VR23 and Bisdemethoxycurcumin Enhanced Nanofiber Niche with Durable Bidirectional Functions for Promoting Wound Repair and Inhibiting Scar Formation.

Chronic wounds pose a significant clinical challenge worldwide, which is characterized by impaired tissue regeneration and excessive scar formation due to over-repair. Most studies have focused on developing wound repair materials that either facilitate the healing process or control hyperplastic scars caused by over-repair, respectively. However, there are limited reports on wound materials that can both promote wound healing and prevent scar hyperplasia at the same time. In this study, VR23-loaded dendritic mesoporous bioglass nanoparticles (dMBG) are synthesized and electrospun in poly(ester-curcumin-urethane)urea (PECUU) random composite nanofibers (PCVM) through the synergistic effects of physical adsorption, hydrogen bond, and electrospinning. The physicochemical characterization reveals that PCVM presented matched mechanical properties, suitable porosity, and wettability, and enabled sustained and temporal release of VR23 and BDC with the degradation of PCVM. In vitro experiments demonstrated that PCVM can modulate the functions and polarization of macrophages under an inflammatory environment, and possess effective anti-scarring potential and reliable cytocompatibility. Animal studies further confirmed that PCVM can efficiently promote re-epithelialization and angiogenesis and reduce excessive inflammation, thereby remarkably accelerating wound healing while preventing potential scarring. These findings suggest that the prepared PCVM holds promise as a bidirectional regulatory dressing for effectively promoting scar-free healing of chronic wounds.

Sinomenine protects against atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice by inhibiting of inflammatory pathway.

Atherosclerosis, a multifaceted and persistent inflammatory condition, significantly contributes to the progression of cardiocerebrovascular disorders, such as myocardial infarctions and cerebrovascular accidents. It involves the accumulation of cholesterol, fatty deposits, calcium and cellular debris in the walls of arteries, leading to the formation of plaques. Our aim is to investigate the potential of sinomenine to counteract atherosclerosis in mice lacking Apolipoprotein E (ApoE-/-) Mice. We employed the high-fat diet-induced method to induce atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice, and the mice were treated with sinomenine (5, 10, and 15 mg/kg) and simvastatin (0.5 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. Body weight, water intake, and food intake were assessed. Lipid parameters, oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, and mRNA levels were estimated. Sinomenine treatment remarkably (P < 0.001) suppressed body weight, along with food and water intake. Sinomenine altered the levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), which were modulated in the atherosclerosis group. Sinomenine treatment also altered the levels of oxidative stress parameters such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH). In addition, it modulated cardiac parameters like C-reactive protein (CRP), endothelin-1 (ET-1), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), nitric oxide (NO), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatinine kinase isoenzymes (CK-MB). Inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 were also affected. Sinomenine further suppressed the mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-17, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Il-1ß, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), MCP-2, MCP-3, transforming Growth Factor-1ß (TGF-1ß), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). The results suggest that sinomenine remarkably suppressed the development of atherosclerosis in the early stage.

On-site detection of Sporothrix globosa using immunoglobulin Y, magnetic separation and loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

BACKGROUND: Sporothrix globosa (S. globosa) is an agricultural activity-related but neglected pathogenic fungus responsible for sporotrichosis. Timely detection is crucial for managing and preventing its spread. However, due to the lack of efficient recognition elements for enriching S. globosa, the current approaches for detecting S. globosa are not simple and/or sensitive enough. This hinders their wider application of fast screening. RESULTS: Herein, we successfully prepared immunoglobulin Y (IgY) targeting S. globosa, and developed a rapid and accurate detection method, improving upon current limited and inadequate detection approaches. Our method combined the use of IgY and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to enhance detection sensitivity and specificity simultaneously. The IgY was fabricated on magnetic beads to specifically concentrate S. globosa in samples, while LAMP amplified the captured target after simple boiling DNA extraction. By using our method, as low as 4.66 × 102 Cells mL-1S. globosa was accurately detected in soil and corn straw samples. We further integrated this assay into a portable toolbox for sample-to-result detection in resource-limited areas. By using this toolbox, we have colorimetrically detected soil and corn straw samples contaminated by S. globosa, suggesting the promising on-site detection potential. SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY: A new IgY recognizing S. globosa was prepared. Through the combination of IgY enrichment and LAMP amplification, the detection sensitivity and specificity were improved simultaneously. This method eliminated thermal cycling, simplified the operation, and reduced the analysis time. Compared to existing methods, our approach is more suitable for on-site detection and can significantly improve public health responses to sporotrichosis outbreaks.

