Polydopamine/Fe3O4 modified wood-based evaporator for efficient and continuous water purification.

Solar interfacial evaporation is a highly promising technology for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment, while the simple preparation processes and efficient production of clean water based on biomass interfacial evaporators still need further exploration and development. Here, we reported a wood-based evaporator (PFDW) loaded with Fe3O4 and polydopamine (PDA) after simple immersion treatment at room temperature for efficient and continuous water purification. The synergistic photothermal effect of PDA coating and Fe3O4 particles enables the evaporator to achieve high photothermal conversion efficiency in the longer wavelength range, while combined with the rapid water transport capacity endowed by the vertically aligned microporous structure of natural wood, it achieved an evaporation rate of 1.70 kg m-2h-1 and an energy efficiency of 98.0% under 1 kW m-2 irradiation. In addition, the prepared PFDW exhibited sustainable desalination stability and excellent removal efficiency for different water sources including organic dye wastewater, heavy metal effluent, oil-water emulsion and river water. This work provides a new avenue for efficient salt-tolerant portable evaporators.

Masticatory system-inspired microneedle theranostic platform for intelligent and precise diabetic management.

Integrated systems for diabetic theranostics present advanced technology to regulate diabetes yet still have critical challenges in terms of accuracy, long-term monitoring, and minimal invasiveness. Inspired by the feature and functions of animal masticatory system, we presented a biomimetic microneedle theranostic platform (MNTP) for intelligent and precise management of diabetes. The MNTP was supported by a miniatured circuit, which used microneedle arrays for on-demand skin penetration, enabling interstitial fluid exudation for simultaneous detection of glucose and physiological ions, and subcutaneous insulin delivery. Interstitial fluid exudation enabled sensing in oxygen-rich environment via the incorporated epidermal sensor functionalized with hybrid carbon nanomaterials. This feature addressed the biosafety issues due to implanted electrodes and the "oxygen-deficit" issues in vivo. The MNTP was demonstrated to accurately detect glucose and ions and deliver insulin to regulate hyperglycemia. The biomimetic and intelligent features of the MNTP endowed it as a highly advanced system for diabetes therapy.

LAB Fermentation Improves Production of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Withania somnifera Extract and Its Metabolic Signatures as Revealed by LC-MS/MS.

In this study we investigated the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation on the ingredients and anti-oxidant activity of Withania somnifera extract. Four strains of LAB could proliferate normally in medium containing W. somnifera extract after the pH reached 3.1~3.5. LAB fermentation increased the content of alcohols and ketones, endowing the extract with the characteristic aroma of fermentation. Compared to the control, the DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging rates in the fermented samples were significantly improved, ranging from 48.5% to 59.6% and 1.2% to 6.4%. The content of total phenols was significantly increased by 36.1% during the fermentation of mixed bacteria. Moreover, the original composition spectrum of the extract was significantly changed while the differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were closely related to bile secretion, tryptophan metabolism and purine metabolism. Therefore, LAB fermentation can be used as a promising way to improve the flavor and bioactivity of the extracts of W. somnifera, making the ferments more attractive for use as functional food.

Trimodal Therapy vs. Radical Cystectomy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: To compare the difference between trimodal therapy (TMT) and radical cystectomy (RC) in treating muscle-invasive bladder cancer, we performed a meta-analysis for data from the following database. Methods: We searched PubMed, Chinese biomedicine literature database, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Internet databases, Wanfang databases, and Google Scholar up to December 2019. The main outcome measures assessed were overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), mortality, and Charlson comorbidity score (CCS). Two authors independently evaluated the study quality and extracted data. All data were analyzed using Review Manager (version 5.3). Results: After database retrieval, article selection, data extraction, and quality assessment, nine articles comprising 5,721 cases from the TMT group and 48,262 cases from the RC group were included in this study. The data showed that there was no statistical difference between TMT and RC at <10 years OS [pooled hazard ratio (HR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.92-1.73, Z = 1.46, P = 0.14], while OS of the RC group was higher than that of the TMT group at more than 10 years (pooled HR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.18-1.54, Z = 4.33, P < 0.0001). As for CSS, compared with the TMT group, the patients in the RC group had longer CSS (pooled HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.29-1.76, Z = 5.15, P < 0.00001). Compared with RC, TMT is linked to an obvious increase in all-cause mortality and bladder-specific cancer mortality (pooled HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.16-1.46, Z = 4.55, P < 0.00001; pooled HR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.15-1.51, Z = 3.92, P < 0.0001). The bladder cancer patients belonging to CCS "0" score preferred RC [pooled relative risk (OR) = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89-0.98, Z = 2.79, P = 0.005], while CCS "2" score's patients were prone to TMT (pooled OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.29-1.53, Z = 7.73, P < 0.00001). Conclusions: Overall, this meta-analysis suggests that the efficacy of TMT is non-inferior to that of RC at <10-year OS, and RC is superior to TMT at more than 10-year OS. Therefore, TMT may be a reasonable treatment option in well-selected patients who are unsuitable for surgery or are not willing to experience surgery. In the future, more high-quality, large-sample randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to verify the results.

