Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and have tremendous potential for cell therapy and tissue engineering. In this study, to understand the effects of TGF-β3 on...Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and have tremendous potential for cell therapy and tissue engineering. In this study, to understand the effects of TGF-β3 on rat bone marrow-derived MSCs and the underlying molecular mechanism of this differentiation process, we investigated that the changes of myocardin-related transcription factors (MRTFs) at the transcriptional level after rat MSCs were treated with TGF-β3. The results showed that TGF-β3 increased the expression of contractile genes, such as SM22, smooth muscle-myosin heavy chain (SM- MHC), SM-α-actin in MSCs. When TGF-β3 induced MSCs differentiation into SMCs, myocardin and MRTF-A were activated. The data indicated that TGF-β3 induced rat bone marrow-derived MSCs differentiation into SMCs by activating mypcardin and MRTF-A.展开更多
Poor conductivity and sluggish Na^(+) diffusion kinetic are two major drawbacks for practical application of sodium super-ionic conductor(NASICON) in sodium-ion batteries. In this work, we report a simple approach to ...Poor conductivity and sluggish Na^(+) diffusion kinetic are two major drawbacks for practical application of sodium super-ionic conductor(NASICON) in sodium-ion batteries. In this work, we report a simple approach to synthesize quasi-inverse opal structural NASICON/N-doped carbon for the first time by a delicate one-pot solution-freeze drying-calcination process, aiming at fostering the overall electrochemical performance. Especially, the quasi-inverse opal structural Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)/N-C(Q-NVP/N-C) displayed continuous pores, which provides interconnected channels for electrolyte permeation and abundant contacting interfaces between electrolyte and materials, resulting in faster kinetics of redox reaction and higher proportion of capacitive behavior.As a cathode material for sodium-ion batteries, the Q-NVP/N-C exhibits high specific capacity of 115 mAh·g^(-1) at 1C, still 61 mAh·g^(-1) at ultra-high current density of 100C,and a specific capacity of 89.7mAh·g^(-1) after 2000 cycles at 20C.This work displays the general validity of preparation method for not only Q-NVP/N-C,but also Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3),which provides a prospect for delicate synthesis of NASICON materials with excellent electrochemical performance.展开更多
Improving the electron/ion transport ability and alleviating expansion during charging/discharging processes are vital for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).In this work,a three-dimensional anode was fabricated using conduc...Improving the electron/ion transport ability and alleviating expansion during charging/discharging processes are vital for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).In this work,a three-dimensional anode was fabricated using conductive hollow carbon-based nano tubes interpenetrated MXene architecture by directing the assembly of flexible electrospun hollow copper/carbon nanotubes and rigid Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene nanosheets.The introduction of copper into carbon matrix leads to an improvement of lithium storage owing to the increase of disorder graphite.Additionally,the unique structure of the fabricated electrode provides a cross-network for fast electron diffusion by preventing the stack of nanotubes and MXene nanosheets.Consequently,the optimized electrode exhibits a high initial capacity of 424.45mAh·g^(-1) and maintains at 378.05 mAh·g^(-1) with a current density of 5 A·g^(-1) after 1000 cycles.This strategy of structural and chemical optimization provides new ideas for developing high-performance and durable electrochemical energy storage devices in the future.展开更多
Background:Spinal cord injury(SCI)is a worldwide medical concern.This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism underlying protective effect of hyperbaric oxygen(HBO)against SCI-induced neurologic defects in rats via exp...Background:Spinal cord injury(SCI)is a worldwide medical concern.This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism underlying protective effect of hyperbaric oxygen(HBO)against SCI-induced neurologic defects in rats via exploring the stromal cell-derived factor-1(SDF-1)/CXC chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4)axis and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF).Methods:An acute SCI rat model was established in Sprague-Dawley rats using the Allen