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In this study, the impact of Gluconolactone (GDL) concentration on the formation of high-internal-phase emulsion gels (HIPEGs) and the gastrointestinal digestive viability of Lactobacillus plantarum encapsulated within these HIPEGs were demonstrated. Increasing GDL concentrations led to cross-linking of particles at the oil-water interface, thereby stabilizing smaller oil droplets. The addition of GDL to HIPEs results in a significant increase in the secondary structure of SPI, specifically in β-sheet and β-turn formations, accompanied by a reduction in α-helix percentage. This alteration enhanced the binding effect of protein on water, leading to changes in intermolecular force. Notably, HIPEGs containing 3.0% GDL demonstrated superior encapsulation efficiency and delivery efficiency, reaching 99.0% and 84.5%, respectively. After 14 d of continuous zebrafishs feeding, the intestinal viable cells count of Lactobacillus plantarum reached 1.18 × 10 7  CFU/mL. This finding supports the potential use of HIPEGs as a probiotic delivery carrier, effectively enhancing the intestinal colonization rate., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) is an important neuroendocrine center involved in pain regulation, but the nociceptive afferent routes for the nucleus are still unclear. We examined the profile of PVH receiving injurious information by a combination of retrograde tracing with Fluoro-Gold (FG) and FOS expression induced by formalin stimuli. The result showed that formalin injection induced significantly increased expression of FOS in the PVH, among which oxytocin containing neurons are one neuronal phenotype. Immunofluorescent staining of FG and FOS revealed that double labeled neurons were strikingly distributed in the area 2 of the cingulate cortex (Cg2), the lateral septal nucleus (LS), the periaqueductal gray (PAG), the posterior hypothalamic area (PH), and the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB). In the five regions, LPB had the biggest number and the highest ratio of FOS expression in FG labeled neurons, with main subnuclei distribution in the external, superior, dorsal, and central parts. Further immunofluorescent triple staining disclosed that about one third of FG and FOS double labeled neurons in the LPB were immunoreactive for calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP). In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the nociceptive input profile of the PVH area under inflammatory pain and suggests that neurons in the LPB may play essential roles in transmitting noxious information to the PVH., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

C-glycosylated flavones (CGFs) are the main flavonoids in duckweed (Lemna turionifera), known for their diverse pharmacological activities and nutritional values. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying flavonoid metabolism in duckweed remain poorly understood. This study identified a P1-Like R2R3-MYB transcription factor, LtP1L, as a crucial regulator of CGF biosynthesis and transport in L. turionifera. Over-expression of LtP1L led to a six-fold increase in CGF levels, whereas the CRISPR-mediated knockdown of LtP1L caused a drastic 74.3 % decrease in CGF contents compared with the wild type. LtP1L specifically activated the expression of genes encoding key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of CGFs, including flavanone 3'-hydroxylases (F3'H), flavanone 2-hydroxylases (F2H), and C-glycosyltransferase (CGT). Meanwhile, LtP1L activated genes associated with phenylalanine and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways, such as 3-deoxy-7-phosphoheptulonate synthase (DHS), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), and 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL), redirecting carbon metabolic flux towards flavonoid pathway at the early stages of phenylalanine synthesis. In addition, LtP1L directly bound to a novel AC-like cis-element in the promoter of a tonoplast-localized ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter LtABCC4 and activated its expression. Furthermore, the preference of LtABCC4 for isoorientin over orientin during vacuolar transport was evidenced by the significant reduction of isoorientin compared to orientin in the Ltabcc4 crispr lines. Altogether, LtP1L acts as a crucial transcriptional orchestrator in coordinating the biosynthesis and intracellular transport of CGFs in duckweed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mesoporous silica microspheres (MSMs) possess poor biocompatibility. This study focuses on integrating MSMs with polymers to obtain hybrid materials with superior performance compared to the individual components and responsive release in specific environments. The synthesized MSMs were aminated, and subsequently, soybean hull polysaccharide (SHPs) was modified onto MSMs-NH 2 to produce MSMs-NH 2 @SHPs nanoparticles. The encapsulation rate, loading rate of curcumin (Cur), and in vitro release behavior were investigated. Results indicated that the encapsulation efficiency of Cur by MSMs-NH 2 @SHPs nanoparticles reached 75.58%, 6.95 times that of MSMs-NH 2 with a load capacity of 35.12%. It is noteworthy that these nanoparticles exhibit pH-responsive release capacity in vitro. The cumulative release rate of the three nanoparticles at pH 5.0 was higher than that at pH 7.4. MSMs-NH 2 @SHPs had a cumulative release rate of 56.55% at pH 7.4, increasing to 76.21% at pH 5.0. In vitro experiments have shown that MSMs-based nanoparticles have high delivery efficiency and can achieve pH-sensitive drug release, with a high release rate in a slightly acidic acid, highlighting the potential for controlled release of Cur., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The study aimed to evaluate a food adhesive developed using tea polyphenols (TPs) with soybean protein isolate (SPI) to create a cohesive bond between soy protein gel and simulated fat. Upon the addition of 5.0 % TPs, significant increases in viscosity, thermal stability, and crystallinity were noted in adhesives, suggesting the formation of a cohesive network. Furthermore, TPs effectively enhanced adhesion strength, with the optimal addition being 5.0 %. This enhancement can be attributed to hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions between TPs and SPI molecules. TPs induced a greater expansion of the protein structure, exposing numerous buried hydrophobic groups to a more hydrophilic and polar environment. However, excessive TPs were found to diminish adhesion strength. This can be attributed to enhanced reactions between TPs and SPI, where high molecular weight SPI-TPs cooperatively aggregate to form agglomerates that eventually precipitated, rendering the adhesive network inhomogeneous, less stable, and more prone to disruption., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this work, a novel reinforcing filler, millet gliadin (MG), was used for the improvement of the mechanical properties of zein nanofibers. The structural and physicochemical properties of MG were compared with those of zein, and the influence of MG on the morphology, physical properties, and molecular structure of zein nanofibers was investigated. The results indicated that MG has an obviously smaller weight-average molecular weight (7623) in comparison to zein (13,330). Transmission electron microscopy showed that zein molecules more easily form aggregates with larger diameters than MG molecules in acetic acid. At a concentration of 30% ( w / v ), MG exhibited a significantly higher viscosity (0.66 ± 0.03 Pa·s) than zein (0.32 ± 0.01 Pa·s), indicating the stronger interactions of MG molecules. With the incorporation of MG, the tensile strength was significantly increased to 49.32 MPa (ZM-1/2), which is 2.08 times and 4.45 times higher than that of pure zein nanofibers (ZM-1/0) and MG nanofibers (ZM-0/1-1), respectively. Moreover, zein/MG composite nanofibers exhibited improved water stability. Fourier transform infrared spectra showed evidence of the hydrogen bonding interaction between zein and MG. Therefore, MG is a good candidate for use as a natural reinforcing filler in electrospun nanofibers made of biopolymers.

