A flexible modulated pesticide release platform through poly(urethane-urea) microcapsules: effect of different crosslinkers compositions.

BACKGROUND: Polymeric microcapsules (MCs) have become an important issue and have attracted increasing attention because of their tunable physical and chemical properties. Diverse shell structures can confer multiple properties on MCs. RESULTS: Different polyols (1,4-butanediol and glycerin) and polyamines (triethylenetetramine and isophorondiamine) were selected as crosslinkers to obtain emamectin benzoate (EB)-loaded poly(urethane-urea) MCs (PU-MCs) by interfacial polymerization. The four obtained PU-MCs showed sphericity with different degrees of smoothness on their surfaces, and displayed a uniform size distribution ranging from 500 to 700 nm. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy showed that the shell thickness was roughly uniform, and was greatly influenced by the type and structure of the crosslinker. GI-MCs, prepared using glycerin and isophorondiamine, had the largest shell thickness. GT-MCs, obtained using glycerin and triethylenetetramine, had the highest encapsulation efficiency and drug-loading content, and BT-MCs, obtained using mixtures of 1,4-butanediol and triethylenetetramine, had the fastest release behavior. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the greater the degree of shell crosslinking, the higher decomposition temperature and the greater the thermal stability. A BT-MC suspension had the lowest viscosity and contact angle with the best wettability. Bioassay experiments showed that BT-MCs exhibited good insecticidal activity against Plutella xylostella larvae with a half-maximal lethal concentration of 4.19 mg/L. Furthermore, a BT-MC suspension showed good thermal and light stability, with potential applications in minimizing the toxicity of EB through sustained release. CONCLUSION: Various properties of EB-loaded PU-MCs were modulated through simple selection of different polyols and polyamines during fabrication, which might have an important role in constructing the pesticide delivery system and improving pesticide utilization. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Self-Adaptive Rapid Thermal Conductive Fabrics Based on Hygroscopic Shrinkage Response for Personal Cooling and Drying.

Advanced fabrics with thermal wet management capability as low energy consumption media contribute to personal cooling and drying. Nevertheless, it remains a great challenge to obtain intelligent fabrics with adjustable thermal conductivity (TC) capable of bridging the supply and demand between human body temperature and self-adaptive thermal conduction. Herein, we report hygroscopic-shrinkage nanofiber-based fabrics with excellent moisture sensitivity and significant volume shrinkage, which benefits the construction of high-density thermal conductive pathways by absorbing sweat, with a maximum sweat absorption rate reaching up to 1781%. The TC of the shrunken fabric is significantly increased from the initial 0.102 to 0.731 W·m-1 K-1 with a volume shrinkage rate of 89% due to the synergistic effect of van der Waals force, capillary force, viscous resistance, and gravity. Besides, an enhanced TC of the resulting fabrics facilitates rapid heat transfer to the environments. By capturing the surface temperature variations of the fabric after shrinkage and commercially available cotton/Coolmax, we obtained the fabric that releases the same amount of heat in a shorter period of time (3.3 s). With its exceptional personal thermal and wet management properties, this study paves the way for designing new-generation intelligent fabrics capable of creating more comfortable microclimates.

Long non-coding RNA linc00659 promotes tumour progression by regulating FZD6/Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway in colorectal cancer via m6A reader IGF2BP1.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has become a driving factor in tumour development and progression. The linc00659 is abnormally highly expressed in digestive tract tumours and promotes cancer progression, but there is little research on the mechanism of linc00659 and m6A. METHODS: The expression of linc00659 in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and cells was assessed by a quantitative real-time PCR. The proliferative capacity of CRC cells was determined by colony formation, Cell Counting Kit-8 and 5-ethynyl-2 deoxyuridine assays, and the migratory capacity of CRC was determined by wound healing and transwell assays and tube formation. In vivo, a xenograft tumour model was used to detect the effect of linc00659 on tumour growth. The Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway and related protein expression levels were measured by western blotting. The binding of linc00659 to insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) was assessed by RNA pull-down and an immunoprecipitation assay. The effect of IGF2BP1 on FZD6 was detected by an RNA stability assay. RESULTS: The expression of linc00659 was abnormally elevated in CRC tissues and cells compared to normal colonic tissues and cells. We confirm that linc00659 promotes the growth of CRC cells both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, linc00659 binds to IGF2BP1 and specifically enhances its activity to stabilize the target gene FZD6. Therefore, linc00659 and IGF2BP1 activate the Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway, promoting cell proliferation in CRC. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that linc00659 and IGF2BP1 cooperate to promote the stability of the target FZD6 mRNA, thereby facilitating CRC progression, which may represent a potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic target for CRC.

