Fabrication of multi-functional biodegradable liquid mulch utilizing xyloglucan derived from tamarind waste for agricultural application.

Biodegradable liquid mulch is considered a promising alternative to plastic mulch for sustainable agriculture. This work proposed a xyloglucan-based liquid mulch with multi-function using a combination of chemical modification and blending methods. The esterification product of tamarind xyloglucan (TXG) from forestry wastes was synthesized with benzoic anhydride (BA). The effect of esterification modification was investigated, and BA-TXG was utilized as a film-forming and sand-fixation agent. The rheological properties, thermal stability, and hydrophobicity were improved following esterification. Additionally, waterborne polyurethane and urea were incorporated into the mulch to enhance its mechanical strength (23.28 MPa, 80.71 %), and homogeneity, as well as improve its nutritive properties. The xyloglucan-based liquid mulch has excellent UV protection, a high haze value (approximately 90 %), and retains water at a rate of 80.45 %. SEM and immersion experiment showed the effect of xyloglucan-based liquid mulch on sustainable sand-fixation. Moreover, the liquid mulch treatment demonstrated an impressive germination rate of 83.8 % and degradation rate of 51.59 % (60 days). The modified polysaccharide film increases stability and slows down the degradation rate. Tamarind xyloglucan-based liquid mulch exhibits powerful and diverse optical properties as well as sand fixation functions, indicating their great potential in sustainable agriculture as an alternative to plastic mulch.

Tone Mapping Operator for High Dynamic Range Images Based on Modified iCAM06.

This study attempted to solve the problem of conventional standard display devices encountering difficulties in displaying high dynamic range (HDR) images by proposing a modified tone-mapping operator (TMO) based on the image color appearance model (iCAM06). The proposed model, called iCAM06-m, combined iCAM06 and a multi-scale enhancement algorithm to correct the chroma of images by compensating for saturation and hue drift. Subsequently, a subjective evaluation experiment was conducted to assess iCAM06-m considering other three TMOs by rating the tone mapped images. Finally, the objective and subjective evaluation results were compared and analyzed. The results confirmed the better performance of the proposed iCAM06-m. Furthermore, the chroma compensation effectively alleviated the problem of saturation reduction and hue drift in iCAM06 for HDR image tone-mapping. In addition, the introduction of multi-scale decomposition enhanced the image details and sharpness. Thus, the proposed algorithm can overcome the shortcomings of other algorithms and is a good candidate for a general purpose TMO.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells prevent glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head by promoting angiogenesis.

The impairment of angiogenesis is an outstanding pathogenic characteristic of glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) have been used in several diseases models, which were reported to be involved in the angiogenesis. However, whether hUC-MSCs suppress the GC-induced ONFH via promoting angiogenesis is still unclear. hUC-MSCs were isolated from the Wharton's jelly using the explant culture method. A GC-induced ONFH model was established in vitro and in vivo. The angiogenesis, proliferation and migration ability of HMECs were determined using the tube-forming, CCK-8, transwell and scratching assays in vitro. The protective role of hUC-MSCs in GC-induced ONFH was evaluated using micro-CT scanning and histological, immunohistochemical (IHC) and Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays in vivo. The results showed that hUC-MSCs treatment improved the tube-forming, proliferation and migration ability of HMECs in vitro. Moreover, hUC-MSCs treatment enhanced the integrity of trabecular bone of the femoral head, and the tube-forming ability in vivo. hUC-MSCs prevent the femoral head against necrosis and damage caused by GCs though promoting angiogenesis.

Facile Access to Gleditsia microphylla Galactomannan Hydrogel with Rapid Self-Repair Capacity and Multicyclic Water-Retaining Performance of Sandy Soil.

Sandy soil has poor water-holding performance, making it difficult for plants to survive, which worsens the deterioration of the ecological environment. Therefore, borax cross-linked Gleditsia microphylla galactomannan hydrogel (GMGH) was prepared, and its practicability as a water-retaining agent was analyzed. GMGH exhibited fast self-healing performance (150 s, ≈100%) and a high swelling index (88.70 g/g in pH 9). The feasibility of improving the water absorption and retention properties of sandy soil was explored by mixing different proportions (0.1, 0.3, 0.5 wt % sandy soil) of GMGH and sandy soil. The results showed that sandy soil had a more porous structure after adding 0.5 wt % GMGH, and its water absorption index increased from 15.68 to 38.12%. In an artificial climate box, the water-holding time of the sandy soil was extended from 3 to 23.5 days, and the cycles of water absorption and retention were more than 10 times. Therefore, GMGH has broad application prospects as a potential water-retaining agent for desertification control.

Study on the structure and physicochemical properties of fenugreek galactomannan modified via octenyl succinic anhydride.

