Realizing dendrite-free lithium deposition with three-dimensional soft-rigid nanofiber interlayers.

Lithium (Li) metal is regarded as the most desirable anode candidates for high-energy-density batteries by virtue of its lowest redox potential and ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity. However, uncontrollable Li dendritic growth, infinite volume variation and unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) ineluctably plague its commercialization process. Herein, the three-dimensional (3D) nanofiber functional layers with synergistic soft-rigid feature, consisting of tin oxide (SnO2)-anchored polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers, are directly electrospun on copper current collector. This strategy can effectively regulate uniform Li deposition and strengthen SEI stability through the dual effect of physical accommodation and chemical ionic intervention. On the one hand, the nanofiber interlayers with excellent electrolyte affinity and well-distributed Li+ transport pathways can promote uniform Li+ flux distribution and large-size Li deposition. On the other hand, the rigid SnO2 contributes to reducing Li nucleation overpotential and stabilizing SEI layer assisted by its spontaneous reaction with Li. As a result, the smooth and dense Li deposition is achieved by such soft-rigid nanofiber interlayers, thereby extending the cycling life and improving the safety application of Li metal batteries. This work offers a new route for efficient protection of Li metal anodes and brings a new inspiration for developing high-energy-density Li metal batteries.

Highly stabilized and efficient thermoelectric copper selenide.

The liquid-like feature of thermoelectric superionic conductors is a double-edged sword: the long-range migration of ions hinders the phonon transport, but their directional segregation greatly impairs the service stability. We report the synergetic enhancement in figure of merit (ZT) and stability in Cu1.99Se-based superionic conductors enabled by ion confinement effects. Guided by density functional theory and nudged elastic band simulations, we elevated the activation energy to restrict ion migrations through a cation-anion co-doping strategy. We reduced the carrier concentration without sacrificing the low thermal conductivity, obtaining a ZT of ∼3.0 at 1,050 K. Notably, the fabricated device module maintained a high conversion efficiency of up to ∼13.4% for a temperature difference of 518 K without obvious degradation after 120 cycles. Our work could be generalized to develop electrically and thermally robust functional materials with ionic migration characteristics.

High fat diet-induced downregulation of TRPV2 mediates hepatic steatosis via p21 signalling

The global prevalence and incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are exhibiting an increasing trend. NAFLD is characterized by a significant accumulation of lipids, though its underlying mechanism is still unknown. Here we report that high-fat diet (HFD) feeding induced hepatic steatosis in mice, which was accompanied by a reduction in the expression and function of hepatic TRPV2. Moreover, conditional knockout of TRPV2 in hepatocytes exacerbated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. In an in vitro model of NAFLD, TRPV2 regulated lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells, and TRPV2 activation inhibited the expression of the cellular senescence markers p21 and p16, all of which were mediated by AMPK phosphorylation. Finally, we found that administration of probenecid, a TRPV2 agonist, impaired HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and suppressed HFD-induced elevation in p21 and p16. Collectively, our findings imply that hepatic TRPV2 protects against the accumulation of lipids by modulating p21 signalling. (AU)

Research Progress on Quality Detection of Livestock and Poultry Meat Based on Machine Vision, Hyperspectral and Multi-Source Information Fusion Technologies.

Presently, the traditional methods employed for detecting livestock and poultry meat predominantly involve sensory evaluation conducted by humans, chemical index detection, and microbial detection. While these methods demonstrate commendable accuracy in detection, their application becomes more challenging when applied to large-scale production by enterprises. Compared with traditional detection methods, machine vision and hyperspectral technology can realize real-time online detection of large throughput because of their advantages of high efficiency, accuracy, and non-contact measurement, so they have been widely concerned by researchers. Based on this, in order to further enhance the accuracy of online quality detection for livestock and poultry meat, this article presents a comprehensive overview of methods based on machine vision, hyperspectral, and multi-sensor information fusion technologies. This review encompasses an examination of the current research status and the latest advancements in these methodologies while also deliberating on potential future development trends. The ultimate objective is to provide pertinent information and serve as a valuable research resource for the non-destructive online quality detection of livestock and poultry meat.