Bioactive oxylipins in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with and without hypertriglyceridemia.

Objective: Dyslipidemia, in particular elevated triglycerides (TGs) contribute to increased cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this pilot study we aimed to assess how increased TGs affect hepatic fat as well as polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolism and oxylipin formation in T2DM patients. Methods: 40 patients with T2DM were characterized analyzing routine lipid blood parameters, as well as medical history and clinical characteristics. Patients were divided into a hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) group (TG ≥ 1.7mmol/l) and a normal TG group with TGs within the reference range (TG < 1.7mmol/l). Profiles of PUFAs and their oxylipins in plasma were measured by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Transient elastography (TE) was used to assess hepatic fat content measured as controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) (in dB/m) and the degree of liver fibrosis measured as stiffness (in kPa). Results: Mean value of hepatic fat content measured as CAP as well as body mass index (BMI) were significantly higher in patients with high TGs as compared to those with normal TGs, and correlation analysis showed higher concentrations of TGs with increasing CAP and BMI scores in patients with T2DM. There were profound differences in plasma oxylipin levels between these two groups. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) and lipoxygenase (LOX) metabolites were generally more abundant in the HTG group, especially those derived from arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), γ-linolenic acid (γ-LA), and α-linolenic acid (α-LA), and a strong correlation between TG levels and plasma metabolites from different pathways was observed. Conclusions: In adult patients with T2DM, elevated TGs were associated with increased liver fat and BMI. Furthermore, these patients also had significantly higher plasma levels of CYP- and LOX- oxylipins, which could be a novel indicator of increased inflammatory pathway activity, as well as a novel target to dampen this activity.

Efficacy and mechanism of peroxymonosulfate activation by single-atom transition metal catalysts for the oxidation of organic pollutants: Experimental validation and theoretical calculation.

Single-atom catalysts can activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to enhance its oxidation of organic pollutants in water treatment. We synthesized a series of carbon-supported single-atom transition metal catalysts (MnN@C, FeN@C, CoN@C, NiN@C, and CuN@C) with similar compositions and structures. Their catalytic activity toward PMS activation and oxidation mechanisms were investigated using acid orange 7 (AO7) as a model pollutant. The degradation rate (min-1·mol-1·g·m-2) of AO7 followed order: FeN@C/PMS (7.576 × 103) > MnN@C/PMS (5.104 × 103) > CoN@C/PMS (1.919 × 103) ≫ NiN@C/PMS (0.058 × 103) > CuN@C/PMS (0.035 × 103). Electron transfer mediated by surface-activated PMS was found to be the main regime of AO7 oxidation in the catalytic systems. Density functional theory calculations indicated that the degradation of AO7 was promoted by the intense adsorption of PMS and the electron transfer between AO7 and the surface-activated PMS on the catalyst. The cleavage of the naphthalene ring and the azo group was the primary degradation pathway. The toxicity of the products was significantly reduced. This research provides valuable findings for preparing highly efficient single-atom transition metal catalysts for PMS-based degradation of toxic and refractory organic pollutants from water.

Prediction of hemorrhagic transformation via pre-treatment CT radiomics in acute ischemic stroke patients receiving endovascular therapy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to extract radiomics features (RFs) from pre-treatment CT scans in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), and to establish a radiomics model to predict hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after endovascular therapy (EVT). METHODS: A total of 105 patients who were diagnosed with AIS [with occlusion of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and/or internal carotid artery] and received EVT were enrolled. They were randomly divided into the development cohort (n = 73) and the validation cohort (n = 32). The clinicoradiological data of all patients, including pre-treatment cranial CT without contrast enhancement, CT perfusion, and CT angiography, were obtained. The MCA territory on pre-treatment CT images was segmented to extract RFs associated with HT after EVT. Then, a CT radiomics model based on the selected RFs was constructed to predict HT after EVT. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of the CT radiomics model for predicting HT after EVT based on pre-treatment CT RFs was 0.806, 0.649, and 0.781 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.675-0.886), respectively, in the development cohort. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve in the validation cohort was 0.625, 0.875, and 0.797 (95% CI: 0.642-0.951), respectively. CONCLUSION: CT radiomics analysis is a valuable tool for predicting HT in AIS patients receiving EVT. It may guide the selection of patients in practice and improve procedural safety and effectiveness. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Identification of the importance of pre-treatment CT radiomics in the prediction of HT in AIS patients after EVT.

