Biometric-Tuned E-Skin Sensor with Real Fingerprints Provides Insights on Tactile Perception: Rosa Parks Had Better Surface Vibrational Sensation than Richard Nixon.

The dense mechanoreceptors in human fingertips enable texture discrimination. Recent advances in flexible electronics have created tactile sensors that effectively replicate slowly adapting (SA) and rapidly adapting (RA) mechanoreceptors. However, the influence of dermatoglyphic structures on tactile signal transmission, such as the effect of fingerprint ridge filtering on friction-induced vibration frequencies, remains unexplored. A novel multi-layer flexible sensor with an artificially synthesized skin surface capable of replicating arbitrary fingerprints is developed. This sensor simultaneously detects pressure (SA response) and vibration (RA response), enabling texture recognition. Fingerprint ridge patterns from notable historical figures - Rosa Parks, Richard Nixon, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ronald Reagan - are fabricated on the sensor surface. Vibration frequency responses to assorted fabric textures are measured and compared between fingerprint replicas. Results demonstrate that fingerprint topography substantially impacts skin-surface vibrational transmission. Specifically, Parks' fingerprint structure conveyed higher frequencies more clearly than those of Nixon, King, or Reagan. This work suggests individual fingerprint ridge morphological variation influences tactile perception and can confer adaptive advantages for fine texture discrimination. The flexible bioinspired sensor provides new insights into human vibrotactile processing by modeling fingerprint-filtered mechanical signals at the finger-object interface.

[Abnormalities in signal transduction of Purkinje cells in spinocerebellar ataxias: a review].

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a group of autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases that have been currently identified with numerous subtypes exhibiting genetic heterogeneity and clinical variability. Purkinje neuronal degeneration and cerebellar atrophy are common pathological features among most SCA subtypes. The physiological functions of Purkinje cells are regulated by multiple factors, and their dysfunction in signal transduction may lead to abnormal cerebellar motor control. This review summarizes the abnormalities in voltage-gated ionic channels, intracellular calcium signaling, and glutamate signaling transduction of Purkinje cells in SCAs, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the common pathogenesis of SCAs and developing specific treatments.

Tyrosine kinase receptor ErbB4 in Advillin-positive neurons contributes to inflammatory pain hypersensitivity in mouse DRG.

Inflammatory pain is a common type of pathological pain. Although the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is key to pathogenesis of inflammatory pain, the underlying specific molecular and cellular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we used mouse models of acute or chronic inflammatory pain, induced by formalin or complete Freund' s adjuvant (CFA), respectively, to explore whether tyrosine kinase receptor ErbB4 participates in the pathogenesis of inflammatory pain. Firstly, we found that both the expression of Neuregulin 1 (Nrg1) and phosphorylation of ErbB4 receptor were upregulated in DRG after inflammatory pain, implying the activation of ErbB4 in DRG. Using ErbB4-mutant mice, we found reduced pain sensitivity of mice when ErbB4 gene expression was largely ablated; furthermore, ErbB4 deletion decreased the inflammatory pain hypersensitivity of either formalin- or CFA-induced mouse models. Moreover, the pain sensitivity was reduced in mice with specific deletion of ErbB4 on advillin-positive neurons within DRG. Importantly, pain hypersensitivity also decreased in Advillin-Cre;ErbB4-/- cKO mice after formalin- or CFA-induced inflammatory pain. Finally, gene quantification differential expression analysis, using RNAseq technology in combination with GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, suggested that calcium signaling pathway possibly mediated the roles of ErbB4 on DRG sensory neurons in inflammatory pain models. Together, these results indicate that ErbB4 on advillin-positive sensory neurons enhances inflammatory pain sensitivity, providing new clues towards the pathogenic mechanisms of inflammatory pain.

Review of covalent organic frameworks for enzyme immobilization: Strategies, applications, and prospects.

Efficient enzyme immobilization systems offer a promising approach for improving enzyme stability and recyclability, reducing enzyme contamination in products, and expanding the applications of enzymes in the biomedical field. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) possess high surface areas, ordered channels, optional building blocks, highly tunable porosity, stable mechanical properties, and abundant functional groups, making them ideal candidates for enzyme immobilization. Various COF-enzyme composites have been successfully synthesized, with performances that surpass those of free enzymes in numerous ways. This review aims to provide an overview of current enzyme immobilization strategies using COFs, highlighting the characteristics of each method and recent research applications. The future opportunities and challenges of enzyme immobilization technology using COFs are also discussed.

Which Factors Influence Healthy Aging? A Lesson from the Longevity Village of Bama in China.