A retrospective study on adverse events of intravenous administration of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles in abdominal and superficial applications in 83,778 patients.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the rate of adverse events (AEs) caused by intravenous administration of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles in abdominal and superficial applications retrospectively and to explore practical measures for prevention and treatment of them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 83,778 contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) examinations using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles intravenously performed during 11 years. Age, gender, and target organs of all CEUS patients were recorded. For cases of AEs, their medical history and laboratory results were also collected. The process of AEs was assessed and categorized. Besides, the management of AEs were recorded. RESULTS: Twenty patients had sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles-related AEs. The AE rate was 0.024%. No significant difference was observed between patients with AEs and the whole group for age and sex distribution. All AEs happened in liver examinations. Among them, 7 (35%) were mild, 8 (40%) were moderate, and 5 (25%) were severe. They were categorized into 15 allergic-like reactions and 5 physiologic reactions. The manifestations of mild and moderate AEs mainly include urticaria, chills, and mild hypoxia, which could be eased by simple management. Severe cases had anaphylactic shock, generalized convulsions, and diffuse erythema with hypotension respectively. They need close monitoring and oxygen inhalation with anti-shock and anti-anaphylactic treatment. Most cases started within 30 min and recovered within 1 day. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous administration of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles in abdominal and superficial applications was safe with rare AEs. AEs were more likely to happen in abdominal applications than superficial ones. A well-designed emergency plan should be available for clinical use of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles to reduce AEs and to deal with AEs properly. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Intravenous administration of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles in abdominal and superficial applications reported few AEs and could be considered safe but severe AEs are life-threatening. We analyzed the influence factors of AEs and propose some methods for prevention and treatment of them, which can further improve the safety of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles in clinical practice. KEY POINTS: • The AE rate of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles in abdominal and superficial applications was 0.024%. • Patients were more likely to have AEs in abdominal applications than superficial ones. • Severe AEs are life-threatening and need prompt identification and treatment. • We summarized some detailed suggestions for clinical prevention and treatment of AEs.

High fat diet-induced downregulation of TRPV2 mediates hepatic steatosis via p21 signalling

The global prevalence and incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are exhibiting an increasing trend. NAFLD is characterized by a significant accumulation of lipids, though its underlying mechanism is still unknown. Here we report that high-fat diet (HFD) feeding induced hepatic steatosis in mice, which was accompanied by a reduction in the expression and function of hepatic TRPV2. Moreover, conditional knockout of TRPV2 in hepatocytes exacerbated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. In an in vitro model of NAFLD, TRPV2 regulated lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells, and TRPV2 activation inhibited the expression of the cellular senescence markers p21 and p16, all of which were mediated by AMPK phosphorylation. Finally, we found that administration of probenecid, a TRPV2 agonist, impaired HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and suppressed HFD-induced elevation in p21 and p16. Collectively, our findings imply that hepatic TRPV2 protects against the accumulation of lipids by modulating p21 signalling. (AU)

Broadening horizons: ferroptosis as a new target for traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with ~50 million people experiencing TBI each year. Ferroptosis, a form of regulated cell death triggered by iron ion-catalyzed and reactive oxygen species-induced lipid peroxidation, has been identified as a potential contributor to traumatic central nervous system conditions, suggesting its involvement in the pathogenesis of TBI. Alterations in iron metabolism play a crucial role in secondary injury following TBI. This study aimed to explore the role of ferroptosis in TBI, focusing on iron metabolism disorders, lipid metabolism disorders and the regulatory axis of system Xc-/glutathione/glutathione peroxidase 4 in TBI. Additionally, we examined the involvement of ferroptosis in the chronic TBI stage. Based on these findings, we discuss potential therapeutic interventions targeting ferroptosis after TBI. In conclusion, this review provides novel insights into the pathology of TBI and proposes potential therapeutic targets.

