Ultrasound-driven radical chain reaction and immunoregulation of piezoelectric-based hybrid coating for treating implant infection.

The poor efficiency of US-responsive coatings on implants restricts their practical application. Immunotherapy that stimulates immune cells to enhance their antibacterial activity is expected to synergize with sonodynamic therapy for treating implant infection effectively and safely. Herein, US-responsive hybrid coatings composed of the oxygen-deficient BaTiO3 nanorod arrays and l-arginine (BaTiO3-x/LA) are designed and prepared on titanium implants for sonocatalytic therapy-cooperated immunotherapy to treat Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. BaTiO3-x/LA can generate more oxidizing reactive oxygen species (ROS, hydroxyl radical (·OH)) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS, peroxynitrite anion (ONOO-)). The construction of nanorod arrays and oxygen defects balances the piezoelectric properties and sonocatalytic capability during US treatment. The generated piezoelectric electric field provides a sufficient driving force to separate electrons and holes, and the oxygen defects attenuate the electron-hole recombination efficiency, consequently increasing the yield of ROS during the US treatment. Moreover, nitric oxide (NO) released by l-arginine reacts with the superoxide radical (·O2-) to produce ONOO-. Since, this radical chain reaction improves the oxidizing ability between bacteria and radicals, the cell membrane (argB, secA2) and DNA (dnaBGXN) are destroyed. The bacterial self-repair mechanism indirectly accelerates bacterial death based on the transcriptome analysis. In addition to participating in the radical chain reaction, NO positively affects macrophage M1 polarization to yield potent phagocytosis to MRSA. As a result, without introducing an extra sonosensitizer, BaTiO3-x/LA exhibits excellent antibacterial activity against MRSA after the US treatment for 15 min. Furthermore, BaTiO3-x/LA facilitates macrophage M2 polarization after implantation and improves osteogenic differentiation. The combined effects of sonodynamic therapy and immunoregulation lead to an effective and safe treatment method for implant-associated infections.

Tailoring the physicochemical properties of starch: impact of integrated ultrasonic and ethanol pretreatment on the oil uptake of infrared fried ginkgo seeds.

BACKGROUND: The structural changes of starch would have a more crucial impact on oil absorption and quality changes in starch-rich fruits and vegetables during frying process with enhanced heat transfer (such as infrared frying). In the present study, the influence of integrated ultrasonic and ethanol (US + ethanol) pretreatment on oil uptake in infrared fried (IF) ginkgo seeds was evaluated regarding modifications in the physicochemical properties of starch. The pretreatment was performed with ultrasonic (40 kHz, 300 W) and ethanol osmotic (95%, v/v) treatment individually or integrated for 40 min. RESULTS: The mass transfer in the pretreatment was facilitated by combined ultrasound and ethanol. The swelling power, solubility, and gelatinization degree of starch was significantly increased. Low-frequency-NMR curves and images revealed that the bound water fraction in ginkgo seeds was increased and the water distribution was homogenized. The results of Fourier transform-infrared spectrum and differential scanning calorimeter revealed that the crystalline regions of starch were reduced and the thermal enthalpy was decreased after US + ethanol pretreatment. The total, surface and structural oil content in IF ginkgo seeds with US + ethanol pretreatment was reduced by 29.10%, 34.52% and 29.73%, respectively. The US + ethanol pretreatment led to a thinner crust layer with increased porosity and smaller-sized pores in the IF ginkgo seeds as observed by stereo microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. CONCLUSION: The changes in structural and physicochemical properties of starch by combined ultrasound and ethanol affect the crust ratio and pore characteristics in fried high-starch fruits and vegetables, thereby reducing oil absorption. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of protective lung ventilation on pulmonary complications after laparoscopic surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Compared with traditional open surgery, laparoscopic surgery is widely used in surgery, with the advantages of being minimally invasive, having good cosmetic effects, and having short hospital stays, but in laparoscopic surgery, pneumoperitoneum and the Trendelenburg position can cause complications, such as atelectasis. Recently, several studies have shown that protective lung ventilation strategies are protective for abdominal surgery, reducing the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). Ventilator-associated lung injury can be reduced by protective lung ventilation, which includes microtidal volume (4-8 mL/kg) ventilation and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). Therefore, we used randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the results on this topic, and RCTs were used for meta-analysis to further evaluate the effect of protective lung ventilation on pulmonary complications in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Methods: In this meta-analysis, we searched the relevant literature contained in six major databases-CNKI, CBM, Wanfang Medical, Cochrane, PubMed, and Web of Science-from their inception to October 15, 2022. After screening the eligible literature, a randomized, controlled method was used to compare the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications when a protective lung ventilation strategy and conventional lung ventilation strategy were applied to laparoscopic surgery. After statistical analysis, the results were verified to be statistically significant. Results: Twenty-three trials were included. Patients receiving protective lung ventilation were 1.17 times less likely to develop pulmonary complications after surgery than those receiving conventional lung ventilation (hazard ratio [RR] 0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-1.22; I2 = 0%). When tested for bias (P = 0.36), the result was statistically significant. Patients with protective lung ventilation were less likely to develop pulmonary complications after laparoscopic surgery. Conclusion: Compared with conventional mechanical ventilation, protective lung ventilation reduces the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications. For patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery, we suggest the use of protective lung ventilation, which is effective in reducing the incidence of lung injury and pulmonary infection. Implementation of a low tidal volume plus moderate positive end-expiratory pressure strategy reduces the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications.

