Tuning Electronic Properties of the SiC-GeC Bilayer by External Electric Field: A First-Principles Study.

First-principles calculations were used to investigate the electronic properties of the SiC/GeC nanosheet (the thickness was about 8 Å). With no electric field (E-field), the SiC/GeC nanosheet was shown to have a direct bandgap of 1.90 eV.

Uric acid induces the expression of TNF‑α via the ROS‑MAPK‑NF‑κB signaling pathway in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

Hyperuricemia and artery atherosclerosis are closely associated and, as a classic inflammatory biomarker, tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) has a direct role in atherogenesis. In the present study, it was demonstrated that uric acid was capable of inducing the generation of TNF‑α in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The expression levels of proteins were detected using enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assays and western blot analysis.