Prevalence and genetic diversity of human rhinovirus among patients with acute respiratory infections in China, 2012-2021.

To understand the prevalence of rhinovirus (RV) among acute respiratory infection (ARI) patients, 10-year ARI surveillance in multiple provinces of China were conducted during 2012-2021. Of 15 645 ARI patients, 1180 (7.54%) were confirmed to have RV infection and 820 (69.49%) were children under 5 years of age. RV typing was performed on the 527 VP1 gene sequences, and species A, B, and C accounted for 73.24%, 4.93%, and 21.82%, respectively. Although no significant difference in the proportions of age groups or disease severity was found between RV species, RV-C was more frequently detected in children under 5 years of age, RV-A was more frequently detected in elderly individuals (≥60), and the proportions of pneumonia in RV-A and RV-C patients were higher than those in RV-B patients. The epidemic peak of RV-A was earlier than that of RV-C. A total of 57 types of RV-A, 13 types of RV-B, and 35 types of RV-C were identified in RV-infected patients, and two uncertain RV types were also detected. The findings showed a few differences in epidemiological and clinical features between RV species in ARI patients, and RV-A and RV-C were more prevalent than RV-B.

Left frontal eye field encodes sound locations during passive listening.

Previous studies reported that auditory cortices (AC) were mostly activated by sounds coming from the contralateral hemifield. As a result, sound locations could be encoded by integrating opposite activations from both sides of AC ("opponent hemifield coding"). However, human auditory "where" pathway also includes a series of parietal and prefrontal regions. It was unknown how sound locations were represented in those high-level regions during passive listening. Here, we investigated the neural representation of sound locations in high-level regions by voxel-level tuning analysis, regions-of-interest-level (ROI-level) laterality analysis, and ROI-level multivariate pattern analysis. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected while participants listened passively to sounds from various horizontal locations. We found that opponent hemifield coding of sound locations not only existed in AC, but also spanned over intraparietal sulcus, superior parietal lobule, and frontal eye field (FEF). Furthermore, multivariate pattern representation of sound locations in both hemifields could be observed in left AC, right AC, and left FEF. Overall, our results demonstrate that left FEF, a high-level region along the auditory "where" pathway, encodes sound locations during passive listening in two ways: a univariate opponent hemifield activation representation and a multivariate full-field activation pattern representation.

Potential Effect of Acupuncture on Mitochondrial Biogenesis, Energy Metabolism and Oxidation stress in MCAO Rat via PGC-1α/NRF1/TFAM pathway.

PURPOSE: To explore possible mechanism(s) underlying beneficial effects of acupuncture treatment for alleviating focal cerebral infarction-induced neuronal injury, mitochondrial biogenesis, energy metabolism, oxidative stress and dendrite regeneration were evaluated in rats with experimentally induced cerebral ischemia and dendron reperfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were randomly assigned to three groups (sham-operated, operated group without acupuncture, operated group with acupuncture). RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to assess variations of hippocampal cell mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and mRNA and protein expression levels associated with key mitochondrial biogenesis proteins, namely peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), nuclear respiration factor 1 (NRF-1) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). To evaluate mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and respiratory function in ischemic tissues, oxidative phosphorylation protein complex expression levels were assessed via Western blot analysis, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was assessed via confocal microscopy and flow cytometry and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration was assessed using an enzymatic fluorescence-based assay. Immunofluorescence staining was used to evaluate the expression of the neuronal dendron formation marker-Microtubule Associated Protein 2 (MAP2). Additionally, oxidative stress levels were assessed based on superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, lipid oxidation levels (malondialdehyde, MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels. Meanwhile, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, Nissl staining, transmission electron microscopy observation and neuro behavioral status were used to determine cerebral infarction volume and extent of brain injury. RESULTS: Acupuncture treatment effectively stimulated mRNA-level and protein-level expression associated with PGC-1α, NRF-1 and TFAM and increased levels of electron transport chain complexes I, IV and V, thereby increasing the ATP concentration, maintaining mitochondrial membrane potential, and promoting dendron regeneration levels. Meanwhile, in hippocampal neurons SOD activity and the glutathione/glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSG) ratio increased and MDA level decreased. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture treatment after ischemic injury promoted mitochondrial biogenesis, as reflected by beneficially increased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation complex protein levels and brain tissue energy supply, while preventing oxidative stress injury. These results should guide future explorations to elucidate acupuncture-based mechanisms for alleviating neuronal injury triggered by acute cerebral ischemia.

