Aberrant neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation and the loss of barrier integrity in inflamed intestinal tissues have long been associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, whether NETs alter intestinal epithelium permeability during colitis remains elusive. Here, we demonstrated that NETs promote the breakdown in intestinal barrier function for the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation in mouse models of colitis. NETs were abundant in the colon of mice with colitis experimentally induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Analysis of the intestinal barrier integrity revealed that NETs impaired gut permeability, enabling the initiation of luminal bacterial translocation and inflammation. Furthermore, NETs induced the apoptosis of epithelial cells and disrupted the integrity of tight junctions and adherens junctions. Intravenous administration of DNase I, an enzyme that dissolves the web-like DNA filaments of NETs, during colitis restored the mucosal barrier integrity which reduced the dissemination of luminal bacteria and attenuated intestinal inflammation in both DSS and TNBS models. We conclude that NETs serve a detrimental factor in the gut epithelial barrier function leading to the pathogenesis of mucosal inflammation during acute colitis.

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For most quadruped robots, their waist joints can usually pitch or yaw, but cannot roll. Thus, their gaits can only be simulated by a simple motion model based on single-legged mechanisms. When pandas move on their four feet, they swing their hips and rear legs from side to side. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop a quadruped robot which is equipped with a waist joint of one degree of freedom (DOF) for rolling so as to imitate the waist-swinging motion of a real panda. This research starts at editing the predetermined motion conditions with lengths of all panda body parts and the mechanism model with corresponding degree-of-freedom in the CAE software. The related simulation parameters of leg motions are acquired as a reference for gait controls. The quadrupedal walking process was tested in simulators to verify important design variables and simulation validity was also verified on the actual panda robot after their buildup. With this approach, this study has effectively and successfully developed a panda robot with a waist joint that can roll.