Fe, N, S co-doped cellulose paper carbon fibers as an air-cathode catalyst for microbial fuel cells.

The heteroatoms and transition metal co-doped carbon-based catalysts are an important way to improve the catalytic activity of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, we reported a facile method to obtain iron, nitrogen, and sulfur co-doped cellulose paper carbon fibers as catalysts (Fe-N-S/CFs) for ORR in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with the adsorption recovery of Congo red molecules from dye wastewater. The thermal treatment promoted the etching of carbon surface by ferric ions, resulting in increased surface roughness for forming the defective carbon structure. The rich active species and defective carbon formed on the etched surface to enhance the electroactive surface area and effective sites. Fe-N-S/CFs catalysts achieved high half-wave potential due to the synergy effect between chemical components and defect structures. The assembled single-chamber air cathode MFC gained a high maximum power density of 1773 ± 40 mW m-2 versus Pt/C MFC of 1325 ± 94 mW m-2. This work provides a strategy for recovering dye molecules from wastewater to prepare non-precious metal catalysts for enhancing ORR activity.

Analysis of the biological activities of Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing intracellular EGF, extracellular EGF, and tagged EGF in early-weaned rats.

A growing number of studies suggest that epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays an important role in early-weaned animals. The objective of this experiment was to compare the biological activity of intracellularly expressed EGF (IE-EGF), extracellularly expressed EGF (EE-EGF), and tagged EGF (T-EGF) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) both in vivo and in vitro. Strains of S. cerevisiae expressing IE-EGF, EE-EGF, and T-EGF were designated INVSc1-IE(+), INVSc1-EE(+), and INVSc1-TE(-), respectively. The production performance, intestinal development, physio-biochemical indexes, and immunological function of early-weaned rats were measured in vivo to evaluate the biological activity of IE-EGF, EE-EGF, and T-EGF. In addition, the proliferation of rat enterocyte was also measured in vitro. In the in vivo experiment, the recombinant S. cerevisiae was shown to survive throughout the intestinal tract. The production performance (e.g., body weight) and intestinal development (e.g., mean villous height, crypt depth, total protein, DNA, and RNA) of the rats were significantly enhanced in the INVSc1-IE(+) group compared with the INVSc1-EE(+) and INVSc1-TE(-) groups (P < 0.05). However, the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) showed no difference in the INVSc1-IE(+) group compared to the INVSc1-EE(+) and INVSc1-TE(-) groups (P > 0.05), with the only significant difference being found for creatine kinase (CK) (P < 0.05). In the in vitro experiment, the proliferation of enterocyte was significantly stimulated by both IE-EGF and EE-EGF compared with T-EGF (P < 0.05). Herein, IE-EGF is more suitable for application to early-weaned animals compared with EE-EGF and T-EGF.

Muscle function is superior to muscle mass in predicting 90-day mortality in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Low muscle mass has been found to be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. However, data regarding the prognostic role of low muscle function are limited. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the predictive effect of low muscle function on 90-d mortality in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. METHODS: This prospective study consecutively enrolled acute-on-chronic liver failure patients from March 2021 to October 2022. Muscle function was assessed using the liver frailty index, and the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve with the highest Youden index was used to determine the optimal cutoff values of liver frailty index for diagnosing low muscle function. RESULTS: The study included 126 acute-on-chronic liver failure patients. The median liver frailty index was 3.89 (0.83), with 51 (40.5) patients classified as having low muscle function. Multivariate Cox analysis identified low muscle function (hazard ratio = 4.309; 95% CI, 1.795-10.345; P = 0.001) and number of organ failures (hazard ratio = 4.202; 95% CI, 2.040-8.656; P < 0.001) as independent risk factors for 90-d mortality. However, the multivariate analysis did not retain the significant effect of low muscle mass. Furthermore, multivariable logistic analysis revealed that age (odds ratio = 1.042; 95% CI, 1.002-1.083; P = 0.038), organ failures (odds ratio = 2.572; 95% CI, 1.331-4.968; P = 0.005), and low muscle mass (odds ratio = 6.607; 95% CI, 2.579-16.927; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for low muscle function. CONCLUSIONS: The prognostic value of low muscle function was found superior to that of low muscle mass in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. Therefore, it is important to assess the muscle function and develop potential targeted treatment strategies in this population.

