Sulfur atom-directed metal-ligand synergistic catalysis in zirconium/hafnium-oxo clusters for highly efficient amine oxidation.

The performance applications (e.g., photocatalysis) of zirconium (Zr) and hafnium (Hf) based complexes are greatly hindered by the limited development of their structures and the relatively inert metal reactivity. In this work, we constructed two ultrastable Zr/Hf-based clusters (Zr9-TC4A and Hf9-TC4A) using hydrophobic 4-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (H4TC4A) ligands, in which unsaturated coordinated sulfur (S) atoms on the TC4A4- ligand can generate strong metal-ligand synergy with nearby active metal Zr/Hf sites. As a result, these two functionalized H4TC4A ligands modified Zr/Hf-oxo clusters, as catalysts for the amine oxidation reaction, exhibited excellent catalytic activity, achieving very high substrate conversion (>99%) and product selectivity (>90%). Combining comparative experiments and theoretical calculations, we found that these Zr/Hf-based cluster catalysts accomplish efficient amine oxidation reactions through synergistic effect between metals and ligands: (i) The photocatalytic benzylamine (BA) oxidation reaction was achieved by the synergistic effect of the dual active sites, in which, the naked S sites on the TC4A4- ligand oxidize the BA by photogenerated hole and oxygen molecules are reduced by photogenerated electrons on the metal active sites; (ii) in the aniline oxidation reaction, aniline was adsorbed by the bare S sites on ligands to be closer to metal active sites and then oxidized by the oxygen-containing radicals activated by the metal sites, thus completing the catalytic reaction under the synergistic catalytic effect of the proximity metal-ligand. In this work, the Zr/Hf-based complexes applied in the oxidation of organic amines have been realized using active S atom-directed metal-ligand synergistic catalysis and have demonstrated very high reactivity.

Green synthesis of bifunctional phthalocyanine-porphyrin cofs in water for efficient electrocatalytic CO2 reduction coupled with methanol oxidation.

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECR) coupled with organic oxidation is a promising strategy to produce high value-added chemicals and improve energy efficiency. However, achieving the efficient redox coupling reaction is still challenging due to the lack of suitable electrocatalysts. Herein, we designed two bifunctional polyimides-linked covalent organic frameworks (PI-COFs) through assembling phthalocyanine (Pc) and porphyrin (Por) by non-toxic hydrothermal methods in pure water to realize the above catalytic reactions. Due to the high conductivity and well-defined active sites with different chemical environments, NiPc-NiPor COF performs efficient ECR coupled with methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) (Faradaic efficiency of CO (FECO) = 98.12%, partial current densities of CO (jCO) = 6.14 mA cm-2 for ECR, FEHCOOH = 93.75%, jHCOOH = 5.81 mA cm-2 for MOR at low cell voltage (2.1 V) and remarkable long-term stability). Furthermore, experimental evidences and density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the ECR process mainly conducts on NiPc unit with the assistance of NiPor, meanwhile, the MOR prefers NiPor conjugating with NiPc. The two units of NiPc-NiPor COF collaboratively promote the coupled oxidation-reduction reaction. For the first time, this work achieves the rational design of bifunctional COFs for coupled heterogeneous catalysis, which opens a new area for crystalline material catalysts.

