FeNi-LDH COATED WITH ORANGE-PEEL CARBON AEROGEL FOR OXYGEN EVOLUTION REACTION.

In this work, the waste orange-peel was used as carbon source, and the orange-peel derived carbon material can be obtained through simple pyrolysis. Then, we designed the structure of orange-peel carbon aerogel grown on iron-nickel layered double hydroxides in situ to achieve the effect of carbon coating (FeNi-LDH/CA). The oxygen evolution reaction catalytic performance of FeNi-LDH/CA is excellent, far exceeding that of commercial RuO2. In 1 M KOH, the overpotential of FeNi-LDH/CA is only 250 mV (10 mA cm-2), obviously better than that of commercial RuO2 (295 mV). FeNi-LDH/CA shows good cycling stability, and after long-term i-t testing, the performance only decays by 3% after running at 100 mA cm-2 for 100 h. When used as an anode, the voltage of water-splitting is only 1.48 V at 10 mA cm-2. The rechargeable liquid zinc-air battery based on Pt/C-FeNi-LDH/CA catalyst has higher open-circuit voltage (1.543 V) and galvanostatic discharge capacity at 1.23 V (830 min, 10 mA cm-2). Moreover, the zinc-air battery based on Pt/C-FeNi-LDH/CA has a small charge-discharge voltage gap (0.65 V) at 10 mA cm-2, after 200 consecutive cycles (66 h), the charge-discharge voltage gap only increased by about 30 mV, indicating good cycling stability.

Renal inflammation combined with renal function reserve reduction accelerate kidney aging via pentose phosphate pathway.

Aging is closely associated with inflammation, which affects renal function reserve (RFR) in the kidneys. This study aims to investigate the impact of reduced RFR reduction on kidney aging and the influence of renal inflammation and RFR reduction on this process. Natural aging rats and those subjected to unilateral nephrectomy (UNX), 1/6 nephrectomy (1/6NX), and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) were observed at 6, 12, 18, and 21 months. Our findings suggest that RFR reduction and renal inflammation can accelerate kidney aging, and inflammation contributes more. Metabolomics analysis revealed alterations in amino acid metabolism contribute to RFR decline. Furthermore, experiments in vitro confirmed the involvement of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) in promoting aging though inflammation. Our research provides novel insights into for the mechanism of kidney aging and provides indirect support for clinical treatment decisions, such as addressing kidney inflammation, stones, or tumors that may necessitate partial or complete nephrectomy.

p38 Signaling Mediates Naringin-Induced Osteogenic Differentiation of Porcine Metanephric Mesenchymal Cells.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the potential of metanephric mesenchymal cells (MMCs) for osteogenesis and naringin's ability to enhance this process and its molecular mechanism. METHODS: Porcine MMCs at 70 days of gestation were used as tool cells, cultured in osteogenic induction medium, identified by immunocytochemistry staining. Osteogenic potential of porcine MMCs and naringin's ability to enhance this process was tested by detecting changes in cell viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, the expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OCN), and the formation of mineralized nodules, and the application of the p38 signaling pathway inhibitor SB203580 vitiated the osteogenesis-promoting effect of naringin. RESULTS: Immunocytochemical staining showed that the cells were Vimentin and Six2(+), E-cadherin and CK-18(-). Naringin can activate the p38 signaling pathway to enhance the osteogenesis of porcine MMCs by increasing cell viability, ALP activity, the expressions of Runx2, OPN and OCN, and the formation of mineralized nodules (P<0.05). The application of p38 signaling pathway inhibitor SB203580 vitiated the osteogenesis-promoting effect of naringin, manifested by decreased ALP activity, the expressions of Runx2, OPN and OCN, and the formation of mineralized nodules (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Naringin, the active ingredient of Chinese herbal medicine Rhizoma Drynariae for nourishing Shen (Kidney) and strengthening bone, enhances the osteogenic differentiation of renal MMCs through the p38 signaling pathway.

The Chinese version of the general benefit finding scale (GBFS): Psychometric properties in a sample of college students.