The applications of polysaccharides as emulsifiers are limited due to the lack of hydrophobicity. However, traditional hydrophobic modification methods used for polysaccharides are complicated and involve significant mechanical and thermal losses. In this study, soy hull polysaccharide (SHP) and terminally aminopropylated polydimethylsiloxane (NPN) were selected to investigate the feasibility of a simple and green interfacial membrane strengthening strategy based on the interfacial polymerization of anionic polysaccharides and fat-soluble alkaline ligands. Our results show that deprotonated SHP and protonated NPN can be complexed at the water/oil (W/O) interface, reduce interfacial tension, and form a strong membrane structure. Moreover, they can quickly form a membrane at the W/O interface upon the moment of contact to produce stable all-liquid printing products with complex patterns. However, the molecular weight of NPN affects the complexation reaction. Consequently, this study has long-term implications to expanding the areas of application for anionic polysaccharides., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, we designed a novel shared cathode bipolar electrode chip based on Ohm 's law and successfully constructed a dual-mode dual-signal biosensor platform (DD-cBPE). The device integrates ELISA, ECL, and ECL imaging to achieve highly sensitive detection and visual imaging of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The unique circuit structure of the device not only realizes the dual signal detection of the target, but also breaks the traditional signal amplification concept. The total resistance of the system is reduced by series-parallel connection of BPE, and the total current in the circuit is increased. In addition, Au@NiCo 2 O 4 @MnO 2 nanozyme activity probe was introduced into the common cathode to enhance the conductivity of the material. At the same time, due to the excellent peroxidase (POD) activity of NiCo 2 O 4 @MnO 2 , the decomposition of H 2 O 2 was accelerated, so that more electrons flowed to the BPE anode, and finally the dual amplification of the ECL signal was realized. The device affects the current in the circuit by regulating the concentration of the co-reactant TPrA, thereby affecting the resistance of the system. Finally, different luminescent reagents emit light at the same potential and the luminous efficiency is similar. In addition, the chip does not need external resistance regulation, which improves the sensitivity of the immunosensor and meets the needs of timely detection. It provides a new idea for the deviceization of bipolar electrodes and has broad application prospects in biosensors, clinical detection, and environmental monitoring., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an inestimable impact worldwide, challenging the daily lives and interactions of children and their families. In 2022, Shanghai implemented a three-month lockdown in response to an acceleration of positive cases during the pandemic period. This restrictive policy provided insight into the impact of the lockdown on children's social adjustment and the role of parent-child conflict during this process. Mothers of preschool-aged children participated in this study and completed the Chinese version of Child-Parent Relationship Scale (CPRS) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method, two matched groups were formed: pre-lockdown group and post-lockdown group, with a total of 574 preschoolers (N = 297 in each group; M age  = 4.36, SD = 0.86) were recruited. The results showed that the lockdown directly impacted children's emotional symptoms. Additionally, the parent-child conflict mediated relationship between the lockdown and children's adjustment. Specifically, parent-child conflict deteriorated children's emotional symptoms, hyperactivity-attention problems, and prosocial behaviors. These findings highlight the significant impact of the severe lockdown on children's social adjustment and the role of parent-child interactions during this period., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Seagrass meadows are one of the most important coastal ecosystems that provide essential ecological and economic services. The contamination levels of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in coastal ecosystems are severely elevated owing to anthropogenic disturbances, such as terrestrial input, aquaculture effluent, and sewage discharge. However, few studies have focused on the occurrence and distribution of antibiotics and their corresponding ARGs in this habitat. Thus, we investigated the antibiotic and ARGs profiles, microbial communities, and ARG-carrying host bacteria in typical seagrass meadow sediments collected from Swan Lake, Caofeidian shoal harbor, Qingdao Bay, and Sishili Bay in the Bohai Sea and northern Yellow Sea. The total concentrations of 30 detected antibiotics ranged from 99.35 to 478.02 μg/kg, tetracyclines were more prevalent than other antibiotics. Metagenomic analyses showed that 342 ARG subtypes associated with 22 ARG types were identified in the seagrass meadow sediments. Multidrug resistance genes and RanA were the most dominant ARG types and subtypes, respectively. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that Halioglobus, Zeaxanthinibacter, and Aureitalea may be potential hosts at the genus level, and the relative abundances of these bacteria were higher in Sishili Bay than those in other areas. This study provided important insights into the pollution status of antibiotics and ARGs in typical seagrass meadow sediments. Effective management should be performed to control the potential ecological health risks in seagrass meadow ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 lockdown has forced young children to spend more time on media and significantly impacted their mothers' mental health. This study explored how mothers' individual distress influences children's problematic media use during the Shanghai citywide lockdown caused by COVID-19. Data were collected from 1889 Chinese mothers (M age = 34.69 years, SD = 3.94 years) with preschoolers aged 3-6 years (M age = 4.38 years, SD = 1.06 years; 49.0% boys) via an online survey. The statistical analyses relied on SPSS Statistics version 26.0 and macro-program PROCESS 3.3. to investigate the associations and mediation analysis among all the study variables. The results indicated a positive association between maternal distress and children's problematic media use, mediated by parenting stress and maladaptive parenting. Specifically, the serial mediation analysis revealed that high levels of maternal distress exacerbate parenting stress, which in turn leads to maladaptive parenting practices. These maladaptive practices subsequently increase problematic media use in preschool children. The findings highlighted that parents need to enhance their ability to manage risk and promote mental health during periods of significant stress and routine disruption to reduce children's problematic media use., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder in children, can be effectively alleviated by the herbal preparation Long Mu Qing Xin Mixture (LMQXM), but its mechanism has not been fully elucidated., Objective: To scrutinize the potential pharmacological mechanisms by which LMQXM improves behavior in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR/NCrl)., Methods: The SHR/NCrl rats were randomly stratified into the model (SHR) group, the methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH) group, and groups subjected to varying dosages of LMQXM into the medium dose (MD) group with a clinically effective dose, the low dose (LD) group with 0.5 times the clinically effective dose, and high dose (HD) group with 2 times the clinically effective dose. Furthermore, the WKY/NCrl rats constituted the control group. The evaluation of behavior involved the open field test and the Morris water maze test. HPLC, LC-MS, ELISA, immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and RT-qPCR were utilized to scrutinize the catecholamine neurotransmitter content and the expression of proteins and genes associated with the dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1)/cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA)-cAMP response element-binding (CREB) pathway in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum., Results: MPH and LMQXM ameliorated hyperactivity and learning and memory deficits of SHR/NCrl rats. Among them, LMQXM-MD and MPH also upregulated dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), adenylate cyclase (AC) and cAMP levels, and the expression of proteins and genes associated with the DRD1/cAMP/PKA-CREB pathway in PFC and striatum of SHR/NCrl rats. PFC and striatum DA levels were also upregulated in the LMQXM-LD group as well as the striatum DA levels in the LMQXM-HD group, but there were no statistically significant differences in their NE levels compared to the SHR group. LMQXM-LD and LMQXM-HD also upregulated some DRD1/cAMP/PKA-CREB pathway-related proteins and gene expression, but the effects were discernibly disparate in PFC and striatum. Upon comprehensive analysis, LMQXM-MD appeared to be the most effective dose., Conclusion: Our study tentatively suggests that LMQXM may rectify hyperactivity and learning and memory deficits of SHR/NCrl rats by elevating catecholamine neurotransmitters in the PFC and striatum. This effect may be attributed to the potential activation of the DRD1/cAMP/PKA-CREB signaling pathway, which appears to achieve an optimal response at moderate doses., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Li, Xiao, Jiang, Pu, Chen, Wang, Liu, Zhang and Xu.)

