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The antibacterial activity of Cinnamaldehyde against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Bovine Mastitis is investigated in this study, providing insights into inhibition mechanisms and elucidating the effects on bacterial cell membranes. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration were determined in this study. In addition, growth curves and a time-kill assay were constructed to assess the antibacterial activity of Cinnamaldehyde. The study revealed that the MIC values ranged from 62.5 to 125 μg/mL, and the MBC values ranged from 125 to 250 μg/mL. The presence of sublethal concentrations of Cinnamaldehyde impeded bacterial growth, while high concentrations demonstrated a significant and rapid bactericidal effect. Subsequently, we examined cell morphology using SEM and TEM, evaluated membrane integrity via laser confocal fluorescence microscopy, and measured levels of β-galactosidase, extracellular DNA release, LDH activity, and ROS, to assess the antibacterial mechanism of Cinnamaldehyde. The findings indicated that with higher concentrations of Cinnamaldehyde, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated significant morphological alterations and disruption of both the cell wall and membrane. Furthermore, Cinnamaldehyde disrupted the integrity of membranes and increased permeability of the outer membrane in a manner dependent on its concentration. Cinnamaldehyde notably triggered the release of β-galactosidase, extracellular DNA, and LDH, in addition to elevating cellular ROS levels. Finally, the effect of Cinnamaldehyde on the transcription levels of genes related to cell membrane synthesis was assessed using RT-qPCR, and the effect of Cinnamaldehyde on the total protein content of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus cells was assessed using WB. The RT-qPCR results showed that Cinnamaldehyde at 1xMIC notably upregulated the transcription levels of genes related to fatty acid biosynthesis in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus cell membranes, with a significant or highly significant effect. The WB results showed that Cinnamaldehyde exerts its antibacterial action by suppressing protein expression in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. These findings illustrate that Cinnamaldehyde exerts a potent inhibitory effect on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, establishing a fundamental foundation for the potential use of Cinnamaldehyde essential oil as an antibacterial agent in the treatment of bovine mastitis, in accordance with established scientific standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrine possesses a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities as one of the primary components of Chinese herbal medicine Sophora flavescens extract, along with fewer side effects and low toxicity. Matrine possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-virus, antibiosis, and anti-oxidative properties and protects the central nervous and cardiovascular systems, immunosuppression, intestinal flora balance regulation, and broad-spectrum insecticidal activities. We reviewed the recent progress in matrine research in terms of the pharmacological activities and associated mechanisms to provide a reference for the wide and safe application of matrine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although crop conversion from annual to perennial crops has been considered as one path towards climate-smart and resource-efficient agriculture, the effects of this conversion on soil multifunctionality and biomass yields remain unclear. The objective of the study is to enhance soil multifunctionality while exerting a marginal influence on farmer income. Here, we investigated the effects of annual winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and two perennial crops (a grass (Lolium perenne L.), a legume (Medicago sativa L.), and their mixture) on soil multifunctionality and biomass yield on the Yellow River floodplain. Soil multifunctionality was assessed by the capacity of water regulation and the multifunctionality of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycles. C cycle multifunctionality index is the average of β-xylosidase, β-cellobiosidase, and β-1, 4-glucosidase. N cycle multifunctionality index is the average of L-leucine aminopeptidase and β-1, 4-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, and acid phosphatase represented (and dominated) P cycle functions. The results showed that perennial crops enhanced soil multifunctionality by 207% for L. perenne, 311% for M. sativa, and 438% for L. perenne + M. sativa, compared with annual winter wheat (T. aestivum). The effect of perennial crops on soil multifunctionality increased with infiltration rate, dissolved organic C, microbial biomass C, and extracellular enzymatic activities for both C and N acquisition. However, we observed that perennial crops had a lower biomass yield than annual crop. Therefore, the transition of agricultural landscapes to perennials needs to take into account the balance between environmental protection and food security, as well as environmental heterogeneity, to promote sustainable agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of CD147, a protein found on certain immune cells, in the development and recurrence of psoriasis. The study discovered that high levels of CD147 on CD4+ T cells were associated with the effectiveness of IL-17A inhibitor treatment and the likelihood of psoriasis returning. The researchers developed two models that accurately predicted treatment outcomes and long-term effectiveness based on CD147 levels. Additionally, the study found that a lack of CD147 on CD4+ T cells worsened psoriasis and increased the chances of it coming back. These findings provide valuable insights into the causes of psoriasis and could inform personalized treatment approaches. [Extracted from the article]

AbstractThe calligraphy on Xuan paper written by Cao Hongxun, who was a scholar at the end of the Qing Dynasty, was comprehensively characterized using various analytical techniques in order to provide support for further conservation. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify the type of oil in the stains. The color difference, acidity, microstructure and elemental composition of the paper areas with and without the oil stains were analyzed and characterized using colorimetry, pH measurements, and scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), respectively. Paper fibers were observed using SEM and an optical microscope after dying with Herzberg stain. The results demonstrate that the stain in this paper artifact is mineral oil and the paper was produced using softwood, paper mulberry and herb fibers. A large color difference, lower pH and changes in the carbon ratio were present in the oil stains. However, the stains did not affect the elemental composition of the paper. Overall, this study provides evidence for further conservation treatment, such as selecting proper paper and cleaning reagents for the stains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heart requires a variety of energy substrates to maintain proper contractile function. Glucose and long-chain fatty acids (FA) are the major cardiac metabolic substrates under physiological conditions. Upon stress, a shift of cardiac substrate preference toward either glucose or FA is associated with cardiac diseases. For example, in pressure-overloaded hypertrophic hearts, there is a long-lasting substrate shift toward glucose, while in hearts with diabetic cardiomyopathy, the fuel is switched toward FA. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), a well-established calcium (Ca2+) sensor of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ store, is increasingly recognized as a critical player in mediating both cardiac hypertrophy and diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, the cause–effect relationship between STIM1 and glucose/FA metabolism and the possible mechanisms by which STIM1 is involved in these cardiac metabolic diseases are poorly understood. In this review, we first discussed STIM1-dependent signaling in cardiomyocytes and metabolic changes in cardiac hypertrophy and diabetic cardiomyopathy. Second, we provided examples of the involvement of STIM1 in energy metabolism to discuss the emerging role of STIM1 in the regulation of energy substrate preference in metabolic cardiac diseases and speculated the corresponding underlying molecular mechanisms of the crosstalk between STIM1 and cardiac energy substrate preference. Finally, we briefly discussed and presented future perspectives on the possibility of targeting STIM1 to rescue cardiac metabolic diseases. Taken together, STIM1 emerges as a key player in regulating cardiac energy substrate preference, and revealing the underlying molecular mechanisms by which STIM1 mediates cardiac energy metabolism could be helpful to find novel targets to prevent or treat cardiac metabolic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although abnormal metabolism plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, the details are unclear. Objectives: Here, we identified to explore the role and mechanism of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) on the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Methods: The level of LPC in plasma and skin lesions and the expression of G2A on skin lesions of psoriasis patients were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, or immunohistochemistry, respectively. The glycolysis in the skin lesions of imiquimod (IMQ)‐induced psoriasis‐like mouse model was detected by extracellular acidification rate. LPC was subcutaneously injected into IMQ‐treated mouse ears, and the phenotype as well as the glycolysis were evaluated. Exploring the effects and mechanism of LPC on keratinocytes and CD4+ T cells by culturing primary keratinocytes and CD4+ T in vitro. Results: We found that LPC was significantly increased both in the plasma and skin lesions of psoriatic patients, while G2A, exerting an essential role in LPC‐inducing biological functions, was increased in psoriatic lesions. The abundance of LPC was positively correlated with glycolytic activity in the psoriasis‐like mouse model. LPC treatment facilitated psoriasis‐like inflammation and glycolytic activity in skin lesions. Mechanistically, the LPC/G2A axis significantly triggered glycolytic activity and produced inflammatory factors in keratinocytes, and blockade of glycolysis abrogated LPC‐induced expression of inflammatory mediators in keratinocytes. LPC activated STAT1, resulting in recognition and binding to the promoters of GCK and PKLR, which are glycolytic rate‐limiting enzymes. Furthermore, the LPC/G2A axis directly benefited Th1 differentiation, which was dependent on LPC‐induced glycolytic activity. Notably, LPC indirectly facilitated Th17 differentiation by inducing the secretion of IL‐1β in keratinocytes‐T cells coculture system. