Extracellular Vesicles and Asthma—More Than Just a Co-Existence

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous structures, which are secreted by almost every cell type analyzed so far. In addition to their importance for cell-cell communication under physiological conditions, EVs are also released during pathogenesis and mechanistically contribute to this process. Here we summarize their functional relevance in asthma, one of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases. Asthma is a complex persistent inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by reversible airflow obstruction and, from a long-term perspective, airway remodeling. Overall, mechanistic studies summarized here indicate the importance of different subtypes of EVs and their variable cargoes in the functioning of the pathways underlying asthma, and show some interesting potential for the development of future therapeutic interventions. Association studies in turn demonstrate a good diagnostic potential of EVs in asthma.     

Implication of the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Bovine Age-Related Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is defined as the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, quality, and strength. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying sarcopenia are still not completely understood. The aim of this work was to evaluate, for the first time, the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome in bovine skeletal muscle in order to investigate the hypothesis that inflammasome activation may trigger and sustain a pro-inflammatory environment leading to sarcopenia. Samples of skeletal muscle were collected from 60 cattle belonging to three age-based groups. Morphologic, immunohistochemical and molecular analysis were performed to assess the presence of age-related pathologic changes and chronic inflammation, the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and to determine the levels of interleukin-1β, interleukin-18 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in muscle tissue. Our results revealed the presence of morphologic sarcopenia hallmark, chronic lymphocytic inflammation and a type II fibers-selective NLRP3 expression associated to a significant decreased number of immunolabeled-fibers in aged animals. Moreover, we found a statistically significant age-related increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β and interleukin-18 suggesting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Taken together, our data suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome components may be normally expressed in skeletal muscle, but its priming and activation during aging may contribute to enhance a pro-inflammatory environment altering normal muscular anabolism and metabolism.     

Granulation Tissue Enhanced with Aspirin and Omega-3 PUFAs as a Local Adjunct to the Surgical Treatment of Periodontitis

The topical application of aspirin and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may trigger the resolution of inflammation by inducing the biosynthesis of pro-resolvers such as lipoxins and resolvins while also avoiding the side effects of systemic aspirin intake. This study assessed the effect of enhanced granulation tissue (EGT) on periodontal tissue regeneration through the local application of aspirin and omega-3 PUFAs directly to granulation tissue (GT) during periodontal surgery. This randomized controlled experiment assesses 38 pockets in 19 patients. In every patient, two similar intrabony periodontal defects are treated with an open flap debridement, one with EGT (GT extracted, enhanced with aspirin and omega-3 PUFAs, and replaced) and the other with standard GT removal. Clinical attachment level (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD) are assessed at baseline and 2 and 6 months after surgery. The experimental protocol (EGT) results in a greater CAL gain as compared to that in the controls at 6 months (p < 0.05), while PPD reduction is not affected. The retained GT does not compromise healing. EGT is proposed as a promising, inexpensive, and simple method that may improve the outcome of periodontal regenerative treatment. However, the described protocol requires optimization and further assessment. Practical Applications : The biosynthesis of mediators including resolvins and lipoxins triggered by aspirin and omega-3 PUFAs promote the resolution of inflammation, eventually leading to faster regeneration of inflamed tissues. While granulation tissue is a necessary component in wound healing, enhancing granulation tissue with aspirin and omega-3 PUFAs results in CAL gain in the surgical treatment of periodontal defects. Retained granulation tissue does not compromise periodontal healing. The EGT strategy is an inexpensive and simple method that may improve the clinical outcomes of regenerative periodontal procedures.     

Phosphorylated chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) based proton exchange membranes modified with propylammonium nitrate ionic liquid and silica filler for fuel cell applications

In our previous work, phosphorylated chitosan was modified through polymer blending with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer to produce N-methylene phosphonic chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (NMPC/PVA) composite membranes. The aim of this work is to further investigate the effects of a propylammonium nitrate (PAN) ionic liquid and/or silicon dioxide (SiO₂) filler on the morphology and physical properties of NMPC/PVA composite membranes. The temperature-dependent ionic conductivity of the composite membranes with various ionic liquid and filler compositions was studied by varying the loading of PAN ionic liquid and SiO₂-PAN filler in the range of 5–20 wt%. As the loading of PAN ionic liquid increased in the NMPC/PVA membrane matrix, the ionic conductivity value also increased with the highest value of 0.53 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at 25 °C and increased to 1.54 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at 100 °C with 20 wt% PAN. The NMPC/PVA-PAN (20 wt%) composite membrane also exhibited the highest water uptake and ion exchange capacity, with values of 60.5% and 0.60 mequiv g^?1, respectively. In addition, in the single-cell performance test, the NMPC/PVA-PAN (20 wt%) composite membrane displayed a maximum power density, which was increased by approximately 14% compared to the NMPC/PVA composite membrane with 5 wt% SiO₂-PAN. This work demonstrated that modified NMPC/PVA composite membranes with ionic liquid PAN and/or SiO₂ filler showed enhanced performance compared with unmodified NMPC/PVA composite membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.     