Purpose: To explore modified parameters of the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) for evaluating contralateral nodules based on preoperative ultrasound features of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in the suspected lobe, thus guiding the management of bilateral PTC., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 389 consecutive patients with PTC (272 in training set, 117 in validation set) who underwent total thyroidectomy from March 2020 to March 2022. According to their postoperative pathological data, the patients were divided into unilateral and bilateral PTC groups. The clinicopathological features and sonographic characteristics of suspected nodules were compared between the groups, and further ultrasonic characteristics of TI-RADS grade (TR grade)-underestimated nodules were analyzed., Results: Patients with a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m 2 (P < 0.001), multifocality in the suspected lobe (P < 0.001), and TR > 3 isthmus nodules (P = 0.003) tended to have bilateral PTC. After modifying the TI-RADS classification for contralateral nodules using these three parameters, the area under the curve for diagnosing contralateral lesions increased from 0.79 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.84) to 0.83 (0.78-0.87) in the training set. The missed diagnosis rate of contralateral PTC decreased in both the training set [21.1% (28/133) to 4.5% (6/133)] and validation set [11.4% (8/70) to 2.9% (2/70)]. Preoperative ultrasound tended to underestimate the contralateral nodules with the presence of cystic components [100% (6/6)] and halo sign [73.3% (11/15)]., Conclusion: The modified TI-RADS classification based on the suspected lobe may facilitate effective preoperative malignant risk stratification of contralateral nodules in bilateral PTC., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the detection rate of Ground Glass Opacity (GGO) nodules through high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). GGO is an imaging finding that encompasses various pathological types, some of which exhibit indolent growth, while others may represent early lung cancer or remain relatively stable, not significantly impacting the surgical treatment outcome. In clinical practice, patients often experience psychological anxiety when multiple pulmonary GGO nodules are present, and they may request simultaneous resection. However, there is currently no standardized criterion for determining when multiple GGO nodules should be resected. As personalized medicine continues to advance, the treatment approach for multiple pulmonary GGO nodules needs to prioritize accuracy. High-risk factors associated with multiple pulmonary GGO nodules may necessitate surgical intervention along with mediastinal lymph node dissection or sampling. This article provides a review of the characteristics, treatment methods, and clinical experiences related to multiple pulmonary GGO nodules, offering practical insights and guidance for healthcare professionals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Society of Coloproctology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sulcotrione is a member of triketone herbicides, a class of HPPD (4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase) inhibitors with broad-spectrum herbicidal activity. Modifications of glycosylation mediated by glycosyltransferases (GT) are involved in plant detoxification. In this study, we analyzed chip data published online and found that eight glycosyltransferases from group A of the apple glycosyltransferase family 1 may be involved in the metabolic mechanism of detoxification of triketone herbicides. To verify this prediction, we induced apple seedlings with six types of triketone herbicides, and then detected the expression levels of eight glycosyltransferase genes through real-time PCR. We found that triketone herbicides induced up-regulation of eight glycosyltransferase genes to varying degrees, with MdUGT91AJ2 being the most significantly up-regulated by sulcotrione-induced glycosyltransferase gene expression. Then, through in vitro enzymatic reactions and HPLC identification of glycoside substrates, it was found that the glycosyltransferase MdUGT91AJ2 had the highest specific enzyme activity against the triketone herbicide sulcotrione. Furthermore, the in vivo mechanism of the glycosyltransferase MdUGT91AJ2 in the detoxification metabolism of sulcotrione was further validated by overexpressing the strain in the plant. HPLC analysis showed that the content of sulcotrione glycosides in the overexpressing strain of MdUGT91AJ2 was significantly higher than that in the wild type. This result indicated that the apple glycosyltransferase MdUGT91AJ2 can still glycosylate and modify sulfotrione in plants, and participate in its detoxification metabolism. In summary, this study identified for the first time a novel apple glycosyltransferase MdUGT91AJ2 and elucidated its mechanism of action in the detoxification and metabolism of the triketone herbicide sulfotriene.

The prolonged exposure to arsenic results in intestinal barrier dysfunction, which is strongly concerned with detrimental processes such as oxidative stress and the inflammatory response. Ferulic acid (FA), as a phenolic acid, possesses the capability to mitigate arsenic-induced liver damage and cardiotoxic effects dependent on inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. FA can mitigate testicular tissue damage and alveolar epithelial dysfunction, the mechanism of which may rely on nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase 1 (Nrf2/HO-1) activation and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway blocking. Based on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of FA, we speculated that FA might have the potential to inhibit arsenic-induced intestinal damage. To confirm this scientific hypothesis, mice exposed to sodium arsenite were treated with FA to observe colonic histopathology and TJ protein levels, and oxidative stress and TJ protein levels in Caco-2 cells exposed to sodium arsenite were assessed after FA intervention. In addition, molecular levels of NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in colon and Caco-2 cells were also detected. As shown in our data, FA inhibited arsenic-induced colon injury, which was reflected in the improvement of mucosal integrity, the decrease of down-regulated expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins (Claudin-1, Occludin, and ZO-1) and the inhibition of oxidative stress. Similarly, treatment with FA attenuated the inhibitory effect of arsenic on TJ protein expression in Caco-2 cells. In addition to suppressing the activation of NF-κB pathway, FA retrieved the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in colon and intestinal epithelial cells induced by arsenic. In summary, our findings propose that FA has the potential to mitigate arsenic-induced intestinal damage by preserving the integrity of intestinal epithelial TJs and suppressing oxidative stress. These results lay the groundwork for the potential use of FA in treating colon injuries caused by arsenic., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Disease can drastically impair common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production. Anthracnose, caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. and Magnus) Briosi and Cavara, is one of the diseases that are widespread and cause serious economic loss in common bean., Results: Transcriptome analysis of the early response of common bean to anthracnose was performed using two resistant genotypes, Hongyundou and Honghuayundou, and one susceptible genotype, Jingdou. A total of 9,825 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) responding to pathogen infection and anthracnose resistance were identified by differential expression analysis. By using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), 2,051 DEGs were found to be associated with two resistance-related modules. Among them, 463 DEGs related to anthracnose resistance were considered resistance-related candidate genes. Nineteen candidate genes were coexpressed with three resistance genes, Phvul.001G243600, Phvul.001G243700 and Phvul.001G243800. To further identify resistance genes, 46 candidate genes were selected for experimental validation using salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The results indicated that 38 candidate genes that responded to SA/MeJA treatment may be involved in anthracnose resistance in common bean., Conclusions: This study identified 38 resistance-related candidate genes involved in the early response of common bean, and 19 resistance-related candidate genes were coexpressed with anthracnose resistance genes. This study identified putative resistance genes for further resistance genetic investigation and provides an important reference for anthracnose resistance breeding in common bean., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In this study, the impact of soy hull polysaccharide (SHP) concentration on high-internal-phase emulsions (HIPEs) formation and the gastrointestinal viability of Lactobacillus plantarum within HIPEs were demonstrated. Following the addition of SHP, competitive adsorption with soy protein isolate (SPI) occurred, leading to increased protein adhesion to the oil-water interface and subsequent coating of oil droplets. This process augmented viscosity and enhanced HIPEs stability. Specifically, 1.8 % SHP had the best encapsulation efficiency and delivery efficiency, reaching 99.3 % and 71.1 %, respectively. After 14 d of continuous zebrafishs feeding, viable counts of Lactobacillus plantarum and complex probiotics in the intestinal tract was 1.1 × 10 7 , 1.3 × 10 7 , respectively. In vitro experiments further proved that HIPEs' ability to significantly enhance probiotics' intestinal colonization and provided targeted release for colon-specific delivery. These results provided a promising strategy for HIPEs-encapsulated probiotic delivery systems in oral food applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, a proposal of closed bipolar electrode (BPE) and nanozyme based multi-mode biosensing platform is first presented. As a novel integrated chip, multi-mode-BPE (MMBPE) combines enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), electrochemiluminescence (ECL), ECL imaging and light emitting diode (LED) imaging, enabling highly sensitive triple read-out visible detection of cancer embryonic antigen (CEA). The ECL probe Ab 2 @Au@Co 3 O 4 /CoFe 2 O 4 hollow nanocubes (HNCs) with excellent peroxidase (POD) activity is introduced into the BPE cathode through immune adsorption. The Au@Co 3 O 4 /CoFe 2 O 4 HNCs can increase the rate of hydrogen peroxide oxidation of TMB, thus promoting the reaction, and can be used for ELISA detection of CEA at different concentrations. The modification of the BPE sensing interface and reporting interface involved the introduction of the luminescent reagent Ru(bpy) 3 2+ to the BPE anode. The decomposition rate of H 2 O 2 increased under the catalytic action of Au@Co 3 O 4 /CoFe 2 O 4 HNCs nanozyme, leading to an accelerated electron transfer rate in the MMBPE system and an enhanced ECL signal from Ru(bpy) 3 2+ . The LED imaging technology further provides a convenient and visible approach for CEA imaging in which no additional chemicals are needed. The integration of nanoenzymes as the catalytic core in MMBPE system provides impetus, while the combination of nanozymes with BPE expands the application of nanoenzymes in the field of biological analysis. The integration of intelligent chips with multiple modes of detection shows portable, miniaturized, and integrated excellent properties which meets the requirements of modern detection devices and thus offers a flexible approach for determination of nucleic acids, proteins, and cells., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Electrochemically reconstructed Cu-based catalysts always exhibit enhanced CO 2  electroreduction performance; however, it still remains ambiguous whether the reconstructed Cu vacancies have a substantial impact on CO 2 -to-C 2+ reactivity. Herein, Cu vacancies are first constructed through electrochemical reduction of Cu-based nanowires, in which high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy image manifests the formation of triple-copper-vacancy associates with different concentrations, confirmed by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. In situ attenuated total reflection-surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy discloses the triple-copper-vacancy associates favor *CO adsorption and fast *CO dimerization. Moreover, density-functional-theory calculations unravel the triple-copper-vacancy associates endow the nearby Cu sites with enriched and disparate local charge density, which enhances the *CO adsorption and reduces the CO-CO coupling barrier, affirmed by the decreased *CO dimerization energy barrier by 0.4 eV. As a result, the triple-copper-vacancy associates confined in Cu nanowires achieve a high Faradaic efficiency of over 80% for C 2+ products in a wide current density range of 400-800 mA cm -2 , outperforming most reported Cu-based electrocatalysts., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Volatile active ingredients in biopolymer nanofibers are prone to burst and uncontrolled release. In this study, we used electrospinning and crosslinking to design a new sustained-release active packaging containing zein and eugenol (EU). Vapor-phase glutaraldehyde (GTA) was used as the crosslinker. Characterization of the crosslinked zein nanofibers was conducted via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical properties, water resistance, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. It was observed that crosslinked zein nanofibers did not lose their fiber shape, but the diameter of the fibers increased. By increasing the crosslink time, the mechanical properties and water resistance of the crosslinked zein nanofibers were greatly improved. The FT-IR results demonstrated the formation of chemical bonds between free amino groups in zein molecules and aldehyde groups in GTA molecules. EU was added to the zein nanofibers, and the corresponding release behavior in PBS was investigated using the dialysis membrane method. With an increase in crosslink time, the release rate of EU from crosslinked zein nanofibers decreased. This study demonstrates the potential of crosslinking by GTA vapors on the controlled release of the zein encapsulation structure containing EU. Such sustainable-release nanofibers have promising potential for the design of fortified foods or as active and smart food packaging.