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings revealed the role of the LPC/G2A axis in the pathogenesis of psoriasis; targeting LPC/G2A is a potential strategy for psoriasis therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the world's leading causes of death and a major chronic respiratory disease. Aerobic exercise, the cornerstone of pulmonary rehabilitation, improves prognosis of COPD patients; however, few studies have comprehensively examined the changes in RNA transcript levels and the crosstalk between various transcripts in this context. This study identified the expression of RNA transcripts in COPD patients who engaged in aerobic exercise training for 12 weeks, and further constructions of the possible RNAs networks were made. Methods: Peripheral blood samples for all four COPD patients who benefited from 12 weeks of PR were collected pre- and post-aerobic exercises and evaluated for the expression of mRNA, miRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA with high-throughput RNA sequencing followed by GEO date validation. In addition, enrichment analyses were conducted on different expressed mRNAs. LncRNA-mRNA and circRNA-mRNA coexpression networks, as well as lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA and circRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing expression networks (ceRNAs) in COPD were constructed. Results: We identified and analyzed the differentially expressed mRNAs and noncoding RNAs in the peripheral blood of COPD patients' post-exercise. Eighty-six mRNAs, 570 lncRNAs, 8 miRNAs, and 2087 circRNAs were differentially expressed. Direct function enrichment analysis and Gene Set Variation Analysis showed that differentially expressed RNAs(DE-RNAs) correlated with several critical biological processes such as chemotaxis, DNA replication, anti-infection humoral response, oxidative phosphorylation, and immunometabolism, which might affect the progression of COPD. Some DE-RNAs were validated by Geo databases and RT-PCR, and the results were highly correlated with RNA sequencing. We constructed ceRNA networks of DE-RNAs in COPD. Conclusions: The systematic understanding of the impact of aerobic exercise on COPD was achieved using transcriptomic profiling. This research offers a number of potential candidates for clarifying the regulatory mechanisms that exercise has on COPD, which could ultimately help in understanding the pathophysiology of COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of mining belt transportation, various foreign objects may appear, which will have a great impact on the crusher and belt, thus affecting production progress and causing serious safety accidents. Therefore, it is important to detect foreign objects in the early stages of intrusion in mining belt conveyor systems. To solve this problem, the YOLOv4_GECA method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the GECA attention module is added to establish the YOLOv4_GECA foreign object detection model in the mineral belt to enhance the foreign object feature extraction capability. Secondly, based on this model, the learning rate decay of restart cosine annealing is used to improve the foreign object image detection performance of the model. Finally, we collected belt transport image information from the Pai Shan Lou gold mine site in Shenyang and established a belt foreign body detection dataset. The experimental results show that the average detection accuracy of the YOLOv4_GECA method proposed in this paper is 90.1%, the recall rate is 90.7%, and the average detection time is 30 ms, which meets the requirements for detection accuracy and real-time performance at the mine belt transportation site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a series of Al-doped metal-organic frameworks (AlxZr(1−x)-UiO-66) were synthesized through a one-step solvothermal method. Various characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and N2 sorption measurement, suggested that the Al doping was uniform and barely influenced the crystallinity, chemical stability, and thermal stability of the materials. Two cationic dyes, safranine T (ST) and methylene blue (MB), were selected for investigating the adsorption performances of Al-doped UiO-66 materials. Al0.3Zr0.7-UiO-66 exhibited 9.63 and 5.54 times higher adsorption capacities than UiO-66, 498 mg/g and 251 mg/g for ST and MB, respectively. The improved adsorption performance can be attributed to π-π interaction, hydrogen bond, and the coordination between the dye and Al-doped MOF. The pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models explained the adsorption process well, which indicated that the dye adsorption on Al0.3Zr0.7-UiO-66 mostly occurred through chemisorption on homogeneous surfaces. A thermodynamic study indicated the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption capacity did not decrease significantly after four cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) kills more than 3 million people worldwide every year. Despite progress in the treatment of symptoms and prevention of acute exacerbations, few advances have been made to ameliorate disease progression or affect mortality. Exercise plays a positive role in the prevention and treatment of diaphragm dysfunction in COPD, and the changes in diaphragm structure and function induced by exercise are closely related to the regulation of oxidative stress. But the mechanism remains unclear. So the aim of this study was to reveal the therapeutic mechanism of exercise to COPD using both in vivo and in vitro experiments. In this study, cigarette smoke (CS) induced COPD mice model, treadmill aerobic training for COPD mice were constructed and cigarette smoke extract (CSE) induced bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) model were used for COPD study. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporting analysis, and RT-qPCR detection were used to clarify the interacted relationship among lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA. ROS, inflammatory cytokines expression, and EMT relative protein α-SMA were detected using immunofluorescence and ELISA detection. The result shows that exercise ameliorates COPD induced lung injury by inhibit ROS, inflammation, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) relative protein α-SMA expression. RT-qPCR detection shows that lnc-H19 expression was increased in lung tissues of COPD mice. Exercise decreased COPD induced lnc-H19 expression. Downregulation lnc-H19 inhibits COPD mediated lung injury. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporting analysis confirmed that miR-181 and PDCD4 were downstream targets of lnc-H19. Upregulation of PDCD4 or downregulation of miR-181 reversed the protective effect of si-lnc-H19 to BECs after exposure to CSE. In conclusion, lncRNA H19 contributes to smoke-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by targeting miR-181/PDCD4 Axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ibrutinib has revolutionized the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Both ibrutinib monotherapy and ibrutinib‐based combination therapy are important salvage options for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) MCL. The real‐world efficacy and safety profile of the two strategies in Chinese patients with R/R MCL remain unclarified. Methods: In the present study, data of 121 R/R MCL patients who received either ibrutinib monotherapy (N = 68) or ibrutinib combination therapy (N = 53) in 13 medical centers in China were retrospectively reviewed. Results: With a median follow‐up of 20.5 months, the overall response rate was 60.3% versus 84.9% (p = 0.003), complete remission rate was 16.2% versus 43.4% (p < 0.001), and median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 18.