Investigating functional mechanisms in the Co-biodegradation of lignite and guar gum under the influence of salinity.

The biodegradation of guar gum by microorganisms sourced from coalbeds can result in low-temperature gel breaking, thereby reducing reservoir damage. However, limited attention has been given to the influence of salinity on the synergistic biodegradation of coal and guar gum. In this study, biodegradation experiments of guar gum and lignite were conducted under varying salinity conditions. The primary objective was to investigate the controlling effects and mechanisms of salinity on the synergistic biodegradation of lignite and guar gum. The findings revealed that salinity had an inhibitory effect on the biomethane production from the co-degradation of lignite and guar gum. The biomethane production declined with increasing salinity levels, decreasing from 120.9 mL to 47.3 mL. Even under 20 g/L salt stress conditions, bacteria in coalbeds could effectively break the gel and the viscosity decreased to levels below 5 mPa s. As salinity increased, the removal rate of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) decreased from 55.63% to 31.17%, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulated in the digestion system. High salt environment reduces the intensity of each fluorescence peak. Alterations in salinity led to changes in microbial community structure and diversity. Under salt stress, there was an increased relative abundance of Proteiniphilum and Methanobacterium, ensuring the continuity of anaerobic digestion. Hydrogentrophic methanogens exhibited higher salt tolerance compared to acetoclastic methanogens. These findings provide experimental evidence supporting the use of guar gum fracturing fluid in coalbeds with varying salinity levels.

Achieving High-Performance Na3V2(PO4)2F3 Cathode Material through a Bifunctional N-Doped Carbon Network.

Na3V2(PO4)2F3 (NVPF) is emerging as a popular cathode for sodium-ion batteries owing to its stable structure, high operating voltage, and large energy density. However, its practical application is hindered by its low conductivity. In addition, due to the loss of fluorine during synthesis, Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) impurity is often easily generated, resulting in a decrease in actual operating voltage. Herein, a bifunctional carbon network composed of an N-doped carbon layer and carbon bridge is constructed around NVPF particles. Through pyrolysis of polydopamine (PDA), the NVPF particles are covered in situ by an N-doped carbon layer, and the carbon bridge generated by polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is also coated with N-doped carbon. Besides, PTFE also serves as a fluorine supplement to ensure that pure NVPF is obtained. As a result, the bifunctional N-doped carbon network-modified NVPF delivers a high reversible capacity (125.7 mA h g-1 at 0.2 C) and appreciable cycle stability (92.7% at 1 C over 300 cycles, and 89.8% at 10 C over 1500 cycles). When assembled into a full cell with a commercial hard carbon anode, it displays a discharge median voltage of up to 3.62 V at 0.2 C. Furthermore, it achieves a high energy density of 373.7 W h kg-1 at a power density of 461.2 W kg-1, with an excellent specific energy retention of 78.2% after 200 cycles. Therefore, this modification method is expected to be extended to other fluorine-containing materials with poor electrical conductivity.

High-glucose conditions attenuate the response of macrophages to Legionella pneumophila infection by inhibiting NOD1 and MAPK signaling.

BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes are particularly susceptible to Legionella pneumophila (LP) infection, but the exact pathogenesis of LP infection in diabetic patients is still not fully understood. Herein, we investigated the effect of diabetes on immune function during LP infection in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: The time course of LP infection in macrophages under normal and high-glucose (HG) conditions was examined in vitro. Western blot was used to determine nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 1 (NOD1), kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 (MAPK p38), and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay assessed U937 cell viability after treating cells with different concentrations of high sugar medium and ML130 (NOD1 inhibitor). For the in vivo study, normal and streptozocin-induced diabetic guinea pigs were infected with LP for 6, 24, and 72 h, after which NOD1, MAPK-related signals, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression in lung tissues were assessed using immunohistochemistry, western blot, and RT-PCR. RESULTS: HG attenuated the upregulation of NOD1 expression and reduced TNF-α and IL-6 secretion caused by LP compared with LP-infected cells exposed to normal glucose levels (all p < 0.05). In diabetic guinea pigs, HG inhibited the upregulation of NOD1 expression in lung tissues and the activation of p38, ERK1/2, and cJNK caused by LP infection compared to control pigs (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: HG attenuates the response of macrophages to LP infection by inhibiting NOD1 upregulation and the activation of MAPK signaling.

Evolutionary law and regulatory technology of roof migration on gob-side entry retaining.

