Mixed Cells Research Articles

Activation of glial cells induces proinflammatory properties in brain capillary endothelial cells in vitro

Neurodegenerative diseases are often accompanied by neuroinflammation and impairment of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) mediated by activated glial cells through their release of proinflammatory molecules. To study the effects of glial cells on mouse brain endothelial cells (mBECs), we developed an in vitro BBB model with inflammation by preactivating mixed glial cells (MGCs) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) before co-culturing with mBECs to study the influence of molecules released by activated MGCs. The response of the mBECs to activated MGCs was compared to direct stimulation with LPS. The cytokine profile of activated MGCs was analyzed together with their effects on the mBEC’s integrity, expression of tight junction proteins, adhesion molecules, and BBB-specific transport proteins. Stimulation of MGCs significantly upregulated mRNA expression and secretion of several pro-inflammatory cytokines. Co-culturing mBECs with pre-stimulated MGCs significantly affected the barrier integrity of mBECs similar to direct stimulation with LPS. The gene expression levels of tight junction proteins were unaltered, but tight junction proteins revealed rearrangements with respect to subcellular distribution. Compared to direct stimulation with LPS, the expression of cell-adhesion molecules was significantly increased when mBECs were co-cultured with prestimulated MGCs and thus pre-activating MGCs transforms mBECs into a proinflammatory phenotype.

A modeling method based on incomplete mixed cells in counter-current chromatography: Interphase mass transfer ratio

Complex mass transfer processes are highly involved in the performance of counter-current chromatography (CCC), so profound exploration should be conducted to improve the overall performance. To more accurately estimate the interphase mass transfer efficiency in the elution process, this study proposes an incomplete mixed cell model by linking layering-mixing-layering behavior and wave-like mixing. With the model, we proposed a fast estimation algorithm for interphase mass transfer ratio (IMTR), which can independently reflect the magnitude of the interphase mass transfer efficiency. The experimental results show that the IMTR of all samples was relatively small, with an average value of not >10 % under different operating conditions. This indicates that the low column efficiency of CCC may be mainly due to the low efficiency of interphase mass transfer. In addition, by analyzing the influencing factors of IMTR, it is found that IMTR is positively correlated with the number of theoretical plates and the retention of stationary phase (Sf), but negatively correlated with the number of incomplete mixing cells (n). Therefore, in the study of column efficiency optimization, we recommend that the distribution ratio, Sf, and n should remain unchanged in control experiments to ensure that IMTR directly reflects the effect on interphase mass transfer efficiency. This study further completes the evaluation index of the CCC column efficiency, revealing the underlying mechanisms of IMTR on column efficiency and providing a theoretical foundation for future research on high-efficiency CCC.

Flexible Narrow Bandgap Sn-Pb Perovskite Solar Cells with 21% Efficiency Using N,N'-Carbonyldiimidazole Treatments.

Flexible tin-lead (Sn-Pb) mixed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are among the promising flexible photovoltaics, owing to the narrow bandgap (NBG) of Sn-Pb perovskites, flexible and wearable features, and their role as a critical component in all-perovskite tandem photovoltaics. However, the flexible Sn-Pb PSCs suffer from a low power conversion efficiency, no higher than 18.5%, along with limited stability. Herein, we reported an efficient and stable flexible NBG Sn-Pb PSC via an N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) passivation strategy. CDI, with strong adsorption energy, preferentially binds to Sn2+ compared with oxygen (O2), thus effectively inhibiting the adsorption of O2 on perovskite surfaces. The transfer of electron density around Sn2+ dramatically decreased, thus suppressing Sn2+ oxidation. The CDI treatments endowed the Sn-Pb mixed films with fewer defects, improved crystallinity, better morphology, and matched energy-level alignment. The flexible Sn-Pb devices exhibited a high PCE of 21.02%. Besides, the devices showed enhanced stability and promoted flexibility. This work provides a pathway to visibly increase the efficiency and stability of the flexible Sn-Pb mixed photovoltaic cells.

