Therapeutic Ultrasound Halts Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease In Vivo via the Regulation of Markers Associated with Renal Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Senescence

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), a therapeutic type of ultrasound, is known to enhance bone fracture repair processes and help some tissues to heal. Here, we investigated the therapeutic potential of LIPUS for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in two CKD mouse models. CKD mice were induced using both unilateral renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) with nephrectomy and adenine administration. The left kidneys of the CKD mice were treated using LIPUS with the parameters of 3 MHz, 100 mW/cm², and 20 min/day, based on the preliminary experiments. The mice were euthanized 14 days after IRI or 28 days after the end of adenine administration. LIPUS treatment effectively alleviated the decreases in the body weight and albumin/globulin ratio and the increases in the serum renal functional markers, fibroblast growth factor-23, renal pathological changes, and renal fibrosis in the CKD mice. The parameters for epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), senescence-related signal induction, and the inhibition of α-Klotho and endogenous antioxidant enzyme protein expression in the kidneys of the CKD mice were also significantly alleviated by LIPUS. These results suggest that LIPUS treatment reduces CKD progression through the inhibition of EMT and senescence-related signals. The application of LIPUS may be an alternative non-invasive therapeutic intervention for CKD therapy.     

EGFR T751_I759delinsN Mutation in Exon19 Detected by NGS but Not by Real-Time PCR in a Heavily-Treated Patient with NSCLC

The detection of driver gene mutations can determine appropriate treatment strategies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by identifying the presence of an effective druggable target. Mutations in the gene encoding the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are common driver mutations in NSCLC that can be effectively targeted by the use of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). However, without the detection of driver mutations, appropriate therapeutic decisions cannot be made. The most commonly applied methods for detecting driver gene mutations are assays based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, the underlying mechanism of PCR-based assays limits the detection of rare mutations. Therefore, patients harboring rare mutations may not receive optimal treatment. We report a heavily-treated patient with NSCLC who harbored a T751_I759delinsN mutation in exon 19 of EGFR that was not detected by real-time PCR but was successfully detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The detection of a driver mutation using NGS resulted in the administration of targeted therapy, leading to favorable progression-free survival for the patient. Our report highlights the importance and potential of routine NGS testing among NSCLC patients for whom traditional assays fail to detect driver mutations when determining treatment options.     

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Patterns of the SWEET Gene Family in Bletilla striata and its Responses to Low Temperature and Oxidative Stress

SWEETs (sugars will eventually be exported transporters), a well-known class of sugar transporters, are involved in plant growth and development, sugar transport, biotic and abiotic stresses, etc. However, to date, there have been few investigations of SWEETs in Orchidaceae. In this study, 23 SWEET genes were identified in Bletilla striata for the first time, with an MtN3/saliva conserved domain, and were divided into four subgroups by phylogenetic tree. The same subfamily members had similar gene structures and motifs. Multiple cis-elements related to sugar and environmental stresses were found in the promoter region. Further, 21 genes were localized on 11 chromosomes and 2 paralogous pairs were found via intraspecific collinearity analysis. Expression profiling results showed that BsSWEETs were tissue-specific. It also revealed that BsSWEET10 and BsSWEET18 were responsive to low temperature and oxidative stresses. In addition, subcellular localization study indicated that BsSWEET15 and BsSWEET16 were localized in the cell membrane. This study provided important clues for the in-depth elucidation of the sugar transport mechanism of BsSWEET genes and their functional roles in response to abiotic stresses.     

SHMT2 Induces Stemness and Progression of Head and Neck Cancer

Various enzymes in the one-carbon metabolic pathway are closely related to the development of tumors, and they can all be potential targets for cancer therapy. Serine hydroxymethyltransferase2 (SHMT2), a key metabolic enzyme, is very important for the proliferation and growth of cancer cells. However, the function and mechanism of SHMT2 in head and neck cancer (HNC) are not clear. An analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data showed that the expression of SHMT2 was higher in tumor tissue than in normal tissue, and its expression was significantly associated with male sex, aggressive histological grade, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, advanced TNM stage, and lymphovascular invasion in HNC. SHMT2 knockdown in FADU and SNU1041 cell lines significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion. Additionally, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses using TCGA data revealed that SHMT2 was closely related to cancer stem cell regulation and maintenance. Furthermore, we found that silencing SHMT2 inhibited the expression of stemness markers and tumor spheroid formation compared with a control group. On the contrary, stemness markers were significantly increased after SHMT2 overexpression in HEP-2 cells. Interestingly, we found that knocking down SHMT2 reduced the expression of genes related to the Notch and Wnt pathways. Finally, silencing SHMT2 significantly reduced tumor growth and decreased stemness markers in a xenograft model. Taken together, our study suggests that targeting SHMT2 may play an important role in inhibiting HNC progression.     

