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Yueping Chen,1,* Junli Ren,2,3,* Naiping Yang,2,3,* Honghao Huang,2,3 Xueting Hu,2,3 Fangyue Sun,2,3 Tian Zeng,2,3 Xinbo Zhou,2,3 Wenjing Pan,2,3 Jingyu Hu,2,3 Beibei Gao,4 Shunkai Zhang,2 Guangyong Chen2 1Clinical Laboratory, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3School of the First Clinical Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this work.Correspondence: Shunkai Zhang; Guangyong ChenDepartment of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, No. 108 Wansong Road, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail shunkaizhang@126.com; gychen6@126.comBackground: Eosinophil and monocyte have been demonstrated separately to be independent predictors of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed to evaluate the association between eosinophil-to-monocyte ratio (EMR) and 3-month clinical outcome after treatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for AIS patients. Simultaneously, we made a simple comparison with other prognostic indicators, such as 24h neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and 24h platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) to investigate the prognostic value of EMR.Methods and Results: A total of 280 AIS patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis were retrospectively recruited for this study. Complete blood count evaluations for EMR were conducted on 24 hours admission. The poor outcome at 3-month was defined as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 3– 6 and the mRS score for death was 6. The EMR levels in patients with AIS were lower than those in the healthy controls and showed a negative correlation with the NIHSS score. At the 3-month follow-up, multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated an association among EMR, poor outcome and mortality. In addition, EMR had a higher predictive ability than popular biomarkers like NLR and PLR for 3-month mortality.Conclusion: The lower levels of EMR were independently associated with poor outcome and dead status in AIS patients.Keywords: acute ischemic stroke, eosinophil-to-monocyte ratio, intravenous thrombolysis, treatment outcome, modified rankin scale

Yiyun Weng,1,* Tian Zeng,2,3,* Honghao Huang,2,3,* Junli Ren,2,3 Jianing Wang,2,3 Chenguang Yang,2,3 Wenjing Pan,2,3 Jingyu Hu,2,3 Fangyue Sun,2,3 Xinbo Zhou,2,3 Haojie Qiu,2,3 Yufan Gao,2,3 Beibei Gao,4 Lifen Chi,3 Guangyong Chen3 1Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2School of the First Clinical Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Guangyong ChenDepartment of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, No. 108 Wansong Road, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-13777770788Fax +86-577-65623263Email gychen6@126.comLifen ChiDepartment of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail chilifenry@126.comBackground and Purpose: Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), a novel inflammation index derived from counts of circulating platelets, neutrophils and lymphocytes, has been studied in developing incident cancer. However, the clinical value of SII in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients had not been further investigated. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association between SII and severity of stroke as well as 3-month outcome of AIS patients.Methods: A total of 216 AIS patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and 875 healthy controls (HCs) were retrospectively recruited. Blood samples were collected within 24h after admission. Severity of stroke was assessed by the National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) scores on admission and poor 3-month functional outcome was defined as Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) > 2.Results: SII levels in AIS patients were higher than in HCs. The cut-off value of SII is 545.14× 109/L. Patients with SII > 545.14× 109/L had higher NIHSS scores (median: 5 vs 9, p < 0.001), a positive correlation between SII and NIHSS was observed (rs = 0.305, p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that high SII was one of the independent risk factors for poor prognosis at 3 months of AIS patients (OR = 3.953, 95% CI = 1.702– 9.179, p = 0.001). The addition of SII to the conventional prognostic model improved the reclassification (but not discrimination) of the functional outcome (net reclassification index 39.3%, p = 0.007).Conclusion: SII is correlated with stroke severity at admission and can be a novel prognostic biomarker for AIS patients treated with IVT.Keywords: systemic immune-inflammation index, ischemic stroke, inflammation, prognosis

Neutrophil counts to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (NHR) is a relatively new and readily available indicator, and our study aimed to demonstrate its relationship with short-term prognosis after intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients and to make a simple comparison with other prognostic indicators. We compared demographic and laboratory characteristics of AIS patients and healthy controls and grouped AIS patients according to NHR tertiles to contrast 3-month outcomes. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were carried to further analyze the relationship between NHR and prognosis. Moreover, we compared the accuracy of several factors using receiver-operating characteristic curve. NHR levels of AIS patients were higher than those of healthy controls (p

A xylan-based antimicrobial additive agent was prepared and studied for use in paper products against Escherichia coli bacteria. The derived cationic-xylan-grafted-guanidine polymer (CX-g-PHGH) was successfully synthesized by graft copolymerization of cationic-xylan with polyhexa-methylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHGH) using ceric ammonium nitrate as an initiator. The obtained CX-g-PHGH had a maximum PHGH grafting ratio of 18.4% and efficiency of 58.4% and showed good viscosity and thermal stability. Furthermore, the paper samples prepared in this work were reinforced noticeably with the addition of CX-g-PHGH, after which exhibited improved mechanical properties. Compared to the reference paper without any of the xylan derivatives, the index of tensile, tear, burst, and folding endurance of the paper were increased by up to 20.1%, 25.3%, 30.2%, and 77.8%, respectively. Moreover, the prepared CX-g-PHGH paper exhibited efficient antimicrobial barrier properties against E. coli bacteria, by which many applications based on the new xylan derived additive agent obtained in this work could be found, especially in field of antimicrobial paper products against E. coli bacteria from contaminated food.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extra-cranial solid tumor in childhood with the overall 5 years' survival less than 40%. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a serine/threonine-protein kinase expressed during mitosis and over expressed in multiple cancers, including neuroblastoma. We found that higher PLK1 expression related to poor outcome of NB patients. BI2536, a small molecule inhibitor against PLK1, significantly reduced cell viability in a panel of NB cell lines, with IC50 less than 100 nM. PLK1 inhibition by BI 2536 treatment induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and cell apoptosis in NB cells. Realtime PCR array revealed the PLK1 inhibition related genes, such as BIRC7, TNFSF10, LGALS1 and DAD1 et al. Moreover, autophagy activity was investigated in the NB cells treated with BI 2536. BI 2536 treatment in NB cells increased LC3-II puncta formation and LC3-II expression. Formation of autophagosome induced by BI 2536 was observed by transmission electron microscopy. However, BI2536 abrogated the autophagic flux in NB cells by reducing SQSTM1/p62 expression and AMPKαT172 phosphorylation. These results provide new clues for the molecular mechanism of cell death induced by BI 2536 and suggest that BI 2536 may act as new candidate drug for neuroblastoma.