Long-term storage does not affect the DNA methylation profiles of vitrified-warmed human embryos.

With the widespread application of embryo cryopreservation in assisted reproductive techniques, it is necessary to assess the safety of long-term cryopreservation of human embryos and it is unclear whether storage time has an impact on the DNA methylation profiles of human embryos. Nine women who received IVF treatment were recruited for this study. The retrieved eight-cell human embryos were classified into three groups including fresh embryos, cryopreserved embryos stored for 3 years, and cryopreserved embryos stored for 8 years. Single-cell whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (scWGBS) was conducted. The genome-wide methylation pattern of the fresh and two cryopreserved groups were similar. In addition, the methylation level in different genomic regions showed comparable patterns and no significant differences were observed in the methylation level of imprinted genes among the three groups. A total of 587 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in the 3-year group and 540 DMRs in the 8-year group were identified comparing to fresh group. However, they were not enriched in promoters and had a similar genome-wide distributions, suggesting that these DMRs may not contribute to the changes in corresponding gene expressions. Our study illustrated that long-term cryopreservation will not affect the DNA methylation profiles of human eight-cell embryos at single-cell level.

Novel variants in ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3 associated with empty follicle syndrome and abnormal zona pellucida.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Which genetic variants might explain the causes of empty follicle syndrome (EFS) and abnormal zona pellucida (ZP) and affect the success of treatment with assisted reproductive technologies (ART)? DESIGN: Whole-exome sequencing was performed in probands with EFS and abnormal ZP. Sanger sequencing was used for variant validation. Using HEK-293T cells, the effects of ZP1 and ZP2 variants on protein expression were explored by western blotting, and the effect of the ZP1 variant on protein location was investigated via immunofluorescence. The protein structure was also analysed to investigate the pathogenicity of variants. RESULTS: A homozygous nonsense variant in ZP1 (c.874C>T, p.Gln292*) was detected in a patient with EFS. A novel homozygous frameshift variant in ZP2 (c.836_837delAG, p.Glu279Valfs*6) and a novel heterozygous missense variant in ZP3 (c.1159G>A, p.Val387Met) were identified in two patients with ZP morphological abnormalities, respectively. Western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis showed that the ZP1 variant results in a premature stop codon, leading to the truncated ZP1 protein. The ZP2 variant, which is situated in the N-terminus, triggers the degradation of a premature termination protein. Additionally, the patient with the ZP3 variant achieved clinical pregnancy following intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These findings expand the mutational spectrum of ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3, and provide new evidence for genetic diagnosis of female infertility. The targeted genetic diagnosis of ZP genes is recommended to choose appropriate fertilization methods and improve success rates of treatment with ART.

Spatiotemporal and sensory modality attention processing with domain-specific representations in frontoparietal areas.

The frontoparietal network (FPN), including bilateral frontal eye field, inferior parietal sulcus, and supplementary motor area, has been linked to attention processing, including spatiotemporal and sensory modality domains. However, it is unclear whether FPN encodes representations of these domains that are generalizable across subdomains. We decomposed multivariate patterns of functional magnetic resonance imaging activity from 20 participants into domain-specific components and identified latent multivariate representations that generalized across subdomains. The 30 experimental conditions were organized into unimodal-bimodal and spatial-temporal models. We found that brain areas in the FPN, form the primary network that modulated during attention across domains. However, the activation patterns of areas within the FPN were reorganized according to the specific attentional demand, especially when pay attention to different sensory, suggesting distinct regional neural representations associated with specific attentional processes within FPN. In addition, there were also other domain-specific areas outside the FPN, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Our conclusion is that, according to the results of the analysis of representation similarity, 2 types of activated brain regions, related to attention domain detailed information processing and general information processing, can be revealed.

Effect of chlorpyrifos on freshwater microbial community and metabolic capacity of zebrafish.

