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Abstract: This paper presents a novel technique integrating bulk-sensitive and surface-sensitive XANES methods to distinguish between physisorption and chemisorption for phosphate adsorption onto ferrihydrite-modified diatomite (FHMD). XANES P K-edge, L-edge, and Fe M-edge spectra were obtained for reference samples (K2HPO4 and FePO4·2H2O) and test samples (phosphate adsorbed onto FHMD (FHMD-Ps) and Si-containing ferrihydrite (FHYD-Ps)). A resolvable pre-edge peak in the P K-edge spectra of FHMD-Ps and FHYD-Ps provided direct evidence for the formation of P–O–Fe(III) coordination and the occurrence of chemisorption. The resemblance between the P L-edge spectra of K2HPO4 and FHMD-Ps and the marked difference between the spectra of FHMD-Ps and FePO4·2H2O indicated the intact existence of the adsorbate and the adsorbent. The similarity between Fe M-edge spectra of FHMD and FHMD-Ps and the difference between the spectra of FHMD-Ps and FePO4·2H2O confirmed the findings from P L-edge analyses. Therefore, chemisorption and physisorption coexisted during phosphate adsorption onto FHMD. Phosphate chemisorption occurred in the deeper zone of FHMD (from 50nm to 5μm); whereas physisorption occurred in the zone of FHMD shallower than 50nm since the probing depth of XANES P K-edge method is 5μm and that of P L-edge and Fe M-edge methods is 50nm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sallmonella Pullorum is a host-restricted pathogen for poultry and causes severe economic importance in many developing countries. The development of novel vaccines for Salmonella Pullorum is necessary to eradicate the prevalence of the pathogen. In our study, a srfA deletion mutant (C79-13Δ srfA) of Salmonella Pullorum was constructed, and then the biological characteristics and protective efficacy of the mutant were evaluated. The mutant C79-13Δ srfA was much less virulent than its parental strain C79-13 in one-day-old HY-line white chickens, immunization with C79-13Δ srfA (4 × 107 CFU) through oral pathway induced highly specific humoral and cellular immune responses, the growth performance of vaccinated chickens was consistent with that of unvaccinated chickens. The survival percentages of vaccinated chickens reached 90% and 80%, after challenge with Salmonella Pullorum strain C79-13 and Salmonella Gallinarum strain SG9 at 10 days post-immunization (dpi), respectively. Collectively, our results indicate that C79-13Δ srfA is a live attenuated vaccine candidate. • A srfA deletion mutant of Salmonella Pullorum was successfully constructed. • The virulence of the srfA mutant was significantly decreased. • The srfA mutant afforded the acquired immunity and efficient protection. • The srfA mutant has the potential of being a live attenuated vaccine candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Electrical bioadhesive interfaces (EBIs) are standing out in various applications, including medical diagnostics, prosthetic devices, rehabilitation, and human–machine interactions. Nonetheless, crafting a reliable and advanced EBI with comprehensive properties spanning electrochemical, electrical, mechanical, and self-healing capabilities remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we develop a self-healing EBI by thoughtfully integrating conducting polymer nanofibers and a typical bioadhesive within a robust hydrogel matrix. The accomplished EBI demonstrates extraordinary adhesion (lap shear strength of 197 kPa), exceptional electrical conductivity (2.18 S m−1), and outstanding self-healing performance. Taking advantage of these attributes, we integrated the EBI into flexible skin electrodes for surface electromyography (sEMG) signal recording from forearm muscles. The engineered skin electrodes exhibit robust adhesion to the skin even when sweating, rapid self-healing from damage, and seamless real-time signal recording with a higher signal-to-noise ratio (39 dB). Our EBI, along with its skin electrodes, offers a promising platform for tissue-device integration, health monitoring, and an array of bioelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water solubility, stability and bioaccessibility of lycopene were improved with lycopene-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (lyco-NLC). The average size of the lyco-NLC was about 230 nm with a small size distribution (PDI < 0.3). The encapsulation efficiency of lycopene was proved to be 92.73% and the content of total lycopene in the product was up to 3 mg/mL. The ratio of total Z -lycopenes in lyco-NLC was higher up to 50%. Particles of the lyco-NLC were found to be spherical and uniform in shape under AFM. FTIR and XRD showed that lycopene with high-ratio of Z -isomers was well incorporated into NLC. Stability of the lyco-NLC, as analyzed at −18 °C, 4 °C, 20 °C and 37 °C for 30 days, showed the particle size, PDI, retention rate of lycopene and the ratio of total Z -lycopenes were stable at 4 °C. The release behavior showed a relatively fast release during the first stage followed by a sustained release during the subsequent time. The partition factor (PF) values of both lyco-NLC and Z -lycopenes (50%) were 45%, which were two times of that of all- E -lycopene, indicating that the high proportion of Z -lycopenes could efficiently improve the bioaccessibility of lyco-NLC product. • Solubility and stability of lycopene were improved by lycopene-loaded NLC. • The content of lycopene was high up to 3 mg/mL with loading content of 4% in NLC. • Z -lycopenes could efficiently improve the bioaccessibility of lycopene-loaded NLC. • Profile change of lycopene in NLC was found during storage in higher temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After spinal cord injury (SCI), poor regeneration of damaged axons of the central nervous system (CNS) causes limited functional recovery. This limited spontaneous functional recovery has been attributed, to a large extent, to the plasticity of propriospinal neurons, especially the descending propriospinal neurons (dPSNs). Compared with the supraspinal counterparts, dPSNs have displayed significantly greater regenerative capacity, which can be further enhanced by glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). In the present study, we applied a G-mutated rabies virus (G-Rabies) co-expressing green fluorescence protein (GFP) to reveal Golgi-like dendritic morphology of dPSNs. We also investigated the neurotransmitters expressed by dPSNs after labeling with a retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold (FG). dPSNs were examined in animals with sham injuries or complete spinal transections with or without GDNF treatment. Bilateral injections of G-Rabies and FG were made into the 2nd lumbar (L2) spinal cord at 3 days prior to a spinal cord transection performed at the 11th thoracic level (T11). The lesion gap was filled with Gelfoam containing either saline or GDNF in the injury groups. Four days post-injury, the rats were sacrificed for analysis. For those animals receiving G-rabies injection, the GFP signal in the T7-9 spinal cord was visualized via 2-photon microscopy. Dendritic morphology from stack images was traced and analyzed using a Neurolucida software. We found that dPSNs in sham injured animals had a predominantly dorsal-ventral distribution of dendrites. Transection injury resulted in alterations in the dendritic distribution with dorsal-ventral retraction and lateral-medial extension. Treatment with GDNF significantly increased the terminal dendritic length of dPSNs. The density of spine-like structures was increased after injury, and treatment with GDNF enhanced this effect. For the group receiving FG injections, immunohistochemistry for glutamate, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), glycine, and GABA was performed in the T7-9 spinal cord. We show that the majority of FG retrogradely-labeled dPSNs were located in the Rexed Lamina VII. Over 90% of FG-labeled neurons were glutamatergic, with the other three neurotransmitters contributing less than 10% of the total. To our knowledge this is the first report describing the morphologic characteristics of dPSNs and their neurotransmitter expressions, as well as the dendritic response of dPSNs after transection injury and GDNF treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]