Background and PurposeBlood eosinophil counts are thought to be associated with atherosclerosis in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and AIS severity. We aimed to investigate 1): the temporal profile of eosinophil in AIS patients treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA); 2): The association between dynamic eosinophil and 3-month outcomes in different AIS etiologies; 3): incremental predictive ability of dynamic eosinophil adding to conventional model; and 4): the longitudinal change of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and compared its prognostic value with eosinophils.MethodsA total of 623 AIS patients with intravenous thrombolysis in two hospitals were included. Blood samples were obtained on admission, within 24 h after an intravenous thrombolysis and on the seventh day. A multivariate logistic regression model with restricted cubic spline was performed to explore the association between dynamic eosinophil and a 3-month poor outcome. C-statistic, net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were adopted to explore the incremental predictive ability.ResultsPercent change in eosinophil counts after intravenous thrombolysis was median −25.00% (IQR −68.25%–+14.29%). Decrease in eosinophil >75% after intravenous thrombolysis was associated with 2.585 times risk for poor outcome and 13.836 times risk for death. However, the association were weak for patients outside of cardioembolic stroke. Adding eosinophil changes to a conventional model improved the discriminatory ability of poor outcome (NRI = 53.3%; IDI = 2.2%) and death (NRI = 101.0%; IDI = 6.9%).ConclusionsDynamic decrease in eosinophil after intravenous thrombolysis predicts a 3-month poor outcome and death in AIS patients with r-tPA treatment and improved the predictive ability of conventional model. However, this result needs to be interpreted carefully in non-cardioembolic AIS patients.

Background and PurposeMounting researches have illuminated that the neutrophil-related ratios were related to the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, few have compared their predictive value and accuracy. To make such comparison and identify the best indicator on the 90-day outcome, we investigated biomarkers including neutrophil ratio (Nr), neutrophil count (Nc), lymphocyte (L), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet (P or PLT), platelet-to-neutrophil ratio (PNR), NLR-to-platelet ratio (NLR/PLT), eosinophil (E), neutrophil-to-eosinophil ratio (NER), monocyte (M), and monocyte-to-neutrophil ratio (MNR).MethodsThis retrospective study recruited 283 AIS and 872 healthy controls (HCs) receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). Blood samples were collected after 24 h of admission before IVT. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to explore whether these ratios differentiated AIS and HCs. We applied univariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate the prediction effect of these ratios separately or added in the model and figured out a clinical prediction model. To estimate the discrimination and calibration of the new models, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, DeLong method, and likelihood ratio test (LR test) were utilized.ResultsPSM showed that Nr, Nc, NLR, P, PNR, NLR/PLT, NER, and MNR facilitates the differentiation of the HCs and AIS. Among the eight biomarkers, PNR and MNR could differentiate the 90-day outcome, and it was found out that PNR performed better. Univariate regression analysis demonstrated that PNR was the only independent predictor which needs no adjustment. Besides, the multivariate regression analysis, Delong method, and LR test indicated that among the neutrophil-related ratios, NLR, PNR, NLR/PLT, NER, and MNR exerted little influence on the discrimination but could enhance the calibration of the base model, and NER proved to work best.ConclusionLow PNR was the best indicator among the neutrophil-related ratios tin predicting a poor 90-day outcome of AIS patients. Moreover, high NER performed best when predicting the 90-day outcome to improve the calibration of the base model.

Background and Purpose: The eosinophil-to-neutrophil ratio (ENR) was recently reported as a novel inflammatory marker in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, few studies reported the predictive value of ENR in AIS patients, especially for those with intravenous thrombolysis.Methods: Two hundred sixty-six AIS patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis were retrospectively recruited in this study and followed up for 3 months and 1 year. The Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and the time of death were recorded. Poor outcome was defined as mRS 3–6. After excluding patients who were lost to follow-up, the remaining 250 patients were included in the 3-month prognosis analysis and the remaining 223 patients were included in the 1-year prognosis analysis.Results: ENR levels in the patients were lower than those in the healthy controls. The optimal cutoff values for the ability of ENR × 102 to predict 3-month poor outcome were 0.74 with 67.8% sensitivity and 77.3% specificity. Patients with ENR × 102 ≥ 0.74 have a lower baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (median: 7 vs. 11, p < 0.001). After multivariate adjustment, patients with ENR × 102 ≥ 0.74 were more likely to come to a better 3-month outcome (OR = 0.163; 95% CI, 0.076–0.348, p < 0.001). At the 1-year follow-up, the patients with ENR × 102 ≥ 0.74 showed a lower risk of mortality (HR = 0.314; 95% CI, 0.135–0.731; p = 0.007).Conclusions: A lower ENR is independently associated with a 3-month poor outcome and a 3-month and 1-year mortality in AIS patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamic changes of neutrophils-lymphocytes ratios (NLRs) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and their relationships with 3-month prognostic outcomes. Two hundred ninety-one patients with AIS were included in this study, followed up for 3 months. At admission, 1 and 7 days after recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) injection, blood samples were obtained. Outcome events included excellent outcome, good outcome, and death defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of 0–1, 0–2, and 6 respectively. NLRs measured in admission and 7 days after r-tPA treatment were associated with prognosis outcome after 3 months. Twenty-four-hour NLR is an excellent indicator in forecasting (excellent outcome’s the areas under the curve (AUC) = 0.725; good outcome AUC = 0.742; death AUC = 0.759). In addition, we were surprised to find that dynamic increase in NLR within 24 h is significantly related to excellent and good outcomes. Twenty-four-hour NLR is related to the severity of AIS and poor prognosis, which can help early risk stratification. We can predict the prognosis of AIS more accurately. Compared with previous studies, our study has shown the dynamic changes of NLR and its relationship with NIHSS and multiple prognostic.

