We report on synthetic strategies to fabricate DNA-coated micrometer-sized colloids that, upon thermal annealing, self-assemble into various crystal structures. Colloids of a wide range of chemical compositions, including poly(styrene), poly(methyl methacrylate), titania, silica, and a silica-methacrylate hybrid material, are fabricated with smooth particle surfaces and a dense layer of surface functional anchors. Single-stranded oligonucleotides with a short sticky end are covalently grafted onto particle surfaces employing a strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction resulting in DNA coatings with areal densities an order of magnitude higher than previously reported. Our approach allows the DNA-coated colloids not only to aggregate upon cooling but also to anneal and rearrange while still bound together, leading to the formation of colloidal crystal compounds when particles of different sizes or different materials are combined.
These results indicate that neutrophil autophagy primes neutrophils for increased NET formation, which is important for proper neutrophil effector functions during sepsis. Our study provides important insights into the role of autophagy in neutrophils during sepsis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) comprises an aggregate of mesenchymal cells. However, the cellular origin of these mesenchymal phenotypes remains unclear. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) has been known as the main cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of IPF. We examined whether the potent fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β1 could induce the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the human alveolar epithelial cell line, A549, and determined whether snail expression is associated with the phenotypic changes observed in the A549 cells. EMT was investigated with cells morphology changes under phase-contrast microscopy, western blotting, and indirect immunofluorescence stains. E-cadherin and transcription factor, snail, were also evaluated by measuring mRNA levels using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain rection (RT-PCR) analysis. The data showed that TGF-β1 induced A549 cells with epithelial cell characteristics to undergo EMT in a concentration-dependent manner. Following TGF-β1 treatment, A549 cells induced EMT characterized by cells morphological changes, loss of epithelial markers E-caherin and cytokeratin, increased stress fiber reorganization by F-actin, and cytokeratin replacement by vimentin. Although IL-1β failed to induce A549 cells to undergo EMT, the combination of TGF-β1 and IL-1β showed synergy effects in cells morphology changes and the expression of mesenchymal markers. The snail expression study using RT-PCR analysis provided that loss of E-cadherin expression was associated with snail expression. Stimulation of A54 cells with TGF-β1 plus IL-1β revealed a higher level of snail expression. Our data showed that EMT of A549 cells might be closely associated with snail expression.
The Global Initiative of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines define chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in subjects with FEV1/FVC <0.7. However, the use of this fixed ratio may result in over-diagnosis of COPD in the elderly, especially with mild degree of COPD. The lower limit of normal (LLN) can be used to minimize the potential misclassification. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different definitions of airflow obstruction (LLN or fixed ratio of FEV1/FVC) on the estimated prevalence of COPD in a population-based sample. We compared the prevalence of COPD and its difference diagnosed by different methods using either fixed ratio (FEV1/FVC <0.7) or LLN criterion (FEV1/FVC below LLN). Among the 4,816 subjects who had performed spirometry, 2,728 subjects met new ATS/ERS spirometry criteria for acceptability and repeatability. The prevalence of COPD was 10.9% (14.7% in men, 7.2% in women) by LLN criterion and 15.5% (21.8% in men, 9.1% in women) by fixed ratio of FEV1/FVC among subjects older than 45 yr. The difference of prevalence between LLN and fixed ratio of FEV1/FVC was even higher among subjects with age ≥65, 14.9% and 31.1%, respectively. In conclusion, the prevalence of COPD by LLN criterion was significantly lower in elderly compared to fixed ratio of FEV1/FVC. Implementing LLN criterion instead of fixed ratio of FEV1/FVC may reduce the risk of over-diagnosis of COPD in elderly people.
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