Integrated Firefighting Textile with Temperature and Pressure Monitoring for Personal Defense.

Although electronic textiles that can detect external stimuli show great promise for fire rescue, existing firefighting clothing is still scarce for simultaneously integrating reliable early fire warning and real-time motion sensing, hardly providing intelligent personal protection under complex high-temperature conditions. Herein, we introduce an "all-in-one" hierarchically sandwiched fabric (HSF) sensor with a simultaneous temperature and pressure stimulus response for developing intelligent personal protection. A cross-arranged structure design has been proposed to tackle the serious mutual interference challenge during multimode sensing using two separate sets of core-sheath composite yarns and arrayed graphene-coated aerogels. The functional design of the HSF sensor not only possesses wide-range temperature sensing from 25 to 400 °C without pressure disturbance but also enables highly sensitive pressure response with good thermal adaptability (up to 400 °C) and wide pressure detection range (up to 120 kPa). As a proof of concept, we integrate large-scalable HSF sensors onto conventional firefighting clothing for passive/active fire warning and also detecting spatial pressure and temperature distribution when a firefighter is exposed to high-temperature flames, which may provide a useful design strategy for the application of intelligent firefighting protective clothing.

Scalable, Green, Flexible Photochromic Bacterial Cellulose for Multicolor Switching, Photo-patterning, and Daily Sunlight UV Monitoring.

Sustainable, durable, and diverse photochromic smart textiles based on bacterial cellulose (BC) have emerged as attractive candidates in UV-sensing applications due to the green and easy functionalization of BC. However, existing BC-based photochromic textiles lack photochromic efficiency and combining fastness. In this study, a green strategy for in situ fermentation is developed to achieve the directional distribution of functional particles and remarkable photochromism in photochromic bacterial cellulose (PBC). The unique functional design obtained by regulating the photochromic dye distribution in 3D nanonetworks of PBCs during in situ growth affords a more uniform distribution and high fastness. Benefiting from the uniform distribution of photochromic dyes and adequate utilization of the 3D network structure, more surface area is provided to receive and utilize the photon energy from the UV rays, making the photochromic process more effective. The as-prepared PBCs exhibited rapid (within 1 min) and stable (30 cycles) discoloration and multicolor selectivity. Their simple preparation process and exceptional wearability, e.g., their flexibility, lightweight, and air permeability, make them suitable for various applications, including tunable color switching systems, photopatterning, and daily sunlight UV monitoring. This study provides empirical value for the biofabrication of photochromic textiles and wearable flexible UV sensors.

Bifunctional Smart Textiles with Simultaneous Motion Monitoring and Thermotherapy for Human Joint Injuries.

The motion detection and thermotherapy provides a convenient strategy for the diagnosis and rehabilitation assessment of joint injuries. However, it is still challenging to simultaneously achieve accurate joint motion monitoring and on-demand thermotherapy. Herein, core-sheath sensing yarns (CSSYs) is proposed and fabricated for excellent electrical and photothermal heating, which consists of carbon black (CB)-coated nylon (sheath layer), silver-plated nylon and elastic spandex yarns (core layer). The CSSYs demonstrates great joule heating performance, which reaches 75 °C at 2 V applied voltage. The good thermal management performance can be well maintained when weaving these yarns into bifunctional smart textile. Further, the optimized double-ply CSSYs (DPCSSYs) with helically twisted structure possess several appealing sensing performance, including preferable strain sensitivity (0.854), excellent linearity (0.962), and superior durability (over 5000 cycles). The as-woven bifunctional smart textile can provide instant and convenient thermotherapy to the injured joints, and simultaneously monitor the injury and recovery conditions of the joint. Therefore, the designed bifunctional smart textile can provide a promising route for developing next-generation healthcare smart textile.