Combination immunotherapy of glioblastoma with dendritic cell cancer vaccines, anti-PD-1 and poly I:C.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal cancer with limited therapeutic options. Dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer vaccines provide a promising approach for GBM treatment. Clinical studies suggest that other immunotherapeutic agents may be combined with DC vaccines to further enhance antitumor activity. Here, we report a GBM case with combination immunotherapy consisting of DC vaccines, anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1) and poly I:C as well as the chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide that was integrated with standard chemoradiation therapy, and the patient remained disease-free for 69 months. The patient received DC vaccines loaded with multiple forms of tumor antigens, including mRNA-tumor associated antigens (TAA), mRNA-neoantigens, and hypochlorous acid (HOCl)-oxidized tumor lysates. Furthermore, mRNA-TAAs were modified with a novel TriVac technology that fuses TAAs with a destabilization domain and inserts TAAs into full-length lysosomal associated membrane protein-1 to enhance major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigen presentation. The treatment consisted of 42 DC cancer vaccine infusions, 26 anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab administrations and 126 poly I:C injections for DC infusions. The patient also received 28 doses of cyclophosphamide for depletion of regulatory T cells. No immunotherapy-related adverse events were observed during the treatment. Robust antitumor CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses were detected. The patient remains free of disease progression. This is the first case report on the combination of the above three agents to treat glioblastoma patients. Our results suggest that integrated combination immunotherapy is safe and feasible for long-term treatment in this patient. A large-scale trial to validate these findings is warranted.

Achieving High-Efficient Photoelectrocatalytic Degradation of 4-Chlorophenol via Functional Reformation of Titanium-Oxo Clusters.

Rational design of crystalline catalysts with superior light absorption and charge transfer for efficient photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) reaction coupled with energy recovery remains a great challenge. In this work, we elaborately construct three stable titanium-oxo clusters (TOCs, Ti10Ac6, Ti10Fc8, and Ti12Fc2Ac4) modified with a monofunctionalized ligand (9-anthracenecarboxylic acid (Ac) or ferrocenecarboxylic acid (Fc)) and bifunctionalized ligands (Ac and Fc). They have tunable light-harvesting and charge transfer capacities and thus can serve as outstanding crystalline catalysts to achieve efficient PEC overall reaction, that is, the integration of anodic organic pollutant 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) degradation and cathodic wastewater-to-H2 conversion. These TOCs can all exhibit very high PEC activity and degradation efficiency of 4-CP. Especially, Ti12Fc2Ac4 decorated with bifunctionalized ligands exhibits better PEC degradation efficiency (over 99%) and H2 generation than Ti10Ac6 and Ti10Fc8 modified with a monofunctionalized ligand. The study of the 4-CP degradation pathway and mechanism revealed that such better PEC performance of Ti12Fc2Ac4 is probably due to its stronger interactions with the 4-CP molecule and better •OH radical production. This work not only presents the effective combination of organic pollutant degradation and simultaneously H2 evolution reaction using crystalline coordination clusters as both anodic and cathodic catalyst but also develops a new PEC application for crystalline coordination compounds.

Unraveling the intricate cargo-BBSome coupling mechanism at the ciliary tip.

Certain ciliary transmembrane and membrane-tethered signaling proteins migrate from the ciliary tip to base via retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT), essential for maintaining their ciliary dynamics to enable cells to sense and transduce extracellular stimuli inside the cell. During this process, the BBSome functions as an adaptor between retrograde IFT trains and these signaling protein cargoes. The Arf-like 13 (ARL13) small GTPase resembles ARL6/BBS3 in facilitating these signaling cargoes to couple with the BBSome at the ciliary tip prior to loading onto retrograde IFT trains for transporting towards the ciliary base, while the molecular basis for how this intricate coupling event happens remains elusive. Here, we report that Chlamydomonas ARL13 only in a GTP-bound form (ARL13GTP) anchors to the membrane for diffusing into cilia. Upon entering cilia, ARL13 undergoes GTPase cycle for shuttling between the ciliary membrane (ARL13GTP) and matrix (ARL13GDP). To achieve this goal, the ciliary membrane-anchored BBS3GTP binds the ciliary matrix-residing ARL13GDP to activate the latter as an ARL13 guanine nucleotide exchange factor. At the ciliary tip, ARL13GTP recruits the ciliary matrix-residing and post-remodeled BBSome as an ARL13 effector to anchor to the ciliary membrane. This makes the BBSome spatiotemporally become available for the ciliary membrane-tethered phospholipase D (PLD) to couple with. Afterward, ARL13GTP hydrolyzes GTP for releasing the PLD-laden BBSome to load onto retrograde IFT trains. According to this model, hedgehog signaling defects associated with ARL13b and BBS3 mutations in humans could be satisfactorily explained, providing us a mechanistic understanding behind BBSome-cargo coupling required for proper ciliary signaling.

