Preventive Effect of the Total Polyphenols from Nymphaea candida on Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice via Gut Microbiota and NLRP3, TLR-4/NF-κB Pathway.

This study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of the total polyphenols from Nymphaea candida (NCTP) on LPS-induced septic acute lung injury (ALI) in mice and its mechanisms. NCTP could significantly ameliorate LPS-induced lung tissue pathological injury in mice as well as lung wet/dry ratio and MPO activities (p < 0.05). NCTP could significantly decrease the blood leukocyte, neutrophil, monocyte, basophil, and eosinophil amounts and LPS contents in ALI mice compared with the model group (p < 0.05), improving lymphocyte amounts (p < 0.05). Moreover, compared with the model group, NCTP could decrease lung tissue TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß levels (p < 0.05) and downregulate the protein expression of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, IKKß, IκB-α, p-IκB-α, NF-κB p65, p-NF-κB p65, NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase1 in lung tissues (p < 0.05). Furthermore, NCTP could inhibit ileum histopathological injuries, restoring the ileum tight junctions by increasing the expression of ZO-1 and occludin. Simultaneously, NCTP could reverse the gut microbiota disorder, restore the diversity of gut microbiota, increase the relative abundance of Clostridiales and Lachnospiraceae, and enhance the content of SCFAs (acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid) in feces. These results suggested that NCTP has preventive effects on septic ALI, and its mechanism is related to the regulation of gut microbiota, SCFA metabolism, and the TLR-4/NF-κB and NLRP3 pathways.

Emotional "Contagion" in Piglets after Sensory Avoidance of Rewarding and Punishing Treatment.

In the pig farming industry, it is recommended to avoid groups when treating individuals to reduce adverse reactions in the group. However, can this eliminate the adverse effects effectively? Piglets were assigned to the Rewarding Group (RG), the Punishing Group (PG), and the Paired Control Group (PCG). There were six replicates in each group, with two paired piglets per replicate. One piglet of the RG and PG was randomly selected as the Treated pig (TP), treated with food rewards or electric shock, and the other as the Naive pig (NP). The NPs in the RG and PG were unaware of the treatment process, and piglets in the PCG were not treated. The behavior and heart rate changes of all piglets were recorded. Compared to the RG, the NPs in the PG showed longer proximity but less contact behavior, and the TPs in the PG showed more freezing behavior. The percentage change in heart rate of the NPs was synchronized with the TPs. This shows that after sensory avoidance, the untreated pigs could also feel the emotions of their peers and their emotional state was affected by their peers, and the negative emotions in the pigs lasted longer than the positive emotions. The avoidance process does not prevent the transfer of negative emotions to peers via emotional contagion from the stimulated pig.

Medical knowledge graph completion via fusion of entity description and type information.

Medical Knowledge Graphs (MKGs) are vital in propelling big data technologies in healthcare and facilitating the realization of medical intelligence. However, large-scale MKGs often exhibit characteristics of data sparsity and missing facts. Following the latest advances, knowledge embedding addresses these problems by performing knowledge graph completion. Most knowledge embedding algorithms rely solely on triplet structural information, overlooking the rich information hidden within entity property sets, leading to bottlenecks in performance enhancement when dealing with the intricate relations of MKGs. Inspired by the semantic sensitivity and explicit type constraints unique to the medical domain, we propose BioBERT-based graph embedding model. This model represents an evolvable framework that integrates graph embedding, language embedding, and type information, thereby optimizing the utility of MKGs. Our study utilizes not only WordNet as a benchmark dataset but also incorporates MedicalKG to compare and corroborate the specificity of medical knowledge. Experimental results on these datasets indicate that the proposed fusion framework achieves state-of-art (SOTA) performance compared to other baselines. We believe that this incremental improvement provides promising insights for future medical knowledge graph completion endeavors.

A 12.4-day periodicity in a close binary system after a supernova.

Neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes are the remnants of massive star explosions1. Most massive stars reside in close binary systems2, and the interplay between the companion star and the newly formed compact object has been theoretically explored3, but signatures for binarity or evidence for the formation of a compact object during a supernova explosion are still lacking. Here we report a stripped-envelope supernova, SN 2022jli, which shows 12.4-day periodic undulations during the declining light curve. Narrow Hα emission is detected in late-time spectra with concordant periodic velocity shifts, probably arising from hydrogen gas stripped from a companion and accreted onto the compact remnant. A new Fermi-LAT γ-ray source is temporally and positionally consistent with SN 2022jli. The observed properties of SN 2022jli, including periodic undulations in the optical light curve, coherent Hα emission shifting and evidence for association with a γ-ray source, point to the explosion of a massive star in a binary system leaving behind a bound compact remnant. Mass accretion from the companion star onto the compact object powers the light curve of the supernova and generates the γ-ray emission.