Enterococcus faecium B13, selected from fermentation chili, has been proven to promote animal growth by previous studies, but it belongs to opportunistic pathogens, so a comprehensive evaluation of its probiotic properties and safety is necessary. In this study, the probiotic properties and safety of B13 were evaluated at the genetic and phenotype levels in vitro and then confirmed in vivo. The genome of B13 contains one chromosome and two plasmids. The average nucleotide identity indicated that B13 was most closely related to the fermentation-plant-derived strain. The strain does not carry the major virulence genes of the clinical E. faecium strains but contains aac(6')-Ii , ant (6)-Ia , msrC genes. The strain had a higher tolerance to acid at pH 3.0, 4.0, and 0.3% bile salt and a 32.83% free radical DPPH clearance rate. It can adhere to Caco-2 cells and reduce the adhesion of E. coli to Caco-2 cells. The safety assessment revealed that the strain showed no hemolysis and did not exhibit gelatinase, ornithine decarboxylase, lysine decarboxylase, or tryptophanase activity. It was sensitive to twelve antibiotics but was resistant to erythromycin, rifampicin, tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline. Experiments in vivo have shown that B13 can be located in the ileum and colon and has no adverse effects on experiment animals. After 28 days of feeding, B13 did not remarkable change the α-diversity of the gut flora or increase the virulence genes. Our study demonstrated that E. faecium B13 may be used as a probiotic candidate., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Accurate classification of tumor cells is of importance for cancer diagnosis and further therapy. In this study, we develop multimolecular marker-activated transmembrane DNA computing systems (MTD). Employing the cell membrane as a native gate, the MTD system enables direct signal output following simple spatial events of "transmembrane" and "in-cell target encounter", bypassing the need of multistep signal conversion. The MTD system comprises two intelligent nanorobots capable of independently sensing three molecular markers (MUC1, EpCAM, and miR-21), resulting in comprehensive analysis. Our AND-AND logic-gated system (MTD AND-AND ) demonstrates exceptional specificity, allowing targeted release of drug-DNA specifically in MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the transformed OR-AND logic-gated system (MTD OR-AND ) exhibits broader adaptability, facilitating the release of drug-DNA in three positive cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HeLa, and HepG2). Importantly, MTD AND-AND and MTD OR-AND , while possessing distinct personalized therapeutic potential, share the ability of outputting three imaging signals without any intermediate conversion steps. This feature ensures precise classification cross diverse cells (MCF-7, HeLa, HepG2, and MCF-10A), even in mixed populations. This study provides a straightforward yet effective solution to augment the versatility and precision of DNA computing systems, advancing their potential applications in biomedical diagnostic and therapeutic research.

