Multifunctional electrospun polycaprolactone/chitosan/hEGF/lidocaine nanofibers for the treatment of 2 stage pressure ulcers.

In this study, a multifunctional nanofiber dressing that can promote antibacterial, analgesic and healing was prepared by electrospinning technology. Hydrophobic polycaprolactone (PCL)/chitosan (CS)/lidocaine hydrochloride (LID) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were used as scaffold materials and dissolved in trifluoroacetic acid to prepare spinning solution. The morphology of PCEL dressing was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The fiber structure was dense and the average diameter was 297.0 nm. The water absorption capacity test and water contact angle measurement showed that the fiber had good water absorption and hydrophilicity (1302 %, 139.258°). Drug release was 84 % within 60 h. In the results of antibacterial experiment, the dressing showed certain antibacterial properties. The results of cell experiments show that the dressing can promote cell proliferation. In addition, coagulation experiments showed that the dressing could quickly coagulate the blood within 4 min. In addition, PCEL dressing promoted collagen deposition and vascularization through animal models of pressure sores. Therefore, multifunctional dressing can be used as an ideal auxiliary means for the treatment of pressure sores, and it is a promising alternative to chronic wound healing.

Preparation, Properties and Application in Electrospinning of Tremella Polysaccharide-Protein Complex.

In this paper, the effects of different proteins (soybean protein isolate, wheat protein hydrolysate, tremella protein) on the activity of tremella polysaccharide under different conditions were studied. The optimal protein-polysaccharide complex was determined by grafting degree and activity screening, and the microstructure and rheological properties were studied. The results showed that when the ratio of soybean protein isolate to tremella polysaccharide was 2:1 and the solution pH was 7, the optimal complex was obtained by heating at 90 °C for 4 h, and its grafting degree and antioxidant activity were the best. Studies have shown that tremella polysaccharide and soybean protein isolate complex (TFP-SPI) solution is pseudoplastic fluids. At the same time, tremella polysaccharide (TFP) and TFP-SPI were used for electrospinning to observe its spinnability. When the ratio of PVA/TFP-SPI/PL was 8:1:1, nanofibers with uniform diameter and good morphology were obtained. This paper provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive utilization of tremella polysaccharide and its electrospun fiber can be used as active film for food packaging.

Proteome-centric cross-omics characterization and integrated network analyses of triple-negative breast cancer.

We report a comprehensive proteomic study of a 90-case cohort of paired samples of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in quantification, phosphorylation, and DNA-binding capacity. Four integrative subtypes (iP-1-4) are stratified on the basis of global proteome and phosphoproteome, each of which exhibits distinct molecular and pathway features. Scaffold and co-expression network analyses of three proteomic datasets, integrated with those from genome and transcriptome of the same cohort, reveal key pathways and master regulators that, characteristic of TNBC subtypes, play important regulatory roles within and between scaffold sub-structures and co-expression communities. We find that NAE1 is a potential drug target for subtype iP-1, and a series of key molecules in fatty acid metabolism, such as AKT1/FASN, are plausible targets for subtype iP-2. Libraries of proteins, pathways and networks of TNBC provide a valuable molecular infrastructure for further clinical exploration and in-depth studies of the molecular mechanisms of the disease.

Adsorption properties of heavy metals and antibiotics by chitosan from larvae and adult Trypoxylus dichotomus.

Chitosan was prepared by hydrothermal deacetylation from multi-step protein purification chitin based on Trypoxylus dichotomus, for treating heavy metals and antibiotics. Chitosan with higher deacetylation degree and lower molecular weight were synthesized. The adult chitosan was composed of nanofibers arranged more evenly, showing higher yield, thermal stabilities and antimicrobial properties. The adsorption capacities of Cu2+ and Fe3+ were 462 and 270 mg/g, lower than 934 mg/g of Pb2+. Levofloxacin and tetracycline hydrochloride adsorption capacity were 26 and 22 mg/g, lower than 67 mg/g of sulfamethoxazole. In addition, compared with single pollutants, the adsorption of sulfamethoxazole and Pb2+ can increase by 6% and 5% when they act as composite contaminants. The adsorption procedure can be well described by pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isothermal model, indicating it a homogeneous monolayer chemisorption. Therefore, the Trypoxylus dichotomus source chitosan prepared by hydrothermal deacetylation has potential applications in the adsorption of complex pollutants.

Preparation and properties of floral CaO/ZnO composite from Achatina fulica snail shell.

In this study, CaO prepared by calcination treatment from abandoned Achatina fulica shell was used as a raw material, and the floral CaO/ZnO photocatalytic composite material was prepared through co-precipitation method. SEM study showed ZnO with spindle-like petals in the range of 500-1000 nm grown on the surface of CaO carrier. The mapping image shows that the base component of the floral structure is mainly CaO, which is because CaO is not only in the reaction as a carrier, but also creates an alkaline environment in the methanol system, which is advantageous for co-precipitation. UV-vis spectroscopy shows that the visible light absorption of composites has red shifts; besides, PL, EIS, and photocurrent test showed that the composites have stronger electronic hole separation capabilities. The visible light degradation test of rhodamine B showed that CaO/ZnO photocatalytic composite could degrade 90% of the pollutants in 25 min, superior to CaO and ZnO, exhibiting recyclability properties, which is a potential candidate with cost-effective and sustainable photocatalysts.

TiO2thin-walled nanofiber burst tube doped with Fe2O3nanograss for efficient degradation of levofloxacin: effect of precursor.