Harnessing multiplex crRNA enables an amplification-free/CRISPR-Cas12a-based diagnostic methodology for Nosema bombycis.

IMPORTANCE: The multiplex-crRNA CRISPR/Cas12a detection method saves hands-on time, reduces the risk of aerosol pollution, and can be directly applied to detecting silkworms infected with Nosema bombycis. This study provides a new approach for the inspection and quarantine of silkworm pébrine disease in sericulture and provides a new method for the detection of other pathogens.

High fat diet-induced downregulation of TRPV2 mediates hepatic steatosis via p21 signalling.

The global prevalence and incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are exhibiting an increasing trend. NAFLD is characterized by a significant accumulation of lipids, though its underlying mechanism is still unknown. Here we report that high-fat diet (HFD) feeding induced hepatic steatosis in mice, which was accompanied by a reduction in the expression and function of hepatic TRPV2. Moreover, conditional knockout of TRPV2 in hepatocytes exacerbated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. In an in vitro model of NAFLD, TRPV2 regulated lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells, and TRPV2 activation inhibited the expression of the cellular senescence markers p21 and p16, all of which were mediated by AMPK phosphorylation. Finally, we found that administration of probenecid, a TRPV2 agonist, impaired HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and suppressed HFD-induced elevation in p21 and p16. Collectively, our findings imply that hepatic TRPV2 protects against the accumulation of lipids by modulating p21 signalling.

Masson pine pollen aqueous extract ameliorates cadmium-induced kidney damage in rats.

Introduction: Cadmium (Cd) is a hazardous environmental pollutant present in soil, water, and food. Accumulation of Cd in organisms can cause systematic injury and damage to the kidney. The Masson pine pollen aqueous extract (MPPAE) has attracted increasing attention due to its antioxidant activity and ability to enhance immunity. Methods: In this study, we investigated the potential of MPPAE to protect against Cd-induced kidney damage in rats and the underlying mechanism. The transcriptome and metabolome of rats with Cd-induced kidney damage, following treatment with MPPAE, were explored. Results: The concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were both significantly altered after treatment with MPPAE. Furthermore, sequencing and analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome of rats with Cd-induced kidney damage, following treatment with MPPAE, revealed differential expression of numerous genes and metabolites compared with the untreated control rats. These differentially expressed genes (DEGs) included detoxification-related genes such as cytochrome P450 and the transporter. The differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) included 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, L-ascorbate, and ciliatine. Conjoint transcriptome and metabolome analysis showed that several DEGs were correlated with DEMs. Conclusion: These preliminary findings indicate the potential of MPPAE for the treatment of toxic metal poisoning.

Directionally-Resolved Phononic Properties of Monolayer 2D Molybdenum Ditelluride (MoTe2) under Uniaxial Elastic Strain.

Understanding the phonon characteristics of two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) under strain is critical to manipulating its multiphysical properties. Although there have been numerous computational efforts to elucidate the strain-coupled phonon properties of monolayer MoTe2, empirical validation is still lacking. In this work, monolayer 1H-MoTe2 under uniaxial strain is studied via in situ micro-Raman spectroscopy. Directionally dependent monotonic softening of the doubly degenerate in-plane E2g1 phonon mode is observed with increasing uniaxial strain, where the E2g1 peak red-shifts -1.66 ± 0.04 cm-1/% along the armchair direction and -0.80 ± 0.07 cm-1/% along the zigzag direction. The corresponding Grüneisen parameters are calculated to be 1.09 and 0.52 along the armchair and zigzag directions, respectively. This work provides the first empirical quantification and validation of the orientation-dependent strain-coupled phonon response in monolayer 1H-MoTe2 and serves as a benchmark for other prototypical 2D transition-metal tellurides.

