Modulation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease progression by antioxidant metabolites from Pediococcus pentosaceus: enhancing gut probiotics abundance and the tryptophan-melatonin pathway.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition primarily linked to oxidative stress, poses significant health burdens worldwide. Recent evidence has shed light on the association between the dysbiosis of gut microbiota and COPD, and their metabolites have emerged as potential modulators of disease progression through the intricate gut-lung axis. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of oral administration of the probiotic Pediococcus pentosaceus SMM914 (SMM914) in delaying the progression of COPD by attenuating pulmonary oxidative stress. Specially, SMM914 induces a notable shift in the gut microbiota toward a community structure characterized by an augmented abundance of probiotics producing short-chain fatty acids and antioxidant metabolisms. Concurrently, SMM914 synthesizes L-tryptophanamide, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan, and 3-sulfino-L-alanine, thereby enhancing the tryptophan-melatonin pathway and elevating 6-hydroxymelatonin and hypotaurine in the lung environment. This modulation amplifies the secretion of endogenous anti-inflammatory factors, diminishes macrophage polarization toward the M1 phenotype, and ultimately mitigates the oxidative stress in mice with COPD. The demonstrated efficacy of the probiotic intervention, specifically with SMM914, not only highlights the modulation of intestine microbiota but also emphasizes the consequential impact on the intricate interplay between the gastrointestinal system and respiratory health.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of bacterioplankton communities in the estuaries of two differently contaminated coastal areas: Composition, driving factors and ecological process.

Seasonal variations of environmental parameters usually lead to considerable changes in microbial communities. Nevertheless, the specific response patterns of these communities in coastal areas subjected to different levels of contamination remain unclear. Our results revealed notable fluctuations in the bacterioplankton community both seasonally and spatially, with seasonal variations being particularly significant. The diversity and composition of bacterioplankton communities in the estuaries varied significantly across seasons and between seas. Some bacterial phyla that were highly abundant in the dry season (e.g., Patescibacteria and Epsilonbacteraeota) were almost absent in the wet season. Furthermore, the network analysis revealed that the bacterioplankton networks were more complex during the wet season than in the dry season. In the wet season, the estuarine bacterioplankton network in the Yellow Sea region was more complex and stable, while the opposite was true in the dry season. According to the neutral community model, stochastic processes played a more significant role in the formation of bacterioplankton communities during the wet season than during the dry season. Estuarine bacterioplankton communities in the Yellow Sea region were more affected by stochastic processes compared to those in the Bohai Sea. In summary, in the estuaries of two differently contaminated coastal areas, the seasonal increase in nutrient levels enhanced the deterministic processes and network complexity of the bacterioplankton communities.

Electron Structure Tuned Oxygen Vacancy-Rich AuPd/CeO2 for Enhancing 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Oxidation.

The design of high activity catalyst for the efficiently conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) gains great interest. The rationally tailoring of electronic structure directly affects the interaction between catalysts and organic substrates, especially molecular oxygen as the oxidant. This work, the bimetallic catalysts AuPd/CeO2 were prepared by the combining method of chemical reduction and photo-deposition, effectively concerting charge between Au and Pd and forming the electron-rich state of Au. The increasing of oxygen vacancy concentration of CeO2 by acidic treatment can facilitate the adsorption of HMF for catalysts and enhance the yield of FDCA (99.0 %). Moreover, a series of experiment results combining with density functional theory calculation illustrated that the oxidation performance of catalyst in HMF conversion was strongly related to the electronic state of interfacial Au-Pd-CeO2. Furthermore, the electron-rich state sites strengthen the adsorption and activation of molecular oxygen, greatly promoting the elimination of ß-hydride for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA) to FDCA, accompanied with an outgoing FDCA formation rate of 13.21 mmol ⋅ g-1 ⋅ min-1 at 80 °C. The perception exhibited in this research could be benefit to understanding the effects of electronic state for interfacial sites and designing excellent catalysts for the oxidation of HMF.

Protein-assisted synthesis of chitosan-coated minicells enhance dendritic cell recruitment for therapeutic immunomodulation within pulmonary tumors.