Advances of Strategies to Increase the Surface Charge Density of Triboelectric Nanogenerators: A Review.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have manifested a remarkable potential for harvesting environmental energy and have the prospects to be utilized for various uses, for instance, self-powered sensing devices, flexible wearables, and marine corrosion protection. However, the potential for further development of TENGs is restricted on account of their low output power that in turn is determined by their surface charge density. The current review majorly focuses on the selection and optimization of triboelectric materials. Subsequently, various methods capable of enhancing the surface charge density of TENGs, including environmental regulation, charge excitation, charge pumping, electrostatic breakdown, charge trapping, and liquid-solid structure are comprehensively reviewed. Lastly, the review is concluded by highlighting the existing challenges in enhancing the surface charge density of TENGs and exploring potential opportunities for future research endeavors in this area.

Near-Zero Quiescent Power Sound Wake-Up and Identification System Based on a Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

Sound monitoring has been widely used in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT), in which the sensors are mainly powered by batteries with high power consumption and limited life. Here, a near-zero quiescent power sound wake-up and identification system based on a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is proposed, in which the sound TENG (S-TENG) is used for ambient sound energy harvesting and system activation. Once the sound intensity is higher than 65 dB, the converted and stored electric energy by the S-TENG can wake up the system within 0.5 s. By integrating a deep learning technique, the system is used for identifying sound sources, such as drilling, child playing, dog barking, and street music. In the active mode, the sound signals are recorded by a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone and then sent to a remote computer for sound recognition through a wireless transmitter within 2.8 s. In the standby mode, the ambient sound is not enough to wake up the system, and the quiescent power consumption is only 55 nW. This work provides a triboelectric sensor-based ultralow quiescent power sound wake-up system, which has shown excellent application prospects in smart homes, unmanned monitoring, and the Internet of Things.

MASTR Pouch: Palm-size lab for point-of-care detection of Mpox using recombinase polymerase amplification and CRISPR technology.

Mpox (formerly referred as Monkeypox) outbreak has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. However, traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic technology is not ideal for on-site applications. To conduct the sample-to-result Mpox viral particles detection outside the laboratories, we developed an easy-to-operate palm-size pouch, termed Mpox At-home Self-Test and point-of-caRe Pouch (MASTR Pouch). In this MASTR Pouch, the fast and accurate visualization was achieved by incorporating recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas12a system. From viral particle lysis to naked eye readout, MASTR Pouch required only four simple steps to accomplish the analysis process within 35 min. Fifty-three Mpox pseudo-viral particles in exudate (10.6 particles/µL) were able to be detected. To verify the practicability, 104 mock Mpox clinical exudate specimens were tested. The clinical sensitivities were determined to be 91.7%- 95.8%. There was no false-positive result, validating the 100% clinical specificity. MASTR Pouch approaches the WHO's ASSURD criteria for point-of-care diagnostic, which will be beneficial for mitigating Mpox's global spread. The versatility potential of MASTR Pouch could further revolutionize infection diagnosis.

Enhanced phosphorus fixation in red mud-amended acidic soil subjected to periodic flooding-drying and straw incorporation.

Globally, red mud is a solid waste from the aluminum industry, which is rich in iron oxides. It is an effective soil amendment in agriculture that protects connected waters from legacy diffuse phosphorus (P) soil losses. However, other management practices such as flooding and drying and/or organic carbon inputs could potentially alter P fixation in these red mud-amended soils thereby releasing P to waters. The present study was designed and conducted to monitor the mobilization of P in a red mud-amended acidic soil subjected to periodic flooding-drying, straw incorporation, and a mix of both management practices. Sequential extraction and K edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (k-XANES) were employed to distinguish P fractions/species and the Langmuir model was fitted to evaluate soil P sorption capacity. The content of labile P indicated by CaCl2-P was increased significantly by 101% and 28.7% in the straw incorporation and periodic flooding-drying treatments, while it decreased significantly by 22.3% in the combined periodic flooding-drying with straw incorporation treatment, compared with Control. The inherent phosphate contained in sorghum straw, and the enhanced iron (Fe) reduction and dissolution of Calcium (Ca)-bound P induced by straw addition contributed to mobilization of P in the straw incorporation treatment. In contrast, the increased poorly crystalline Al/Fe oxides-bound P and occluded Fe-bound P fraction in the combined periodic flooding-drying with straw incorporation treatment explains the decrease in CaCl2-P. Furthermore, the increased soil P sorption capacity and the decreased P desorption rate were also responsible for the reduced P loss risk in the treatment. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that organically complexed Fe and Fe-bound P were directly affecting P mobilization in the amended soil. Overall, the present study shows that appropriate flooding-drying events coupled with straw incorporation could be a mitigation practice for stabilizing P in red mud-amended soil. However, before it can be applied on a wide scale, multi-point and field trials should be carried out to further evaluate actual environmental implications.