BackgroundStress hyperglycemia manifests as transient hyperglycemia in the context of illness with or without known diabetes, which may cause poor clinical outcome in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. The present study intended to evaluate the association between stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) and 1-year clinical outcome after treatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) for AIS patients and compare the predictive effect of fasting glucose concentration, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and SHR. MethodsData from 205 AIS patients following thrombolytic therapy with r-tPA in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from Apr. 2016 to Apr. 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. We grouped AIS patients according to SHR tertiles to contrast the 1-year clinical outcome. Multivariate regression analysis was carried to further analyze the association between SHR and AIS prognosis. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used for the purpose of comparing the prognostic effects of fasting glucose concentration, HbA1c and SHR on AIS patients. ResultsSHR was an independent predictor for 1-year poor outcome (OR 1.447; 95% CI, 1.124-1.864, p = 0.004) but not the mortality of AIS patients. Restricted cubic spline regression showed a linear relationship between SHR and the odds of poor outcome. Furthermore, SHR is a fair predictor to predict 1-year poor outcome. The cut-off value of SHR levels was 0.79 with 71.0% sensitivity and 72.0 % specificity. ConclusionsThe increased SHR was strongly associated with 1-year poor outcome following thrombolytic therapy with r-tPA. Meanwhile, SHR had higher predictive value for prognosis of AIS patients than fasting glucose concentration and HbA1c. Trial registration Retrospectively registered

The tight association between malnutrition and gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis enables microbiota-targeting intervention to be a promising strategy. Thus, we used a malnourished pig model to investigate the host response and GM alterations under different diet supplementation strategies. Pigs at age of 4 weeks were fed with pure maize diet to induce malnutrition symptoms, and followed by continuous feeding with maize (Maize,n= 8) or re-feeding using either corn-soy-blend (CSB+,n= 10) or millet-soy-blend based (MSB+,n= 10) supplementary food for 3 weeks. Meanwhile, 8 pigs were fed on a standard formulated ration as control (Ref). The effect of nutritional supplementation was assessed by the growth status, blood chemistry, gastrointestinal pathology, mucosal microbiota composition and colon production of short-chain fatty acids. Compared with purely maize-fed pigs, both CSB+ and MSB+ elevated the concentrations of total protein and globulin in blood. These pigs still showed most malnutrition symptoms after the food intervention period. MSB+ had superior influence on the GM development, exhibiting better performance in both structural and functional aspects. MSB+ pigs were colonized by lessProteobacteriabut moreBacteroidetes,FirmicutesandLachnospiraspp. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated a strong correlation between the abundance of mucosal e.g.,FaecalibacteriumandLachnospiraspp. and body weight, crown-rump length and total serum protein. In conclusion, the malnutrition symptoms were accompanied by an aberrant GM, and millet-based nutritional supplementation showed promising potentials to restore the reduced GM diversity implicated in pig malnutrition.

SCOPE: Methionine restriction (MR) is known to potently alleviate inflammation and improve gut microbiome in obese mice. The gut microbiome exhibits diurnal rhythmicity in composition and function, and this, in turn, drives oscillations in host metabolism. High-fat diet (HFD) strongly altered microbiome diurnal rhythmicity, however, the role of microbiome diurnal rhythmicity in mediating the improvement effects of MR on obesity-related metabolic disorders remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ten-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a low-fat diet (LFD) or HFD for 4 weeks, followed with a full diet (0.86% methionine, w/w) or a methionine-restricted diet (0.17% methionine, w/w) for 8 weeks. Analyzing microbiome diurnal rhythmicity at six time points, our results showed that HFD disrupted the cyclical fluctuations of the gut microbiome in mice. MR partially restored these cyclical fluctuations, which led to time-specifically enhance the abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) producing bacteria, increased the acetate and butyric, and dampened the oscillation of inflammation-related Desulfovibrionales and Staphylococcaceae over the course of one day. Notably, MR, which protected against systemic inflammation, influenced brain function and synaptic plasticity. CONCLUSION: MR could serve as a potential nutritional intervention for attenuating obesity-induced cognitive impairments by balancing the circadian rhythm in microbiome-gut-brain homeostasis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

As a highly abundant natural and renewable aromatic polymer, lignin has been proven to be a good UV-absorber and natural broad-spectrum sun blocker. The structure-activity relationship of lignin under UV radiation remains unclear due to lignin’s complexity and heterogeneity. Here we report the structure influence of lignin on its anti-UV radiation properties of sun protection factor (SPF), UV absorbance, and antioxidant activity by using different lignin model compounds, including β–O–4, β–β, and β–5 dimers, etc., representing the structures of both native lignins and technical lignins. Meanwhile, UV protection properties of six lignin preparations, including cellulolytic enzyme lignin (CEL), organosolv lignin (OL), and kraft lignin (KL) of pinus kesiya and eucalyptus, were also evaluated for better comparison. SPF values of sunscreen preparations were increased but varied with the same addition of each single model compound into the pure cream or commercial sunscreen. In particular, the SPF value of the sunscreen has been greatly enhanced by the addition of a certain molar concentration of a single model compound (0.0558 mmol, around 2 wt%) into the low SPF commercial sunscreen, which was attributed to the synergistic effects of lignin models and inherent sunscreen agent. By comparing, lignin models containing β–O–4 linkage displayed the least desirable UV protection properties in this work, and side-chain difference, especially the existence of conjugate structure and carboxylic groups, would significantly impact the lignin model compounds’ UV performance. Additionally, the antioxidant activities and UV absorbance of different model compounds and lignin preparations are closely related to their structures. These insights revealed the structure-activity relationship of lignin under UV radiation and will provide a theoretical basis for optimizing lignins or lignin derivatives as the sun-screening agents in sunscreens.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid childhood tumor. Despite the availability of advanced multimodal therapy, high-risk patients still have low survival rates. p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) has been shown to regulate many cellular processes in cancer cells, including migration, polarization and proliferation. However, the role of PAK4 in neuroblastoma remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that PAK4 was overexpressed in neuroblastoma tissues and was correlated with tumor malignance and prognosis. To investigate the function of PAK4 in neuroblastoma, we used a small-molecule inhibitor that targets PAK4, that is, PF-3758309. Our results showed that PF-3758309 significantly induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and apoptosis in neuroblastoma cell lines. Meanwhile, the inhibition of PAK4 by PF-3758309 increased the expression of CDKN1A, BAD and BAK1 and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax. In addition, we screened the target genes of PAK4 by PCR array and found that 23 genes were upregulated (including TP53I3, TBX3, EEF1A2, CDKN1A, IFNB1 and MAPK8IP2) and 20 genes were downregulated (including TNFSF8, Bcl2-A1, Bcl2L1, SOCS3, BIRC3 and NFKB1) after PAK4 inhibition by PF-3758309. Moreover, PAK4 was found to regulate the cell cycle and apoptosis via the ERK signaling pathway. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated, for the first time, the expression and function of PAK4 in neuroblastomas and the inhibitory effect of PF-3758309, which deserves further investigation as an alternative strategy for neuroblastoma treatment.