Molecularly tailored bifunctional nano-overlayers for efficient and stable inverted perovskite solar cells

Triple cation perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have made remarkable progress in power conversion efficiency (PCE), which is also related to the interface regulation layers between the active layer and electron transport layer (ETL). The ionic nature of the perovskite lattice has enabled approaches to passivate molecular defects through the interaction of functional groups. Herein, a passivator OXD-7 is introduced as a modified layer to passivate surface defects and accelerate electron transfer. It has been observed that OXD-7 can alleviate the micro-strain of the perovskite thin films through intermolecular bonding, which suppresses the iodide vacancy on the perovskite surface. Additionally, the OXD-7 reduces the surface energy of the perovskite films and inhibits the formation of δ-FAPbI3 on the surface of perovskite film. Consequently, the resulting devices demonstrate improved fill factor and device stability. Under optimal fabrication conditions, triple cation mixed perovskite solar cells with an inverted structure achieve a PCE of 23.83%.

Multi-Functional Silole Hole Transport Layer for Efficient and Stable Lead-Tin Perovskite and Tandem Solar Cells.

Despite high theoretical efficiencies and rapid improvements in performance, high-efficiency ≈1.2eV mixed Sn-Pb perovskite solar cells (PSCs) generally rely on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) as the hole transport layer (HTL); a material that is considered to be a bottleneck for long-term stability due to its acidity and hygroscopic nature. Seeking to replace PEDOT: PSS with an alternative HTL with improved atmospheric and thermal stability, herein, a silole derivative (Silole-COOH) tuned with optimal electronic properties and efficient carrier transport by incorporating a carboxyl functional group is designed, which results in an optimal band alignment for hole extraction from Sn-Pb perovskites and robust air and thermal stability. Thin films composed of the Silole-COOH exhibit superior conductivity and carrier mobility compared to PEDOT: PSS, in addition to reduced nonradiative quasi-Fermi-level splitting losses at the HTL/perovskite interface and improved quality of Sn-Pb perovskite. Replacement of PEDOT: PSS with Silole-COOH leads to 23.2%-efficient single-junction Sn-Pb PSCs, 25.8%-efficient all-perovskite tandems, and long operating stability in ambient air.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts barrier breaking via TGF-β blockade paved way for docetaxel micelles delivery to treat pancreatic cancer

TGF-β is a crucial regulator in tumor microenvironment (TME), especially for myofibroblastic cancer-associated fibroblasts (myCAFs). The myCAFs can be motivated by TGF-β signaling to erect pro-tumor TME, meanwhile, myCAFs overexpress TGF-β to mediate the crosstalk between tumor and stromal cells. The blockade of TGF-β can break cancer-associated fibroblasts barrier, consequently opening the access for drugs into tumor. The TGF-β is a promising target in anti-tumor therapy. Herein, we introduced a two-stage combination therapy (TC-Therapy), including TGF-β receptor I inhibitor SB525334 (SB) and cytotoxicity agent docetaxel micelle (DTX-M). We found that SB and DTX-M synergistically inhibited myCAFs proliferation and elevated p53 protein expression in BxPC-3/3T3 mixed cells. Gene and protein tests demonstrated that SB cut off TGF-β signaling via receptor blockade and it did not arouse TGF-β legend compensated internal autocrine. On the contrary, two agents combined decreased TGF-β secretion and inhibited myCAFs viability marked by α-SMA and FAPα. TC-Therapy was applied in BxPc-3/3T3 mixed tumor-bearing mice model. After TC-Therapy, the α-SMA+/ FAPα+ myCAFs faded increasingly and collagenous fibers mainly secreted by myCAFs decreased dramatically as well. More than that, the myCAFs barrier breaking helped to normalize micro-vessels and paved way for micelle penetration. The TGF-β protein level of TC-Therapy in TME was much lower than that of simplex DTX-M, which might account for TME restoration. In conclusion, TGF-β inhibitor acted as the pioneer before nano chemotherapeutic agents. The TC-Therapy of TGF-β signaling inhibition and anti-tumor agent DTX-M is a promising regimen without arising metastasis risk to treat pancreatic cancer. The therapeutic regimen focused on TGF-β related myCAFs reminds clinicians to have a comprehensive understanding of pancreatic cancer.

Preferentially coordinating tin ions to suppress composition segregation for high-performance tin-lead mixed perovskite solar cells