method.Sixty rats were divided into four groups(w=15 in each group):sham-operated,SCI,SCI treated with HBO(SCI+HBO),and SCI treated with both HBO and AMD3100(an antagonist of CXCR4;SCI+HBO+AMD)groups.The rats were treated with HBO twice a day for 3 days and thereafter once a day after the surgery for up to 28 days.Following the surgery,neurologic assessments were performed with the Basso-Bettie-Bresnahan(BBB)scoring system on postoperative day(POD)7,14,21,and 28.Spinal cord tissues were harvested to assess the expression of SDF-1,CXCR4,and BDNF at mRNA and protein levels,using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,Western blot analysis,and histopathologic analysis.Results:HBO treatment recovered SCI-induced descent of BBB scores on POD 14,(1.25±0.75 vs.1.03±0.66,P<0.05),21(5.27±0.89 vs.2.56±1.24,P<0.05),and 28(11.35±0.56 vs.4.23±1.20,P<0.05)compared with the SCI group.Significant differences were found in the mRNA levels of SDF-1(mRNA:day 21,SCI+HBO vs.SCI+HBO+AMD,2.89±1.60 vs.1.56±0.98,P<0.05),CXCR4(mRNA:day 7,SCI+HBO vs.SCI,2.99±1.60 vs.1.31±0.98,P<0.05;day 14,SCI+HBO vs.SCI+HBO+AMD,4.18±1.60 vs.0.80±0.34,P<0.05;day 21,SCI+HBO vs.SCI,2.10±1.01 vs.1.15±0.03,P<0.05),and BDNF(mRNA:day 7,SCI+HBO vs.SCI,3.04±0.41 vs.2.75±0.31,P<0.05;day 14,SCI+HBO vs.SCI,3.88±1.59 vs.1.11±0.40,P<0.05),indicating the involvement of SDF-1/CXCR4 axis in the protective effect of HBO.Conclusions:HBO might promote the recovery of neurologic function after SCI in rats via activating the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis and promoting BDNF expression.展开更多
Background：Preterm birth （PTB） is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide,and its prevention is an important health-care priority.The cervical incompetence is a well-known risk factor for P...Background：Preterm birth （PTB） is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide,and its prevention is an important health-care priority.The cervical incompetence is a well-known risk factor for PTB and its incidence is about 0.1-2.0%,while there is no ideal optimum treatment recommended currently.The cervical incompetence causes about 15% of habitual abortion in 16-28 weeks.This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone in the treatment of cervical incompetence with/without PTB history.Methods：We retrospectively observed the pregnancy outcome of 198 patients diagnosed with cervical incompetence from January 2010 to October 2015 in Beijing Hospital.Among the 198 women involved,women who had at least one PTB before 32 weeks （including abortion in the second trimester attributed to the cervical competence） were assigned to the PTB history cohort,and others were assigned to the non-PTB history cohort.All women underwent cerclage placement （cervical cerclage group） or administrated with vaginal progesterone （vaginal progesterone group） until delivery.The outcomes of interest were the differences in gestational age at delivery,the rate of premature delivery,neonatal outcome,complications,and route of delivery between the two treatment groups.Results：Among the 198 patients with cervical incompetence,116 patients in PTB history cohort and 80 patients in non-PTB history cohort were included in the final analysis.In the PTB history cohort,cervical cerclage group had significantly longer cervical length at 2 weeks after the start of treatment （23.1 ± 4.6 mm vs.12.4 ± 9.1 mm,P =0.002）,higher proportion of delivery ≥37 weeks＇ gestation （63.4% vs.33.3%,P =0.008）,bigger median birth weight （2860 g vs.2250 g,P =0.031）,and lower proportion of neonates whose 1-min Apgar score 〈7 （5.9% vs.33.3%,P =0.005）,compared with vaginal progesterone group.No significant differences were found in other outcome measures between the two treatment groups.In the non-PTB history cohort,there were no significant differences in the maternal outcomes between cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone groups,such as median gestational age at delivery （37.4 weeks vs.37.3 weeks,P =0.346） and proportion of delivery ≥37 weeks＇ gestation （55.9% vs.60.9%,P =0.569）.There were also no significant differences in the neonatal outcomes between the cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone groups including the median birth weight （2750 g vs.2810 g,P =0.145）,perinatal mortality （5.9% vs.6.5%,P =0.908）,and 1-min Apgar scores （8.8% vs.8.7%,P =0.984）.Conclusions：Cervical cerclage showed more benefits in the maternal and neonatal outcomes than vaginal progesterone therapy for women with an asymptomatic short cervix and prior PTB history,while cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone therapies showed similar effectiveness for women with an asymptomatic short cervix but without a history of PTB.展开更多