Analysis of the Development Status and Prospect of China's Agricultural Sensor Market under Smart Agriculture.

Agricultural sensors are essential technologies for smart agriculture, which can transform non-electrical physical quantities such as environmental factors. The ecological elements inside and outside of plants and animals are converted into electrical signals for control system recognition, providing a basis for decision-making in smart agriculture. With the rapid development of smart agriculture in China, agricultural sensors have ushered in opportunities and challenges. Based on a literature review and data statistics, this paper analyzes the market prospects and market scale of agricultural sensors in China from four perspectives: field farming, facility farming, livestock and poultry farming and aquaculture. The study further predicts the demand for agricultural sensors in 2025 and 2035. The results reveal that China's sensor market has a good development prospect. However, the paper garnered the key challenges of China's agricultural sensor industry, including a weak technical foundation, poor enterprise research capacity, high importation of sensors and a lack of financial support. Given this, the agricultural sensor market should be comprehensively distributed in terms of policy, funding, expertise and innovative technology. In addition, this paper highlighted integrating the future development direction of China's agricultural sensor technology with new technologies and China's agricultural development needs.

Phosphorus transformation behavior and phosphorus cycling genes expression in food waste composting with hydroxyapatite enhanced by phosphate-solubilizing bacteria.

This study aimed to explore the effect of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) Bacillus inoculation in the cooling stage on hydroxyapatite dissolution, phosphorus (P) forms transformation, and bacterial P cycling genes in food waste composting with hydroxyapatite. Results indicated that PSB inoculation promoted the dissolution of hydroxyapatite, increased P availability of compost by 8.1% and decreased the ratio of organic P to inorganic P by 10.2% based on sequential fractionation and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Illumina sequencing indicated Bacillus relative abundance after inoculation increased up to one time higher than control after the cooling stage. Network analysis and metabolic function of bacterial community analysis suggested inorganic P solubilizing genes of Bacillus and organic P mineralization genes of other genera were improved after inoculation in the core module. Therefore, bioaugmentation of PSB in the cooling stage may be a potential way to improve P bioavailability of bone and food waste in composting.

Supplying amendments alleviates aluminum toxicity and regulates cadmium accumulation by spinach in strongly acidic soils.

Al toxicity and Cd pollution are key limiting factors for agricultural production in the acidic soils in China. The application of amendments is an effective and promising measure for remediating strongly acidic Cd-contaminated soils. However, the information on applying amendments for alleviating Al toxicity and regulating plant Cd accumulation is still rare. Here, oyster shell (OS), red mud (RM), hydroxyapatite (HAP), and biochar (BC) at 30 g kg-1 were investigated for alleviating Al toxicity and decreasing Cd accumulation in spinach plants. The results showed that four amendments significantly increased soil pH, and reduced soil exchangeable Al3+ and DTPA-Cd, promoted spinach growth (P < 0.05). Al(OH)30 and Al-HA were the main forms of active Al in soil. The BC and OS were more effective to alleviate Al toxicity but significantly (P < 0.05) increased Cd accumulation in spinach. RM and HAP effectively reduced the uptake of Cd by spinach plants as well as alleviated Al toxicity (P < 0.05). Bivariate correlation analysis and the partial least squares path modeling analysis indicated that soil exchangeable Al3+ was the main limiting factor for biomass production. Our study demonstrated that HAP could significantly alleviate Al toxicity, promote spinach growth, and decrease Cd accumulation in strongly acidic Cd-contaminated soils. Besides, OS and BC effectively alleviated soil Al toxicity leading to promoting the growth of spinach. Compared with CK, RM treatment significantly reduced soil Cd bioavailability (61.2%) and decreased Cd concentration and uptake of spinach plants by 90.0% and 50.7%. These results indicated that RM could be used as an efficient amendment in Cd contaminated.