The efficacy of cancer therapies is significantly compromised by the immunosuppressive tumor milieu. Herein, we introduce a previously unidentified therapeutic strategy that harnesses the synergistic potential of chitosan-coated bacterial vesicles and a targeted chemotherapeutic agent to activate dendritic cells, thereby reshaping the immunosuppressive milieu for enhanced cancer therapy. Our study focuses on the protein-mediated modification of bacterium-derived minicells with chitosan molecules, facilitating the precise delivery of Doxorubicin to tumor sites guided by folate-mediated homing cues. These engineered minicells demonstrate remarkable specificity in targeting lung carcinomas, triggering immunogenic cell death and releasing tumor antigens and damage-associated molecular patterns, including calreticulin and high mobility group box 1. Additionally, the chitosan coating, coupled with bacterial DNA from the minicells, initiates the generation of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial DNA release. These orchestrated events culminate in dendritic cell maturation via activation of the stimulator of interferon genes signaling pathway, resulting in the recruitment of CD4+ and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and the secretion of interferon-ß, interferon-γ, and interleukin-12. Consequently, this integrated approach disrupts the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, impeding tumor progression. By leveraging bacterial vesicles as potent dendritic cell activators, our strategy presents a promising paradigm for synergistic cancer treatment, seamlessly integrating chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Pyranthiones/Pyrones: "Click and Release" Donors for Subcellular Hydrogen Sulfide Delivery and Labeling.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S), one of the most important gasotransmitters, plays a critical role in endogenous signaling pathways of many diseases. However, developing H2 S donors with both tunable release kinetics and high release efficiency for subcellular delivery has been challenging. Here, we describe a click and release reaction between pyrone/pyranthiones and bicyclononyne (BCN). This reaction features a release of CO2 /COS with second-order rate constants comparable to Strain-Promoted Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition reactions (SPAACs). Interestingly, pyranthiones showed enhanced reaction rates compared to their pyrone counterparts. We investigated pyrone biorthogonality and demonstrated their utility in protein labeling applications. Moreover, we synthesized substituted pyranthiones with H2 S release kinetics that can address the range of physiologically relevant H2 S dynamics in cells and achieved quantitative H2 S release efficiency in vitro. Finally, we explored the potential of pyranthiones as H2 S/COS donors for mitochondrial-targeted H2 S delivery in living cells.

Advancing breast cancer diagnosis with a near-infrared fluorescence imaging smart sensor for estrogen/progesterone receptor detection.

Molecular-genetic imaging has greatly advanced clinical diagnosis and prognosis monitoring. However, the specific visualization of intracellular proteins such as estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) remains an elusive goal. Here, we highlight a novel method for selectively detecting ER/PR positive tumors using genetically engineered responsive elements. Our study demonstrates that the double responsive elements of ER/PR exhibit the most sensitivity to the steroid receptors in breast cancers. By utilizing a cationic polymer vector, we constructed a responsive element-fluorescence protein system that can selectively image ER/PR positive breast cancers in murine models under a near-infrared laser. This non-invasive imaging achieved high-resolution detection without death or serious anaphylactic activity in the animals. Our findings suggest that the reporter system consisting of steroid receptor response elements and near-infrared proteins provides a practical system for identifying biomarkers and advancing cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Seawater warming intensifies nickel toxicity to a marine copepod: a multigenerational perspective.

Due to human activities, marine organisms are frequently co-stressed with nickel (Ni) pollution and seawater warming; nevertheless, very scarce information is known about their interaction in marine biota under a multigenerational scenario. Here, after verifying the interaction of Ni and warming via a 48-h acute test, we conducted a multigenerational experiment (F0-F2), in which the marine copepod Tigriopus japonicus was exposed to Ni at environmentally realistic concentrations (0, 2, and 20 µg/L) under ambient (22℃) and predicted seawater warming (26℃) conditions. Ni accumulation and the important life history traits were analyzed for each generation. Results showed that Ni exposure caused Ni bioaccumulation and thus compromised the survivorship and egg production of T. japonicus. In particular, seawater warming significantly increased Ni accumulation, thus intensifying the negative effects of Ni on its survivorship and development. Overall, this study suggests that Ni multigenerational exposure even at environmentally realistic concentrations could produce a significant impact on marine copepod's health, and this impact would be intensified under the projected seawater warming, providing a mechanistic understanding of the interaction between warming and Ni pollution in marine organisms from a multigenerational perspective.

