Mouse nerve growth factor suppresses neuronal apoptosis in valproic acid-induced autism spectrum disorder rats by regulating the phosphoinositide-3-kinase/serine/threonine kinase signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social communication and restrictive behaviors. Mouse nerve growth factor (mNGF), a neurotrophic factor, is critical for neuronal growth and survival, and the mNGF treatment is considered a promising therapy for neurodegeneration. In light of this, we aimed to evaluate the effect of mNGF on neurological function in ASD. METHODS: An ASD rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (VPA). Social behavior, learning, and memory of the rats were measured. TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-end labeling and Nissl assays were performed to detect neuronal apoptosis and survival in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Apoptosis-related proteins and oxidative stress markers were detected. RESULTS: mNGF improved locomotor activity, exploratory behavior, social interaction, and spatial learning and memory in VPA-induced ASD rats. In the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, mNGF suppressed neuronal apoptosis, increased the number of neurons, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione levels, and decreased reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, TNF-α, and IL-1ß levels compared with the VPA group. In addition, mNGF increased the levels of Bcl-2, p-phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), and p-serine/threonine kinase (Akt), and decreased the levels of Bax and cleaved caspase-3, while the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 reversed these effects. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that mNGF suppressed neuronal apoptosis and ameliorated the abnormal behaviors in VPA-induced ASD rats, in part, by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

A Meta-Analysis on the Impact of Prenatal and Early Childhood Antimicrobial Use on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of prenatal and early childhood antimicrobial use on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed and Embase databases for relevant studies from inception to August 2022. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Peer-reviewed, observational studies were all acceptable. Raw data were extracted into a predefined worksheet and quality analysis was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. DATA SYNTHESIS: Nineteen studies were identified in the meta-analysis. Prenatal antimicrobial exposure was not associated with ASD (P = 0.06 > 0.05), whereas early childhood antimicrobial exposure was associated with an increased odds ratio of ASD (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = [1.08-1.27], P value < 0.001). The sibling-matched analysis, with a very limited sample size, suggested that neither prenatal (P = 0.47 > 0.05) nor early childhood (P = 0.13 > 0.05) antimicrobial exposure was associated with ASD. Medical professionals may need to take the possible association into consideration when prescribing an antimicrobial in children. CONCLUSIONS: Early childhood antimicrobial exposure could increase the incidence of ASD. In future studies, it would be necessary to control for confounding factors, such as genetic factors, parenteral age at birth, or low birthweight, to further validate the association.

TCHis mitigate oxidative stress and improve abnormal behavior in a prenatal valproic acid-exposed rat model of autism.

Troxerutin is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects in nerve impairment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of troxerutin and cerebroprotein hydrolysate injections (TCHis) on prenatal valproic acid (VPA)-exposed rats. The VPA was administered to pregnant rats on gestational day 12.5 to induce a model of autism. The offspring were given the treatment of TCHis on postnatal day (PND) 21-50. On PND 43-50, the behavioral analysis of offspring was performed after the treatment of TCHis for 1 h. On PND 50, the offspring were harvested and the brains were collected. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were isolated for relevant biochemical detections. The administration of TCHis increased pain sensitivity and improved abnormal social behaviors in prenatal VPA-exposed rats. Prenatal exposure of VPA induced neuronal loss and apoptosis, enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and promoted oxidative stress in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, whereas these effects were reversed by the postnatal treatment of TCHis. In addition, postnatal administration of TCHis ameliorated mitochondrial function in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of prenatal VPA-exposed rats. This study concluded that postnatal treatment of TCHis reduced oxidative stress and ameliorated abnormal behavior in a prenatal VPA-induced rat model of autism.