The presence of autoantibodies is associated with improved overall survival in lung cancer patients.

Objective: Autoantibodies have been reported to be associated with cancers. As a biomarker, autoantibodies have been widely used in the early screening of lung cancer. However, the correlation between autoantibodies and the prognosis of lung cancer patients is poorly understood, especially in the Asian population. This retrospective study investigated the association between the presence of autoantibodies and outcomes in patients with lung cancer. Methods: A total of 264 patients diagnosed with lung cancer were tested for autoantibodies in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to June 2022. The general clinical data of these patients were collected, and after screening out those who met the exclusion criteria, 151 patients were finally included in the study. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the effect of autoantibodies on the outcomes of patients with lung cancer. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to analyze the relationship between autoantibodies and the overall survival of patients with lung cancer. Results: Compared to lung cancer patients without autoantibodies, those with autoantibodies had an associated reduced risk of death (HRs: 0.45, 95% CIs 0.27~0.77), independent of gender, age, smoking history, pathological type, and pathological stage of lung cancer. Additionally, the association was found to be more significant by subgroup analysis in male patients, younger patients, and patients with small cell lung cancer. Furthermore, lung cancer patients with autoantibodies had significantly longer survival time than those without autoantibodies. Conclusion: The presence of autoantibodies is an independent indicator of good prognosis in patients with lung cancer, providing a new biomarker for prognostic evaluation in patients with lung cancer.

Nanoscale goldbeating: Solid-state transformation of 0D and 1D gold nanoparticles to anisotropic 2D morphologies.

Goldbeating is the ancient craft of thinning bulk gold (Au) into gossamer leaves. Pioneered by ancient Egyptian craftsmen, modern mechanized iterations of this technique can fabricate sheets as thin as ∼100 nm. We take inspiration from this millennia-old craft and adapt it to the nanoscale regime, using colloidally synthesized 0D/1D Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) as highly ductile and malleable nanoscopic Au ingots and subjecting them to solid-state, uniaxial compression. The applied stress induces anisotropic morphological transformation of AuNPs into 2D leaf form and elucidates insights into metal nanocrystal deformation at the extreme length scales. The induced 2D morphology is found to be dependent on the precursor 0D/1D NP morphology, size (0D nanosphere diameter and 1D nanorod diameter and length), and their on-substrate arrangement (e.g., interparticle separation and packing order) prior to compression. Overall, this versatile and generalizable solid-state compression technique enables new pathways to synthesize and investigate the anisotropic morphological transformation of arbitrary NPs and their resultant emergent phenomena.

Phase transition in bilayer MoS2under tensile loading: a molecular dynamics study.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), especially single-layer MoS2, has been experimentally and computationally discovered to exist in several different polymorphs exhibiting various electronic and mechanical properties. The morphology of MoS2can be tuned through strain engineering. Molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to systematically study the phase transition of single-layer MoS2and bilayer MoS2under the uniaxial tensile condition at room temperature. The roles of edge and S-line vacancy are investigated. Phase transitions are always triggered near the edge and vacancy sites. The initiation of the metastable T″ phase can release the tensile stress in the lattice, followed by I4/mmm phase initiation, regardless of the edge conditions. The growth of the I4/mmm phase can cause the local buckling of the MoS2plane. With a tilted S-line vacancy, I4/mmm phase is first initiated to reduce the local shear stress accumulated near the vacancy line. Overall, the phase transition mechanism of single layer and bilayer MoS2under the uniaxial tensile loading is provided, which guides the future strain engineering of MoS2in nanoelectronics applications.

Generalized low levels of serum N-glycans associate with better health status.

