Comparison of "Huaxi-1" or "histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate" cardioplegia in an animal model.

Background: Using a pig model of cardiopulmonary bypass, we compared outcomes after cardioplegia either with our in-house "Huaxi-1" solution containing natural blood and crystalloid or with the entirely crystalloid, commercially available "histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate" solution. Methods: Cardiopulmonary bypass was established in 12 healthy male pigs, who were randomized to receive a single dose of either Huaxi-1 or entirely crystalloid. All animals were then subjected to whole-heart ischemia for 90 min, followed by 2 h of reperfusion, after which myocardial injury was assessed in terms of cardiac function, myocardial pathology and levels of biomarkers in plasma, while levels of high-energy phosphate in myocardium were assayed using liquid chromatography. Results: Animals given Huaxi-1 cardioplegia required significantly less time to be weaned off bypass, they received significantly lower doses of norepinephrine, and they showed significantly higher levels (mean ± SD) of adenosine triphosphate (14 ± 4 vs. 8 ± 2 µg/mg, P = 0.005), adenosine diphosphate (16 ± 2 vs. 13 ± 2 µg/mg, P = 0.046), and total adenine nucleotide (37 ± 4 vs. 30 ± 3 µg/mg, P = 0.006) in myocardium after 2 h of reperfusion. They also showed less severe bleeding, edema and injury to mitochondria and myofibers in myocardium. The two groups did not differ significantly in doses of inotropic drugs received, cardiac output or levels of biomarkers in plasma. Conclusions: In this animal model of healthy hearts subjected to 90 min of ischemia, Huaxi-1 cardioplegia may be superior to entirely crystalloid cardioplegia for promoting energy generation and attenuating ischemia/reperfusion injury in myocardium.

Hydrogen Bond and Dipole-Dipole Interaction Enabling Ultrastable, Quick Responding, and Self-Healing Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells.

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are subject to mechanical degradation, such as microcracks and pinhole formation, under real-world fuel cell operating conditions, which leads to great issues in terms of device death and safety concerns. Therefore, PEMs with self-healing features are imperative but have rarely been used for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Here, a dimensionally stable and self-healing PEM is developed by tuning the hydrogen bond and dipole-dipole interactions between the mature perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA) and a self-healing copolymer, which is specifically synthesized with hexafluorobutyl acrylate (HFBA) and acrylic acid (AA). This hexafluorobutyl acrylate-acrylic acid copolymer (HFBA-co-AA) is suggested as the key to improving the self-healing efficiency of the blended PFSA/HFBA-co-AA membrane. This PFSA/HFBA-co-AA membrane can recover 43.6% of the original tensile strength within only 20 min at 80 °C. This study may pave an avenue toward the development of reliable and durable PEM for fuel cells.

Analyzing the factors affecting virus invasion by quantitative single-particle analysis.

Viral diseases are among the main threats to public health. Understanding the factors affecting viral invasion is important for antiviral research. Until now, it was known that most viruses have very low plaque-forming unit (PFU)-to-particle ratios. However, further investigation is required to determine the underlying factors. Here, using quantitative single-particle analysis methods, the invasion of Semliki Forest virus (SFV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and influenza A virus (IAV) containing attachment to the cell surface, entry into the cell, transport towards the cell interior, and fusion with endosomes to release nucleocapsids were quantitatively analysed in parallel. It was found that for SFV with an PFU-to-particle ratio of approximately 1:2, an entry efficiency of approximately 31% limited infection. For JEV, whose PFU-to-particle ratio was approximately 1:310, an attachment efficiency of approximately 27% and an entry efficiency of 10% were the main factors limiting its infection. Meanwhile, for IAV with PFU-to-particle ratios of 1:8100, 5% attachment efficiency, 9% entry efficiency, and 53% fusion efficiency significantly limited its infection. These results suggest that viruses with different infectivities have different limited steps in the invasion process. Moreover, there are significant differences in attachment efficiencies among viruses, emphasizing the pivotal role of attachment in viral invasion. The influence of the virus purification method on virus invasion was also investigated. This study, for the first time, reports the efficiencies of different stages of virus invasion, leading to a better understanding of virus invasion and providing a protocol to quantitatively analyse the virus invasion efficiency.