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.1–21.8) vs. 30.8 months (95% CI, 23.5‐NR) (hazard ratio, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.30–0.93]; p = 0.025), with ibrutinib monotherapy and ibrutinib‐based combination therapy, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with male gender, no refractory disease, Ki67 <30%, previous line of therapy = 1, non‐blastoid subtype, and the number of extranodal sites involved <2 might benefits more from the combination therapy. Treatment‐emergent adverse events were similar, except for a higher incidence of all grade neutropenia in the ibrutinib combination group (12.7% vs. 32.0%, p = 0.017). Conclusions: Ibrutinib combination therapy demonstrated potentially superior efficacy and comparable tolerability to ibrutinib monotherapy. Ibrutinib‐based combination therapy could be one of the prominent treatment options for R/R MCL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural indicators (anthocyanins and betacyanins) were mixed in different volumetric ratios (3:1, 3:2, 1:1, 2:3 and 1:3) and used for the preparation of κ-carrageenan-based pH-sensing films. Anthocyanins and betacyanins were fixed into films by hydrogen bond, which changed the spatial structure of the κ-carrageenan films. Betacyanins reduced the crystallinity of κ-carrageenan films while anthocyanin had little effect on the crystallinity of the films. Betacyanins significantly improved the thermal stability of the film, while anthocyanins had little effect on it. In addition, anthocyanins and betacyanins significantly improved the oxidation resistance, water vapor permeability, ammonia sensitivity and UV shielding performance of the films. The complex films showed good color stability. It monitored the physical and chemical indexes of pork during storage, and measured the color change of indicator film during this process. Results showed that the color change of the film containing anthocyanins/betacyanins mixture in the volume ratio of 3:1 was the most significant with the pork spoilage. According to the correlation analysis and principal component analysis, total color differences(ΔE) can indicate the freshness of pork. Therefore, the pH sensing film prepared by us provides a reference for the freshness indication of pork. [Display omitted] • Six different k -carrageenan films were combined with anthocyanins, betacyanins and their mixed dyes. • The film showed high pH-sensitive property and gas sensing properties. • The film exhibits UV-blocking ability and antioxidant behaviors. • The film realized real-time pork freshness detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the eigenvalue problem of real supersymmetric tensors was proposed, there have been many results regarding the numerical algorithms for computing the spectral radius of nonnegative tensors, among which the NQZ method is the most studied. However, the NQZ method is only suitable for calculating the spectral radius of a special weakly primitive tensor, or a weakly irreducible primitive tensor that satisfies certain conditions. In this paper, by means of diagonal similarrity transformation of tensors, we construct a numerical algorithm for computing the spectral radius of nonnegative tensors with the aid of power functions. This algorithm is suitable for the calculation of the spectral radius of all weakly irreducible nonnegative tensors. Furthermore, it is efficient and can be widely applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qingzhuan tea (QZT) is classified as compressed dark tea and has been an essential daily commodity for ethnic minority communities in China's border areas. It boasts unique flavor characteristics and health benefits, captivating the attention of consumers both domestically and internationally. However, the QZT industry's historical closed nature and lengthy processing cycle have impeded a comprehensive scientific understanding and evaluation of this tea, as well as hindered the overall healthy development of the industry. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the research progress on QZT, covering defluoridation techniques, processing technology, flavor characteristics, chemical composition, microbial communities, health benefits, and their underlying mechanisms. A technology system aimed at reducing fluoride levels in tea, known as "appropriate fertilization-selection of low-fluorine tea tree varieties-control of raw material tenderness and growing period," has been proposed. Through the implementation of specific processing techniques, QZT exhibiting an orange-red infusion color, a mellow taste, and an aged aroma. During the key pile fermentation process, microorganisms release extracellular enzymes that initiate enzymatic and moist heat reactions, resulting in oxidation, hydrolysis, polymerization, and secondary metabolic conversions. These reactions serve as the underlying foundation for the distinctive sensory attributes of QZT. The regulation of microorganisms plays a vital role in attaining the desired flavor of QZT. Moreover, QZT encompasses a diverse array of bioactive constituents, which offer numerous health advantages such as antioxidative properties, anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects, modulation of the intestinal microbiota, and alleviation of non-alcoholic fatty liver. • A systematic approach to reduce fluoride in tea is proposed. • Specific techniques are used to create Qingzhuan tea (QZT) with vibrant color, taste and aroma. • The role of microorganisms in developing QZT's sensory traits is revealed. • Diverse bioactive compounds in QZT for health benefits are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TEMPO‐oxidized nanofibrillated cellulose (ONFC) with charged carboxyl groups is introduced for the efficient exfoliation of two‐dimensional (2D) MoS2/graphene composites. As an effective dispersant agent, ONFC can be easily absorbed between the adjacent layers, so as to prevent the accumulation of the exfoliated nanosheets. With the assistance of charged ONFC, the exfoliated MoS2/graphene is gradually increased in the aqueous dispersions with the elongated sonication time. After dewatering, self‐standing MoS2/Graphene/ONFC/CNTs composite films are rationally constructed using ONFC as flexible fibrous skeleton, and CNTs/graphene as 1D/2D interpenetrating electrical networks. Ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets anchored on the 1D/2D heterogeneous networks is directly acted as an ideal paper‐anode for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) without using traditional metallic current collector. The self‐standing flexible electrode materials based on natural cellulose will promote the future green electronics with high flexibility, miniaturization, and increased portability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anti-angiogenic therapy has been shown to be a promising strategy for anti-tumor treatment. Increasing evidence indicates that tumor angiogenesis is affected by exosomes that are secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), but whether exosomes derived from MSCs suppress or promote angiogenesis remain paradoxical. The purpose of this study focused on understanding the potential role of exosomes derived from stem cells of human deciduous exfoliated teeth (SHED-Exos) in regulating angiogenesis and the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods: Exosomes were isolated from supernatants of SHED cells using an exosome purification kit and were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blot analysis. Cell Counting Kit-8, flow cytometric assays, western blots, wound healing and transwell migration assays were performed to characterize the roles of SHED-Exos on cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The anti-angiogenic activity of SHED-Exos was assessed via a tube formation assay of endothelial cells and angiogenesis-related factors were analyzed by western blotting. In vivo, we used the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay and an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) xenograft transplantation model with nude mice that received multi-point injections at three-day intervals to evaluate the effects on angiogenesis. Furthermore, the sequencing of microRNAs (miRNAs) in SHED-Exos was performed to investigate the underlying anti-angiogenic mechanism. Results: The results showed that SHED-Exos inhibit cell proliferation and migration and induce apoptosis in HUVECs. SHED-Exos suppress the tube-like structure formation of HUVECs in vitro. SHED-Exos downregulate several angiogenesis-related factors, including VEGFA, MMP-9 and ANGPT1. In vivo, the chick CAM assay verified that treatment with SHED-Exos inhibits micro-vascular formation, and importantly, significantly reduces the micro-vascular formation of tumors generated from xenografted OSCC cells, which was associated with the inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, our data suggested that SHED-Exos are enriched with miR-100-5p and miR-1246 and are transferred to endothelial cells, which results in decreased tube formation via the down-regulation of VEGFA expression. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that SHED-Exos inhibit angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, which suggests that SHED-Exos could potentially serve as a novel and effective therapeutic approach for anti-angiogenic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrageenan (carrageenan, CG), a kind of natural sulfated polysaccharide extracted from red seaweed, is a reliable green matrix, which has excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, antioxidant, antivirus and anti-tumor properties. Based on carrageenan, hydrogels with various structures and properties (mechanical strength, gel properties and cell affinity) can be widely applied n biomedicine field by combining with other bio materials and physical or chemical crosslinking. In this review, several types of Cara glue gels and their applications in drug delivery, wound healing, issue engineering, and biosensor are reviewed, providing theoretical basis for the development of carrageenan n biomedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iron-chalcogenide superconductor FeTe1–xSex displays a variety of exotic features distinct from iron pnictides. Although much effort has been devoted to understanding the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity near x = 0.5, the existence of a spin glass phase with short-range magnetic order in the doping range (x ∼ 0.1–0.3) has rarely been studied. Here, we use DC/AC magnetization and (quasi) elastic neutron scattering to confirm the spin-glass nature of the short-range magnetic order in a Fe1.07Te0.8Se0.2 sample. The AC-frequency dependent spin-freezing temperature Tf generates a frequency sensitivity ΔTf(ω)/[Tf(ω)Δlog10ω] ≈ 0.028 and the description of the critical slowing down with τ = τ0(Tf/TSG – 1)−z v gives TSG ≈ 22 K and zv ≈ 10, comparable to that of a classical spin-glass system. We have also extended the frequency-dependent Tf to the smaller time scale using energy-resolution-dependent neutron diffraction measurements, in which the TN of the short-range magnetic order increases systematically with increasing energy resolution. By removing the excess iron through annealing in oxygen, the spin-freezing behavior disappears, and bulk superconductivity is realized. Thus, the excess Fe is the driving force for the formation of the spin-glass phase detrimental to