文摘Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and have tremendous potential for cell therapy and tissue engineering. In this study, to understand the effects of TGF-β3 on rat bone marrow-derived MSCs and the underlying molecular mechanism of this differentiation process, we investigated that the changes of myocardin-related transcription factors (MRTFs) at the transcriptional level after rat MSCs were treated with TGF-β3. The results showed that TGF-β3 increased the expression of contractile genes, such as SM22, smooth muscle-myosin heavy chain (SM- MHC), SM-α-actin in MSCs. When TGF-β3 induced MSCs differentiation into SMCs, myocardin and MRTF-A were activated. The data indicated that TGF-β3 induced rat bone marrow-derived MSCs differentiation into SMCs by activating mypcardin and MRTF-A.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.22105059 and 2210051199)the Talent Introduction Program of Hebei Agricultural University(No.YJ201810)+3 种基金Qingdao Source Innovation Project(No.19-6-2-19-cg)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(No.ZR2021QE192)the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province(No.B2019204009)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2018M630747)。
文摘Poor conductivity and sluggish Na^(+) diffusion kinetic are two major drawbacks for practical application of sodium super-ionic conductor(NASICON) in sodium-ion batteries. In this work, we report a simple approach to synthesize quasi-inverse opal structural NASICON/N-doped carbon for the first time by a delicate one-pot solution-freeze drying-calcination process, aiming at fostering the overall electrochemical performance. Especially, the quasi-inverse opal structural Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)/N-C(Q-NVP/N-C) displayed continuous pores, which provides interconnected channels for electrolyte permeation and abundant contacting interfaces between electrolyte and materials, resulting in faster kinetics of redox reaction and higher proportion of capacitive behavior.As a cathode material for sodium-ion batteries, the Q-NVP/N-C exhibits high specific capacity of 115 mAh·g^(-1) at 1C, still 61 mAh·g^(-1) at ultra-high current density of 100C,and a specific capacity of 89.7mAh·g^(-1) after 2000 cycles at 20C.This work displays the general validity of preparation method for not only Q-NVP/N-C,but also Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3),which provides a prospect for delicate synthesis of NASICON materials with excellent electrochemical performance.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22005012 and 22105059)the Talent Introduction Program of Hebei Agricultural University (No. YJ201810)+5 种基金the Youth Top-notch Talent Foundation of Hebei Provincial Universities (No. BJK2022023)Self-deployed Projects of Ganjiang Innovation Academy, Chinese Academy of Sciencesfunded by the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (No. B2019204009)supported by Key Laboratory of Intelligent Textile and Flexible Interconnection of Zhejiang Province (No. ZD05)the Interdisciplinary Research Project for Young Teachers of USTB (No. FRF-IDRY-21-015)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of USTB。
文摘Improving the electron/ion transport ability and alleviating expansion during charging/discharging processes are vital for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).In this work,a three-dimensional anode was fabricated using conductive hollow carbon-based nano tubes interpenetrated MXene architecture by directing the assembly of flexible electrospun hollow copper/carbon nanotubes and rigid Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene nanosheets.The introduction of copper into carbon matrix leads to an improvement of lithium storage owing to the increase of disorder graphite.Additionally,the unique structure of the fabricated electrode provides a cross-network for fast electron diffusion by preventing the stack of nanotubes and MXene nanosheets.Consequently,the optimized electrode exhibits a high initial capacity of 424.45mAh·g^(-1) and maintains at 378.05 mAh·g^(-1) with a current density of 5 A·g^(-1) after 1000 cycles.This strategy of structural and chemical optimization provides new ideas for developing high-performance and durable electrochemical energy storage devices in the future.
基金supported by a grant from the International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of Ministry of Science and Tech no logy of China(No.2012DFA31240).