In order to study the evolutionary law of roof migration on Gob-Side Entry Retaining, this paper takes the gob-side entry retaining in the comprehensive mining face of the Ningtiaota coal mine as the engineering background, and analyzes the evolutionary law of the overlying rock layer on the roof at different locations during the roadway stay and the stress distribution around the roadway through numerical simulation software, which shows that there is a concentration of stress inside the Flexible formwork concrete wall, and therefore the maximum settlement of the roof on the side of Flexible formwork concrete wall is 35.35 mm, due to the existence of "arch-shaped" decompression area from the working face. Therefore, the maximum settlement of the roof slab on the side of flexible formwork concrete wall was 35.35 mm. Due to the existence of "arch-shaped" decompression area on the roof and floor of roadway, the settlement of the roof slab on both sides of the roadway gradually increased when it was from - 20 to 10 m away from the working face, and the central position had the following pattern of firstly decreasing and then gradually increasing, and then exceeding the top of the roadway. After decreasing and then gradually increasing, after 10 m ahead of the working face, the two sides of the roadway roof subsidence law and the central part of the roadway to maintain the same; the use of cutting the top of the flexible mold concrete wall support technology as a means of controlling the top of the roof along the empty roadway subsidence, the analysis shows that the roof after roof cutting of the amount of subsidence have been reduced, the maximum difference in the rate of change of the displacement is 0.011%, and the maximum difference in the amount of subsidence of 4.98 mm; through the field monitoring data analysis of the pressure of mining The peak value of the influence curve of the working face is located at 19 m of the working face, 9 m of the lagging working face and 19 m of the roadway outside the working face are less affected by the additional mining stress field, comparing the fracture brokenness of the roadway roof before and after the roof cutting, the fracture area in the uncut section is much larger than that in the section of the roof cutting.

Characteristics of surrounding rock damage and control technology of a facing-mining excavating roadway in north Shaanxi mining area.

In a coal mine in the northern region of Shaanxi Province, China, a facing-mining excavating roadway exists, which is intended to be retained for subsequent working face safety services. This paper investigates the deformation and damage characteristics of the surrounding rock in different stages using FLAC 3D numerical simulation, taking the facing-mining excavating roadway of this coal mine as the research context. At 20 m ahead of the working face, a discontinuous plastic zone appears in the surrounding rock of the roadway, a phenomenon attributed to the varying hardness of the lithologyand termed 'plastic zone jumping.' The numerical simulation results have been were verified using drill hole peeping. Real-time monitoring of the roadway's stability is conducted on-site, showing that the roadway is significantly affected by mining at the 50 m point ahead of the working face. Based on the numerical simulation and on-site monitoring results, the support strength was increased at 50 m from the working face along the roadway, and a new support scheme was adopted. In the lagging section of the roadway, where mining pressure is strongly evident, differentiated reinforcement using anchor rods, anchor ropes, and W steel belts has been employed, resulting in a satisfactory on-site effect.

Achieving High Rate and Long Cycle Performance of Na2FePO4F Cathode Through Co-Modification of Ti Doping and Carbon Coating.

Layered Na2FePO4F (NFPF) cathode material has received widespread attention due to its green nontoxicity, abundant raw materials, and low cost. However, its poor inherent electronic conductivity and sluggish sodium ion transportation seriously impede its capacity delivery and cycling stability. In this work, NFPF by Ti doping and conformal carbon layer coating via solid-state reaction is modified. The results of experimental study and density functional theory calculations reveal that Ti doping enhances intrinsic conductivity, accelerates Na-ion transport, and generates more Na-ion storage sites, and pyrolytic carbon from polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) uniformly coated on the NFPF surface improves the surface/interface conductivity and suppresses the side reactions. Under the combined effect of Ti doping and carbon coating, the optimized NFPF (marked as 5T-NF@C) exhibits excellent electrochemical performance, with a high capacity of 108.4 mAh g-1 at 0.2C, a considerable capacity of 80.0 mAh g-1 even at high current density of 10C, and a high capacity retention rate of 81.8% after 2000 cycles at 10C. When assembled into a full cell with a hard carbon anode, 5T-NF@C also show good applicability. This work indicates that co-modification of Ti doping and carbon coating makes NFPF achieve high rate and long cycle performance for sodium-ion batteries.

Non-oxidized and oxidized flaxseed orbitides differently induce HepG2 cell apoptosis: involvement of cellular uptake and membrane death receptor DR4.