Radiomics analysis for predicting malignant cerebral edema in patients undergoing endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke

PURPOSE: Radiomics analysis is a promising image analysis technique. This study aims to extract a radiomics signature from baseline computed tomography (CT) to predict malignant cerebral edema (MCE) in patients with acute anterior circulation infarction after endovascular treatment (EVT). METHODS: In this retrospective study, 111 patients underwent EVT for acute ischemic stroke caused by middle cerebral artery (MCA) and/or internal carotid artery occlusion. The participants were randomly divided into two datasets: the training set (n = 77) and the test set (n = 34). The clinico-radiological profiles of all patients were collected, including cranial non-contrast-enhanced CT, CT angiography, and CT perfusion. The MCA territory on non-contrast-enhanced CT images was segmented, and the radiomics features associated with MCE were analyzed. The clinico-radiological parameters related to MCE were also identified. In addition, a routine visual radiological model based on radiological factors and a combined model comprising radiomics features and clinico-radiological factors were constructed to predict MCE. RESULTS: The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the radiomics signature for predicting MCE were 0.870 (P < 0.001) and 0.837 (P = 0.002) in the training and test sets, respectively. The AUCs of the routine visual radiological model were 0.808 (P < 0.001) and 0.813 (P = 0.005) in the training and test sets, respectively. The AUCs of the model combining the radiomics signature and clinico-radiological factors were 0.924 (P < 0.001) and 0.879 (P = 0.001) in the training and test sets, respectively. CONCLUSION: A CT image-based radiomics signature is a promising tool for predicting MCE in patients with acute anterior circulation infarction after EVT. For clinicians, it may assist in diagnostic decision-making.

In situ structure of the red algal phycobilisome-PSII-PSI-LHC megacomplex.

In oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, light energy is captured by antenna systems and transferred to photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI) to drive photosynthesis1,2. The antenna systems of red algae consist of soluble phycobilisomes (PBSs) and transmembrane light-harvesting complexes (LHCs)3. Excitation energy transfer pathways from PBS to photosystems remain unclear owing to the lack of structural information. Here we present in situ structures of PBS-PSII-PSI-LHC megacomplexes from the red alga Porphyridium purpureum at near-atomic resolution using cryogenic electron tomography and in situ single-particle analysis4, providing interaction details between PBS, PSII and PSI. The structures reveal several unidentified and incomplete proteins and their roles in the assembly of the megacomplex, as well as a huge and sophisticated pigment network. This work provides a solid structural basis for unravelling the mechanisms of PBS-PSII-PSI-LHC megacomplex assembly, efficient energy transfer from PBS to the two photosystems, and regulation of energy distribution between PSII and PSI.

Impact of intravenous fish oil on omega-3 fatty acids and their derived lipid metabolites in patients with parenteral nutrition.

BACKGROUND: Long-term parenteral nutrition (PN) can lead to intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were shown to prevent IFALD. EPA-derived and DHA-derived oxylipins could contribute to this protective effect. METHODS: We analyzed the effect of parenteral fish oil on oxylipins in patients with chronic intestinal failure receiving PN (n = 8). Patients first received no fish oil for 8 weeks and then switched to PN with 25% of fat as fish oil for another 8 weeks. Fatty acid profiles of red blood cells, PUFA-derived oxylipins generated by cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase (LOX), and cytochrome P450 (CYP) pathways, inflammatory markers, and liver function were assessed before and during fish-oil PN. RESULTS: EPA plus DHA in erythrocytes (the Omega-3 Index) was high with a median of 11.96% at baseline and decreased to 9.57% without fish oil in PN. Addition of fish oil in PN increased the median Omega-3-Index to 12.75%. EPA-derived and DHA-derived CYP-dependent and LOX-dependent metabolites increased significantly with fish oil in PN, with less pronounced changes in arachidonic acid and its oxylipins. There were no significant changes of inflammation and liver function parameters. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that fish oil-containing PN leads to primarily CYP- and LOX-dependent n-3 PUFA-derived inflammation-dampening oxylipins arising from EPA and DHA. Within this short (16-week) study, there were no significant changes in inflammation and clinical readout parameters.

Optimization of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket second-layer influent distribution structure.