Formaldehyde is a colorless, highly toxic, and flammable gas that is harmful to human health. Recently, many efforts have been devoted to the application of activated carbon to absorb formaldehyde. In this work, lignocellulose-based activated carbon fiber paper (LACFP) loaded with manganese dioxide (MnO2) was fabricated for the adsorption and in-situ catalytic degradation of formaldehyde. LACFP was prepared by two-stage carbonization and activation of sisal hemp pulp-formed paper and was then impregnated with manganese sulfate (MnSO4) and potassium permanganate (KMnO4) solutions; MnO2 then formed by in situ growth on the LACFP base by calcination. The catalytic performance of MnO2-loaded LACFP for formaldehyde was then investigated. It was found that the suitable carbonization conditions were elevating the temperature first by raising it at 10°C/min from room temperature to 280°C, then at 2°C/min from 280 to 400°C, maintaining the temperature at 400°C for 1 h, and then increasing it quickly from 400 to 700°C at 15°C/min. The conditions used for activation were similar to those for carbonization, with the temperature additionally being held at 700°C for 2 h. The conditions mentioned above were optimized to maintain the fiber structure and shape integrity of the paper, being conducive to loading with catalytically active substances. Regarding the catalytic activity of MnO2-loaded LACFP, the concentration of formaldehyde decreased by 59 ± 6 ppm and the concentration of ΔCO2 increased by 75 ± 3 ppm when the reaction proceeded at room temperature for 10 h. The results indicated that MnO2-loaded LACFP could catalyze formaldehyde into non-toxic substances.

Natural active compounds with antioxidant properties and other potential health benefits, like quercetin (Qu), have aroused wide concern for developing bio-functional products. However, their applications are hindered by their intrinsic poor water solubility and chemical instability. In this paper, a natural antioxidant alpha lipoic acid (ALA) was grafted onto chitosan (CS) to synthesize a novel graft polymer (CS-graft-ALA). In particular, this graft-polymer could self-assemble into spherical nanomicelles in water, with a low critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 0.0076 mg/mL. As a robust and active nanocarrier, the CS-graft-ALA micelles showed high efficiency in encapsulating Qu and dispersing Qu in water. As found, the antioxidant activity of Qu was effectively enhanced when entrapped within CS-graft-ALA micelles. Moreover, CS-graft-ALA micelles could significantly improve the photo-stability and temperature-stability of Qu. The Qu/CS-graft-ALA micelles with excellent water dispersability, stability and improved antioxidant activity hold a great potential for wide applications.

The hydrothermal treatment of pentose-rich corncob under microwave irradiation was performed using SnCl4 as catalyst for furfural production in this study. The influences of the catalyst amount, reaction temperature and reaction time on the compositions of the hydrolysate and solid residue were discussed comparatively. The solid residue obtained was characterized by FTIR, XRD and SEM. The results showed that the cell wall structure of the treated corncob was destroyed to a certain extent under the function of catalysts during the treatment, and most of the hemicelluloses were released from the cell wall and entered the hydrolysate as hemicellulose-derived sugars, followed by the selective dehydration to furfural. When the temperature reached the preset value of 190 °C under microwave irradiation, the highest furfural yield of 9.0 wt% (based on the dry weight of corncob) was achieved from the one-step conversion of corncob under the microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment with a 1 % amount of SnCl4 (based on the dry weight of corncob) and a solid-to-liquor ratio of 1:20.

High strength and self-healing properties of hydrogels are of great interest in tissue engineering and biomedical fields. In this paper, nanocomposite hydrogels were prepared by freeze-thaw cycle method via fabricating physical cross-links into chemical-crosslinked formed polymer network. The properties of nanocomposite hydrogels were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, rheological analysis, swelling analysis and mechanical test. The results showed that the electrostatic interaction between CNC and QAX and the high amount of PVA (20 wt%) were favorable to improve the mechanical properties of nanocomposite hydrogels, in which the maximum compressive strength and elongation at break of nanocomposite hydrogels were 1.56 MPa and 771 %, respectively. Prepared hydrogels achieved self-healing without any external stimuli at room temperature with the help of hydrogen bonds and the entanglement of long polymer chains, the healing efficiency was 37.03 % within 48 h. These hydrogels with high strength and self-healing properties will offer new insights for xylan application.

Pore-forming agents have a significant influence on the pore structure of hydrogels. In this study, a porogenic technique was employed to investigate the preparation of macroporous hydrogels which were synthesized by radical copolymerization of carboxymethyl xylan with acrylamide and N-isopropylacrylamide under the function of a cross-linking agent. Six kinds of pore-forming agents were used: polyvinylpyrrolidone K30, polyethylene glycol 2000, carbamide, NaCl, CaCO3, and NaHCO3. The application of these hydrogels is also discussed. The results show that pore-forming agents had an important impact on the pore structure of the hydrogels and consequently affected properties of the hydrogels such as swelling ratio and mechanical strength, while little effect was noted on the thermal property of the hydrogels. 5-Fluorouracil was used as a model drug to study the drug release of the as-prepared hydrogels, and it was found that the drug release was substantially improved after using the NaHCO3 pore-forming agent: a cumulative release rate of up to 71.05% was achieved.

The viable bacterial strains in conventional yogurt are intolerant to bile acid, which consequently cannot survive the conditions and their beneficial bioactivities are thus lost. We have previously shown that Lactobacillus casei Q14 ( Lac-Q14), a probiotic, has the potential to alleviate diabetes in rats. Herein, we used Lac-Q14 as the starter culture to ferment yogurt and explore the mechanisms of the bioactivity in diabetic rats. The results showed that Lac-Q14 yogurt improved blood glucose and insulin level, lowered gene expression of critical enzymes involved in liver gluconeogenesis. Pyrosequencing showed an obvious change in the composition of intestinal microbiota in Lac-Q14 yogurt treated rats. The abundance of 21 genera differed significantly between the Lac-Q14 yogurt group and diabetes group. Quite a few short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria were selectively enriched, along with increased concentrations of SCFA and downstream Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and Peptide YY (PYY) secretion.