Emotional Contagion and Social Support in Pigs with the Negative Stimulus.

This study expects to confirm the existence of emotional transmission in pigs from multiple perspectives and to provide theoretical references for improving animal welfare in livestock farming. A group that could directly observe (DO) and a group that could not directly observe (NO) were created based on whether or not their peers observed the treatment process, as the treated pig (TP) was treated with electrical shock and the companion pig (CP) either witnessed the treatment inflicted upon TP or not, and a third group was a control group, in which neither pig was stimulated. The behavioral responses of both the TPs and CPs were recorded to evaluate the emotional reaction. The results found that in both the DO and NO groups, the frequency of TP freezing was significantly higher than that of CP, and CP was significantly higher than that of the control group. Interestingly, although the social interaction responses of the CPs were not similar in the DO and NO groups, there were no significant differences between the behaviors of TPs in the DO and NO groups, except for nose-nose contact and a single approach to the partition, which allowed us to conclude that, whether or not the pigs directly observed the negative treatment, they were able to respond accordingly to fear and provide similar social support to their companions who were treated negatively.

Cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase regulates plant stem cell maintenance in response to nutrient deficiency.

WUSCHEL (WUS) and WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX (WOX) proteins determine stem cell maintenance for continual plant growth and development under changing environmental conditions. Nutrient availability is an environmental factor that substantially controls plant growth and development. However, how plant stem cell homeostasis is regulated under nutrient deficiency remains to be elucidated. Here, we showed that cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) plays an important role in nutrient sensing of stem cells in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Nutrient deficiency induced the cytoplasmic-to-nuclear translocation of cytosolic ICDH protein. ICDH can interact with WUS/WOX protein as a complex that further promotes WUS/WOX expression by binding to its promoter. WUS/WOX expression in the icdh-2 mutant was lower than that of wild-type plants under nutrient deficiency. Consistently, loss of ICDH function caused a more serious growth repression under nutrient deficiency that was independent of ICDH's catalytic activity. Therefore, cytosolic ICDH regulates stem cell homeostasis of plants in response to nutrient deficiency.

FRUCTOSE INSENSITIVE1 regulates stem cell function in Arabidopsis in response to fructose signalling.

Stem cell function in different meristems of Arabidopsis is mainly defined by WUSCHEL (WUS)/WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX (WOX) family of proteins. Sugars have also been demonstrated to play pivotal roles in stem cell function and development of plants. As a cytosolic fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, FRUCTOSE INSENSITIVE1 (FINS1) has been demonstrated to regulate plant growth in response to fructose signalling. However, it remains to be elucidated how stem cell function is regulated in response to fructose signalling. Our work showed that FINS1 interacts with WUS/WOX protein as a complex, which further binds to the promoter of WUS/WOX and regulates its expression in response to fructose signalling. FINS1 might act as a bifunctional factor that promotes WUS/WOX expression in the presence of low concentrations of fructose, and represses WUS/WOX expression in the presence of high concentrations of fructose. Therefore, FINS1 regulates stem cell function in response to fructose signalling during the growth and development of Arabidopsis.

Primary exploration of host-microorganism interaction and enteritis treatment with an embedded membrane microfluidic chip of the human intestinal-vascular microsystem.

Intestinal flora plays a crucial role in the host's intestinal health. Imbalances in the intestinal flora, when accompanied by inflammation, affect the host's intestinal barrier function. Understanding it requires studying how living cells and tissues work in the context of living organs, but it is difficult to form the three-dimensional microstructure intestinal-vascular system by monolayer cell or co-culture cell models, and animal models are costly and slow. The use of microfluidic-based organ chips is a fast, simple, and high-throughput method that not only solves the affinity problem of animal models but the lack of microstructure problem of monolayer cells. In this study, we designed an embedded membrane chip to generate an in vitro gut-on-a-chip model. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells and Caco-2 were cultured in the upper and lower layers of the culture chambers in the microfluidic chip, respectively. The human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were infused into the capillary side at a constant rate using an external pump to simulate the in vitro immune system and the shear stress of blood in vivo. The model exhibited intestine morphology and function after only 5 days of culture, which is significantly less than the 21 days required for static culture in the Transwell® chamber. Furthermore, it was observed that drug-resistant bacteria triggered barrier function impairment and inflammation, resulting in enteritis, whereas probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) improved only partially. The use of Amikacin for enteritis is effective, whereas other antibiotic therapies do not work, which are consistent with clinical test results. This model may be used to explore intestinal ecology, host and intestinal flora interactions, and medication assessment.