A growing aging population is associated with increasing incidences of aging-related diseases and socioeconomic burdens. Hence, research into healthy longevity and aging is urgently needed. Longevity is an important phenomenon in healthy aging. The present review summarizes the characteristics of longevity in the elderly population in Bama, China, where the proportion of centenarians is 5.7-fold greater than the international standard. We examined the impact of genetic and environmental factors on longevity from multiple perspectives. We proposed that the phenomenon of longevity in this region is of high value for future investigations in healthy aging and aging-related disease and may provide guidance for fostering the establishment and maintenance of a healthy aging society.

Supplementary effect of whey components on the monascin productivity of Monascus sp.

BACKGROUND: Monascus sp. has been used in fermented foods for centuries. It can synthesize yellow, red, and orange pigments as secondary metabolites. Here, we focused on yellow pigment monascin, responsible for anti-inflammation and antidiabetic effects, and investigated whether whey could be a suitable substrate with or without rice powder for monascin production using M. purpureus AHU 9085, M. pilosus NBRC 4520 and M. ruber NBRC 32318. RESULTS: The growth and monascin production of the three Monascus strains were dependent on three liquid media consisting of whey and/or rice. All strains showed the best growth in a rice and whey mixed medium, in which M. ruber NBRC 32318 exhibited the highest total monascin production. Subsequent investigation of the effects of whey components indicated that a mineral cocktail in whey was particularly effective in stimulating the monascin production efficiency of M. ruber NBRC 32318. However, this recipe exhibited less stimulation, or even inhibition, for M. pilosus NBRC 4520 and M. purpureus AHU 9085, respectively. In terms of total monascin production, rice with whey provided the highest amount due to growth promotion along with relatively high production efficiency. CONCLUSION: The effect of whey on growth and monascin production was strongly dependent on the Monascus strains. Even a mineral cocktail in whey could regulate monascin productivity in a strain-specific manner. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism behind the diverse responses by the minerals in the production of monascin from Monascus. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Optimization Analysis of Particle Separation Parameters for a Standing Surface Acoustic Wave Acoustofluidic Chip.

Microparticle separation technology is an important technology in many biomedical and chemical engineering applications from sample detection to disease diagnosis. Although a variety of microparticle separation techniques have been developed thus far, surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based microfluidic separation technology shows great potential because of its high throughput, high precision, and integration with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannels. In this work, we demonstrate an acoustofluidic separation chip that includes a piezoelectric device that generates tilted-angle standing SAWs and a permanently bonded PDMS microchannel. We established a mathematical model of particle motion in the microchannel, simulated the particle trajectory through finite element simulation and numerical simulation, and then verified the validity of the model through acoustophoresis experiments. To improve the performance of the separation chip, the influences of particle size, flow rate, and input power on the particle deflection distance were studied. These parameters are closely related to the separation purity and separation efficiency. By optimizing the control parameters, the separation of micron and submicron particles under different throughput conditions was achieved. Moreover, the separation samples were quantitatively analyzed by digital light scattering technology and flow cytometry, and the results showed that the maximum purity of the separated particles was ∼95%, while the maximum efficiency was ∼97%.

Selective nitridation-corrosion process to recover vanadium, titanium, chromium, and iron from vanadium slag.

Vanadium slag (V-slag) is an important secondary V source, but other valuable elements are discarded in the tailings in industry. Herein, a green nitridation-corrosion process is proposed for the comprehensive recovery of valuable elements (V, Ti, Cr, Fe) from V-slag without producing hazardous waste. Thermodynamic results indicate that ammonia gas (NH3) can selectively reduce Fe and nitride V, Cr, and Ti. The main phase composition of the nitrided V-slag included metallic Fe, nitrides, and diopside under optimal conditions, and their relative contents were 42.5, 26.2, and 31.3%, respectively, after roasting at 1000 °C for 6 h. The effects of the main parameters on corrosion test were investigated, and the highest weight-gain ratio attained was 19.6%. FeOOH crystallizes on the surface of the nitrided V-slag due to the oxidization of metallic Fe. The phase evolution during the entire process is spinel/olivine/diopside → Fe/nitrides/diopside → FeOOH/nitrides/diopside. Owing to finer particle sizes, most FeOOH is separated by wet sieving (<1400 mesh). The purity of the enriched nitrides attained was 43% after pickling to remove excess Fe. The total recovery rates of Fe, V, Ti, Cr were 87.76%, 95.92%, 92.92%, 92.11%, respectively. This paper provides a sustainable strategy for the comprehensive utilization of V-slag, and guides the cleaner treatment of other similar minerals.