文摘Background:Spinal cord injury(SCI)is a worldwide medical concern.This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism underlying protective effect of hyperbaric oxygen(HBO)against SCI-induced neurologic defects in rats via exploring the stromal cell-derived factor-1(SDF-1)/CXC chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4)axis and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF).Methods:An acute SCI rat model was established in Sprague-Dawley rats using the Allen method.Sixty rats were divided into four groups(w=15 in each group):sham-operated,SCI,SCI treated with HBO(SCI+HBO),and SCI treated with both HBO and AMD3100(an antagonist of CXCR4;SCI+HBO+AMD)groups.The rats were treated with HBO twice a day for 3 days and thereafter once a day after the surgery for up to 28 days.Following the surgery,neurologic assessments were performed with the Basso-Bettie-Bresnahan(BBB)scoring system on postoperative day(POD)7,14,21,and 28.Spinal cord tissues were harvested to assess the expression of SDF-1,CXCR4,and BDNF at mRNA and protein levels,using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,Western blot analysis,and histopathologic analysis.Results:HBO treatment recovered SCI-induced descent of BBB scores on POD 14,(1.25±0.75 vs.1.03±0.66,P<0.05),21(5.27±0.89 vs.2.56±1.24,P<0.05),and 28(11.35±0.56 vs.4.23±1.20,P<0.05)compared with the SCI group.Significant differences were found in the mRNA levels of SDF-1(mRNA:day 21,SCI+HBO vs.SCI+HBO+AMD,2.89±1.60 vs.1.56±0.98,P<0.05),CXCR4(mRNA:day 7,SCI+HBO vs.SCI,2.99±1.60 vs.1.31±0.98,P<0.05;day 14,SCI+HBO vs.SCI+HBO+AMD,4.18±1.60 vs.0.80±0.34,P<0.05;day 21,SCI+HBO vs.SCI,2.10±1.01 vs.1.15±0.03,P<0.05),and BDNF(mRNA:day 7,SCI+HBO vs.SCI,3.04±0.41 vs.2.75±0.31,P<0.05;day 14,SCI+HBO vs.SCI,3.88±1.59 vs.1.11±0.40,P<0.05),indicating the involvement of SDF-1/CXCR4 axis in the protective effect of HBO.Conclusions:HBO might promote the recovery of neurologic function after SCI in rats via activating the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis and promoting BDNF expression.
文摘Background：Preterm birth （PTB） is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide,and its prevention is an important health-care priority.The cervical incompetence is a well-known risk factor for PTB and its incidence is about 0.1-2.0%,while there is no ideal optimum treatment recommended currently.The cervical incompetence causes about 15% of habitual abortion in 16-28 weeks.This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone in the treatment of cervical incompetence with/without PTB history.Methods：We retrospectively observed the pregnancy outcome of 198 patients diagnosed with cervical incompetence from January 2010 to October 2015 in Beijing Hospital.Among the 198 women involved,women who had at least one PTB before 32 weeks （including abortion in the second trimester attributed to the cervical competence） were assigned to the PTB history cohort,and others were assigned to the non-PTB history cohort.All women underwent cerclage placement （cervical cerclage group） or administrated with vaginal progesterone （vaginal progesterone group） until delivery.The outcomes of interest were the differences in gestational age at delivery,the rate of premature delivery,neonatal outcome,complications,and route of delivery between the two treatment groups.Results：Among the 198 patients with cervical incompetence,116 patients in PTB history cohort and 80 patients in non-PTB history cohort were included in the final analysis.In the PTB history cohort,cervical cerclage group had significantly longer cervical length at 2 weeks after the start of treatment （23.1 ± 4.6 mm vs.12.4 ± 9.1 mm,P =0.002）,higher proportion of delivery ≥37 weeks＇ gestation （63.4% vs.33.3%,P =0.008）,bigger median birth weight （2860 g vs.2250 g,P =0.031）,and lower proportion of neonates whose 1-min Apgar score 〈7 （5.9% vs.33.3%,P =0.005）,compared with vaginal progesterone group.No significant differences were found in other outcome measures between the two treatment groups.In the non-PTB history cohort,there were no significant differences in the maternal outcomes between cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone groups,such as median gestational age at delivery （37.4 weeks vs.37.3 weeks,P =0.346） and proportion of delivery ≥37 weeks＇ gestation （55.9% vs.60.9%,P =0.569）.There were also no significant differences in the neonatal outcomes between the cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone groups including the median birth weight （2750 g vs.2810 g,P =0.145）,perinatal mortality （5.9% vs.6.5%,P =0.908）,and 1-min Apgar scores （8.8% vs.8.7%,P =0.984）.Conclusions：Cervical cerclage showed more benefits in the maternal and neonatal outcomes than vaginal progesterone therapy for women with an asymptomatic short cervix and prior PTB history,while cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone therapies showed similar effectiveness for women with an asymptomatic short cervix but without a history of PTB.
