PLA-g-GMA), providing PLA-g-GMA/PLA/PBAT composites. The chemical structures of the composites were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of the PLA-g-GMA amount on the thermal properties, rheological performance, and mechanical behavior of the composites were studied through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) using an advanced rheometer and material testing machine. The results revealed that the reaction between the PLA/PBAT and epoxy groups within the PLA-g-GMA promotes an entanglement between molecular chains, which increases the glass transition temperature Tg, cold crystallization temperature Tc, and melting temperature Tm of the samples. Moreover, the PLA-g-GMA/PLA/PBAT composites show higher tensile and notch impact strengths than PLA/PBAT.

Cellulose dissolution is crucial for its regeneration and the application of its derivative materials. In this study, the dissolution of cellulose in γ-valerolactone (GVL), promoted by 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim]OAc), was investigated and 15 wt% α-cellulose was rapidly dissolved by the designed mixed organic electrolyte solvents (OESs) at 80 °C in 1 h. The rheological study indicated that the activation energy of dissolution is lower than that in pure [Emim]OAc, and the overlap concentration was determined to be C* = 1.7 wt%. The viscosity of the α-cellulose solution overlapped well with the complex viscosity, suggesting that the Cox–Merz law is valid therein. The potential of the solution for homogeneous derivatization through transesterification of α-cellulose with vinyl esters was also investigated at 80 °C in 4 h with a low vinyl ester/anhydroglucose unit (AGU) molar ratio of 3, achieving a cellulose laurate ester with a DS = 3.0, cellulose pivalate ester with a DS = 3.0 and cellulose chloroacetate ester with a DS = 1.43.

Aims The Schistosoma japonicum (S japonicum)-infected ApoE gene deficiency (ApoE-/- ) mice were used to determine effect of ApoE on hepatic immunopathology. Methods Murine activities and appetite, body weight, and ratio of liver weight to its body weight (Hepatic mass index, HMI) were observed. Worm load and liver egg burden were evaluated as the infection intensity. Number and size of liver egg granulomas and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were investigated. We analysed hepatic fibrosis by markers of fibrosis in tissue, detected hepatic Th17 and Treg frequency by flow cytometry, and measured hepatic expressions of RORγt, Foxp3, IL-17A and TGF-β1 via qPCR. Lipid metabolism was determined by serum levels of cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) as well as hepatic Oil red O staining. Results In the infected ApoE-/- mice, the increased infection intensity aggravated the hepatic immunopathology (evidenced by increased HMI, elevated egg granulomas and increased ALT levels) and fibrosis (increased hepatic collagen deposition). ApoE deficiency resulted in significantly elevated ratio of hepatic Th17/Treg and higher serum levels of TC and TG, along with higher level of hepatic Oil red O staining. Conclusions ApoE deficiency promotes hepatic pathology and fibrosis by exacerbating Th17/Treg imbalance and altering lipid metabolism in murine schistosomiasis japonica.

Organic montmorillonite (OMMT)/polyamide-6 (PA6)/polylactic acid (PLA) composites were prepared via a step melt compounding process using a twin screw. The effect of OMMT content on the crystallization behavior, as well as rheological and mechanical properties of the composites was carried out by differential scanning calorimetry, differential mechanical analysis, and using an advanced rheometer and a material testing machine. The crystallization behavior of the polymers was studied using a dynamic rheology method, which allowed to determine the onset of nucleation and obtain semiquantitative data on the nucleation density. The results revealed that the interaction between the OMMT and the PA6/PLA inhibits the molecular chain segment motion, which reduces the nucleation temperature, the crystal growth temperature, the melting temperature and the glass transition temperature of the samples. However, the PA6/PLA/OMMT composites showed better mechanical properties than the PA6/PLA composites.

In this work, the epoxidized castor oil (ECO) with self-crosslinking structure is prepared and a series of PLA/ECO blends are fabricated via dynamic vulcanization. The effects of raw castor oil and ECO with different contents on the static and dynamic mechanical properties, rheological properties, crystalline properties were studied. FTIR NMR and GPC results indicate the generation of self-crosslinking structure and the interaction between the oil and PLA matrix. DSC and TGA results show a higher crystallinity and lower thermal stability for PLA/ECO blends. It is also shown the better rheological and dynamic mechanical properties are obtained in PLA/ECO blends in comparison with raw castor oil filled samples. The data of static mechanical properties exhibit that ECO leads a much better toughening effect than that of the raw castor oil, which is also proved by the morphology photos of SEM, showing a better dispersion and smaller droplet size of oil, as well as the toughening mechanism of shear yielding and internal cavitation in PLA. However, the structures are defected in PLA matrix with the ECO contents over 10 wt% due to the agglomeration of ECO in local areas, leading significant decrease in mechanical properties.

In this work, a simple and low cost method based on screen printing is presented to synthesize a conductive silver pattern on aramid fabric. The aramid fiber was treated with (3-mercaptopropyl)-trimethoxysilane to introduce a tail mercapto group promoting the ordered binding of silver nanoparticles. SEM and AFM images indicated a uniform distribution of silver nanoparticles on fiber surface. FTIR and XRD patterns confirmed the silver layer on the fibers. Furthermore, the electrical property of conductive fiber was characterized by conductive AFM and a digital multimeter, the surface resistance of conductive fabric was as low as 0.20 Ω/cm. And single fiber tensile test indicated that the mild treating process has no significant influence on the mechanical properties of the fiber.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degradation and joint inflammation. A previous study showed that microRNA (miR)‑671‑3p is involved in the development of OA, however, its function and molecular target in chondrocytes during the pathogenesis of OA remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study, miR‑671‑3p was significantly downregulated in knee OA cartilage tissues compared with normal cartilage tissues. The expression levels of pro‑inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)‑1β, IL‑6, IL‑8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α, in the knee OA cartilage tissues were significantly higher than those in the normal cartilage tissues. Through gain‑of‑function and loss‑of‑function experiments, miR‑671‑3p was shown to significantly affect matrix synthesis gene expression, cell proliferation, apoptosis and inflammation in chondrocytes from patients with OA. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis identified potential target sites of the miR‑671‑3p located in the 3'untranslated region of TNF receptor‑associated factor (TRAF3). The results of a dual‑luciferase reporter assay showed that TRAF3 is a target gene of miR‑671‑3p. Western blot analysis demonstrated that miR‑671‑3p inhibited the gene expression of TRAF3. Furthermore, the restoration of TRAF3 markedly abrogated the effect of miR‑671‑3p. Taken together, the present study suggests that miR‑671‑3p may be important in the pathogenesis of OA through targeting TRAF3 and regulating chondrocyte apoptosis and inflammation, which may be a potential molecular target for OA treatment.