ABSTRACTA parametric model of the second-layer influent distributor is proposed to increase the reaction efficiency of the up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket. The impacts on the flow efficiency of the main parameters, including the length of distribution pipe, that is, the cylinder radius r1, the eccentricity of the nozzle e, and the number of nozzles n1, are investigated. The optimal parameter combination of the second-layer influent distributoris obtained by single factor analysis and orthogonal analysis. Then the two-layer distributor combination model, including the bottom influent distributor and the second-layer influent distributor, is established and the simulations are conducted to study the effect of the two-layer distributor on flow inside the reactor. The simulation results show that the proposed two-layer distributor can achieve a higher mixture efficiency than the single distributor.

Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the Chinese version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Management of Child Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Management of Child Hearing Loss (AAQ-MCHL) scale to Chinese caregivers of children with hearing loss (CHL) and verify its psychometric characteristics. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional design of psychometric validation study. STUDY SAMPLE: In total, 135 caregivers of CHL were invited to participate in the study, and complete data from 125 participants were used to analyse internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, structural validity, criterion validity, and the optimal cut-off score of AAQ-MCHL. RESULTS: Through careful and complete translation and adaptation, the Chinese version of AAQ-MCHL was successfully created. The Chinse version of the AAQ-MCHL had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, structural validity, and criterion validity. Our results also showed that poorer speech performance in CHL was a strong predictor of parental psychological inflexibility. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese version of the AAQ-MCHL could be used as an outcome indicator to evaluate the psychological inflexibility of caregivers of CHL in mainland China, and we suggest that early interventionists should be aware of signs of elevated psychological inflexibility in caregivers of CHL.

LINC00467: an oncogenic long noncoding RNA.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to play essential roles in the cell proliferation, fission and differentiation, involving various processes in humans. Recently, there is more and more interest in exploring the relationship between lncRNAs and tumors. Many latest evidences revealed that LINC00467, an oncogenic lncRNA, is highly expressed in lung cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, glioblastoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, osteosarcoma, and other malignant tumors. Besides, LINC00467 expression was linked with proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis via the regulation of target genes and multiple potential pathways. We reviewed the existing data on the expression, downstream targets, molecular mechanisms, functions, relevant signaling pathways, and clinical implications of LINC00467 in various cancers. LINC00467 may serve as a novel biomarker or therapeutic target for the diagnosis and prognosis of various human tumors.

Behavioral compliance with preventive health measures for students with and without hearing disability during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Hearing loss affects over 1.5 billion individuals worldwide. Their disability and limited access to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic information make them suffer a greater degree than ordinary people. However, the quantitative studies on the implementation of behavior compliance with preventive health measures for vulnerable groups such as people with hearing disability were limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the compliance with pandemic-related protective health measures among people with hearing disability. Design: A cross-sectional survey, population-based cohort study of students aged 12-26 years with and without hearing disability was conducted. Behavioral compliance with preventive health measures was collected from the general education institutions and special education schools using an online questionnaire. Logistic regression and structural equation model were used to determine the associations among the demographic variables, different degrees of mental health status and psychological impacts, and preventive health behaviors. Results: Among 1,589 participants, 485 (30.5%) students are with hearing disability (SHD), and 1,104 (69.5%) students with normal hearing (SNH). The SHD has a significantly lower degree of behavioral compliance with the preventive health measures than SNH has. Hearing disability and anxiety [odds ratio (OR) = 1.54-1.76, p < 0.05] are risk factors for avoiding sharing of utensils during mealtime. Hearing disability, male sex, father's education level, mother's profession, bedtime after 11:00 p.m., anxiety, and depression (OR = 1.45-2.95, p < 0.05) are risk factors for hand hygiene. Male sex (OR = 2.13, p < 0.001) is risk factor and being aged below 18 years old (OR = 0.62, p = 0.03) is protective factor for wearing masks. Exercise (OR = 0.32-0.70, p < 0.01) is the most protective factor for preventive health behaviors. Mediating effect of mental health status and psychological impacts between hearing level and the compliance with the preventive health measures was -0.044 (95% CI: -0.068 to -0.027). Conclusions: To reduce the risk of contraction, update pandemic information, essential communication services, extra assistance, and support should be provided to these disabled persons who are more susceptible to a public health emergency.

Auditory Discrimination Elicited by Nonspeech and Speech Stimuli in Children With Congenital Hearing Loss.