TMT proteomics analysis of a pseudocereal crop, quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), during seed maturation.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), an Andean native crop, is increasingly popular around the world due to its high nutritional content and stress tolerance. The production and the popularity of this strategic global food are greatly restricted by many limiting factors, such as seed pre-harvest sprouting, bitter saponin, etc. To solve these problems, the underlying mechanism of seed maturation in quinoa needs to be investigated. In this study, based on the investigation of morphological characteristics, a quantitative analysis of its global proteome was conducted using the combinational proteomics of tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). The proteome changes related to quinoa seed maturation conversion were monitored to aid its genetic improvement. Typical changes of morphological characteristics were discovered during seed maturation, including mean grain diameter, mean grain thickness, mean hundred-grain weight, palea, episperm color, etc. With TMT proteomics analysis, 581 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) were identified. Functional classification analysis and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that most DAPs involved in photosynthesis were downregulated, indicating low levels of photosynthesis. DAPs that participated in glycolysis, such as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate decarboxylase, and alcohol dehydrogenase, were upregulated to fulfill the increasing requirement of energy consumption during maturation conversion. The storage proteins, such as globulins, legumins, vicilins, and oleosin, were also increased significantly during maturation conversion. Protein-protein interaction analysis and function annotation revealed that the upregulation of oleosin, oil body-associated proteins, and acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 2 resulted in the accumulation of oil in quinoa seeds. The downregulation of ß-amyrin 28-oxidase was observed, indicating the decreasing saponin content, during maturation, which makes the quinoa "sweet". By the PRM and qRT-PCR analysis, the expression patterns of most selected DAPs were consistent with the result of TMT proteomics. Our study enhanced the understanding of the maturation conversion in quinoa. This might be the first and most important step toward the genetic improvement of quinoa.

Mapping of Spatiotemporal Auricular Electrophysiological Signals Reveals Human Biometric Clusters.

Underneath the ear skin there are rich vascular network and sensory nerve branches. Hence, the 3D mapping of auricular electrophysiological signals can provide new biomedical perspectives. However, it is still extremely challenging for current sensing techniques to cover the entire ultra-curved auricle. Here, a 3D graphene-based ear-conformable sensing device with embedded and distributed 3D electrodes for full-auricle physiological monitoring is reported. As a proof-of-concept, spatiotemporal auricular electrical skin resistance (AESR) mapping is demonstrated for the first time, and human subject-specific AESR distributions are observed. From the data of more than 30 ears (both right and left ears), the auricular region-specific AESR changes after cycling exercise are observed in 98% of the tests and are clustered into four groups via machine learning-based data analyses. Correlations of AESR with heart rate and blood pressure are also studied. This 3D electronic platform and AESR-based biometrical findings show promising biomedical applications.

Wide-Bandwidth Nanocomposite-Sensor Integrated Smart Mask for Tracking Multiphase Respiratory Activities.

Wearing masks has been a recommended protective measure due to the risks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) even in its coming endemic phase. Therefore, deploying a "smart mask" to monitor human physiological signals is highly beneficial for personal and public health. This work presents a smart mask integrating an ultrathin nanocomposite sponge structure-based soundwave sensor (≈400 µm), which allows the high sensitivity in a wide-bandwidth dynamic pressure range, i.e., capable of detecting various respiratory sounds of breathing, speaking, and coughing. Thirty-one subjects test the smart mask in recording their respiratory activities. Machine/deep learning methods, i.e., support vector machine and convolutional neural networks, are used to recognize these activities, which show average macro-recalls of ≈95% in both individual and generalized models. With rich high-frequency (≈4000 Hz) information recorded, the two-/tri-phase coughs can be mapped while speaking words can be identified, demonstrating that the smart mask can be applicable as a daily wearable Internet of Things (IoT) device for respiratory disease identification, voice interaction tool, etc. in the future. This work bridges the technological gap between ultra-lightweight but high-frequency response sensor material fabrication, signal transduction and processing, and machining/deep learning to demonstrate a wearable device for potential applications in continual health monitoring in daily life.

Experimental research on surface acoustic wave microfluidic atomization for drug delivery.