Tin-lead mixed perovskites (TLPs) with a tunable and ideal bandgap exhibit great potential in approaching the Shockley–Queisser limit of power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, two critical issues are necessary to be addressed, including the oxidation of Sn2+ and negligible composition and phase segregation. The latter derives from the unbalanced crystallization rate between Sn- and Pb-based perovskites. Here, we report a strategy to address the above critical issues by introducing 3,4-Dihydroxybenzylamine hydrobromide (DHBABr) in the TLP precursor solution. DHBABr was revealed to promote the crystallization of FAPbI3 perovskite by suppressing the formation of crystalline DMSO-FA-Pb-I intermediates and retard the crystallization rate of FASnI3 by preferentially forming a steady amorphous DHBA-FA-Sn-I intermediate. This, therefore, balances the crystallization rate between Sn- and Pb-based perovskites. As a result, the spatial distribution of Sn/Pb ratio is much more uniform across the whole TLP film, which benefits the upscaling of the manufacturing process. Relying on this doping strategy accompanied by the surface passivation with DHBABr, which reduces the defect density of TLP, inhibits the oxidation of Sn2+, and optimizes the band alignment of the device, we have achieved a PCE of 22.44 % with Voc of 0.853 V and FF of 80.0 %, along with an enhanced long-term stability of T80 = 476 h under continuously light illumination in the champion device.

An Incidental Finding of Primary Colonic Tuberculosis Disguising Itself as Colon Cancer

Abstract Intestinal tuberculosis (TB) is common among the extrapulmonary spectrum of TB seen in developing countries, with the ileocecal region being the most common site involved. Isolated colonic TB is rare among intestinal TB. The usual presentation of intestinal TB is transverse ulceration, which should be differentiated from other causes of intestinal ulcers. The diagnosis of isolated colonic TB is challenging due to a lack of typical clinical presentations and nonspecific colonoscopy findings. There are myriad histomorphological features seen in the intestinal tuberculosis, including epithelioid cell granulomas with or without necrosis and extensive fibrosis with stricture formation and sometimes only show dense mixed inflammatory cells comprising polymorphs and histiocytes. It can also be presented as spindle cell pseudotumors. The acid-fast bacilli in biopsy specimens are not frequently encountered. Hence, the diagnosis of intestinal TB is missed most of the time in the early stages, and the patient lands up in an emergency. Here, we would like to add another case of colonic TB to the literature, wherein a 60-year-old female who was asymptomatic for 1 month suddenly presented with acute symptoms of intestinal obstruction and was misdiagnosed clinically as well as radiologically as colonic carcinoma. The diagnosis of tubercular colitis was later confirmed on histopathological examination of the hemicolectomy specimen.

Surface chemical polishing and passivation minimize non-radiative recombination for all-perovskite tandem solar cells

All-perovskite tandem solar cells have shown great promise in breaking the Shockley–Queisser limit of single-junction solar cells. However, the efficiency improvement of all-perovskite tandem solar cells is largely hindered by the surface defects induced non-radiative recombination loss in Sn–Pb mixed narrow bandgap perovskite films. Here, we report a surface reconstruction strategy utilizing a surface polishing agent, 1,4-butanediamine, together with a surface passivator, ethylenediammonium diiodide, to eliminate Sn-related defects and passivate organic cation and halide vacancy defects on the surface of Sn–Pb mixed perovskite films. Our strategy not only delivers high-quality Sn–Pb mixed perovskite films with a close-to-ideal stoichiometric ratio surface but also minimizes the non-radiative energy loss at the perovskite/electron transport layer interface. As a result, our Sn–Pb mixed perovskite solar cells with bandgaps of 1.32 and 1.25 eV realize power conversion efficiencies of 22.65% and 23.32%, respectively. Additionally, we further obtain a certified power conversion efficiency of 28.49% of two-junction all-perovskite tandem solar cells.

Predicting lymph node recurrence in cT1-2N0 tongue squamous cell carcinoma: collaboration between artificial intelligence and pathologists.

Researchers have attempted to identify the factors involved in lymph node recurrence in cT1-2N0 tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, studies combining histopathological and clinicopathological information in prediction models are limited. We aimed to develop a highly accurate lymph node recurrence prediction model for clinical stage T1-2, N0 (cT1-2N0) tongue SCC by integrating histopathological artificial intelligence (AI) with clinicopathological information. A dataset from 148 patients with cT1-2N0 tongue SCC was divided into training and test sets. The prediction models were constructed using AI-extracted information from whole slide images (WSIs), human-assessed clinicopathological information, and both combined. Weakly supervised learning and machine learning algorithms were used for WSIs and clinicopathological information, respectively. The combination model utilised both algorithms. Highly predictive patches from the model were analysed for histopathological features. In the test set, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the model using WSI, clinicopathological information, and both combined were 0.826, 0.835, and 0.991, respectively. The highest area under the ROC curve was achieved with the model combining WSI and clinicopathological factors. Histopathological feature analysis showed that highly predicted patches extracted from recurrence cases exhibited significantly more tumour cells, inflammatory cells, and muscle content compared with non-recurrence cases. Moreover, patches with mixed inflammatory cells, tumour cells, and muscle were significantly more prevalent in recurrence versus non-recurrence cases. The model integrating AI-extracted histopathological and human-assessed clinicopathological information demonstrated high accuracy in predicting lymph node recurrence in patients with cT1-2N0 tongue SCC.