To improve the mechanical strength of borax-crosslinked fenugreek galactomannan hydrogels and broaden the application field of galactomannan-based hydrogels, fenugreek galactomannan (FG) was esterified via octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA), and the parameters affecting the esterification reaction were systematically studied. The optimum process for OSA-modified FG (OFG) was as follows: FG concentration 1.5 wt%, n (OSA): n (FG) = 2, n (4-dimethylamino-pyridine, DMAP): n (FG) = 4, and reaction time 12 h. Under this condition, the degree of substitution (DS) was 0.31, and the product yield was 115.05 %. Characterization of FT-IR, H1 NMR, and HPLC confirmed that the OSA group was successfully introduced into the FG skeleton. The mechanical strength of borax crosslinked OFG hydrogel (OFGH) is 18 times higher than that of FG hydrogel. OFGH shows excellent self-healing, injectable properties and electrical conductivity. This will further expand the application of borax crosslinked galactomannan-based hydrogels in the fields of sensors, drug delivery, and wound dressing.

Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improve the Necrosis and Osteocyte Apoptosis in Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Model through Reducing the Macrophage Polarization.

Background and Objectives: Apoptosis is an outstanding determinant of glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) have been demonstrated to be associated with apoptosis in diseases models. However, the role of hUC-MSCs in GC-induced ONFH via regulating apoptosis still needs further study. Methods and Results: In the present study, a GC-induced ONFH model was built in vivo through a consecutive injection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and methylprednisolone. The necrosis and apoptosis of the femoral head was evaluated by histological and Terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl Transferase Mediated Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) assay. The level of collagen and TRAP positive cells were determined by Masson and TRAP staining, respectively. M1 macrophage polarization was assessed using immunofluorescence assay. The level of proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, Interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6 of femoral head was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The protein expression of AKT, mTOR, p-AKT and p-mTOR was detected using western blot assay. The results showed that hUC-MSCs treatment prominently promoted the GC-induced the decrease of the collagen level and the increase of TRAP positive cells. Besides, hUC-MSCs treatment decreased necrosis and apoptosis, macrophage polarization, the level of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6, the protein expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR, and the radio of p-AKT to AKT and p-mTOR to mTOR of femoral head in vivo. Conclusions: Therefore, the present study revealed that hUC-MSCs improved the necrosis and osteocyte apoptosis in GC-induced ONFH model through reducing the macrophage polarization, which was associated with the inhibition of AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

A review on preparations, properties, and applications of cis-ortho-hydroxyl polysaccharides hydrogels crosslinked with borax.

Polysaccharides-based hydrogel has many advantages such as biocompatibility, self-repair property, and biodegradability. It has been widely applied in various fields and has attracted great attention of researchers. The natural polysaccharides involved in this review include fenugreek gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, gellan gum, sodium alginate, agarose, and konjac glucomannan etc. Borax is a highly effective crosslinking agent for cis-ortho-hydroxyl polysaccharides. This paper focused on the synthesis mechanism, functional additives, characteristics, and applications of borax crosslinked cis-ortho-hydroxyl polysaccharides hydrogels (BHs). Moreover, the factors affecting BHs performance such as temperature, pH, and media were analyzed. Its mechanical and self-repair properties are enhanced by the dynamic and reversible borate/di-diol, which play a significant role in sensors, biomedicine, and tissue engineering. This review summarizes the research progress of BHs for the first time. Additionally, hoping to contribute to the development of this field, the review analyzes the correlation of performance through the SPSS 26 software.

Methods used for the measurement of blood-brain barrier integrity.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) comprises the interface between blood, brain and cerebrospinal fluid. Its primary function, which is mainly carried out by tight junctions, is to stabilize the tightly controlled microenvironment of the brain. To study the development and maintenance of the BBB, as well as various roles their intrinsic mechanisms that play in neurological disorders, suitable measurements are required to demonstrate integrity and functional changes at the interfaces between the blood and brain tissue. Markers and plasma proteins with different molecular weight (MW) are used to measure the permeability of BBB. In addition, the expression changes of tight-junction proteins form the basic structure of BBB, and imaging modalities are available to study the disruption of BBB. In the present review, above mentioned methods are depicted in details, together with the pros and cons as well as the differences between these methods, which maybe benefit research studies focused on the detection of BBB breakdown.

Borax crosslinked fenugreek galactomannan hydrogel as potential water-retaining agent in agriculture.

In order to explore a novel type of agricultural water-retaining agent, borax crosslinked fenugreek galactomannan-borax hydrogel (FGB) was synthesized. The hydrogel was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, FT-IR, XRD, and SEM. The largest swelling index of FGB (115) was higher than that of guar gum hydrogel (70) at pH 9. The water absorption capacity of sandy soil was studied by mixing the hydrogel with soil, then FGB was evaluated as a latent water retention agent. Results showed that the swelling index of sandy soil increased from 16.28% to 35.53% with 0.5 wt.% hydrogel added. The water retention time increased from 2 to 11.5 days at 20 °C and 60 % humidity. Furthermore, more than ten cycles of water absorption and water loss of soil-FGB were carried out at 50 °C at a relatively stable water retention capacity. This low-cost, environmentally friendly hydrogel has great application potential in agriculture for soil water conservation.

