Publications by authors named "Mengnan Zhu"

The diverse microbiota of the intestine is expected to benefit the host, yet the beneficial metabolites derived from the microbiota are still poorly understood. Enterobactin (Ent) is a well- known secreted iron-scavenging siderophore made by bacteria to fetch iron from the host or environment. Little was known about a positive role of Ent until a recent discovery in the nematode indicated a beneficial role of Ent in promoting mitochondrial iron level in the animal intestine.

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The diverse microbiota of the intestine is expected to benefit the host, yet the beneficial metabolites derived from the microbiota are still poorly understood. Enterobactin (Ent) is a well-known secreted iron-scavenging siderophore made by bacteria to fetch iron from the host or environment. Little was known about a positive role of Ent until a recent discovery in the nematode C.

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Dietary restriction is an effective anti-ageing intervention across species. However, the molecular mechanisms from the metabolic aspects of view are still underexplored. Here we show ACS-20 as a key mediator of dietary restriction on healthy ageing from a genetic screen of the C.

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Citrus fruit has long been considered a healthy food, but its role and detailed mechanism in lifespan extension are not clear. Here, by using the nematode C. elegans, we identified that nomilin, a bitter-taste limoloid that is enriched in citrus, significantly extended the animals' lifespan, healthspan, and toxin resistance.

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Article Synopsis
  • The in situ exsolution technique allows for new uses of perovskite-based catalysts in solid oxide cells, but controlling the structural changes in host perovskites has been a challenge.
  • This study successfully overcomes the trade-off between promoting exsolution and preventing unwanted phase transitions by adding a B-site supplement to the material, expanding the possibilities for these perovskites.
  • The researchers showed that modifying the host perovskites' phases can enhance the performance and stability of exsolved nanoparticles, highlighting the importance of their structural design for improving catalytic reactions.
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Substrate-supported catalysts with atomically dispersed metal centers are promising for driving the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CORR) to produce value-added chemicals; however, regulating the size of exposed catalysts and optimizing their coordination chemistry remain challenging. In this study, we have devised a simple and versatile high-energy pulsed laser method for the enrichment of a Bi "single atom" (SA) with a controlled first coordination sphere on a time scale of nanoseconds. We identify the mechanistic bifurcation routes over a Bi SA that selectively produce either formate or syngas when bound to C or N atoms, respectively.

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Perovskites with exsolved nanoparticles (P-eNs) have immense potentials for carbon dioxide (CO) reduction in solid oxide electrolysis cell. Despite the recent achievements in promoting the B-site cation exsolution for enhanced catalytic activities, the unsatisfactory stability of P-eNs at high voltages greatly impedes their practical applications and this issue has not been elucidated. In this study, we reveal that the formation of B-site vacancies in perovskite scaffold is the major contributor to the degradation of P-eNs; we then address this issue by fine-regulating the B-site supplement of the reduced SrFeNiMoO using foreign Fe sources, achieving a robust perovskite scaffold and prolonged stability performance.

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The mTOR-dependent nutrient-sensing and response machinery is the central hub for animals to regulate their cellular and developmental programs. However, equivalently pivotal nutrient and metabolite signals upstream of mTOR and developmental-regulatory signals downstream of mTOR are not clear, especially at the organism level. We previously showed glucosylceramide (GlcCer) acts as a critical nutrient and metabolite signal for overall amino acid levels to promote development by activating the intestinal mTORC1 signaling pathway.

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Nanoalloys, especially high-entropy nanoalloys (HENAs) that contain equal stoichiometric metallic elements in each nanoparticle, are widely used in vast applications. Currently, the synthesis of HENAs is challenged by slow reaction kinetics that leads to phase segregation, sophisticated pretreatment of precursors, and inert conditions that preclude scalable fabrication of HENAs. Here, we report direct conversion of metal salts to ultrafine HENAs on carbonaceous support by nanosecond pulsed laser under atmospheric conditions.

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Purpose: We aimed to uncover the role of microRNA-181 (miR-181) in the disease onset of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its underlying mechanism.

Methods: MiR-181 levels in plasma and aqueous humor samples of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and healthy subjects were analyzed by microarray and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Proliferative and migrative capacities of human retinal endothelial cells (hRECs) regulated by miR-181 were assessed.

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Electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CO RR) is a promising approach to convert CO to carbon-neutral fuels using external electric powers. Here, the Bi S -Bi O nanosheets possessing substantial interface being exposed between the connection of Bi S and Bi O are prepared and subsequently demonstrate to improve CO RR performance. The electrocatalyst shows formate Faradaic efficiency (FE) of over 90% in a wide potential window.

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Animals have developed various nutrient-sensing mechanisms for survival under fluctuating environmental conditions. Although extensive cell-culture-based analyses have identified diverse mediators of amino acid sensing upstream of mTOR, studies using animal models to examine intestine-initiated amino acid sensing mechanisms under specific physiological conditions are lacking. Here, we developed a Caenorhabditis elegans model to examine the impact of amino acid deficiency on development.

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Tangeretin is a polymethoxylated flavonoid naturally occurred in citrus fruits with many pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and neuroprotective properties. A previous study reported that tangeretin-enriched orange extract could prolong the lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. However, the antiaging effect of tangeretin remains uncertain.

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Microdrop generation with excellent controllability and volume precision is of paramount significance for a large variety of microfluidic applications. In this work, we propose a new configuration comprising only stripped electrodes of rectangular shape for the closed electrowetting-on-dielectric digital microfluidic (EWOD DMF) system and investigate its parallel microdrop generation outcomes via a numerical approach. The microfluidic droplet motion is solved by a finite-volume scheme on a fixed computational domain.

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Objective: To observe the protective effects of carnosic acid on rat retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) among acute ocular hypertension rats.

Methods: Sixty male SPF (specific-pathogen-free) SD rats (10 weeks) were randomly assigned to untreated group, carnosic-acid-treated group and hypertensive group with 20 rats for each. The acute ocular hypertension animal model was induced by the perfusion of normal saline solution into anterior chamber of eyes to elevate the intraocular pressure (IOP) to 110 mmHg for 60 min in the rats of the carnosic-acid-treated group and hypertensive group.

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Aim: To study the inhibition effect of TAK-242 on the proliferation of rat eye Tenon's capsule fibroblasts the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway.

Methods: SD rat Tenon's capsule fibroblasts were extracted and cultured, then the cells were divided into normal control group, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group (10 g/mL LPS) and TAK-242 group (1 µmol/L TAK-242, and 10 µg/mL LPS after 30min). The expressions of TLR4, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in each group were detected by Western blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

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Three-dimensional (3D) binary oxides with hierarchical porous nanostructures are attracting increasing attentions as electrode materials in energy storage and conversion systems because of their structural superiority which not only create desired electronic and ion transport channels but also possess better structural mechanical stability. Herein, unusual 3D hierarchical MnCoO porous dumbbells have been synthesized by a facile solvothermal method combined with a following heat treatment in air. The as-obtained MnCoO dumbbells are composed of tightly stacked nanorods and show a large specific surface area of 41.

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