Search

Plastics offer many advantages and are widely used in various fields. Nevertheless, most plastics derived from petroleum are slow to degrade due to their stable polymer structure, posing serious threats to organisms and ecosystems. Thus, developing environmentally friendly and biodegradable plastics is imperative. In this study, biodegradable cellulose/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MCNT) hybrid gels and films with improved ultraviolet-shielding properties were successfully prepared using cotton textile waste as a resource. It was proven that MCNTs can be dispersed evenly in cellulose without any chemical or physical pretreatment. It was found that the contents of MCNTs had obvious effects on the structures and properties of hybrid films. Particularly, the averaged transmittance of cellulose/MCNT composite films in the range of 320–400 nm (T320–400) and 290–320 nm (T290–320) can be as low as 19.91% and 16.09%, when the content of MCNTs was 4.0%, much lower than those of pure cellulose films (T320–400: 84.12% and T290–320: 80.03%). Meanwhile, the water contact angles of the cellulose/MCNT films were increased by increasing the content of MCNTs. Most importantly, the mechanical performance of cellulose/MCNT films could be controlled by the additives of glycerol and MCNTs. The tensile strength of the cellulose/MCNT films was able to reach as high as 20.58 MPa, while the elongation at break was about 31.35%. To summarize, transparent cellulose/MCNT composites with enhanced ultraviolet-shielding properties can be manufactured successfully from low-cost cotton textile waste, which is beneficial not only in terms of environmental protection, but also the utilization of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an investigation on the stiffness and energy absorption capabilities of three proposed biomimetic structures based on the internal architecture of a cornstalk. 3D printing was used to manufacture specimens using a tough and impact-resistant thermoplastic material, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The structural stiffness, maximum stress, densification strain, and energy absorption were extracted from the compression tests performed at a strain rate of 10−3 s−1. A numerical model was developed to analyse the behaviour of the biomimetic structures under compression loading. Further, a damage examination was conducted through optical microscopy and profilometry. The results showed that the cornstalk-inspired biomimetic structure exhibited a superior specific energy absorption (SEA) capability that was three times higher than that of the other core designs as reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-34 (IL-34) was initially identified as an alternative ligand for the colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) to mediate the biology of mononuclear phagocytic cells. Recently, IL-34 was found to be associated with chronic inflammation, such as in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Both RA and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are multifactorial autoimmune diseases and are characterized by excessive immune and inflammatory responses. Thus, we investigated whether IL-34 is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. In all, 78 SLE patients and 53 healthy controls were enrolled in the research. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to measure the concentrations of serological IL-34. Then serum IL-34 levels between the SLE group and healthy controls were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test. Meanwhile, the correlations between the serum IL-34 levels and disease activity indexes and other established serum markers were assessed. Furthermore, the serum IL-34 levels of 20 active SLE patients were reevaluated when diseases were in the remission stage from corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs. Serum IL-34 levels were significantly higher in SLE patients compared to healthy controls. Their levels were remarkably associated with accumulation of the clinical features of SLE. Additionally, IL-34 titers were positively correlated with the SLE disease activity indexes, anti-double-stranded DNA antibody (anti-dsDNA) titers and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and inversely with complement3 (C3) levels. Moreover, serum IL-34 levels were significantly decreased after successful treatment of SLE. Serum IL-34 could be a candidate biomarker for SLE as there are elevated serum levels in treatment-naive SLE patients and we saw a significant decrease after effective treatment.

Cytokines are key immunoregulatory molecules that regulate T lymphocyte-mediated immune responses and inflammatory reactions. We determined whether there is aberrant expression of interleukin-27 (IL-27) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and investigated the clinical significance of these changes. IL-27 is a key cellular factor that regulates the differentiation of CD4+ T cells, which can secrete interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in vivo. Concentrations of serum IL-27 in 67 RA patients, and 36 sex- and age-matched control subjects were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results showed that concentrations of serum IL-27 in all RA patients were significantly higher than in healthy control subjects, and there was a significant and positive correlation between serum IL-27 levels and disease activity in all RA patients. Levels of serum IL-27 in RA patients were significantly correlated with disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28). Moreover, immunosuppressive treatment with leflunomide downregulated the levels of IL-27 in active RA patients. Therefore, the elevated production of circulating T cell inflammatory factors contributes to the pathogenesis of RA, and serum IL-27 could potentially serve as a new biomarker of RA disease activity.