BACKGROUND: Benefit finding has become a central construct in the evolution of positive psychology and attracted attention in recent literature. This study aimed to translate and validate the General Benefit Finding Scale (GBFS) in Chinese college students. METHODS: Forward- and back-translation of the GBFS was followed by the assessment of semantic equivalence and content validity. A sample of 589 college students was recruited in China to conduct reliability and validity analysis. The construct validity was assessed using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Concurrent validity was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficients of the GBFS with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and World Health Organization-Five Well-Being (WHO-5). Internal consistency and two-week test-retest reliability were also evaluated. RESULTS: The content validity index for each item ranged from 0.83 to 1.00. EFA revealed a six-factor model, which exhibited acceptable goodness of fit in CFA (standardized root mean square residual = 0.031, root mean square error of approximation = 0.059, goodness-of-fit index = 0.860, comparative fit index = 0.904, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.890, chi-squared/degree of freedom = 2.07). The concurrent validity of the GBFS was supported by its statistically significant correlations with PSS (r = -0.271, p<0.001) and WHO-5 (r = 0.354, p<0.001). Moreover, the internal consistency for the overall scale was satisfactory, with Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.93 and McDonald's omega reliability of 0.94. The test-retest reliability was 0.82. CONCLUSIONS: Although the Chinese version of GBFS was examined in a homogeneous convenience sample of college students, it provides a reliable and valid instrument for assessing benefit finding in the Chinese context.

Evaluation of the prognostic performance of different cutoff values of lymph node ratio staging system for stage III colorectal cancer.

This study attempted to compare the prognostic performance of lymph node ratio (LNR) staging system with different cutoff values relative to American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) pN staging system in stage III colorectal cancer (CRC). Overall, 45,069 patients from the SEER dataset and 69 patients from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (the External set) who underwent surgical resection of the primary tumor and were diagnosed with stage III CRC by postoperative pathology were included. Patients were divided into three subgroups based on the LNR cutoff used in previous studies, Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted, and log-rank test was used to compare the differences among groups in terms of cancer-specific survival (CSS). Cox regression model was applied for survival analysis. To evaluate the discriminatory power of different lymph node staging systems, Harrell's C statistic(C-index) and Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) were applied. A set of optimal cutoff values (0.11; 0.36; 0.66) of LNR staging system with the most considerable discriminatory power to the prognosis in patients with stage III CRC (SEER set: C-index = 0.714; AIC = 58,942.46, External set: C-index = 0.809; AIC = 164.36) were obtained, and both were superior to the AJCC pN staging system (SEER set: C-index = 0.708; AIC = 59,071.20, External set: C-index = 0.788; AIC = 167.06). For evaluating the prognostic efficacy of patients with stage III colorectal cancer, the cutoff value (0.11; 0.36; 0.66) of LNR staging system had the best discrimination and prognostic ability, which was superior to LNR staging system under other cutoff values and AJCC pN staging system.

Function and mechanism of exosomes derived from different cells as communication mediators in colorectal cancer metastasis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with metastasis being the primary determinant of poor prognosis in patients. Investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying CRC metastasis is currently a prominent and challenging area of research. Exosomes, as crucial intercellular communication mediators, facilitate the transfer of metabolic and genetic information from cells of origin to recipient cells. Their roles in mediating information exchange between CRC cells and immune cells, fibroblasts, and other cell types are pivotal in reshaping the tumor microenvironment, regulating key biological processes such as invasion, migration, and formation of pre-metastatic niche. This article comprehensively examines the communication function and mechanism of exosomes derived from different cells in cancer metastasis, while also presenting an outlook on current research advancements and future application prospects. The aim is to offer a distinctive perspective that contributes to accurate diagnosis and rational treatment strategies for CRC.

Temperature-dependent charge carrier behavior in phosphorene quantum dots probed by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.

Although phosphorene quantum dots (PQDs) have gained significant attention in optoelectronics and physics due to their unique optical responses, the low-frequency electromagnetic properties of PQDs and the effects of temperature still remain largely unexplored. Herein, we investigate the temperature-dependent terahertz (THz) response of PQDs by using THz time-domain spectroscopy. Effective THz conductivity of the PQD sample is extracted based on THz measurements to analyze the charge carrier behavior. It is shown that the carriers in the PQDs can be approximated as a weakly confined Drude gas of classical and noninteracting charge particles, which are described by the modified Drude-Smith formula. Then, we also obtain the temperature dependences of the effective characteristic parameters for the charge carriers. As the temperature increases, the plasma frequency linearly enhances whereas both of the carrier diffusion time and the momentum scattering time decrease, which are akin to conventional semiconductors to a large extent. In addition, the confinement factor is closed to 1 and nearly insensitive to temperature. These results are helpful to gain an in-depth understanding of the low-frequency electromagnetic response of charge carriers in PQDs and to explore new applications in photonics and optoelectronics.

