HOXD10 attenuates renal fibrosis by inhibiting NOX4-induced ferroptosis.

In chronic kidney disease (CKD), renal fibrosis is an unavoidable result of various manifestations. However, its pathogenesis is not yet fully understood. Here, we revealed the novel role of Homeobox D10 (HOXD10) in CKD-related fibrosis. HOXD10 expression was downregulated in CKD-related in vitro and in vivo fibrosis models. UUO model mice were administered adeno-associated virus (AAV) containing HOXD10, and HOXD10 overexpression plasmids were introduced into human proximal tubular epithelial cells induced by TGF-ß1. The levels of iron, reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid ROS, the oxidized glutathione/total glutathione (GSSG/GSH) ratio, malonaldehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined using respective assay kits. Treatment with AAV-HOXD10 significantly attenuated fibrosis and renal dysfunction in UUO model mice by inhibiting NOX4 transcription, ferroptosis pathway activation, and oxidative stress. High levels of NOX4 transcription, ferroptosis pathway activation and profibrotic gene expression induced by TGF-ß1/erastin (a ferroptosis agonist) were abrogated by HOXD10 overexpression in HK-2 cells. Moreover, bisulfite sequencing PCR result determined that HOXD10 showed a hypermethylated level in TGF-ß1-treated HK-2 cells. The binding of HOXD10 to the NOX4 promoter was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assays. Targeting HOXD10 may represent an innovative therapeutic strategy for fibrosis treatment in CKD.

Associations between OGTT results during pregnancy and offspring TSH levels: a birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists regarding the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in newborns. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential risk of elevated TSH levels in infants exposed to maternal GDM, considering the type and number of abnormal values obtained from the 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). METHODS: A population-based, prospective birth cohort study was conducted in Wuhan, China. The study included women who underwent GDM screening using a 75-g OGTT. Neonatal TSH levels were measured via a time-resolved immunofluorescence assay. We estimated and stratified the overall risk (adjusted Risk Ratio [RR]) of elevated TSH levels (defined as TSH > 10 mIU/L or > 20 mIU/L) in offspring based on the type and number of abnormal OGTT values. RESULTS: Out of 15,236 eligible mother-offspring pairs, 11.5% (1,753) of mothers were diagnosed with GDM. Offspring born to women diagnosed with GDM demonstrated a statistically significant elevation in TSH levels when compared to offspring of non-GDM mothers, with a mean difference of 0.20 [95% CI: 0.04-0.36]. The incidence of elevated TSH levels (TSH > 10 mIU/L) in offspring of non-GDM women was 6.3 per 1,000 live births. Newborns exposed to mothers with three abnormal OGTT values displayed an almost five-fold increased risk of elevated TSH levels (adjusted RR 4.77 [95% CI 1.64-13.96]). Maternal fasting blood glucose was independently and positively correlated with neonatal TSH levels and elevated TSH status (TSH > 20 mIU/L). CONCLUSIONS: For newborns of women with GDM, personalized risk assessment for elevated TSH levels can be predicated on the type and number of abnormal OGTT values. Furthermore, fasting blood glucose emerges as a critical predictive marker for elevated neonatal TSH status.

[The auxiliary diagnostic value of ECP and MPO expression in nasal secretions in different types of rhinitis].

Objective:To evaluate the expression of eosinophil cationic protein and myeloperoxidase in nasal secretions in different types of rhinitis, and to explore their values in the differential diagnosis of different types of rhinitis. Methods:Six hundred and eighty-four subjects were selected, including 62 subjects in the acute rhinitis group, 378 subjects in the allergic rhinitis group, 94 subjects in the vasomotor rhinitis group, 70 subjects in the eosinophilic non-allergic rhinitis group, and 80 subjects in the control group. Nasal secretion samples were collected from the five groups, and the percentages of inflammatory cells were counted by Rachel's staining, and the expression of ECP/MPO was detected by colloidal gold assay. The correlation between the clinical diagnosis, the inflammatory cells in the nasal secretions and the expression of ECP/MPO was analyzed. Results:Nasal cytological smears showed that compared with the control group, the percentage of eosinophils in the AR and NARES groups were significantly higher （P<0.05）, while the percentage of neutrophils was not different （P>0.05）; the percentage of neutrophils was significantly higher in the acute rhinitis group compared with the control group （P<0.05）, while the percentage of eosinophils was not statistically different （P>0.05）; in vasomotor rhinitis group, the eosinophils and neutrophils were not statistically different compared with the control group（P> 0.05）. The colloidal gold results showed that there were differences in the expression of ECP/MPO in different types of rhinitis, among which 49 cases （79.0%） in the acute rhinitis group expressed ECP+/MPO+; 267 cases （70.6%） in the AR group and 56 cases （75.7%） in the NARES group expressed ECP+/MPO-; 80 cases （85.1%） in the vasomotor rhinitis group and 69 cases （86.3%） in the control group expressed ECP-/MPO-. Conclusion:The differences in ECP and MPO expression between different types of rhinitis have certain reference value for the differential diagnosis of different types of rhinitis and the selection of treatment programs.