Demystifying the roles of single metal site and cluster in CO2 reduction via light and electric dual-responsive polyoxometalate-based metal-organic frameworks.

Photo- or electroreduction of carbon dioxide into highly valued products offers a promising strategy to achieve carbon neutrality. Here, a series of polyoxometalate-based metal-organic frameworks (M-POMOFs) were constructed by metalloporphyrins [tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)-porphyrin-M (M-TCPPs)] and reductive POM for photo- and electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reductions (PCR and ECR, respectively), and the mysteries between the roles of single metal site and cluster in catalysis were disclosed. Iron-POMOF exhibited an excellent selectivity (97.2%) with high methane production of 922 micromoles per gram in PCR, together with superior Faradaic efficiency for carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide (92.1%) in ECR. The underlying mechanisms were further clarified. Photogenerated electrons transferred from iron-TCPP to the POM cluster for methane generation under irradiation, while the abundant electrons flowed to the center of iron-TCPP for carbon monoxide formation under the applied electric field. The specific multielectron products generated on iron-POMOF through switching driving forces to control electron flow direction between single metal site and cluster catalysis.

Light, Heat and Electricity Integrated Energy Conversion System: Photothermal-Assisted Co-Electrolysis of CO2 and Methanol.

Strategy that can design powerful photothermal-catalysts to achieve photothermal-effect assisted coupling-catalysis is much desired for the improvement of energy conversion efficiency and redox product value in CO2 electroreduction system. Herein, a kind of bifunctional viologen-containing covalent organic framework (Ni-2CBpy2+ -COF) has been prepared and successfully applied in photothermal-assisted co-electrolysis of CO2 and methanol. Specifically, the FECO (cathode) and FEHCOOH (anode) for Ni-2CBpy2+ -COF can reach up to ≈100 % at 1.9 V with ≈31.5 % saved overall electricity-consumption when the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is replaced by methanol oxidation. The superior performance could be attributed to the cyclic diquats in Ni-2CBpy2+ -COF that enhance the photothermal effect (ΔT=49.1 °C) to accelerate faster charge transfer between catalyst and immediate species as well as higher selectivity towards desired products as revealed by DFT calculations and characterizations.

A Honeycomb-Like Porous Crystalline Hetero-Electrocatalyst for Efficient Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Porous heterostructured electrocatalysts with multifunctionality and synergistic effect have much benefit for efficient electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR), yet it still remains a daunting challenge to explore heterostructures based on covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in this field. Here, a series of honeycomb-like porous crystalline hetero-electrocatalysts (MCH-X, X = 1-4, X stands for the numbered sample obtained from different MOF doses in the synthesis of the MCH) are synthesized, and these are successfully applied in electrocatalytic CO2 RR. The specially designed heterostructures with integrated porous MOF-template and ultrathin COF-coating enable efficient CO2 adsorption/activation and conversion into CH4 . The best of them, MCH-3, shows greatly inhibited H2 evolution, excellent current density (-398.1 mA cm-2 ), and superior FE CH 4 ${\rm{F}}{{\rm{E}}_{{\rm{C}}{{\rm{H}}_4}}}$ (76.7%) to the physical mixture (38.0%), the MOF@COF without the honeycomb-like morphology (47.7%), and the bare COF (37.5%) and MOF (15.9%) at -1.0 V. Based on the density functional theory calculations and various characterizations, the vital roles of the MOF in facilitating CO2 adsorption/activation, stabilizing intermediates, and conquering the energy barrier of rate-determining step are intensively studied.