LncRNA KIFAP3-5:1 inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition of renal tubular cell through PRRX1 in diabetic nephropathy.

Long noncoding RNAs play an important role in several pathogenic processes in diabetic nephropathy, but the relationship with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in DN is unclear. Herein, we found that KIFAP3-5:1 expression was significantly down-regulated in DN plasma samples, db/db mouse kidney tissues and high glucose treated renal tubular epithelial cells compared to normal healthy samples and untreated cells. Overexpression of KIFAP3-5:1 improved renal fibrosis in db/db mice and rescued epithelial-mesenchymal transition of high glucose cultured renal tubular epithelial cells. The silence of KIFAP3-5:1 will exacerbate the progression of EMT. Mechanistically, KIFAP3-5:1 was confirmed to directly target to the -488 to -609 element of the PRRX1 promoter and negatively modulate PRRX1 mRNA and protein expressions. Furthermore, rescue assays demonstrated that the knockdown of PRRX1 counteracted the KIFAP3-5:1 low expression-mediated effects on EMT in hRPTECs cultured under high glucose. The plasma KIFAP3-5:1 of DN patients is highly correlated with the severity of renal dysfunction and plays an important role in the prediction model of DN diseases. These findings suggested that KIFAP3-5:1 plays a critical role in regulation of renal EMT and fibrosis through suppress PRRX1, and highlight the clinical potential of KIFAP3-5:1 to assist in the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy.

Clostridium sporogenes increases fat accumulation in mice by enhancing energy absorption and adipogenesis.

Gut bacteria belonging to the Clostridium family play a pivotal role in regulating host energy balance and metabolic homeostasis. As a commensal bacterium, Clostridium sporogenes has been implicated in modulating host energy homeostasis, albeit the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of C. sporogenes supplementation on various physiological parameters, intestinal morphology, particularly adipose tissue accumulation, and glucolipid metabolism in mice. The findings reveal that mice supplemented with C. sporogenes for 6 weeks exhibited a notable increase in body weight, fat mass, adipocyte size, and serum triglyceride (TG) levels. Notably, the increased fat accumulation is observed despite consistent feed intake in treated mice. Mechanistically, C. sporogenes supplementation significantly improved the structure integrity of intestinal villi and enhanced energy absorption efficiency while reducing excretion of carbohydrates and fatty acids in feces. This was accompanied by upregulation of glucose and fatty acid transporter expression. Furthermore, supplementation with C. sporogenes promoted adipogenesis in both liver and adipose tissues, as evidenced by increased levels of hepatic pyruvate, acetyl-CoA, and TG, along with elevated expression levels of genes associated with lipid synthesis. Regarding the microbiological aspect, C. sporogenes supplementation correlated with an increased abundance of Clostridium genus bacteria and enhanced carbohydrate enzyme activity. In summary, C. sporogenes supplementation significantly promotes fat accumulation in mice by augmenting energy absorption and adipogenesis, possibly mediated by the expansion of Clostridium bacteria population with robust glycolipid metabolic ability. IMPORTANCE: The Clostridia clusters have been implicated in energy metabolism, the specific species and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This present study is the first to report Clostridium sporogenes is able to affect fat accumulation and glycolipid metabolism. We indicated that gavage of C. sporogenes promoted the adipogenesis and fat accumulation in mice by not only increasing the abundance of Clostridium bacteria but by also enhancing the metabolic absorption of carbohydrates and fatty acids significantly. Obviously, changes of gut microbiota caused by the C. sporogenes, especially the significant increase of Clostridium bacteria, contributed to the fat accumulation of mice. In addition, the enhancement of Clostridium genus bacteria remarkably improved the synthesis of hepatic pyruvate, acetyl-CoA, and triglyceride levels, as well as reduced the excretion of fecal carbohydrates, short-chain fatty acids, and free fatty acids remarkably. These findings will help us to understand the relationship of specific bacteria and host energy homeostasis.