Facile Access to Guar Gum Based Supramolecular Hydrogels with Rapid Self-Healing Ability and Multistimuli Responsive Gel-Sol Transitions.

In this work, we prepare guar gum-based supramolecular hydrogel through the formation of borate/didiol bonds. This dynamic and reversible noncovalent borate/didiol interaction is critical for the multifunctional properties of supramolecular hydrogel. The FT-IR and XRD analysis verified the existence of boronate ester interactions between borax and guar gum. Moreover, the viscoelastic and mechanical behaviors of the hydrogels with different guar gum concentrations showed that the storage modulus and compressive stress were highest at guar gum concentration of 2 wt %. Besides, due to the dynamic and reservable properties of boronate ester, these guar gum-based hydrogels had excellent self-healing property, outstanding reformable and injectable capability. In addition, hydrogels also exhibited reversible gel-sol transformations by the application of physicochemical stimuli such as thermal and pH value. The coupling of these multifunctional properties made from low-cost, environment friendly, and readily available materials could have potential applications in many biomedical areas in the future. We expect that this simple strategy of fabricating the self-healing guar gum hydrogels with multistimuli responsive properties may enrich the avenue in the exploration of multifunctional guar gum based hydrogels to expand their potential applications in various fields.

MiR-30a-5p inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation and migration by targeting FOXD1.

Despite a number of studies have emphasized the extensive role of microRNA (miRNA) in the development of multiple cancers, the role of miR-30a-5p in the progression of osteosarcoma (OS) and the underlying mechanism are still limited. We detected the expression level of MiR-30a-5p and forkhead box D1 (FOXD1) in Clinical OS specimens and found that miR-30a-5p was significantly decreased while FOXD1 was markedly increased. Dual luciferase assay confirmed that FOXD1 was directly regulated by miR-30a-5p. In vitro assay showed that inhibitior of FOXD1 suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion in MG63 and U2OS cells, while overexpression of FOXD1 promoted OS cell proliferation and migration. In vivo assay further showed the inhibition of tumor growth after knockdown of FOXD1. These results suggested that FOXD1 might play key roles in OS development and progression, and was negatively regulated by miR-30a-5p in OS.

DNA demethylating agent decitabine broadens the peripheral T cell receptor repertoire.

PURPOSE: Decitabine, a promising epi-immunotherapeutic agent has shown clinical responses in solid tumor patients, while the anti-tumor mechanisms were unclear. We aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory effect of decitabine in peripheral T cells. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We applied next-generation sequencing to investigate the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) of the TCRß gene, the diversity of which acts as the prerequisite for the host immune system to recognize the universal foreign antigens. We collected the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 4 patients, at baseline and after 2 cycles of low-dose decitabine therapy. RESULTS: An increase of the unique productive sequences of the CDR3 of TCRß was observed in all of the 4 patients after decitabine treatment, which was characterized by a lower abundance of expanded clones and increased TCR diversity compared with before decitabine treatment. Further analysis showed a tendency for CD4 T cells with an increased CD4/CD8 ratio in response to decitabine therapy. In addition, the genome-wide expression alterations confirmed the effects of decitabine on immune reconstitution, and the increase of TCR excision circles (TRECs) was validated. CONCLUSIONS: The low-dose DNMT inhibitor decitabine broadens the peripheral T cell repertoire, providing a novel role for the epigenetic modifying agent in anti-tumor immune enhancement.

An analytical biomarker for treatment of patients with recurrent B-ALL after remission induced by infusion of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells.

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CAR-T-19) cells have emerged as a powerful targeted immunotherapy for B-cell lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a remarkable clinical response in recent trials. Nonetheless, few data are available on the subsequent clinical monitoring and treatment of the patients, especially those with disease recurrence after CAR-T-19 cell infusion. Here, we analyzed three patients who survived after our phase I clinical trial and who were studied by means of biomarkers reflecting persistence of CAR-T-19 cells in vivo and predictive factors directing further treatment. One patient achieved 9-week sustained complete remission and subsequently received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Another patient who showed relapse after 20 weeks without detectable leukemia in the cerebrospinal fluid after CAR-T-19 cell treatment was able to achieve a morphological remission under the influence of stand-alone low-dose chemotherapeutic agents. The third patient gradually developed extensive extramedullary involvement in tissues with scarce immune- cell infiltration during a long period of hematopoietic remission after CAR-T-19 cell therapy. Long-term and discontinuous increases in serum cytokines (mainly interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein) were identified in two patients (Nos. 1 and 6) even though only a low copy number of CAR molecules could be detected in their peripheral blood. This finding was suggestive of persistent functional activity of CAR-T-19 cells. Combined analyses of laboratory biomarkers with their clinical manifestations before and after salvage treatment showed that the persistent immunosurveillance mediated by CAR-T-19 cells would inevitably potentiate the leukemia-killing effectiveness of subsequent chemotherapy in patients who showed relapse after CAR-T-19-induced remission.