A very luminous jet from the disruption of a star by a massive black hole.

Tidal disruption events (TDEs) are bursts of electromagnetic energy that are released when supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies violently disrupt a star that passes too close1. TDEs provide a window through which to study accretion onto supermassive black holes; in some rare cases, this accretion leads to launching of a relativistic jet2-9, but the necessary conditions are not fully understood. The best-studied jetted TDE so far is Swift J1644+57, which was discovered in γ-rays, but was too obscured by dust to be seen at optical wavelengths. Here we report the optical detection of AT2022cmc, a rapidly fading source at cosmological distance (redshift z = 1.19325) the unique light curve of which transitioned into a luminous plateau within days. Observations of a bright counterpart at other wavelengths, including X-ray, submillimetre and radio, supports the interpretation of AT2022cmc as a jetted TDE containing a synchrotron 'afterglow', probably launched by a supermassive black hole with spin greater than approximately 0.3. Using four years of Zwicky Transient Facility10 survey data, we calculate a rate of [Formula: see text] per gigapascals cubed per year for on-axis jetted TDEs on the basis of the luminous, fast-fading red component, thus providing a measurement complementary to the rates derived from X-ray and radio observations11. Correcting for the beaming angle effects, this rate confirms that approximately 1 per cent of TDEs have relativistic jets. Optical surveys can use AT2022cmc as a prototype to unveil a population of jetted TDEs.

A rapid multiplex nucleic acid detection system of airborne fungi by an integrated DNA release device and microfluidic chip.

Occupational health problems, such as asthma, in specific work environments arise from the presence of airborne fungi. Rapid detection of pathogenic airborne fungi is therefore important to reduce or avoid any adverse effects on staff health. Herein, we established a new integrated rapid Lyticase-Motor-Chemical reagent nucleic acid releasing (LMC) method for the release of fungal DNA. Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, and Cryptococcus neoformans were chosen to evaluate the LMC method. The results of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) analyses showed that this method could release the nucleic acid of 4 × 104 fungal spores, equaling to 400 copies per microliter. This rapid multiplex nucleic acid detection system of airborne fungi included an integrated DNA release device and a portable microfluidic chip. The integrated DNA release device combined mechanical lysing and biochemical reagent treatment to automate DNA release. The microfluidic chip was capable of multiplex nucleic acid detection. The detection limit of this system was 4 × 104 spores per test, meeting the requirement of early warnings. The whole analysis from the sample input to readout could be completed within 90 min, including 30 min for fungal DNA release and 45 min for LAMP analysis. The integrated DNA release device and microfluidic chip were portable, showing tremendous potential in point-of-care tests of airborne fungi.

A LAMP-based microfluidic module for rapid detection of pathogen in cryptococcal meningitis.

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a global threat with significant attributable morbidity and mortality. Information on microfluidic detection for CM diagnosis is still limited. We developed a multifunctional microfluidic module that integrated the pathogen enrichment and on-chip nucleic acid extraction. The module adopted a simple filtration membrane to effectively capture Cryptococcus cells and simplify the process, and combined lyticase digestion, alkaline lysis and heating methods to optimize the strategy to achieve nucleic acid extraction. The entire process was operated in the module, which reduced the exposure risk of directly processing cryptococcal samples. A portable one-pot lyophilized LAMP reagent bead with no temperature limit was developed, which improved the flexibility of operation. This module did not require any additional instrument, and is promising to develop a simple, rapid, and efficient approach to realize the "sample in and answer out" detection of real CSF samples. This microfluidic module had practical prospects and is expected to replace LFA for efficacy evaluation and follow-up in the middle and late stages of CM treatment, and could be used as an auxiliary method to confirm cases with questionable LFA results in the early diagnosis of CM.