BACKGROUND: Flaxseed orbitides have health-promoting properties, particularly potent anti-cancer activity. However, flaxseed orbitides containing a methionine structure, such as [1-9-NαC]-linusorb B2 (CLB), are easily oxidized to sulfoxide ([1-9-NαC],[1-Rs,Ss-MetO]-linusorb-B2 (CLC)) and sulfone ([1-9-NαC], [1-MetO]-linusorb B2 (CLK)), with CLC having less anti-cancer ability than CLB. It is unclear why oxidized flaxseed orbitides are less effective against cancer than non-oxidized flaxseed orbitide. RESULTS: Non-oxidized ([1-9-NαC]-linusorb-B3 (CLA) and CLB) and oxidized (CLC and CLK) flaxseed orbitides were found to significantly upregulate the levels of pro-apoptotic proteins, including Bax/Bcl-2, CytoC, caspase-3, and caspase-8, in a dose-dependent manner, with non-oxidized flaxseed orbitides being more effective than oxidized flaxseed orbitides. Mechanically, the cellular absorption of non-oxidized flaxseed orbitides was higher than that of oxidized flaxseed orbitides. Moreover, the significant fluorescence quenching of DR4 protein by flaxseed orbitides (especially non-oxidized orbitides) indicated the formation of a DR4-orbitide complex. Molecular docking demonstrated that non-oxidized orbitides could easily dock into the active cavity of DR4 protein. Further blocking DR4 significantly reduced the ability of non-oxidized flaxseed orbitides to stimulate caspase-3 expression, whereas oxidized flaxseed orbitides retained this ability. CONCLUSION: Non-oxidized flaxseed orbitides are more effective against cancer than oxidized flaxseed orbitides due to higher cellular uptake and activation of the DR4-mediated death receptor signaling pathway. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of bovine colostrum liposomes on the bioavailability of immunoglobulin G and their immunoregulatory function in immunosuppressed BALB/c mice.

Bovine colostrum (BC) has high nutritional value; however, the low bioavailability of immune active substances in BC may affect their immunoregulatory function. Our previous studies indicated that encapsulating bovine colostrum with liposomes could enable the sustained release of immunoglobulin G in vitro; however, the effect of bovine colostrum liposomes (BCLs) on the bioavailability of immunoglobulins in vivo is still unknown. In addition, the immunoregulatory function of BCLs on immunosuppressed mice is still unclear. Therefore, our current study aimed to explore the effect of BCLs on the bioavailability of immunoglobulins, and further explore their immunoregulatory effect on immunosuppressed BALB/c mice. Through metabolic cage experiments, it was shown that BCLs decreased the urine and fecal concentrations of IgG and exhibited a higher bioavailability of IgG in mice than BC (about 2-fold). In addition, by establishing an immunosuppressed animal model, it was found that BCLs could increase the body weight, spleen weight, and thymus weight in immunosuppressed BALB/c mice, which further restored the serum levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interferon γ (IFN-γ). Through histology analysis, it was suggested that BCLs restored the structure of jejunal epithelial cells, which was accompanied by an improvement in intestinal cytokine levels (IL-4, IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ). Finally, BCLs increased serum and intestine concentrations of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in immunosuppressed BALB/c mice, which further indicated that BCLs had a sustained-release effect for immunoglobulin G in vivo. Our current research will provide a basis for understanding the role of BCLs on the bioavailability of IgG and their immunoregulatory effect on immunosuppressed mice, which might further provide some reference for the application of BCLs.

Low intake of ruminant trans fatty acids ameliorates the disordered lipid metabolism in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet.

Currently, the health benefits of ruminant trans fatty acids (R-TFA) are still controversial. Our previous investigations indicated that R-TFA at higher dosages (1.3% and 4% E) caused disordered lipid metabolism in mice; however, through collecting R-TFA intake data in 9 provinces of China, it was suggested that, in 2021, the range of R-TFA intake for Chinese residents was about 0.053-0.307 g d-1. Based on the 2022 Nutritional Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, the recommended daily energy supply from R-TFA was about 0.11%-0.15% E. However, the health effects of R-TFA at a lower dosage are still unknown; therefore, our current research aims to further explore the effects of R-TFA on health. Through in vivo experiments, it was shown that R-TFA (0.15% E) decreased body weight gain and serum cholesterol levels in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet, while it had no significant effect on mice fed a low-fat diet. Besides, hepatic histopathology analysis suggested that R-TFA (0.15% E) ameliorated the degree of hepatic steatosis and reduced intrahepatocyte lipid droplet accumulation in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet. Through lipidomics analysis, we further screened 8 potential lipid metabolites that participate in regulating the dysregulation of lipid metabolism. Finally, it was suggested that R-TFA (0.15% E) down-regulated the expression of genes related to inflammation and cholesterol synthesis while up-regulated the expression of genes related to cholesterol clearance, which might partially explain the salutary effect of R-TFA (0.15% E) in ameliorating the hepatic steatosis and improving disordered lipid metabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet. Our current research will provide a reference for the intake of R-TFA and, furthermore, give some insights into understanding the health effects of R-TFA.

