Dietary oregano essential oil supplementation alters meat quality, oxidative stability, and fatty acid profiles of beef cattle.

This study was conducted to elucidate the effects of oregano essential oil (OEO) supplementation on the meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and nutritional value of the longissimus thoracis muscle in steers. Steers were divided into three groups (n = 9) and fed either a basal diet, or a basal diet supplemented with 130 mg/d OEO, or 230 mg/d OEO for 390 days. The results demonstrated that dietary OEO supplementation increased the total antioxidant capacity and activity of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, and decreased pH30min, pH24h, cooking loss, and malondialdehyde content. OEO increased the concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid. In contrast, saturated fatty acids decreased, accompanied by increased essential amino acids, flavor amino acids, and total amino acids in the longissimus thoracis muscle. In summary, dietary OEO supplementation promotes the nutritional and meat quality of beef by maintaining its water-holding capacity and meat color, enhancing its antioxidative capacity, and preventing lipid oxidation.

Graphene-based nanomaterials for cancer therapy and anti-infections.

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNMs) has been thoroughly investigated and extensively used in many biomedical fields, especially cancer therapy and bacteria-induced infectious diseases treatment, which have attracted more and more attentions due to the improved therapeutic efficacy and reduced reverse effect. GBNMs, as classic two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, have unique structure and excellent physicochemical properties, exhibiting tremendous potential in cancer therapy and bacteria-induced infectious diseases treatment. In this review, we first introduced the recent advances in development of GBNMs and GBNMs-based treatment strategies for cancer, including photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT) and multiple combination therapies. Then, we surveyed the research progress of applications of GBNMs in anti-infection such as antimicrobial resistance, wound healing and removal of biofilm. The mechanism of GBNMs was also expounded. Finally, we concluded and discussed the advantages, challenges/limitations and perspective about the development of GBNMs and GBNMs-based therapies. Collectively, we think that GBNMs could be potential in clinic to promote the improvement of cancer therapy and infections treatment.

Surface Modification of Monolayer MoS2 by Baking for Biomedical Applications.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a transition metal dichalcogenide material, possesses great potential in biomedical applications such as chemical/biological sensing, drug/gene delivery, bioimaging, phototherapy, and so on. In particular, monolayer MoS2 has more extensive applications because of its superior physical and chemical properties; for example, it has an ultra-high surface area, is easily modified, and has high biodegradability. It is important to prepare advanced monolayer MoS2 with enhanced energy exchange efficiency (EEE) for the development of MoS2-based nanodevices and therapeutic strategies. In this work, a monolayer MoS2 film was first synthesized through a chemical vapor deposition method, and the surface of MoS2 was further modified via a baking process to develop p-type doping of monolayer MoS2 with high EEE, followed by confirmation by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy analysis. The morphology, surface roughness, and layer thickness of monolayer MoS2 before and after baking were thoroughly investigated using atomic force microscopy. The results showed that the surface roughness and layer thickness of monolayer MoS2 modified by baking were obviously increased in comparison with MoS2 without baking, indicating that the surface topography of the monolayer MoS2 film was obviously influenced. Moreover, a photoluminescence spectrum study revealed that p-type doping of monolayer MoS2 displayed much greater photoluminescence ability, which was taken as evidence of higher photothermal conversion efficiency. This study not only developed a novel MoS2 with high EEE for future biomedical applications but also demonstrated that a baking process is a promising way to modify the surface of monolayer MoS2.

A murine model of coxsackievirus A16 infection for anti-viral evaluation.

Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) is one of the main causative agents of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), which is a common infectious disease in children. CA16 infection may lead to severe nervous system damage and even death in humans. However, study of the pathogenesis of CA16 infection and development of vaccines and anti-viral agents are hindered partly by the lack of an appropriate small animal model. In the present study, we developed and characterized a murine model of CA16 infection. We show that neonatal mice are susceptible to CA16 infection via intraperitoneal inoculation. One-day-old mice infected with 2×10(6)TCID50 of CA16/SZ05 strain consistently exhibited clinical signs, including reduced mobility, and limb weakness and paralysis. About 57% of the mice died within 14days after infection. Significant damage in the brainstem, limb muscles and intestines of the infected mice in the moribund state was observed by histological examination, and the presence of CA16 in neurons of the brainstem was demonstrated by immunohistochemical staining with a CA16-specific polyclonal antibody, strongly suggesting the involvement of the central nervous system in CA16 infection. Analysis of virus titers in various organs/tissues collected at 3, 6 and 9days post-infection, showed that skeletal muscle was the major site of virus replication at the early stage of infection, while the virus mainly accumulated in the brain at the late stage. In addition, susceptibility of mice to CA16 infection was found to be age dependent. Moreover, different CA16 strains could exhibit varied virulence in vivo. Importantly, we demonstrated that post-exposure treatment with an anti-CA16 monoclonal antibody fully protected mice against lethal CA16 infection. Collectively, these results indicate the successful development of a CA16 infection mouse model for anti-viral evaluation.