设置垫板的形件螺栓连接滞回性能试验研究

该文综述了对称和非对称型摩擦耗能连接40多年以来的发展历史和研究现状。摩擦耗能连接可用于结构的减震耗能,通过合理设计可实现地震作用下带摩擦耗能连接结构的低损伤,提高结构的韧性。研发滞回性能稳定、重复性好的摩擦耗能连接是相关研究的主要目标之一。该文从微观和宏观两个方面介绍了金属滑移面之间的摩擦磨损机理,从摩擦磨损的角度讨论了不同摩擦片材料对摩擦连接减震性能的影响。描述了螺栓预紧力大小对摩擦连接减震性能的影响,也总结了摩擦连接的抗腐蚀和抗火性能。阐述了摩擦耗能连接在钢结构支撑、梁柱节点和柱脚节点的应用,并介绍了相关节点的设计方法。对此类连接的关键技术进行了总结,并对该技术的后续研究进行了展望。     

负载在预处理后CNT上的Pt氧化甲醇的性能

对多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT)进行了预处理.红外光谱分析证明:预处理后,MWCNT的表面生成了较多的活性官能团.以处理后的MWCNT为载体、乙二醇为还原剂,用交替微波法制备了Pt/CNT催化剂.相比于在10%HF中搅拌和在10%HF与浓HNO_3混合溶液中搅拌,在10%HF中搅拌再用浓HNO_3回流后的MWCNT作为载体制备的Pt/CNT催化剂,粒径为3.76 nm,具有最大的活性面积,对甲醇的氧化性能最好.     

广域复杂流体系统中基于无线传感网的数据保存关键技术研究进展

流体系统包括城市供水管网、天然气供给管网等,是具有经济和社会价值的重要基础设施。它们具有分布地域广、结构复杂、规模庞大、难以检测等特点,在出现泄漏、污染等异常时难以快速发现和准确定位。随着传感器技术、通信技术、微机电技术等的发展,利用无线传感网来对系统进行监测成为研究热点。由于在流体系统中通信困难,数据被监测到后很难实时传送给用户,只能暂时保存在传感器节点(简称节点)上,等待适当的时刻再进行上传。但是,节点具有体积微小、易损坏、存储容量小、通信能力弱、能量有限等特点,如何可靠地存储大量的数据是一个难点问题。目前,已有部分工作对这个问题进行了研究。为了解该领域研究的进展,文中对相关工作进行了细致地分析、对比、归纳和总结,介绍了它们的优缺点,并对未来的研究方向进行了探讨。     

Metal–Organic Gel‐Derived FexOy/Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Films for Enhanced Lithium Storage

The development of cost‐effective and flexible electrodes is demanding in the field of energy storage. Herein, flexible Fe_xO_y/nitrogen‐doped carbon films (Fe_xO_y/NC‐MOG) are prepared by facile electrospinning of Fe‐based metal–organic gels (MOGs) followed by high‐temperature carbonization. This approach allows the even mixing of fragile coordination polymers with polyacrylonitrile into flexible films while reserving the structural characteristics of coordination polymers. After thermal treatment, Fe_xO_y/NC‐MOG films possess uniformly distributed Fe_xO_y nanoparticles and larger accessible surface areas than traditional Fe_xO_y‐NC films without MOG. Taking advantage of the unique structure, Fe_xO_y/NC‐MOG exhibits a superior rate performance (449.8 mA h g^?1 at 5000 mA g^–1) and long cycle life (629.3 mA h g^–1 after 500 cycles at 1000 mA g^–1) when used as additive‐free anodes in lithium‐ion batteries.