BRD2 protects the rat H9C2 cardiomyocytes from hypoxia­reoxygenation injury by targeting Nrf2/HO­1 signaling pathway.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a common complication of acute myocardial infarction following percutaneous coronary intervention, but there are currently no effective pharmacological targets for adjuvant therapy due to a lack of knowledge of I/R injury mechanisms in cardiomyocytes. To evaluate the effects of hypoxia-reoxygenation on the plasma proteome of cardiomyocytes and prospective therapeutic targets, five sets of H9C2 cardiomyocytes from rats were cultured under various hypoxic circumstances. Using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) and lactose dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays, the cell viability and LDH release of H9C2 cells were analyzed. Proteome sequencing was then performed on cardiomyocytes to show the quantitative protein changes during the I/R injury process. After hypoxia/reoxygenation, bromodomain-containing protein 2 (BRD2) expression was evaluated. After administering the BRD2 inhibitor dBET1, the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/haem oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1) was identified. The results showed that in the group exposed to 4 h of hypoxia followed by 4 h of reoxygenation (H/R4), the cell survival rate was dramatically reduced, although the apoptotic rate and LDH were much higher than in the normal oxygen group. In addition, the expressions of 2,325 proteins differed considerably between these two groups, with 128 upregulated and 122 downregulated proteins being discovered in the H/R4 group. After 4 h of reoxygenation, the BRD2 expression was increased. Following the addition of dBET1 to suppress BRD2, the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 was reduced, but the rate of apoptosis increased. In conclusion, through the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, BRD2 protects cardiomyocytes from damage caused by hypoxia/reoxygenation. This may have implications for novel treatment targets to minimize I/R damage to the myocardium.

All-Fabric Tactile Sensors Based on Sandwich Structure Design with Tunable Responsiveness.

Capacitance tactile sensors (TSs) based on electrode distance and contact area variations have been notably employed for various purposes due to their magnificent stress sensitivity. Nevertheless, developing TSs with tunable responsiveness in a broad pressure interval is crucial owing to the trade-off between sensitivity and linear identification range. Herein, a TS including Ag-coated Velcro and spacer fabric is constructed, where its sandwich framework provides a sizable expansion in compression deformation ability. In addition, a multilayered framework composed of the stacked TS from self-adhesive Velcro provides more contact area and significant deformation for stress distribution, further balancing the sensitivity, sensing range, and linearity for smart garment application. By utilizing the overlaid selection of multilayer structures, the all-textile TS demonstrates outstanding sensitivity with a one-layer structure (0.036 kPa-1) over a pressure range of 0.2-5 kPa and retains a sensitivity of 0.002 kPa-1 in a four-layer structure over a wide pressure range of 0.2-110 kPa, representing a significant improvement compared to previous results. The sensor possesses excellent performance in terms of response speed (104 ms), repeatability (10,000 cycles), and flexibility. In addition, its significant applications, involving human motion detection, pliable keyboards, and human-computer interface, are successfully shown. Based on the facile and scalable manufacturing approach, a suitable procedure is presented to construct next-generation wearable electronics.

Composite Braided Fabric Coupled with Photothermal and Electrothermal Processes for Stable and Continuous All-Day Desalination.

In this study, a carbon fiber/tencel composite braided fabric was used in stable and continuous all-day desalination technology with superior photothermal and electrothermal conversion capability. The desalination performance was regulated by adjusting the braiding parameters. Because the water in carbon fibers is maintained in the capillary state and thus evaporates more easily in clusters, it required less energy to evaporate water off the composite fabric. Under 1 sun illumination, the average evaporation rate and the evaporation efficiency were 1.84 kg m-2 h-1 and 88.8%, respectively. When a small amount of electricity (3 V) was applied, the evaporation rate of the braided fabric was maintained at over 1.88 kg m-2 h-1, and a superior desalination performance during the daytime was achieved. Under continuous all-day operation, most of the organics, metal ions, and contaminants were effectively eliminated from the water, which satisfied the WHO drinkable water standards. Our results can contribute to paving the way for efficient and stable wastewater treatment, seawater desalination, and drinking water collection methods.