PURPOSE: Congenital deafness not only delays auditory development but also hampers the ability to perceive nonspeech and speech signals. This study aimed to use auditory event-related potentials to explore the mismatch negativity (MMN), P3a, negative wave (Nc), and late discriminative negativity (LDN) components in children with and without hearing loss. METHOD: Nineteen children with normal hearing (CNH) and 17 children with hearing loss (CHL) participated in this study. Two sets of pure tones (1 kHz vs. 1.1 kHz) and lexical tones (/ba2/ vs. /ba4/) were used to examine the auditory discrimination process. RESULTS: MMN could be elicited by the pure tone and the lexical tone in both groups. The MMN latency elicited by nonspeech and speech was later in CHL than in CNH. Additionally, the MMN latency induced by speech occurred later in the left than in the right hemisphere in CNH, and the MMN amplitude elicited by speech in CHL produced a discriminative deficiency compared with that in CNH. Although the P3a latency and amplitude elicited by nonspeech in CHL and CNH were not significantly different, the Nc amplitude elicited by speech performed much lower in CHL than in CNH. Furthermore, the LDN latency elicited by nonspeech was later in CHL than in CNH, and the LDN amplitude induced by speech showed higher dominance in the right hemisphere in both CNH and CHL. CONCLUSION: By incorporating nonspeech and speech auditory conditions, we propose using MMN, Nc, and LDN as potential indices to investigate auditory perception, memory, and discrimination.

Clinical significance of LAG-3 on microvessel density in primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aims: We aimed to determine whether lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3), also known as CD223, is associated with microvessel density (MVD) in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as their clinical significance in predicting survival. Materials and methods: One hundred and twenty-seven patients were enrolled in the study. Samples were obtained on resection at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the Qingdao Municipal Hospital from June 2014 to June 2016. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine vessel density and LAG-3 abundance. Statistical analyses were performed to test for correlation of LAG-3 density and other clinicopathological variables with overall survival (OS). Results: High LAG-3 abundance was significantly correlated with increased MVD in primary HCC (P < 0.05). The χ2 test revealed a significant association of LAG-3 with preoperative AFP level, tumor diameter, N stage, and the presence of HBV infection (P < 0.05). Patients with high LAG-3 expression had shorter OS compared to those with low LAG-3 expression (P < 0.05). The Cox proportional hazards model showed that both higher LAG-3 and MVD density, age, the number of tumors, preoperative AFP level, tissue differentiation, Child-Pugh grade, and lymph node metastasis correlated with survival. Conclusions: High expression of LAG-3 is associated with angiogenesis and poor prognosis in HCC patients. With the deepening of research, LAG-3 is likely to become a novel biomarker for clinical diagnosis and prognosis and can even be a therapeutic target of HCC.

Achieving Good Temperature Stability of Dielectric Constant by Constructing Composition Gradient in (Pb1-x,Lax)(Zr0.65,Ti0.35)O3 Multilayer Thin Films.

Ferroelectrics with a high dielectric constant are ideal materials for the fabrication of miniaturized and integrated electronic devices. However, the dielectric constant of ferroelectrics varies significantly with the change of temperature, which is detrimental to the working stability of electronic devices. This work demonstrates a new strategy to design a ferroelectric dielectric with a high temperature stability, that is, the design of a multilayer relaxor ferroelectric thin film with a composition gradient. As a result, the fabricated up-graded (Pb,La)(Zr0.65,Ti0.35)O3 multilayer thin film showed a superior temperature stability of the dielectric constant, with variation less than 7% in the temperature range from 30 °C to 200 °C, and more importantly, the variation was less than 2.5% in the temperature range from 75 °C to 200 °C. This work not only develops a dielectric material with superior temperature stability, but also demonstrates a promising method to enhance the temperature stability of ferroelectrics.

Association of Interleukin-1 Beta and Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Gene Polymorphisms and Plasma Levels with Diabetic Nephropathy.

Objective: We investigated the relationships between interleukin- (IL-) 1ß and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) gene polymorphism and plasma levels in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods: The genotype and allele frequency distribution of IL-1ß and IL-1Ra in 61 patients with DN and 48 healthy controls (HCs) were determined by kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP), and the plasma concentrations of IL-1ß and IL-1Ra in DN patients and HCs were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Results: Significant differences were detected in the distribution of IL-1ß (-511C/T) genotype and allele frequencies between the DN and HC groups (P < 0.05), with the T genotype being more frequent in DN patients than HCs (OR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.489-5.416). The IL-1ß (+3953C/T) and IL-1Ra (+8006C/T) genotypes and allele frequencies were not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). The plasma IL-1ß level was significantly higher (P < 0.01), while the plasma IL-1Ra concentration was significantly lower in the DN group than the HC group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the plasma IL-1ß level was significantly different between IL-1ß (-511C/T) locus variants (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The IL-1ß (-511C/T) gene polymorphism was significantly associated with DN risk in the population of northern Guangxi, China, and the T allele maybe responsible for genetic susceptibility to DN.