Electroacupuncture at Zusanli ameliorates the autistic-like behaviors of rats through activating the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant responses.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence suggests that acupuncture plays a neuroprotective role in autism. This study aimed to explore the effect of electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) on autistic-like behaviors and the underlying mechanism. METHOD: Pregnant rats were administered with valproic acid (VPA) on gestational day 12.5 to induce an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) model. The pups were given electroacupuncture at ST36 daily from postnatal day (PND) 28-48. On PND28, the adenoviral vector containing small interfering RNA Nrf2 (Ad-siRNA-Nrf2) was injected into the prefrontal cortex of rats. The behavioral analysis was performed on PND 44-48. On PND48, the animals were euthanized and the brains were collected for further detection. Nissl staining was performed to detect neuronal viability. The biochemical markers of oxidative stress were subsequently measured. RESULT: Electroacupuncture at ST36 ameliorated the locomotor activity, social behavior, spatial learning and memory and repetitive behavior compared with ASD rats. It was notable that the electroacupuncture decreased oxidative stress markers in the tissues of prefrontal cortex, enhanced translocation of nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor2 (Nrf2) from cytoplasm to nucleus, and up-regulated the levels of NADP(H) quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) and heme oxygenase (HO-1). However, these effects induced by electroacupuncture at ST36 were abolished after injection of Ad-siRNA-Nrf2. CONCLUSION: These data suggested that electroacupuncture at ST36 protected nerve function in ASD rats through Nrf2 activation and the antioxidant response.

[Method of Identifying Male Lineages Based on Main Haplotype and Analysis of the Distribution of Y-STR Haplotype Mismatch Based on the Bayesian Theory].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a classification method to identify different male lineages in a large population, to study the distribution patterns of Y-STR loci mismatches among Han Chinese male lineage members and to explore the mismatch probability distribution among the members with different meiosis intervals in the family. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 269 male individuals from 12 lineages in Han Chinese population and 45 unrelated male individuals were collected. Then, Yfiler Plus TM and ZGWZ FSY or Yfiler Platinum amplification kits were used, obtaining 314 Y-STR haplotypes. The Y-STR haplotype with 3 or more repetitions were selected as the main haplotype, in which the largest number was selected as the first data center. According to the standard of Y-STR genotype, those with mismatches within five loci and six steps were clustered and merged. Then, the main haplotype of the largest number in the remaining data was taken as the second data center, and cluster analysis is carried out in turn until there is no main haplotype remained. Pair comparison was conducted between lineage members and unrelated individuals, and the mismatch distribution among lineage members and unrelated individuals was calculated respectively. The average mismatch rate of each locus was subsequently calculated, as well as the mismatch probability distribution among members with different meiosis intervals within the lineage. RESULTS: 269 out of the 314 individuals were divided into 12 groups by cluster analysis method, accomplishing 100% accuracy between the cluster groups thus identified and the 12 known lineages. The remaining 45 unrelated individuals were scattered. The mismatch loci was within 0-7 loci and 0-7 steps among lineage members and the mismatch between unrelated individuals was at least 11 loci and 15 steps. The mismatch loci with the largest number of one-step and two-step mismatch were different in each lineage and had features that were specific to each lineage. The minimum mutation count and average mismatch rate of each locus were significantly correlated with the mutation rate. Two individuals with no mismatch had a 19.7% probability of 1 meiosis interval and a 71.2% probability of less than 6 meiosis interval. Two individuals with 3 loci mismatches had a 65.2% probability of more than 10 meiosis intervals. CONCLUSION: The cluster analysis method based on main haplotypes provided in this paper can quickly and effectively differentiate large male lineage samples. The clustering method and the mismatch probability distribution of different meiosis intervals obtained thus can provide new ideas for research and screening instruments, and important reference for lineage investigation, data analysis and practical application of Y-STR database in the future.

Expanded activated autologous lymphocyte infusions improve outcomes of low- and intermediate-risk childhood acute myeloid leukemia with low level of minimal residual disease.

The presence of minimal residual disease (MRD) is a risk factor for relapse among children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and eliminating MRD can usually improve survival rates. To investigate the effect of expanded activated autologous lymphocytes (EAALs) combined with chemotherapy on eliminating MRD and improving survival rates of children with AML, we retrospectively analyzed the results of 115 children with low- or intermediate-risk AML with MRD treated at the Pediatric Hematological Center, Peking University People's Hospital, between January 2010 and January 2016. The patients were assigned to the chemotherapy plus EAAL (combined therapy) group (n = 61) and chemotherapy group (n = 54). The MRD-negativity rates were 95.1% (58/61) in the combined therapy group and 63.0% (34/54) in the chemotherapy group (P < 0.0001) during consolidation treatment. The 5-year event-free survival rate was higher in the combined therapy group than in the chemotherapy group (86.3 ± 4.6% vs. 72.1 ± 6.1%, P = 0.025). No severe adverse event was observed after EAAL infusion. The present study showed that EAAL combined with chemotherapy could improve the MRD-negativity rate and event-free survival rate among children with AML with low level MRD-positive status.