Similarities and Differences between Gas Diffusion Layers Used in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell and Water Electrolysis for Material and Mass Transport.

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and water electrolysis (PEMWE) are rapidly developing hydrogen energy conversion devices. Catalyst layers and membranes have been studied extensively and reviewed. However, few studies have compared gas diffusion layers (GDLs) in PEMWE and PEMFC. This review compares the differences and similarities between the GDLs of PEMWE and PEMFC in terms of their material and mass transport characteristics. First, the GDL materials are selected based on their working conditions. Carbon materials are prone to rapid corrosion because of the high anode potential of PEMWEs. Consequently, metal materials have emerged as the primary choice for GDLs. Second, the mutual counter-reactions of the two devices result in differences in mass transport limitations. In particular, water flooding and the effects of bubbles are major drawbacks of PEMFCs and PEMWE, respectively; well-designed structures can solve these problems. Imaging techniques and simulations can provide a better understanding of the effects of materials and structures on mass transfer. Finally, it is anticipated that this review will assist research on GDLs of PEMWE and PEMFC.

How Does Empowering Leadership Relate to Work Engagement? The Roles of Organisational Identification and Workplace Well-Being.

Scholars tend to believe that effective leadership contributes to facilitating employee work engagement. Based on social identity theory and self-determination theory, this study explored how empowering leadership affects employee work engagement through the mediating roles of organisational identification and workplace well-being. A sample of 3645 front-line employees in China participated in this study. A structural equation model analysis was performed to examine the hypothetical model. Sex, age, degree of education, wage income per month (RMB), and subjective social class were covariables. The results indicated that (a) empowering leadership was positively related to work engagement, (b) organisational identification and workplace well-being played a partial mediating role in the relationship, and (c) organisational identification and workplace well-being had a chain mediating effect on empowering leadership and work engagement. These findings advance the understanding of the effect of empowering leadership on employees' working attitudes and behaviours. They also contribute to potential interventions that boost employee work engagement.

Fucoxanthin alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal barrier injury in mice.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the preventive role and underlying mechanisms of fucoxanthin (Fx) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal barrier injury in mice. Our results demonstrated that the oral administration of Fx (50 and 200 mg per kg body weight per day) for consecutive 7 days significantly alleviated the severity of LPS-induced intestinal barrier injury in mice, as evidenced by attenuating body weight loss, improving intestinal permeability, and ameliorating intestinal morphological damage such as reduction in the ratio of the villus length to the crypt depth (V/C), intestinal epithelium distortion, goblet cell depletion, and low mucin 2 (MUC2) expression. Fx also significantly mitigated LPS-induced excessive apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and curbed the decrease of tight junction proteins including claudin-1, occludin, and zonula occludens-1 in the ileum and colon. Additionally, Fx effectively alleviated LPS-induced extensive infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils into the intestinal mucosa, the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1beta (IL-1ß) and IL-6, and gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis of IECs. The underlying mechanisms might be associated with inhibiting the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome signaling pathways. Moreover, Fx also notably restrained intestinal reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde and protein carbonylation levels in LPS-treated mice, and it might be mediated by activating the nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway. Overall, these findings indicated that Fx might be developed as a potential effective dietary supplement to prevent intestinal barrier injury.

Decreased brain iron deposition based on quantitative susceptibility mapping correlates with reduced neurodevelopmental status in children with autism spectrum disorder.