High-Performance Ideal Bandgap Sn-Pb Mixed Perovskite Solar Cells Achieved by MXene Passivation.

Ideal bandgap (1.3-1.4eV) Sn-Pb mixed perovskite solar cells (PSC) hold the maximum theoretical efficiency given by the Shockley-Queisser limit. However, achieving high efficiency and stable Sn-Pb mixed PSCs remains challenging. Here, piperazine-1,4-diium tetrafluoroborate (PDT) is introduced as spacer for bottom interface modification of ideal bandgap Sn-Pb mixed perovskite. This spacer enhances the quality of the upper perovskite layer and forms better energy band alignment, leading to enhanced charge extraction at the hole transport layer (HTL)/perovskite interface. Then, 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene is incorporated for surface treatment of perovskite, resulting in reduced surface trap density and enhanced interfacial electron transfer. The combinations of double-sided treatment afford the ideal bandgap PSC with a high efficiency of 20.45% along with improved environment stability. This work provides a feasible guideline to prepare high-performance and stable ideal-bandgap PSCs.

Suppressing the phase separation in FAMA mixed perovskite solar cells via the preloading of A site cations within the lattice

The incorporation of MA as a dopant is highly advantageous for stabilizing the lattice structure of α-phase FAPbI3. However, achieving a homogeneous phase mixing is only feasible at elevated MA doping levels, which significantly compromises both the efficiency and stability of FA-dominated perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, it is found that in the nucleation stage of FAMA mixed perovskite, MA+ exhibit a significant kinetic advantage over FA+ in their reaction with PbI3−. The rapid crystallization of MAPbI3 not only induces FA-MA separation but also hinders the crystallization of perovskite due to strains induced by the bulky FA+ cations. To address this issue, we introduced FA0.8MA0.2PbI3 single crystals as the material source to prepare the precursor solutions, which achieved a delicate balance between lattice stability and bandgap (Eg = 1.54 eV). The preloaded A-site cations within the PbI3− cages make the bare FA-dominated perovskite films by blade coating maintain the phase stability in wild ambient for over one year. The final PSCs (0.09 cm2) achieved a highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.66 %, among the highest efficiency records for blade coated PSCs. The unpackaged PSCs show efficiency loss of < 10 % as being aged in air with a relative humidity of 10 % for over 1000 h.

Multifunctional Modification of the Buried Interface in Mixed Tin-Lead Perovskite Solar Cells.

Mixed tin-lead perovskite solar cells can reach bandgaps as low as 1.2eV, offering high theoretical efficiency and serving as base materials for all-perovskite tandem solar cells. However, instability and high defect densitiesat the interfaces, particularly the buried surface,have limited performance improvements. In this work, we present the modification of the bottom perovskite interface with multifunctional hydroxylamine salts. These salts can effectively coordinate the different perovskite components, having critical influences in regulating the crystallization process and passivating defects of varying nature. The surface modification reduced traps at the interface and prevented the formation of excessive lead iodide, enhancing the quality of the films. The modified devices presented fill factors reaching 81% and efficiencies of up to 23.8%. The unencapsulated modified devices maintained over 95% of their initial efficiency after 2000 h of shelf storage.

MLL-AF9 regulates transcriptional initiation in mixed lineage leukemic cells

Mixed lineage leukemia-fusion proteins (MLL-FPs) are believed to maintain gene activation and induce MLL through aberrantly stimulating transcriptional elongation, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, we show that both MLL1 and AF9, one of the major fusion partners of MLL1, mainly occupy promoters and distal intergenic regions, exhibiting chromatin occupancy patterns resembling that of RNA polymerase II in HEL, a human erythroleukemia cell line without MLL1 rearrangement. MLL1 and AF9 only coregulate over a dozen genes despite of their co-occupancy on thousands of genes. They do not interact with each other, and their chromatin occupancy is also independent of each other. Moreover, AF9 deficiency in HEL cells decreases global TBP occupancy while decreases CDK9 occupancy on a small number of genes, suggesting an accessory role of AF9 in CDK9 recruitment and a possible major role in transcriptional initiation via initiation factor recruitment. Importantly, MLL1 and MLL-AF9 occupy promoters and distal intergenic regions, exhibiting identical chromatin occupancy patterns in MLL cells, and MLL-AF9 deficiency decreased occupancy of TBP and TFIIE on major target genes of MLL-AF9 in iMA9, a murine acute myeloid leukemia cell line inducibly expressing MLL-AF9, suggesting that it can also regulate initiation. These results suggest that there is no difference between MLL1 and MLL-AF9 with respect to location and size of occupancy sites, contrary to what people have believed, and that MLL-AF9 may also regulate transcriptional initiation in addition to widely believed elongation.