Phloretin Inhibits Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Formation in Serratia marcescens.

This study investigated the antivirulence capacity and mechanism of apple-skin-derived phloretin against Serratia marcescens NJ01, a vegetable spoilage bacterium. At 0.5 to 2 mg/mL doses, phloretin considerably inhibited the secretion of acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), indicating that phloretin disrupted quorum sensing (QS) in S. marcescens NJ01. The dysfunction of QS resulted in reduced biofilms and the decreased production of protease, prodigiosin, extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs), and swimming and swarming motilities. Dysfunctional QS also weakened the activity of antioxidant enzymes and improved oxidative injury. The improved oxidative injury changed the composition of the membrane, improved membrane permeability, and eventually increased the susceptibility of biofilm cells to amikacin, netilmicin, and imipenem. The disrupted QS and enhanced oxidative stress also caused disorders of amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and nucleic acid metabolism, and ultimately attenuated the ability of S. marcescens NJ01 to induce spoilage. Our results indicated that phloretin can act as a potent drug to defend against spoilage by S. marcescens.

Genetic Diagnosis and Treatment of Inherited Renal Tubular Acidosis.

Background: Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is caused by various disruptions to the secretion of H+ by distal renal tubules and/or dysfunctional reabsorption of HCO3- by proximal renal tubules, which causes renal acidification dysfunction, ultimately leading to a clinical syndrome characterized by hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with a normal anion gap. With the development of molecular genetics and gene sequencing technology, inherited RTA has also attracted attention, and an increasing number of RTA-related pathogenic genes have been discovered and reported. Summary: This paper focuses on the latest progress in the research of inherited RTA and systematically reviews the pathogenic genes, protein functions, clinical manifestations, internal relationship between genotypes and clinical phenotypes, diagnostic clues, differential diagnosis, and treatment strategies associated with inherited RTA. This paper aims to deepen the understanding of inherited RTA and reduce the missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of RTA. Key Messages: This review systematically summarizes the pathogenic genes, pathophysiological mechanisms, differential diagnosis, and treatment of different types of inherited RTA, which has good clinical value for guiding the diagnosis and treatment of inherited RTA.

Prediction of liver and lung metastases in patients with early-onset colorectal cancer by nomograms based on heterogeneous and homogenous risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Identifying the risk factors for distant metastasis in early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is crucial for elucidating its etiology and facilitating preventive treatment. This study aims to characterize the variability in EOCRC incidence and discern both heterogeneous and homogeneous risk factors associated with synchronous liver, lung, and hepato-lung metastases. METHODS: This study included patients with EOCRC enrolled in the SEER database between 2010 and 2015 and divided patients into three groups by synchronous liver, lung, and hepato-lung metastases. Each group of patients with different metastasis types was randomly assigned to the development and validation cohort in a ratio of 7:3. Logistic regression was used to analyze the heterogeneous and homogenous risk factors for synchronous liver, lung, and hepato-lung metastases in the development cohort of patients. Nomograms were built to calculate the risk of metastasis, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve were used to quantitatively evaluate their performance. RESULTS: A total of 16,336 eligible patients with EOCRC were included in this study, of which 17.90% (2924/16,336) had distant metastases. The overall incidences of synchronous liver, lung, and hepato-lung metastases were 11.90% (1921/16,146), 2.42% (390/16,126), and 1.50% (241/16,108), respectively. Positive CEA values before treatment, increased lymphatic metastases, and deeper invasion of intestinal wall were positively correlated with three distant types of metastases. On the contrary, the correlation of age, ethnicity, location of primary tumor, and histologic grade among the three types was inconsistent. The ROC curve and calibration curve proved to have fine performance in predicting distant metastases of EOCRC. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in the incidence of distant metastases in EOCRC, and related risk factors are heterogeneous and homogenous. Although limited risk factors were incorporated in this study, the established nomograms indicated good predictive performance.

Fatigue Behavior of the FGH96 Superalloy under High-Temperature Cyclic Loading.

Strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue (LCF) tests and stress-controlled creep-fatigue interaction (CFI) tests on the FGH96 superalloy were carried out at 550 °C to obtain the cyclic softening/hardening characteristics at different strain amplitudes and ratcheting strain characteristics under different hold time. The failure mechanism of the FGH96 superalloy under different loading conditions was analyzed through fracture observations. The results show that the FGH96 superalloy exhibits different cyclic softening/hardening characteristics at different strain amplitudes, and the introduction of the hold time at peak stress exacerbates the ratcheting strain of the FGH96 superalloy under asymmetric stress cycles. Fracture observations show that the magnitude of the strain amplitude, high-temperature oxidation, and the introduction of the hold time will affect the mechanical properties of the FGH96 superalloy and change its fracture mode.

The evolution of the initial manifestations and renal involvement of chinese patients with classical and late-onset Fabry disease at different sexes and ages.

BACKGROUND: Fabry disease is a rare hereditary disease involving multiple organs, and there are few reports on how the initial manifestations and renal involvement of these patients with classical and late-onset phenotype evolve with sexes and ages. To improve clinicians' understanding of Fabry disease and avoid misdiagnoses by discussing the initial manifestations, first medical specialties visited and renal involvement development in patients. METHODS: This study collected relevant data from 311 Chinese Fabry disease patients (200 males, 111 females) and descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyze the evolution of the initial manifestations and renal involvement of patients with classical and late-onset phenotype at different sexes and ages. RESULTS: Regarding the age at manifestation onset, age at the first medical specialty visited and age at the diagnosis of Fabry disease, males were earlier than females, and males with classical phenotype were earlier than males with late-onset and females with classical phenotype. In both male and female patients, the initial manifestations of classical patients were mainly acroparesthesia, and the first medical specialty visited were mainly pediatrics and neurology. The initial manifestations of late-onset patients were mainly renal and cardiovascular involvement, and the first medical specialty visited were mainly nephrology and cardiology. In classical patients, both male and female, the initial manifestations of the preschool and the juvenile groups were mainly acroparesthesia, and the frequency of renal and cardiovascular involvement in the young group was higher than that in the preschool and juvenile groups. There was no obvious renal involvement in the preschool group, renal involvement was most common in the young group and the middle-aged and elderly group. Proteinuria can appear in classical male patients as early as approximately 20 years, and renal insufficiency can occur at approximately 25 years. With age, over 50% of classical male patients can develop varying degrees of proteinuria at the age of 25 and renal insufficiency at the age of 40. 15.94% of the patients progressed to dialysis or kidney transplantation, mainly classical males. CONCLUSIONS: The initial manifestation of Fabry disease is affected by sex, age and classical/late-onset phenotype. The initial manifestations were mainly acroparesthesia and the frequency and degree of renal involvement increased gradually with aging in classical male patients.

Genetic diagnosis and treatment of hereditary renal tubular disease with hypokalemia and alkalosis.

Renal tubules play an important role in maintaining water, electrolyte, and acid-base balance. Renal tubule dysfunction can cause electrolyte disorders and acid-base imbalance. Clinically, hypokalemic renal tubular disease is the most common tubule disorder. With the development of molecular genetics and gene sequencing technology, hereditary renal tubular diseases have attracted attention, and an increasing number of pathogenic genes related to renal tubular diseases have been discovered and reported. Inherited renal tubular diseases mainly occur due to mutations in genes encoding various specific transporters or ion channels expressed on the tubular epithelial membrane, leading to dysfunctional renal tubular reabsorption, secretion, and excretion. An in-depth understanding of the molecular genetic basis of hereditary renal tubular disease will help to understand the physiological function of renal tubules, the mechanism by which the kidney maintains water, electrolyte, and acid-base balance, and the relationship between the kidney and other systems in the body. Meanwhile, understanding these diseases also improves our understanding of the pathogenesis of hypokalemia, alkalosis and other related diseases and ultimately promotes accurate diagnostics and effective disease treatment. The present review summarizes the most common hereditary renal tubular diseases (Bartter syndrome, Gitelman syndrome, EAST syndrome and Liddle syndrome) characterized by hypokalemia and alkalosis. Further detailed explanations are provided for pathogenic genes and functional proteins, clinical manifestations, intrinsic relationship between genotype and clinical phenotype, diagnostic clues, differential diagnosis, and treatment strategies for these diseases.