Effects of phosphorus-containing material application on soil cadmium bioavailability: a meta-analysis.

Diverse phosphorus-containing materials (PCMs) were widely applied in remediation of cadmium-contaminated soils, and their effects on the change of soil cadmium availability (SCA) varied with their physicochemical characteristics and environmental conditions. Investigation on the effect of various PCMs on reducing SCA under different conditions favors the safe utilization of Cd-contaminated soil. Herein, a meta-analysis of literature published before August 2021 was carried out. A total of 342 independent observations were obtained from 42 published papers which included 9 factors that may affect the passivation effect of fertilizer content: phosphorus type, phosphorus application rate, soil pH, soil CEC, soil organic matter, experiment type, and time. Results of boosted regression tree analysis showed that the application rate is the most important factor contributing to the SCA, followed by soil pH and duration. Results of this meta-analysis showed that medium P input shows potential for reactivating the SCA. Under alkaline soil conditions and high soil CEC values, PCM input can better deactivate SCA. In addition, the difference from the previous understanding is that under the medium input of phosphorus-containing fertilizer (90-500 mg P∙kg-1), it will significantly increase the content of available cadmium in soil. In addition, future recommendation for exploring novel PCMs and suitable strategies for controlling the SCA though PCM application were also proposed. Our works may promote the interpretation of the interference factors on the SCA changes and fill the research gaps on utilization of PCM in Cd-polluted soil remediation.

The Response of Spore Germination of Sphagnum Mosses to Single and Combined Fire-Related Cues.

Plants in flammable ecosystems have different response strategies to fire, such as increasing germination after exposure to smoke and break of dormancy through heat shock. Peatlands are ecosystems that are more likely to be disturbed by fire with increasing temperatures, but it is not clear how fire affects spore germination of Sphagnum, the dominant plants in peatlands. Here, we hypothesize that Sphagnum spores respond positively to single and combined treatments of moderate heat and smoke (by increased germinability), while spore germinability decreases in response to high temperature. We exposed the Sphagnum spores of four selected species (S. angustifolium, S. fuscum, S. magellanicum and S. squarrosum) collected from peatlands in the Changbai Mountains to heat (40, 60 and 100 °C), on its own and combined with smoke-water treatments. Our results showed that a heat of 100 °C inhibited the spore germination or even killed spores of all species, while spore germination of three (Sphagnumangustifolium, S. fuscum and S. squarrosum) of the four species was promoted by 40 and 60 °C heat compared to the control (20 °C). Hollow species (S. angustifolium and S. squarrosum) showed a stronger positive responsive to heat than hummock species (S. fuscum and S. magellanicum). Sphagnumfuscum spores responded positively to the combined heat and smoke treatment while the other species did not. For the first time, we demonstrate the positive effects of heat on its own and in combination with smoke on spore germination in wetland mosses, which may be important for the establishment and persistence of peatmoss populations after fire.

Synergistic effects of ball-milled biochar-supported exfoliated LDHs on phosphate adsorption: Insights into role of fine biochar support.

Although biochar supports were widely adopted to fabricate the biochar (BC) supported layered double hydroxides (LDHs) composites (LDH-BC) for efficient environmental remediation, few studies focus on the important role of biochar support in alleviating the stacking of LDHs and enhancing LDH-BC's performance. Through the analysis of the material structure-performance relationship, the "support effect" of fine biochar prepared by ball milling was carefully explored. Compared with the original LDHs on LDH-BC, the LDHs on ball milled biochar (LDH-BMBC) had smaller particle size (from 1123 nm to 586 nm), crystallite size (from 20.5 nm to 6.56 nm), more abundant O-containing functional groups, and larger surface area (370 m2 g-1) and porous structure. The Langmuir model revealed that the maximum theoretical phosphate adsorption capacity of LDH-BMBC (56.2 mg P g-1) was significantly higher than that of LDH-BC (27.6 mg P g-1). The leaching experiment proved that the addition of LDH-BMBC in calcareous soil could significantly reduce the release of soil total phosphate (46.1%) and molybdate reactive phosphate (40.4%), even though pristine BC and BMBC significantly enhanced the soil phosphate leaching. This work fabricated high-performance and eco-friendly LDH-BMBC for phosphate adsorption in solution and phosphate retention in soil and also provide valuable insights into fine biochar support effect on LDHs exfoliation, extending the practical use of the engineered ball milled biochars in environment remediation.