By means of electrospinning combined with impregnation and calcination, the thin-walled TiO2nano-burst tubes with Fe2O3nanograss on the surface were synthesized. The effects of precursor properties and concentration on the morphology, structure and photochemical properties of the prepared nanostructures were studied. Adding K3[Fe(C2O4)3]·3H2O into the electrospinning solution as the precursor can not only realize the preparation of nanograss and thin-walled nano-burst tubes, but also achieve better degradation effect than that of FeCl3. However, the composite prepared by adding 2% K3[Fe(C2O4)3]·3H2O has the best synergistic effect, showing the best photoresponse performance and catalytic efficiency, and achieving the degradation of 94% levofloxacin within 90 min. In this study, a simple and economical synthesis strategy was proposed, that is, TiO2/Fe2O3heterostructure with special structure was prepared by introducing a small amount of acid or metallic acid salts into the precursor as a high-performance photocatalyst.

A flexible and highly sensitive pressure sensor based on three-dimensional electrospun carbon nanofibers.

High-performance flexible pressure sensors with high sensitivity are important components of the systems for healthcare monitoring, human-machine interaction, and electronic skin. Herein, a flexible and highly sensitive pressure sensor composed of ferrosoferric oxide (Fe3O4)/carbon nanofibers (FeOCN) was fabricated using three-dimensional electrospinning and further heat treatment methods. The obtained pressure sensor demonstrates a wide working range (0-4.9 kPa) and a high sensitivity of 0.545 kPa-1 as well as an ultralow detection limit of 6 Pa. Additionally, the pressure sensor exhibits a rapid response time, good stability, high hydrophobicity, and excellent flexibility. These merits endow the pressure sensor with the ability to precisely detect wrist pulse, phonation, breathing, and finger bending in real-time. Therefore, the FeOCN pressure sensor presents a promising application in real-time healthcare monitoring.

Controllable growth of MoS2 nanosheets on TiO2 burst nanotubes and their photocatalytic activity.

MoS2 nanosheets were grown on TiO2 nanotubes by the simple hydrothermal method for the first time. The layer-by-layer growth of MoS2 nanosheets led to a significant increase in the specific surface area of TiO2/MoS2 burst tube composites compared with TiO2 burst tubes, a significantly enhanced ability to separate photo-induced carriers, and synergistic adsorption and visible light catalytic activity of dye molecules. The maximum adsorption (q max) of MB was 72.46 mg g-1. In addition, 94.1% of MB could be degraded after 30 minutes of visible light irradiation. The microsurface morphology, structure, chemical composition, element valence and band width of TiO2/MoS2 nanocomposites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The mechanism of photocatalytic reaction was studied via free radical capture experiments.

Preparation of pod-shaped TiO2 and Ag@TiO2 nano burst tubes and their photocatalytic activity.

The pod-shaped TiO2 nano burst tubes (TiO2 NBTs) were prepared by the combination of electrospinning and impregnation calcination with oxalic acid (H2C2O4), polystyrene (PS) and tetrabutyl titanate. The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were loaded onto the surface of TiO2 NBTs by ultraviolet light reduction method to prepare pod-shaped Ag@TiO2 NBTs. In this work, we analysed the effect of the amount of oxalic acid on the cracking degree of TiO2 NBTs; the effect of the concentration of AgNO3 solution on the particle size and loading of AgNPs on the surface of TiO2 NBTs. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy investigated the surface morphology of samples. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterized the structure and composition of samples. Rhodamine B (RhB) solution was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of pod-shaped TiO2 NBTs and Ag@TiO2 NBTs. The results showed that TiO2 NBTs degraded 91.0% of RhB under ultraviolet light, Ag@TiO2 NBTs degraded 95.5% under visible light for 75 and 60 min, respectively. The degradation process of both samples was consistent with the Langmuir-Hinshelwood first-order kinetic equation. Therefore, the catalytic performance of the sample is: Ag@TiO2 NBTs > TiO2 NBTs > TiO2 nanotubes.

Novel biomass-derived smoke-like carbon as a supercapacitor electrode material.

In this present work, smoke-like carbon was successfully fabricated from a bio-waste fungal substrate crude polysaccharide for the first time. The as-prepared products possess smoke-like structures, ultra-high specific surface area (S BET: 2160 m2 g-1) and a high content of micropores (microporous surface area of 60%, with a nanopore size of 0.70 nm), which can increase the specific capacitance, representing a wonderful structure for electrochemical energy storage devices. The as-prepared sample displayed an excellent specific capacitance of 152 F g-1 at 5 A g-1 in the three-electrode configuration and exhibited maximal densities of 6.8-10.2 W h kg-1 under power outputs of 253.4-24.3 kW kg-1. We believe that this work demonstrates a simple, green and low-cost route by using agricultural residue to prepare applicable carbon materials for use in energy storage devices.

Stable multi-jet electrospinning with high throughput using the bead structure nozzle.

A modified bead structure nozzle for the electrospinning process was developed to improve the production efficiency of nanofibers and facilitate the cleaning of equipment. The effects of the flow rate, voltage and receiving distance on the number of jets were studied. The results indicate that the number of stable jets can be effectively controlled by spinning conditions. The rotating spinning phenomenon, which occurred during spinning, was subjected to force analysis. The COMSOL Multiphysics model was applied to simulate the electric field to show that the bead structured nozzle does not change the overall spinning electric field compared with traditional spinning. The results indicate that the bead structure nozzle can produce a stable multi-jet using a curved surface structure and improve the production efficiency of nanofibers. Compared with the high-voltage conditions of needleless spinning, the bead-type nozzle helps to save energy and facilitate cleaning, so as to avoid the production of waste in experimental research and industrial production.