CircUBR1 knockdown relieves ventilator-induced lung injury through regulating miR-20a-5p/GGPPS1 pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influences and underlying mechanism of circular RNA UBR1 (circUBR1) in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). METHODS: In mice and mouse alveolar epithelial cells, VILI model was established. CircUBR1 and miR-20a-5p expression was assessed via quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were applied to assess geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase 1 (GGPPS1) protein expression. In lung tissues, the histopathological changes were utilized using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometer were applied to detect cell proliferation and apoptosis. The levels of inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-18, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α] were measured by western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: In lung tissues of VILI mice, circUBR1 and GGPPS1 expression were upregulated, while miR-20a-5p expression was downregulated. In vivo, circUBR1 knockdown alleviated lung injury, inhibited cell apoptosis, and decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines. In cells treated with cyclic stretch (CS), circUBR1 knockdown promoted cell viability, inhibited cell apoptosis, and reduced inflammatory cytokines. CircUBR1 could sponge miR-20a-5p, and GGPPS1 was the target gene of miR-20a-5p. In addition, in cells treated with CS, downregulation of miR-20a-5p or the overexpression of GGPPS1 reversed the promotive effect of circUBR1 knockdown on cell viability and the inhibitive effect of circUBR1 knockdown on cell apoptosis and inflammation production. CONCLUSIONS: In VILI, knockdown of circUBR1 attenuated lung injury and inflammation via regulating the miR-20a-5p/GGPPS1 pathway. Our study may provide a potential therapeutic target for treatment of VILI.

Oxygen Vacancy-Induced Metal-Support Interactions in AuPd/ZrO2 Catalysts for Boosting 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Oxidation.

The construction of strong metal-support interactions in oxide-supported noble metal nanocatalysts has been considered an emerging and efficient way in improving catalytic performance in biomass-upgrading reactions. Herein, a citric acid (CA)-assisted synthesized ZrO2 layer with improved oxygen vacancy (Ov) concentrations on a natural clay mineral of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) was designed. Moreover, AuxPdy/ZrO2@HNTs-zCA catalysts were prepared by loading AuPd bimetal and employed for aerobic oxidation of the lignocellulosic biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) platform to the bioplastic monomer 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) with water as the solvent. The results of catalytic experiments revealed that the Au3Pd1/ZrO2@HNTs-1.0CA catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity at 0.5 MPa O2, with a satisfactory FDCA yield of 99.5% and outstanding FDCA formation rate of 1057.9 mmol·g-1·h-1. The improved Ov concentration in the ZrO2 support enhanced the adsorption and activation ability of the catalyst for O2, and a higher Lewis acid concentration provided a stronger adsorption ability of the catalyst for reaction substrates. Besides, the synergistic effect of AuPd bimetallic nanoparticles steered the tandem oxidation of aldehyde and alcohol groups in HMF and accelerated the rate-determining step. More importantly, the relationship between the Ov concentration and catalytic performance also demonstrated that the enhanced catalytic activity for HMF oxidation was mainly attributed to the active interface of AuPd-ZrOx. This work offers fresh insights into rationally designing oxygen vacancy-driven strong interactions between the oxide support and noble nanoparticles for the catalytic upgrade of biomass platform chemicals.

Ceftazidime-assisted synthesis of ultrasmall chitosan nanoparticles for biofilm penetration and eradication of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) infections present a grave threat to immunocompromised individuals, particularly those with cystic fibrosis due to the development of bacterial biofilms. In this study, we engineered self-assembling chitosan-ceftazidime nanoparticles (CSCE) capable of effectively penetrating biofilms and eradicating P. aeruginosa. The CSCE nanoparticles were synthesized through ionic cross-linking, combining negatively charged ceftazidime with positively charged chitosan, resulting in uniform nanoparticles measuring approximately 40 nm in diameter, exhibiting high dispersity and excellent biocompatibility. Remarkably, these nanoparticles exhibited significant inhibition of P. aeruginosa growth, reduced pyocyanin production, and diminished biofilm formation, achieving a maximum inhibition rate of 22.44%. Furthermore, in vivo investigations demonstrated enhanced survival in mice with abdominal P. aeruginosa infection following treatment with CSCE nanoparticles, accompanied by reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines Interleukin-6 (125.79 ± 18.63 pg/mL), Interleukin-17 (125.67 ± 5.94 pg/mL), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (135.4 ± 11.77 pg/mL). Critically, mice treated with CSCE nanoparticles showed no presence of bacteria in the bloodstream following intraperitoneal P. aeruginosa infection. Collectively, our findings highlight the potential of these synthesized nanoparticles as effective agents against P. aeruginosa infections.