High strength hydrogels open new possibilities in the fields of bioengineering and biomedical. In this paper, a highly efficient one-pot strategy was developed to prepare carboxymethyl xylan-g-poly (acrylic acid) (CMX-g-PAA) hydrogels with high compression strength, high elongation and high elasticity by using the metal coordination and the reinforcement of hydroxylate multi-walled carbon nanotubes (HCNTs). Prepared hydrogels were characterized by means of FTIR, XRD, SEM, rheological measurements as well as their swelling and mechanical properties. Results showed that the Fe3+-carboxyl coordination and HCNTs imparted hydrogels with high strength and good rapid recovery properties, in which the maximum high compressive strength and elongation at break were achieved to 10.4 MPa and 1032%, and the shape of hydrogels almost returned to the original shape after the external force was removed after 30 cycles of compression. These hydrogels also exhibited Fe3+-triggered shape memory properties. Therefore, as-prepared hydrogels possessing high strength, rapid recovery and shape memory properties, could broaden access for application in intelligent toys, electronic skin, biosensing, and tissue engineering.

In order to improve the strength of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/xylan composite films and endow them with ultraviolet (UV) shielding ability, TiO2-KH550 nanoparticles was synthesized and added into the PVA/xylan matrix. The TiO2-KH550 nanoparticle dispersed well in the 0.04% sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) solution under ultrasonic and stirring treatments. Investigations on the properties of the films showed that TiO2-KH550 had the positive impact on improving the strength, moisture, and oxygen barrier properties of the composite films. The maximum tensile strength (27.3 MPa), the minimum water vapor permeability (2.75 × 10−11 g·m−1·s−1·Pa−1), and oxygen permeability (4.013 cm3·m−2·24 h−1·0.1MPa−1) were obtained under the addition of 1.5% TiO2-KH550. The tensile strength of TiO2-KH550 reinforced composite film was increased by 70% than that of the pure PVA/xylan composite film, and the water vapor and oxygen permeability were decreased by 31% and 41%, respectively. Moreover, the UV transmittance of the film at the wavelength of 400 nm was almost zero when adding ≈1.5~2.5% (weight ratio, based on the total weight of PVA and xylan) of TiO2-KH550, which indicated the PVA/xylan composite films were endowed with an excellent UV light shielding ability.

A new xylan ester (xylan 3,5-dinitrobenzoate) as a creatinine adsorbent was prepared by the homogeneous acylation of xylan with 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl chloride in 1-butul-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid. The influences of reaction conditions on the degree of substitution values of xylan esters were discussed. Results indicated that xylan esters with the degree of substitution range from 1.34 to 1.77 were obtained under the given conditions. The FTIR and 13 C NMR spectroscopies provided the evidence of grafting 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl groups onto the backbone of xylan. Moreover, the adsorption properties of the xylan ester for creatinine were also investigated. Isotherm studies showed that the sorption capacities for creatinine were 2.45, 2.08 and 1.86 mg/g for 23, 30 and 37 °C, respectively. Thermodynamic studies performed indicated the sorption process mainly was controlled by the chemical adsorption. Therefore, xylan 3,5-dinitrobenzoate displayed the promising application in the treatment of chronic renal failure by the creatinine adsorption as the new oral adsorbent.

The self-healing capability of hydrogels has become a hot topic in the area of hydrogel research. An economical, convenient, eco-friendly, and reproducible approach for the preparation of self-healing xylose-based hydrogels is introduced in this article. First, methylguanidine hydrochloride was grafted onto the backbone of xylose using ethylene glycol as a crosslinking agent, then xylose with guanidinium ion pendants on its peripheries was entangled with exfoliated layered anionic montmorillonite (MMT) clay nanoplatelets under the dispersion of sodium polyacrylate (PAAS), thus forming xylose-based hydrogels, which were connected by hydrogen bonds and displayed intermolecular adsorption because of their internal spongy porous structure. The synthesized xylose-based hydrogels had a rapid self-healing ability and showed good swelling property. The structure and morphology of the composite hydrogels were characterized using FT-IR and SEM. The compression stress–strain results suggest that the elasticity of the xylose-based hydrogels increased with the increase of modified xylose solution, and the compression stress increased with the increasing concentration of modified xylose. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that the composite hydrogels had a good heat resistant property due to the added inorganic MMT. All these properties demonstrate that the composite hydrogels have potential applications such as water absorbents, flame retardants, and as other functional materials.

Ring-opening graft polymerization (ROGP) of l-Lactide (l-LA) is a practical method of altering the physical and chemical properties of lignocellulose. Previous studies have mainly investigated cellulose and tin-based catalysts, particularly of tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (Sn(oct)2), at high temperatures and reported low graft efficiencies. In the present study, ROGP of l-LA was successfully achieved on xylan-type hemicelluloses in ionic liquid (IL) 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Amim]Cl) using 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) as an effective organic catalyst. Mild reaction condition (50 °C) was used to limit transesterification, and thus enhance the graft efficiency. The hydroxyl groups on xylan acted as initiators in the polymerization, and DBU, enhanced the nucleophilicity of the initiator and the propagating chain. Xylan-graft-poly(l-Lactide) (xylan-g-PLA) copolymer with a degree of substitution (DS) of 0.58 and a degree of polymerization (DP) of 5.51 was obtained. In addition, the structures of the xylan-g-PLA copolymers were characterized by GPC, FT-IR and NMR, confirming the success of the ROGP reaction. Thermal analysis revealed that the copolymers exhibited a single glass-transition temperature (Tg), which decreased with increasing molar substitution (MS). Thus, modification resulted in the graft copolymers with thermoplastic behavior and tunable Tg.