New insights into ball milling effects on MgAl-LDHs exfoliation on biochar support: A case study for cadmium adsorption.

Ball milling (BM) as a solvent-free technology has been widely used to tailor the biochar-based adsorbents with high porosity and well dispersion for enhancing their environmental applications. In this study, the ball-milled layered double hydroxides (LDHs) biochar composite (B-LDHs-BC) was successfully fabricated with BM method for Cd(II) adsorption and the BM effects on the LDHs-BC structure-performance relationships were investigated. The solid-state characterization demonstrated the LDHs were successfully exfoliated by BM on the B-LDHs-BC surface which was identified by the enlarged basal spacing and reduced crystallite size of the LDHs. Although the BET surface area of B-LDHs-BC (226 m2/g) was slightly lower than the ball-milled BC, the B-LDHs-BC had more O-containing functional groups and higher adsorption capacity (119 mg/g). The kinetics experiments indicated that the Cd(II) removal by B-LDHs-BC was through both the physical and chemical adsorption processes, and the liquid membrane diffusion was the rate-controlling step. The positive BM effects mainly induced more abundant acidic functional groups and active adsorption sites, and thus enhanced Cd(II) performance of B-LDHs-BC. This work demonstrated a facile solvent-free method for production of the exfoliated LDHs modified BC composite, and also well illustrated the BM effects which can extend their practical use in environment.

Developmental programming and lineage branching of early human telencephalon.

The dorsal and ventral human telencephalons contain different neuronal subtypes, including glutamatergic, GABAergic, and cholinergic neurons, and how these neurons are generated during early development is not well understood. Using scRNA-seq and stringent validations, we reveal here a developmental roadmap for human telencephalic neurons. Both dorsal and ventral telencephalic radial glial cells (RGs) differentiate into neurons via dividing intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs_div) and early postmitotic neuroblasts (eNBs). The transcription factor ASCL1 plays a key role in promoting fate transition from RGs to IPCs_div in both regions. RGs from the regionalized neuroectoderm show heterogeneity, with restricted glutamatergic, GABAergic, and cholinergic differentiation potencies. During neurogenesis, IPCs_div gradually exit the cell cycle and branch into sister eNBs to generate distinct neuronal subtypes. Our findings highlight a general RGs-IPCs_div-eNBs developmental scheme for human telencephalic progenitors and support that the major neuronal fates of human telencephalon are predetermined during dorsoventral regionalization with neuronal diversity being further shaped during neurogenesis and neural circuit integration.

Effects of bamboo biochar on nitrogen conservation during co-composting of layer manure and spent mushroom substrate.

Layer manure (LM) and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) are two kinds of nitrogen (N) rich solid wastes generate in the poultry breeding and agriculture production. Composting is an effective way to recycle the LM and SMS. However, a large amount of N in the LM and SMS was lost via volatilisation during composting, with negative environmental and economic consequences. This study investigated the effect of incorporating biochar at the ratio of 5%, 10%, and 15% (w/w) during co-composting of LM and SMS on ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen oxide (N2O) volatilisation and N retention. After the 35-day composting, the results showed that the pile temperature and seed germination index in biochar treatments were significantly improved in comparison with control treatment. The nitrogen in all treatments was lost in the form of N2O (0.05∼0.1%) and NH3 (13.1∼20.2%). Likewise, the total nitrogen loss was 28.9%, 20.3%, and 24.9%, respectively, of which N2O-N accounts for 0.05∼0.10%. Compared with control treatment, the total amount of NH3 volatilisation in biochar treatments of 5%BC, 10%BC and 15%BC was decreased by 21.2%, 33.1%, and 26.1%, respectively. The total amount of N2O emission was decreased by 39.0%, 13.2%, and 1.6%, respectively. Adding 10% and 15% biochar can significantly reduce NH3 volatilisation while adding 5% biochar treatment didn't significantly reduce NH3 emissions but showed the best performance in reducing N2O emission. The addition of 10% biochar in co-composting of LM and SMS is the recommended dosage that exhibited the best performance in improving composting quality and reducing nitrogen loss.

Mapping germ-layer specification preventing genes in hPSCs via genome-scale CRISPR screening.

