Improving fire retardancy and mechanical properties of polyurethane elastomer by acid hydrotropic lignin.

Improving flame retardancy and mechanical strength of lignin-containing polyurethane is a great challenge. In this study, lignin with favorable reactivity and dispersity was extracted from poplar using acid hydrotrope p-TsOH in EtOH. The extracted acid hydrotrope lignin (AHL) was subsequently functionalized with nitrogen and phosphorus (FHL) and reacted with isocyanate to fabricate a fire-retardant polyurethane (FHL-PU).

Nicorandil treatment improves survival and spatial learning in aged granulin knockout mice.

Mutations in the human granulin (GRN) gene are associated with multiple diseases, including dementia disorders such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). We studied a Grn knockout (Grn-KO) mouse model in order to evaluate a potential therapeutic strategy for these diseases using nicorandil, a commercially available agonist for the ABCC9/Abcc9-encoded regulatory subunit of the "KATP" channel that is well-tolerated in humans. Aged (13 months) Grn-KO and wild-type (WT) mice were treated as controls or with nicorandil (15 mg/kg/day) in drinking water for 7 months, then tested for neurobehavioral performance, neuropathology, and gene expression.

Fluorinated Cell-Penetrating Peptide for Co-Delivering siHIF-1α and Sorafenib to Enhance In Vitro Anti-Tumor Efficacy.

Antiangiogenic therapy with sorafenib (SF) alone is ineffective in eradicating tumors, and its long-term application can exacerbate tumor hypoxia, which in turn restricts SF's therapeutic efficacy. Here, a redox-responsive fluorinated peptide (DEN-TAT-PFC) consisting of dendritic poly-lysine, cell-penetrating peptide TAT, and perfluorocarbon was designed and synthesized to co-load siRNA-targeting hypoxia-inducible factors (siHIF-1α) and SF. The unique architecture of the peptide and fluorinated modifications enhanced the siRNA delivery efficiency, including increased siRNA binding, GSH-responsive release, cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and serum resistance.

Advances in cell-penetrating poly(disulfide)s for intracellular delivery of therapeutics.

Efficient intracellular delivery is essential for most therapeutic agents; however, existing delivery vectors face a dilemma between efficiency and toxicity, and always encounter the challenge of endolysosomal trapping. The cell-penetrating poly(disulfide) (CPD) is an effective tool for intracellular delivery, as it is taken up through thiol-mediated cellular uptake, thus avoiding endolysosomal entrapment and ensuring efficient cytosolic availability. Upon cellular uptake, CPD undergoes reductive depolymerization by glutathione inside cells and has minimal cytotoxicity.

Impact of thyroid hormone perturbations in adult mice: brain weight and blood vessel changes, gene expression variation, and neurobehavioral outcomes.

Mouse models of hyper- and hypothyroidism were used to examine the effects of thyroid hormone (TH) dyshomeostasis on the aging mammalian brain. 13-14 month-old mice were treated for 4months with either levothyroxine (hyperthyroid) or a propylthiouracil and methimazole combination (PTU/Met; hypothyroid). Hyperthyroid mice performed better on Morris Water Maze than control mice, while hypothyroid mice performed worse.

Apolipoprotein E Proteinopathy Is a Major Dementia-Associated Pathologic Biomarker in Individuals with or without the APOE Epsilon 4 Allele.

The amygdala is vulnerable to multiple or "mixed" mis-aggregated proteins associated with neurodegenerative conditions that can manifest clinically with amnestic dementia; the amygdala region is often affected even at earliest disease stages. With the original intent of identifying novel dementia-associated proteins, the detergent-insoluble proteome was characterized from the amygdalae of 40 participants from the University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Center autopsy cohort. These individuals encompassed a spectrum of clinical conditions (cognitively normal to severe amnestic dementia).

MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting Complications following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a high mortality hemorrhagic stroke that affects nearly 30,000 patients annually in the United States. Approximately 30% of aSAH patients die during initial hospitalization and those who survive often carry poor prognosis with one in five having permanent physical and/or cognitive disabilities. The poor outcome of aSAH can be the result of the initial catastrophic event or due to the many acute or delayed neurological complications, such as cerebral ischemia, hydrocephalus, and re-bleeding.

Modulating Thyroid Hormone Levels in Adult Mice: Impact on Behavior and Compensatory Brain Changes.

Thyroid hormone (TH) perturbation is a common medical problem. Because of substantial public health impact, prior researchers have studied hyper- and hypothyroidism in animal models. Although most prior research focused on and/or developmental effects, changes in circulating TH levels are commonly seen in elderly individuals: approximately 20% of persons older than 80 years have clinically impactful hypothyroidism and up to 5% have clinical hyperthyroidism, with women being more often affected than men.

