AimMyocardial infarction (MI) is a severe disease with increased mortality and disability rates, posing heavy economic burden for society. Exosomes were uncovered to mediate intercellular communication after MI. This study aims to explore the effect and mechanism of lncRNA KLF3-AS1 in exosomes secreted by human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on pyroptosis of cardiomyocytes and MI.MethodsExosomes from hMSCs were isolated and identified. Exosomes from hMSCs with transfection of KLF3-AS1 for overexpression were injected into MI rat model or incubated with hypoxia cardiomyocytes. Effect of KLF3-AS1 on MI area, cell viability, apoptosis, and pyroptosis was determined. The relationship among miR-138-5p, KLF3-AS1, and Sirt1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Normal cardiomyocytes were transfected with miR-138-5p inhibitor or sh-Sirt1 to clarify whether alteration of miR-138-5p or sh-Sirt1 can regulate the effect of KLF3-AS1 on cardiomyocytes.ResultsExosomes from hMSCs were successfully extracted. Transfection of KLF3-AS1 exosome in rats and incubation with KLF3-AS1 exosome in hypoxia cardiomyocytes both verified that overexpression of KLF3-AS1 in exosomes leads to reduced MI area, decreased cell apoptosis and pyroptosis, and attenuated MI progression. KLF3-AS1 can sponge miR-138-5p to regulate Sirt1 expression. miR-138-5p inhibitor transfection and KLF3-AS1 exosome incubation contribute to attenuated pyroptosis and MI both in vivo and in vitro, while transfection of sh-Sirt1 could reverse the protective effect of exosomal KLF3-AS1 on hypoxia cardiomyocytes.ConclusionLncRNA KLF3-AS1 in exosomes secreted from hMSCs by acting as a ceRNA to sponge miR-138-5p can regulate Sirt1 so as to inhibit cell pyroptosis and attenuate MI progression.

Lung cancer is the most common and fatal malignant tumor in the world. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is closely related to the occurrence and development of lung cancer, in which the inflammatory microenvironment plays an important role. Inflammatory cells and inflammatory factors in the tumor inflammatory microenvironment promote the activation of the NF-κB and STAT3 inflammatory pathways and the occurrence, development, and metastasis of lung cancer by promoting immune escape, tumor angiogenesis, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, apoptosis, and other mechanisms. Clinical and epidemiological studies have also shown a strong relationship among chronic infection, inflammation, inflammatory microenvironment, and lung cancer. The relationship between inflammation and lung cancer can be better understood through the gradual understanding of the tumor inflammatory microenvironment, which is advantageous to find more therapeutic targets for lung cancer.

To solve the problem that analyte molecules cannot easily enter "hot spots" on a conventional solid SERS substrate, we developed a mixing-assisted "hot spots" occupying (MAHSO) SERS strategy to improve utilization of "hot spots". Compared with the conventional substrate, the MAHSO substrate enhances the sensitivity of SERS measurement by thousands of times. The MAHSO substrate possesses excellent properties of high enhancement, high uniformity, and long-term stability because the MAHSO substrate is integrated inside an ultrafast microfluidic mixer. The mixer makes analytes and metal colloid homogeneously mixed, and analytes are naturally located in "hot spots", the gaps between adjacent NPs, during the process that NPs deposit on the channel wall. As a multi-inlet device, the MAHSO chip offers a convenient in situ method to study environmental effects on analytes or molecular interactions by flexibly regulating fluid in microchannels and monitoring responses of analytes by SERS spectra. Because all experiments are conducted in aqueous environments, which is similar to the physiological conditions, the MAHSO chip is especially suitable to be applied to study biomolecules. Using this strategy, different conformational changes of the wild type and mutant G150D of protein PMP22-TM4 depending on environmental pH have been observed in situ and analyzed. As a lab-on-a-chip (LoC) device, the MAHSO SERS chip will benefit the field of molecular dynamics, as well as molecule-molecule or molecule-surface interactions in the future.

Toll‑like receptor 3 (TLR3) can react with double stranded RNA and is involved in the inflammatory response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Also, oxidative stress has been reported to be involved in RSV infection. However, the correlation between oxidative stress and TLR3 activation during RSV infection is unclear. Therefore, the present study investigated the association between TLR3 expression and oxidative stress modulation during RSV infection in A549 cells. For comparison, seven treatment groups were established, including RSV‑treated cells, N‑acetyl‑L‑cysteine (NAC)+RSV‑treated cells, oxidant hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)+RSV‑treated cells, normal cell control, inactivated RSV control, NAC control and H2O2 control. The mRNA expression changes of TLR3, interferon regulatory factor‑3 (IRF3), nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) were measured using semi‑quantitative reverse transcription‑polymerase chain reaction, and the protein changes of TLR3 and phospho‑NF‑κB p65 were determined using western blot in A549 cells from the different treatment groups. The present study also evaluated the differences in hydroxyl free radical (·OH), nitric oxide (NO) and total SOD activity in the different treatment groups. The results demonstrated that RSV infection of A549 cells increased the levels of ·OH and NO, while decreasing the activity of total SOD. Pretreatment of A549 cells with H2O2 prior to RSV infection upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of TLR3 and NF‑κB, and downregulated the mRNA expression of IRF3 and SOD1, as well as the total SOD activity. When the infected cells were pretreated with NAC, the mRNA and protein expression of these genes were reversed. These variations in the TLR3‑mediated signaling pathway molecules suggested that oxidative stress may be a key regulator for TLR3 activation during RSV infection. RSV‑induced oxidative stress may potentially activate TLR3 and enhance TLR3‑mediated inflammation. These results may provide better understanding of the RSV‑induced inflammatory and immune pathways, and may also contribute to the drug development and prevention of human RSV diseases.