Self-Sacrificing Template of the POMs-Based Composite for the High-Performance Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Cathode of Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The high theoretical capacity of vanadium oxides makes them promising cathode candidates for the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Nevertheless, the relatively poor electrical conductivity and capacity retention hinder the practical application and have to be overcome urgently for the increasing demand for storage technologies. Herein, a new BRG system composed of bimetallic oxide/rhodamine B (RB)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was prepared through the facile self-sacrificing template of the precursor polyoxometalate (POM) composites POMs/RB/RGO (PRG). RB not only acts as a cationic mediator to facilitate the loading of POMs on graphene for conversion to oxides but also promotes the formation of uniform nanorods on the RGO. The prepared composite FeV3O8-RB/RGO-1 as the cathode exhibits superior cycling stability (specific capacity of 225 mA h g-1 at 100 mA g-1) and elastic rate capabilities for LIBs. What is more, the new PRG precursor provides versatile possibilities for the design of oxide composites from the self-sacrificing template of POMs-based composites with abundant architectural designs and compositions for the energy storage system.

Redox-Active Crystalline Coordination Catalyst for Hybrid Electrocatalytic Methanol Oxidation and CO2 Reduction.

Hybrid CO2 electroreduction (HCER) is recognized as an important strategy to improve the total value of redox products and energy conversion efficiency. In this work, a coordination catalyst model system (Ni8 -TET with active oxidation sites, Ni-TPP with active reduction sites and PCN-601 with redox-active sites) for HCER was established for the first time. Especially, PCN-601 can complete both anodic methanol oxidation and cathodic CO2 reduction with FEHCOOH and FECO over 90 %. The performance can be further improved with light irradiation (FE nearly 100 %). DFT calculations reveal that the transfer of electrons from NiII 8 clusters to metalloporphyrins under electric fields results in the raised oxidizability of Ni8 clusters and the raised reducibility of metalloporphyrin, which then improves the electrocatalytic performance. This work serves as a well-defined model system and puts forward a new design idea for establishing efficient catalysts for hybrid CO2 electroreduction.

A Nomogram Model for Predicting Type-2 Myocardial Infarction Induced by Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the independent risk factors of type-2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) elicited by acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB), and to establish a nomogram model for the prediction of AUGIB-induced T2MI. METHODS: A nomogram model was established on the basis of a retrospective study that involved 533 patients who suffered from AUGIB in the Department of Critical Care Medicine (CCM) or Emergency Intensive Care Unit (EICU) of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, from January 2017 to December 2020. The predictive accuracy and discriminative power of the nomogram were initially evaluated by internal validation, which involved drawing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calculating the area under the curve (AUC), plotting the calibration curve derived from 1000 resampled bootstrap data sets, and computing the root mean square error (RMSE). The predictive ability of the nomogram was further validated through the prospective and multicenter study conducted by the investigators, which enrolled 240 AUGIB patients [including 88 cases from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 73 cases from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University (Qingdao), and 79 cases from Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital)], who were admitted to the Department of CCM or EICU, from February 2021 to July 2021. RESULTS: Among the 533 patients in the training cohort, 78 (14.6%) patients were assigned to the T2MI group and 455 (85.4%) patients were assigned to the non-T2MI group. The multivariate analysis revealed that age >65, hemorrhagic shock, cerebral stroke, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, increased blood urea nitrogen, decreased hematocrit, and elevated D-Dimer were independent risk factors for AUGIB-induced T2MI. All these factors were incorporated into the nomogram model. The AUC for the nomogram for predicting T2MI was 0.829 (95% CI, 0.783-0.875) in the internal validation cohort and 0.848 (95% CI, 0.794-0.902) in the external validation cohort. The calibration curve for the risk of T2MI exhibited good consistency between the prediction by the nomogram and the actual clinical observation in both the internal validation (RMSE=0.016) and external validation (RMSE=0.020). CONCLUSION: The nomogram was proven to be a useful tool for the risk stratification of T2MI in AUGIB patients, and is helpful for the early identification of AUGIB patients who are prone to T2MI for early intervention, especially in emergency departments and intensive care units.