Chlorpyrifos is a widely used organophosphorus insecticide because of its high efficiency and overall effectiveness, and it is commonly detected in aquatic ecosystems. However, at present, the impact of chlorpyrifos on the aquatic micro-ecological environment is still poorly understood. Here, we established aquatic microcosm systems treated with 0.2 and 2.0 µg/L chlorpyrifos, and employed omics biotechnology, including metagenomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, to investigate the effect of chlorpyrifos on the composition and functional potential of the aquatic and zebrafish intestinal microbiomes after 7 d and 14 d chlorpyrifos treatment. After 14 d chlorpyrifos treatment, the aquatic microbial community was adversely affected in terms of its composition, structure, and stability, while its diversity showed only a slight impact. Most functions, especially capacities for environmental information processing and metabolism, were destroyed by chlorpyrifos treatment for 14 d. We observed that chlorpyrifos increased the number of risky antibiotic resistance genes and aggravated the growth of human pathogens. Although no clear effects on the structure of the zebrafish intestinal microbial community were observed, chlorpyrifos treatment did alter the metabolic capacity of the zebrafish. Our study highlights the ecological risk of chlorpyrifos to the aquatic environment and provides a theoretical basis for the rational use of pesticides in agricultural production.

Abiotic Stress-Induced Leaf Senescence: Regulatory Mechanisms and Application.

Leaf senescence is a natural phenomenon that occurs during the aging process of plants and is influenced by various internal and external factors. These factors encompass plant hormones, as well as environmental pressures such as inadequate nutrients, drought, darkness, high salinity, and extreme temperatures. Abiotic stresses accelerate leaf senescence, resulting in reduced photosynthetic efficiency, yield, and quality. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying leaf senescence in response to abiotic stresses is imperative to enhance the resilience and productivity of crops in unfavorable environments. In recent years, substantial advancements have been made in the study of leaf senescence, particularly regarding the identification of pivotal genes and transcription factors involved in this process. Nevertheless, challenges remain, including the necessity for further exploration of the intricate regulatory network governing leaf senescence and the development of effective strategies for manipulating genes in crops. This manuscript provides an overview of the molecular mechanisms that trigger leaf senescence under abiotic stresses, along with strategies to enhance stress tolerance and improve crop yield and quality by delaying leaf senescence. Furthermore, this review also highlighted the challenges associated with leaf senescence research and proposes potential solutions.

Robot-Assisted Kyphoplasty versus Fluoroscopy-Assisted Kyphoplasty: A Meta-Analysis of Postoperative Outcomes.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures are the most common manifestation of osteoporosis. Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) can lead to both pain improvement and correction of kyphosis secondary to collapsed vertebral bodies. Robot-assisted (RA) PKP has been reported to provide better vertebral body fracture correction than conventional fluoroscopy-assisted (FA) PKP. The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare clinical outcomes of RA PKP versus FA PKP. The Pubmed, Embase, and MEDLINE electronic databases were searched from January 1900 to December 2022, with no language restrictions for relevant articles. We extracted the preoperative and postoperative mean pain score and standard deviation from the included studies and pooled them using an inverse variance method. Statistical analyses were performed using functions available in the metafor package in R software. The results of this meta-analysis were summarized with weighted mean differences (WMDs). Our search strategy identified 181 references from the Pubmed, Embase, and MEDLINE electronic databases. We excluded duplicates and irrelevant references, after screening titles and abstracts. The remaining 12 studies were retrieved for full-text review, and, finally, we included five retrospective cohort studies from 2015 to 2021, comprising 223 patients undergoing RA PKP and 246 patients undergoing FA PKP. No difference was found in subgroup analysis based on the timing of postoperative pain assessment, despite the overall estimate of postoperative pain indicating a significant difference between the RA PKP and FA PKP groups (WMD, -0.22; 95% CI, -0.39 to -0.05). The long-term pain assessment revealed a significantly lower VAS in the RA PKP group than the FA PKP group at six months postoperatively (WMD, -0.15; 95% CI, -0.30 to -0.01), but no difference between the subgroups at three (WMD, 0.06; 95% CI, -0.41 to -0.54) and twelve months (WMD, -0.10; 95% CI, -0.50 to 0.30) postoperatively. Our meta-analysis revealed no significant difference in postoperative pain between RA PKP and FA PKP. Patients undergoing RA PKP had better pain improvement compared to FA PKP at 6 months postoperatively. However, further studies focusing on long-term outcomes in patients undergoing RA PKP are warranted to clarify its benefit, given the small number of included studies.