Impact of Processing Methods on the Distribution of Mineral Elements in Goat Milk Fractions.

Milk and dairy products are excellent sources of mineral elements, including Ca, P, Mg, Na, K and Zn. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of non-thermal (homogenization) and thermal (heat treatment) treatments on the distribution of mineral elements in 4 milk fractions: fat, casein, whey protein, and aqueous phase. The study results revealed that the distribution of mineral elements (such as Mg and Fe) in fat fractions is extremely low, while significant mineral elements such as Ca, Zn, Fe, and Cu are mostly dispersed in casein fractions. For non-treated goat milk, Mo is the only element identified in the whey protein fraction, while K and Na are mostly found in the aqueous phase. Mineral element concentrations in fat (K, Zn, etc.) and casein fraction (Fe, Mo, etc.) increased dramatically after homogenization. Homogenization greatly decreased the concentration of mineral elements in the whey protein fraction (Ca, Na, etc.) and aqueous phase (Fe, Cu, etc.). After heat treatment, the element content in the fat fraction and casein fraction increased greatly when compared with raw milk, such as Cu and Mg in the fat fraction, Na and Cu in the whey protein fraction, the concentration of components such as Mg and Na in casein fraction increased considerably. On the other hand, after homogenization, Zn in the aqueous phase decreased substantially, whereas Fe increased significantly. Therefore, both homogenization and heat treatment have an effect on the mineral element distribution in goat milk fractions.

Enhanced Contact Performance and Thermal Tolerance of Ni/Bi2Te3 Joints for Bi2Te3-Based Thermoelectric Devices.

Ni metal has been widely used as a barrier layer in Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric devices, which establishes stable joints to link Bi2Te3-based legs and electrodes. However, the Ni/Bi2Te3 joints become very fragile when the devices were exposed to high temperature, causing severe performance deterioration and even device failure. Herein, stable Ni/Bi2Te3 joints have been established by arc spraying of the Ni barrier layer on the Bi2Te3-based alloys. The interface microstructure and contact performance including the bonding strength and contact resistivity of the arc-sprayed Ni/Bi2Te3 joints are investigated. The results indicate that, as compared with traditional Ni/Bi2Te3 joints, the arc-sprayed Ni/Bi2Te3 joints have comparably low contact resistivity while possessing a 50% higher bonding strength. Aging the joints as an exposure to high-temperature circumstances, the arc-sprayed Ni/Bi2Te3 joints exhibit much better tolerance to the thermal shock with stable bonding strength and contact resistivity. The enhanced interfacial contact performance and thermal tolerance should be attributed to the thick Ni barrier layer and interface reaction layer with good Ohmic contact. This work provides an effective strategy to establish stable joints for the Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric devices with improved thermal stability.

Duality of immune recognition by tomato and virulence activity of the Ralstonia solanacearum exo-polygalacturonase PehC.

Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating soil-borne bacterial pathogen capable of infecting many plant species, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). However, the perception of Ralstonia by the tomato immune system and the pathogen's counter-defense strategy remain largely unknown. Here, we show that PehC, a specific exo-polygalacturonase secreted by Ralstonia, acts as an elicitor that triggers typical immune responses in tomato and other Solanaceous plants. The elicitor activity of PehC depends on its N-terminal epitope, and not on its polygalacturonase activity. The recognition of PehC specifically occurs in tomato roots and relies on unknown receptor-like kinase(s). Moreover, PehC hydrolyzes plant pectin-derived oligogalacturonic acids (OGs), a type of damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP), which leads to the release of galacturonic acid (GalA), thereby dampening DAMP-triggered immunity (DTI). Ralstonia depends on PehC for its growth and early infection and can utilize GalA as a carbon source in the xylem. Our findings demonstrate the specialized and dual functions of Ralstonia PehC, which enhance virulence by degrading DAMPs to evade DTI and produce nutrients, a strategy used by pathogens to attenuate plant immunity. Solanaceous plants have evolved to recognize PehC and induce immune responses, which highlights the significance of PehC. Overall, this study provides insight into the arms race between plants and pathogens.

Identification of the egusi seed trait locus (eg) and its suppressor gene associated with the thin seed coat trait in watermelon.

Egusi watermelon has a unique egusi seed type, which could be useful for breeding both edible seeds and edible flesh in watermelon. However, the genetic basis of the unique egusi seed type is not clear. In the present study, we first reported that at least two genes with inhibitory epistasis were responsible for the thin seed coat (unique egusi seed type) in watermelon. Inheritance analysis of five populations, including F2, BC, and BCF2, suggested that the thin seed coat trait was controlled by a suppressor gene together with the egusi seed locus (eg) in egusi watermelon. Based on high-throughput sequencing technology, two quantitative trait loci located on chromosome 1 and chromosome 6 were identified for the thin seed coat trait in watermelon. One of the loci, the eg locus on chromosome 6, was finely mapped to a genomic region of 15.7 kb, which contained only one candidate gene. Comparative transcriptome analysis highlighted differentially expressed genes involved in cellulose and lignin synthesis between watermelon genotypes varying in the thickness of the seed coat and provided several potential candidate genes for the thin seed coat trait. Taken together, our data suggest that at least two genes are complementarily involved in the thin seed coat trait and will be useful for cloning novel genes. The results presented here provide a new reference for uncovering egusi seed genetic mechanisms and valuable information for marker-assisted selection in seed coat breeding.

A Preliminary Study in Immune Response of BALB/c and C57BL/6 Mice with a Locally Allergic Rhinitis Model.

BACKGROUND: BALB/c and C57BL/6 mouse strains are commonly used in allergy research. The current study investigated the immunological differences between these two mouse strains with a locally allergic rhinitis model. METHODS: Eighteen BALB/c and eighteen C57BL/6 mice received different doses of ovalbumin (OVA) intranasally for eight weeks (each mouse strain has three subgroups, 25 mg/mL group, 0.25 mg/mL group, and the PBS group). The allergic symptoms, OVA-specific serum antibody (IgE, IgG1, IgG2a), cytokines (IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-10) in the splenic culture supernatant, infiltrating eosinophils and goblet cells in local nasal mucosa were measured. RNA-seq technology was applied to detect differential gene expression in the local nasal mucosa. RESULTS: With the same dose of OVA stimulation, the exacerbation of allergic symptoms was more pronounced in C57BL/6 than in BALB/c. BALB/c serum IgE, IgG1, and IgG2a gradually increased, and C57BL/6 produced fewer serum antibodies IgE and IgG1, while IgG2a never increased. BALB/c spleen cell culture supernatant IL-4 and IL-10 increased with increasing dose, and IFN-γ increased significantly in the intermediate dose group, while IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ did not increase in C57BL/6. The infiltration of eosinophils and goblet cells in both mice was proportional to the dose, while C57BL/6 was elevated more than BALB/c. RNA-seq suggested that the innate immune response, immune system process function, Jun kinase (JNK) pathway, and MAPKK pathway were upregulated in C57BL/6 compared to BALB/c. The core genes responsible for the differential immune response in both mice with allergic rhinitis were Kng2, Kng1, Gnb3, Lpar3, Lpar1, Pik3r1, Pf4, Apob, Rps9, and Fbxo2. CONCLUSION: There are significant differences in the immunologic responses between BALB/c mice and C57BL/6 mice. BALB/c mice developed mild local allergic inflammatory reactions and strong systemic immune responses. In contrast, C57BL/6 mice had stronger local allergic inflammatory responses and relatively mild systemic immune responses. Different mice strains can be selected according to the research purpose.