Enterprise digital transformation (EDT) is a strategic initiative that provides robust support for optimising resource allocation, fosters business innovation, and significantly impacts ecological environment to increase financial performance. This study re-examines the substantial contributions of EDT to climate change mitigation. Drawing on data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2021, we investigated the changes and mechanisms influencing carbon emissions reduction performance (CERP) of enterprises undergoing digital transformation. The empirical results indicate that EDT actively contributes to enhancing the CERP of enterprises, with a more pronounced effect observed in non-polluting industries, state-owned enterprises, and manufacturing companies. Furthermore, empirical findings from mechanism tests reveal that EDT effectively improves the CERP by driving green technological innovation, strengthening industry chain connections, and enhancing capacity utilisation. Finally, within external oversight groups, particularly in government and investor supervision, the enhancement of enterprise CERP is more significant, highlighting the crucial role of external oversight in the EDT process., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) induce therapeutic resistance and may be an important barrier to cancer immunotherapy. Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in clinical settings. However, CAR-T cell therapy fails in a large proportion of patients, especially in those with solid tumors. It is unclear how CSCs mediate resistance to CAR-T cells, and whether CAR-T cells can more effectively eradicate CSCs., Methods: In this study, the effect of CSCs on CAR-T cell therapy was determined using in vitro and in vivo assays. Subsequently, Interleukin-24 (IL-24) was expressed along with CAR in T cells. Further in vitro and in vivo tests were performed to determine the effects of IL-24 on CSCs and CAR-T cell therapy., Results: IL-24 induced apoptosis in CSCs and contributed to T cell activation, differentiation, and proliferation. CAR.IL-24-T cells inhibited CSC enrichment and exhibited stronger antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo., Conclusions: IL-24 helps eliminate CSCs and endows CAR-T cells with improved antitumor reactivity., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Chelidonium majus is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, and has been reported of the effect in relieving cough and asthma. However, the mechanism of action is still unknown., Methods: Asthmatic SD rats were first sensitized and established through ovalbumin (OVA) motivation. Subsequently, Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, Masson's trichrome (Masson) staining, Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and inflammatory cytokines assay of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-17 were implemented to evaluate the protective effects of Chelidonium majus on asthma. Then, the effects of Chelidonium majus and their molecular mechanisms of action on asthma were detected based on the integration of transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses., Results: After administration with Chelidonium majus, the histological injuries of inflammation, collagen deposition and mucus secretion in lungs were attenuated and the serum inflammatory cytokines perturbations were also converted. Furthermore, integrated analysis revealed that after Chelidonium majus treatment, 7 different expression genes (DEGs) (Alox15, P4ha1, Pla2g16, Pde3a, Nme1, Entpd8 and Adcy9) and 9 metabolic biomarkers (ADP, Xanthosine, Hypoxanthine, Inosine, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), prostaglandin F2a (PGF2a), phosphatidylserine, Creatine and LysoPC (10:0)) were discovered to be connected with the enrichment metabolic pathways, including Purine metabolism, Arachidonic acid metabolism, Arginine and proline metabolism and Glycerophospholipid metabolism. The obtained metabolic biomarkers and DEGs were mainly related to energy metabolism and inflammation, and may be potential therapeutic targets., Conclusion: Chelidonium majus relieved OVA-induced asthma in rats by regulating the Alox15, P4ha1, Pla2g16, Pde3a, Nme1, Entpd8 and Adcy9 genes expression to restore the disorders in energy metabolism and inflammation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

With the rapid development of multimedia technology, the student centered flipped classroom model (FCM) and massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been increasingly introduced and implemented in higher medical education. However, comparative analyses of the offline face-to-face FCM and completely online FCM have been rarely reported. In this study, we focused specifically on a set of flipped classrooms in which prerecorded videos were provided before class. Using the Zhihuishu platform as the major online course platform, our team built a MOOC and evaluated the teaching effectiveness of the FCM in both the offline face-to-face class and the online electronic live class for medical genetics education. Questionnaires, paper-based and oral exams were used to collect data on the teaching effects of the different teaching methods. We found that student satisfaction and overall student performance in the offline FCM group was significantly higher than that in the completely online teaching group. Although online FCM allowed students to play back and review anywhere and anytime after class, students taught in offline FCM had a significantly higher degree of knowledge mastery, had a deeper understanding of theoretical knowledge, and were better at knowledge comprehensive application. The effects of their training on genetic disease clinical diagnosis and treatment skills were significantly better, and their capacity for scientific research was also significantly improved. Our research discussed the advantages of the online courses and the problems brought about by using these technologies, and it provided insight into online teaching practices in the era of internet-based medical education., (© 2024 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.)

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) during early life emerges as a potential risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Individuals with autism commonly exhibit lower vitamin D (VD) levels compared to the general population, and VD deficiency is prevalent during pregnancy and lactation. Moreover, gastrointestinal comorbidity, prevalent in ASD patients, correlates closely with disruptions in the gut microbiota and altered intestinal permeability. Therefore, it is fascinating and significant to explore the effects of maternal VD deficiency during pregnancy and lactation on the maturation of the gut microbiota of the offspring and its relevance to autism spectrum disorders. In this study, we established maternal pregnancy and lactation VD-deficient mouse models, employed shotgun macrogenomic sequencing to unveil alterations in the gut microbiome of offspring mice, and observed autism-related behaviours. Furthermore, fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) reversed repetitive and anxious behaviours and alleviated social deficits in offspring mice by modulating the gut microbiota and increasing short-chain fatty acid levels in the cecum, along with influencing the concentrations of claudin-1 and occludin in the colon. Our findings confirm that VDD during pregnancy and lactation is a risk factor for autism in the offspring, with disturbances in the structure and function of the offspring's gut microbiota contributing at least part of the effect. The study emphasises the importance of nutrition and gut health early in life. Simultaneously, this study further demonstrates the effect of VDD on ASD and provides potential ideas for early prevention and intervention of ASD.

To develop aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides with a novel structure and improved activity, a total of 39 aryloxyphenoxypropionate/amide derivatives containing quinazolinone moiety were synthesized and further bioevaluated. The bioassay results in the greenhouse showed that most of the target compounds had good herbicidal activity under postemergence conditions, of which, QPP-I-6 displayed excellent herbicidal activity against Echinochloa crusgalli , Digitaria sanguinalis , Spartina alterniflora , Eleusine indica, and Pennisetum alopecuroides with inhibition rates >90% at a dosage of 187.5 g ha -1 . More importantly, QPP-I-6 displayed higher crop safety to Gossypium hirsutum , Glycine max , and Arachis hypogaea than the commercial herbicide quizalofop- p -ethyl. Studying the molecular mode of action by phenotypic observation, membrane permeability evaluation, transcriptomic analysis, and in vivo ACCase activity evaluation reveals that QPP-I-6 is a novel ACCase inhibitor. The present work demonstrates that QPP-I-6 can serve as a lead compound for further developing novel ACCase-inhibiting herbicides.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: This study explores the potential therapeutic benefits of using a three-component DGR (composed of specific compounds) to target the NLRP3 inflammasome in the context of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)., Aim of the Study: To assess the impact of a three-component DGR on NAFLD, specifically examining its effects on liver lipid accumulation, inflammation, and the diversity of intestinal microbial communities., Methods: NAFLD was induced in 8-week-old Sprague Dawley rats by feeding them a high-fat emulsion diet every morning for 8 consecutive weeks. Oral administration of DGR or its constituent equivalents in the afternoon. The pharmacological effects of DGR were evaluated using H&E, ORO and ELISA methods to determine the changes in serum and liver tissue indexes of rat-models. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot were used to assess the interaction between DGR, NLRP3 and IL-1β., Results: The induction of NAFLD resulted in elevated hepatic triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and free fatty acids (FFA). However, these alterations were ameliorated upon administration of DGR. It is noteworthy that DGR exhibited superior efficacy in comparison to its constituent compounds, manifesting augmented antioxidant activity, diminished hepatic damage, and the attenuation of pro-inflammatory factors. Both DGR and its individual monomeric constituents exhibited the capacity to attenuate the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the liver, leading to an amelioration of the pathological characteristics associated with NAFLD. An analysis of the intestinal flora unveiled an elevated abundance of p&#95;Firmicutes (1.1-fold), p&#95;Cyanobacteria (5.76-fold), and p&#95;Verrucomicrobia (5.2-fold), accompanied by a heightened p&#95;Firmicutes to p&#95;Bacteroidetes ratio (5.49-fold)., Conclusions: In the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) rat model, the concurrent administration of three-component DGR effectively regulated lipid deposition, suppressed liver inflammation, and restored balance in the intestinal flora, thereby improving NAFLD pathology. These findings propose a promising therapeutic strategy for NAFLD, centered on inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome through the use of the three-component DGR., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Inflammation is considered to be the main target of the development of new stroke therapies. There are three key issues in the treatment of stroke inflammation: the first one is how to overcome the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to achieve drug delivery, the second one is how to select drugs to treat stroke inflammation, and the third one is how to achieve targeted drug delivery. In this study, we constructed hydrocortisone-phosphatidylserine microbubbles and combined them with ultrasound (US)-targeted microbubble destruction technology to successfully open the BBB to achieve targeted drug delivery. Phosphatidylserine on the microbubbles was used for its "eat me" effect to increase the targeting of the microvesicles. In addition, we found that hydrocortisone can accelerate the closure of the BBB, achieving efficient drug delivery while reducing the entry of peripheral toxins into the brain. In the treatment of stroke inflammation, it was found that hydrocortisone itself has anti-inflammatory effects and can also change the polarization of microglia from the harmful pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to the beneficial anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, thus achieving dual anti-inflammatory effects and enhancing the anti-inflammatory effects in ischemic areas after stroke, well reducing the cerebellar infarction volume by inhibiting the inflammatory response after cerebral ischemia. A confocal microendoscope was used to directly observe the polarization of microglial cells in living animal models for dynamic microscopic visualization detection showing the advantage of being closer to clinical work. Taken together, this study constructed a multifunctional targeted US contrast agent with the function of "one-stone-two-birds", which can not only "on-off" the BBB but also have "two" anti-inflammatory functions, providing a new strategy of integrated anti-inflammatory targeted delivery and imaging monitoring for ischemic stroke treatment.