The Effect of the Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD), but the efficacy is still not clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the integrated Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) for PD through a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched randomized controlled trials comparing integrated Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) versus conventional Western medicine (CWM) for Parkinson's disease. Data were extracted from eligible studies. We sought to evaluate pretreatment and posttreatment symptoms of PD patients and their quality of life and reduce adverse reactions. The results were expressed as risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD) with accompanying 95% confidence intervals. Results: Twenty-three studies were included in this study with a total of 1769 patients. The pooled results revealed that ICWM significantly improved the UPDRS score than CWM, the MD of UPDRS-I, II, III, and IV was -1.05 (95% CI: -1.42 to -0.69, P < 0.00001), -2.55 (95% CI: -3.19 to -1.90, P < 0.00001), -3.64 (95% CI: -4.69 to -2.60, P < 0.00001), and -0.61 (95% CI: -0.96 to -0.27, P = 0.0004), respectively, and ICWM also had a better score of PDQ-39 (MD = -8.71, 95% CI: -13.52 to -3.90, P = 0.0004) and MoCA scores (MD = 3.35, 95% CI: 1.65 to 5.04, P = 0.0001) compared with CWM. ICWM had certain advantages in terms of effective rate (RR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.37, P < 0.00001) and adverse reactions (RR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.36, P < 0.00001). Conclusion: Our research supported that ICWM had important health benefits for patients with PD and can effectively improve the symptoms of PD patients and their quality of life and reduce adverse reactions. Due to the lower quality of the included studies, large sample and multicenter randomized control test should be performed to verify our conclusions.

The efficacy and safety of anterior versus posterior approach for the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There has always been controversy about the choice of anterior approach or posterior approach for the surgical approach of thoracolumbar burst fractures (TBFs). The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of anterior and posterior approaches in the treatment of TBFs. Methods: Multiple databases including PubMed, Excerpt Medica Database (Embase), Cochrane Library, and Web of Science (WOS) were used to search for relevant studies, namely full-text articles comparing the anterior versus posterior approach for the treatment of TBFs, which based on population, intervention, control, outcome, and study (PICOS) framework. Review Manager 5.4 was used to assess the effects of the results among selected studies. The risk of bias of the trials was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa scale (NOS) and the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Forest plots and funnel plots were also generated for the included articles. Results: Finally, 723 patients were included in 13 studies which satisfied the eligibility criteria, funnel plots and Egger's test showed that there was no significant bias in the publications. There were no differences in terms of length of stay [mean difference (MD): -1.31, (-5.31, 2.69); P=0.52], hospitalization expenses [standardized mean difference (SMD): 1.26, (-0.38, 2.89); P=0.13], and return to work between the anterior approach and posterior approach. However, the posterior approach had the advantages of better Cobb angle correction [MD: 2.06, (0.17, 3.94); P=0.03], shorter operation time [MD: 58.29, (35.39, 81.18); P<0.00001], and lower estimated blood loss [MD: 185.92, (131.76, 240.07); P<0.00001]. Discussion: The posterior approach appeared to be superior to the anterior approach in the treatment of TBFs. However, more high-quality randomized controlled trials should be conducted to confirm the conclusions of this study and guide clinical decision-making.

Quorum Sensing Inhibition and Metabolic Intervention of 4-Hydroxycinnamic Acid Against Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

The natural product 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (HA) was firstly isolated from the metabolites of Phomopsis liquidambari, one endophytic fungus from Punica granatum leaves. The anti-QS potential of HA was evaluated by ß-galactosidase assay and acylated homoserine lactones (AHL) analysis. The MIC of HA was > 1.20 mM. Exposure to HA at sub-MIC concentrations (0.30-0.60 mM) remarkably reduced the ß-galactosidase activity and AHL secretion. Transcriptional analysis by qRT-PCR and docking simulation indicated that HA functions as an anti-QS agent by inhibiting the transcriptional levels of traI and traR rather than signal mimicry. The blocked QS lead to suppressed biofilm formation, motilities, and flagella formation after exposure to HA at concentrations ranging from 0.30 to 0.80 mM. The dysfunctional QS also resulted in repressed antioxidant enzymes and intensified oxidative stress. The intensified oxidative stress destroyed membrane integrity, induced energy supply deficiency, resulted in disorder of protein and nuclear acid metabolism, and ultimately weakened pathogenicity of A. tumefaciens. HA may have promising potential for controlling A. tumefaciens.