To investigate potential correlations between the susceptibility values of certain brain regions and the severity of disease or neurodevelopmental status in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 18 ASD children and 15 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The neurodevelopmental status was assessed by the Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) and the severity of the disease was evaluated by the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). Eleven brain regions were selected as regions of interest and the susceptibility values were measured by quantitative susceptibility mapping. To evaluate the diagnostic capacity of susceptibility values in distinguishing ASD and HC, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was computed. Pearson and Spearman partial correlation analysis were used to depict the correlations between the susceptibility values, the ABC scores, and the GDS scores in the ASD group. ROC curves showed that the susceptibility values of the left and right frontal white matter had a larger area under the curve in the ASD group. The susceptibility value of the right globus pallidus was positively correlated with the GDS-fine motor scale score. These findings indicated that the susceptibility value of the right globus pallidus might be a viable imaging biomarker for evaluating the neurodevelopmental status of ASD children.

Diagnosis and treatment intraorbital foreign body: A case report.

Key Clinical Message: Wooden foreign bodies inside the eye socket are an uncommon kind of eye injury that falls into a distinct category of intraorbital foreign bodies. Due to the wide range of clinical presentations and imaging features of intraorbital wooden foreign bodies, misinterpretation and failure to diagnose correctly often happen. Abstract: Wooden foreign bodies inside the eye socket are an uncommon kind of eye injury that falls into a distinct category of intraorbital foreign bodies. The condition mostly manifested in individuals of youthful and middle age. Due to the wide range of clinical presentations and imaging features of intraorbital wooden foreign bodies, misinterpretation and failure to diagnose correctly often happen during the first examination. The risk of orbital infection might greatly rise if there is a delay in diagnosing woody foreign substances inside the eye socket. The majority of patients need surgical intervention as the recommended course of therapy. Nevertheless, it is essential to avoid disregarding undetected diagnoses and the existence of foreign material remnants after prior surgical procedures. Hence, achieving a precise diagnosis relies on a comprehensive assessment of the patient's trauma history, meticulous examination of the eyes, vigilant monitoring of clinical symptoms, accurate imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT), and prompt and thorough removal of wooden foreign objects within the eye socket.

A Disturbance Compensation Control Strategy for Rotational Speed Standard Device Based on AMB System.

The rotational speed standard device that can carry loads is the key device for calibrating passive rotational speed sensors. The rotor of the passive rotational speed sensor is connected to the rotor of the standard speed device through a coupling, and the standard reference speed is provided by the standard device. Due to the rotor eccentricity, the unbalanced force of the rotor occurs, and it can not only affect the rotational speed accuracy but can also damage the mechanical bearings of the standard speed device. To solve this issue, a method for suppressing the unbalanced force of the speed standard device based on an active magnetic bearing (AMB) force compensation system is proposed. First, the overall structure of the system is briefly introduced. Then, the force feedback control system model with the AMB as the force actuator is established, and a PI controller is designed to achieve the disturbed force control. Finally, a semi-physical simulation experimental platform is built to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the AMB force compensation system can reduce 84.4%, 81.6%, and 79.8% of the unbalanced vibration force at the frequency of 30 Hz, 90 Hz, and 150 Hz, respectively.

A rare waterborne outbreak of Bacillus paranthracis in Shandong province, China, 2020: epidemiologic survey, genomic insights, and virulence characteristics.

Bacillus paranthracis, a Gram-positive conditional pathogen of Bacillus cereus group species, is capable of causing foodborne and waterborne illnesses, leading to intestinal diseases in humans characterized by diarrhoea and vomiting. However, documented cases of B. paranthracis infection outbreaks are rare in the world, and the genomic background of outbreak strains is seldom characterized. This study retrospectively analyzed strains obtained from an outbreak in schools, as well as from water systems in peri-urban areas, China, in 2020. In total, 28 B. cereus group isolates were retrieved, comprising 6 from stool samples and 22 from water samples. Epidemiological and phylogenetic investigations indicated that the B. paranthracis isolate from drinking water as the causative agent of the outbreak. The genomic comparison revealed a high degree of consistency among 8 outbreak-related strains in terms of antimicrobial resistance gene profiles, virulence gene profiles, genomic content, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The strains related to the outbreak show highly similar genomic ring diagrams and close phylogenetic relationships. Additionally, this study shed light on the pathogenic potential and complexity of B. cereus group through its diversity in virulence genes and mice infection model. The findings highlight the usefulness of B. paranthracis genomes in understanding genetic diversity within specific environments and in tracing the source of pathogens during outbreak situations, thereby enabling targeted infection control interventions.