Background: Distinguishing benign from malignant cervical lymph nodes is critical yet challenging. This study evaluates the postvascular phase of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and develops a user-friendly nomogram integrating demographic, conventional ultrasound, and CEUS features for accurate differentiation., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 395 cervical lymph nodes from 395 patients between January 2020 and December 2022. The cohort was divided into training and validation sets using stratified random sampling. A predictive model, based on demographic, ultrasound, and CEUS features, was created and internally validated., Results: The training set included 280 patients (130 benign, 150 malignant nodes) and the validation set 115 patients (46 benign, 69 malignant). Relative hypoenhancement in the postvascular phase emerged as a promising indicator for MLN, with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 96.7 %,52.3 %, 70.0 %, 93.2 %, and 76.1 %, respectively in the training set and 95.7 %, 52.2 %, 75.0 %, 88.9 %, and 74.8 % in the validation set. Age over 50 years, history of malignancy, short-axis diameter greater than 1.00 cm, focal hyperechogenicity, ill-defined borders, and centripetal perfusion were also identified as independent MLN indicators. The nomogram prediction model showed outstanding accuracy, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.922 (95 % CI: 0.892-0.953) in the training set and 0.914 (95 % CI: 0.864-0.963) in the validation set., Conclusion: Relative hypoenhancement in the postvascular phase of CEUS, combined with demographics and ultrasound features, is effective for identifying MLNs. The developed prediction model, with a user-friendly nomogram, can facilitate clinical decision-making., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ∼ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)-responsive nanodrug vehicles have garnered significant attention as antitumor drug delivery systems due to the extensive research on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) within the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM). These nanodrug vehicles exhibit stable circulation in the bloodstream and accumulate specifically in tumors through various mechanisms. Upon reaching tumor tissues, their structures are degraded in response to MMP-2 within the ECM, resulting in drug release. This controlled drug release significantly increases drug concentration within tumors, thereby enhancing its antitumor efficacy while minimizing side effects on normal organs. This review provides an overview of MMP-2 characteristics, enzyme-sensitive materials, and current research progress regarding their application as MMP-2-responsive nanodrug delivery system for anti-tumor drugs, as well as considering their future research prospects. In conclusion, MMP-2-sensitive drug delivery carriers have a broad application in all kinds of nanodrug delivery systems and are expected to become one of the main means for the clinical development and application of nanodrug delivery systems in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Vermicomposting via housefly larvae can be used to efficiently treat manure and regenerate biofertilizer; however, the uptake of heavy metals could negatively influence the growth and development of larvae. Intestinal bacteria play an important role in the development of houseflies, but their effects on resistance to heavy metal damage in houseflies are still poorly understood. In this study, the life history traits and gut microbiota of housefly larvae were evaluated after exposure to an environment with Cu 2+ -Enterobacter hormaechei. The data showed that exposure to 300 μg/mL Cu 2+ significantly inhibited larval development and locomotor activity and reduced immune capacity. However, dietary supplementation with a Cu 2+ -Enterobacter hormaechei mixture resulted in increased body weight and length, and the immune capacity of the larvae returned to normal levels. The abundances of Providencia and Klebsiella increased when larvae were fed Cu 2+ -contaminated diets, while the abundances of Enterobacter and Bacillus increased when larvae were exposed to a Cu 2+ -Enterobacter hormaechei mixture-contaminated environment. In vitro scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that Enterobacter hormaechei exhibited obvious adsorption of Cu 2+ when cultured in the presence of Cu 2+ , which reduced the damage caused by Cu 2+ to other bacteria in the intestine and protected the larvae from Cu 2+ injury. Overall, our results showed that Enterobacter hormaechei can absorb Cu 2+ and increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria, thus protecting housefly larvae from damage caused by Cu 2+ . These results may fill the gaps in our understanding of the interactions between heavy metals and beneficial intestinal bacteria, offering valuable insights into the interplay between housefly larvae and metal contaminants in the environment. This approach could enhance the efficiency of converting manure contaminated with heavy metals to resources using houseflies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests. Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Direct electrosynthesis of high-value amino acids from carbon and nitrogen monomers remains a challenge. Here, we design a tandem dual-site PbCu electrocatalyst for efficient amino acid electrosynthesis. Using oxalic acid (H 2 C 2 O 4 ) and hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH) as the raw reactants, for the first time, we have realized the flow-electrosynthesis of glycine at the industrial current density of 200 mA cm -2 with Faradaic efficiency over 78%. In situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy characterizations reveal a favorable tandem pathway on the dual-site catalyst. Specifically, the Pb site drives the highly selective electroreduction of H 2 C 2 O 4 to form glyoxylic acid, and the Cu site accelerates the fast hydrogenation of oxime to form a glycine product. A glycine electrosynthesis (GES)-formaldehyde electrooxidation (FOR) assembly is further established, which synthesizes more valuable chemicals (HCOOH, H 2 ) while minimizing energy consumption. Altogether, we introduce a new strategy to enable the one-step electrosynthesis of high-value amino acid from widely accessible monomers.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder with a predominance of social behavioral disorders, has increased dramatically in various countries in recent decades. The interplay between genetic and environmental factors is believed to underlie ASD pathogenesis. Recent analyses have shown that abnormal vitamin levels in early life are associated with an increased risk of autism. As essential substances for growth and development, vitamins have been shown to have significant benefits for the nervous and immune systems. However, it is unknown whether certain vitamin types influence the emergence or manifestation of ASD symptoms. Several studies have focused on vitamin levels in children with autism, and neurotypical children have provided different insights into the types of vitamins and their intake. Here, we review the mechanisms and significance of several vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, and K) that are closely associated with the development of ASD in order to prevent, mitigate, and treat ASD. Efforts have been made to discover and develop new indicators for nutritional assessment of children with ASD to play a greater role in the early detection of ASD and therapeutic remission after diagnosis.