Resveratrol improves lipid metabolism in diabetic nephropathy rats.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of chronic kidney disease characterized by insulin resistance and lipid deposition in tissues.  To this end, we examined the effect of Resveratrol (RES) in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic nephropathy. RES, in a dose dependent manner, decreased the insulin resistance, and improved kidney function and lipid metabolism in STZ treated rats. RES treatment increased p-AMPK alpha/AMPK alpha and p-ULK1 S777/ULK1 and the autophagy related proteins (Beclin1, LC3 II/I) and its effects on TC and improvement in insulin resistence were quenched by the inhibitor of autophagy, 3-MA. Together, these results suggest that the effect of RES in treatment of DN may involve AMPK alpha/mTOR-mediated autophagy.

Unconventional inner-TL electric polarization in TL-LaOBiS2 with ultrahigh carrier mobility.

Based on first principles calculations, we propose a new 2D ferroelectric material, triple-layer (TL) LaOBiS2, with an ultrahigh carrier mobility over 40 000 cm2 V-1 s-1 and large sunlight absorption. TL-LaOBiS2 is composed of a middle LaO layer and top-and-bottom BiS2 layers that can be possibly exfoliated from its bulk counterpart. We reveal that each BiS2 layer can hold spontaneous in-plane ferroelectric polarization that can be further enhanced by imposing extensive strain. Furthermore, we discover that TL-LaOBiS2 possesses unconventional inner-TL ferroelectric (FE), antiferroelectric (AFE) and orthogonal polarizations. The ground inner-TL AFE state can be flexibly driven into a nearly degenerate FE state. Moreover, the direct band gaps, optical absorption and the carrier mobilities of TL-LaOBiS2 can be effectively regulated by different ferroelectric polarization configurations. This finding of various ferroelectric states with ultrahigh mobility and excellent optical absorption in TL-LaOBiS2 provides a promising platform for future realization of two-dimensional ferroelectric photovoltaic devices.

Clinical study on the changes of lung-specific proteins: CC16 after lung contusion.

The aim of the present study was to examine the clinical value of continuously monitoring serum CC16 levels in diagnosing pulmonary contusion, estimating its severity degree and predicting disease progression. Thirty-one acute trauma patients with lung contusion diagnosed by chest computed tomography (CT) were included, and chest CT was re-examined on day 1, 3 and 7 after injury. Calculating all the contusion volume by the Siemens syngo volume calculation program, complications such as pleural effusion or atelectasis were observed and recorded. ELISA was employed to measure the levels of CC16 in all the patients for seven days, and another 15 serum samples were obtained from healthy volunteers to provide the reference value. Correlation analysis was further conducted for the CC16 levels and pulmonary contusion volume and its variations. Serum concentrations of CC16 in all the lung contusion patients were significantly higher than those in the controls, and reached a peak value on the first day. However, the contusion damage area shown in CT gradually increased with the occurrence of atelectasis and pleural effusion. The maximum volume of lung contusion had a positive correlation to the initial and average concentrations of CC16, and changes in the contusion volume were positively correlated with the initial concentration. The increased concentration of CC16 after lung contusion is an important reference for diagnosis, and may portend the possibility of further progress, while continuously monitoring CC16 serum levels in patients may provide the basis for clinical decision-making.

[Preliminary study on hepatotoxicity induced by dioscin and its possible mechanism].