Dilute acid-assisted microbubbles-mediated ozonolysis of Eucheuma denticulatum phycocolloid for biobased L-lactic acid production

Biobased L-lactic acid (L-LA) appeals to industries; however, existing technologies are plagued by limited productivity and high energy consumption. This study established an integrated process for producing macroalgae-based L-LA from Eucheuma denticulatum phycocolloid (EDP). Dilute acid-assisted microbubbles-mediated ozonolysis (DAMMO) was selected for the ozonolysis of EDP to optimize D-galactose recovery. Through single-factor optimization of DAMMO treatment, a maximum D-galactose recovery efficiency (59.10 %) was achieved using 0.15 M H2SO4 at 80 °C for 75 min. Fermentation with 3 % (w/v) mixed microbial cells (Bacillus coagulans ATCC 7050 and Lactobacillus acidophilus-14) and fermented residues achieved a 97.67 % L-LA yield. Additionally, this culture approach was further evaluated in repeated-batch fermentation and showed an average L-LA yield of 93.30 %, providing a feasible concept for macroalgae-based L-LA production.

Loss of AMPK potentiates inflammation by activating the inflammasome after traumatic brain injury in mice.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health concern characterized by a complex cascade of cellular events. TBI induces adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) dysfunction impairs energy balance activates inflammatory cytokines and leads to neuronal damage. AMPK is a key regulator of cellular energy homeostasis during inflammatory responses. Recent research has revealed its key role in modulating the inflammatory process in TBI. Following TBI the activation of AMPK can influence various important pathways and mechanisms including metabolic pathways and inflammatory signaling. Our study investigated the effects of post-TBI loss of AMPK function on functional outcomes inflammasome activation, and inflammatory cytokine production. Male C57BL/6 adult wild-type (WT) and AMPK knockout (AMPK-KO) mice were subjected to a controlled cortical impact (CCI) model of TBI or sham surgery. The mice were tested for behavioral impairment at 24 h post-TBI thereafter, mice were anesthetized, and their brains were quickly removed for histological and biochemical evaluation. In vitro we investigated inflammasome activation in mixed glial cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharides+ Interferon-gamma (LI) (0.1 μg/20 ng/ml LPS/IFNg) for 6 h to induce an inflammatory response. Estimating the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family pyrin domain containing western blotting ELISA and qRT-PCR performed 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and cytokine production. Our findings suggest that TBI leads to reduced AMPK phosphorylation in WT mice and that the loss of AMPK correlates with worsened behavioral deficits at 24 h post-TBI in AMPK-KO mice as compared to WT mice. Moreover compared with the WT mice AMPK-KO mice exhibit exacerbated NLRP3 inflammasome activation and increased expression of proinflammatory mediators such as IL-1b IL-6 TNF-a iNOS and Cox 2. These results align with the in vitro studies using brain glial cells under inflammatory conditions, demonstrating greater activation of inflammasome components in AMPK-KO mice than in WT mice. Our results highlighted the critical role of AMPK in TBI outcomes. We found that the absence of AMPK worsens behavioral deficits and heightens inflammasome-mediated inflammation thereby exacerbating brain injury after TBI. Restoring AMPK activity after TBI could be a promising therapeutic approach for alleviating TBI-related damage.

A subpopulation of tissue remodeling monocytes stimulates revascularization of the ischemic limb.