bulk superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the model actinomycete strain, Streptomyces coelicolor, an orphan histidine kinase (HK) named OhkA (encoded by SCO1596), which belongs to bacterial two-component regulatory systems (TCSs), has been identified as being involved in the regulation of both antibiotic biosynthesis and morphological development. However, its cognate response regulator (RR) remains unknown due to its isolated genetic location on the genome, which impedes the elucidation of the mechanism underlying OhkA-mediated regulation. Here, we identified the orphan RR OrrA (encoded by SCO3008) as the cognate RR of OhkA according to mutant phenotypic changes, transcriptomics analysis, and bacterial two-hybrid experiment. Considering that the partner RR of the orphan HK is also orphan, a library of mutants with in-frame individual deletion of these functionally unknown orphan RR-encoding genes were generated. Through phenotypic analysis, it was found that the ∆orrA mutant exhibited similar phenotypic changes as that of the ∆ohkA mutant, showing increased production of actinorhodin (ACT) and undecylprodigiosin (RED), and pink colony surface. Further transcriptomics analysis showed these two mutants exhibited highly similar transcriptomics profiles. Finally, the direct interaction between OhkA and OrrA was revealed by bacterial two-hybrid system. The identification of the partner RR of OhkA lays a good foundation for an in-depth elucidation of the molecular mechanism underlying OhkA-mediated regulation of development and antibiotic biosynthesis in Streptomyces. Key points: • OrrA was identified as the partner RR of the orphan histidine kinase OhkA. • The ∆orrA and ∆ohkA mutants showed similar phenotype and transcriptomic profiling. • Specific interaction of OrrA and OhkA was revealed by bacterial two-hybrid system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rejuvenated asphalt binders were subjected to re-aging. • The properties of the rejuvenated asphalt binders change rapidly first and slowly later. • More dosage of rejuvenator exhibited more obvious effects on the aging rheological behavior. • Aged asphalt binder was less affected by re-aging. The use of rejuvenator can potentially restore original properties of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) materials to achieve the purpose of reuse, but less attention has been paid to the aging properties of rejuvenated asphalt binders. In this study, original asphalt binder, aged binder and the rejuvenated binders with 3 %, 6 %, and 9 % of rejuvenator by total weight of binder were prepared first. Then the five rejuvenated binders were subjected to the oven aging. Based on the results from Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Dynamic Shear Rheometer, the chemical and rheological properties of the five binders were investigated due to re-aging. It is showed that the of carbonyl index of the rejuvenated binders and original binder increase rapidly during the fast-aging state and then slowly during the constant-aging state, while aged binder increases approximately linearly. The rheological properties indexes such as complex shear modulus, phase angle δ, crossover frequency, crossover modulus, rheological index, G-R parameter and rutting factor of the five binders were determined, and the variation of these indexes are similar or opposite to carbonyl index during aging. Aging performances of the five binders were investigated using the oven aging indexes. It is showed the rejuvenated binders with more dosage of rejuvenator have faster aging rate and more obvious effects on the aging rheological behavior. The rheological properties of the aged binder are less affected by the re-aging. Among the rheological property indexes, the G-R-based oven aging index is most susceptible to the re-aging. There are some certain close relationships between the chemical property change and rheological property evolution during re-aging for the five binders, without considering the aging times and the dosage of rejuvenator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the flexural and cracking behavior of corroded reinforced concrete continuous beams with 11‐month wet–dry cycles strengthened by anodic polarized carbon‐fabric‐reinforced cementitious matrix (C‐FRCM) plates. The failure modes and flexural bearing capacities were discussed. The influences of the layer of carbon fabric mesh and complete carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer (CFRP) wrapping as end anchorage on the strengthening effectiveness were explored. The complete crack development patterns were captured by a digital image correlation system, and the results showed that the C‐FRCM system can provide satisfactory crack width control, as proved by the reduced crack spacing and the maximum crack width. The flexural capacities of the strengthened beams were effectively enhanced and the debonding failure can be eliminated through complete CFRP wrappings. Moreover, the design recommendations were proposed based on the estimation of the crack development as per related design guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) mainly occurs as a result of abnormal proliferation and apoptosis resistance of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC)-derived exosomes (Exos) (EPC-Exos) relieve PAH. However, there is still insufficient knowledge of whether EPC-Exos contribute to the pathological process of PAH, especially for PASMC repair. This study aimed to determine the effects of EPC-Exos on the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of PASMCs and explore the possible underlying molecular mechanisms through bioinformatics analysis and in vitro testing. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the Ras signaling pathway and Exos were crucial in PAH. The PAH differential microRNAs (miRNAs) and miRNAs identified in EPC-Exos were intersected to obtain miR-21-5p. A target gene prediction program predicted mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) as a potential target of miR-21-5p. Cellular experiments demonstrated that EPC-Exos attenuated the viability, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis resistance of PASMCs under hypoxia. Mechanistically, EPC-Exos significantly upregulated Mfn2 expression and attenuated Ras-Raf-ERK1/2 signaling pathway activity. In conclusion, EPC-Exos suppress cell viability, proliferation, and migration and promote apoptosis in PASMCs under hypoxic conditions. It is possible to transport miR-21-5p to improve the expression of Mfn2 and inhibit the Ras-Raf-ERK1/2 signaling pathway directly or by targeting the expression of Mfn2. EPC-Exos are a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease. Lipids play an important role in regulating the inflammatory response. However, the alteration of lipids involved in psoriasis particular in skin lesions remain unclear. Here, we performed the lipidomics to investigate lipid profiling in the skin lesions of the imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis and psoriasis patients. The findings showed that ceramides phosphate (CerP) and ceramides were enriched in psoriatic lesions compared with controls from both psoriasis patients and psoriasis-like mouse model. Psoriasis patients were classified into two subtypes, the CC1 and CC2, by consensus clustering of these lipid signatures. The CC1 was characterized by the higher levels of CerP, uric acid, and more severe psoriasis, compared with CC2 subtype. Interestingly, ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), dramatically enriched in CC1 subtype, facilitated imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammatory responses. Mechanistically, C1P induced the expression of inflammatory factors and activated DNA replication and cell cycle signaling pathways in the primary keratinocytes. Inhibiting the production of C1P with ceramide kinase inhibitor effectively alleviated the imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammation. Taken together, we described the landscape of lipids alteration and established lipids classification based on pattern of abundance of lipids in psoriatic skin lesions. Suppression of C1P pathway is a novel potential strategy for psoriasis treatment. [Display omitted] • Ceramides phosphate (CerP) and ceramides were enriched in psoriatic lesions compared with controls • The psoriasis was classified into two subtypes by consensus clustering of lipid signatures • One of subtypes was characterized by the higher levels of CerP and more severe psoriasis • Ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) facilitated psoriasis like dermatitis • Suppression of C1P pathway effectively alleviated pathogenesis of psoriasis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly discovered subset of memory T cells, tissue resident memory T (TRM) cells, reside in peripheral tissues for a long time, contributing to a rapid immune response and constituting the first line of defense when pathogens invade cells. Tissue resident memory T cells have unique transcriptome characteristics, and their presence in peripheral tissues is regulated by many factors. TRM cells residing in different tissues often express different surface markers. In addition to CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, which are the best-characterized T cells, Treg cells and various innate T cells can reside in nonlymphoid tissues. Many recent studies have shown that tissue resident memory T cells play indispensable roles in tumor immunity and allergic diseases. This paper reviews the differentiation, regulation, variety and function of TRM cells and the roles they play in skin diseases, including cutaneous melanoma and psoriasis. • Tissue-resident memory T cells exhibit distinct tissue-specific and niche-specific functions in immune detection network. • Multiple factors control the development and resident of Tissue-resident memory T cell. • Tissue-resident memory T cells participate in skin inflammation and contribute tomaintaining the recurrence of skin diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic acid contaminated