Interplay of soil characteristics and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity in alpine wetland restoration and carbon stabilization.

Alpine wetlands are critical ecosystems for global carbon (C) cycling and climate change mitigation. Ecological restoration projects for alpine grazing wetlands are urgently needed, especially due to their critical role as carbon (C) sinks. However, the fate of the C pool in alpine wetlands after restoration from grazing remains unclear. In this study, soil samples from both grazed and restored wetlands in Zoige (near Hongyuan County, Sichuan Province, China) were collected to analyze soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), soil properties, and plant biomass. Moreover, the Tea Bag Index (TBI) was applied to assess the initial decomposition rate (k) and stabilization factor (S), providing a novel perspective on SOC dynamics. The results of this research revealed that the mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) was 1.40 times higher in restored sites compared to grazed sites, although no significant difference in particulate organic carbon (POC) was detected between the two site types. Furthermore, the increased MAOC after restoration exhibited a significant positive correlation with various parameters including S, C and N content, aboveground biomass, WSOC, AMF diversity, and NH4+. This indicates that restoration significantly increases plant primary production, litter turnover, soil characteristics, and AMF diversity, thereby enhancing the C stabilization capacity of alpine wetland soils.

Amplifying Frequency Up-Converted Infrared Signals with a Molecular Optomechanical Cavity.

Frequency up-conversion, enabled by molecular optomechanical coupling, has recently emerged as a promising approach for converting infrared signals into the visible range through quantum coherent conversion of signals. However, detecting these converted signals poses a significant challenge due to their inherently weak signal intensity. In this work, we propose an amplification mechanism capable of enhancing the signal intensity by a factor of 1000 or more for the frequency up-converted infrared signal in a molecular optomechanical system. The mechanism takes advantage of the strong coupling enhancement with molecular collective mode and the Stokes sideband pump. This work demonstrates a feasible approach for up-converting infrared signals to the visible range.

Microstructure, Tensile Properties, and Fracture Toughness of an In Situ Rolling Hybrid with Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing AerMet100 Steel.

As a type of ultra-high strength steel, AerMet100 steel is used in the aerospace and military industries. Due to the fact that AerMet100 steel is difficult to machine, people have been exploring the process of additive manufacturing to fabricate AerMet100 steel. In this study, AerMet100 steel was produced using an in situ rolling hybrid with wire arc additive manufacturing. Microstructure, tensile properties, and fracture toughness of as-deposited and heat-treated AerMet100 steel were evaluated in different directions. The results reveal that the manufacturing process leads to grain fragmentation and obvious microstructural refinement of the AerMet100 steel, and weakens the anisotropy of the mechanical properties. After heat treatment, the microstructure of the AerMet100 steel is mainly composed of lath martensite and reversed austenite. Alloy carbides are precipitated within the martensitic matrix, and a high density of dislocations is the primary strengthening mechanism. The existence of film-like austenite among the martensite matrix enhances the toughness of AerMet100 steel, which coordinates stress distribution and restrains crack propagation, resulting in an excellent balance between strength and toughness. The AerMet100 steel with in situ rolling is isotropy and achieves the following values: an average ultimate strength of 1747.7 ± 16.3 MPa, yield strength of 1615 ± 40.6 MPa, elongation of 8.3 ± 0.2% in deposition direction, and corresponding values in the building direction are 1821.3 ± 22.1 MPa, 1624 ± 84.5 MPa, and 7.6 ± 1.7%, and the KIC value up to 70.6 MPa/m0.5.