CaDHN3, a Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Dehydrin Gene Enhances the Tolerance against Salt and Drought Stresses by Reducing ROS Accumulation

Dehydrins (DHNs) play an important role in abiotic stress tolerance in a large number of plants, but very little is known about the function of DHNs in pepper plants. Here, we isolated a Y₁SK₂-type DHN gene “CaDHN3” from pepper. To authenticate the function of CaDHN3 in salt and drought stresses, it was overexpressed in Arabidopsis and silenced in pepper through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Sub-cellular localization showed that CaDHN3 was located in the nucleus and cell membrane. It was found that CaDHN3-overexpressed (OE) in Arabidopsis plants showed salt and drought tolerance phenotypic characteristics, i.e., increased the initial rooting length and germination rate, enhanced chlorophyll content, lowered the relative electrolyte leakage (REL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content than the wild-type (WT) plants. Moreover, a substantial increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes; including the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and lower hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) contents and higher O₂^•− contents in the transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Silencing of CaDHN3 in pepper decreased the salt- and drought-stress tolerance, through a higher REL and MDA content, and there was more accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the CaDHN3-silenced pepper plants than the control plants. Based on the yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening and Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) results, we found that CaDHN3 interacts with CaHIRD11 protein in the plasma membrane. Correspondingly, the expressions of four osmotic-related genes were significantly up-regulated in the CaDHN3-overexpressed lines. In brief, our results manifested that CaDHN3 may play an important role in regulating the relative osmotic stress responses in plants through the ROS signaling pathway. The results of this study will provide a basis for further analyses of the function of DHN genes in pepper.     

Blends of Bio-Based Poly(Limonene Carbonate) with Commodity Polymers

In this study, blends of the bio-based poly(limonene carbonate) (PLimC) with different commodity polymers are investigated in order to explore the potential of PLimC toward generating more sustainable polymer materials by reducing the amount of petro- or food-based polymers. PLimC is employed as minority component in the blends. Next to the morphology and thermal properties of the blends the impact of PLimC on the mechanical properties of the matrix polymers is studied. The interplay of incompatibility and zero-shear melt viscosity contrast determines the blend morphology, leading for all blends to a dispersed droplet morphology for PLimC. Blends with polymers of similar structure to PLimC (i.e., aliphatic/aromatic polyester) show the best performance with respect to mechanical properties, whereas blends with polystyrene or poly(methyl methacrylate) are too brittle and polyamide 12 blends show very low elongations at break. In blends with Ecoflex (poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)) and Arnitel EM400 (copoly(ether ester)) with poly(butylene terephthalate) hard and polytetrahydrofuran soft segments) a threefold increase in E-modulus can be achieved, while keeping the elongation at break at reasonable high values of ≈200%, making these blends highly interesting for applications.     

Revealing the high sensitivity in the metal toinsulator transition properties of the pulsed laser deposited VO2 thin films

Vanadium dioxide (VO₂) is known as a typical 3d-orbital transition metal oxide exhibiting the metal-to-insulator-transition (MIT) property near room temperature. However, their electronic applications have been challenged by the quality and uniformity of VO₂ thin films. In this work, we demonstrate the high sensitivity in the valence charge of vanadium and the MIT properties of the VO₂ thin films to the deposition temperature. This observation indicates the necessity to eliminate the inhomogeneity in the temperature distribution of substrate during the vacuum-deposition process of VO₂. In addition, a high thermoelectric power factor (PF, e.g., exceeding 1 μWcm⁻¹K⁻²) was achieved in the metallic phase of the VO₂ thin films and this value is comparable to typical organic or oxide thermoelectric materials. We believe this high PF enriches the potential functionality in thermoelectric energy conversions beyond the existing electronic applications of the current vacuum-grown VO₂ thin films.     

基于FLAC3D的破碎围岩巷道支护效果分析

为了解破碎围岩分别采用锚杆支护、锚喷支护以及锚喷+锚索耦合三种支护方式下的支护效果,进而为破碎围岩巷道选择合理的支护方式提供参考。通过借助FLAC^3D软件建立数值模型,分析不同支护条件下的破碎围岩巷道位移量、应力分布以及塑性区的时空演化特征。结果表明,采用锚喷+锚索耦合支护时,可以较好的控制巷道围岩的位移量、减小应力集中效应、缩小塑性区的影响范围。     

Manufacturing catalyst-coated membranes by ultrasonic spray deposition for PEMFC: Identification of key parameters and their impact on PEMFC performance

This study deals with the manufacturing of catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs) for newcomers in the field of coating. Although there are many studies on electrode ink composition for improving the performance of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), there are few papers dealing with electrode coating itself. Usually, it is a know-how that often remains secret and constitutes the added value of scientific teams or the business of industrialists. In this paper, we identify and clarify the role of key parameters to improve coating quality and also to correlate coating quality with fuel cell performance via polarization curves and electrochemical active surface area measurements. We found that the coating configurations can affect the performance of lab-made CCMs in PEMFCs. After the repeatability of the performance obtained by our coating method has been proved, we show that: (i) edge effects, due to mask shadowing - cannot be neglected when the active surface area is low, (ii) a heterogeneous thickness electrode produces performance lower than a homogeneous thickness electrode, and (iii) the origin and storage of platinum on carbon powders are a very important source of variability in the obtained results.     

One step method of structure engineering porous graphitic carbon nitride for efficient visible-light photocatalytic reduction of Cr(Ⅵ)

Porous g-C3N4 nanosheets (PCN) were prepared by the nickel-assisted one-step thermal polymerization method.Hydrogen (H2) which was produced by the reaction between nickel (Ni) foam and ammonia (NH3) defined the structure and properties of PCN.During the formation of PCN,the participation of H2 not only enhanced the spacing between layers but also boosted the specific surface area that more active sites were exposed.Additionally,H2 promoted pores formation in the nanosheets,which was beneficial to the transfer of photons through lamellar structure and improved the absorption efficiency of visible light.Remarkably,the obtained PCN possessed better Cr(Ⅵ) photocatalytic reduction efficiency than pure g-C3N4.The reaction rate constant (k) of PCN (0.013 min-1) was approximately twice that of bare g-C3N4 (0.007 min-1).Furthermore,the effects of original pH and concentration of Cr(Ⅵ)-containing solution on removal efficiency of Cr(Ⅵ) were explored.A possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed based on the experiments of radical scavengers and photoelectrochemical characterizations.