Dioscin has a wide range of biological effects and broad application prospects. However the studies concerning the toxicology and mechanism of dioscin is small. This article is to study the hepatotoxicity of dioscin and the effect of dioscin treatment on expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mRNA and CYP1A mRNA and protein in HepG2 cells in vitro. Dioscin 0.5-32 µmol · L(-1) exposed to HepG2 cells for 12 h, cell viability was examined by CCK-8 assay and the release rate of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was to evaluate cell membrane damage. HepG2 cells morphologic changes were quantified by inverted Microscope, and the effect on production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by flow cytometry. The mRNA expression of CYP1A and AhR was evaluated by RT-RCR. The protein expression of CYP1A1 was detected by western blot. The cell viability was significantly inhibited after HepG2 cells were exposed to dioscin 0.5-32 µmol · L(-1). Compared with the control, the LDH release rate and ROS were significantly increased. The expression of CYPlA and AhR mRNA was increased. The expression of CYP1Al protein was increased after dioscin treatment, and resveratrol, an AhR antagonist, could downregulate the expression of CYP1A1. It follows that large doses dioscin has potential hepatotoxicity. The possible mechanism may be dioscin can active aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and induce the expression of CYP1A.

The effect of hydrogen ordering on the electronic and magnetic properties of the strontium vanadium oxyhydride.

The electronic and magnetic properties of the recently fabricated strontium vanadium perovskite oxyhydride are investigated by ab initio calculations. The role of the unusually ordered hydrogen ions are carefully analyzed. The hydrogen ions break the crystal symmetry to change the degeneracy of the V t(2g) orbit, thus inducing magnetic transitions from the paramagnetism of parent oxides to the antiferromagnetism of oxyhydride. The low dimension behaviors would been expected because of the nonbonding nature between the V t(2g) and H s orbitals due to symmetry. Moreover, our results indicate that the direct hoppings of the nearest neighboring two V t(2g) orbitals and the indirect hoppings mediated by Sr ions should be essential to understanding the electronic and magnetic properties of the perovskite oxyhydride.

Continuously tunable electronic structure of transition metal dichalcogenides superlattices.

Two dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides have very exciting properties for optoelectronic applications. In this work we theoretically investigate and predict that superlattices comprised of MoS2 and WSe2 multilayers possess continuously tunable electronic structure with direct bandgaps. The tunability is controlled by the thickness ratio of MoS2 versus WSe2 of the superlattice. When this ratio goes from 1:2 to 5:1, the dominant K-K direct bandgap is continuously tuned from 0.14 eV to 0.5 eV. The gap stays direct against -0.6% to 2% in-layer strain and up to -4.3% normal-layer compressive strain. The valance and conduction bands are spatially separated. These robust properties suggest that MoS2 and WSe2 multilayer superlattice should be a promising material for infrared optoelectronics.

[Spatial heterogeneity of community structure of Picea crassifolia forest in Qilian Mountains, China].

We selected the grid of 5 m x 5 m in a dynamic monitoring plot (340 m x 300 m) as the sampling unites and chose 5 structural characteristics (density, average crown breadth, coverage, conspicuousness and average height) to study the spatial heterogeneity of community structure of Picea crassifolia forest in Dayekou Basin of Qilian Mountains by the fractal geometry and geostatistics methods. The results showed that the order of spatial variation in these characteristics was: density > average crown breadth > conspicuousness > coverage > average height, with the variation coefficient ranging from 43.7% to 79.6%. Moran's I index indicated that the structural variables had different degrees of spatial autocorrelation, and the order of autocorrelation was density > average height> coverage > average crown breadth > conspicuousness, with the range of -0.047-0.382. The exponential semivariation model well fitted the spatial variability in different structural features, and the range was 24.6-68.1 m. The variables displayed moderate spatial autocorrelation except for coverage, while the other variables had strong spatial autocorrelation, and the fractal dimension of the variables was close to 2, indicating a low spatial dependence among variables. The variables presented a superposing characteristic of zonal and patchy structures except for density and coverage, while the other variables presented strong patchiness property. Density and coverage had a certain spatial dependence on average crown breadth, conspicuousness and average height. Density and coverage for the spatial heterogeneity of community structural of P. crassifolia forests were 10 m and 0.5 hm2, respectively.

[Effect of Panax notoginseng saponins on liver drug metablic enzyme activity, mRNA and protein expressions in rats].