Identification of the activity source of CO2 electroreduction by strategic catalytic site distribution in stable supramolecular structure system.

Identification of the real catalytic site in CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is critical for the rational design of catalysts and the understanding of reactive mechanisms. In this study, the catalytic activity of pyridine-containing materials was for the first time structurally demonstrated in CO2RR by crystalline supramolecular coordination compounds model system. The system consists of three stable supramolecular coordination compounds (Ni-TPYP, Ni-TPYP-1 and Ni-TPP) with different numbers (4, 2 and 0) of active pyridine groups (i.e. uncoordinated pyridine nitrogen atoms). The electrocatalytic test results show that with the decrease of the number of active pyridine groups, the CO2RR performance is gradually reduced, mainly showing the reduction of highest FECO (99.8%, 83.7% and 25.6%, respectively). The crystallographic, experimental and theoretical evidences prove that the CO2RR activity is more likely derived from uncoordinated pyridine nitrogen than the electrocatalytic inert metal nickel in porphyrin center. This work serves as an important case study for the identification of electrocatalytic activity of pyridine-containing materials in CO2RR by simple supramolecular model system.

Enhanced Human T Lymphocyte Antigen Priming by Cytokine-Matured Dendritic Cells Overexpressing Bcl-2 and IL-12.

Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy for cancer. However, clinical trials have shown only limited efficacy, suggesting the need to optimize protocols for human DC vaccine preparation. In this study, we systemically compared five different human DC vaccine maturation protocols used in clinical trials: (1) a four-cytokine cocktail (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and PGE2); (2) an α-DC-cytokine cocktail (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IFN-α, IFN-γ, and poly I:C); (3) lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/IFN-γ; (4) TNF-α and PGE2; and (5) TriMix (mRNAs encoding CD40L, CD70, and constitutively active Toll-like receptor 4 electroporated into immature DCs). We found that the four-cytokine cocktail induced high levels of costimulatory and HLA molecules, as well as CCR7, in DCs. Mature DCs (mDCs) matured with the four-cytokine cocktail had higher viability than those obtained with the other protocols. Based on these features, we chose the four-cytokine cocktail protocol to further improve the immunizing capability of DCs by introducing exogenous genes. We showed that introducing exogenous Bcl-2 increased DC survival. Furthermore, introducing IL-12p70 rescued the inhibition of IL-12 secretion by PGE2 without impairing the DC phenotype. Introducing both Bcl-2 and IL-12p70 mRNAs into DCs induced enhanced cytomegalovirus pp65-specific CD8+ T cells secreting IFN-γ and TNF-α. Taken together, our data suggest that DC matured by the four-cytokine cocktail combined with exogenous Bcl-2 and IL-12p70 gene expression represents a promising approach for clinical applications in cancer immunotherapy.

Tumor-associated antigen-based personalized dendritic cell vaccine in solid tumor patients.

Tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) have been tested in various clinical trials in cancer treatment but the patterns of specific T cell response to personalized TAA immunization remains to be fully understood. We report antigen-specific T cell responses in patients immunized with dendritic cell vaccines pulsed with personalized TAA panels. Tumor samples from patients were first analyzed to identify overexpressed TAAs. Autologous DCs were then transfected with pre-manufactured mRNAs encoding the full-length TAAs, overexpressed in the patients' tumors. Patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) or advanced lung cancer received DC vaccines transfected with personalized TAA panels, in combination with low-dose cyclophosphamide, poly I:C, imiquimod and anti-PD-1 antibody. Antigen-specific T cell responses were measured. Safety and efficacy were evaluated. A total of ten patients were treated with DC vaccines transfected with personalized TAA panels containing 3-13 different TAAs. Among the seven patients tested for anti-TAA T cell responses, most of the TAAs induced antigen-specific CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cell responses, regardless of their expression levels in the tumor tissues. No Grade III/IV adverse events were observed among these patients. Furthermore, the treated patients were associated with favorable overall survival when compared to patients who received standard treatment in the same institution. Personalized TAA immunization-induced-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses without obvious autoimmune adverse events and was associated with favorable overall survival. These results support further studies on DC immunization with personalized TAA panels for combined immunotherapeutic regimens in solid tumor patients.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02709616 (March, 2016), NCT02808364 (June 2016), NCT02808416 (June, 2016).