Development of a machine-learning model to identify the impacts of pesticides characteristics on soil microbial communities from high-throughput sequencing data.

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) of soil environmental DNA provides an advanced insight into the effects of pesticides on soil microbial systems. However, the association between the properties of the pesticide and its ecological impact remains methodically challenging. Risks associated with pesticide use can be minimized if pesticides with optimal structural traits were applied. For this purpose, we merged the 20 independent HTS studies, to reveal that pesticides significantly reduced beneficial bacteria associated with soil and plant immunity, enhanced the human pathogen and weaken the soil's ecological stability. Through the machine-learning approach, correlating these impacts with the physicochemical properties of the pesticides yielded a random forest model with good predictive capabilities. The models revealed that physical pesticide properties such as the dissociation constant (pKa), the molecular weight and water solubility, determined the ecological impact of pesticides to a large extent. Moreover, this study identified that eco-friendly pesticides should possess a value of pKa > 5 and a molecular weight in the range of 200-300 g/mol, which were found to be conducive to bacteria related to plant immunity promotion and exerted the lowest fluctuation of human opportunistic pathogen and keystone species. This guides the design of pesticides for which the impacts on soil biota are minimized.

Molecular mechanisms and differences in lynch syndrome developing into colorectal cancer and endometrial cancer based on gene expression, methylation, and mutation analysis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to screen biomarkers specific to Lynch syndrome (LS) with colorectal cancer (CRC) or endometrial cancer (EC) to explore the mechanisms by which LS develops into CRC and EC and their differences. METHODS: Differentially expressed or differentially methylated genes and differential mutations were identified in 10 LS, 50 CRC, and 50 EC patients from TCGA, and genes overlapping between LS and CRC or EC (named SGs-LCs and SGs-LEs, respectively) were identified. Afterward, we annotated the enriched GO terms and pathways and constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Finally, samples from 10 clinical cases with MSI-H/MSS CRC and EC were collected to verify the mutations and their correlations with five LS pathogenic genes in the SGs-LCs and SGs-LEs. RESULTS: A total of 494 SGs-LCs and 104 SGs-LEs were identified and enriched in 106 and 14 GO terms, respectively. There were great differences in the gene count and enriched terms between SGs-LCs and SGs-LEs. In the PPI network, SST, GCG, SNAP25, and NPY had the highest degree of connection among the SGs-LCs, and KIF20A and NUF2 had the highest degree of connection among the SGs-LE. In the SGs-LCs and SGs-LEs, the genes whose expression levels affected the survival of LS, CRC or EC patients were quite different. CONCLUSIONS: COL11A1 was found to be mutated in MSS CRC patients, similar to the mutations of MSH6. SST, GCG, SNAP25, and NPY may be biomarkers for the development of LS into CRC, and KIF20A and NUF2 may be markers of LS developing into EC.

Comparative analysis of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human influenza virus versus human respiratory syncytial virus versus human metapneumovirus infection in nine provinces of China during 2009-2021.

A comparative analysis of confirmed cases of human influenza virus (HIFV), human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) was conducted to describe their clinical and epidemiological characteristics. During 2009-2021, active surveillance of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) was performed in nine provinces of China. Clinical and epidemiological information and laboratory testing results of HIFV, HRSV, and HMPV were analyzed. Among 11591 ARI patients, the single-infection rates of HIFV, HRSV, and HMPV were 15.00%, 9.59%, and 2.24%, respectively; the coinfection rate of these three viruses was 0.64%. HIFV infection was mainly in adults aged 15-59 years, accounting for 39.10%. HRSV and HMPV infections were mainly in children under 5 years old, accounting for 87.13% and 83.46%, respectively. Patients with HRSV infection were younger than HMPV. HRSV and HMPV had high similarities in clinical manifestations, presenting with lower respiratory symptoms. HIFV mainly presented with an upper respiratory infection. The epidemic peak of HRSV was earlier than that of HIFV, and that of HMPV was later than those of HRSV and HFIV. A total of 85.14% of coinfection cases were children under 5 years old. Coinfection might increase the risk of pneumonia in HIFV cases. During 2020-2021, the positive rates and seasonal patterns of these three viruses changed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Certain clinical and epidemiological features were observed in HIFV, HRSV, and HMPV infections, which could be beneficial for guiding clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of these three viruses in China.