Tuning Thermoelectric Conversion Performance of BiSbTe/Epoxy Flexible Films with Dot Magnetic Arrays.

Embedding of magnetic functional units into the thermoelectric (TE) materials has been demonstrated to be an effective way to enhance the TE conversion performance. However, the magnetic functional units in TE materials are all randomly distributed. In this paper, to explore the effect of the ordering of the magnetic functional units on TE conversion performance, a series of BiSbTe/epoxy flexible thermoelectromagnetic (TEM) films with dot magnetic arrays were successfully prepared by a two-step screen printing combined with a hot pressing process. TEM films with dot magnetic arrays can achieve high carrier mobility, while the carrier concentration increases due to large coercivity. Therefore, its electrical conductivities are significantly improved on the condition that it maintains a high Seebeck coefficient. The TEM film with hexagonal-dot magnetic arrays exhibits the best electrical transport properties, for which the room-temperature power factor reaches 1.51 mW·m-1·K-2, increased by 33.6 and 36.1% as compared with those of the pristine TE film and the TEM film with a continuous magnetic layer, respectively. This work provides a new way to enhance the TE conversion performance of flexible TEM films through the ordered magnetic arrays.

[Establishment of local allergic rhinitis tolerance in mouse model].

Objective:To establish a mouse model of local allergic rhinitis tolerance by intranasal infusion of allergen, and study its immunological indexes and characteristics. Methods:The mice were given ovalbumin（OVA） and phosphate buffer solution（PBS） daily, and their allergic symptoms were recorded. OVA-specific antibodies（IgE, IgG1, IgG2a） in serum and cytokine（IL-4, IL-10, IFN-γ） in splenic culture supernatant were detected. The infiltration of eosinophils and goblet cells in nasal mucosa were observed, and the changes in local nasal mucosa genes were analyzed by RNA-seq technique. Results:Mice first showed aggravation of allergic symptoms when stimulated with OVA. The serum OVA-specific antibodies IgE, IgG1, IgG2a and the cytokine（IL-4, IL-10, IFN-γ） Iin splenic culture supernatant were increased, the eosinophils and goblet cells in nasal mucosa were significantly increased. The expression of encoding IL-10, TGF-ß gene and eosinophils activation gene in nasal mucosa were up-regulated. As the duration of nasal dripping increased, the allergic symptoms gradually decreased, serum OVA-specific antibodies IgE, IgG1, IgG2a continued to increase. Splenic culture supernatant IL-4 decreased, IL-10 increased, IFN-γ had a downward trend. In nasal mucosa, goblet cells decreased significantly. Genes involved in eosinophils activation were significantly down-regulated. The encoding tolerance genes such as IL-10 and TGF-ß genes remained highly expressed. Ten core genes associated with immune tolerance in localized allergic rhinitis were screened, Rps27a, Uba52, Kng2, Gnal, C3, Rtp4, Reep1, Rtp2, Rtp1, Reep5. Conclusion:The mice first develop an allergy and then develop immune tolerance by continuous local drops of the allergen. The generation of immune tolerance may be induced by the continuous action of allergens, which induced systemic and local immune tolerance effects.

On the Design and Implementation of the External Data Integrity Tracking and Verification System for Stream Computing System in IoT.

Data integrity is a prerequisite for ensuring data availability of IoT data and has received extensive attention in the field of IoT big data security. Stream computing systems are widely used in the field of IoT for real-time data acquisition and computing. However, the real-time, volatility, suddenness, and disorder of stream data make data integrity verification difficult. According to the survey, there is no mature and universal solution. To solve this issue, we constructed a data integrity verification algorithm scheme of the stream computing system (S-DIV) by utilizing homomorphic message authentication code and pseudo-random function security assumption. Furthermore, based on S-DIV, an external data integrity tracking and verification system is constructed to track and analyze the message data stream in real time. By verifying the data integrity of message during the whole life cycle, the problem of data corruption or data loss can be found in time, and error alarm and message recovery can be actively implemented. Then, we conduct the formal security analysis under the standard model and, finally, implement the S-DIV scheme in simulation environment. Experimental results show that the scheme can guarantee data integrity in an acceptable time without affecting the efficiency of the original system.

High Transverse Thermoelectric Performance and Interfacial Stability of Co/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Artificially Tilted Multilayer Thermoelectric Devices.

