Suppressing Static and Dynamic Disorder for High-Efficiency and Stable Thick-Film Organic Solar Cells via Synergistic Dilution Strategy.

Developing stable and highly efficient thick-film organic solar cells (OSCs) is crucial for the large-scale commercial application of organic photovoltaics. A novel synergistic dilution strategy to address this issue, using Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) -modified zinc oxide (ZnO) as the interfacial layer, is introduced. This strategy effectively mitigates oxygen defects in ZnO while also regulating the self-assembly process of the active layer to achieve an ordered distribution of donors and acceptors.

Regulation of Erythroid Differentiation via the HIF1α-NFIL3-PIM1 Signaling Axis Under Hypoxia.

Erythropoiesis is controlled by several factors, including oxygen level under different circumstances. However, the role of hypoxia in erythroid differentiation and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We studied the effect and mechanism of hypoxia on erythroid differentiation of K562 cells and observed the effect of hypoxia on early erythropoiesis of zebrafish.

π-π Stacking Modulation via Polymer Adsorption for Elongated Exciton Diffusion in High-Efficiency Thick-Film Organic Solar Cells.

Developing efficient organic solar cells (OSCs) with thick active layers is crucial for roll-to-roll printing. However, thicker layers often result in lower efficiency. This study tackles this challenge using a polymer adsorption strategy combined with a layer-by-layer approach.

Lotusine ameliorates propionic acid-induced autism spectrum disorder-like behavior in mice by activating D1 dopamine receptor in medial prefrontal cortex.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted neuropsychiatric condition for which effective drug therapy for core clinical symptoms remains elusive. Lotusine, known for its neuroprotective properties in the treatment of neurological disorders, holds potential in addressing ASD. Nevertheless, its specific efficacy in ASD remains uncertain.

Organic Photovoltaic Stability: Understanding the Role of Engineering Exciton and Charge Carrier Dynamics from Recent Progress.

Benefiting from the synergistic development of material design, device engineering, and the mechanistic understanding of device physics, the certified power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of single-junction non-fullerene organic solar cells (OSCs) have already reached a very high value of exceeding 19%. However, in addition to PCEs, the poor stability is now a challenging obstacle for commercial applications of organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Herein, recent progress made in exploring operational mechanisms, anomalous photoelectric behaviors, and improving long-term stability in non-fullerene OSCs are highlighted from a novel and previously largely undiscussed perspective of engineering exciton and charge carrier pathways.

Reducing Voltage Losses of Organic Solar Cells against Energetics Modifications by Thermal Stress.

Voltage losses are one of the main obstacles for further improvement in the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells. In this work, we investigate the effect of thermal stress on voltage losses in various material systems by multiple spectroscopic measurements on both devices and thin films. The energetics of nonfullerene small molecules are more readily altered under thermal stress compared to all-polymer and fullerene-based systems, thereby strongly affecting open-circuit voltage.

Lactate-driven macrophage polarization in the inflammatory microenvironment alleviates intestinal inflammation.

Background: Lactate has long been considered an intermediate by-product of glucose metabolism. However, in recent years, accumulating evidence reveals that lactate has unique biological activities. In previous studies, lactate signaling was shown to inhibit inflammation.

Impact of COVID-19 on Acute Stroke Presentation in a Designated COVID-19 Hospital.

Thousands of designated COVID-19 hospitals have been set up in China to fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Anecdotal reports indicate a falling rate of acute stroke diagnoses in these hospitals during the COVID-19 period. We conducted an exploratory single-center analysis to estimate the change in acute stroke presentation at the designated COVID-19 hospitals.

Lactic acid in macrophage polarization: The significant role in inflammation and cancer.

Metabolite lactic acid has always been regarded as a metabolic by-product rather than a bioactive molecule. Recently, this view has changed since it was discovered that lactic acid can be used as a signal molecule and has novel signal transduction functions both intracellular and extracellular, which can regulate key functions in the immune system. In recent years, more and more evidence has shown that lactic acid is closely related to the metabolism and polarization of macrophages.