Background: Houseflies, Musca domestica L., are an ubiquitous pest that can transmit numerous diseases and threaten human health. Increasing insecticide resistance shown by houseflies necessitates the develop new control alternatives. The housefly gut is densely colonized with microorganisms that interact with each other dynamically and benefit the host's health. However, the impact of multiple symbiotic bacteria on the composition of housefly gut microbiota and the host's activities remains unclear., Methods: We isolated and cultured 12 bacterial species from the intestines of housefly larvae. We also isolated seven bacteriophages to precisely target the regulation of certain bacterial species. Using 16S rRNA high-throughput gene sequencing, we analyzed the bacterial diversity after orally administering bacteria/phage cocktails to houseflies., Results: Our results showed that larval growth was promoted, the abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter, was increased and the abundance of harmful bacteria, such as Providencia, Morganella and Pseudomonas, was decreased in housefly larvae fed with the beneficial bacteria cocktail. However, oral administration of both beneficial and harmful bacterial phage cocktails inhibited larval growth, probably due to the drastic alteration of gut flora. Untargeted metabolomics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that disturbances in gut microbiota changed the larval metabolite profiles. Feeding experiments revealed that disrupting the intestinal flora suppressed the beneficial bacteria and increased the harmful bacteria, causing changes in the metabolites and inhibiting larval growth., Conclusions: Based on our results, bacteria/phage cocktails are effective tools for regulating the intestinal flora of insects and have a high potential as a biological control agent for incorporation into an integrated pest management program., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Automatic extraction of building contours from high-resolution images is of great significance in the fields of urban planning, demographics, and disaster assessment. Network models based on convolutional neural network (CNN) and transformer technology have been widely used for semantic segmentation of buildings from high resolution remote sensing images (HRSI). However, the fixed geometric structure and the local receptive field of the convolutional kernel are not good at global feature extraction, and the transformer technique with self-attention mechanism introduces computational redundancies and extracts local feature details poorly in the process of modeling the global contextual information. In this paper, a dual-branch fused reconstructive transformer network, DFRTNet, is proposed for efficient and accurate building extraction. In the encoder, the traditional transformer is reconfigured by designing the local and global feature extraction module (LGFE); the branch of global feature extraction (GFE) performs dynamic range attention (DRA) based on the idea of top-k attention for extracting global features; furthermore, the branch of local feature extraction (LFE) is used to obtain fine-grained features. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) is employed to efficiently fuse the local and global features. In the decoder, a simple channel attention module (CAM) is used in the up-sampling part to enhance channel dimension features. Our network achieved the best segmentation accuracy on both the WHU and Massachusetts building datasets when compared to other mainstream and state-of-the-art methods.

Background and Objective: Definity is an ultrasound contrast agent consisting of phospholipids-encapsulated perfluoropropane (PFP), also known as perflutren, microspheres, which is initially designed to enhance echocardiographic ultrasound images. With no pharmacologic action, Definity can increase the backscatter of ultrasound resulting enhanced ultrasound signals. The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics (PKs), Pharmacodynamics (PDs) and safety of Definity in healthy male and female Chinese volunteers., Methods: A simple GC-MS method was developed and applied to simultaneously quantify PFP both in human whole blood and in expired air using Perfluorobutane (PFB) as internal standard. Meanwhile, the blood microbubble Doppler intensities were continuously monitored as companion PDs by a Doppler ultrasonography system using a non-imaging method., Results: After intravenous infusion of 10 µL/kg of PFP within 30 seconds, the mean AUC last of the pharmacokinetic analysis set was 0.000653 (uL/mL)*min, the average AUC ∞ was 0.001051 (uL/mL)*min. The main coefficient of variation of parameters were within 30%. In this trial, the blood drug concentration of female subjects was lower than that of males. Female C max , AUC last and AUC ∞ were lower than males', T max and t 1/2 was close to males', V ss and CL were slightly higher than males'. The concentration of PFP in the expired air of the subject reached the maximum value 1-2 min after administration and the PFP accumulation curve in the expired air began to become flat at 9.5-11 min after administration. The PFP in the expired air at the last sampling point of most subjects was still measurable. The results of the analysis showed that female subjects had slightly more and faster PFP excretion via the lungs than males. The change of blood drug concentration in this trial was related to the change process of Doppler signal intensity. The trend of the two was close, but the peak time of blood drug concentration was slightly delayed compared with the peak time of the Doppler signal intensity. The results showed that female t max-pd , t 10 was earlier than male, and women have lower AUC pd than men., Conclusion: The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Definity in blood and expired air were systematically evaluated for the first time in this study. The PK/PD analysis results of this trial showed that the change of blood concentration was related to the change process of Doppler signal intensity, the trend of the two was close and expired air are the main excretion pathways of Definity. Definity was well tolerated by all subjects in the trial., Trial Registration: This study was registered on 08 December 2017 at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (CTR20171087)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The gut microbiota influences many aspects of the host, including immune system maturation, nutrient absorption and metabolism, and protection from pathogens. Increasing evidences from cohort and animal studies indicate that changes in the gut microbiota early in life increases the risk of developing specific diseases early and later in life. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to identify specific disease prevention or therapeutic solutions targeting the gut microbiota, especially during infancy, which is the window of the human gut microbiota establishment process. In this review, we provide an overview of current knowledge concerning the relationship between disturbances in the gut microbiota early in life and health consequences later in life (e.g., necrotizing enterocolitis, celiac disease, asthma, allergies, autism spectrum disorders, overweight/obesity, diabetes and growth retardation), with a focus on changes in the gut microbiota prior to disease onset. In addition, we summarize and discuss potential microbiota-based interventions early in life (e.g., diet adjustments, probiotics, prebiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, environmental changes) to promote health or prevent the development of specific diseases. This knowledge should aid the understanding of early life microbiology and inform the development of prediction and prevention measures for short- and long-term health disorders based on the gut microbiota.

Recent evidence suggests that the timing of introduction, types, and amounts of complementary foods/allergenic foods may influence the risk of allergic disease. However, the evidence has not been updated and comprehensively synthesized. The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, and PubMed databases were searched from the inception of each database up to 31 May 2023 (articles prior to 2000 were excluded manually). Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5. The GRADE approach was followed to rate the certainty of evidence. Compared with >6 mo, early introduction of eggs (≤6 mo of age) might reduce the risk of food allergies in preschoolers aged <6 y (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53, 0.81), but had no effect on asthma or atopic dermatitis (AD). Consumption of fish at 6-12 mo might reduce the risk of asthma in children (aged 5-17 y) compared with late introduction after 12 mo (OR, 0.61; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.72). Introduction of allergenic foods for ≤6 mo of age, compared with >6 mos, was a protective factor for the future risk (children aged ≤10 y) of AD (OR, 0.93; 95% CI: 0.89, 0.97). Probiotic intervention for infants at high risk of allergic disease significantly reduced the risk of food allergy at ages 0-3 y (OR, 0.72; 95% CI: 0.56, 0.94), asthma at 6-12 y (OR, 0.61; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.90), and AD at aged <6 y (3-6 y: OR, 0.70; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.94; 0-3 y: OR, 0.73; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.91). Early introduction of complementary foods or the high-dose vitamin D supplementation in infancy was not associated with the risk of developing food allergies, asthma, or AD during childhood. Early introduction to potential allergen foods for normal infants or probiotics for infants at high risk of allergies may protect against development of allergic disease. This study was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42022379264., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Beauvericin (BEA), a naturally occurring cyclic peptide with good pharmacological activity, has been widely explored in anticancer research. Although BEA is toxic, studies have demonstrated its antioxidant activity. However, to date, the antioxidant mechanisms of BEA remain unclear. Herein, we conducted a comprehensive and detailed study of the antioxidant mechanism of BEA using an untargeted metabolomics approach, subsequently validating the results. BEA concentrations of 0.5 and 1 μM significantly inhibited H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative stress (OS), decreased reactive oxygen species levels in PC-12 cells, and restored the mitochondrial membrane potential. Untargeted metabolomics indicated that BEA was primarily involved in lipid-related metabolism, suggesting its role in resisting OS in PC-12 cells by participating in lipid metabolism. BEA combated OS damage by increasing phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingolipid levels. In the current study, BEA upregulated proteins related to the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, thereby promoting cell survival. These findings support the antioxidant activity of BEA at low concentrations, warranting further research into its pharmacological effects., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the postoperative recovery quality and emotional status of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent robot-assisted and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery using the 15-item Quality of Recovery (QoR-15) scale and to analyze the correlation., Methods: We collected clinical data from 320 patients with NSCLC who underwent lobectomy using either robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) at our center from January 2021 to December 2022. We compared perioperative parameters and followed up after the operation using the QoR-15 scale to objectively assess the quality of postoperative recovery and physical and emotional status., Results: Apart from a notable distinction in anesthesia time, no significant differences were observed in other general data. Notably, the overall recovery rate for patients in the RATS group surpassed that of the VATS group (P < 0.05). Specifically, the recovery rates in the RATS group were significantly superior to those in the VATS group across nociceptive factors, emotional factors, activities of daily living, physiological factors, and cognitive ability (P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis between surgical methods and various indicators of the QoR-15 scale showed significant correlations between surgical methods ( P  < 0.05)., Conclusion: The QoR-15 scale is a valuable tool for assessing the postoperative recovery quality in lung cancer patients. The RATS plays a significant role in promoting the swift postoperative recovery of patients and demonstrates excellent efficacy, safety, and reliability., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