wastewater has been of great concerns for water recovery. Base-functionalized metal−organic framework DETA-UiO-66 by grafting diethylenetriamine onto UiO-66 achieved remarkable H 2 -FA capacity with large adsorption rate compared with parent UiO-66 and sulfonate-functionalized SO 3 H-UiO-66. According to the adsorption behavior at various p Hs, an adsorption mechanism was proposed involving the acid–base interaction and weak electrostatic interaction. Further investigation including adsorption kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics, demonstrated that the H 2 -FA adsorption process on DETA-UiO-66 was a spontaneous exothermic process with a theoretical adsorption capacity reaching up to 561.8 mg g−1 at 10 °C. In addition, DETA-UiO-66 can be recovered through simple ethanol washing and reused for at least three times, remaining high adsorption capacity and adsorption rate. Meanwhile, DETA-UiO-66 showed high adsorption capacities for citric acid and sorbic acid, indicating DETA-UiO-66's wide potentials in capturing various organic acid pollutants. [Display omitted] • The amino-functionalized material DETA-UiO-66 was first synthesized by grafting diethylenetriamine onto robust UiO-66 via post-synthetic modification. • DETA-functionalized materials were applied to the adsorptive removal of organic acid pollutants, showing excellent adsorption performance. • Superior performance was observed on the DETA-UiO-66 prepared with high thermal stability proved by the TGA curve and excellent chemical resistance after immersion in acidic and basic solutions. • Adsorption mechanism was proposed involving the dominant acid-base interaction and weak electrostatic interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease, with lesions mainly manifesting as scaly erythematous plaques. The mild or moderate of psoriasis is the main type of patients in hospital, and topical application remains the preferred treatment option for psoriasis therapy, therefore, the development of novel topical agents has an essential role in psoriasis therapy. To identify potential drugs for psoriasis topical treatment. We performed drug screening by Imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriatic like inflammation in mouse model, followed mouse epidermis by RNA-seq to find the key molecules affecting the drug. The qRT-PCR, WB were performed to test mRNA and protein expression, and Chip assay had been conducted to examine Stat3 bound to promoter of FABP5. In this study, we identified VX-509, which topical application significantly attenuated IMQ-induced psoriatic like inflammation in mouse model. And then, we verified Epidermal Fatty acid binding protein (E-FABP/FABP5) was significantly decreased in VX-509 treated mouse epidermis by RNA-seq. FABP5 is a key molecule in lipid metabolism, administration of FABP5 inhibitor or knock down of FABP5 expression remarkably abrogated psoriatic inflammation as well as lipid metabolism. Mechanistically, our finding showed that VX-509 blocked IL-22 induced signaling pathway, particular in activation of Stat3. Furthermore, we identified Stat3 is a transcriptional factor associated with FABP5 promoters and VX-509 treatment remarkably attenuated IL-22-induced FABP5 expression through Stat3 in KCs. This study demonstrated administration of VX-509 is a potential promising topical drug for treatment of psoriasis, FABP5 is a critical targeted molecule in psoriasis therapy. Figure. The VX-509 topical formulation reduces psoriatic keratinocytes activation through modulation of Stat3/FABP5 pathway. [Display omitted] • The topical administration of VX-509 is a promising strategy for psoriasis treatment; VX-509 attenuates psoriasis inflammation through Stat3/FABP5 pathway; FABP5 is a targeted molecule for psoriasis treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger, one of the most widely consumed condiment for various foods and beverages, has many pharmacological effects. 6-gingerol, a naturally occurring phenol, is one of the major pungent constituents of ginger. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effect of 6-gingerol on the p38/Nrf2/HO-1 and p38/NF-κB signaling pathway, as a possible means of combating hypoxia-related oxidative stress. H9c2 cells were chemically induced with CoCl 2 to mimic hypoxia-associated cellular damage. Cardiomyocyte injury was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase. Reactive oxygen species production was assessed by 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. The antioxidative property of 6-gingerol was measured by estimating the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione and glutathione disulfide. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry after Annexin V-FITC-propidium iodide double staining. Western blotting was used to evaluate levels of p-p38, p38, cytoplasm p65, nuclear p65, total p65, nuclear Nrf2, total Nrf2, Keap1, HIF-1α, and HO-1. 6-gingerol was able to counter hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte injury as evidenced by inhibiting the levels of oxidative stress indexes and increasing the percentage of apoptosis. Furthermore, 6-gingerol was able to down-regulate p-p38/p38, nuclear p65, total p65 and Keap1 expression induced by CoCl 2 stimulation and increased cytoplasm p65, nuclear Nrf2, total Nrf2, HO-1, and HIF-1α expression. However, treatment with specific Nrf2 inhibitor blunted the activation of Nrf2 signaling and removed the protective effects of 6-gingerol. These experiments provide evidence that 6-gingerol exerts cytoprotective effects, which may be associated with the regulation of oxidative stress and apoptosis, potentially through activating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting the p38/NF-κB pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Changes in characteristic aroma-active compounds occur during processing at an industrial scale. • Pile fermentation increases the proportion of olefinic aldehyde compounds. • Methoxybenzene compounds formed during pile fermentation were weakened by aging. • Olefinic aldehydes, ketones, and methoxybenzenes were the characteristic volatiles of aged fragrances. Changes in key odorants and aroma profiles of Qingzhuan tea (QZT) during its manufacture were determined using headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry. An aroma profile was constructed to illustrate sensory changes during manufacture. The characteristic aroma of QZT was aged fragrance, which was mostly developed during pile fermentation and was enhanced during the aging and drying stages. Using volatile compounds found in the raw materials, sun-dried green tea and QZT finished product were compared by orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis. Among 108 detected volatiles, 19 were significantly upregulated and 15 were downregulated. (E)-β-Ionone, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, 1-octen-3-one, (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal, safranal, (E)-2-nonenal, α-ionone, and 1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene were found to be significant contributors to the aged QZT fragrance, reflecting their high odor-activity values and aroma intensities. Finally, the metabolic transformation of key aroma-active compounds was systematically analyzed. This study provided a theoretical basis for improving the processing and quality of QZT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger, one of the most widely consumed condiment for various foods and beverages, has many pharmacological effects. 6-gingerol, a naturally occurring phenol, is one of the major pungent constituents of ginger. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effect of 6-gingerol on the p38/Nrf2/HO-1 and p38/NF-κB signaling pathway, as a possible means of combating hypoxia-related oxidative stress. H9c2 cells were chemically induced with CoCl2 to mimic hypoxia-associated cellular damage. Cardiomyocyte injury was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase. Reactive oxygen species production was assessed by 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. The antioxidative property of 6-gingerol was measured by estimating the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione and glutathione disulfide. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry after Annexin V-FITC-propidium iodide double staining. Western blotting was used to evaluate levels of p-p38, p38, cytoplasm p65, nuclear p65, total p65, nuclear Nrf2, total Nrf2, Keap1, HIF-1α, and HO-1. 6-gingerol was able to counter hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte injury as evidenced by inhibiting the levels of oxidative stress indexes and increasing the percentage of apoptosis. Furthermore, 6-gingerol was able to down-regulate p-p38/p38, nuclear p65, total p65 and Keap1 expression induced by CoCl2 stimulation and increased cytoplasm p65, nuclear Nrf2, total Nrf2, HO-1, and HIF-1α expression. However, treatment with specific Nrf2 inhibitor blunted the activation of Nrf2 signaling and removed the protective effects of 6-gingerol. These experiments provide evidence that 6-gingerol exerts cytoprotective effects, which may be associated with the regulation of oxidative stress and apoptosis, potentially through activating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting the p38/NF-κB pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shaken black tea (SBT) is a new type of black tea that combines the traditional black tea processing technology with the shaking process of oolong tea. In this study, non-targeted metabolomics analysis based on ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) was applied to comprehensively analyze the non-volatile metabolites of SBT during the manufacturing process. Using multivariate statistical analysis, 93 compounds were screened as differential compounds. During the whole process of SBT, amino acids, dipeptides, theaflavins and lipids contents showed significant increases, while that of catechins and procyanidin C1 significantly decreased. Compared with fresh leaves, the content of proteinaceous amino acids (PAAs) in