Genetically engineered bacterium: Principles, practices, and prospects.

Advances in synthetic biology and the clinical application of bacteriotherapy enable the use of genetically engineered bacteria (GEB) to combat various diseases. GEB act as a small 'machine factory' in the intestine or other tissues to continuously produce heterologous proteins or molecular compounds and, thus, diagnose or cure disease or work as an adjuvant reagent for disease treatment by regulating the immune system. Although the achievements of GEBs in the treatment or adjuvant therapy of diseases are promising, the practical implementation of this new therapeutic modality remains a grand challenge, especially at the initial stage. In this review, we introduce the development of GEBs and their advantages in disease management, summarize the latest research advances in microbial genetic techniques, and discuss their administration routes, performance indicators and the limitations of GEBs used as platforms for disease management. We also present several examples of GEB applications in the treatment of cancers and metabolic diseases and further highlight their great potential for clinical application in the near future.

Bioinspired Polysaccharide Derivative with Efficient and Stable Lubrication for Silicon-Based Devices.

It is becoming increasingly important to synthesize efficient biomacromolecule lubricants suitable for medical devices. Even though the development of biomimetic lubricants has made great progress, the current system suitable for hydrophobic silicone-based medical devices is highly limited. In this work, we synthesize one kind of novel polysaccharide-derived macromolecule lubricant of chitosan (CS) grafted polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains and catechol groups (CT) (CS-g-PEG-g-CT). CS-g-PEG-g-CT shows good adsorption ability by applying quantitative analysis of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and confocal fluorescence imaging technique, as well as the typical shear-thinning feature. CS-g-PEG-g-CT exhibits low and stable coefficients of friction (COFs) (0.01-0.02) on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces at a wide range of mass concentrations in diverse media including pure water, physiological saline, and PBS buffer solution and is even tolerant to various normal loads and sliding frequencies for complex pressurizing or shearing environments. Subsequently, systematic surface characterizations are used to verify the dynamic attachment ability of the CS-g-PEG-g-CT lubricant on the loading/shearing process. The lubrication mechanism of CS-g-PEG-g-CT can be attributed to the synergy of strong adsorption from catechol groups to form a uniform assembly layer, excellent hydration effect from PEG chains, and typical shear-thinning feature to dissipate viscous resistance. Surprisingly, CS-g-PEG-g-CT exhibits efficient lubricity on silicone-based commercial contact lenses and catheters. The current macromolecule lubricant demonstrates great real application potential in the fields of medical devices and disease treatments.

Acid-Directed Electrostatic Self-Assembly Generates Charge-Reversible Bacteria for Enhanced Tumor Targeting and Low Tissue Trapping.

Despite recent preclinical progress with oncolytic bacteria in cancer therapy, dose-limiting toxicity has been a long-standing challenge for clinical application. Genetic and chemical modifications for enhancing the bacterial tumor-targeting ability have been unable to establish a balance between increasing its specificity and effectiveness while decreasing side effects. Herein, we report a simple, highly efficient method for rapidly self-assembling a clinically used lipid on bacterium and for reducing its minimum effective dose and toxicity to normal organs. The resultant bacteria present the ability to reverse-charge between neutral and acidic solutions, thus enabling weak interactions with the negatively charged normal cells, hence increasing their biocompatibility with blood cells and with the immune system. Additionally, the lipid-coated bacteria exhibit a longer blood circulation lifetime and low tissue trapping compared with the wild-type strains. Thereby, the engineered bacteria show enhanced tumor specificity and effectiveness even at low doses. Multiple visualization techniques are used for vividly demonstrating the time course of bacterial circulation in the blood and normal organs after intravenous administration. We believe that these methods for biointerfacial lipid self-assembly and evaluation of bacterial systemic circulation possess vast potential in exquisitely fabricating engineered bacteria for cancer therapy in the future.

