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Bismuth sulfides (Bi 2 S 3 ), an n-type thermoelectric material, in expensive, and environmentally friendly. However, it has poor electrical conductivity due to its low electron concentration, and its thermoelectric properties need improvement. By adjusting the properties of microstructural units and then designing and preparing bulk materials, the transport properties are modulated to optimize thermoelectric properties. The textured structure and metal Bi dispersed in grain boundaries improved the carrier mobility, the Cl dopingimproved carrier concentration. The textured structure and metalBi dispersed in grain boundaries improved the carrier mobility, the Cl dopingimproved carrier concentration. The Bi 2 S 3 -Cl samples reduce using N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O for 5 min at 673 K have a peak power factor (PF) reaching 676.6 µWm -1 K -2 , more than 6 times that of pristine Bi 2 S 3 . Furthermore, the point defects, dislocations, and the micropores caused by a part of Bivolatilization contribute to the strong phonon scattering, resulting in a low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.28 Wm -1 K -1 at 623K. Due to the synergistically optimized electrical and thermal transport properties, the values of the maximum thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT max ) and the average thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT ave ) for the Bi 2 S 3 -Cl samples reduce using N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O for 5 min are 1.01 at ≈673 K and 0.63 (323-673 K), respectively. This study demonstrates that bottom-up structure design can effectively strategize the improvement of thermoelectric performance., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objective: To investigate the types and proportion of gene mutations of thalassemia in Hakka people in Gannan Area of Jiangxi, and to provide some references for prevention and treatment of thalassemia major, genetic counseling and epidemiological studies., Methods: 81 cases Hakka patients with severe thalassemia admitted treated in First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical College from January 2009 to June 2019 were enrolled. The deletion type of α-thalassemia was detected by Gap-PCR. The point mutations of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia were detected by PCR-RDB. The thalassemia gene was detected and analyzed in the patients with anemia, and the frequency of gene mutation was calculated., Results: Among 81 Hakka patients with thalassemia major, 4 β-thalassemia (homozygote) genotypes were detected out, including: CD41-42（TTCT）(19 cases), β-IVS-II-654 (C→T) (9 cases), -28M (A→G) (1 case), CD17 (A→T) (1 case); 12 β-thalassemithalassemia (heterozygote) genotypes were detected out, including: CD41-42(-TTCT)/β-IVS-II-654(C→T) (15 cases, 29.41%), β-IVS-II-654(C→T)/β-28M(A→G) (13 cases，25.49%) ； CD41-42(-TTCT)/β-28M(A→G) (9 cases，17.65%); β-IVS-II-654(C→T) /CD27/28(+C) (3 cases， 5.88%) ； CD41-42(-TTCT)/CD27/28(+C)(3 case，5.88%)；β-28M(A→G)/CD17(A→T) (2 cases，3.92%)；CD41-42(-TTCT)/CD17(A→T), CD41-42(-TTCT)/Βe, β-IVS-II-654(C→T)/β-29、βCD17（A→T）/CD71-72(+a), βCD71-72/β-28M(A→G), β-28M(A→G) /β-IVS-II-654(C→T)(1 cases，1.96%). There were 3 cases of β homozygous thalassemia with α-thalassemia gene and 5 cases of β heterozygotes thalassemia with α-thalassemia gene., Conclusion: The incidence rate of thalassemia in Hakka people in Gannan Area of Jiangxi is relatively high. The distribution of gene mutation types is as follows: the genotype of CD41-42 (-TTCT) is the main genotype of β-thalassemia (homozygous); the major genotypes of β- thalassemia (heterozygotes) are CD41-42 (-TTCT)/β-IVS-II-654 (C→T) and β-IVS-II-654 (C→T) /β-28M (A→G); CD41-42 (-TTCT) gene is dominant in β-complex α-thalassemia.

Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC)-based odontogenic regeneration in inflammatory conditions is important in the process of pulpitis. DPSCs have been reported to lose potential for odontogenic regeneration in inflammatory conditions. This study aims to determine the mechanism of impaired odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs in an inflammatory microenvironment. We regulated Wnt4 expression using recombinant lentiviral Wnt4 and Wnt4 siRNA. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin red S (ARS) staining as well as Real-Time PCR were performed to evaluate the osteogenic differentiation potential of DPSCs with either upregulated or downregulated Wnt4. Furthermore, SP600125 was used to inhibit the potential downstream factor JNK1, and the osteogenic differentiation ability of DPSCs was evaluated. As shown, Wnt4 was downregulated in DPSCs under inflammatory conditions. Inhibition of Wnt4 expression in DPSCs negatively regulated odontogenic differentiation. Overexpression of Wnt4 in LPS-treated DPSCs promoted odontogenic differentiation. In addition, JNK1 was responsible for Wnt4-mediated odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs. Taken together, Wnt4 may function by affecting JNK signaling pathways in the process of impaired odontogenic regeneration by DPSCs under inflammatory conditions., Competing Interests: None.

In southern China, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a significant health problem, and the incidence ranged from 0.5 to 4.08% in different Chinese population. The aims of this study are to investigate the molecular epidemiological characteristic of the G6PD gene among Chinese Hakka in southern Jiangxi province. 2331 unrelated subjects were screened for G6PD deficiency by a fluorescent test. DNA from deficient individuals was analyzed by a gene chip analysis for thirteen common Chinese G6PD mutations. In total, 3.60% (82/2331; 95% CI 2.77-4.27) of the sample were found to be G6PD-deficient. Eight mutations were found from 80 samples. However, mutation(s) for the two remaining samples were unknown. The most common mutations were G6PD Canton (1376 G>T) and G6PD Kaiping (1388 G>A), and the following mutations were 1311 polymorphism (1311 C>T), G6PD Gaohe (95 A>G), G6PD Chinese-5 (1024 C>T), G6PD Maewo (1360 C>T), Shunde (592 C>T), G6PD Viangchan (871 G>A) and Chinese-3 (493 A>G). This is the first report of G6PD deficiency among Chinese Hakka population in Jiangxi province.

Objective: To examine the synergistic effect of recombinant human high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on the release of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) in human umbilic vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and explore the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signal transduction in cytokine release., Methods: HUVECs were incubated with recombinant HMGB1 (0-75 ng/ml) for 24 h and the culture medium supernatant was harvested for detection of IL-8 and MCP-1 with LiquiChip system. At 0, 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h after stimulation with 15 ng/ml HMGB1 or 15 ng/ml HMGB1 plus 10 ng/ml LPS, the levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 in the HUVECs were examined. To test the effect of MAPK inhibitors, HUVCs were pretreated with the inhibitors SB203580 (20 mol/L), PD98059 (20 mol/L), and JNK inhibitor II (50 nmol/L) 1 h before HMGB1 and LPS stimulation., Results: The levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 were significantly increased in the HUVECs stimulated with HMGB1 protein at the concentrations of 3, 15 and 75 ng/ml in comparison with the control levels (P<0.01). Since 3-6 h after the stimulation with HMGB1, the levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 began to increase gradually, and steadily increased at 12 and 24 h, all significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.01). Stimulation of the HUVECs with LPS (10 ng

Objective: To study the interaction between Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and myeloid differentiation protein-2 (MD-2) in living cells using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology., Methods: The coding sequences of TLR4 and MD-2 (without the signal peptide sequence) were amplified by PCR and cloned into enhanced cyan fluorescence protein (CFP) and enhanced yellow fluorescence protein (YFP) expression vectors carrying TLR4 signal peptides (pECFP-C1-SP and pEYFP-C1-SP). HEK293 cells were transfected respectively or together with the reconstructed plasmids verified by enzyme digestion and sequence analysis, and the expression and sublocalization of these fluorescence proteins in the cells were observed using fluorescence microscope. FRET in the cells coexpressing CFP-TLR4 and YFP-MD-2 was detected using routine and acceptor photobleaching method., Results: The reconstructed plasmids were expressed in HEK293 cells. The cyan or yellow fluorescence was located in the cytoplasm, mainly around the nucleus in the cells transfected with pECFP/TLR4 or pEYFP/MD-2, and both the cyan and yellow fluorescence located mainly in the membrane and occasional in the cytoplasm of cells cotransfected with pECFP/TLR4 and pEYFP/MD-2. Routine or acceptor photobleaching detected FRET phenomena in cells coexpressing CFP-TLR4 and YFP-MD-2, suggesting direct interaction between TLR4 and MD-2., Conclusion: This study provides direct evidence of the interaction between TLR4 and MD-2 in living cells.