Effect of sub-chronic exposure to selenium and astaxanthin on Channa argus: Bioaccumulation, oxidative stress and inflammatory response.

Selenium (Se) is the most common micronutrient and that becomes toxic when present at higher concentrations in aquatic environments. Astaxanthin (AST) has been documented to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of dietary AST and Se exposure on oxidative stress, and inflammatory response in Channa argus.

Evaluation of an ischemic model in ischemia prone and general Mongolian gerbils by neurological symptom, injury, and sex difference.

Background: In the previous study, we established an ischemia-prone gerbil population (IG), which was selectively bred to increase the incidence of unilateral carotid arterial occlusion (UCO)-induced ischemia in Mongolian gerbils. However, if the characteristics of ischemia model in IG are the same as those in general gerbils (GG), and if the neurological symptoms are associated with the neurological insults in IG is still unclear.

Methods: In the present study, we evaluated the UCO model in IG by analyzing neurological symptoms, neurological injury in the hippocampal CA1 region and compared with GG.

Big-data analysis: A clinical pathway on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for common bile duct stones.

Background: A clinical pathway (CP) is a standardized approach for disease management. However, big data-based evidence is rarely involved in CP for related common bile duct (CBD) stones, let alone outcome comparisons before and after CP implementation.

Aim: To investigate the value of CP implementation in patients with CBD stones undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

[Clinical Features, Treatment and Prognostic Factors of 94 Patients with Follicular Lymphoma].

Objective: To investigate the clinical manifestation, therapeutic efficacy and related prognostic factors of patients with follicular lymphoma.

Methods: A retroretrospective study was conducted on 94 patients with follicular lymphoma who were admitted to our hospital from March 1999 to June 2016. The total of 94 newly diagnosed FL patients were analyzed in terms of clinical manifestation, laboratory data, pathological examination, clinical stage and so on, so as to find out the related prognostic factors.

Transcriptome Analysis of Epithelioma Papulosum Cyprini Cells Infected by Reovirus Isolated from Allogynogenetic Silver Crucian Carp.

The present study aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and major signal transduction pathways that were related to the immune response of epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells to reoviruses isolated from allogynogenetic silver crucian carp. The study also lays a theoretical foundation for the pathogenesis and immunity of the reovirus, which is helpful to the breeding of cyprinids fish. Reovirus infected and uninfected EPC cells were analyzed by using a new-generation high-throughput sequencing technology.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Tamarisk gerbil, (Rodentia: Muridae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Tamarisk jird, , was sequenced. The 16,389bp genome contains 37 genes, typical for rodent mitogenomes, including 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 13 protein-coding genes. The total GC content of the mitochondrial genome is 36.

Corrigendum to "Irbesartan Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy by Suppressing the RANKL-RANK-NF-B Pathway in Type 2 Diabetic db/db Mice".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/1405924.].

Cyclopropanyldehydrocostunolide LJ attenuates high glucose-induced podocyte injury by suppressing RANKL/RANK-mediated NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

Aims: The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of cyclopropanyldehydrocostunolide (also named LJ), a derivative of sesquiterpene lactones (SLs), on high glucose (HG)-induced podocyte injury and the associated molecular mechanisms.

Methods: Differentiated mouse podocytes were incubated in different treatments. The migration and albumin filtration of podocytes were examined by Transwell filters.

Irbesartan Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy by Suppressing the RANKL-RANK-NF-κB Pathway in Type 2 Diabetic db/db Mice.

The receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and its receptor RANK are overexpressed in focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS), IgA nephropathy (IgAN), and membranous nephropathy (MN). However, the expression and the potential roles of RANKL and RANK in diabetic nephropathy (DN) remain unclear. Irbesartan (Irb) has beneficial effects against diabetes-induced renal damage, but its mechanisms are poorly understood.

