Elabela mitigates the early stage of inflammation in sepsis by inhibiting pyroptosis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the potential therapeutic role of Elabela (ELA) in mitigating the sepsis-induced inflammatory storm, a phenomenon commonly associated with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and increased mortality. Our findings show the pathogenesis of sepsis, identifying ELA as a promising therapeutic target. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of electronic medical records and blood samples from septic patients to assess the incidence of severe organ complication and characterize the inflammatory response. Subsequently, we measured the expression levels of ELA and various inflammatory factors in serum, and performed correlation analysis to explore the relationship between them, aiming to identify the cells and inflammatory pathways targeted by ELA. Furthermore, animal and cellular experiments were conducted to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of ELA. RESULTS: Our findings revealed a higher prevalence of severe organ complications among septic patients, contributing to adverse prognoses and increased mortality. Notably, these patients exhibited significantly elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) in their sera, indicating a robust inflammatory response. Correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between ELA and IL-1ß in septic patients. Through animal and cellular experiments, we demonstrated that ELA inhibits the cleavage of caspase-1 and gasdermin D (GSDMD), thereby attenuating pyroptosis and the inflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS: ELA is a promising therapeutic agent for mitigating the deleterious effects of sepsis. Its ability to inhibit macrophage pyroptosis and suppress the inflammatory response offers a novel approach.

Multifunctional, Degradable Wearable Sensors Prepared with an Initiator and Crosslinker-Free Method.

The present zwitterionic hydrogel-based wearable sensor exhibits various limitations, such as limited degradation capacity, unavoidable toxicity resulting from initiators, and poor mechanical properties that cannot satisfy practical demands. Herein, we present an initiator and crosslinker-free approach to prepare polyethylene glycol (PEG)@poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl) (PSBMA) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels that are self-polymerized via sunlight-induced and non-covalent crosslinking through electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding among polymer chains. The PEG@PSBMA IPN hydrogel possesses tissue-like softness, superior stretchability (∼2344.6% elongation), enhanced fracture strength (∼39.5 kPa), excellent biocompatibility, antibacterial property, reliable adhesion, and ionic conductivity. Furthermore, the sensor based on the IPN hydrogel demonstrates good sensitivity and cyclic stability, enabling effective real-time monitoring of human body activities. Moreover, it is worth noting that the excellent degradability in the saline solution within 8 h makes the prepared hydrogel-based wearable sensor free from the electronic device contamination. We believe that the proposed strategy for preparing physical zwitterionic hydrogels will pave the way for fabricating eco-friendly wearable devices.

Water stratification alters phytoplankton assemblages in scallop farming waters of the North Yellow Sea in China.

As evaluation indicators of the primary productivity, the phytoplankton biomass and community structure are of great significance to the fishery industry, which can be driven by ocean currents, nutrients and water stratification. In the present study, the characteristics of phytoplankton assemblages in different water layers of a typical Yesso scallop farming area in Zhangzi Island, the North Yellow Sea were investigated from March 2021 to January 2022. According to the vertical distribution of temperature, water stratification was observed from June to August (stratification period), and disappeared in March, October and the following January with vertical homogeneity (mixing period). 18S rRNA gene sequencing results revealed that Pyrrophyta was the most dominant phylum during the sampling period, with high gene proportions in the stratification (63.36%) and mixing periods (77.35%). The gene proportion of Bacillariophyta in the stratification period was 5.44%, which was significantly lower than that in the mixing period of 8.93% (p < 0.05). Moreover, Pseudo-nitzschia, a toxin-producing taxon affiliated with Bacillariophyta, exhibited a significantly higher proportion in the stratification period than in the mixing period. During the stratification period, a number of toxin-producing taxa such as Pseudo-nitzschia and Karlodinium were enriched in the bottom layer, which was 1.29-fold and 1.37-fold of that in the surface layer, respectively. Redundancy analysis showed that phosphate and water temperature were major environmental factors driving the vertical distribution of phytoplankton assemblages. The phosphate (0.11 µM) and silicate (2.09 µM) concentrations in the surface layer approached the minimum threshold for phytoplankton growth, and the stoichiometric limitation of phosphate was detected in the surface and middle layers. Collectively, these results indicated that the decreased proportion ratio of Bacillariophyta to Pyrrophyta and unfavorable community composition of Bacillariophyta for scallops were observed during summer, which might result from the phosphate limitation driven by water stratification. The results will further our understanding of the dynamics of phytoplankton communities under the background of intensifying ocean stratification and provide ecological guidance for mollusc mariculture.

Regulating Bacterial Culture through Tailored Silk Inverse Opal Scaffolds.

Controlling the growth of microbial consortia is of great significance in the biomedical field. Selective bacterial growth is achieved by fabricating silk inverse opal (SIO) scaffolds with varying pore sizes ranging from 0.3 to 4.5 µm. Pore size significantly influences the growth dynamics of bacteria in both single and mixed-strain cultures. Specially, the SIO-4.5 µm scaffold is observed to be more favorable for cultivating S. aureus, whereas the SIO-0.3 µm scaffold is more suitable for cultivating E. coli and P. aeruginosa. By adjusting the secondary conformation of silk fibroin, the stiffness of the SIO substrate will be altered, which results in the increase of bacteria on the SIO by 16 times compared with that on the silk fibroin film. Manipulating the pore size allows for the adjustment of the S. aureus to P. aeruginosa ratio from 0.8 to 9.3, highlighting the potential of this approach in regulating bacterial culture.