Bismuth Gadolinium Oxychloride with a Remarkable Visible-Light-Responsive O2 Evolution Activity Promoted by Iodine Doping.

Visible-light-responsive bismuth-based oxyhalide has recently attracted extensive attention, however, the promotion of its charge separation is still challenging. Herein, we introduce iodine into Bi2 GdO4 Cl to synthetize I-doped Bi2 GdO4 Cl (denoted as yI-Bi2 GdO4 Cl, 0≤y≤2). The incorporation of I- ions is found to enhance light absorption and to accelerate charge separation by combining various characterizations such as density functional theory calculation, photoelectrochemical test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectrum, and open-circuit voltage decay. The O2 -evolving performances of 1I-Bi2 GdO4 Cl with optimized dopant concentration of I- ion and IrO2 loaded 1I-Bi2 GdO4 Cl are tremendously enhanced by ca. 4 and 45 times compared to pristine Bi2 GdO4 Cl. Notably, The O2 evolution rate reaches as high as 154.8 µmol ⋅ h-1 with an apparent quantum efficiency of ∼1.1 % at 420 nm. The synthetic iodine-doped photocatalyst remains stable after long-term photoreaction, demonstrating its potential in the field of photocatalysis.

Afatinib in the treatment of brain metastases of lung cancer with one rare EGFR mutation: a two-case report.

Brain metastasis is one of the common distant metastases of lung cancer. The prognosis of patients with brain metastasis is worse and the survival time is shorter. In this report, we described a rare mutation of EGFR G2607A (rs1050171) in two patients over 50 years of age with brain metastasis of lung cancer. These two patients were both treated with afatinib, followed up for 13 months and 45 months respectively. Both patients showed that the tumor subsided, the curative effect was identified as partial response (PR), no recurrence and progress occurred and still being under follow-up. Our study provides a support that afatinib may be a reasonable therapeutic option for patients with brain metastasis of lung cancer.

Identification of driver genes and target drugs-related genes in liver cancer based on targeted next generation sequencing.

The purpose of this study was to identify gene mutations, high frequency mutations, and driver genes in liver cancer, and the marketed approved drugs of these genes, to provide evidence for targeted treatment of liver cancer since it is one of the most common cancers worldwide. 34 patients with liver cancer were included, and their blood samples were collected. The pathway enrichment analysis of the mutation gene was carried out through the KEGG database, and the genes with marketed approved drugs were screened according to the Pharmalaxy database. A total of 6,612 mutations in 1,241 genes were identified in 34 patients, in which 22 genes mutated in at least 40% of the samples and were thought to be high frequency mutation genes. All the mutations were analyzed using the MutSigCV software, and 30 genes with q<0.1 and p<0.05 were selected out as driver genes. Among them, LRP1B, MYC, NF1, and KEAP1 were coincident with high frequency mutation genes, which were considered key driver genes. Afterward, 181 genes with p<0.05 in MutSigCV software were analyzed for pathway enrichment. These genes were mainly enriched in four pathways, including MAPK mTOR, p53/cell cycle, and JAK-STAT pathways. Finally, there were 15 genes in four pathways that had marketed approved target drugs. To conclude, LRP1B, MYC, NF1, and KEAP1 were the candidate key driver genes for liver cancer, which might provide new insights for targeted therapy of liver cancer.

Effects of adrenergic α-antagonists on the early life stages of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment has stimulated considerable research efforts into their potential ecotoxicological consequences. There are a number of pharmaceuticals targeting adrenergic receptors; however, relatively few studies have explored the effects of adrenergic α-antagonists (or α-blockers) on fish. In this study, moxisylyte was selected as a representative α-blocker, and Japanese medaka embryos were exposed to moxisylyte (1-625 µg/L) for 44 days. Moxisylyte caused no significant or only marginal effects on the mortality, development, and growth; however, most genes involved in detoxification and antioxidant were transcriptionally upregulated, and antioxidant enzymes activities were induced as well. Moxisylyte exposure resulted in transcriptional downregulation of most of the steroidogenesis genes, and accordingly, the mRNA levels of steroid hormone receptors and vitellogenin decreased, particularly in males, indicating that moxisylyte disrupts the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in a gender-specific manner. Therefore, the risk of α-blockers on fish should not be overlooked and deserves further investigation.

