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Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators of cancer progression and are potential biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment. This study investigates the role of RARA Antisense RNA 1 (RARA-AS1) in cancer and its implications for diagnosis and treatment. Various bioinformatics tools were conducted to analyze the expression patterns, immune-related functions, methylation, and gene expression correlations of RARA-AS1, mainly including the comparisons of different subgroups and correlation analyses between RARA-AS1 expression and other factors. Furthermore, we used short hairpin RNA to perform knockdown experiments, investigating the effects of RARA-AS1 on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in glioblastoma. Our results revealed that RARA-AS1 has distinct expression patterns in different cancers and exhibits notable correlation with prognosis. Additionally, RARA-AS1 is highly correlated with certain immune checkpoints and mismatch repair genes, indicating its potential role in immune infiltration and related immunotherapy. Further analysis identified potential effective drugs for RARA-AS1 and demonstrated its potential RNA binding protein (RBP) mechanism in glioblastoma. Besides, a series of functional experiments indicated inhibiting RARA-AS1 could decrease cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of glioblastoma cell lines. Finally, RARA-AS1 could act as an independent prognostic factor for glioblastoma patients and may serve as a promising therapeutic target. All in all, Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of the functions and implications of RARA-AS1 in pan-cancer, highlighting it as a promising biomarker for survival. It is also an independent risk factor affecting prognosis in glioblastoma and an important factor affecting proliferation and migration in glioblastoma, setting the stage for further mechanistic investigations.

Indole-3-carbinol(I3C) is a tumor chemopreventive substance that can be extracted from cruciferous vegetables. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the cerebral protective effects of I3C in an in vivo rats model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). 8–10 Week-Old male SD rat received I3C (150 mg/kg, once daily) for 3 days and underwent 3 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion. The results showed that I3C pretreatment (150 mg/kg, once daily) prevented CIRI-induced cerebral infarction in rats. I3C pretreatment also decreased the mRNA expression levels of several apoptotic proteins, including Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9, by increasing the mRNA expression levels of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Inhibited apoptosis in the brain cells of MCAO rats. In addition, we found that I3C pretreatment reduced neuronal loss, promoted neurological recovery after ischemia–reperfusion injury and increased seven-day survival in MCAO rats. I3C pretreatment also significantly reduced the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (INOS), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA in ischemic brain tissue; Increased expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA. At the same time, I3C pretreatment significantly decreased the expression of the M1 microglial marker IBA1 after cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury and increased the expression of these results in the M2 microglial marker CD206. I3C pretreatment also significantly decreased apoptosis and death of HAPI microglial cells after hypoxia induction, decreased interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA The expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNAs was increased. These results suggest that I3C protects the brain from CIRI by regulating the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of microglia.

With the progress of atherosclerosis (AS), the arterial lumen stenosis and compact plaque structure, the thickening intima and the narrow gaps between endothelial cells significantly limit the penetration efficiency of nanoprobe to plaque, weakening the imaging sensitivity and therapy efficiency. Thus, in this study, a H 2 O 2 -NIR dual-mode nanomotor, Gd-doped mesoporous carbon nanoparticles/Pt with rapamycin (RAPA) loading and AntiCD36 modification (Gd-MCNs/Pt-RAPA-AC) was constructed. The asymmetric deposition of Pt on Gd-MCNs catalyzed H 2 O 2 at the inflammatory site to produce O 2 , which could promote the self-motion of the nanomotor and ease inflammation microenvironment of AS plaque. Near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation promoted the photothermal conversion of Gd-MCNs to generate the thermal propulsion of nanomotor and photothermal ablation of inflammatory macrophages. Meanwhile, the modification of AntiCD36 to bind with inflammatory macrophages further promotes the targeting effect. The released RAPA could inhibit the inflammatory side effects caused by photothermal effects, and promote macrophage autophagy to hinder the development of AS. The dual-mode propulsion nanomotors combining with the synergistic therapy of photothermal treatment, anti-inflammatory and pro-autophagy provided improved theranositc effect of AS. Graphical abstract