Background Overexpression of cyclin D1 dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) is a common feature of many human cancers including leukemia. LEE011 is a novel inhibitor of both CDK4 and 6. To date, the molecular function of LEE011 in leukemia remains unclear. Methods Leukemia cell growth and apoptosis following LEE011 treatment was assessed through CCK-8 and annexin V/propidium iodide staining assays. Cell senescence was assessed by β-galactosidase staining and p16INK4a expression analysis. Gene expression profiles of LEE011 treated HL-60 cells were investigated using an Arraystar Human LncRNA array. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analysis were then used to analyze the differentially expressed genes from the cluster analysis. Results Our studies demonstrated that LEE011 inhibited proliferation of leukemia cells and could induce apoptosis. Hoechst 33,342 staining analysis showed DNA fragmentation and distortion of nuclear structures following LEE011 treatment. Cell cycle analysis showed LEE011 significantly induced cell cycle G1 arrest in seven of eight acute leukemia cells lines, the exception being THP-1 cells. β-Galactosidase staining analysis and p16INK4a expression analysis showed that LEE011 treatment can induce cell senescence of leukemia cells. LncRNA microarray analysis showed 2083 differentially expressed mRNAs and 3224 differentially expressed lncRNAs in LEE011-treated HL-60 cells compared with controls. Molecular function analysis showed that LEE011 induced senescence in leukemia cells partially through downregulation of the transcriptional expression of MYBL2. Conclusions We demonstrate for the first time that LEE011 treatment results in inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of G1 arrest and cellular senescence in leukemia cells. LncRNA microarray analysis showed differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in LEE011-treated HL-60 cells and we demonstrated that LEE011 induces cellular senescence partially through downregulation of the expression of MYBL2. These results may open new lines of investigation regarding the molecular mechanism of LEE011 induced cellular senescence. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12935-017-0405-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Among the natural macromolecules potentially used as the scaffold material in hydrogels, xylan has aroused great interest in many fields because of its biocompatibility, low toxicity, and biodegradability. In this work, new pH and thermoresponsive hydrogels were prepared by the cross-linking polymerization of maleic anhydride-modified xylan (MAHX) with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and acrylic acid (AA) under UV irradiation to form MAHX-g-P(NIPAm-co-AA) hydrogels. The pore volume, the mechanical properties, and the release rate for drugs of hydrogels could be controlled by the degree of substitution of MAHX. These hydrogels were characterized by swelling ability, lower critical solution temperature (LCST), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and SEM. Furthermore, the cumulative release rate was investigated for acetylsalicylic acid and theophylline, as well as the cytocompatibility MAHX-based hydrogels. Results showed that MAHX-based hydrogels exhibited excellent swelling–deswelling properties, uniform porous structure, and the temperature/pH dual sensitivity. In vitro, the cumulative release rate of acetylsalicylic acid for MAHX-based hydrogels was higher than that for theophylline, and in the gastrointestinal sustained drug release study, the acetylsalicylic acid release rate was extremely slow during the initial 3 h in the gastric fluid (24.26%), and then the cumulative release rate reached to 90.5% after sustained release for 5 h in simulated intestinal fluid. The cytotoxicity experiment demonstrated that MAHX-based hydrogels could promote cell proliferation and had satisfactory biocompatibility with NIH3T3 cells. These results indicated that MAHX-based hydrogels, as new drug carriers, had favorable behavior for intestinal-targeted drug delivery.

An efficient homogeneous catalytic process was developed for the dehydration of xylose to furfural using inorganic salts as catalysts in a water/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) system under mild condition. The effects of the types of inorganic salts were compared. The results showed that chlorides had higher catalytic performance than other salts, and SnCl4 was the most effective chloride. The catalytic activity of paired SnCl4/LiCl catalysts was much higher than that of the single salt, and when the distribution coefficient (χSnCl4) was 0.8, the maximum furfural yield was 56.9%. The effects of the reaction conditions on the furfural yield were also investigated. The highest furfural yield, 63.0%, was achieved at 130 °C for 6 h under the optimized reaction conditions.

Composite films of xylan and polyvinyl alcohol were produced with citric acid as a new plasticizer or a cross-linking agent. The effects of citric acid content and polyvinyl alcohol/xylan weight ratio on the mechanical properties, thermal stability, solubility, degree of swelling and water vapor permeability of the composite films were investigated. The intermolecular interactions and morphology of composite films were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and SEM. The results indicated that polyvinyl alcohol/xylan composite films had good compatibility. With an increase in citric acid content from 10% to 50%, the tensile strength reduced from 35.1 to 11.6 MPa. However, the elongation at break increased sharply from 15.1% to 249.5%. The values of water vapor permeability ranged from 2.35 to 2.95 × 10−7 g/(mm2 h). Interactions between xylan and polyvinyl alcohol in the presence of citric acid become stronger, which were caused by hydrogen bond and ester bond formation among the components during film forming.

Here, we designed a self-healing composite hydrogel with antioxidant and antibacterial activities by using cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and tannic acid (TA) as functional additives. Excellent mechanical stability, moldability, stretchability and rapid self-healing ability without any external intervention were realized in one system due to the combined dynamic borate ester bonding between polyvinyl alcohol-borax (PB) and multi-hydrogen bonding between different components. The rheological measurements indicated the incorporation of CNF and TA to PB system substantially affected the viscoelasticity of hydrogels. The unique antioxidant and antibacterial properties were achieved due to the complexation of TA. These high performance multifunctional hydrogels opens a window for a broad application in the field of smart devices and surface engineering.

Two corncob-derived carbon electrode materials mainly composed of micropores (activated carbon, AC) and mesopores/macropores (corncob carbon, CC) were prepared and studied after the anodic electrodeposition of MnO2. The capacity of the MnO2/activated carbon composite (MnO2@AC) electrode did not noticeably increase after MnO2 electrodeposition, while that of the MnO2/corncob carbon composite (MnO2@CC) electrode increased up to 9 times reaching 4475 mF cm&minus, 2. An asymmetric all-solid-state supercapacitor (ASC) was fabricated using AC as the anode, MnO2@CC as the cathode, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/LiCl gel as the electrolyte. An ultrahigh specific capacitance of 3455.6 mF cm&minus, 2 at 1 mA cm&minus, 2, a maximum energy density of 1.56 mW h cm&minus, 2, and a long lifetime of 10,000 cycles can be achieved. This work provides insights in understanding the function of MnO2 in biomass-derived electrode materials, and a green path to prepare an ASC from waste biomass with excellent electrochemical performance.