Enhancing the Spun Yarn Properties by Controlling Fiber Stress Distribution in the Spinning Triangle with Rotary Heterogeneous Contact Surfaces.

Control of tension distribution in the spinning triangle region that can facilitate fiber motion and transfer is highly desirable for high quality yarn production. Here, the key mechanisms and a mechanical model of gradient regulation of fiber tension and motion with rotary heterogeneous contact surfaces were theoretically analyzed. The linear velocity gradient, effected on a fiber strand using rotary heterogeneous contact surfaces, could balance and stabilize the structure and stress distribution of spinning triangle area, which could capture exposed fiber to reduce hairiness formation and enhance the internal and external fiber transfer to strengthen the fiber utilization rate. Then, varied yarns spun without and with the rotary grooved and rotary heterogeneous contact surfaces were tested to compare the property improvement for verifying above-mentioned theory. The hairiness, irregularity, and tensity of the yarns spun with rotary heterogeneous contact surfaces spun yarns were significantly improved compared to other spun yarns, which effectively corresponded well to the theoretical analysis. Based on this spinning method, this effective, low energy-consuming, easy spinning apparatus can be used with varied fiber materials for high-quality yarn production.

Identification of potential molecular mechanisms and small molecule drugs in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury is a complex phenomenon that causes severe damage to the myocardium. However, the potential molecular mechanisms of MI/R injury have not been fully clarified. We identified potential molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets in MI/R injury through analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found between MI/R injury and normal samples, and overlapping DEGs were found between GSE61592 and GSE67308. Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analysis were performed for overlapping DEGs by Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integration Discovery (DAVID). Then, a network of protein-protein interaction (PPI) was constructed through the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. Potential microRNAs (miRNAs) and therapeutic small molecules were screened out using microRNA.org database and the Comparative Toxicogenomics database (CTD), respectively. Finally, we identified 21 overlapping DEGs related to MI/R injury. These DEGs were significantly enriched in IL-17 signaling pathway, cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway, chemokine signaling, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway. According to the degree in the PPI network, CCL2, LCN2, HP, CCL7, HMOX1, CCL4, and S100A8 were found to be hub genes. Furthermore, we identified potential miRNAs (miR-24-3p, miR-26b-5p, miR-2861, miR-217, miR-4251, and miR-124-3p) and therapeutic small molecules like ozone, troglitazone, rosiglitazone, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for MI/R injury. These results identified hub genes and potential small molecule drugs, which could contribute to the understanding of molecular mechanisms and treatment for MI/R injury.

Identification of potential molecular mechanisms and small molecule drugs in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury is a complex phenomenon that causes severe damage to the myocardium. However, the potential molecular mechanisms of MI/R injury have not been fully clarified. We identified potential molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets in MI/R injury through analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found between MI/R injury and normal samples, and overlapping DEGs were found between GSE61592 and GSE67308. Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analysis were performed for overlapping DEGs by Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integration Discovery (DAVID). Then, a network of protein-protein interaction (PPI) was constructed through the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. Potential microRNAs (miRNAs) and therapeutic small molecules were screened out using microRNA.org database and the Comparative Toxicogenomics database (CTD), respectively. Finally, we identified 21 overlapping DEGs related to MI/R injury. These DEGs were significantly enriched in IL-17 signaling pathway, cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway, chemokine signaling, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway. According to the degree in the PPI network, CCL2, LCN2, HP, CCL7, HMOX1, CCL4, and S100A8 were found to be hub genes. Furthermore, we identified potential miRNAs (miR-24-3p, miR-26b-5p, miR-2861, miR-217, miR-4251, and miR-124-3p) and therapeutic small molecules like ozone, troglitazone, rosiglitazone, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for MI/R injury. These results identified hub genes and potential small molecule drugs, which could contribute to the understanding of molecular mechanisms and treatment for MI/R injury.