Effects of different probiotic combinations on the components and bioactivity of Spirulina.

Spirulina acts as a good dietary nutritional supplement. However, few research studies have been conducted on its fermentation. Three groups of probiotic combinations, lactic acid bacteria, Bacillus strains, and their mixture, were used to investigate Spirulina fermentation. The results showed that lactic acid bacteria significantly increased the content of amino acids and the ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids in the fermented Spirulina, compared with the unfermented Spirulina, and this trend was enhanced by the strains' mixture. However, compared to unfermented Spirulina, the amino acid levels were significantly decreased after fermentation with Bacillus strains and so was the total free amino acid and essential amino acid content. Fermentation significantly reduced the contents of the offensive components of Spirulina, with significant differences among the three mixed bacterial treatments. Moreover, Bacillus strain fermentation increased the contents of flavonoids and polyphenols compared to the unfermented Spirulina, and significantly enhanced 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine free-radical scavenging ability and total antioxidant ability. On the contrary, treatments with lactic acid bacteria and the mixture of lactic acid bacteria and Bacillus strains endowed the fermented supernatants with good antibacterial ability. The results showed that probiotic fermentation has a good effect on Spirulina and can serve as a new procedure for developing new Spirulina-containing food items.

Association mapping of soybean seed germination under salt stress.

Soil salinity is a serious threat to agriculture sustainability worldwide. Seed germination is a critical phase that ensures the successful establishment and productivity of soybeans in saline soils. However, little information is available regarding soybean salt tolerance at the germination stage. The objective of this study was to identify the genetic mechanisms of soybean seed germination under salt stress. One natural population consisting of 191 soybean landraces was used in this study. Soybean seeds produced in four environments were used to evaluate the salt tolerance at their germination stage. Using 1142 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the molecular markers associated with salt tolerance were detected by genome-wide association analysis. Eight SNP-trait associations and 13 suggestive SNP-trait associations were identified using a mixed linear model and the TASSEL 4.0 software. Eight SNPs or suggestive SNPs were co-associated with two salt tolerance indices, namely (1) the ratio of the germination index under salt conditions to the germination index under no-salt conditions (ST-GI) and (2) the ratio of the germination rate under salt conditions to the germination rate under no-salt conditions (ST-GR). One SNP (BARC-021347-04042) was significantly associated with these two traits (ST-GI and ST-GR). In addition, nine possible candidate genes were located in or near the genetic region where the above markers were mapped. Of these, five genes, Glyma08g12400.1, Glyma08g09730.1, Glyma18g47140.1, Glyma09g00460.1, and Glyma09g00490.3, were verified in response to salt stress at the germination stage. The SNPs detected could facilitate a better understanding of the genetic basis of soybean salt tolerance at the germination stage, and the marker BARC-021347-04042 could contribute to future breeding for soybean salt tolerance by marker-assisted selection.

Determination of the genetic architecture of seed size and shape via linkage and association analysis in soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.).

Seed-size traits, which are controlled by multiple genes in soybean, play an important role in determining seed yield, quality and appearance. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling the size of soybean seeds remain unclear, and little research has been done to investigate these mechanisms. In this study, we performed a genetic analysis to determine the genetic architecture of soybean seed size and shape via linkage and association analyses. We used 184 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and 219 cultivated soybean accessions to evaluate seed length, seed width and seed height as seed-size traits, and their ratios of these values as seed-shape traits. Our results showed that all six traits had high heritability ranging from 92.46 to 98.47 %. Linkage analysis in the RILs identified 12 quantitative traits loci (QTLs), with five of these QTLs being associated with seed size, five with seed shape and two with the two first principal components of our principal component analysis (PCA). Association analysis in the 219 accessions detected 41 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-trait associations, with 20 of these SNPs being associated with seed-size traits, seven with seed-shape traits and 14 with the two first principal components of our PCA. This analysis reveals that seed-size and seed-shape may be controlled by different genetic factors. Our results provide a greater understanding of phenotypic structure and genetic architecture of soybean seed, and the QTLs detected in this study form a basis for future fine mapping, quantitative trait gene cloning and molecular breeding in soybean.