Cytotoxicity analysis of biomass combustion particles in human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells on an air-liquid interface/dynamic culture platform.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to indoor air pollution from solid fuel combustion is associated with lung diseases and cancer. This study investigated the cytotoxicity and molecular mechanisms of biomass combustion-derived particles in human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells (HPAEpiC) using a platform that combines air-liquid interface (ALI) and dynamic culture (DC) systems. METHODS: HPAEpiC were cultured on the surface of polycarbonate (PC) membranes on the ALI-DC platform. The cells were sprayed with an aerosolized solution of biomass combustion soluble constituents (BCSCs) and simultaneously nourished with culture medium flowing beneath the permeable PC membranes. The ALI-DC method was compared with the traditional submerged culture approach. BCSC particle morphology and dosages deposited on the chip were determined for particle characterization. Flow cytometry, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the apoptosis rate of HPAEpiC and changes in the cell ultrastructure induced by BCSCs. Additionally, the underlying apoptotic pathway was examined by determining the protein expression levels by western blotting. RESULTS: Scanning electron microscope images demonstrated that the sample processing and delivering approach of the ALI-DC platform were suitable for pollutant exposure. Compared with the submerged culture method, a significant decline in cell viability and increase in apoptosis rate was observed after BCSC exposure on the ALI-DC platform, indicating that the ALI-DC platform is a more sensitive system for investigating cytotoxicity of indoor air pollutants in lung cells. The morphology and ultrastructure of the cells were damaged after exposure to BCSCs, and the p53 pathway was activated. The Bcl-2/Bax ratio was reduced, upregulating caspase-9 and caspase-3 expression and subsequently inducing apoptosis of HPAEpiC. The addition of N-acetyl cysteine antioxidant significantly alleviated the cytotoxicity induced by BCSCs. CONCLUSION: A novel ALI-DC platform was developed to study the cytotoxicity of air pollutants on lung cells. Using the platform, we demonstrated that BCSCs could damage the mitochondria, produce reactive oxygen species, and activate p53 in HPAEpiC, ultimately inducing apoptosis.

2D Materials Enabled Next-Generation Integrated Optoelectronics: from Fabrication to Applications.

2D materials, such as graphene, black phosphorous and transition metal dichalcogenides, have gained persistent attention in the past few years thanks to their unique properties for optoelectronics. More importantly, introducing 2D materials into silicon photonic devices will greatly promote the performance of optoelectronic devices, including improvement of response speed, reduction of energy consumption, and simplification of fabrication process. Moreover, 2D materials meet the requirements of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor compatible silicon photonic manufacturing. A comprehensive overview and evaluation of state-of-the-art 2D photonic integrated devices for telecommunication applications is provided, including light sources, optical modulators, and photodetectors. Optimized by unique structures such as photonic crystal waveguide, slot waveguide, and microring resonator, these 2D material-based photonic devices can be further improved in light-matter interactions, providing a powerful design for silicon photonic integrated circuits.

Photosynthetic and physiological responses to acetochlor in paired near-isogenic lines of waxy maize (Zea mays L.).

Acetochlor is always used in maize (Zea mays L.) fields as a common pre-emergence herbicide. In this field study, we investigated the effects of acetochlor on the photosynthetic characteristics, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and antioxidant enzyme activities in acetochlor-resistant (BWC95) and acetochlor-sensitive (BWC12) near-isogenic lines. We sprayed acetochlor after sowing, using water treatment as the control. After spraying acetochlor, the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and the function of chloroplasts were significantly lower in BWC12 than BWC95, whereas the intercellular CO2 concentrations and stomatal limitation values were higher. In addition to nonphotochemical quenching, chlorophyll fluorescence measurements obtained using leaves showed that the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII), actual photochemical efficiency of PSII, photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence, and electron transport rate were higher in BWC95 than BWC12 after acetochlor treatment. H2O2 and O2˙- levels were higher in BWC12 than BWC95, which resulted in severe membrane lipid peroxidation due to sustained oxidative stress. Thus, the malondialdehyde content increased significantly with the exposure time in BWC12, and the antioxidant enzyme activities were lower in BWC12 than BWC95. The results show that acetochlor resistance is directly related to a high photosynthetic rate and a protective antioxidant enzyme system.

A disc-chip based high-throughput acute toxicity detection system.

Acute toxicity assay presents vital significance in modern environmental monitoring, including online detection and in-situ assay for emergency events. Although photobacteria related detection methods were established and verified in the past decades with combination of photomultiplier tube (PMT), the price and size of PMT sensor hampered application of rapid acute toxicity assay and detection system miniaturization, especially in the resource-limited occasions. Wide application of smartphones with great low-light performance cameras could be used in photobacteria-based toxicity assay instead of the PMT methods. Herein a box-type portable detection system had been successfully established, including a disc-chip for detection, detection device, and smartphones with a high-performance camera. The system performed well showing stable temperature and rotation control. Results captured by CMOS-based camera presented a linear relationship with PMT-based detection method. An image progress algorithm was also established and tested by series diluted zinc sulfate solution as a reference substance. The system also performed well for toxicity analysis for real Atmospheric particle matter sample. The system could be used in some environmental monitoring scenarios as an alternative solution.