Production of single cell oil by two novel nonconventional yeast strains of Curvibasidium sp. isolated from medicinal lichen.

Oleaginous yeasts utilize renewable resources to produce lipids, which benefits sustainable development, and it is of great interest to screen robust lipid producers. Curvibasidium sp. belongs to nonconventional yeast that are very limitedly studied. Here, two cold-adaptive strains of Curvibasidium sp., namely, Y230 and Y231, isolated from the medicinal lichen Usnea diffracta were investigated for their potential in lipid production. Genome mining of Curvibasidium sp. Y231 was performed, and the special features related to fatty acid biosynthesis were revealed. Glucose, xylose, and glycerol were tested as sole carbon sources for yeast cell growth and lipid production. The total lipid contents of Curvibasidium sp. Y230 and Y231 range from 38.43% to 54.62% of the cell dry cell weight at 20°C, and glucose is the optimal carbon source. These results indicate that the Curvibasidium sp. strains are promising for sustainable lipid production. Our study provides basis for exploration of lichen-derived strains for biotechnological applications, and also benefits utilization of other nonconventional yeasts for sustainable production based on genome-based studies.

Widespread bacterial responses and their mechanism of bacterial metallogenic detoxification under high concentrations of heavy metals.

Microbial mineralization is increasingly used in bioremediation of heavy metal pollution, but better mechanistic understanding of the processes involved and how they are regulated are required to improve the practical application of microorganisms in bioremediation. We used a combination of morphological (TEM) and analytical (XRD, XPS, FTIR) methods, together with novel proteomic analyses, to investigate the detoxification mechanisms, used by a range of bacteria, including the strains Bacillus velezensis LB002, Escherichia coli DH5α, B. subtilis 168, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, and B. licheniformis MT-1, exposed to elevated concentrations of Cd2+ and combinations of Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+, in the presence and absence of added CaCl2. Common features of detoxification included biomineralization, including the production of biological vaterite, up-regulation of proteins involved in flagellar movement and chemotaxis, biofilm synthesis, transmembrane transport of small molecules and organic matter decomposition. The putative roles of differentially expressed proteins in detoxification are discussed in relation to chemical and morphological data and together provide important tools to improve screening, selection, and practical application of bacterial isolates in bioremediation of polluted environments.

Deletion of NGG1 in a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae improved xylose utilization and affected transcription of genes related to amino acid metabolism.

Production of biofuels and biochemicals from xylose using yeast cell factory is of great interest for lignocellulosic biorefinery. Our previous studies revealed that a natural yeast isolate Saccharomyces cerevisiae YB-2625 has superior xylose-fermenting ability. Through integrative omics analysis, NGG1, which encodes a transcription regulator as well as a subunit of chromatin modifying histone acetyltransferase complexes was revealed to regulate xylose metabolism. Deletion of NGG1 in S. cerevisiae YRH396h, which is the haploid version of the recombinant yeast using S. cerevisiae YB-2625 as the host strain, improved xylose consumption by 28.6%. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that NGG1 deletion down-regulated genes related to mitochondrial function, TCA cycle, ATP biosynthesis, respiration, as well as NADH generation. In addition, the NGG1 deletion mutant also showed transcriptional changes in amino acid biosynthesis genes. Further analysis of intracellular amino acid content confirmed the effect of NGG1 on amino acid accumulation during xylose utilization. Our results indicated that NGG1 is one of the core nodes for coordinated regulation of carbon and nitrogen metabolism in the recombinant S. cerevisiae. This work reveals novel function of Ngg1p in yeast metabolism and provides basis for developing robust yeast strains to produce ethanol and biochemicals using lignocellulosic biomass.

