Lysozyme regulates the extracellular polymer of activated sludge and promotes the formation of electroactive biofilm.

The formation of electroactive biofilm from activated sludge on electrode surface is a key step to construct a bio-electrochemical system, yet it is greatly limited by the poor affinity between the bacteria and the electrode interface. Herein, we report a new method to promote the formation of electroactive biofilm by regulating the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content in activated sludge with lysozyme. The investigation of the effect of lysozyme treatment on the content of extracellular polymers and the biofilm formation of electroactive bacteria suggests that lysozyme can improve the permeability of the positive bacterial cell membrane and thus increase the EPS content in the activated sludge. The characterizations of electrochemical activity, surface morphology and community structure of the anode biofilm indicate that increasing EPS content promotes the adhesion of the mixed bacteria in the activated sludge on the electrode and results in denser biofilms with better conductivities. The microbial fuel cell (MFC) inoculated with the sludge of high EPS content exhibits the power density up to 2.195 W/m2, much higher than that inoculated with the untreated sludge (1.545 W/m2). The strategy of adjusting EPS content in activated sludge with a biological enzyme can effectively enhance the ability of the bacterial community to form biofilms and exhibits great application potentials in the construction of high efficiency bio-electrochemical systems.

Prenatal diagnosis of auriculocondylar syndrome with a novel missense variant of GNAI3: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Auriculocondylar syndrome (ACS) is a rare disorder characterized by micrognathia, mandibular condyle hypoplasia, and auricular abnormalities. Only 6 pathogenic variants of GNAI3 have been identified associated with ACS so far. Here, we report a case of prenatal genetic diagnosis of ACS carrying a novel GNAI3 variant. CASE PRESENTATION: A woman with 30 weeks of gestation was referred to genetic counseling for polyhydramnios and fetal craniofacial anomaly. Severe micrognathia and mandibular hypoplasia were identified on ultrasonography. The mandibular length was 2.4 cm, which was markedly smaller than the 95th percentile. The ears were low-set with no cleft or notching between the lobe and helix. The face was round with prominent cheeks. Whole-exome sequencing identified a novel de novo missense variant of c.140G > A in the GNAI3 gene. This mutation caused an amino acid substitution of p.Ser47Asn in the highly conserved G1 motif, which was predicted to impair the guanine nucleotide-binding function. All ACS cases with GNAI3 mutations were literature reviewed, revealing female-dominated severe cases and right-side-prone deformities. CONCLUSION: Severe micrognathia and mandibular hypoplasia accompanied by polyhydramnios are prenatal indicators of ACS. We expanded the mutation spectrum of GNAI3 and summarized clinical features to promote awareness of ACS.

Graphene-modified CePO4 nanorods effectively treat breast cancer-induced bone metastases and regulate macrophage polarization to improve osteo-inductive ability.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer bone metastasis has become one of the most common complications; however, it may cause cancer recurrence and bone nonunion, as well as local bone defects. METHODS: Herein, In vitro, we verified the effect of bioscaffold materials on cell proliferation and apoptosis through a CCK8 trial, staining of live/dead cells, and flow cytometry. We used immunofluorescence technology and flow cytometry to verify whether bioscaffold materials regulate macrophage polarization, and we used ALP staining, alizarin red staining and PCR to verify whether bioscaffold material promotes bone regeneration. In vivo, we once again studied the effect of bioscaffold materials on tumors by measuring tumor volume in mice, Tunel staining, and caspase-3 immunofluorescence. We also constructed a mouse skull ultimate defect model to verify the effect on bone regeneration. RESULTS: Graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles, hydrated CePO4 nanorods and bioactive chitosan (CS) are combined to form a bioactive multifunctional CePO4/CS/GO scaffold, with characteristics such as photothermal therapy to kill tumors, macrophage polarization to promote blood vessel formation, and induction of bone formation. CePO4/CS/GO scaffold activates the caspase-3 proteasein local tumor cells, thereby lysing the DNA between nucleosomes and causing apoptosis. On the one hand, the as-released Ce3+ ions promote M2 polarization of macrophages, which secretes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Arginase-1 (Arg-1), which promotes angiogenesis. On the other hand, the as-released Ce3+ ions also activated the BMP-2/Smad signaling pathway which facilitated bone tissue regeneration. CONCLUSION: The multifunctional CePO4/CS/GO scaffolds may become a promising platform for therapy of breast cancer bone metastases.

Grisel's syndrome associated with mumps: A case report.