Experimental Study on the Mechanism of Radial Change of Simulated Enrichment Nutrient Solution Injection into Coal Seams.

This paper deals with enhanced coal bed methane recovery and geological CO2 storage, combined with the dual effect of increasing coal-bed methane and achieving carbon emission reduction. Coal of different particle sizes were loaded into acrylic tanks of a certain height, and peristaltic pumps were used to enrich nutrient solution and CO2 into different layers of coal seams, to monitor the liquid phase pH, COD, OD600, aromatic structure, HCO3-, three-dimensional fluorescence data of the upper, middle, and lower layers, and the specific surface area of coal Poreginseng. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) the reaction with CO2 resulted in a lower pH than that without CO2, with weak acidity and higher concentration of HCO3- ions. The OD600 concentration and activity of the bacterial solution were stronger. Most of the solution was dominated by Clostridium acidophilum, and the three-dimensional fluorescence results are also shown. (2) Coal samples with small particle sizes had a larger surface area, more contact area with bacterial liquid, and a more complete reaction, so the physical property transformation of coal reservoirs with small particle sizes was more obvious, and the COD change was the largest. (3) The upper and middle layers were exposed to more bacterial fluid and CO2, resulting in a more complete degradation reaction.

Methods on improvements of the poor oral bioavailability of ginsenosides: Pre-processing, structural modification, drug combination, and micro- or nano- delivery system.

Panax ginseng Meyer is a traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used as tonic in Asia. The main pharmacologically active components of ginseng are the dammarane-type ginsenosides, which have been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, neuroprotective, and metabolic regulatory activities. Moreover, some of ginsenosides (eg, Rh2 and Rg3) have been developed into nutraceuticals. However, the utilization of ginsenosides in clinic is restrictive due to poor permeability in cells and low bioavailability in human body. Obviously, the dammarane skeleton and glycosyls of ginsenosides are responsible for these limitations. Therefore, improving the oral bioavailability of ginsenosides has become a pressing issue. Here, based on the structures of ginsenosides, we summarized the understanding of the factors affecting the oral bioavailability of ginsenosides, introduced the methods to enhance the oral bioavailability and proposed the future perspectives on improving the oral bioavailability of ginsenosides.

Comparison of fresh and browning lotus roots (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) on modulating cholesterol metabolism via decreasing hepatic cholesterol deposition and increasing fecal bile acid excretion.

Lotus root (LR) is prone to browning after harvest due to the oxidation of phenolic compounds by polyphenol oxidase (PPO). This study compared the effects of LR extract and BLR extract on cholesterol metabolism in high-fat diet (HFD) mice. Our findings highlighted the innovative potentiality of BLR extract in effectively regulating cholesterol metabolism via inhibiting the intestinal FXR-FGF15 signaling pathway and boosting probiotics in gut microbiota, offering valuable insights for hypercholesterolemia and metabolic disorders. In detail, catechin was the main phenolic compound in LR, while after browning, theaflavin was the main oxidation product of phenolic compounds in BLR. Both the intake of LR extract and BLR extract regulated the disorder of cholesterol metabolism induced by HFD. In particular, BLR extract intake exhibited more robust effects on increasing the BAs contents synthesized in the liver and excreted in feces compared with LR extract intake. Furthermore, the consumption of BLR extract was more effective than that of LR extract in reducing the ileal protein expressions of FXR and FGF15 and shifting BAs biosynthesis from the classical pathway to the alternative pathway. Moreover, LR extract and BLR extract had distinct effects on the gut microbiota in HFD-fed mice: BLR extract significantly elevated probiotics Akkermansia abundance, while LR extract increased Lactobacillus abundance. Therefore, both LR extract and BLR extract improved the cholesterol deposition effectively and BLR extract even showed a stronger effect on regulating key gene and protein expressions of cholesterol metabolism.

Differences in fat digestion from milk of different Species: In vitro gastrointestinal digestion model for infants.

