3714 research outputs found
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Ferroptotic cells augment T-cell activation and neuroinflammation
No full textSince ferroptosis, a form of cell death characterized by aberrant lipid peroxidation, was proposed 10 years ago, its interaction with the immune system has been revealed gradually. On the one hand, immune cell-secreted cytokines are able to increase or suppress ferroptosis sensitivities of other cell types, such as tumor cells and fibroblasts. On the other hand, ferroptotic cell-released factors have the capacity to modulate the functions of neighboring immune cells, including dendritic cells, macrophages, and T cells. Identifying these immunomodulatory molecules generated during ferroptosis paves the way for developing novel immunotherapy strategies for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases
Concise review: gamma-glutamyl transferase - evolution from an indiscriminate liver test to a biomarker of cardiometabolic risk
No full textThis concise review article critically examines the recent medical literature regarding gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) with a special emphasis on newly proposed indications for GGT use, including cardiovascular risk assessment.GGT is a ubiquitous glycosylated protein embedded in the outer surface of cell membranes, which catalyzes the transfer of glutamyl groups from various substrates and plays a key role in the antioxidant/pro-oxidant balance. In the past, the enzyme was considered a non-specific liver test. Current evidence supports the role of GGT in the assessment of portal hypertension in cystic fibrosis, porto-sinusoidal vascular disease, malignant mesothelioma, and incident type 2 diabetes and as a biomarker of cardiometabolic risk and cardiovascular disease.Several specific points including the use of GGT in hepatology as a sensitive but poorly specific test and the association of GGT with metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its fibrotic stages, cardiometabolic risk, chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative disorders and dementia, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, and Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are addressed based on the most recent research in these fields. Putative mechanisms linking GGT with increased metabolic stress and the effects of various therapeutic interventions on GGT values are also discussed. We conclude that GGT has evolved from an indiscriminate liver test and an index of alcohol consumption to a biomarker of cardiometabolic health. The proper interpretation of GGT values (i.e., of hepatic vs. extrahepatic origin) is deeply affected by the clinical and epidemiological context. We propose that GGT may be utilized in public health campaigns, in the research arena, and in clinical practice to identify those individuals who can benefit most from the proactive preventive and therapeutic approaches, given that they are at high cardiometabolic risk
Photo-coupled electrocatalytic oxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide using metal-free CNT-threaded oxidized g-C3N4
No full textHydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been widely used in environmental cleaning, hospital disinfecting and chemical engineering. Compared to the traditional anthraquinone oxidation method, the electrocatalytic two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e-ORR) to produce H2O2 has become a promising alternative due to its green, safety and reliability. However, its industrial application is still limited by the slow reaction kinetics and low selectivity due to the competitive reaction of the 4e-ORR to H2O. Herein, we prepare a novel photoresponsive metal-free electrocatalyst based on oxidized g-C3N4/carbon nanotubes (OCN/CNTs) and introduce an external light field to realize the high-performance electrocatalytic 2e-ORR to produce H2O2. Impressively, the OCN/CNT electrocatalyst exhibits an outstanding H2O2 productivity of 30.7 mmol/gcat/h with a high faradaic H2O2 efficiency of 95%. The oxygen-containing groups of the OCN/CNTs promote the adsorption of oxygen intermediates and the photo-coupled electrocatalysis simultaneously improves the electron transport efficiency and enhances the electrocatalytic selectivity
A cigarette filter-derived nitrogen-doped carbon nanoparticle coating layer for stable Zn-ion battery anodes
No full textDespite the low cost, safety and high theoretical capacity of metallic zinc, zinc anodes face chronic problems, including zinc dendrites, corrosion and side reactions in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Herein, a nitrogen-doped carbon nanoparticle coating layer derived from discarded cigarette filters is constructed to suppress parasitic side reactions and zinc dendrite growth. The dense coating layer isolates water from the zinc anode, effectively inhibiting side reactions. Furthermore, the special micro-mesoporous structure and sufficient zincophilic groups guarantee uniform Zn stripping/plating. Consequently, durable cycle stability (2400 cycles at a current density of 1 mA cm-2) with a stable polarization potential is achieved for symmetrical cells. The coating layer derived in this study therefore has the potential to improve the electrochemical performance of ZIBs
Metabolic targets in cardiac aging and rejuvenation
