qingjun ma

INTRODUCTION: Progestin, commonly used in oral contraception and preventing preterm birth, elicits various off-target side effects on brain and gastrointestinal (GI) functions, yet the precise mechanisms remain elusive. This study aims to probe progestin's impact on GI function and anxiety-like behaviors in female mice. METHODS: Colon stem cells were utilized to explore the mechanism underlying progestin 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC)-mediated suppression of claudin-1 (CLDN1), crucial for epithelial integrity...

The imaging spectrometer's high performance in practical applications may be compromised by environmental factors, particularly temperature variations, posing a challenge to its stability. Temperature fluctuations can induce spectral shift, directly impacting the accuracy of spectral measurements, subsequently influencing the precision of radiometric measurements. To address this issue, this study investigates a dual-channel UV imaging spectrometer. This instrument boasts a wavelength calibration accuracy of 0...

Corneal transplantation represents the primary therapeutic approach for managing corneal endothelial dysfunction, but corneal donors remain scarce. Anterior chamber cell injection emerges as a highly promising alternative strategy for corneal transplantation, with pluripotent stem cells (PSC) demonstrating considerable potential as an optimal cell source. Nevertheless, only a few studies have explored the differentiation of functional corneal endothelial-like cells originating from PSC. In this investigation, a chemical-defined protocol was successfully developed for the differentiation of functional corneal endothelial-like cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC)...

Intra-articular trauma typically initiates the overgeneration of reactive oxidative species (ROS), leading to post-traumatic osteoarthritis and cartilage degeneration. Xanthan gum (XG), a branched polysaccharide, has shown its potential in many biomedical fields, but some of its inherent properties, including undesirable viscosity and poor mechanical stability, limit its application in 3D printed scaffolds for cartilage regeneration. In this project, we developed 3D bioprinted XG hydrogels by modifying XG with methacrylic (MA) groups for post-traumatic cartilage therapy...

The presence of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) at a skin wound site is an important factor affecting wound healing. ROS scavenging, which regulates the ROS microenvironment, is essential for wound healing. In this study, we used novel electrospun PCL/gelatin/arbutin (PCL/G/A) nanofibrous membranes as wound dressings, with PCL/gelatin (PCL/G) as the backbone, and plant-derived arbutin (hydroquinone-β-d-glucopyranoside, ARB) as an effective antioxidant that scavenges ROS and inhibits bacterial infection in wounds...

Neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) is a challenging disease with the reduced innervation to the cornea. To establish a genetic and stable mouse model of NK, we utilized the TRPV1-DTR mice with intraperitoneal injection of diphtheria toxin (DT) to selectively eliminate TRPV1 neurons. After DT administration, the mice exhibited robust ablation of TRPV1 neurons in the trigeminal ganglion, accompanied with reduced corneal sensation and nerve density, as well as the decreased calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P levels...

BACKGROUND: Thymoma and myasthenia gravis (MG) interact with each other. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of thymoma on neurological outcome of MG patients after thymectomy using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. METHODS: Consecutive patients with MG who underwent thymectomy at Beijing Hospital between January 2012 and August 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical and follow-up data were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23...

Although rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries are cost effectiveness, intrinsic safety, and high activity, they are also known for bringing rampant hydrogen evolution reaction and corrosion. While eutectic electrolytes can effectively eliminate these issues, its high viscosity severely reduces the mobility of Zn2+ ions and exhibits poor temperature adaptability. Here, we infuse acetamide molecules with Lewis base and hydrogen bond donors into a solvated shell of Zn[(H2O)6]2+ to create Zn(H2O)3(ace)(BF4)2.The viscosity of 1ace-1H2O is 0...

Thelephora ganbajun exopolysaccharides (TGEP) with a "coral-like" branched chain structure (main chain diameter ~ 80 nm) were prepared by liquid fermentation and fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography. The main fraction (TGEP-2) with the highest in vitro antioxidant capacity was composed of Glc, Man, Gal, GalA, GlcA, Ara, Rha, GlcN, Fuc and Rib in a molar ratio of 465.43:420.43:219.14:188.43:37:35.14:31.43:19.43:11.14:1, with a molecular weight of 1.879 × 104  Da...

Metabolic abnormalities, particularly the M1/M2 macrophage imbalance, play a critical role in the development of various diseases, leading to severe inflammatory responses. The present study aimed to investigate the role of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in regulating macrophage polarization, glycolysis, metabolic reprogramming, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation. Primary human macrophages were first polarized into M1 and M2 subtypes, and these two subtypes were infected by lentivirus-mediated UCP2 overexpression or knockdown, followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, western blotting and flow cytometry to analyze the effects of UCP2 on glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), ROS production and cytokine secretion, respectively...

