Balancing the Binding of Intermediates Enhances Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation on D-Band Center Modulated Pd Sites.

Exploring efficient alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) electrocatalysts is of great concern for constructing anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). Herein, d-band center modulated PdCo alloys with ultralow Pd content anchored onto the defective carbon support (abbreviated as PdCo/NC hereafter) are proposed as highly efficient HOR catalyst. The as-prepared catalyst exhibits exceptional HOR performance compared to the Pt/C catalyst, achieving thermodynamically spontaneous and kinetically preferential reactions. Specifically, the resultant PdCo/NC demonstrates a marked enhancement in alkaline HOR performance, with the highest mass and specific activities of 1919.6 mA mgPd-1 and 1.9 mA cm-2, 51.1 and 4.2 times higher than those of benchmark of Pt/C, along with an excellent stability in a chronoamperometry test. In the analysis of in situ Raman spectra, it was discovered that tetrahedrally coordinated H-bonded water molecules were formed during the HOR process. This indicates that the promotion of interfacial water molecule formation and enhancement of HOR activities in PdCo/NC are facilitated by defect engineering and the turning of d-band center in PdCo alloy. The essential knowledge obtained in this study could open up a new direction for modifying the electronic structure of cost-effective HOR catalysts through electronic structure engineering.

Baduanjin for executive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents age-related cognitive decline and affects various aspects of cognitive function, including memory, attention, executive function (EF), mental processing speed, speech-language skills, and visual-spatial skills. Among these, the EF is the most likely to decline with increasing age. Existing RCTs have shown that Baduanjin can improve the EF in MCI patients. In this study, we aimed to perform a systematic review to assess the efficacy of Baduanjin in improving the EF of patients with MCI. METHODS: Ten databases [English: Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, OVID, and EBSCOhost; Chinese: Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and SinoMed] were systematically searched in April 2021. We herein included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) written in Chinese or English that assessed the effect of Baduanjin on the EF of patients with MCI. Two researchers used the Cochrane Collaboration's tool and assessed the risks of bias and performed a meta-analysis through the RevMan 5.4 software. We used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) to evaluate the quality of the body of evidence. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines were followed. RESULTS: Sixteen RCTs involving 934 patients with MCI were included. The duration of Baduanjin was 16-24 weeks. The study showed that Baduanjin could significantly improve the EF (P < 0.05) based on the evaluation of the EF of patients with MCI using Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the Clock Drawing Test, the Digit Symbol Coding test, and the Trail Making Test. CONCLUSION: Baduanjin significantly improved the EF of patients with MCI.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis XLTG11 improves antibiotic-related diarrhea by alleviating inflammation, enhancing intestinal barrier function and regulating intestinal flora.

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is a common side effect during antibiotic treatment. In this study, we evaluated the regulatory effect of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis XLTG11 on mouse diarrhea caused by antibiotic-induced intestinal flora disturbance. Then, two strains of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis XLTG11 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 were administered to AAD mice. We found that the recovery effect of using B. lactis XLTG11 was better than that of B. lactis BB-12. B. lactis XLTG11 reduced the pathological characteristics of the intestinal tract, and significantly reduced the levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), D-lactic acid (D-LA) and diamine oxidase (DAO) to decrease intestinal permeability. In addition, these two strains significantly increased the expression of aquaporin and tight junction proteins, and inhibited toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, significantly increased the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines and decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, after treatment with B. lactis XLTG11, the contents of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and total short-chain fatty acids were significantly increased. Compared with the MC group, B. lactis XLTG11 increased the abundance and diversity of the intestinal flora and changed the composition of the intestinal flora. We found that B. lactis XLTG11 can promote the recovery of intestinal flora and mucosal barrier function, thereby effectively improving AAD-related symptoms, providing a scientific basis for future clinical applications.

Analysis of the complete genome sequence of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus with post-acidification capacity and its influence on yogurt in storage.

In recent years, yogurt has been one of the most popular fermented dairy products and is sold worldwide. In this study, pH and titrated acid changes of 4 strains of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus fermented milk during storage were detected. The difference between L. bulgaricus KLDS1.1011 and KLDS1.0207 was significant, with the latter exhibiting reduced acidity levels. Therefore, we determined the complete genome sequence of the 2 strains. Then the expression of specific genes and common genes related to glucose metabolism and proteolysis of L. bulgaricus KLDS1.1011 and KLDS1.0207 were detected by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR. Analysis indicated that the key enzymes in glycometabolism and proteolysis of L. bulgaricus KLDS1.1011 were significantly different than those of L. bulgaricus KLDS1.0207. The contents of lactose and glucose decreased during storage of L. bulgaricus fermented milk, as determined by HPLC, and the contents of lactic acid and galactose increased, with L. bulgaricus KLDS1.1011 increasing less. With skim milk as a raw material, L. bulgaricus KLDS1.1011, KLDS1.0207, and Streptococcus thermophilus S1 were used as fermentation strains to yield yogurt at 42°C, and sensory evaluation was compared with yogurt fermented by commercial starter cultures. Yogurt from L. bulgaricus KLDS1.1011 was the highest-rated. Therefore, the study may provide guidelines for the development of yogurt starters.

The Protective Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum KLDS 1.0344 on LPS-Induced Mastitis In Vitro and In Vivo.

Cow mastitis, which significantly lowers milk quality, is mainly caused by pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli. Previous studies have suggested that lactic acid bacteria can have antagonistic effects on pathogenic bacteria that cause mastitis. In the current study, we evaluated the in vitro and in vivo alleviative effects of L. plantarum KLDS 1.0344 in mastitis treatment. In vitro antibacterial experiments were performed using bovine mammary epithelial cell (bMEC), followed by in vivo studies involving mastitis mouse models. In vitro results indicate that lactic acid was the primary substance inhibiting the E. coli pathogen. Meanwhile, treatment with L. plantarum KLDS 1.0344 can reduce cytokines' mRNA expression levels in the inflammatory response of bMEC induced by LPS. In vivo, the use of this strain reduced the secretion of inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α, and decreased the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO), and inhibited the secretion of p-p65 and p-IκBα. These results indicate that L. plantarum KLDS 1.0344 pretreatment can reduce the expression of inflammatory factors by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway, thus exerting prevent the occurrence of inflammation in vivo. Our findings show that L. plantarum KLDS 1.0344 has excellent properties as an alternative to antibiotics and can be developed into lactic acid bacteria preparation to prevent mastitis disease.