Robust and high-efficiency dynamical method of enantio-specific state transfer.

We propose a simple dynamical method to realize fast enantio-specific state transfer (ESST) of chiral molecules. Driven by three external electromagenetic fields, the chiral molecules are modeled as cyclic three-level systems, where the overall phase differs by π for the left- and right-handed chiral molecules. We unveil that the ESST is allowed when the amplitudes of three Rabi frequencies in the cyclic three-level systems are equal. Our method is robust and highly efficient in the sense that the external fields can have arbitrary waveforms. This thus provides the opportunity of simplifying the experimental implementations of ESST through pulse design.

Theabrownin from Fu Brick tea ameliorates high-fat induced insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and inflammation in mice by altering the composition and metabolites of gut microbiota.

Fu Brick tea belongs to fermented dark tea, which is one of the six categories of tea. Fu Brick tea has been reported to reduce adiposity and has beneficial effects in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease. Theabrownin (TB) is one of the pigments with the most abundant content in Fu Brick tea. TB has also been reported to have lipid-lowering effects, but its mechanism remains unclear. We found that TB could effectively reduce the insulin resistance and fat deposition induced by a high fat diet (HFD), decrease inflammation in the liver, improve intestinal integrity, and reduce endotoxins in circulation. Further studies showed that TB increased the abundance of Verrucomicrobiota and reduced the abundance of Firmicutes and Desulfobacterota in the intestinal tract of obese mice. The alteration of gut microbiota is closely linked to the metabolic phenotype after TB treatment through correlation analysis. Moreover, TB changed the gut microbial metabolites including L-ornithine, α-ketoglutarate, and glutamine, which have also been found to be upregulated in the liver after TB intervention. In vitro, L-ornithine, α-ketoglutarate, or glutamine significantly reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in macrophages. Therefore, our results suggest that TB can reduce adiposity, systemic insulin resistance, and liver inflammation induced by a HFD through altering gut microbiota and improving the intestinal tight junction integrity. The metabolites of gut microbiota might also play a role in ameliorating the HFD-induced phenotype by TB.

Resolvin D1 alleviates apoptosis triggered by endoplasmic reticulum stress in IPEC-J2 cells.

BACKGROUND: Resolvin D1 (RvD1), a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator (SPM), is derived from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It plays a key role in actively resolving inflammatory responses, which further reduces small intestinal damage. However, its regulation of the apoptosis triggered by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in intestinal epithelial cells is still poorly understood. The intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) were stimulated with tunicamycin to screen an optimal stimulation time and concentration to establish an ER stress model. Meanwhile, RvD1 (0, 1, 10, 20, and 50 nM) cytotoxicity and its impact on cell viability and the effective concentration for reducing ER stress and apoptosis were determined. Finally, the effects of RvD1 on ER stress and associated apoptosis were furtherly explored by flow cytometry analysis, AO/EB staining, RT-qPCR, and western blotting. RESULTS: The ER stress model of IPEC-J2 cells was successfully built by stimulating the cells with 1 µg/mL tunicamycin for 9 h. Certainly, the increased apoptosis and cell viability inhibition also appeared under the ER stress condition. RvD1 had no cytotoxicity, and its concentration of 1 nM significantly decreased cell viability inhibition (p= 0.0154) and the total apoptosis rate of the cells from 14.13 to 10.00% (p= 0.0000). RvD1 at the concentration of 1 nM also significantly reduced the expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP-78, an ER stress marker gene) (p= 0.0000) and pro-apoptotic gene Caspase-3 (p= 0.0368) and promoted the expression of B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic gene)(p= 0.0008). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the results shed light on the potential of RvD1 for alleviating apoptosis triggered by ER stress, which may indicate an essential role of RvD1 in maintaining intestinal health and homeostasis.