Actinomycin-X2-Immobilized Silk Fibroin Film with Enhanced Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Activities.

Actinomycin is a family of chromogenic lactone peptides that differ in their peptide portions of the molecule. An antimicrobial peptide, actinomycin X2 (Ac.X2), was produced through the fermentation of a Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus strain. Immobilization of Ac.X2 onto a prepared silk fibroin (SF) film was done through a carbodiimide reaction. The physical properties of immobilized Ac.X2 (antimicrobial films, AMFs) were analyzed by ATR-FTIR, SEM, AFM, and WCA. The findings from an in vitro study showed that AMFs had a more broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli compared with free Ac.X2, which showed no apparent strong effect against E. coli. These AMFs showed a suitable degradation rate, good hemocompatibility, and reduced cytotoxicity in the biocompatibility assay. The results of in vivo bacterially infected wound healing experiments indicated that wound inflammation was prevented by AMFs, which promoted wound repair and improved the wound microenvironment. This study revealed that Ac.X2 transformation is a potential candidate for skin wound healing.

Speciation Analysis of Selenium Nanoparticles and Inorganic Selenium Species by Dual-Cloud Point Extraction and ICP-MS Determination.

Application of selenium nanoparticle (SeNP)-based fertilizers results in the release of SeNPs to aquatic systems, where SeNPs may transform into inorganic selenite (Se(IV)) and selenate (Se(VI)) with higher toxicity. However, methods for the speciation analysis of different Se species are lacking, hindering the accurate assessment of the risks of SeNPs. Herein, for the first time, a Triton X-45 (TX-45)-based dual-cloud point extraction (CPE) method was established for the selective determination of SeNPs, Se(IV), and Se(VI) in water. TX-45 can adsorb on the surface of SeNPs and facilitate the extraction of SeNPs into the lower TX-45-rich phase in the first CPE, while Se(VI) and Se(IV) retain in the upper aqueous phase. In the second CPE, Se(IV) can selectively associate with diethyldithiocarbamate and be concentrated in the TX-45-rich phase, whereas Se(VI) remains in the upper phase. Different Se species can be isolated and then quantified by ICP-MS. The presence of coexisting ions and dissolved organic matter (0-30 mg C/L) did not interfere with extraction and separation. The feasibility of the presented method was confirmed by the analysis of natural water samples, with a detection limit of 0.03 µg/L and recoveries in the ranges of 61.1-104, 65.5-113, and 80.3-131% for SeNPs, Se(IV), and Se(VI), respectively. This study aims to provide an effective method to track the fate and transformation of SeNPs in aquatic systems and further contribute to estimating the potential risks of SeNPs to environmental organisms and human bodies.

Influence of grasping postures on skin deformation of hand.

To investigate the influence of different grasping postures on the hand's skin deformation, a handheld 3D EVA SCANNER was used to obtain 3D models of 111 women in five postures, including a straight posture and grasping cylinders with various diameters (4/6/8/10 cm). Skin relaxation strain ratio ([Formula: see text]) and surface area skin relaxation strain ratio ([Formula: see text]) were used as measures of skin deformation between two landmarks and multiple landmarks, respectively. The effects of grasping posture on skin deformation in different directions were analyzed. The results revealed significant variations in skin deformation among different grasping postures, except for the width of middle finger metacarpal and the length of middle finger's proximal phalanx. The [Formula: see text] increased with decreasing grasping object diameter, ranging from 5 to 18% on the coronal axis, and from 4 to 20% on the vertical axis. The overall variation of [Formula: see text] ranged from 5 to 37.5%, following the same trend as [Formula: see text] except for the surface area of tiger's mouth, which exhibited a maximum difference of 10.9% with significant differences. These findings have potential applications in improving the design of hand equipment and understanding hand movement characteristics.

Periodontitis in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: impact on gut microbiota and systemic inflammation.

Elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) exhibit considerable periodontitis frequency, which causes tooth loss and poor quality of life. To investigate the impact of periodontitis on gut microbiota, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize the composition and structure of gut microbiota among elderly patients with T2DM and periodontitis (T2DM_P), elderly patients with T2DM alone (T2DM_NP), and healthy volunteers. We identified 34 key gut microbiota markers that distinguished participants with different periodontal conditions and investigated their connections to other gut bacteria, as well as their clinical correlates. The most striking differences in co-occurrence networks between the T2DM_P and T2DM_NP groups comprised interactions involving dominant genera in the oral cavity (i.e., Streptococcus and Veillonella). Of the 34 identified key gut microbiota markers that distinguished participants with different periodontal conditions, 25 taxa were correlated with duration of diabetes, dry mouth or the peripheral levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, prostaglandin E2, interleukin-17, and interleukin-6) and metabolic parameters (e.g., hemoglobin A1c), respectively. Our findings suggest that gut microbial shifts driven by periodontitis may contribute to systemic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction during the progression of T2DM.