No full textCardiac aging is accompanied by progressive loss of cellular function, leading to impaired heart function and heart failure. There is an urgent need for efficient strategies to combat this age-related cardiac dysfunction. A growing number of events suggest that age-related cardiac diseases are tightly related to metabolic imbalance. This review summarizes recent findings concerning metabolic changes during cardiac aging and highlights the therapeutic approaches that target metabolic pathways in cardiac aging
An informative planning-based multi-layer robot navigation system as applied in a poultry barn
No full textMany real-world robot applications, as found in precision agriculture, poultry farms, disaster response, and environment monitoring, require search, locate, and removal (SLR) operations by autonomous mobile robots. In such application settings, the robots initially search and explore the entire workspace to find the targets, so that the subsequent robots conveniently move directly to the targets to fulfill the task. A multi-layer robot navigation system is necessary for SLR operations. The scenario of interest is the removal of broiler mortality by autonomous robots in poultry barns in this paper. Daily manual collection of broiler mortality is time- and labor-consuming, and an autonomous robotic system can solve this issue effectively. In this paper, a multi-layer navigation system is developed to detect and remove broiler mortality with two robots. One robot is assigned to search a large-scale workspace in a coverage mode and find and locate objects, whereas the second robot directly moves to the located targets to remove the objects. Directed coverage path planning (DCPP) fused with an informative planning protocol (IPP) is proposed to efficiently search the entire workspace. IPP is proposed for coverage directions in DCPP devoted to rapidly achieving spatial coverage with the least estimation uncertainty in the decomposed grids. The detection robot consists of a developed informative-based directed coverage path planner and a You Only Look Once (YOLO) V4-based dead bird detector. It refines and optimizes the coverage path based on historical data on broiler mortality distribution in a broiler barn. The removal robot collects dead broilers driven by a new hub-based multi-target path routing (HMTR) scheme, which is applicable to row-based environments. The proposed methods show great potential to navigate in broiler barns efficiently and safely, thus being a useful component for robotics. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed methods are validated through simulation and comparison studies
Metal nitride heterostructures capsulated in carbon nanospheres to accommodate lithium metal for constructing a stable composite anode
No full textAlthough various hosts have been proposed to accommodate the Lithium (Li) metal to solve the uneven Li deposition and infinite volume change, the pulverization of the host or lithiophilic modification layer easily leads to structural damage and the poor cycling stability of the composite anode. Herein, we design a host of metal nitrides (Mo2N and WN heterostructures) nanoparticles capsulated in the hollow carbon nanospheres, which can accommodate Li metal to form a stable composite anode. The lithiophilic Mo2N guides uniform infusion and reduces the nucleation barriers of Li metal during electrochemical process. Note that the rigid WN matrix is uniformly composited with Mo2N, which can suppress the pulverization of Mo2N during the repeat Li plating/stripping, ensuring the stability of regulated deposition during long cycling. High mechanical strength, uniform surface potential distribution and good electrolyte wettability of the Li metal-based composite anode guarantee the rapid Li plating/stripping kinetics. Thus, the obtained composite anode can stably cycle 1400 h at 1 mA cm-2 and 1 mA h cm-2 in the symmetric battery. The assembled full cells with LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NCM811) also deliver high capacity retention under the high loading (8.6 mg cm-2) or lean electrolyte (2 μL mg-1) condition. This work suggests a promising host structure design to construct a highly stable lithium metal anode for practical applications
Anodization fabrication techniques and energy-related applications for nanostructured anodic films on transition metals
No full textNanostructured anodic films on transition metals prepared using the electrochemical anodization method have recently attracted particular attention owing to their extraordinary properties and potential use in a variety of applications. Herein, we provide a thorough review of the anodization fabrication of anodic films with different nanostructures, including nanopores, nanotubes, nanoflowers, nanoneedles and nanowires on transition metals, focusing on the growth processes of nanostructured anodic films on three representative transition metals, namely, iron, copper and zinc. Specific consideration is given to the anodization behavior and formed film nanostructures of these transition metals. We conclude that electrolyte composition plays a key role in influencing the final morphologies of anodic films. Fluoride-containing solutions represent universal electrolytes for forming nanostructured anodic films on transition metals. The main applications of the resulting nanostructured anodic films, especially in energy-related fields, such as photoelectrochemical water splitting and supercapacitors, are also presented and discussed. Finally, we indicate the main challenges associated with the fabrication of anodic films with highly ordered nanostructures and the potential future directions of this field are indicated
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