Understanding the biological processes that determine the entry of three germ layers of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is a central question in developmental and stem cell biology. Here, we genetically engineered hPSCs with the germ layer reporter and inducible CRISPR/Cas9 knockout system, and a genome-scale screening was performed to define pathways restricting germ layer specification. Genes clustered in the key biological processes, including embryonic development, mRNA processing, metabolism, and epigenetic regulation, were centered in the governance of pluripotency and lineage development. Other than typical pluripotent transcription factors and signaling molecules, loss of function of mesendodermal specifiers resulted in advanced neuroectodermal differentiation, given their inter-germ layer antagonizing effect. Regarding the epigenetic superfamily, microRNAs enriched in hPSCs showed clear germ layer-targeting specificity. The cholesterol synthesis pathway maintained hPSCs via retardation of neuroectoderm specification. Thus, in this study, we identified a full landscape of genetic wiring and biological processes that control hPSC self-renewal and trilineage specification.

A meta-analysis of heavy metal bioavailability response to biochar aging: Importance of soil and biochar properties.

Biochar has been widely applied to remediate the heavy metal-polluted soils, whereas biochar aging can induce the changes of the biochar physic-chemical properties. Afterwards, the bioavailability of heavy metals (BHM) will vary in soils which likely increase the unstable fractions of heavy metals and the following environmental risks. To explore the biochar aging effects on the BHM changes in responses to the variation of experimental conditions and biochar properties, a meta-analysis for the literatures published before May 2020 was conducted. A sum of 257 independent observations from 22 published papers was obtained. The results from the analysis of boosted regression tree showed that the soil pH was the most important factor influencing the BHM changes in biochar amended soil, followed by soil texture, aging time and biochar pyrolysis temperature. The results of this review showed that the BHM was decreased by 16.9%, 28.7% and 6.4% in weakly acid soil (pH 6.00-6.99), coarse- and medium-textured soils, respectively, but increased by 149% and 121% in the alkaline (pH > 8.00) and fine-textured soils. The BHM declined in the soils amended with biochar pyrolyzed at relative high temperature (> 500 °C), and increased during aging in soils amended with biochar pyrolyzed at relatively low temperature (401-500 °C). In terms of diverse immobilized heavy metals, only bioavailable Zn in soil decreased after aging. However, there was no significant changes in Cd, Cu and Pb's bioavalability. Besides, the BHM was decreased by 18.6% within the short-term (less than one year) biochar aging, while showed inverse trend during the longer aging processes. Besides, the application of lignin-enriched biochar may counteract the positive effects of the biochar aging on BHM. Our works may promote the interpretation of the interference factors on the BHM changes and filled the research gaps on biochar aging process in soils.

TLR4 knockout can improve dysfunction of ß-cell by rebalancing proteomics disorders in pancreas of obese rats.

PURPOSE: Studies showed that TLR4 knockout (TLR4KO) could mitigate obesity and insulin resistance induced by high-fat diet in rats. In this study, we further investigated the effects of TLR4KO on islet function and pancreatic proteomics in obese rats by high-fat diet. METHODS: PA-induced lipotoxicity ß-cells, SD and TLR4KO rats were used in this study. iTRAQ was used to screen out meaningful differential proteins.The protein expression level was evaluated by Western blotting; the cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL assay. RESULTS: TLR4KO could reduce inflammatory and regulate body composition in obese rats, and improve ß-cells function. The quantitative analysis of protein revealed that TLR4KO rebalanced proteomics disorders in pancreas of obese rats. In addition, the pathways involved in differential proteins were mainly metabolic pathways, arachidonic acid metabolism, ECM-receptor interaction, pancreatic secretion, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and FoxO signaling pathway. Further analysis of protein-protein interaction (PPI) revealed that Stk39 and Ass1 interacting through Mapk14-Ywhae were node proteins and participated in inflammatory response, carboxylic acid metabolic process, and small molecule metabolic process. In vitro experiments we confirmed that silencing TLR4 can inhibit PA-induced ß-cell apoptosis, insulin secretion disorders, and increase Ass1 expression. While, overexpression of Ass1 in ß-cell inhibited PA or LPS-induced ß-cell damage. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed that TLR4KO could improve dysfunction of ß-cell, and the underlying mechanism might be involved in ebalancing proteomics disorders in pancreas, affecting the expression of Ass1.