A Highly Predictive MicroRNA Panel for Determining Delayed Cerebral Vasospasm Risk Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Approximately one-third of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients develop delayed cerebral vasospasm (DCV) 3-10 days after aneurysm rupture resulting in additional, permanent neurologic disability. Currently, no validated biomarker is available to determine the risk of DCV in aSAH patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in virtually all human diseases, including aSAH, and are found in extracellular biofluids including plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Multilayer surface construction for enhancing barrier properties of cellulose-based packaging.

It has been a consistent challenge to develop eco-friendly packaging in its entire life cycle with multiple barriers. Herein, a lignocellulose-derived strategy was developed for enhancing barrier properties of cellulose-based packaging. Porosity and hydrophilicity of paper packaging were remedied by the sequential deposition of oxalic acid modified microfibrillated cellulose (OMFC) and infiltration of nanosized alkaili lignin (NAL).

Loss of ferroportin induces memory impairment by promoting ferroptosis in Alzheimer's disease.

Iron homeostasis disturbance has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and excess iron exacerbates oxidative damage and cognitive defects. Ferroptosis is a nonapoptotic form of cell death dependent upon intracellular iron. However, the involvement of ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of AD remains elusive.

Dual-responsive carboxymethyl cellulose/dopamine/cystamine hydrogels driven by dynamic metal-ligand and redox linkages for controllable release of agrochemical.

The utilization of agrochemicals in crop production is often inefficient due to lack of appropriate carriers, raising in the significant concerns of ecological environment and public health. To enhance the efficiency of agrochemical delivery, a novel cellulose-based hydrogel was constructed in this work by cross-linking dopamine (DA)-modified carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with cystamine (CYS) in the presence of Fe ions. The hydrogels displayed reversible sol-gel transitions upon exposure to stimulation of changes in pH and redox, leading to the controllable release of model agrochemical (6-benzyladenine).

Temporal changes in inflammatory mitochondria-enriched microRNAs following traumatic brain injury and effects of miR-146a nanoparticle delivery.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate post-transcriptional gene expression and contribute to all aspects of cellular function. We previously reported that the activities of several mitochondria-enriched miRNAs regulating inflammation (i.e.

The Mitochondria-Associated ER Membranes Are Novel Subcellular Locations Enriched for Inflammatory-Responsive MicroRNAs.

The mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes (MAMs) are specific ER domains that contact the mitochondria and function to facilitate communication between ER and mitochondria. Disruption of contact between the mitochondria and ER is associated with a variety of pathophysiological conditions including neurodegenerative diseases. Considering the many cellular functions of MAMs, we hypothesized that MAMs play an important role in regulating microRNA (miRNA) activity linked to its unique location between mitochondria and ER.

Lignin Redistribution for Enhancing Barrier Properties of Cellulose-Based Materials.

Renewable cellulose-based materials have gained increasing interest in food packaging because of its favorable biodegradability and biocompatibility, whereas the barrier properties of hydrophilic and porous fibers are inadequate for most applications. Exploration of lignin redistribution for enhancing barrier properties of paper packaging material was carried out in this work. The redistribution of nanolized alkali lignin on paper surface showed excellent water, grease, and water vapor barrier.

Alzheimer Disease Pathology-Associated Polymorphism in a Complex Variable Number of Tandem Repeat Region Within the MUC6 Gene, Near the AP2A2 Gene.

We found evidence of late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD)-associated genetic polymorphism within an exon of Mucin 6 (MUC6) and immediately downstream from another gene: Adaptor Related Protein Complex 2 Subunit Alpha 2 (AP2A2). PCR analyses on genomic DNA samples confirmed that the size of the MUC6 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) region was highly polymorphic. In a cohort of autopsied subjects with quantitative digital pathology data (n = 119), the size of the polymorphic region was associated with the severity of pTau pathology in neocortex.

Methodology for Subcellular Fractionation and MicroRNA Examination of Mitochondria, Mitochondria Associated ER Membrane (MAM), ER, and Cytosol from Human Brain.

Eukaryotic cell organelles exert unique functions individually but also interact with each other for essential cellular functions. This physical interface between the organelles serves as an important platform for biomolecule trafficking and signaling. Mitochondria are membrane-bound organelles and form a dynamic contact with other organelles.

Enforced lysosomal biogenesis rescues erythromycin- and clindamycin-induced mitochondria-mediated cell death in human cells.

Antibiotics are the front-line treatment against many bacterial infectious diseases in human. The excessive and long-term use of antibiotics in human cause several side effects. It is important to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of action of antibiotics in the host cell to avoid the side effects due to the prevalent uses.

Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus are distinct diseases with potential overlapping metabolic dysfunction upstream of observed cognitive decline.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are highly prevalent aging-related diseases associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Some findings in human and animal models have linked T2DM to AD-type dementia. Despite epidemiological associations between the T2DM and cognitive impairment, the interrelational mechanisms are unclear.