The role of BACH1 in the process of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) differentiation from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) remains unknown. Here, we find that the loss of BACH1 in hESCs attenuates the expression of VSMC marker genes, whereas overexpression of BACH1 after mesoderm induction increases the expression of VSMC markers during in vitro hESC-VSMC differentiation. Mechanistically, BACH1 binds directly to coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) during in vitro hESC-VSMC differentiation, and this interaction is mediated by the BACH1 bZIP domain...

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is carcinogenic and widely presented in soil. In this study, modified zero-valent iron (ZVI) with oxalic acid on biochar (OA-ZVI/BC) was prepared using wet ball milling method for the remediation of Cr(VI)-contaminated soil. Microscopic characterizations showed that ZVI were distributed on the biochar uniformly and confirmed the enhanced interface interaction between biochar and ZVI by wet ball milling. Electrochemical analysis indicated the strong electron transfer ability and enhanced corrosion behavior of OA-ZVI/BC...

BACKGROUND: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a systemic lymphoma. The invasion of the head and neck bone and skin by ALK+ ALCL is relatively uncommon in children. METHODS: We describe a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with ALK+ ALCL. RESULTS: He went a surgery of sampling biopsy procedure. Then the boy was treated with six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma-Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (NHL-BFM)-90 K3 arm...

In recent years, various porphyrin dyes have been designed to develop efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Based on our previously reported porphyrin dye XW43 , which contains a phenothiazine donor with two diethylene glycol (DEG)-derived substituents, we herein report a porphyrin dye XW89 by introducing a benzo 12-crown-4 (BCE) unit onto the N atom of the phenothiazine donor. On this basis, XW90 and XW91 have been synthesized by replacing a DEG chain in XW89 with two DEG chains and a 12-crown-4 unit, respectively...

Although enzyme catalysis is typified by high specificity, enzymes can catalyze various substrates (substrate promiscuity) and/or different reaction types (catalytic promiscuity) using a single active site. This interesting phenomenon is widely distributed in enzyme catalysis, with both fundamental and applied importance. To date, the mechanistic understanding of enzyme promiscuity is very limited. Herein, we report the structural mechanism underlying the substrate and catalytic promiscuity of Vibrio dual lipase/transferase (VDLT)...

To clarify the effect of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) combined with trophectoderm (TE) biopsy on the pregnancy outcomes of idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss (iRPL) and idiopathic recurrent implantation failure (iRIF), we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 212 iRPL couples and 66 iRIF couples who underwent PGT-A or conventional in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatment. The implantation rate (IR) per transfer (64...

INTRODUCTION: Owing to urbanization, living habits have changed widely, leading to alterations in the intestinal microbiota of urban residents. However, there are few studies on the characteristics of intestinal microbiota of adolescents living in different urbanized areas in China. METHODS: A total of 302 fecal samples collected from adolescent students in eastern China were examined. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was used to identify the fecal microbiota...

BACKGROUND: Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) is the most serious pathological type of non-obstructive azoospermia. Recently, several genes related to SCOS have been identified, including FANCM, TEX14, NR5A1, NANOS2, PLK4, WNK3, and FANCA, but they cannot fully explain the pathogenesis of SCOS. This study attempted to explain spermatogenesis dysfunction in SCOS through testicular tissue RNA sequencing and to provide new targets for SCOS diagnosis and therapy. METHODS: We analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based on RNA sequencing of nine patients with SCOS and three patients with obstructive azoospermia and normal spermatogenesis...

The fast OH- transfer between hydroxide layers is the key to enhancing the charge storage efficiency of layered double hydroxides (LDH)-based supercapacitors (SCs). Constructing interlayer reactive sites in LDH is much expected but still a huge challenge. In this work, CdS nano-dots (NDs) are introduced to interlayers of ultra-thin NiFe-LDH (denoted CdSinter. -NiFe-LDH), promoting the interlayer ions flow for higher redox activity. The excellent performance is not only due to the enlarged layer spacing (from 0...

PURPOSE: Contact lens wear (CLW) is one of the leading risk factors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis (PAK). However, the intrinsic factors that contribute to the high susceptibility to keratitis during CLW remain to be elucidated. CLW over an extended period can elevate corneal norepinephrine (NE) concentration. In this study, we investigated the role of NE in promoting PAK. METHODS: We constructed an injury-induced PAK model and a CLW-induced PAK model to confirm the impact of NE during corneal infection...