The differences in the milk fat digestion from goat milk (GM), camel milk (CM), bovine milk (BM), sheep milk (SM), mare milk (MM) and human milk (HM) using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model for simulated infants were investigated. The particle size distributions in goat and mare milk were similar to that of HM after digestion in the small intestine. During in vitro digestion, the zeta-potential change of MM was more consistent with that of HM. After 60 min of gastric digestion, the lipolysis degree (LD) of different milks were<2%, of which the highest LD was MM (1.84%), followed by HM (1.45%). At the end of intestinal digestion, the LD of HM was the highest, reaching 88.47%, and the LD of SM was similar to that of HM, reaching 83.92%, followed by GM (57.00%), BM (40.98%) and MM (39.37%), respectively, the LD of CM was only 29.99%, which was much lower than HM. The results of the glyceride composition hierarchical clustering analysis revealed that MM and HM were clustered into one category at the end of gastric and intestinal digestion. This study provides a scientific basis for the development of lipid ingredients in infant formula.

Ginsenoside Rh2 and its octyl ester derivative inhibited invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma via the c-Jun/COX2/PGE2 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Liver cancer is a topical global health issue. The treatment of liver cancer meets significant challenges in the high recurrence rate and invasive incidence. Therefore, the treatment strategies that target epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2)/ prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) pathway have become epidemic. Ginsenoside Rh2 has been proved to inhibit the EMT. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Moreover, the octyl ester derivative of Rh2 (Rh2-O) exhibited superior anti-proliferative and immunomodulatory effects than Rh2 in our previous researches, which indicated that Rh2-O might also exert inhibitory effects on invasion and metastasis. PURPOSE: The aim of current study is to explore the inhibitory effects of Rh2 and Rh2-O on invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and to investigate whether these effects are dependent on the c-Jun/COX2/PGE2 pathway. STUDY DESIGN: The Huh-7 liver cancer cells and the H22 tumor-bearing mice were treated with Rh2 and Rh2-O. METHOD: In this paper, the inhibitory effects of Rh2 and Rh2-O on invasion and metastasis were tested by wound healing, trans-well assay and tumor-bearing mice, and the involvement of c-Jun/COX2/PGE2 pathway were verified by exogenous PGE2, activation of COX2 and overexpression of c-Jun. RESULTS: The results showed that Rh2 and Rh2-O could efficiently inhibit the invasion and metastasis in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). And the Rh2-O showed stronger effects than Rh2. Moreover, the exogenous PGE2, activation of COX2 by exogenous LPS and the overexpression of c-Jun by transfection all reversed the inhibitory effects of Rh2 and Rh2-O on metastasis or EMT (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Rh2 and Rh2-O could inhibit the invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma via restraining the EMT, which was mediated by c-Jun/COX2/PGE2 pathway.

Comparative analysis of the volatile components in Chinese breast milk from three regions.

In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled with Partial least squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was used to analyze the volatiles in Chinese breast milk from different cities (Wuhan, Qingdao and Hohhot) and different lactation stages (colostrum and mature milk). The results showed that breast milk contained 122 volatile substances in 9 major groups, with the largest number of olefins (36) and the highest content of acids. The different volatile compounds of breast milk in three cities were heptanal, 2-pentylfuran, (E)-2,4-decadienal, (E)-2-heptenal, (E)-2-nonenal and 1-octen-3-one, colostrum and mature milk were (E)-2-heptenal, (E)-2-decenal, lauric acid, n-decanoic acid, (E)-2-nonenal and octanoic acid. This study might provide scientific data for the development and optimization of formulas that were more suitable for the health of Chinese infants. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-022-01235-4.

The Potent Antitumor Activity of Smp43 against Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer A549 Cells via Inducing Membranolysis and Mitochondrial Dysfunction.

Research has been conducted to investigate the potential application of scorpion venom-derived peptides in cancer therapy. Smp43, a cationic antimicrobial peptide from Scorpio maurus palmatus venom, has been found to exhibit suppressive activity against the proliferation of multiple cancer cell lines. However, its impact on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines has not been previously investigated. This study aimed to determine the cytotoxicity of Smp43 towards various NSCLC cell lines, particularly A549 cells with an IC50 value of 2.58 µM. The results indicated that Smp43 was internalized into A549 cells through membranolysis and endocytosis, which caused cytoskeleton disorganization, a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, an accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and abnormal apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and autophagy due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Additionally, the study explored the in vivo protective effect of Smp43 in xenograft mice. The findings suggest that Smp43 has potential anticarcinoma properties exerted via the inducement of cellular processes related to cell membrane disruption and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Substrate specificity of polyphenol oxidase and its selectivity towards polyphenols: Unlocking the browning mechanism of fresh lotus root (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.).