This study examines how the digital economy era has enhanced corporate social responsibility (CSR) in China. Using data from Chinese listed companies (2013-2021) for economic research, an econometric model was constructed to assess CSR's impact on the digital economy. The study findings indicate that the digital economy promotes CSR performance among companies and the influence of the digital economy on CSR performance is pronounced for state-owned and large-scale enterprises. After categorising CSR into three levels: financial, human, and social capital, the results demonstrate that the digital economy continues to facilitate CSR fulfilment across all levels, with the most significant impact observed at the human capital level. Mechanism tests suggest that the digital economy improves CSR fulfilment by alleviating financial constraints, facilitating digital transformation, and enhancing the transparency of internal control information within enterprises., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: Musca domestica larvae are common saprophytes in nature, promoting the material-energy cycle in the environment. However, heavy metal pollution in the environment negatively affects their function in material circulation. Our previous research found that some intestinal bacteria play an important role in the development of housefly, but the responses of microbial community to heavy metal stresses in Musca domestica is less studied., Results: In this study, CuSO 4 , CuSO 4 -Klebsiella pneumoniae mixture and CuSO 4 -K. pneumoniae phage mixture were added to the larval diet to analyze whether K. pneumoniae can protect housefly larvae against Cu 2+ injury. Our results showed that larval development was inhibited when were fed with CuSO 4 , the bacterial abundance of Providencia in the intestine of larvae increased. However, the inhibition effects of CuSO 4 was relieved when K. pneumoniae mixed and added in larval diets, the abundance of Providencia decreased. Electron microscope results revealed that K. pneumoniae showed an obvious adsorption effect on copper ion in vitro., Conclusions: Based on the results we assume that K. pneumoniae could adsorb Cu 2+ , reduce Cu 2+ impact on gut community structure. Our study explains the role of K. pneumoniae antagonizing Cu 2+ , which could be applied as a probiotic to saprophytic bioantagonistic metal contamination., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The mechanisms by which total glucosides of paeony (TGP) mitigates Sjögren's syndrome (SS) remains elusive. In the present study, we aim to explore the relationship between the therapeutic effects of TGP in the treatment of SS and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in submandibular gland (SG) cells., Methods: Female non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice were selected as the model of SS. The mice were divided into PBS and TGP treatment group. For treatment, TGP (400mg·kg-1) was administered intragastrically every day for 4 weeks. The SS-like symptoms and pathological changes of the SG of mice were compared between the PBS and TGP group. The activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in SG was detected by RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry and western blot. The SG cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for activation of NLRP3 inflammasome were treated with or without TGP. Then, NLRP3 inflammasome activation was assessed. The IL-1β and IL-18 in homogenate of SG, serum and supernatant were detected by ELISA., Results: Compared with balb/c mice, NOD mice showed SS-like symptoms and lymphocyte infiltration in SG, and the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome in SG was significantly increased. The SS-like symptoms were alleviated, and lymphocyte infiltration in SG was reduced, and the level of NLRP3 inflammasome in SG mice was decreased after TGP treatment. TGP also significantly inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome of SG cells in vitro., Conclusions: Collectively, our results indicated that TGP alleviates SS through inhibition of the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome of SG. These findings clarified the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of TGP on SS, and provided new evidence for the further application of TGP in the treatment of SS.

Background/objectives: Inonotus obliquus has been used as antidiabetic herb around the world, especially in the Russian and Scandinavian countries. Diabetes is widely believed to be a key factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is widely considered to be type III diabetes. To investigate whether I. obliquus can also ameliorate AD, it would be interesting to identify new clues for AD treatment. We tested the anti-AD effects of raw Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide (IOP) in a mouse model of AD (3×Tg-AD transgenic mice)., Materials/methods: SPF-grade 3×Tg-AD mice were randomly divided into three groups (Control, Metformin, and raw IOP groups, n = 5 per group). β-Amyloid deposition in the brain was analyzed using immunohistochemistry for AD characterization. Gene and protein expression of pertinent factors of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) was determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting., Results: Raw IOP significantly reduced the accumulation of amyloid aggregates and facilitated UPS activity, resulting in a significant reduction in AD-related symptoms in an AD mouse model. The presence of raw IOP significantly enhanced the expression of ubiquitin, E1, and Parkin (E3) at both the mRNA and protein levels in the mouse hippocampus. The mRNA level of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L1, a key factor involved in UPS activation, also increased by approximately 50%., Conclusions: Raw IOP could contribute to AD amelioration via the UPS pathway, which could be considered as a new potential strategy for AD treatment, although we could not exclude other mechanisms involved in counteracting AD processing., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interests., (©2023 The Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition.)

Problem-solving skills are very important in our daily life. Almost all problem-solving studies have addressed the cognitive correlates of solving closed problems, but only limited studies have investigated the cognitive mechanisms of solving open problems. The current study aimed to systematically examine differences between the cognitive mechanisms used for solving open and closed problems. In total, the abilities of 142 high school students to solve open and closed problems were assessed, as were a series of general cognitive abilities as controlled variates. Analogical reasoning uniquely contributed to solving both open and closed math problems, after controlling for age, gender, and inductive reasoning. Reactive cognitive flexibility (measured using the Wisconsin card sorting test) and spatial working memory uniquely correlated only with solving open and closed math problems, respectively. These findings suggest that the cognitive processes used to solve open and closed math problems differ. Open and closed math problems appear to require more reactive cognitive flexibility for generation and more memory for retrieval, respectively., (© 2023 International Union of Psychological Science.)

Predator-prey interaction has long been an interesting item in the research of animal behaviors. Given that live prey can damage their predators, predators must trade foraging efficiency for safety while hunting, but the extent of this trade-off is not yet clear. Tiger beetles display diversity in their diets and hunting strategies, and hence, they become an ideal system to address how self-security affects foraging efficiency. We addressed this question in captive adult tiger beetles Cicindela gemmata. By offering several types of arthropod and plant foods, we confirmed that C. gemmata is carnivorous. We found that C. gemmata hunt by either ambushing or chasing their prey, and that they switch between strategies based on differences in the number of prey, the prey status and encounter rate, and the number of predators. Ambushing success increased with the number of prey but decreased with prey encounter rate. Chasing success decreased as prey body size and encounter rate increased. Foraging Cicindela gemmata often gave up an attack when it was nonfatal. This active giving up of hunting may be a consequence of a trade-off between foraging efficiency and self-security. Therefore, it is an adaptive response to the risk of injury when hunting for larger live prey., (© 2023 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)