Artificially tilted multilayer thermoelectric devices (ATMTDs) have attracted extensive attention because of their numerous advantages, such as high integration, great structural freedom, and large transverse Seebeck coefficients. ATMTDs are composed of numerous alternating stackings of two types of materials with large differences in electrical and thermal transport. Therefore, it is of great interest to find ATMTDs with both high transverse thermoelectric performance and good interfacial stability to develop their practical application. In this work, cobalt (Co) and Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 (BST) are chosen to prepare Co/BST ATMTDs. The interfacial structure and composition of Co/BST are characterized, and its interfacial stability and transverse thermoelectric performance are evaluated. The results show that the thickness of the Co/BST interfacial reaction layer is about 4 µm. Annealing at 473 K for 32 h does not increase the thickness, which indicates better interfacial stability than Ni/BST. After structure optimization, Co/BST ATMTD has ZTzx = 0.41, which is second only to YbAl3/BST ATMTDs. Meanwhile, the transverse Seebeck coefficient reaches -120.38 µV/K. The outstanding interfacial stability and transverse thermoelectric performance promise excellent thermal response and refrigeration performance with Co/BST ATMTDs.

Fabrication and Excellent Performances of Bismuth Telluride-Based Thermoelectric Devices.

The barrier layer between thermoelectric (TE) legs and electrodes has crucial impact on the electrothermal conversion efficiency of the TE device; however, the interfacial reaction of the Ni metal barrier layer with TE legs in traditional Bi2Te3-based devices is harmful to the device performance. Herein, a high-quality barrier layer of a Ni-based alloy has been fabricated on both n-type and p-type Bi2Te3-based TE legs by the electroplating method. The in situ XRD results indicate that the as-prepared Bi2Te3-based TE legs with a Ni-based alloy barrier layer remain stable even at 300 °C. The high-resolution high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy images reveal that the Ni-based alloy barrier layer has more excellent stability than that of the Ni metal barrier layer. The Bi2Te3-based TE devices with excellent structural and performance stabilities were assembled with the as-grown high-performance n-type and p-type Bi2Te3-based leg with a Ni-based alloy barrier layer, which have lower internal resistance and higher cooling and power generation performances. A maximum cooling temperature difference over 65 K and a maximum cooling capacity of 55 W were obtained for the high-performance Bi2Te3-based TE devices. This work provides a new strategy for high-temperature applications of commercial Bi2Te3-based TE devices.

A Ralstonia solanacearum effector targets TGA transcription factors to subvert salicylic acid signaling.

The bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum causes wilt disease on Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). This pathogen uses type III effectors to inhibit the plant immune system; however, how individual effectors interfere with plant immune responses, including transcriptional reprograming, remain elusive. Here, we show that the type III effector RipAB targets Arabidopsis TGACG SEQUENCE-SPECIFIC BINDING PROTEIN (TGA) transcription factors, the central regulators of plant immune gene regulation, via physical interaction in the nucleus to dampen immune responses. RipAB was required for R. solanacearum virulence on wild-type tomato and Arabidopsis but not Arabidopsis tga1 tga4 and tga2 tga5 tga6 mutants. Stable expression of RipAB in Arabidopsis suppressed the pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst and immune gene induction as well as salicylic acid (SA) regulons including RBOHD and RBOHF, responsible for ROS production, all of which were phenocopied by the tga1 tga4 and tga2 tga5 tga6 mutants. We found that TGAs directly activate RBOHD and RBOHF expression and that RipAB inhibits this through interfering with the recruitment of RNA polymerase II. These results suggest that TGAs are the bona fide and major virulence targets of RipAB, which disrupts SA signaling by inhibiting TGA activity to achieve successful infection.

Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Local Allergic Rhinitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) has been used for treating local allergic rhinitis (LAR) patients. However, the clinical efficacy and safety were still questioned. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to estimate the efficacy and safety of SCIT for treating LAR patients through meta-analysis. METHODS: We systemically searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Embase publications. Randomized, double-blind, clinical trials for the efficacy and safety of Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT) for LAR were included. A meta-analysis of 4 clinical endpoints (combined symptom and medication scores [CSMS], symptom scores [SS], medication scores [MS] and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire [RQLQ]) and adverse events (AEs)) was performed after bias and heterogeneity assessments. The immunologic response results were summarized. RESULTS: Four RCTs with 134 patients were included. Four studies for analyzing primary outcomes (CSMS, SS, MS) and AEs, three for RQLQ results. The results indicated an important significant difference between SCIT and placebo groups, list as follows: CSMS (SMD = -2.42, 95% CI: -3.60 to -1.25, P < .0001), SS (SMD = -2.08, 95% CI -3.68 to -0.48, P = .01), MS (SMD = -1.43, 95% CI: -2.65 to -0.21, P = 0.02), RQLQ (SMD = -0.70, 95% CI -1.29 to -0.12, P = .02), Local AEs (RR = 4.13, 95% CI 1.08 to 15.77, P = .04). For immunologic response, significantly increased serum sIgG4 levels and improvements of allergen tolerance was observed after SCIT. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggests that SCIT has a significant effect on improving symptoms and reducing medicine consumption for LAR patients. Larger and multicenter clinical trials are needed to clarify the safety and long-term efficacy.

[In vitro study on the individual binding ability of omalizumab with free IgE].

Objective:To investigate the individual binding ability of omalizumab to free IgE and its effect on omalizumab action. Methods:A total of 28 serum samples were collected from patients with allergic rhinitis and divided into groups with high, medium and low concentrations of free IgE. Different doses of omalizumab were administered in vitro for inhibitory binding. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect changes in serum free IgE after inhibition. The inhibition constant of omalizumab on serum free IgE was calculated. At the same time, the binding ability of omalizumab and individual free IgE was analyzed. Results:In general, when 100% serum free IgE was inhibited, the omalizumab required was positively correlated with the original serum free IgE concentration（9.500±7.207, 8.636±7.375, and 0.786±0.857 for the high, medium, and low IgE concentration groups, respectively）. The dose of omalizumab required for inhibition of 50% free IgE in serum was significantly lower（0.049±0.071, 0.046±0.077, 0.048±0.048 in the high, medium, and low IgE concentrations groups, respectively）. The 100% and 50% inhibition constants of serum free IgE in different individuals were different to some extent. Conclusion:Overall, the amount of omalizumab required to achieve the same inhibitory effect is proportional to the IgE concentration. In some sensitive patients, partial binding inhibition of free IgE can occur even when omalizumab is administered at less than the recommended dose. The binding ability of serum free IgE and omalizumab was different in different individuals. If this factor is used as a reference for the individual dose of omalizumab in clinical medicine, it is possible to achieve the expected efficacy more accurately.

Excellent Thermoelectric Performance from In Situ Reaction between Co Nanoparticles and BiSbTe Flexible Films.

Low-cost flexible thermoelectric (TE) films with excellent cooling performance are critical for the in-plane heat dissipation application based on the TE film refrigeration technology. In this work, a flexible film epoxy/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 is developed by the incorporation of ferromagnetic Co nanoparticles to improve the electrical transport and cooling performance. The magnetic properties and microstructures clearly indicate that part of Co nanoparticles in situ reacts with Te from Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 to form CoTe2, as well as BiTe' antisite defects. The electric conductivity is greatly enhanced because of the increased carrier density, while a large Seebeck coefficient is well maintained because of the extra magnetic scattering. The power factor of the flexible film with 0.2 wt % Co nanoparticles reached 2.28 mW·m-1·K-2 at 300 K, increased by 34% compared to the epoxy/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 film. The maximum cooling temperature difference is 1.5 times higher compared with the epoxy/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 film. This work provides a general method to improve the electrothermal conversion performance of BiSbTe-based flexible films through in situ reaction.

[A preliminary study on the biomarkers of local inflammation in allergic rhinitis].