the dried black tea increased 1.61-fold, and total catechins decreased to 7.25%. The results of hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) showed that fermentation is the key process that causes the variations of these metabolites, followed by drying and shaking. The biosynthesis metabolism of amino acids, flavonoids and linoleic acid are abundant, mainly due to the stress response of fresh tea leaves to dehydration and mechanical damage during shaking processing. It is beneficial to explore the quality formation during the production of SBT through comprehensive analysis of the changes in metabolites. • Fermentation led to significant changes in metabolites, followed by drying, shaking. • Shaking process promoted the accumulation of amino acids, dipeptides and theaflavins. • Remarkable increase of dipeptides is mainly in the fermentation and drying process. • Variation of taste compounds, amino acids, flavonoids, and dipeptides, were studied. • Metabolic pathway of key compounds like amino acids, flavonoids, lipids, were revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous protease biosensors show high sensitivity and selectivity but usually require the immobilization of peptide substrates on a solid interface. Such methods exhibit the disadvantages of complex immobilization steps and low enzymatic efficiency induced by steric hindrance. In this work, we proposed an immobilization-free strategy for protease detection with high simplicity, sensitivity and selectivity. Specifically, a single-labeled peptide with oligohistidine-tag (His-tag) was designed as the protease substrate, which can be captured by a nickel ion-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA)-conjugated magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) through the coordination interaction between His-tag and Ni-NTA. When the peptide was digested by protease in a homogeneous solution, the signal-labeled segment was released from the substrate. The unreacted peptide substrates could be removed by Ni-NTA-MNP, and the released segments remained in solution to emit strong fluorescence. The method was used to determine protease of caspase-3 with a low detection limit (4 pg/mL). By changing the peptide sequence and signal reporters, the proposal could be used to develop novel homogeneous biosensors for the detection of other proteases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accelerated charge transfer channels are constructed via the introduction of vanadium into CoFe-LDHs. The overall OER and HER performance are enhanced due to the interactions among three metal components. Herein, vanadium is responsible for optimizing the electronic structure while cobalt and iron play key roles in regulating the HER and OER performance, respectively. [Display omitted] • Composition, microstructure and morphology act as the catalyst design principles. • The charge transfer channels are constructed by introducing V into CoFe-LDHs. • The synergistic effect among metal components in CoFeV-LDHs is clearly revealed. • The dynamics barrier of OER is reduced via adjusting the molar ratio of metal ions. • The excellent HER performance of LDHs is performed through activating metal sites. A series of self-supported electrocatalysts composed of tri-metallic CoFeV-LDHs generated on conductive carbon cloth (denoted as CoFeV@CC) have been constructed. The specific interaction among Co, Fe and V is systematically revealed via tuning the molar ratios of M2+:M3+ and Fe3+:V3+ in these tri-metallic LDHs. Finally, the optimal synergistic effect is reached when the molar ratios of M2+:M3+ and Fe3+:V3+ are respectively 4:1 and 1:1, resulting in the product named Co 8 FeV@CC, which displays the best overall OER and HER performance. Only rather low overpotentials of 235 and 182 mV are required to attain the current density of 100 mA cm−2 with a Faradaic efficiency of nearly 100 % for OER and HER, respectively. Co 8 FeV@CC can thus be applied as both an anode and cathode in the symmetrical two-electrode and possesses a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at the cell voltage of 1.65 V, and further demonstrates ultra-high stability for 100 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hesperetin (HSP) is a natural flavonoid that offers useful curative effects for cardiovascular diseases, but its effect on myocardial ischemia and its precise mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study is to explore the potential cardioprotective mechanism of HSP on myocardial ischemia caused by isoproterenol (ISO). Adult male Kunming mice were randomly divided into five groups: control, ISO, low-dose HSP (L-HSP, 25 mg/kg/d), high-dose HSP (H-HSP, 50 mg/kg/d), and verapamil (VER) group. Treatment groups of mice received HSP or VER for seven days, and the groups other than the control group were injected with ISO (100 mg/kg/d) subcutaneously for two consecutive days to establish a model of myocardial ischemia. Electrocardiogram and heart-histology changes were used to assess changes in myocardial architecture. The activities and the content of oxidative stress markers and inflammatory cytokines were determined and assayed using kits respectively. The expressions of proteins associated with apoptosis and the Sirt1/Nrf2 pathway were evaluated by Western blotting. The results demonstrate that VER, L-HSP and H-HSP significantly reduced the J-point displacement, heart rate, cardiac pathomorphological changes, and the levels of creatine kinase, lactated dehydrogenase, malonaldehyde, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α in serum while promoting the activation of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione in serum in the ISO-treated animals. Furthermore, L-HSP and H-HSP also reversed the ISO-induced apoptosis and the changes in the Sirt1/Nrf2 signaling pathway, as evident from the levels of proteins Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, Sirt1, Nrf2, NQO-1, and HO-1. In conclusion, HSP plays a protective role in ISO-induced myocardial ischemia by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis via Sirt1/Nrf2 pathway activation. [Display omitted] • Hesperetin attenuates oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in mouse heart. • Hesperetin activates the expression of the Sirt1/Nrf2 pathway. • Hesperetin has a protective action on isoproterenol-induced myocardial ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and mitochondrial metabolism are critical for the survival of cancer cells, including cancer stem cells (CSCs), which often cause drug resistance and cancer relapse. Auranofin is a mono-gold anti-rheumatic drug, and it has been repurposed as an anticancer agent working by the induction of both ROS increase and mitochondrial dysfunction. Hypothetically, increasing auranofin's positive charges via incorporating more gold atoms to enhance its mitochondria-targeting capacity could enhance its anti-cancer efficacy. Hence, in this work, both mono-gold and bi-gold compounds were designed and evaluated to test our hypothesis. The results showed that bi-gold compounds generally suppressed cancer cells proliferation better than their mono-gold counterparts. The most potent compound, BGC2a, substantially inhibited the antioxidant enzyme TrxR and increased the cellular ROS. BGC2a induced cell apoptosis, which could not be reversed by the antioxidant agent vitamin C, implying that the ROS induced by TrxR inhibition might not be the decisive cause of cell death. As expected, a significant proportion of BGC2a accumulated within mitochondria, likely contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction, which was further confirmed by measuring oxygen consumption rate, mitochondrial membrane potential, and ATP production. Moreover, BGC2a inhibited colony formation and reduced stem-like side population (SP) cells of A549. Finally, the compound effectively suppressed the tumor growth of both A549 and PANC-1 xenografts. Our study showed that mitochondrial disturbance may be gold-based compounds' major lethal factor in eradicating cancer cells, providing a new approach to developing potent gold-based anti-cancer drugs by increasing mitochondria-targeting capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Floral and sweet odors are two typical characteristic aromas of Congou black tea, but their aroma‐active compounds are still unclear. Characterizing the key aroma‐active compounds can provide a theoretical foundation for the practical aroma quality evaluation of Congou black tea and directional processing technology of high‐quality black tea with floral or sweet odors. Gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC‐O) combined with odor activity value (OAV) is often used to screen key aroma‐active substances, but the interaction between aroma components and their impact on the overall sensory quality is ignored. Therefore, in this study, OAV combined with variable importance in projection (VIP) and Spearman correlation analysis (SCA) were used to characterize the aroma‐active components of Congou black teas with floral and sweet odors. RESULTS: Eighty‐five volatiles were identified in these samples using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Twenty‐three compounds were identified as potential markers for the floral and sweet odors of Congou black teas from orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS‐DA). Eighteen compounds were selected as candidate aroma compounds based on GC‐O analysis and OAV calculations. In addition, 26 compounds were screened as crucial aroma compounds based on SCA. Finally, 19 compounds were evaluated as key aroma compounds by the comprehensive evaluation of VIP, OAV, and SCA. Terpenoids are the main active compounds that contribute to the floral odor of Congou black tea, whereas aldehydes are the key compounds for the sweet odor. CONCLUSION: The proposed method can effectively screen the aroma‐active compounds and can be used for comprehensive quality control of products. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and multiple chemometrics to efficiently distinguish the origins of fresh tea leaves. The key components were obtained using the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) method. PLS, synergy interval PLS (siPLS), principal component analysis (PCA), genetic algorithm (GA), and their combination methods were used to establish NIRS non-destructive discrimination models. Then, the practical application was examined using external samples. The study identified nine key components (variable importance for the projection (VIP) > 1): epigallocatechin, epicatechin, total sugar, water extracts, total catechins, gallocatechin gallate, tea polyphenols, gallocatechin, and epigallocatechin gallate. Of the six NIRS models, the siPLS-GA model that used 37 spectral data points produced the best results (Rp2 = 0.9706, RMSEP = 0.0772, RPD = 6.59). This model had a prediction accuracy of 96.67% for the prediction set samples and 93.33% for the external samples. It offers a rapid, precise, and non-invasive approach to monitor and regulate the illicit trade of fresh tea leaves, thereby guaranteeing the authenticity of Enshi Yulu products from the processing source and fostering the long-term prosperity and stability of the Enshi Yulu tea industry. • There is a limited amount of research on using NIRS to trace the origin of fresh tea leaves. • PLS-DA was used to identify the origins of fresh tea leaves based on nine key components. • The NIRS-siPLS-GA digital combination model exhibits high robustness and wide adaptability. • It is a low-cost modeling solution effectively addresses the authenticity problem of Enshi Yulu. • The research findings suggest broad application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] To cope with the demand of more complex and variable applications, it is urgent to develop dual-mode triggered, breathable, and shape-memory wearable heaters for all-weather personal thermal management of composite phase change materials (PCMs). Herein, after high-temperature carbonization of ZnCo-MOF (metal–organic framework) nanosheet array grown in situ on flexible and breathable carbon cloth (CC) and subsequent encapsulation of polyethylene glycol (PEG), the as-prepared PEG/CC@Co/CNT (carbon nanotube) composite PCMs exhibited good breathability, mechanical strength (tensile strength of 9.15 MPa), thermal energy storage density (114.19 J/g), and shape memory due to the synergy of flexible CC skeleton and rigid PEG. More importantly, composite PCMs possessed excellent solar-thermal (93.7 %, 100 mW/cm2) and electro-thermals (94.5 %, 2.0 V) conversion and storage capacity, benefiting from the conjugation effect of high graphitized carbon/carbon heterostructure with fast electron/photon/phonon transmission and the localized surface plasmon resonance effect of Co nanoparticles. Therefore, the integration of solar heating and Joule heating into breathable composite PCMs can be accurately used for next-generation all-weather, all-season, dual-mode triggered personal thermal management, including indoor/outdoor, daytime/night, rainy/cloudy and other complex and changeable scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of weak acoustic signals under strong background noise is of great significance in the applications of target identification and localization. In this paper, the pulse signal with high randomness is set as the weak signal sound source, random noise and sine sound are used as the background noise. Under the condition of a signal-to-noise ratio of −20 dB, combined with blind source separation and neural network methods, the collected observation signals are subjected to weak sound signal separation and recognition research. The optimization method of centralization and scaling processing is used to eliminate the unfavorable influence of the uncertainty of the separated signal amplitude caused by the blind source separation method on the pattern recognition. The recognition result is verified by the combination of "weak impulse acoustic signal" and "random noise signal," and the output vector (0.99 0.01 0.01) approaches (1 0 0), which is recognized as impulse acoustic signal. By combining blind source separation and neural network methods, the separation and identification of weak pulse signals under the condition of a signal-to-noise ratio of −20 dB can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise pollution is the most serious environmental pollution, which seriously affects people's normal life and physical and mental health, as well as normal production work. Therefore, noise control is necessary, but before noise control, the first thing to do is to identify the location of the noise source, and the noise control work is meaningless when the noise cannot be identified. Flat plate structures are a fundamental part of complex ship structures, and their vibration, noise, and their interrelationships when excited by the outside world are receiving increasing attention. The core of the research in this paper is the identification of the sound source of the vibrating plate. A method combining phase conjugation with interior boundary element method is developed for the identification of the pressure and normal velocity distribution of a vibrating plate. An interior problem is formed by enclosing the phase conjugation array plane and the plate surface. The pressures at the array elements are phase-conjugated as the specified pressure boundary condition. The impedance relationship between the surface pressure and the surface normal velocity of the plate is utilized as a specified impedance boundary condition. The interior boundary element method is applied to solve the interior problem. The identification of the surface pressure and normal velocity distribution is studied numerically. The numerical results show that with the array located in the near field the proposed method achieves subwavelength focusing to identify the surface pressure and normal velocity distribution and clearly shows the response shapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new vegetation monitoring index, the KNDVI has certain advantages in characterizing the evolutionary process of regional desertification. However, there are few reports on desertification monitoring based on KNDVI and feature space models. In this study, seven feature parameters, including the kernel normalized difference vegetation index (KNDVI) and Albedo, were introduced to construct different models for desertification remote-sensing monitoring. The optimal desertification remote-sensing monitoring index model was determined with the measured data; then, the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of desertification in Gulang County from 2013 to 2023 was analyzed and revealed. The main conclusions were as follows: (1) Compared with the NDVI and MSAVI, the KNDVI showed more advantages in the characterization of the desertification evolution process. (2) The point–line pattern KNDVI-Albedo remote-sensing index model had the highest monitoring accuracy, reaching 94.93%, while the point–line pattern NDVI-TGSI remote-sensing monitoring index had the lowest accuracy of 54.38%. (3) From 2013 to 2023, the overall desertification situation in Gulang County showed a trend of improvement with a pattern of "firstly aggravation and then alleviation." Additionally, the gravity center of desertification in Gulang County first shifted to the southeast and then to the northeast, indicating that the northeast's aggravating rate of desertification was higher than in the southwest during the period. (4) From 2013 to 2023, the area of stable desertification in Gulang County was the largest, followed by the slightly weakened zone, and the most significant transition area was that of extreme desertification to severe desertification. The research results provide important decision support for the precise monitoring and governance of regional desertification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the combination of octahedral Zn 2 SnO 4 with the carbon quantum dots (CQDs) is pioneered for the efficient detection of triethylamine. CQDs-modified Zn 2 SnO 4 materials were synthesized to perform rapid detection of trace triethylamine present in air. In the gas test, the optimal composite's response value to triethylamine is 600% higher than the value of the original Zn 2 SnO 4 to triethylamine, and the tendency of selective to triethylamine is more than ten times than other kinds of gases and possesses a short response/recovery times of 18 s/29 s. The exceptional properties of the composite are attributed to the superb electron transport capacity brought by the modification of 5 nm carbon quantum dots. The novel material will solve the issues of slow reaction time and low response of previous materials in detecting triethylamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