Grisel's syndrome (GS) is defined as atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation/fixation not associated with trauma or bone disease, usually following head and neck infection/inflammation or ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgery. Many conditions could lead to Grisel's syndrome, of which mumps is rarely to be seen. This report discusses a case of GS in children with Type I atlantoaxial joint subluxation and previously diagnosed mumps. A 6-year-old boy who had cervical pain and torticollis for 2 weeks was admitted to our hospital. There was no trauma and he had not had ENT surgery but was diagnosed with mumps 2 weeks previously due to swelling of the left cheek and cervical lymph node. Physical examination and computed tomography confirmed a diagnosis of Grisel's syndrome with an ADI (atlanto-dens interval) of 1.6 mm. The patient then received occipito-mandibular traction for 6 days and recovered. No recurrence was observed at 1 year follow-up. Physicians should raise awareness of this rare complication of mumps to avoid life-threatening neurological impairments owing to Grisel's syndrome.

A biopolymer-gated ionotronic junctionless oxide transistor array for spatiotemporal pain-perception emulation in nociceptor network.

Capable of reflecting the location and intensity of external harmful stimuli, a nociceptor network is of great importance for receiving pain-perception information. However, the hardware-based implementation of a nociceptor network through the use of a transistor array remains a great challenge in the area of brain-inspired neuromorphic applications. Herein, a simple ionotronic junctionless oxide transistor array with pain-perception abilities is successfully realized due to a coplanar-gate proton-coupling effect in sodium alginate biopolymer electrolyte. Several important pain-perception characteristics of nociceptors are emulated, such as a pain threshold, the memory of prior injury, and sensitization behavior due to pathway alterations. In particular, a good graded pain-perception network system has been successfully established through coplanar capacitance and resistance. More importantly, clear polarity reversal of Lorentz-type spatiotemporal pain-perception emulation can be finally realized in our projection-dependent nociceptor network. This work may provide new avenues for bionic medical machines and humanoid robots based on these intriguing pain-perception abilities.

Isolation and differentiation of nestin positive cells from rat oral mucosal lamina propria.

Despite successes in the isolation and characterization of stem cells from the oral mucosal epithelium, there have been few studies on progenitor cells from the oral mucosal lamina propria. In this study, we isolate rat oral mucosal lamina propria cells (OMLPC) using nestin as a marker in an immunomagnetic sorting technique. The OMLPCs was negative for cytokeratin. Nestin and vimentin were expressed in the OMLPCs. And CD44 and STRO-1 were expressed in a subset of the OMLPCs, which suggest that the nestin positive OMLPCs be heterogeneous. Otherwise, OMLPCs express Oct4, which is a critical gene for pluripotency. The OMLPCs proliferated actively in vitro. A colony forming study demonstrated that OMLPCs exhibited colony-generating capacity. When cultured in defined medium, OMLPCs generated cells characteristic of osteoblast, adipocyte and astrocyte-like cells. In addition, OMLPCs seeded into three dimensional scaffolds form bone-like structures in vivo after 8 weeks. All of the results demonstrate that OMLPCs are a population of mesenchymal progenitor cells existing in rat oral mucosal lamina propria. Nestin is shown to be a useful molecular marker for these cells. In certain environments, OMLPCs can form hard tissue. Thus, OMLPCs may serve as a suitable source of cells for future bone or tooth tissue engineering applications.

Successful treatment of paraquat poisoning by Xuebijing, an injection concocted from multiple Chinese medicinal herbs: a case report.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: 1,1'-Dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride (Paraquat) poisoning remains a significant global health problem. Despite noteworthy research and clinical efforts worldwide in the last few decades, little improvement has been made in reducing fatality from Paraquat poisoning with conventional treatment strategies. We herein report a case of successful management of Paraquat poisoning by Xuebijing, a newly developed injection concocted from multiple traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. SETTINGS/LOCATION, SUBJECTS, AND INTERVENTIONS: A 25-year-old male patient was brought to the Emergency Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University in Changchun, China approximately 23 hours after ingestion of approximately 50 mL of 20% (w/v) Paraquat in a suicide attempt. On admission, the patient presented with clinical symptoms as well as significantly abnormal results in the liver and kidney function tests that were typical of severe Paraquat poisoning. Following the routine emergency procedures for pesticide poisoning to minimize the poison exposure and relieve the poisoning symptoms, an intravenous drip of Xuebijing together with dexamethasone was given daily to the patient until discharge 10 days after admission. The patient was followed up for 15 months after discharge, during which monthly chest radiography was performed. Treatment outcomes: At the time of discharge, the patient had recovered well: His symptoms of poisoning in the mouth and gastrointestinal tract were all diminishing; his liver and kidney functions were recovering with the major test parameters improving; his chest radiograph was clear, showing no signs of pulmonary fibrosis. During the postdischarge follow-up period, the monthly chest radiographs were all normal. CONCLUSIONS: This case report suggests that Xuebijing has great potential as a novel effective alternative to the conventional management of Paraquat poisoning. This potential needs to be further evaluated in a substantially larger number of clinical cases in the future.