This paper demonstrates that surface acoustic wave (SAW) atomization can produce suitable aerosol concentration and size distribution for efficient inhaled lung drug delivery and is a potential atomization device for asthma treatment. Using the SAW device, we present comprehensive experimental results exploring the complexity of the acoustic atomization process and the influence of input power, device frequency, and liquid flow rate on aerosol size distribution. It is hoped that these studies will explain the mechanism of SAW atomization aerosol generation and how they can be controlled. The insights from the high-speed flow visualization studies reveal that it is possible by setting the input power above 4.17 W, thus allowing atomization to occur from a relatively thin film, forming dense, monodisperse aerosols. Moreover, we found that the aerosol droplet size can be effectively changed by adjusting the input power and liquid flow rate to change the film conditions. In this work, we proposed a method to realize drug atomization by a microfluidic channel. A SU-8 flow channel was prepared on the surface of a piezoelectric substrate by photolithography technology. Combined with the silicon dioxide coating process and PDMS process closed microfluidic channel was prepared, and continuous drug atomization was provided to improve the deposition efficiency of drug atomization by microfluidic.

A covalent organic framework with a self-contained light source for photodynamic therapy.

External light-independent antitumor PDT is successfully realized with a covalent organic framework (COF)-based host-guest nanosystem. Its highly effective antitumor behavior is fully demonstrated by both H2O2-overexpressed 4T1 and H2O2-less expressed HCT116 and MCF-7 xenograft models.

Thermal Control Design and Packaging for Surface Acoustic Wave Devices in Acoustofluidics.

This article presents a thermal control design method for a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device. We designed a heat-dissipation structure and packaging scheme to solve three key issues observed in SAW devices using anisotropic crystals as piezoelectric substrates in acoustofluidics (e.g., lithium niobate): SAW chip cracking caused by thermal stress, SAW chip cracking caused by mismatched thermal expansion coefficients of the packaging materials, and enhancement of the structural strength and stability of the SAW chip. This study establishes the physical model of the designed structure and the relationship between the steady-state working temperature and the physical properties of the material. By comparing these physical properties and numerical calculations, we identified nanosilver adhesive as the most effective bonding material between the SAW chip and the heat sink. In addition to designing and fabricating, we also evaluated our SAW devices experimentally. The results not only confirmed that the abovementioned three key problems were solved but also demonstrated the significant enhancement of the stability of the SAW device.

Caveolin-1-deficient fibroblasts promote migration, invasion, and stemness via activating the TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway in breast cancer cells.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) represent one of the main components in the tumor stroma and play a key role in breast cancer progression. Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) has been established to mediate breast cancer metastasis by regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness of cancer cells. Caveolin-1 (CAV-1) is a scaffold protein of caveolae that is related to the proliferation and metabolism of cancer cells. It is now well demonstrated that CAV-1 deficiency in the tumor stroma is positively correlated with distant metastasis, but the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we explore whether CAV-1-deficient fibroblasts play an essential role in the EMT and stemness of breast cancer cells (BCCs) through TGF-ß signaling. We establish a specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) to inhibit CAV-1 expression in fibroblasts and coculture them with BCCs to investigate the effect of CAV­1-deficient fibroblasts and the tumor microenvironment on breast cancer progression. This study refreshingly points out that CAV-1 deficiency in fibroblasts enhances TGF-ß1 secretion and then activates the TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway of BCCs, thus promoting the metastasis and stemness of BCCs. Collectively, our findings indicate an unexpected role of CAV-1 deficiency in fibroblasts and the tumor microenvironment as a permissive factor, which is regulated by the TGF-ß1 signaling pathway in BCCs.

Rapid nanomolding of nanotopography on flexible substrates to control muscle cell growth with enhanced maturation.

In vivo, multiple biophysical cues provided by highly ordered connective tissues of the extracellular matrix regulate skeletal muscle cells to align in parallel with one another. However, in routine in vitro cell culture environments, these key factors are often missing, which leads to changes in cell behavior. Here, we present a simple strategy for using optical media discs with nanogrooves and other polymer-based substrates nanomolded from the discs to directly culture muscle cells to study their response to the effect of biophysical cues such as nanotopography and substrate stiffness. We extend the range of study of biophysical cues for myoblasts by showing that they can sense ripple sizes as small as a 100 nm width and a 20 nm depth for myotube alignment, which has not been reported previously. The results revealed that nanotopography and substrate stiffness regulated myoblast proliferation and morphology independently, with nanotopographical cues showing a higher effect. These biophysical cues also worked synergistically, and their individual effects on cells were additive; i.e., by comparing cells grown on different polymer-based substrates (with and without nanogrooves), the cell proliferation rate could be reduced by as much as ~29%, and the elongation rate could be increased as much as ~116%. Moreover, during myogenesis, muscle cells actively responded to nanotopography and consistently showed increases in fusion and maturation indices of ~28% and ~21%, respectively. Finally, under electrical stimulation, the contraction amplitude of well-aligned myotubes was found to be almost 3 times greater than that for the cells on a smooth surface, regardless of the substrate stiffness.