Transcriptome expression analysis of the gene regulation mechanism of bacterial mineralization tolerance to high concentrations of Cd2.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a pressing environmental issue that must be addressed. In recent years, microbial mineralization biotechnology has been developed into an effective and eco-friendly heavy metal bioremediation solution. In the present research, RNA-Seq technology was utilized to reveal the molecular mechanism through which Bacillus velezensis LB002 induced the mineralization and Cd2+ fixation under high-concentration Cd2+ stress. The metabolic pathways involved in the genes that were significant differentially expressed in the process of bacterial mineralization were also investigated. The results showed that the physiological response of bacteria to Cd2+ toxicity may include bacterial chemotaxis, siderophore complexation, and transport across cell membranes. Bacteria subjected to high-concentration Cd2+ stress can up-regulate genes of argH, argF, hutU, hutH, lpdA, and acnA related to arginine synthesis, histidine metabolism, and citric acid cycle metabolism pathways, inducing vaterite formation and Cd2+ fixation. Thus, the toxicity of Cd2+ was decreased and bacteria were allowed to grow. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) results confirmed the data obtained by RNA-Seq, indicating that bacteria can reduce Cd2+ toxicity by regulating the expression of related genes to induce mineralization. A basic bioremediation strategy to deal with high-concentration heavy-metal pollution was proposed from the perspective of gene regulation.

Effect and mechanism of the improvement of coastal silt soil by application of organic fertilizer and gravel combined with Sesbania cannabina cultivation.

Jiangsu Province of China has a large area of coastal silt soil (CSS) with poor permeability, high salinity, and poor nutrients, which brings great difficulties to the development and utilization of coastal zones, so that needs to be improved as a matter of urgency. In this study, river-sand, serpentine, and organic fertilizer were used as additives in CSS, and Sesbania cannabina, a salt-tolerant cash crop, was planted in these differently treated soils. Through high-throughput sequencing, analysis of soil physico-chemical properties, and detection of plant growth status, the rhizosphere bacterial diversity of S. cannabina growing in CSS under different treatments and their environmental impact factors were studied, while exploring the effect and mechanism of organic fertilizer combined with gravel as a CSS modifier. The results implied that single application of organic fertilizer could significantly increase the fertility levels of total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC) and Avail. P in CSS; then, the application of organic fertilizer with river-sand significantly reduced salt content and alkalinity of soil; meanwhile, in the treatment of single application of organic fertilizer and application of organic fertilizer combined with river-sand, the rhizosphere of S. cannabina enriched the bacterial communities of organic matter degradation and utilization to varying degrees. The soil moisture content and indicators related to saline-alkali soil (including total salt, electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), Avail. Na and Avail. K, etc.) were further reduced significantly by the application of organic fertilizer combined with river-sand and serpentine. The method has greatly improved the growth conditions of S. cannabina and promoted the positive development of its rhizosphere bacterial community. Among them, in the treatment of organic fertilizer combined with river-sand and serpentine, a variety of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR, such as Sphingomonas, Ensifer, and Rhodobacter) and nitrogen-cycle-related bacteria (such as nitrate-reduction-related bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria like Ensifer, and purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria like Rhodobacter) were enriched in the rhizosphere of S. cannabina; moreover, the mutual association and robustness of bacterial co-occurrence networks have been significantly enhanced. The results provide a theoretical basis and reference model for the improvement of coastal saline-alkali silt soil.

A PDA-DTC/Cu-MnO2 nanoplatform for MR imaging and multi-therapy for triple-negative breast cancer treatment.

Herein, a multi-functional nanoplatform (PDA-DTC/Cu-MnO2) was established, which has been employed for MR imaging-guided multi-therapy (CDT, PTT and chemotherapy) for cancer treatment. The in vitro and in vivo results confirmed that the biocompatible nanoplatform could significantly induce tumor cell death and inhibit tumor growth.