On-site analysis of COVID-19 on the surfaces in wards.

SARS-Cov-2 has erupted across the globe, and confirmed cases of COVID-19 pose a high infection risk. Infected patients typically receive their treatment in specific isolation wards, where they are confined for at least 14 days. The virus may contaminate any surface of the room, especially frequently touched surfaces. Therefore, surface contamination in wards should be monitored for disease control and hygiene purposes. Herein, surface contamination in the ward was detected on-site using an RNA extraction-free rapid method. The whole detection process, from surface sample collection to readout of the detection results, was finished within 45 min. The nucleic acid extraction-free method requires minimal labor. More importantly, the tests were performed on-site and the results were obtained almost in real-time. The test confirmed that 31 patients contaminated seven individual sites. Among the sampled surfaces, the electrocardiogram fingertip presented a 72.7% positive rate, indicating that this surface is an important hygiene site. Meanwhile, the bedrails showed the highest correlation with other surfaces, so should be detected daily. Another surface with high contamination risk was the door handle in the bathroom. To our knowledge, we present the first on-site analysis of COVID-19 surface contamination in wards. The results and applied technique provide a potential further reference for disease control and hygiene suggestions.

Rapid Detection of Influenza Virus Subtypes Based on an Integrated Centrifugal Disc.

Influenza is a zoonotic disease, infecting a wide variety of warm-blooded animals. It is caused by an influenza virus, which has been found with hundreds of subtypes. These subtypes are often associated with different sources of infection and possess complex courses of infection. In the early stage of influenza infection, rapid subtype detection is very practicable to prevent the disease from getting worse. Herein, we presented a high-throughput microfluidic centrifugal disc for rapid detection of influenza virus subtypes. The disc realized detection reagent preloads, automated reagent control, and RT-LAMP detections. Six kinds of highly pathogenic influenza viruses could be simultaneously identified, including influenza A subtypes H1, H3, H5, H7, and H9 and influenza B virus. Two different fluorescent dyes could be used on the disc for real-time detection or read by the naked eye. The performance of the disc was demonstrated by testing the clinical samples. The integrated centrifugal disc was expected for rapid detection of influenza virus subtypes to facilitate accurate drug usage in resource-constrained settings and contribute to reduce the risk of the influenza pandemic.

Effect of the Formation of Amorphous Networks on the Structure and Hydration Characteristics of Granulated Blast Furnace Slag.

The slag obtained in the process of pig iron smelting has been widely used, but the variational hydration activity always is a significant factor affecting its quality. In this experiment, the laboratory simulated slag was prepared by adjusting the chemical composition and cooling method. The experiment primary characterized the structure and hydration process with different types of slag by using MAS NMR, XRD, compressive strength, ICP, SEM, and hydration heat, then obtained the influence of the composition of the network former S/A (the mass ratio of SiO2 and Al2O3 in chemical composition) and amorphous phase content on its structure and hydration activity. The result shows that lowering the S/A value can reduce the degree of vitreous polymerization in the slag; reducing the S/A value of the slag can make the slag hydration time advance, and consequently, the cumulative exotherm increases, the liquid phase Ca/Si and Al/Si ionic ratio increases, and the hydration product changes from C-S-H gel to C-A-S-H gel, which ultimately leads to an increase in compressive strength. In the high S/A value slag, the formation of the trace crystal phase of gehlenite is beneficial to reduce the degree of polymerization of the amorphous.

Performance of integrated optical switches based on 2D materials and beyond.

Applications of optical switches, such as signal routing and data-intensive computing, are critical in optical interconnects and optical computing. Integrated optical switches enabled by two-dimensional (2D) materials and beyond, such as graphene and black phosphorus, have demonstrated many advantages in terms of speed and energy consumption compared to their conventional silicon-based counterparts. Here we review the state-of-the-art of optical switches enabled by 2D materials and beyond and organize them into several tables. The performance tables and future projections show the frontiers of optical switches fabricated from 2D materials and beyond, providing researchers with an overview of this field and enabling them to identify existing challenges and predict promising research directions.