Successive Redox-Reaction-Triggered Interface Radical Polymerization for Growing Hydrogel Coatings on Diverse Substrates.

Growing lubricating hydrogel coatings in controllable manners on diverse material surfaces demonstrates promising applications. Here, a surface modification method is reported for in situ growing hydrogel coatings onto surfaces of diverse substrates in the absence of UV assistance. It is performed by decorating substrates with a universal mussel-inspired synthetic adhesive with catechol groups. Upon being immersed in reaction solution, these groups can assist substrate bonding and in situ capture and reduce Fe3+ into Fe2+ for decomposing S2 O8 2- into SO4 - ⋅ catalytically at the interface to initiate interface polymerization of monomers. As a result, hydrogel coatings with controllable thickness could be grown on surfaces of arbitrary substrates to change their surface characteristics regardless of materials size, category, geometry and transparency, implying considerable potential in surface engineering.

Base-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Furfuralcohols and Furfurals to Furancarboxylic Acids over Nitrogen-Doped Carbon-Supported AuPd Bowl-Like Catalyst.

Upgrading furfuralcohols and furfurals to furancarboxylic acids is of great significance for high value-added downstream chemicals synthesis and biomass conversion. Developing an efficient catalyst is the key to acquiring a completely sustainable process. Herein, nitrogen-doped carbon-supported bimetallic AuPd bowl-like catalysts were synthesized. The surface wettability of nitrogen-doped carbon was well adjusted by the nitrification process. Benefiting from the alloying effect of bimetallic AuPd catalyst and the formation of hydroxyl radical initiated by H2 O dissociation on the hydrophilic surface of nitrated nitrogen-doped carbon, base-free aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) could produce the highest 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) yield of 93.9 %. In-situ infrared spectroscopy uncovered adsorption configuration of HMF, and the nitrated carbon surface was favorable for HMF and intermediates to enter the active sites, greatly promoting the catalytic oxidation process. Employing other furfuralcohols (furfuryl alcohol, furan-2,5-diyldimethanol, 2,5-bishydroxymethylfuran) as well as furfural and 5-methylfurfural as starting materials, 35.6-95.4 % yield of furancarboxylic acids (FDCA, 2-furoic acid, 5-methyl-2-furoic acid) were also obtained. Moreover, the developed catalysts could maintain excellent stability and activity after four successive runs. This deep insight into the role of bimetallic synergy and surface wettability provides a basis for the rational design of the highly efficient catalysts for the oxidation of furfuralcohols and furfurals and related reactions.

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In recent years, a variety of important fishery resources in China's coastal waters have declined. Octopus ocellatus has the characteristics of short life cycle and rapid growth, with great contributions to fisheries of China's coastal waters. However, we know little about the habitat distribution characteristics of O. ocellatus and its relationship with environmental factors, which is not conducive to better protection and utilization of its resources. Here, we analyzed the distribution characteristics of O. ocellatus and its relationship with environmental factors using three machine learning methods, i.e., random forest model, artificial neural network model, and generalized boosted regression models, based on the survey data of fishery resources and habitat in Haizhou Bay during spring of 2011 and 2013-2017. Among the three models, random forest model had great advantages in the fitting effect and prediction ability. The model analysis results showed that sea bottom temperature, seawater depth and sea bottom salinity had significant effects on the habitat distribution of O. ocellatus. The relative resource density of O. octopus increased first and then decreased with the increases of sea bottom temperature, seawater depth, and sea bottom salinity. Based on environmental data simulated by the FVCOM model, we predicted the habitat distribution of O. ocellatus in Haizhou Bay using random forest model and found that O. ocellatus was mainly distributed in the area between 34.5°-35.8° N and 119.7°-121° E.

Knockout of GGPPS1 restrains rab37-mediated autophagy in response to ventilator-induced lung injury.