SERS-active microchannels on hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with both high reproducibility and sensitivity are fabricated. Proteins might denature while drying on the SERS-active substrate, but keep native structures in the microchannels.

Background. The prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been significantly improved. In the past several years, research on epigenetics is in full swing. There is a focus on the gene EZH2; however, its role as a predictor of the prognosis of NSCLC is in the debate. Objective. To clarify if the expression level of EZH2 can influence the prognosis of NSCLC and explain its prognostic value. Methods. We have systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane library, screened relevant articles, and conducted a meta-analysis on the expression level of EZH2 in NSCLC. We collected the hazard ratio (HR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) and used STATA 12.0 to calculate the combined result of EZH2 overall survival. In addition, we conducted subgroup analyses, a sensitivity analysis, and a funnel plot to test the reliability of the results. We further validated these meta-analysis results using the Kaplan-Meier plotter database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. In addition, we have investigated the correlation between EZH2 expression and EGFR expression, KRAS expression, BRAF expression, and smoking in TCGA database to further explore the mechanism behind the influence of high EZH2 expression on lung cancer prognosis. Results. 13 studies including 2180 participants were included in the meta-analysis. We found that high expression of EZH2 indicates a poor prognosis of NSCLC ( HR = 1.65 and 95% CI 1.16-2.35; p ≤ 0.001 ). Subgroup analyses showed high heterogeneity in stages I-IV ( I 2 = 85.1 % and p ≤ 0.001 ) and stages I-III ( I 2 = 66.9 % and p = 0.029 ) but not in stage I ( I 2 = 0.00 % and p = 0.589 ). In the Kaplan-Meier plotter database, there was a high expression in 963 cases and low expression in 964 cases ( HR = 1.31 and 95% CI 1.15-1.48; p < 0.05 ). Further analysis found that the high expression of EZH2 was statistically significant in lung adenocarcinoma ( HR = 1.27 and 95% CI 1.01−1.6; p = 0.045 ), but not in lung squamous cell carcinoma ( HR = 1.03 and 95% CI 0.81−1.3; p = 0.820 ). The results of the TCGA database showed that the expression of EZH2 in normal tissues was lower than that in lung cancer tissues ( p < 0.05 ). Smoking was associated with high expression of EZH2 ( p < 0.001 ). EZH2 was also highly expressed in lung cancers with positive KRAS expression, and the correlation was positive in lung adenocarcinoma ( r = 0.3129 and p < 0.001 ). The correlation was also positive in lung squamous cell carcinoma ( r = 0.3567 and p < 0.001 ). EZH2 expression was positively correlated with BRAF expression ( r = 0.2397 and p < 0.001 ), especially in lung squamous cell carcinoma ( r = 0.3662 and p < 0.001 ). In lung squamous cell carcinoma, a positive yet weak correlation was observed between EZH2 expression and EGFR expression ( r = 0.1122 and p < 0.001 ). Conclusions. The high expression of EZH2 indicates a poor prognosis of NSCLC, which may be related to tumor stage or cancer type. EZH2 may be an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC. EZH2 high expression or its synergistic action with KRAS and BRAF mutations affects the prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer.

In order to better understand the early pathways of the pathogenesis of, and immune response to, RSV, herein, we explored the relationship between TLR7 expression and oxidative stress induction following RSV infection in A549 cells. We studied the intervening effects of the Nrf2/ARE pathway agonist butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and inhibitor trigonelline (TRI) on TLR7 modulation or oxidative stress induction. For comparison purposes, we set up seven treatment groups in this study, including RSV-treated cells, BHA + RSV-treated cells, TRI + RSV-treated cells, normal cell controls, inactivated RSV controls, BHA controls and TRI controls. We measured changes in TLR7, IL-6, TNF-α mRNA using RT-PCR and IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β protein using ELISA as well as TLR7, Nrf2 and HO-1 protein using Western blot in A549 cells from the different treatment groups. We also assessed changes in cell proliferation and measured changes in ·OH and NO in A549 cells from the different treatment groups. The results indicate that TLR7 up-regulation is related to RSV infection and the induction of oxidative stress and that TLR7 expression was mediated by the anti-inflammatory effects of Nrf2/ARE pathway inhibitors or agonists. Our experiments may help elucidate the underlying pathology of RSV infection and suggest potential therapeutic targets for drug development and the prevention of RSV-induced human diseases.

The further deployment of silicon-based anode materials is hindered by their poor rate and cycling abilities due to the inferior electrical conductivity and large volumetric changes. Herein, we report a silicon/carbon nanotube (Si/CNT) composite made of an externally grown flexible carbon nanotube (CNT) network to confine inner multiple Silicon (Si) nanoparticles (Si NPs). The in situ generated outer CNTs networks, not only accommodate the large volume changes of inside Si NPs but also to provide fast electronic/ionic diffusion pathways, resulting in a significantly improved cycling stability and rate performance. This Si/CNT composite demonstrated outstanding cycling performance, with 912.8 mAh g−1 maintained after 100 cycles at 100 mA g−1, and excellent rate ability of 650 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 1000 cycles. Furthermore, the facial and scalable preparation method created in this work will make this new Si-based anode material promising for practical application in the next generation Li-ion batteries.