A High-Resolution, Wide-Swath SAR Imaging System Based on Tandem SAR Satellites.

For the spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), it is difficult to obtain high resolution and wide width at the same time. This paper proposes a novel imaging system based on tandem SAR satellites, where one obtains coarse resolution and wide swath by the scanning mode, and the other obtains the undersampled echo from the same swath. The high resolution is achieved by associating the tandem SARs' echo and using the minimum-energy-based algorithm. Finally, a high-resolution wide-swath SAR system is designed, and its imaging performance is verified by simulated data and real airborne SAR data.

Bibliometric analysis and visualization of research trends on oblique lumbar interbody fusion surgery.

PURPOSE: To determine trends and hot subjects in the field of oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) research during the last decade using bibliometric analysis and visualization tools, in order to assist researchers in exploring new directions for future research in that field. METHODS: Articles published from January 1, 2012, to August 15, 2021, were screened in the Web of Science database. The data were analyzed with CiteSpace software, which generated visualization knowledge maps. All literature was assessed for the following parameters: the number of total publications, distribution, h-index, institutions, journals, authors, co-occurrence state, and research hotspots. RESULTS: A total of 173 articles were identified. The country with the largest number of articles was China (41.04%), followed by South Korea (20.81%), the USA (15.61%), Japan (9.83%), and Thailand (2.89%). South Korea and the USA had the highest h-index (9), followed by China (8), Japan (7), and Thailand (2). Catholic University of Korea was the organization that produced the most literature. World Neurosurgery published the most papers about OLIF (12.50%), but articles in Spine were most frequently cited (151). Kim JS was the most productive author, whereas Silvestre C was the most cited author. The main research hotspots are anatomy, discectomy, approach, injure, and diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The number of publications in the field of OLIF has increased considerably in recent years. The USA, China, South Korea, and Japan have made substantial contributions to this field. Anatomy, complications, decompression surgery, and application in various degenerative lumbar diseases have been the research hotspots in recent years.

Effects of Printing Parameters on Properties of FDM 3D Printed Residue of Astragalus/Polylactic Acid Biomass Composites.

In order to develop a new kind of filament material for the fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, the residue of Astragalus (ROA), one of the most important Chinese herbal medicines, and polylactic acid were chosen as the raw materials to FDM 3D print biomass composite specimens, the effects of the printing parameters on the properties of the specimens were investigated. The results indicated that the mechanical properties and thermal stability of the printed specimen were affected obviously by the parameters while the melting and crystallization behavior of the specimens were little affected. For the wettability, it was also little affected by the printing parameter except for the printing speed. Increasing the printing temperature and the filling density or reducing the printing speed and the layer thickness could improve both the mechanical properties and the thermal stability of the FDM 3D printed PLA/ROA composite specimen; reducing the deposition angle could also improve the mechanical properties while having little effect on the thermal stability of the specimen.

Screening and Research on Skin Barrier Damage Protective Efficacy of Different Mannosylerythritol Lipids.

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) may prevent skin barrier damage, although their protective mechanisms and active monomeric constituents remain unclear. Here, three MELs were extracted from Candida antarctica cultures containing fermented olive oil then purified using silica gel-based column chromatography and semipreparative HPLC. All three compounds (MEL-A, MEL-B, MEL-C) were well separated and stable, and reliable materials were used for NMR and HRESIMS chemical structure determinations and for assessing MELs' protective effects against skin damage. Notably, MEL-B and MEL-C effectively protected HaCaT cells from UVB-induced damage by upregulating the contents of filaggrin (FLG) and transglutaminase-1 (TGM1), as determined via ELISA. Moreover, MEL-B treatment (20 µg/mL) of UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells led to the upregulation of both the expression of mRNA genes and the key proteins FLG, LOR, and TGM1, which are known to be decreased in damaged skin cells. Additionally, histopathological analysis results revealed a markedly reduced intracellular vacuolation and cell damage, reflecting improved skin function after MEL-B treatment. Furthermore, immunofluorescence results revealed that MEL-B protected EpiKutis® three-dimensional cultured human skin cells from sodium dodecyl sulfate-induced damage by up-regulating FLG, LOR, and TGM1 expression. Accordingly, MELs' protection against skin barrier damage depended on MEL-B monomeric constituent activities, thus highlighting their promise as beneficial ingredients for use in skin-care products.