Cytokine-induced killer cells-assisted tumor-targeting delivery of Her-2 monoclonal antibody-conjugated gold nanostars with NIR photosensitizer for enhanced therapy of cancer.

Maximizing the accumulation of anticancer medicine in the tumor is the priority to achieve minimal invasive cancer therapy, which raises high demands on tumor-targeting ability of drug delivery systems. Herein, we adopted an emerging "cell-drug" strategy via the nanoplatform construction to achieve high aggregation and intratumoral distribution. We fabricated gold nanostars (GNSs) with HER-2 monoclonal antibody (trastuzumab) and near-infrared region (NIR) photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) to obtain GNS@ICG-Ab, which combined the photothermal therapy with photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT) that rely on enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency of GNS and 1O2 generator ICG under the exposure of a NIR laser. Tumor-tropism CIK cells loaded with GNS@ICG-Ab were able to migrate into tumors and make a difference in efficient accumulation and uniform distribution of the GNS@ICG-Ab-CIK nanoplatform inside tumors based on fluorescence, photoacoustic (PA), and computed tomography (CT) imaging observations. Encouraged by the improvements in tumor targeting and retention presented by real-time imaging, we employed the novel nanoplatform to synergistically inhibit the progression of tumors in SK-BR-3 tumor-bearing mice via PTT/PDT and immunotherapy-implemented by CIK cells for activating the immune response, and with the specific linkage between trastuzumab and SK-BR-3 tumor cells, our platform could exert a precise strike of PDT/PTT. Taken together, the integrating tri-modal imaging with tri-modal therapy endows CIK-GNS@ICG-Ab with promising potential in cancer theranostics and lays a solid foundation for the development of immune cell application in nanomedicine delivery.

The role of cupric ions in the oxidative dissolution process of marmatite: A dependence on Cu2+ concentration.

Cupric ions (Cu2+) play an important role in the oxidative dissolution process of marmatite in an acidic environment. In this work, dissolution experiments and numerous analytical techniques were utilized to investigate the role of Cu2+ in the oxidative dissolution process of marmatite in sulfuric acid. The dissolution experiments showed that the role of Cu2+ is significantly dependent on its concentration. A low Cu2+ concentration (0.25-750 mg/L) can significantly accelerate marmatite dissolution, and a relatively high Cu2+ concentration (above 1000 mg/L) can hinder marmatite dissolution. Element analysis, synchrotron radiation-based X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD) and Raman spectra of the leaching residues proved that no copper containing mineralogical phase was produced by the reactions between Cu2+ and marmatite. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicated that Cu2+ was first adsorbed on the marmatite surface and then produced Cu-S surface species. An electrochemical measurement further indicated that the adsorption of Cu2+ can remarkably enhance the electrochemical reactivity of the marmatite surface, thus catalyzing the oxidative dissolution process. However, a high percentage of Cu2+ adsorption on the marmatite surface can produce a passivation layer when the Cu2+ concentration is high in the solution, which decreases the electrochemical reactivity, thus resulting in the hinderance of the oxidative dissolution process of marmatite.

Immunoreactivity Analysis of the Nonstructural Proteins of Human Enterovirus 71.

Human enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) is one of the main etiological agents of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), which has been prevalent mainly in the Asia-Pacific region in the past several decades. The nonstructural proteins of EV-A71 will be expressed significantly during viral replication in host cells after EV-A71 infection. For the determination of the antibodies response against nonstructural proteins of EV-A71, in this study, the complete 2ABC, 3ABC, and 3D proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and were then studied for their immunoreactivity by immunoblot assay and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Three His-tagged fusion proteins were expressed effectively in E. coli, which were in agreement with the expected molecular mass. The results from immunoblot assay and indirect ELISA showed that all three purified fusion proteins can react with IgG antibodies from EV-A71-infected patients, but can hardly be recognized by IgG antibodies derived from mice or rabbits immunized by inactivated EV-A71 virus particles. The IgG antibody response against nonstructural proteins of EV-A71 is associated with viral infection or replication, which indicate that these nonstructural proteins could be used as candidate antigen for early diagnosis of EV-A71 infection, or to distinguish the EV-A71-specific antibodies after viral infection from inactivated vaccine immunization.