Bean Pod-Like SbSn/N-Doped Carbon Fibers toward a Binder Free, Free-Standing, and High-Performance Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Bimetallic SbSn alloy stands out among the anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of its high theoretical specific capacity (752 mAh g-1 ) and good electrical conductivity. However, the major challenge is the large volume change during cycling processes, bringing about rapid capacity decay. Herein, to cope with this issue, through electrostatic spinning and high temperature calcination reduction, the unique bean pod-like free-standing membrane is designed initially, filling SbSn dots into integrated carbon matrix including hollow carbon spheres and nitrogen-doped carbon fibers (B-SbSn/NCFs). Significantly, the synergistic carbon matrix not only improves the conductivity and flexibility, but provides enough buffer space to alleviate the large volume change of metal particles. More importantly, the B-SbSn/NCFs free-standing membrane can be directly used as the anode without polymer binder and conductive agent, which improves the energy density and reaction kinetics. Satisfyingly, the free-standing BSbSn/NCFs membrane anode shows excellent electrochemical performance in SIB. The specific capacity of the membrane electrode can maintain 486.9 mAh g-1 and the coulombic efficiency is close to 100% after 400 cycles at 100 mA g-1 . Furthermore, the full cell based on B-SbSn/NCFs anode also exhibits the good electrochemical performance.

Identifying the oral microbiome of adolescents with and without dental fluorosis based on full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Dental fluorosis, resulting from long-term environmental exposure to fluoride, is prevalent among diverse populations worldwide. Severe fluorosis not only compromises the aesthetic appeal of teeth but also impairs their functionality. This study aims to investigate the oral microbiome in dental fluorosis and the health individuals of adolescents living in the endemic fluorosis area of Guizhou, China through full-length 16S rDNA sequencing. Fourty-six individuals meet the sampling criteria, and we divided these samples into the following groups: a healthy group (H = 23) and a dental fluorosis group (F = 23), and two subgroups of Miao ethnicity: a healthy Miao group (Hm = 13) and a dental fluorosis Miao group (Fm = 15). A total of 660,389 high-quality sequences were obtained, and 12,007 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were identified, revealing significant variations in oral microbiome between Fm and Hm groups. The composition of oral microbiota was similar between the H and F groups. At the genus level, Pseudopropionibacterium and at the species level, Streptococcus oralis_subsp.dentisani_clade_058 were less abundant in group F than in group H (P < 0.05). Further analysis revealed that the abundance of Capnocytophaga gingivalis and Kingella denitrificans was significantly lower in Fm fluorosis patients than in the Hm group (P < 0.05). Based on the LEfSe analysis, the potential core biomarkers in the oral of Fm fluorosis patients were identified at different taxonomic levels, ranging from phylum to species. These include Gammaproteobacteria, Prevotella sp_HMT_304, Gemella sanguinis, and Gracilibacteria_(GN02). Network analysis revealed that the microbiota in the fluorosis group exhibited more complex interactions with each other than the healthy group. Notably, within the Hm group, the potential biomarkers Capnocytophaga gingivalis and Kingella denitrificans exhibited a positive correlation. Finally, we employed PICRUSt2 analysis to explore the abundance clustering of the top 30 functional units in each sample, and we found that the metabolic pathway compositions of the four groups were similar. In summary, our findings suggest that the microbial composition of plaque in Hm patients with dental fluorosis is significantly altered, and we identified the potential marker microorganisms that contribute to these changes.

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside promotes stress tolerance and lifespan extension of Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to polystyrene via DAF-16 pathway.

Microplastic pollution has attracted growing attention due to its prevalent and persistent exposure to general population through the food chain, but few reports have focused on the toxicological prevention of polystyrene (PS). Using the wild-type and mutant strains, this study explored the impacts of PS and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) on stress tolerance and lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). In N2 nematodes, PS exposure initiated the oxidative stress and subsequent lifespan reduction, while these adverse impacts could be positively improved by C3G treatment. Considering the pivotal role of DAF-16 pathway in stress tolerance and lifespan regulation, the expression of the daf-16 gene and its downstream antioxidant genes (clt-2, hsp-16.1, sod-3, sod-5) were examined, and found to be significantly enhanced by C3G. Since the sod-3 gene was up-regulated the most fold by C3G, the activity of SOD enzyme that encoded by the sod-3 was examined, and could be obviously enhanced upon C3G treatment. This explained the improved oxidative stress and delayed oxidation-associated aging after C3G intervention. Nevertheless, these positive effects of C3G were weakened in daf-16(-) mutant strain (with deleted DAF-16 gene), for which the beneficial effects of C3G in promoting stress resistance and lifespan extension were inhibited. These findings suggested that the DAF-16 gene and its downstream antioxidant genes, have participated in C3G's regulations on redox balance and lifespan that impacted by nano-polystyrene particles. This study highlighted the link between dietary components and environmentally driven disturbance.

Food-derived cyanidin-3-O-glucoside reverses microplastic toxicity via promoting discharge and modulating the gut microbiota in mice.

Microplastics (MPs) ingested and accumulated by organisms would ultimately pose a threat to humans via the food chain. A balanced gut microbiota contributes to many health benefits, which is readily influenced by environmental chemicals such as MPs. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), a bioactive compound of the anthocyanin family, possesses a variety of functional effects including anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, as well as gut microbiota modulation. C3G has been demonstrated to prevent polystyrene (PS) induced toxicities in Caco-2 cells and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) via activating autophagy and promoting discharge. In the present study, we aimed to explore the alleviation effect of C3G on PS induced toxicities in C57BL/6 mice. Our results showed that the supplementation of C3G effectively reduced the tissue accumulation and promoted the fecal PS discharge, leading to alleviation of the PS-caused oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Meanwhile, C3G modulated PS-associated gut microbiome perturbations and regulated functional bacteria in inflammation such as Desulfovibrio, Helicobacter, Oscillospiraceae and Lachnoclostridium. Also, C3G administration initiated alterations in functional pathways in response to xenobiotic PS, and reduced bacterial functional genes related to inflammation and human diseases. These findings may offer evidence for the protective role of C3G in the intervention of PS-induced toxicity and gut dysbiosis.

Transcript profiling analysis of Rhodosporidium paludigenum-mediated signalling pathways and defense responses in mandarin orange.

To investigate the basis of inducible resistance response in postharvest mandarin orange, cDNA microarray and high-performance liquid chromatography were performed to study transcriptional and metabolic changes in Rhodosporidium paludigenum strain treated fruit. The microarray data mining revealed that R. paludigenum activated transcription of genes important for plant hormones, signalling transduction, stress and defensive responses in orange peel tissue. Moreover, up-regulation of phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism, phenylpropanoids biosynthesis, and alkaloid biosynthesis I, were observed at the transcription level. Conversely, large amounts of genes involved in starch metabolism, oligosaccharide and glycoside metabolism were markedly repressed by R. paludigenum treatment. Activation of phenylpropanoids biosynthesis pathway was correlated with the increasing production of phenolic acids and their subsequent metabolite lignin, indicating antifungal metabolites indeed contributed to biocontrol yeast enhanced fruit protection. Our findings provide an important basis for understanding the mechanisms of resistance induction in mandarin orange, as well as for reducing postharvest losses.