Association of myosteatosis with short-term outcomes in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Sarcopenia (low muscle mass, i.e., quantity) is associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). In this study, we aimed to illustrate the clinical prognostic value of myosteatosis (muscle fat infiltration) for short-term mortality in patients with ACLF. We retrospectively enrolled consecutive patients with ACLF between January 2019 and January 2022. Computed tomography-based body composition analysis was performed at the third lumbar vertebral level to determine skeletal muscle radiation attenuation. Fine and Gray's competing risk regression model, with liver transplantation as a competing risk, was used to assess the factors associated with 90-day mortality. A total of 431 patients with ACLF were included. Myosteatosis and sarcopenia were observed in 261 (60.6%) and 87 (20.2%) patients, respectively. Competitive risk regression showed that age (HR 1.021, 95% CI 1.000-1.043, P = 0.042), APASL ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) score (HR 1.498, 95% CI 1.312-1.710, P < 0.001), and sarcopenia (HR 1.802, 95% CI 1.062-3.060, P = 0.029) were independently associated with increased 90-day mortality. Subgroup analysis of male patients with HBV-ACLF revealed that myosteatosis (HR 2.119, 95% CI 1.101-4.078, P = 0.025) was promising prognostic factors for 90-day mortality after being adjusted for ascites, acute kidney injury, AARC score, and sarcopenia. Myosteatosis is predictive of short-term outcomes in male patients with HBV-ACLF. Our results emphasise the importance of focusing on muscle fat infiltration in patients with HBV-ACLF. Further studies are warranted to investigate the underlying mechanisms and potential therapies for myosteatosis.

Electron transfer and surface activity of NiCoP-wrapped MXene: cathodic catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction.

NiCoP constructed on a conductive substrate can achieve efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic activity. Herein, we report the in-situ growth of NiCoP on the surface of an MXene nanosheet (MXene@NiCoP). The MXene nanosheet accelerated the electron transfer and enhanced the surface activity of the NiCoP. Density functional theory calculations indicated that MXene@NiCoP possessed the advantages of a low overpotential and high OH* adsorption energy in the ORR process. MXene@NiCoP proved to be a highly active catalyst for the ORR with a half-wave potential of 0.71 V vs. RHE. The assembled single-chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cell obtained high electricity generation performance.

TWEAK/Fn14 promotes the proliferation and collagen synthesis of rat cardiac fibroblasts via the NF-кB pathway.

We wished to elucidate a potential role of the tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK)/fibroblast growth factor-inducible molecule 14 (Fn14) axis in myocardial fibrosis. Stimulation of neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) with TWEAK could increase CFs numbers and collagen synthesis. Conversely, when CFs were pretreated with siRNA against Fn14, induction of cell proliferation and collagen synthesis by TWEAK were inhibited. Pretreatment with TWEAK on CFs induced activation of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-кB) pathway and subsequently increased the production of metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Cell treatment with siRNA against Fn14 led to inhibition of the NF-кB pathway. Additionally, after stimulation of cell with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, cell proliferation and collagen synthesis induced by NF-кB and the upregulation of MMP-9 production were inhibited. The present study suggested that the TWEAK/Fn14 axis increased cell proliferation and collagen synthesis by activating the NF-кB pathway and increasing MMP-9 activity. This axis may be important for regulating myocardial fibrosis.

[Adult oviposition and larvae feeding behavior of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on tobacco plants after infested by B-biotype Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)].

To understand the effects of the defense responses of tobacco plants induced by the infesting of B-biotype Bemisia tabaci to Spodoptera litura, and to explore the mechanisms of the interspecific interactions between B-biotype B. tabaci and S. litura, a laboratory experiment was conducted to study the effects of tobacco plants after infested by B-biotype B. tabaci on the adult oviposition selection and the larvae feeding, anti-feeding, and other feeding behaviors of S. litura. Comparing with that on control plants, the egg number oviposited by adult S. litura on the infested plants decreased by 40.9%. The plant leaves infested had great repellent effect to the newly-hatched S. litura larvae, while the middle leaves and the leaves with systemic damage symptom (white-vein) had definite attractive effect. Unexpanded terminal leaves had no effects on the host selection of S. litura larvae. The S. litura larvae had significant anti-feeding behavior on the leaves infested, being more notable than that on the leaves with white-vein. On the leaves infested and with white-vein, the feeding times per unit duration or the feeding percentage of S. litura larvae decreased, the time of initiating feeding prolonged, and the total feeding area declined significantly, compared with the control. In conclusion, the tobacco plants after infested by B-biotype B. tabaci had negative effects on the adult oviposition and larvae feeding of S. litura, and the results of the study would be useful in understanding the population dynamics of tobacco pests and their management.