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) causes the browning of lotus roots (LR), negatively affecting their nutrition and shelf-life. This study aimed to explore the specific selectivity of PPO toward polyphenol substrates, thus unlocking the browning mechanism of fresh LR. Results showed that two highly homologous PPOs were identified in LR and exhibited the highest catalytic activity at 35 ℃ and pH 6.5. Furthermore, the substrate specificity study revealed (-)-epigallocatechin had the lowest Km among the polyphenols identified in LR, while (+)-catechin showed the highest Vmax. The molecular docking further clarified that (-)-epigallocatechin exhibited lower docking energy and formed more hydrogen bonds and Pi-Alkyl interactions with LR PPO than (+)-catechin, while (+)-catechin entered the active cavity of PPO more quickly due to its smaller structure, both of which enhance their affinity to PPO. Thus, (+)-catechin and (-)-epigallocatechin are the most specific substrates responsible for the browning mechanism of fresh LR.

An extracellular matrix-inspired self-healing composite hydrogel for enhanced platelet-rich plasma-mediated chronic diabetic wound treatment.

Diabetes is generally accompanied by difficult-to-heal wounds, which often lead to permanent disability and even death of patients. Because of the abundance of a variety of growth factors, platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been proven to have great clinical potential for diabetic wound treatment. However, how to suppress the explosive release of its active components while realizing adaptability to different wounds remains important for PRP therapy. Here, an injectable, self-healing, and non-specific tissue-adhesive hydrogel formed by oxidized chondroitin sulfate and carboxymethyl chitosan was designed as an encapsulation and delivery platform for PRP. With a dynamic cross-linking structural design, the hydrogel can meet the clinical demands of irregular wounds with controllable gelation and viscoelasticity. Inhibition of PRP enzymolysis as well as sustained release of its growth factors is realized with the hydrogel, enhancing cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Notably, greatly accelerated healing of full thickness wounds of diabetic skins is enabled by promoting the formation of granulation tissues, collagen deposition and angiogenesis as well as reducing inflammation in vivo. This self-healing and extracellular matrix-mimicking hydrogel provides powerful assistance to PRP therapy, enabling its promising applications for the repair and regeneration of diabetic wounds.

Periplaneta Americana Extract Ameliorates LPS-induced Acute Lung Injury Via Reducing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress.

OBJECTIVE: Acute lung injury (ALI) is an acute clinical syndrome characterized by uncontrolled inflammation response, which causes high mortality and poor prognosis. The present study determined the protective effect and underlying mechanism of Periplaneta americana extract (PAE) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. METHODS: The viability of MH-S cells was measured by MTT. ALI was induced in BALB/c mice by intranasal administration of LPS (5 mg/kg), and the pathological changes, oxidative stress, myeloperoxidase activity, lactate dehydrogenase activity, inflammatory cytokine expression, edema formation, and signal pathway activation in lung tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were examined by H&E staining, MDA, SOD and CAT assays, MPO assay, ELISA, wet/dry analysis, immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: The results revealed that PAE obviously inhibited the release of proinflammatory TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß by suppressing the activation of MAPK/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathways in LPS-treated MH-S cells. Furthermore, PAE suppressed the neutrophil infiltration, permeability increase, pathological changes, cellular damage and death, pro-inflammatory cytokines expression, and oxidative stress upregulation, which was associated with its blockage of the MAPK/Akt/NF-κB pathway in lung tissues of ALI mice. CONCLUSION: PAE may serve as a potential agent for ALI treatment due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties, which correlate to the blockage of the MAPK/NF-κB and AKT signaling pathways.

Effect of different moisture contents on hydrogen sulfide malodorous gas emission during composting.

The sulfate reduction reaction releases malodorous gases (H2S) during composting, with potential pollution risks to the environment. In this study, chicken manure (CM) with high sulfur content and beef cattle manure (BM) with low sulfur content were used to investigate the effect of control (CK) and low moisture content (LW) on sulfur metabolism. The results showed that compared to CK composting, the cumulative H2S emission of CM and BM composting decreased by 27.27% and 21.08% under LW condition, respectively. Meanwhile, the abundance of core microorganisms related to sulfur components was reduced under LW condition. Furthermore, the KEGG sulfur pathway and network analysis suggested that LW composting weakened the sulfate reduction pathway, and reduced the number and abundance of functional microorganisms and genes. These results indicated that low moisture content had important effects on inhibiting the release of H2S during composting, which provided a scientific basis to control environmental pollution.