Aims The current evidence demonstrates that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold therapeutic potential for ischemic stroke. However, it remains unclear how changes in the secretion of MSC cytokines following the overexpression of heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) impact excessive inflammatory activation in a mouse ischemic stroke model. This study investigated this aspect and provided further insights. Methods The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mouse model was established, and subsequent injections of MSC, MSCHO‐1, or PBS solutions of equal volume were administered via the mice's tail vein. Histopathological analysis was conducted on Days 3 and 28 post‐MCAO to observe morphological changes in brain slices. mRNA expression levels of various factors, including IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐17, TNF‐α, IL‐1Ra, IL‐4, IL‐10, TGF‐β, were quantified. The effects of MSCHO‐1 treatment on neurons, microglia, and astrocytes were observed using immunofluorescence after transplantation. The polarization direction of macrophages/microglia was also detected using flow cytometry. Results The results showed that the expression of anti‐inflammatory factors in the MSCHO‐1 group increased while that of pro‐inflammatory factors decreased. Small animal fluorescence studies and immunofluorescence assays showed that the homing function of MSCsHO‐1 was unaffected, leading to a substantial accumulation of MSCsHO‐1 in the cerebral ischemic region within 24 h. Neurons were less damaged, activation and proliferation of microglia were reduced, and polarization of microglia to the M2 type increased after MSCHO‐1 transplantation. Furthermore, after transplantation of MSCsHO‐1, the mortality of mice decreased, and motor function improved significantly. Conclusion The findings indicate that MSCs overexpressing HO‐1 exhibited significant therapeutic effects against hyper‐inflammatory injury after stroke in mice, ultimately promoting recovery after ischemic stroke. Transfected human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC‐MSCs) transplanted into MCAO mice migrate to injured areas in the brain. hUC‐MSCs that overexpress HO‐1 can release high levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and promote the production of M2‐type microglia. This reduces inflammatory damage after ischemia–reperfusion.

Exploiting highly active and robust non-noble-metal electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) occupies an important position in alleviating energy crisis and maintaining social sustainability. Herein, we have grown Co(OH)2 nanoarrays in situ on Mn-doped NiFe LDH nanosheets to construct Mn-doped NiFe LDH@Co(OH)2/NF (MNF@Co(OH)2/NF) with core–shell structure. Due to the optimized electronic structure by manganese ion doping and the high density exposure of active sites induced by cobalt hydroxide coating, the MNF@Co(OH)2/NF exhibits excellent OER performances, which possesses ultralow overpotentials of 193 and 244 mV at the current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm−2 separately, and possesses a small Tafel slope of 48.4 mV dec−1. This work offers a new perspective for the rational construction of efficient OER electrocatalysts with multi-dimensional nanostructures to improve the catalytic activity.Graphic Abstract

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) under ambient conditions has been considered as a promising approach for green ammonia synthesis; however, non-precious metal-based catalysts with excellent NRR electrocatalytic performance have been scarce. Herein, self-supported bimetallic electrocatalysts of Ni12P5/FeP4 nanoplates grown on carbon cloth were synthesized by a combined process of hydrothermal technology and low-temperature phosphidation. The catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic N2 fixation performance with a high NH3 yield rate of 3.08 × 10−10 mol s−1 cm−2 (16.40 μg h−1 mgcat−1), Faradaic efficiency (39.9%) as well good durability at − 0.1 V in 0.1 M Na2SO4 at ambient conditions, which are attributed to the distinctive nanostructure and rational composition. Our study paves the way for expanding the scope of NRR research and designing more efficient electrochemical ammonia synthesis in the future.

Lead-free (Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 ) 1−x La 2/3x Ti 0.90 Zr 0.10 O 3  + 1 mol% MnO 2 ceramics have been prepared an ordinary sintering technique and the effects of La-doping on the microstructure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.90 Zr 0.10 O 3 were studied. All the ceramics possess a pure perovskite structure, indicating that La ions are incorporated into Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.90 Zr 0.10 O 3 lattices to form a lead-free solid solution. The ceramics are transformed from coexistence of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases to pseudocubic phase with the doping level of La increasing. After the doping of La, grain growth is inhibited, ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition temperature ( T C ) is decreased and the degree of diffuse phase transition is increased. The ferroelectricity of the ceramics is weakened after the addition of La. Unlike donor-doped lead zirconate titanate ceramics, the piezoelectric properties of the ceramics are degraded after the partial substitution of La 3+ for (Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 ) 2+ because of the weakness or disappearance of coexistence of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases near room temperature. The (Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 ) 1−x La 2/3x Ti 0.90 Zr 0.10 O 3  + 1 mol% MnO 2 ceramic with x = 0 exhibit the optimum piezoelectric properties: d 33  = 277 pC/N and k p  = 30.3 %, respectively.

Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.90 Zr 0.10 O 3  +  x mol% MnO 2 lead-free ceramics have been prepared by a conventional sintering method and the effects of MnO 2 and sintering temperature on microstructure, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.90 Zr 0.10 O 3 lead-free ceramics have been studied. The addition of 0.25 mol% MnO 2 promotes grain growth, improves the ferroelectricity of the ceramics and strengthens ferroelectric tetragonal–ferroelectric orthorhombic phase transition near 40 °C. Because of the coexistence of tetragonal and orthorhombic phases and the combinatory effects of soft and hard doping of Mn ions, the ceramic with x  = 0.25 exhibits the optimum piezoelectric properties ( d 33  = 306 pC/N and k p  = 42.2 %, respectively). Excess MnO 2 inhibits the grain growth and degrades the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics. Sintering temperature has an important influence on the microstructure, tetragonal–orthorhombic phase transition near 40 °C, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics. The increase in sintering temperature leads to large grains and more noticeable tetragonal–orthorhombic phase transition near 40 °C, enhances ferroelectricity and thus improves effectively the piezoelectricity of the ceramics. The Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.90 Zr 0.10 O 3 ceramic sintered at 1350 °C possesses the optimum piezoelectric constant d 33 value of 373 pC/N.

Blue-emitting phosphors with composition (Ca 0.8 Ba 1.2 ) 1− x Mg x SiO 4 : y Eu 2+ ( x  = 0 to 0.11, y  = 0.01 to 0.08) have been synthesized via a high-temperature solid-state reaction route and the effects of Mg 2+ and Eu 2+ codoping on their morphology, crystal structure, and luminescence properties were investigated. For (Ca 0.8 Ba 1.2 ) 1− x Mg x SiO 4 :0.04Eu 2+ , the color changed from light-blue to deep-blue region with increasing Mg 2+ content from x  = 0 to x  = 0.11. For (Ca 0.8 Ba 1.2 ) 0.93 Mg 0.07 SiO 4 : y Eu 2+ , the emission band showed the opposite shift with increasing y from 1% to 8%. Interestingly, increasing Mg 2+ addition led to significant reduction in the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) from 100 nm to 70 nm. Compared with Mg-free samples, the emission intensity of the Mg-containing material with x  = 0.07 was enhanced by ∼100%. The optimum doping levels of Mg 2+ and Eu 2+ were 0.07 and 0.02 for (Ca 0.8 Ba 1.2 ) 1− x Mg x SiO 4 :0.04Eu 2+ and (Ca 0.8 Ba 1.2 ) 0.93 Mg 0.07 SiO 4 : y Eu 2+ , respectively. These results indicate that such materials could be good candidate blue-emitting phosphors for use in solid-state lighting and displays.

Multiferroic ceramics of 0.75Bi 1− x Eu x FeO 3 –0.25BaTiO 3  + 1 mol% MnO 2 were synthesized by a conventional solid state reaction method and the effects of Eu doping on microstructure, ferroelectric, ferromagnetic and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics were investigated. All the ceramics exhibit a pure perovskite structure without any secondary phases. After the addition of Eu 3+ ions, the crystal structure of the ceramics is transformed from rhombohedral to tetragonal phase at x  = 0.025. The ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism of the ceramics are improved. For the ceramic with x  = 0.025, the optimum remanent polarization of 18.3 μC/cm 2 and good piezoelectricity of 82 pC/N are obtained. The saturated magnetization M s and remanent magnetism M r of the ceramics are improved by 165 and 141 % with x increasing from 0 to 0.175, respectively.