Development of high-strength hydrogels has recently attracted ever-increasing attention. In this work, a new design strategy has been proposed to prepare graphene oxide (GO)/polyacrylamide (PAM)/aluminum ion (Al(3+) )-cross-linked carboxymethyl hemicellulose (Al-CMH) nanocomposite hydrogels with very tough and elastic properties. GO/PAM/Al-CMH hydrogels were synthesized by introducing graphene oxide (GO) into PAM/CMH hydrogel, followed by ionic cross-linking of Al(3+) . The nanocomposite hydrogels were characterized by means of FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) along with their swelling and mechanical properties. The maximum compressive strength and the Young's modulus of GO3.5 /PAM/Al-CMH0.45 hydrogel achieved values of up to 1.12 and 13.27 MPa, increased by approximately 6488 and 18330 % relative to the PAM hydrogel (0.017 and 0.072 MPa). The as-prepared GO/PAM/Al-CMH nanocomposite hydrogels possess high strength and great elasticity giving them potential in bioengineering and drug-delivery system applications.

In this study, a novel amphoteric macromolecule was synthesized by sequential incorporation of carboxymethyl and quaternary ammonium groups into the backbone of xylan-type hemicelluloses under microwave irradiation. The reaction parameters such as the molar ratio of reagent (NaOH or 3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride)/anhydroxylose unit in hemicelluloses, the temperature, and the reaction time were investigated to optimize the reaction condition. The maximum degrees of substitution (DS) of carboxymethyl and quaternary ammonium groups under the optimum reaction condition were 0.90 and 0.52, respectively, exhibiting a higher efficiency as compared to the conventional heating method. Moreover, the thermal stability and weight-average molecular weight of amphoteric hemicellulosic derivatives decreased as compared to the native hemicelluloses. The viscosity, elastic modulus, and loss modulus of the amphoteric biomacromolecules increased with the increasing DS of quaternary ammonium groups in aqueous solution due to stronger electrostatic attraction. This study provides an efficient and rapid method to prepare amphoteric biomacromolecules.

A novel cationic gelatin graft copolymer was developed by the graft copolymerization reaction of gelatin with acrylamide (AM) and methacryloyloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride (DMC) in this paper. The structure of graft copolymer was analyzed briefly by the analysis of infrared spectrum, and it was found that monomers (AM and DMC) actually were grafted onto the backbone of gelatin. The effect of reaction conditions such as the weight ratios of AM/gelatin or AM/DMC on grafting parameters and the application of the cationic graft copolymer as the dry strength agent in papermaking were investigated. Experiments showed that a graft copolymer with high the percent grafting and the grafting efficiency could be obtained by controlling the AM/gelatin weight ratio and AM/DMC weight ratio. The application test showed that the results obtained from the physical intensities of handsheets under the treatment of the grafted gelatin [gel-g-P(AM-co-DMC)] were great better than the control sample, which was due to the hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds among fibres in pulp and cationic graft copolymer.

Xylan-rich Hemicelluloses (XH) isolated from wheat straw were converted to functional biopolymers by modification using succinic anhydride (SA) as reactant without catalyst in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) ionic liquid. The reaction was performed under various conditions such as different temperatures, different times, and the different amounts of SA, and the effect of reaction factors on the degree substitution (DS) of products were discussed. The product had the maximum DS of 1.80. The structure of modified hemicellulosic derivatives (MD) was actually confirmed by13C NMR spectroscopy. The thermal behavior of MD was monitored by means of thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), and the thermal stability of MD was lower than XH.

Hemicellulose-based hydrophobic biomaterials with degrees of substitution ranging from 0.46 to 1.54 were synthesized under mild conditions in homogeneous media (N,N-dimethylformamide-lithium chloride) by reacting the native wheat straw hemicellulosic polymers with lauroyl chloride using 4-dimethylaminopyridine as a catalyst. Other catalysts such as N-bromosuccinimide, N-methyl pyrrolidine, N-methyl pyrrolidinone, and pyridine were also investigated. Under optimum reaction conditions (2 equiv of lauroyl chloride and triethylamine per hydroxyl group, 5% 4-dimethylaminopyridine, 40 degrees C, 35 min), a high DS value of 1.54 was obtained. The biomaterials were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and (13)C NMR spectroscopy as well as by thermal analysis. The results showed that the lauroylation occurred preferably at the C-3 hydroxyl group of beta-D-Xylp units in the hemicelluloses, and the thermal stability of the hydrophobic polymers increased by esterification.

Wheat straw hemicelluloses were acetylated with acetic anhydride using iodine as a novel catalyst in 1-butyl-3-methylimidzolium chloride ([C 4 mim]Cl) ionic liquid (IL). Acetylated hemicelluloses with yield and degree of substitution (DS) from 70.5% to 90.8% and between 0.49 and 1.53, respectively, are accessible in a complete homogeneous procedure by changing the reaction temperature, reaction duration, the dosage of catalyst, and the dosage of acetic anhydride. The preferred reaction parameters that resulted in the highest DS were follows: 20:1 reactant molar ratio, 100 °C, 30 min, 15% iodine, in which about 83% hydroxyl groups in native hemicelluloses were esterified. The structural features of the acetylated hemicelluloses were characterized by 13 C NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. The thermal stability of the acetylated hemicelluloses increased upon chemical modification. It is the first time that we have demonstrated that ILs could be used as an environmentally friendly solvent for the chemical modification of hemicelluloses.

The chemical modification of SCB cellulose with succinic anhydride using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid/DMSO system as reaction medium was studied. The parameters including the molar ratio of succinic anhydride/anhydroglucose units in cellulose from 1:1 to 12:1, reaction time 5–120 min, and reaction temperature 85–105 °C were investigated. The results showed that the degree substitution of succinylated cellulosic preparations ranged from 0.037 to 0.53. It was found that the treatment of the native cellulose in the ionic liquid/DMSO system under the conditions given significantly degraded the cellulose and completely destroyed the cellulose crystals. FT-IR and solid-state CP/MAS 13C NMR spectra produced evidence for succinoylation reaction and the results showed that succinoylation occurred at positions C-6, C-2 and C-3. The thermal stability of the succinylated cellulose decreased upon chemical modification.