To study the effect of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on liver drug metabolic enzyme activity, mRNA and protein expressions in rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into nine groups. After administration of the test drugs, their liver microsomes, liver total RNA and total protein were extracted to detect the regulating effect of PNS on liver drug metabolic enzyme activity-related subtype enzymatic activity, mRNA and protein expression by substrate probe, quantitative PCR and Western Blot technology. The result of this experiment was that PNS could significantly induce CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 enzyme activity, mRNA expression, CYP2E1 protein expression level. PNS significantly induced CYP3A mRNA expression, but with no significant effect in CYP3A enzyme activity level. PNS had no significant effect CYP1A1 and CYP2B mRNA expressions and enzyme activity levels. PNS had selective regulations on different P450 subtypes, and the major subtypes were CYP1A2 and CYP2E1. In clinical practice, particularly in the combination with CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 metabolism-related drugs, full consideration shall be given to the possible drug interactions in order to avoid potential toxic and side effects. Meanwhile, whether the induction effect of CYP2E1 gets involved in ginsenoside's effect incavenging free radicals deserves further studies.

Phenylboronic acid functionalized SBA-15 for sugar capture.

The synthesis and characterization of organic-inorganic hybrid materials that selectively capture sugars from model biomass hydrolysis mixtures are reported. 3-Aminophenylboronic acid (PBA) groups that can reversibly form cyclic esters with 1,2-diols, and 1,3-diols including sugars are attached to mesoporous SBA-15 via different synthetic protocols. In the first route, a coupling agent is used to link PBA and SBA-15, while in the second route poly(acrylic acid) brushes are first grafted from the surface of SBA-15 by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization and PBA is then immobilized. The changes in pore structure, porosity, and pore size due to the loading of organic content are measured by powder X-ray diffraction and nitrogen porosimetry. The increase in organic content after each synthesis step is monitored by thermal gravimetric analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis are used to characterize the chemical compositions of the hybrid materials synthesized. D-(+)-Glucose and D-(+)-xylose, being the most commonly present sugars in biomass, are chosen to evaluate the sugar adsorption capacity of the hybrid materials. It is found that the sugar adsorption capacity is determined by the loading of boronic acid groups on the hybrid materials, and the hybrid material synthesized via route two is much better than that through route one for sugar adsorption. Mathematical modeling of the adsorption data indicates that the Langmuir model best describes the sugar adsorption behavior of the hybrid material synthesized through route one, while the Freundlich model fits the data most satisfactorily for the hybrid material prepared via route two. The adsorption kinetics, reusability, and selectivity toward some typical chemicals in cellulose acidic hydrolysis mixtures are also investigated.

Immobilization of silver in polypropylene membrane for anti-biofouling performance.

In this study, a method was developed to immobilize silver onto polypropylene (PP) membrane surfaces for improved anti-biofouling performance. A commercial PP membrane was first grafted with the thiol functional groups, and then silver ions were immobilized onto the PP membrane surface through coordinating with the thiol groups. The immobilized silver was found to be very stable, with only ~1.1% of the immobilized silver being leached out during a leaching test. The surface of the modified membrane (PPS-Ag) was examined with ATR-FTIR and XPS analysis, which verified the successful grafting of the thiol groups and the coordination of silver ions on the membrane surface. The surface properties of the membrane were also characterized by SEM, AFM and water contact angle measurements. The PPS-Ag membrane was found to have a smoother and more hydrophilic surface than the PP membrane. Both Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, and Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, were used to evaluate the antibacterial and anti-biofouling performance of the PPS-Ag membrane. From disk diffusion experiments, the PPS-Ag membrane exhibited the capability of inhibiting the growth of both the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria tested. The anti-biofouling performance of the membrane was assessed by immersion in a mixed suspension of E. coli and S. aureus and filtration tests. The PPS-Ag membrane showed a stable and significantly enhanced anti-biofouling performance as compared with the PP membrane. The results in this study demonstrate that biofouling of a PP membrane can be sufficiently overcome through immobilizing silver onto the membrane surface.

Off-pump occlusion of trans-thoracic minimal invasive surgery (OPOTTMIS) on simple congenital heart diseases (ASD, VSD and PDA) attached consecutive 210 cases report: a single institute experience.