Sesquiterpene lactones inhibit advanced oxidation protein product-induced MCP-1 expression in podocytes via an IKK/NF-κB-dependent mechanism.

Inflammation is a relevant factor in the pathogenesis of diabetes nephropathy (DN). Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs), originally isolated from Tanacetum parthenium, have been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects but few studies have examined their effects on DN. To determine whether advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) can induce the expression of chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein- (MCP-) 1 in cultured mouse podocytes and to explore the mechanisms of the potential renoprotection of SLs, we treated podocytes with AOPPs and SLs (parthenolide and its derivatives micheliolide, compound 1, and compound 2).

Primary cN0 lip squamous cell carcinoma and elective neck dissection: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Management of clinically negative lymph nodes (cN0) in primary lip squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has always been a controversial topic.

Methods: A systematic review of English-language electronic databases using Medline, Embase, Cochrane library, Google Scholar, SCI, and specific journals on the subject matter was done. Only the studies mentioning primary nonmetastatic lip SCC with cN0 neck treated by surgery only and having at least 2 years of follow-up data were selected.

Thrombin-cleaved fragments of osteopontin are overexpressed in malignant glial tumors and provide a molecular niche with survival advantage.

Osteopontin (OPN), which is highly expressed in malignant glioblastoma (GBM), possesses inflammatory activity modulated by proteolytic cleavage by thrombin and plasma carboxypeptidase B2 (CPB2) at a highly conserved cleavage site. Full-length OPN (OPN-FL) was elevated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from all cancer patients compared with noncancer patients. However, thrombin-cleaved OPN (OPN-R) and thrombin/CPB2-double-cleaved OPN (OPN-L) levels were markedly increased in GBM and non-GBM gliomas compared with systemic cancer and noncancer patients.

Proteolytic cleavage of chemerin protein is necessary for activation to the active form, Chem157S, which functions as a signaling molecule in glioblastoma.

Chemerin is a chemoattractant involved in innate and adaptive immunity as well as an adipokine implicated in adipocyte differentiation. Chemerin circulates as an inactive precursor in blood whose bioactivity is closely regulated through proteolytic processing at its C terminus. We developed methodology for production of different recombinant chemerin isoforms (chem163S, chem157S, and chem155A) which allowed us to obtain large quantities of these proteins with purity of >95%.

Chemerin158K protein is the dominant chemerin isoform in synovial and cerebrospinal fluids but not in plasma.

Chemerin is a chemoattractant involved in immunity that may also function as an adipokine. Chemerin circulates as an inactive precursor (chem163S), and its activation requires proteolytic cleavages at its C terminus, involving proteases involved in coagulation, fibrinolysis, and inflammation. However, the key proteolytic steps in prochemerin activation in vivo remain to be established.

Characteristics of circle of Willis variations in the mongolian gerbil and a newly established ischemia-prone gerbil group.

Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) have an incomplete circle of Willis (CoW), as a result of which approximately 30-40% of these animals develop focal cerebral ischemia after unilateral carotid occlusion (UCO). There are four types of patterns of the anterior and posterior communicating arteries (ACoAs and PCoAs, respectively) of the CoW and they determine the severity of the ischemic symptoms. We used 398 gerbils from five generations, including a selectively bred ischemia-prone group, to investigate post-UCO ischemic symptoms and possible correlations of ACoA and PCoA patterns between parents and their progeny.

Thrombospondin type I domain containing 7A (THSD7A) mediates endothelial cell migration and tube formation.

Angiogenesis is a highly organized process controlled by a series of molecular events. While much effort has been devoted to identifying angiogenic factors and their reciprocal receptors, far less information is available on the molecular mechanisms underlying directed endothelial cell migration. To search for novel proteins that participate in this process, we used the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) transcript profiling approach to identify genes that are selectively expressed in endothelial cells (ECs).