A novel and efficient method to induce allospecific CD8+ memory T lymphocytes.

The aim of the current study was to establish a simple method for effectively inducing memory T lymphocytes by the intraperitoneal injection of spleen lymphocytes into mice. In total, 75 mice were divided into the following groups: an injection group administered three doses of spleen lymphocytes (1 × 106 , 5 × 106 , and 1 × 107 cells), a transplantation group in which a 0.25-cm2 skin section from C57BL/6 mice was transplanted onto the back of the recipient, and a control group in which an equal volume of phosphate-buffered saline was injected. At 1, 2, or 3 months following transplantation, the following parameters were evaluated: quantity of T lymphocytes, percentage of cluster of differentiation 8+ (CD8+ ) memory T cells, and proliferation index of purified CD8+ memory T cells. No significant differences among groups were detected at 1 month (p > .05). However, the injection group administered 1 × 106 cells exhibited the highest proportion of CD8+ memory T cells among all groups at 2 months, and the proportions of CD8+ T cells were higher in the three injection groups than in the skin transplantation and control groups at 3 months. The proportions of memory T cells were higher in the injection groups administered 5 × 106 or 1 × 107 cells than in the skin transplantation and control groups at 3 months. The newly established method effectively induces memory T lymphocytes via the intraperitoneal injection of spleen lymphocytes in vivo and has potential applications in the field of immunotherapy.

Current Knowledge of Long Non-Coding RNA HOTAIR in Breast Cancer Progression and Its Application.

Breast cancer is one of the most devastating cancers with high morbidity and mortality in females worldwide. Breast tumorigenesis and further development present great uncertainty and complexity, and efficient therapeutic approaches still lack. Accumulating evidence indicates HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) is dysregulated in cancers and has emerged as a novel hotspot in the field. In breast cancer, aberrant HOTAIR expression is responsible for advanced tumor progression by regulating multifarious signaling pathways. Besides, HOTAIR may act as competitive endogenous RNA to bind to several microRNAs and suppress their expressions, which can subsequently upregulate the levels of targeted downstream messenger RNAs, thereby leading to further cancer progression. In addition, HOTAIR works as a promising biomarker and predictor for breast cancer patients' diagnosis or outcome prediction. Recently, HOTAIR is potentially considered to be a drug target. Here, we have summarized the induction of HOTAIR in breast cancer and its impacts on cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and therapeutic resistance, as well as elucidating the underlying mechanisms. This review aims to provide new insights into investigations between HOTAIR and breast cancer development and inspire new methods for studying the association in depth.

Intracerebral Transplantation of Neural Stem Cells Restores Manganese-Induced Cognitive Deficits in Mice.

Manganese (Mn) is a potent neurotoxin known to cause long-lasting structural damage and progressive cognitive deficits in the brain. However, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed since current treatments only target symptoms of Mn exposure. Recent studies have suggested a potential role for multipotent neural stem cells (NSCs) in the etiology of Mn-induced cognitive deficits. In this study, we evaluated the effect of direct intracerebral transplantation of NSCs on cognitive function of mice chronically exposed to MnCl2, and further explored the distribution of transplanted NSCs in brain tissues. NSCs were isolated and bilaterally injected into the hippocampal regions or lateral ventricles of Mn-exposed mice. The results showed that many transplanted cells migrated far away from the injection sites and survived in vivo in the Mn-exposed mouse brain, implying enhanced neurogenesis in the host brain. We found that NSCs transplanted into either the hippocampal regions or the lateral ventricles significantly improved spatial learning and memory function of the Mn-exposed mice in the Morris water maze. Immunofluorescence analyses indicated that some surviving NSCs differentiated into neurons or glial cells, which may have become functionally integrated into the impaired local circuits, providing a possible cellular basis for the improvement of cognitive function in NSC-transplanted mice. Taken together, our findings confirm the Mn-induced impairment of neurogenesis in the brain and underscore the potential of treating Mn exposure by NSC transplantation, providing a practical therapeutic strategy against this type of neurotoxicity.

Silver-Mediated Intermolecular Iodotrifluoromethoxylation of Alkenes.

For the first time, intermolecular iodotrifluoromethoxylation between alkenes and NIS with AgF as the catalyst and TFMS as the trifluoromethoxylation reagent has been explored. The practical processes, good functional group tolerance, and easy scalability make this reaction an attractive protocol for the synthesis of trifluoromethoxylated iodides, which can be readily used for further synthetic manipulation.