The effects of omega-3 fatty acids in type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on cardiovascular risk modification in type 2 diabetes and related complications remain unclear. We aim to assess the published effects of n-3 PUFA interventions on lipid risk factors in type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We searched the literature on Pubmed, Embase, CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases in order to perform a pooled analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) assessing n-3 PUFA interventions in type 2 diabetes. The primary outcomes analyzed were the effect of n -3 PUFAs on metabolic biomarkers in type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: 46 RCTs involving 4991 patients with type 2 diabetes were identified for further analysis. Analysis of results showed that n-3 PUFAs interventions significantly improved total cholesterol (TC, WMD = -0.22; 95% CI: -0.32∼ -0.11), triglyceride (TG,WMD = -0.36; 95% CI: -0.48∼-0.25), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C,WMD = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.02∼ 0.08), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, WMD = -0.19; 95% CI: -0.31∼-0.06) and C-reactive protein (CRP,WMD = -0.40; 95% CI: -0.74∼-0.07) levels compared to controls (p < 0.05). There was no significant effect on renal function, fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), adiponectin and leptin (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this systematic review suggest that n-3 PUFAs can improve cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes.

Effects of mutations of D1-R323, D1-N322, D1-D319, D1-H304 on the functioning of photosystem II in Thermosynechococcus vulcanus.

Photosystem II (PSII) has a number of hydrogen-bonding networks connecting the manganese cluster with the lumenal bulk solution. The structure of PSII from Thermosynechococcus vulcanus (T. vulcanus) showed that D1-R323, D1-N322, D1-D319 and D1-H304 are involved in one of these hydrogen-bonding networks located in the interfaces between the D1, CP43 and PsbV subunits. In order to investigate the functions of these residues in PSII, we generated seven site-directed mutants D1-R323A, D1-R323E, D1-N322R, D1-D319L, D1-D319R, D1-D319Y and D1-H304D of T. vulcanus and examined the effects of these mutations on the growth and functions of the oxygen-evolving complex. The photoautotrophic growth rates of these mutants were similar to that of the wild type, whereas the oxygen-evolving activities of the mutant cells were decreased differently to 63-91% of that of the wild type at pH 6.5. The mutant cells showed a higher relative activity at higher pH region than the wild type cells, suggesting that higher pH facilitated proton egress in the mutants. In addition, oxygen evolution of thylakoid membranes isolated from these mutants showed an apparent decrease compared to that of the cells. This is due to the loss of PsbU during purification of the thylakoid membranes. Moreover, PsbV was also lost in the PSII core complexes purified from the mutants. Taken together, D1-R323, D1-N322, D1-D319 and D1-H304 are vital for the optimal function of oxygen evolution and functional binding of extrinsic proteins to PSII core, and may be involved in the proton egress pathway mediated by YZ.

Electrospinning SA@PVDF-HFP Core-Shell Nanofibers Based on a Visual Light Transmission Response to Alcohol for Intelligent Packaging.

A naked-eye detector based on a rapid transmittance response to alcohol was designed to offer real-time and reusable detection of fruit freshness. To ensure the hydrophobicity of the fibrous membrane and high light transmission response to alcohol, fluorine-rich poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) with a low refractive index was selected as the shell layer, while sodium alginate (SA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were selected as the core layer for coaxial electrospinning. The core-shell fibrous detector was obtained by treatment with CaCl2 to form a stable hydrogel and by water flushing to remove PVA. The interior structure of the fiber and its evolution were investigated with increasing SA concentration, which changed from a nonconcentric structure to a core-shell structure. Without SA, nonconcentric structured fibers were obtained due to high flowability and incompatibility between the organic solvent phase of PVDF-HFP and the aqueous phase of PVA. As the SA concentration increased, the enhanced viscosity and surface tension decreased the asymmetric mobility significantly, which competed with the charge attractive forces from the Taylor cone surface, leading to a core-shell structure. The as-spun membranes were opaque due to light scattering at the interface between air and fiber and became light transparent after immersion in a rotten fruit-containing alcohol and acetic acid due to a decreased light loss. The rapidly responsive, reusable fibrous membranes with over 90% light transparency developed here have high potential for application in visual intelligent packaging to monitor the freshness of fruits and vegetables.