OBJECTIVE: This paper intends to report our experiences by using an operation of off-pump occlusion of trans-thoracic minimal invasive surgery (OPOTTMIS) on the treatment of consecutive 210 patients with simple congenital heart diseases (CHD) including atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). METHODS: The retrospective clinical data of OPOTTMIS in our institute were collected and compared to other therapeutic measures adopted in the relevant literatures. After operation, all the patients received electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography (echo) once a month within the initial 3 months, and no less than once every 3 ~ 6 months later. RESULTS: The successful rate of the performed OPOTTMIS operation was 99.5%, the mortality and complication incidence within 72 hours were 0.5% and 4.8%, respectively. There were no major complications during peri-operation such as cardiac rupture, infective endocarditis, strokes, haemolysis and thrombosis. The post-operation follow-up outcomes by ECG and echo checks of 3 months to 5 years showed that there were no III° AVB, no obvious Occluder migration and device broken and no moderate cardiac valve regurgitation, except 1 VSD and 1 PDA with mild residual shunts, and 2 PDA with heart expansion after operation. However, all the patients' heart functions were in class I~II according to NYH standard. CONCLUSION: The OPOTTMIS is a safe, less complex, feasible and effective choice to selected simple CHD patients with some good advantages and favorable short-term efficacies.

A novel electrolyte-responsive membrane with tunable permeation selectivity for protein purification.

A novel electrolyte-responsive membrane, RC-g-PSBMA, was successfully prepared from regenerated cellulose (RC) membrane through surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of a zwitterionic monomer, sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA). Different degrees of polymerization for the grafted SBMA polymers (i.e., PSBMA) on the RC membrane were easily obtained by adjusting the ATRP reaction conditions. The electrolyte-responsive behavior of RC-g-PSBMA was first evaluated through the permeation experiments with sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions of different concentrations. It was found that the permeability of RC-g-PSBMA showed a clear dependence on NaCl concentration in the solutions. To further examine the potential of RC-g-PSBMA for protein purification, bovine serum album (BSA) was chosen as a model protein and polystyrene nanoparticles (NPs) of different sizes were used as representative impurities in the solutions. The rejection rates of BSA and NPs by RC-g-PSBMA were examined with the solutions containing BSA and NPs at different NaCl concentrations. The results showed that the rejection rates of BSA were at a very low level regardless of the concentration of NaCl in the solutions, indicating that the membrane allowed BSA to permeate. However, the rejection rates of NPs of different sizes by RC-g-PSBMA changed remarkably with the concentration of NaCl in the solutions. The study has demonstrated the possibility to separate BSA from NPs of different sizes by using the same membrane but simply altering the concentration of NaCl in the solutions. Membranes with such properties will have a great potential for protein purification as well as for many other separation applications.

Achieving highly effective non-biofouling performance for polypropylene membranes modified by UV-induced surface graft polymerization of two oppositely charged monomers.

A major problem in membrane technology for applications such as wastewater treatment or desalination is often the loss of membrane permeability due to biofouling initiated from protein adsorption and biofilm formation on the membrane surface. In this study, we developed a relatively simple and yet versatile approach to prepare polypropylene (PP) membrane with highly effective non-biofouling performance. Copolymer brushes were grafted to the surface of PP membrane through UV-induced polymerization of two oppositely charged monomers, i.e., [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (TM) and 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt (SA), with varying TM:SA molar ratios. Surface analysis with scanning electron microscope (SEM) clearly showed the grafted copolymer brushes on the membrane surfaces and that with X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) revealed a similar TM:SA ratio of the grafted copolymer brushes to that of the monomer solution used for the polymerization. Water contact angle measurements indicated that the hydrophilicity of the membrane surfaces was remarkably improved by the grafting of the TM/SA copolymer brushes, with the lowest water contact angle of 27 degrees being achieved at the TM:SA ratio of around 1:1. Experiments for antiprotein adsorption with bovine serum album (BSA) and lysozyme (LYZ) and antibiofilm formation with Escherichia coli (E. coli) demonstrated a great dependence of the membrane performance on the TM:SA ratios of the grafted copolymer brushes. It was found that the characteristics of the surface charges of the membrane surfaces played a very important role in the non-biofouling performance, and the membrane surface with balanced positive and negative charges showed the best non-biofouling performance for the proteins and bacteria tested in this study.