Different Protonic Species Affecting Proton Conductivity in Hollow Spherelike Polyoxometalates.

Polyoxometalates (POMs), which possess strong acidity and chemical stability, are promising solid proton conductors and potential candidates for proton exchange membrane fuel cell applications. To investigate how factors such as proton concentration and carrier affect the overall proton conduction, we have synthesized new compounds HImMo132 (Im, imidazole), HMeImMo132, ILMo132, and TBAMo132 with hollow structures and HImPMo12 with a solid spherelike structure. These crystal models were prepared by encapsulating POM with organic molecules with different proton contents. Among them, the single-crystal sample of the hollow structure HImMo132 containing more proton sources shows a high proton conductivity of 4.98 × 10-2 S cm-1, which was approximately 1 order of magnitude greater than that of the solid cluster HImPMo12 with the same proton sources and 3 orders of magnitude greater than that of the proton-free organic cation-encapsulated giant ball TBAMo132. This study provides a theoretical guidance toward designing and developing new-generation proton conductors and studying their performances at the molecular level.

Polyoxometalate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks with Conductive Polypyrrole for Supercapacitors.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with high porosity could act as an ideal substitute for supercapacitors, but their poor electrical conductivities limit their electrochemical performances. In order to overcome this problem, conductive polypyrrole (PPy) has been introduced and a novel nanocomposite resulting from polyoxometalate (POM)-based MOFs (NENU-5) and PPy has been reported. It comprises the merits of POMs, MOFs, and PPy. Finally, the highly conductive PPy covering the surfaces of NENU-5 nanocrystallines can effectively improve the electron/ion transfer among NENU-5 nanocrystallines. The optimized NENU-5/PPy nanocomposite (the volume of Py is 0.15 mL) exhibits high specific capacitance (5147 mF·cm-2), larger than that of pristine NENU-5 (432 mF·cm-2). Furthermore, a symmetric supercapacitor device based on a NENU-5/PPy-0.15 nanocomposite possesses an excellent areal capacitance of 1879 mF·cm-2, which is far above other MOF-based supercapacitors.