Objective:This study aimed to explore the biomarkers in nasal secretion that can assist in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis（AR） and can be used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of AR. Methods:Thirty-three patients with AR and 21 healthy controls were included. The nasal secretion of healthy controls and patients with AR（before and after treatment） were collected. The cytology, the concentrations of cytokines（IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-33, IFN-γ） and inflammatory mediators（ECP, MPO） were detected. Then, we compared the differences of various biomarkers between healthy controls and AR patients（before and after treatment group）. And analyzed the correlation between each biomarkers/biomarkers difference value/the percentage of biomarkers difference value and clinical symptom score/ score difference value / the percentage of score difference value. Results:Compared with normal controls, the levels of ECP, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-33 and IFN-γ in nasal secretion of AR patients were significantly higher than those of normal controls（P<0.05）. There was no significant difference in MPO. After treatment, ECP decreased significantly（P<0.01）, inflammatory cell grade and eosinophil percentage are also decreased（P<0.01）. However, MPO, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-33 and IFN-γ did not change significantly. The difference value of ECP before and after treatment was correlated with the difference value of VAS score（r=0.348, P=0.047）. The difference value of IL-5 was correlated with the difference value of VAS score and rhinorrhea, the correlation coefficients were 0.406（P=0.019） and 0.429（P=0.013）, respectively. The difference value of eosinophil percentage in nasal secretion before and after treatment was correlated with nasal congestion, and the correlation coefficient was 0.383. The difference value of eosinophil percentage multiplied by inflammatory cell grade before and after treatment was correlated with VAS score（r=0.417, P=0.016） and nasal congestion difference value（r=0.519, P=0.002）. The percentage of difference value of IFN-γ before and after treatment was correlated with the percentage of difference value of VAS score / rhinorrhea / sneeze / total nasal symptom score. Conclusion:ECP, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-33 in nasal secretion are expected to be objective biomarkers for auxiliary diagnosis of AR. And ECP, IL-5, IFN-γ, eosinophil percentage multiplied by grade is expected to be an objective index to judge the improvement of patients' symptoms after treatment.

Different doses of ovalbumin exposure on dendritic cells determine their genetic/epigenetic regulation and T cell differentiation.

It has been reported that allergen dosage can impact the differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs)-mediated T cells. However, the mechanisms of such dose-dependent differentiation are poorly understood. In this study, bone marrow-derived immature DCs stimulated with Ovalbumin (OVA) of different concentrations (0, 10, 100, 1000, 10000µg/ml, respectively). DCs were then co-cultured with naïve T cells. RNA-sequencing detection and DNA methylation of DCs were performed. We show that when DCs were stimulated with low-dose (10µg/ml), 77 genes were up-regulated and 87 genes down-regulated. Most activated genes were related to ribosome synthesis and ion channel inhibition. At the medium-dose (100µg/ml), 339 genes were up-regulated and 168 genes down-regulated. Most activated genes involved cytokine synthesis and regulation of immune responses. At high-dose (10000µg/ml), 2497 genes were up-regulated and 1156 genes down-regulated. TNF signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, antigen processing and presentation signaling pathway were mostly up-regulated. The related co-stimulators, co-inhibitory molecules, inhibitory cytokines, negative regulating enzymes were highly expressed. The monocarbate, coenzyme, fatty acid, glucolipid, starch, sucrose and other metabolism-related signaling pathways were down-regulated. The profiles of DNA methylation and RNA synthesis of DCs varied with different doses of OVA, which serves to induce T cells to differentiate in various directions.

Study on degradation of diesel pollutants in seawater by composite photocatalyst MnO2/ZrO2.

In this paper, the effectiveness of the composite photocatalyst was studied by using manganese dioxide (MnO2)/zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) to degrade diesel pollutants in seawater under visible light.The MnO2/ZrO2 photocatalyst was prepared by co-precipitation and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis. This is the first report on a comprehensive analytical study on the effect of various physio-chemical parameters on diesel degradation using the synthesized MnO2/ZrO2 photocatalysts. The effects of doping ratio of MnO2/ZrO2, dosage, initial diesel concentration, calcination temperature, concentration of H2O2 solutions and illumination time on the diesel degradation were investigated. The degradation of diesel pollution in seawater was optimized by orthogonal experiment. According to the results, the prepared samples were monoclinic form and the MnO2 was successfully doped into the bulk ZrO2. The absorption edge of the MnO2/ZrO2 photocatalysts exhibited red shift, and this red shifts imply enhanced photon absorption under visible light compared with the pure ZrO2. The results showed that under optimum reaction conditions, the degradation rate can reach 92.92%. The result of this study will enable ZrO2 to make more effective use of sunlight and improve the actual value of photocatalytic technology in the field of contaminant treatment.