10‐Gingerol (10‐Gin), an active ingredient extracted from ginger, has been reported to have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. However, 10‐Gin has not been proved to offer protection against cardiomyocyte injury induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of 10‐Gin against H/R‐induced injury and its potential mechanisms in cardiomyocytes. A H/R injury model of H9c2 cardiomyocytes was established using 600 μmol/L CoCl2 to induce hypoxia in the cells for 24 hr and then reoxygenated for 3 hr. 10‐Gin was pretreated with H9c2 cardiomyocytes for 24 hr to assess its cardiomyocyte protection. Our results showed that 10‐Gin improved the viability of H9c2 cardiomyocytes in the H/R model and decreased the activities of creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and the generation of reactive oxygen species. By intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) fluorescence, we found that 10‐Gin could significantly reduce the [Ca2+]i concentration. 10‐Gin administration increased the activities of antioxidase and reduced malondialdehyde content and inflammatory cytokine levels. 10‐Gin also reduced the apoptosis levels. Importantly, 10‐Gin administration decreased the gene and protein expressions of Wnt5a and Frizzled‐2. In conclusion, 10‐Gin alleviates H/R‐induced cardiomyocyte injury, which is associated with the antioxidation, anti‐inflammation, antiapoptosis action, and reduction of [Ca2+]i overload by suppressing the Wnt5a/Frizzled‐2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Childhood emotional neglect is a risk factor of adolescent depression. • Maladaptive self-cognition is a potential explanatory factor underlying this relation. • Friendship quality plays a moderating role, with the effect being stronger for adolescents with lower levels of friendship quality. It has become the responsibility of the whole society to protect adolescents from depression. Based on an integration of attachment theory and stress-buffering model, the present study aimed to examine (a) whether childhood emotional neglect (CEN) would be significantly associated with depression; (b) whether maladaptive self-cognition would mediate the association between CEN and depression; and (c) whether friendship quality would moderate the direct and indirect associations between CEN and depression via maladaptive self-cognition. Participants were 1639 Chinese adolescents (M age = 14.49 years, SD = 1.11). They completed questionnaires regarding demographics, CEN, maladaptive self-cognition, and friendship quality at Time 1. After 7 months, they finished the measure of depression at Time 2. Results showed that CEN was positively associated with adolescent depression, and this relation was mediated by maladaptive self-cognition. Furthermore, friendship quality moderated the association between CEN and maladaptive self-cognition, with the relation being stronger for adolescents with lower levels of friendship quality. However, friendship quality did not moderate the association between maladaptive self-cognition and depression, as well as the direct association between CEN and depression. This study contributes to a better understanding of adolescent depression and provide important guidance for treating this disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How metal-support interaction (MSI) affects three-way catalysts (TWCs) performance has always been a focus. This work regulated the interaction between Rh and CeO 2 -ZrO 2 (CZ) by support pretreatment scheme, meanwhile deeply analyzed the effect on activity and stability. CZ after 1000 ℃ pretreatment weakened the MSI and made more active Rh on CZ surface, which significantly enhanced catalytic efficiency (C 3 H 8 T 90 decreased by 40 ℃). However, this weakened MSI prevented CZ from anchoring Rh, leading to the growth of Rh after aging and adversely affecting anti-aging ability (T 90 increased by 90 °C). Fortunately, when CZ pretreatment at 900 °C, the catalytic performance did not decrease after aging due to the retained strong MSI. In addition, the change of oxygen vacancy concentration caused by CZ pretreatment was positively correlated with MSI strength. This work provided an in-depth understanding for MSI and a new idea for Rh-based TWCs design by elucidating the correlation between MSI and TWCs performance. [Display omitted] • Support pretreatment temperature is closely related to metal-support interaction. • Weakened MSI after support pretreatment at 1000 °C made more active Rh on CZ surface and showed better activity. • Strong Rh-CeO 2 interaction after support pretreatment at 900 °C showed better thermal stability. • Oxygen vacancies concentration is positively correlated with Rh-CeO 2 interaction. • C 3 H 8 oxidation activity is extremely sensitive to the modulation of Rh-CeO 2 interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some painted pottery figurines were excavated from the tomb of Qibi Ming of the Tang Dynasty. A series of analytical techniques were employed to understand the craftsmanship of these painted pottery figurines. The pigment, cross-section, adhesive, and firing temperature were analyzed using microscopy (OM), energy X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDX), micro-Raman spectroscopy, pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), and a dilatometer (DIL). The results demonstrated that the surface of the pigment layers had degraded to different degrees. The pigment particles were litharge, gypsum, malachite, cinnabar, hematite, minium, white lead, and carbon black. The cross-sectional images show that the painted layer of figurines 10-0966 and 10-0678 included a pigment layer and a preparation layer. The preparation layer of both pigments was lead white. Animal glue was used as an adhesive. The firing temperature of the pottery figurines was likely 1080 °C. This study can provide more accurate information with regard to the composition of the raw materials utilized in the making of these artifacts and support the selection of appropriate substances for the purposes of conservation and restoration of the painted pottery figurines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment options beyond the first-line setting for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC) are limited. The role of the multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor anlotinib in RM-NPC is unclear. Methods: In this prospective, single-arm, phase 2 trial, patients with histologically confirmed RM-NPC and failure of at least two lines of prior systemic treatments were eligible. Anlotinib was given at 12 mg once daily on days 1–14 every 3 weeks until disease progression or intolerable toxicities. The primary end point was disease control rate, defined as the percentage of patients achieving complete response, partial response, or stable disease by RECIST criteria. Results: From April 2019 to March 2021, 39 patients were enrolled and received a median of 4 cycles (range, 0.5–20) of anlotinib treatment. Partial response and stable disease were observed in 8 and 20 patients, respectively. The disease control rate was 71.8%, and objective response rate was 20.5%. With a median follow-up of 17.2 months, the median progression-free survival was 5.7 months. The 12-month overall survival was 58.3%, and the median overall survival was not reached. The most frequent grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events were hand-foot syndrome (23.7%), oral mucositis (21.0%), hypertension (7.9%), and triglyceride elevation (7.9%). Hemorrhage, all grade 1 or 2, occurred in 34.2% of the patients. Conclusions: Anlotinib monotherapy exhibited promising anti-tumor activities and disease control for heavily pretreated RM-NPC patients with a tolerable toxicity profile. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03906058. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-dispersed Ni nano electrocatalyst boosts the kinetics and decreases the reaction overpotential of Li 2 S 4 reduction, providing more spaces for the concentration difference overpotential and allowing more soluble polysulfide intermediates farther away (l 2) from the surface of conductive materials to be reduced based on Fick's first law, significantly improving the sulfur utilization. Consequently, excellent rate performance, high areal capacity, and stable cycle performance are exhibited. [Display omitted] The lithium-sulfur battery (Li-S) has been considered a promising energy storage system, however, in the practical application of Li-S batteries, considerable challenges remain. One challenge is the low kinetics involved in the conversion of Li 2 S 4 to Li 2 S. Here, we reveal that highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles play a unique role in the reduction of Li 2 S 4. Ni-porous carbon (Ni-PC) decorated in situ on a free-standing carbon nanotube sponge (CNTS/Ni-PC) enriches the current response of liquid phase Li 2 S 4 and Li 2 S 2 around the cathode more than 8.1 and 5.7 times higher than that of the CNTS blank sample, respectively, greatly boosting the kinetics and decreasing the reaction overpotential of Li 2 S 4 reduction (lower Tafel slope and larger current response). Thus, with the same total overpotential, more space is provided for the concentration difference overpotential, allowing the more soluble polysulfide intermediates farther away from the surface of the conductive materials to be reduced based on the "wane and wax" strategy, and significantly improving the sulfur utilization. Consequently, S@CNTS/Ni-PC delivers excellent rate performance (812.4 mAh·g−1 at 2C) and a remarkable areal capacity of 10.1 mAh·cm−2. This work provides a viable strategy for designing a target catalyst to enhance the conversion kinetics in the Li 2 S 4 reduction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Novel MMMs containing hydrophilic Zr-MOF NU-906 were fabricated for ethanol dehydration; • The incorporation of NU-906 enhanced both water affinity and structural stability of chitosan membranes; • Desirable interfacial interaction of NU-906 and chitosan was confirmed by FT-IR; • NU-906/CS MMMs exhibited excellent ethanol/water separation efficiency with long-term stability. Conquering the trade-off between selectivity and permeability is crucial for efficient ethanol dehydration. The sophisticated metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have proven their potential as membrane fillers despite of the limited research on few frameworks. Herein, in order to achieve enhanced water permselectivity, hydrophilic zirconium-based NU-906 nanoparticles were incorporated into chitosan (CS) to fabricate NU-906/CS mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for alcohol dehydration. The introduction of NU-906 brought excellent water affinity and structural stability to the hybrid membranes confirmed by the water contact angle and swelling resistance tests. Benefiting from the hydrophilicity and the ordered porosity of the incorporated NU-906, simultaneously enhanced water selectivity and permeability have been achieved on the hybrid membranes. The optimum membrane with 5.0 wt% NU-906 exhibited a high flux of 1086 g/(m2·h) and an excellent separation factor of 2651 for 90 wt% ethanol dehydration at 76 ℃. This research has expanded the range of MOFs available for the fabrication of MMMs and provided new options for organic solvent pervaporation dehydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]