Mitochondrial Autophagy and NLRP3 Inflammasome in Pulmonary Tissues from Severe Combined Immunodeficient Mice after Cardiac Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases has been increasing. Furthermore, there are more and more patients with solid organ transplants. The survival rate of these immunocompromised individuals is extremely low when they are severely hit-on. In this study, we established cardiac arrest cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) model in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice, analyzed the expression and activation of mitochondrial autophagy and NLRP3 inflammasome/caspase-1, and explored mitochondrial repair and inflammatory injury in immunodeficiency individual during systemic ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS: A potassium chloride-induced cardiac arrest model was established in C57BL/6 and nonobese diabetic/SCID (NOD/SCID) mice. One hundred male C57BL/6 mice and 100 male NOD/SCID mice were randomly divided into five groups (control, 2 h post-CPR, 12 h post-CPR, 24 h post-CPR, and 48 h post-CPR). A temporal dynamic view of alveolar epithelial cells, macrophages, and neutrophils from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained using Giemsa staining. Spatial characterization of phenotypic analysis of macrophages in the lung interstitial tissue was analyzed by flow cytometry. The morphological changes of mitochondria 48 h after CPR were studied by transmission electron microscopy and quantified according to the Flameng grading system. Western blotting analysis was used to detect the expression and activation of the markers of mitochondrial autophagy, NLRP3 inflammasome, and caspase-1. RESULTS: (1) In NOD/SCID mice, macrophages were disintegrated in BALF, and many alveolar epithelial cells were shed at 48 h after resuscitation. Compared with C57BL/6 mice, the ratio of macrophages/total cells peaked at 12 h and was significantly higher in NOD/SCID mice (31.17 ± 4.13 vs. 49.69 ± 2.43, t = 14.46, P = 0.001). After 24 h, the results showed a downward trend. Furthermore, a large number of macrophages were disintegrated in the BALF. (2) Mitochondrial autophagy was present in both C57BL/6 and NOD/SCID mice after CPR, but it began late in the NOD/SCID mice. Compared with C57BL/6 mice, phos-ULK1 (Ser327) expression was significantly lower at 2 h and 12 h after CPR (2 h after CPR: 1.88 ± 0.36 vs. 1.12 ± 0.11, t = -1.36, P < 0.01 and 12 h after CPR: 1.52 ± 0.16 vs. 1.05 ± 0.12, t = -0.33, P < 0.01), whereas phos-ULK1 (Ser757) expression was significantly higher at 2 h and 12 h after CPR in NOD/SCID mice (2 h after CPR: 1.28 ± 0.12 vs. 1.69 ± 0.14, t = 1.7, P < 0.01 and 12 h after CPR: 1.33 ± 0.10 vs. 1.94 ± 0.13, t = 2.75, P < 0.01). (3) Furthermore, NLRP3 inflammasome/caspase-1 activation in the pulmonary tissues occurred early and for only a short time in C57BL/6 mice, but this phenomenon was sustained in NOD/SCID mice. The expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome increased modestly in the C57 mice, but the increase was higher in the NOD/SCID mice than in the C57BL/6 mice, especially at 12, 24, 48 h after CPR (48 h after CPR: 1.46 ± 0.13 vs. 2.97 ± 0.19, t = 5.34, P = 0.001). The expression of caspase-1-20 generally followed the same pattern as the NLRP3 inflammasome. CONCLUSIONS: There is a regulatory relationship between the NLRP3 inflammasome and mitochondrial autophagy after CPR in the healthy mice. This regulatory relationship was disturbed in the NOD/SCID mice because the signals for mitochondrial autophagy occurred late, and NLRP3 inflammasome- and caspase-1-dependent cell injury was sustained.

Association analyses of variants of SIPA1L2, MIR4697, GCH1, VPS13C, and DDRGK1 with Parkinson's disease in East Asians.

A recent large-scale European-originated genome-wide association data meta-analysis followed by a replication study identified 6 new risk loci for Parkinson's disease (PD), which include rs10797576/SIPA1L2, rs117896735/INPP5F, rs329648/MIR4697, rs11158026/GCH1, rs2414739/VPS13C, and rs8118008/DDRGK1. However, whether these new loci are associated with PD in Asian populations remain elusive. The INPP5F is nonpolymorphic in Asians. The present study aimed to understand the effects of the other 5 new loci in a Han Chinese population comprising 579 sporadic PD patients and 642 controls. Significant associations with PD were observed in the variants of SIPA1L2 (p = 0.001) and VPS13C (p = 0.007), where the T (odd ratio [OR] = 1.484, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.186-1.858) and A (OR = 1.362, 95% CI 1.087-1.707) alleles serve as the risk alleles, respectively. The genotype distributions in the SIPA1L2 and VPS13C variants were also different between the patients and controls (p = 0.002 and p = 0.023, respectively). In contrast, no significant association with PD was found in the variants of MIR4697, GCH1, and DDRGK1 either in allele or genotype frequencies. Noteworthy, a followed meta-analysis of East Asian studies suggested an association of the GCH1 variant with PD (p = 0.04, OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.00-1.16), while the other results are in line with those of our cohort. In conclusion, our study together with meta-analyses demonstrates that the variants of SIPA1L2 and VPS13C, potentially GCH1, but not of MIR4697 and DDRGK1, are associated with PD susceptibility in East Asians.