Mechanical ventilation may cause ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) in patients requiring ventilator support. Inhibition of autophagy is an important approach to ameliorate VILI as it always enhances lung injury after exposure to various stress agents. This study aimed to further reveal the potential mechanisms underlying the effects of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase large subunit 1 (GGPPS1) knockout and autophagy in VILI using C57BL/6 mice with lung-specific GGPPS1 knockout that were subjected to mechanical ventilation. The results demonstrate that GGPPS1 knockout mice exhibit significantly attenuated VILI based on the histologic score, the lung wet-to-dry ratio, total protein levels, neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines. Importantly, the expression levels of autophagy markers were obviously decreased in GGPPS1 knockout mice compared with wild-type mice. The inhibitory effects of GGPPS1 knockout on autophagy were further confirmed by measuring the ultrastructural change of lung tissues under transmission electron microscopy. In addition, knockdown of GGPPS1 in RAW264.7 cells reduced cyclic stretch-induced inflammation and autophagy. The benefits of GGPPS1 knockout for VILI can be partially eliminated through treatment with rapamycin. Further analysis revealed that Rab37 was significantly downregulated in GGPPS1 knockout mice after mechanical ventilation, while it was highly expressed in the control group. Simultaneously, Rab37 overexpression significantly enhances autophagy in cells that are treated with cyclin stretch, including GGPPS1 knockout cells. Collectively, our results indicate that GGPPS1 knockout results in reduced expression of Rab37 proteins, further restraining autophagy and VILI.

Oral Administration of Probiotics Reduces Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea and Oral Mucositis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Chemotherapy generally causes serious diarrhea and oral mucositis in cancer patients, and subsequently affects treatment. Oral administration of probiotics provides a therapeutic choice to address these limitations. This study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of oral probiotic use in the management of the chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions, and to summarize the mechanisms underlying the action. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Web of Science from the start of the study to its completion on Dec. 31, 2021. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration's Tool. Statistical analysis of the acquired data was performed via the RevMan and the Stata Statistical Software. The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020220650). Results: Twelve randomized controlled trials including 1,013 patients were recruited and analyzed via the standard procedure of meta-analysis. In contrast to the control group, orally taking probiotics significantly decreased the risk of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (≥ 1 grade) (RR = 0.70; 95% Cl: 0.56, 0.88; P = 0.002) and oral mucositis (≥ 1 grade) (RR: 0.84; 95% Cl: 0.78, 0.91; P < 0.00001) at all grades. Further analysis found that severe diarrhea (≥ 2 grades) (RR: 0.50; 95% Cl: 0.32, 0.78; P = 0.002) and severe oral mucositis also significantly declined (≥ 3 grades) (RR: 0.66; 95% Cl: 0.55, 0.79; P < 0.00001) after oral probiotic use. Interestingly, the beneficial effects of probiotics displayed statistically significant only in Asian patients. Importantly, the more species of bacteria they took, the lower the incidences of the adverse reactions occurred. We used Egger's test P value to confirm that there is no publication bias. Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated that orally administrated probiotics has a potential to decrease chemotherapy-induced diarrhea and oral mucositis incidences. However, the efficacy of oral probiotic use against the adverse reactions needs to be further verified through more clinical trials, and the species and number of probiotics have to be optimized and standardized prior to clinical applications. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk, identifier: 220650.

Bioinspired Design of a Cartilage-like Lubricated Composite with Mechanical Robustness.

Natural articular cartilages show extraordinary tribological performance based on their penetrated surface lubricated biomacromolecules and good mechanical tolerance. Hydrogels are considered to be potential alternatives to cartilages due to their low surface friction and good biocompatibility, although the poor mechanical properties limited their applications. Inspired by the excellent mechanical properties and the remarkable surface lubrication mechanism of natural articular cartilages, one kind of cartilage-like composite material with a lubrication phase (Composite-LP) was developed by chemically grafting a thick hydrophilic polyelectrolyte brush layer onto the subsurface of a three-dimensional manufactured elastomer scaffold-hydrogel composite architecture. The Composite-LP exhibited good load-bearing capacities because of the nondissipation strategy and the stress dispersion mechanism resulting from the elastomer scaffold enhancement. In the presence of the top lubrication layer, the Composite-LP showed superior friction reduction functionality and wear resistance under a dynamic shearing process. This design concept of coupling the non-dissipative mechanism and interface lubrication provides a new avenue for developing cartilage-like hydrogels and soft robots.