Despite decades of effort aimed at developing clinically effective cell therapies, including mixed population mononuclear cells, to revascularize the ischemic limb, there remains a paucity of patient-based studies that inform the function and fate of candidate cell types. In this study, we showed that circulating proangiogenic/arteriogenic monocytes (PAMs) expressing the FcγIIIA receptor CD16 were elevated in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), and these amounts decreased after revascularization. Unlike CD16-negative monocytes, PAMs showed large vessel remodeling properties in vitro when cultured with endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells and promoted salvage of the ischemic limb in vivo in a mouse model of hindlimb ischemia. PAMs showed a propensity to migrate toward and bind to ischemic muscle and to secrete angiogenic/arteriogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor. We instigated a first-in-human single-arm cohort study in which autologous PAMs were injected into the ischemic limbs of five patients with CLTI. Greater than 25% of injected cells were retained in the leg for at least 72 hours, of which greater than 80% were viable, with evidence of enhanced large vessel remodeling in the injected muscle area. In summary, we identified up-regulation of a circulatory PAM subpopulation as an endogenous response to limb ischemia in CLTI and tested a potentially clinically relevant therapeutic strategy.

Sustainable thermal regulation improves stability and efficiency in all-perovskite tandem solar cells

Mixed Sn-Pb perovskites have emerged as promising photovoltaic materials for both single- and multi-junction solar cells. However, achieving their scale-up and practical application requires further enhancement in stability. We identify that their poor thermal conductivity results in insufficient thermal transfer, leading to heat accumulation within the absorber layer that accelerates thermal degradation. A thermal regulation strategy by incorporating carboranes into perovskites is developed; these are electron-delocalized carbon-boron molecules known for their efficient heat transfer capability. We specifically select ortho-carborane due to its low thermal hysteresis. We observe its existence through the perovskite layer showing a decreasing trend from the buried interface to the top surface, effectively transferring heat and lowering the surface temperature by around 5 °C under illumination. o-CB also facilitates hole extraction at the perovskite/PEDOT:PSS interface and reduces charge recombination. These enable mixed Sn-Pb cells to exhibit improved thermal stability, retaining 80% of their initial efficiencies after aging at 85 °C for 1080 hours. When integrated into monolithic all-perovskite tandems, we achieve efficiencies of over 27%. A tandem cell maintains 87% of its initial PCE after 704 h of continuous operation under illumination.

EcoHIV Infection of Primary Murine Brain Cell Cultures to Model HIV Replication and Neuropathogenesis.

EcoHIV is a chimeric HIV that replicates in mice in CD4+ T cells, macrophages, and microglia (but not in neurons), causing lasting neurocognitive impairment resembling neurocognitive disease in people living with HIV. The present study was designed to develop EcoHIV-susceptible primary mouse brain cultures to investigate the indirect effects of HIV infection on neuronal integrity. We used two EcoHIV clones encoding EGFP and mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM), mixed mouse brain cells, or enriched mouse glial cells from two wild-type mouse strains to test EcoHIV replication efficiency, the identity of productively infected cells, and neuronal apoptosis and integrity. EcoHIV replicated efficiently in BMM. In mixed brain cell cultures, EcoHIV targeted microglia but did not cause neuronal apoptosis. Instead, the productive infection of the microglia activated them and impaired synaptophysin expression, dendritic density, and axonal structure in the neurons. EcoHIV replication in the microglia and neuronal structural changes during infection were prevented by culture with an antiretroviral. In murine brain cell cultures, EcoHIV replication in the microglia is largely responsible for the aspects of neuronal dysfunction relevant to cognitive disease in infected mice and people living with HIV. These cultures provide a tool for further study of HIV neuropathogenesis and its control.

Reductive Sn2+ Compensator for Efficient and Stable Sn-Pb Mixed Perovskite Solar Cells.

Tin-lead (Sn-Pb) mixed perovskite with a narrow bandgap is an ideal candidate for single-junction solar cells approaching the Shockley-Queisser limit. However, due to the easy oxidation of Sn2+, the efficiency and stability of Sn-Pb mixed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) still lag far behind that of Pb-based solar cells. Herein, highly efficient and stable FA0.5MA0.5Pb0.5Sn0.5I0.47Br0.03 compositional PSCs are achieved by introducing an appropriate amount of multifunctional Tin (II) oxalate (SnC2O4). SnC2O4with compensative Sn2+ and reductive oxalate group C2O4 2- effectively passivates the cation and anion defects simultaneously, thereby leading to more n-type perovskite films. Benefitting from the energy level alignment and the suppression of bulk nonradiative recombination, the Sn-Pb mixed perovskite solar cell treated with SnC2O4 achieves a power conversion efficiency of 21.43%. More importantly, chemically reductive C2O4 2- effectively suppresses the notorious oxidation of Sn2+, leading to significant enhancement in stability. Particularly, it dramatically improves light stability.