Cationic sugarcane bagasse hemicellulose derivatives with a relatively low degree of substitution (0.01–0.54) containing quaternary ammonium groups were prepared by etherification with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride or preferably with 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride using sodium hydroxide as a catalyst in aqueous solution. The extent of etherification was measured by yield percentage and degree of substitution (DS). The DS values of the products could be controlled by adjusting the molar ratio of etherifying agent to anhydroxylose units in hemicelluloses and the molar ratio of sodium hydroxide to etherifying reagent. In comparison, the etherified hemicellulose preparations were characterized by both degradative methods such as thermal analysis, and non-degradative techniques such as gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. It was found that a significant degradation of the hemicellulose polymers occurred during etherification under the alkaline conditions used. The thermal stability of the etherified hemicelluloses was lower than that of the unmodified hemicellulose polymers.

In this work, sugarcane bagasse, being an abundant and renewable resource, was used as a raw material to prepare sugarcane bagasse-g-poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) (SB/P(AA-co-AM)) hydrogels. The hydrogels were prepared by free radical graft copolymerization of SB with AA and AM using N,N-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. The optimal synthesis conditions were determined by investigating the water absorbency of the hydrogels. The maximum water absorbency reached 269 g/g in deionized water, and the corresponding copper ions adsorption capacity was 265 mg/g. These grafted hydrogels showed a pH-sensitive swelling behavior. Furthermore, they also exhibited excellent water retention capacity, which reserved 92.7%, 81.7%, and 76.8% for 44 h, and 83.7%, 58.6%, and 47.1% for 116 h at 5 °C, 25 °C, and 35 °C, respectively. FTIR spectroscopy and SEM were used to reveal the chemical structure and the morphology of the hydrogels. SEM/EDS further confirmed the adsorption of the copper(II) on the resulting hydrogels. Therefore, SB/P(AA-co-AM) hydrogels could have promising applications as water retention agents and metal ions adsorbents in water treatment and agricultural industries.

Xylan, the major component of hemicellulose in hardwoods and various grasses, has great potential for bio-refinery applications such as the production of energy and high value-added chemicals. A convenient and environment-friendly catalytic process for the conversion of xylan into furfural in ultrapure water using chromium-loaded perovskite-type oxides as the solid catalyst has been investigated. The crystalline and morphologies of the catalysts were studied by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM), and the reactions were optimized by varying different parameters. It was found that LaCo0.8Cu0.2O3 modified with 1.5wt% chromium had the highest catalytic activity in the transformation of xylan to furfural at a temperature of 433 K in a 1:600 weight ratio of xylan to hyperpure water for 10 h; the corresponding yield was 21.2% for furfural. Furthermore, a possible mechanism for the dehydration of xylan to furfural using Cr-LaCo0.8Cu0.2O3 as a catalyst is proposed.

Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanisms of KPT-330 on cell apoptosis of human leukemia cells. Methods: CCK-8 assay was used to quantify the growth inhibition of cells after exposure to KPT-330 for 24 hours. Fluorescence microscope was used to observe the morphological change of leukemia cell when treated with KPT330 for 24 hours. Annexin V/propidium iodide staining followed by flow cytometric analysis was used to detect apoptosis of leukemia cells. Then Western blot was used to detect the expression level of CRM1 and the activation of apoptosis related protein Caspase-9、Caspase-3 and PARP level. LncRNA microarray was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes from the cluster analyses. Results: The inhibition of cell proliferation of leukemia cells was in a dose-dependent manner and KPT-330 treatment induced expression of CRM1 down-regulated .Abnormal cells were observed under fluorescence microscopy. Cell apoptosis, cell cycle and activation of apoptosis markers demonstrates that KPT-330 induced apoptosis in leukemia cells. LncRNA microarray analysis showed differently expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in KPT-330 treated HL-60 cells compared with control group. Molecular function analysis showed that KPT-330 induced apoptosis in leukemia cells partially related with Glutathione metabolism and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. Conclusion: In this study, KPT-330 treatment resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis in leukemia cells. LncRNA microarray analysis showed differentially expressed genes and lncRNAs in KPT-330 treated HL-60 cells and we demonstrated that KPT-330 induced apoptosis in leukemia cells partially related with Glutathione metabolism and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. These results may provide new clue about molecular mechanism of KPT-330 induced apoptosis; however, underlying details will be required to determine further. Taken together, our findings suggest that for the first time that KPT-330 may act as new candidate's drug for leukemia. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Lauroylation of wheat straw hemicelluloses in the N, N-dimethylformamide/lithium chloride system under microwave irradiation was studied. The parameters optimized included lauroyl chloride concentration as the molar ratio of xylose unit in hemicelluloses/lauroyl chloride (1:1-1:4), 4-dimethylaminopyridine concentration (2-10%), reaction time (1-8 min), molar ratio of xylose unit in hemicelluloses/triethylamine (1:2), and reaction temperature (78 degrees C). The reaction efficiency was measured by the yield and degree of substitution (DS). Under an optimum reaction condition (molar ratio of xylose unit in hemicelluloses/lauroyl chloride 1:3, molar ratio of xylose unit in hemicelluloses/triethylamine 1:2, 5% 4-dimethylaminopyridine, 78 degrees C, 5 min), a DS of 1.63 was obtained. Changes in the structure of hemicelluloses were verified by FT-IR and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The results showed that the lauroylation occurred preferentially at the C-3 position of the xylose unit in hemicelluloses. The behavior of the lauroylated hemicelluloses was monitored by means of thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) analysis. It was found that the product with low DS had a lower thermal stability than the native hemicelluloses, whereas the lauroylated polymers with high DS showed a higher thermal stability than the unmodified hemicelluloses.

The homogeneous chemical modification of sugarcane bagasse cellulose with succinic anhydride using 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl) ionic liquid as a reaction medium was studied. Parameters investigated included the molar ratio of succinic anhydride/anhydroglucose units in cellulose in a range from 2:1 to 14:1, reaction time (from 30 to 160 min), and reaction temperature (between 60 and 110 °C). The succinylated cellulosic derivatives were prepared with a low degree of substitution (DS) ranging from 0.071 to 0.22. The results showed that the increase of reaction temperature, molar ratio of SA/AGU in cellulose, and reaction time led to an increase in DS of cellulose samples. The products were characterized by FT-IR and solid-state CP/MAS 13C NMR spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. It was found that the crystallinity of the cellulose was completely disrupted in the ionic liquid system under the conditions given. The data also demonstrated that homogeneous modification of cellulose with succinic anhydride in AmimCl resulted in the production of cellulosic monoester. The thermal stability of the succinylated cellulose decreased upon chemical modification.