Long non-coding RNA ZFAS1 regulates cell proliferation and invasion in cervical cancer via the miR-190a-3p/KLF6 axis.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ZFAS1 (zinc finger antisense 1) was demonstrated to play critical roles in various cancer progression. However, the functions of ZFAS in cervical cancers (CC) are unclear. Human CC cell lines were used for in vitro experiments. RT-qPCR (Real Time Quantitative PCR) was performed to detect the expression of ZFAS1, microRNA-190a-3p (miR-190a-3p) and Kruppel-like factor 6 (KLF6). Cell proliferation, invasion and migration assays were used to investigate biological behaviors of CC cells related to CC progression. The relationship of KLF6 to ZFAS1 and miR-190a-3p was analyzed by circRIP and luciferase reporter assay. In addition, in vivo experiment was carried out to explore the function of ZFAS1 in tumor growth of CC. The expression levels of ZFAS1 and KLF6 were both significantly elevated, while the expression of miR-190a-3p was inhibited in CC tumor tissues. In addition, ZFAS1 influenced CC tumor growth through miR-190a-3p. KLF6 was a target of miR-190a-3p and inhibited miR-190a-3p-induced CC tumor growth. Furthermore, KLF6 was negatively regulated by miR-190a-3p, but positively regulated by ZFAS1. Overexpression of ZFAS1 and inhibition of miR-190a-3p significantly increased the expression levels of KLF6. Finally, in vitro assays demonstrated that inhibition of ZFAS1 reduced CC tumor growth and the expression levels of KLF6, but increased the expression levels of miR-190a-3p. ZFAS1 could regulate CC pathogenesis via regulating the miR-190a-3p/KLF6 axis, which might be considered as new CC therapeutic targets.

Inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms by thymoquinone in combination with nisin.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important foodborne pathogens that can persist in leafy green vegetables and subsequently produce biofilms. In this study, the synergistic effect of thymoquinone and nisin in reducing biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa on lettuce was evaluated, and their anti-virulence and anti-biofilm mechanisms were also investigated. At concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2 mg/ml, thymoquinone inhibited the production of autoinducers and virulence factors, and enhanced the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa biofilms to nisin as evidenced by the scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Integrated transcriptomics, metabolomics, and docking analyses indicated that thymoquinone treatment disrupted the quorum sensing (QS) system, altered cell membrane component, and down-regulated the expressions of genes related to virulence, efflux pump, and antioxidation. The changed membrane component and repressed efflux pump system enhanced membrane permeability and facilitated the entrance of nisin into cells, thus improving the susceptibility of biofilms to nisin. The dysfunctional QS and repressed antioxidant enzymes lead to the enhancement of oxidative stress. The enhanced oxidative stress disrupted energy metabolism and protein metabolism and ultimately attenuated the virulence and pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa PAO1. Our study indicated that thymoquinone has the potential to function as a QS-based agent to defend against foodborne pathogens in combination with nisin.

Effect of Substrate Plate Heating on the Microstructure and Properties of Selective Laser Melted Al-20Si-5Fe-3Cu-1Mg Alloy.

The Al-20Si-5Fe-3Cu-1Mg alloy was fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM). The microstructure and properties of the as-prepared SLM, post-treated SLM, and SLM with substrate plate heating are studied. The as-prepared SLM sample shows a non-uniform microstructure with four different phases: fcc-αAl, eutectic Al-Si, Al2MgSi, and δ-Al4FeSi2. With thermal treatment, the phases become coarser and the δ-Al4FeSi2 phase transforms partially to ß-Al5FeSi. The sample produced with SLM substrate plate heating shows a relatively uniform microstructure without a distinct difference between hatch overlaps and track cores. Room temperature compression test results show that an as-prepared SLM sample reaches a maximum strength (862 MPa) compared to the heat-treated (524 MPa) and substrate plate heated samples (474 MPa) due to the presence of fine microstructure and the internal stresses. The reduction in strength of the sample produced with substrate plate heating is due to the coarsening of the microstructure, but the plastic deformation shows an improvement (20%). The present observations suggest that substrate plate heating can be effectively employed not only to minimize the internal stresses (by impacting the cooling rate of the process) but can also be used to modulate the mechanical properties in a controlled fashion.