Caloric restriction (CR) can prolong life and ameliorate age-related diseases; thus, its molecular basis might provide new insights for finding biomarker and intervention for aging and age-related disease. Glycosylation is an important post-translational modification, which can timely reflect the changes of intracellular state. Serum N-glycosylation was found changed with aging in humans and mice. CR is widely accepted as an effective anti-aging intervention in mice and could affect mouse serum fucosylated N-glycans. However, the effect of CR on the level of global N-glycans remains unknown. In order to explore whether CR affect the level of global N-glycans, we performed a comprehensive serum glycome profiling in mice of 30% calorie restriction group and ad libitum group at 7 time points across 60 weeks by MALDI-TOF-MS. At each time point, the majority of glycans, including galactosylated and high mannose glycans, showed a consistent low level in CR group. Interestingly, O-acetylated sialoglycans presented an upward change different from other derived traits, which is mainly reflected in two biantennary α2,6-linked sialoglycans (H5N4Ge2Ac1, H5N4Ge2Ac2). Liver transcriptome analysis further revealed a decreased transcriptional level of genes involved in N-glycan biosynthesis while increased level of acetyl-CoA production. This finding is consistent with changes in serum N-glycans and O-acetylated sialic acids. Therefore, we provided one possible molecular basis for the beneficial effect of CR from N-glycosylation perspective.

Low-level Cu-fortification of bovine lactoferrin: Focus on its effect on in vitro anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-stimulated macrophages.

Bovine lactoferrin (LF) per 1 g was reacted with 0.16, 0.32, and 0.64 mg CuCl2 to reach 10%, 20%, and 40% copper-saturation, respectively, aiming to assess their anti-inflammatory activities to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. The macrophages treated with CuCl2 at 0.051 µg/mL dose did not have obvious change in cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. However, LF and Cu-fortified LF products (10-80 µg/mL doses) mostly showed inhibitory effects on the stimulated macrophages dose-dependently. Moreover, Cu-fortified LF products of lower Cu-fortifying levels at lower doses exerted weaker inhibition on the stimulated macrophages than LF, leading to higher cell viability but decreased LDH release. Meanwhile, LF and Cu-fortified LF products at 10 and 20 µg/mL doses showed different activities to the stimulated cells, via partly decreasing or increasing the production of inflammatory mediators namely prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1ß, and ROS production, depending on the used Cu-fortifying and dose levels. Compared with LF, Cu-fortified LF product (Cu-fortifying level of 0.16 mg/g LF) at 10 µg/mL dose showed enhanced inhibition on the production of PGE2, ROS, IL-1ß, and TNF-α, evidencing increased anti-inflammatory activity. However, the inhibition of Cu-fortified LF product (Cu-fortifying level of 0.32 mg/g LF) at 20 µg/mL dose on the production of these inflammatory mediators was mostly reduced. It is thus proposed that both Cu-fortifying and dose levels could affect LF's anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-stimulated macrophages, while the Cu-fortifying level of LF could govern activity change.

Photoelectrochemical polarity-switching-mode and split-type biosensor based on SQ-COFs/BiOBr heterostructure for the detection of uracil-DNA glycosylase.

Here, we constructed a split-type and photocurrent polarity switching photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of Uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG, abnormal UDG activity is correlated with human immunodeficiency, cancers, bloom syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases and so on) based on SQ-COFs/BiOBr heterostructure, as the photoactive materials, methylene blue (MB) as the signal sensitizer, and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) for signal amplification. Specifically, the photocurrent intensity generated by SQ-COFs/BiOBr was about 2 and 6.4 times of that of BiOBr and SQ-COFs alone, which could be responsible for the detection sensitivity for the proposed biosensor. In addition, it is not common to construct heterojunctions between covalent organic skeletons and inorganic nanomaterials. In UDG recognition tube, the plenty of COP probes loaded methylene blue (MB) were obtained by magnetic separation with the help of the simple chain displacement reaction of CHA. MB, as a responsive substance, can efficiently switched the photocurrent polarity of the SQ-COFs/BiOBr electrode from cathode to anode, which reduce the background signal, further improve the sensitivity of the biosensor. Based on the above, the linear detection range of our designed biosensor is 0.001-3 U mL-1, and the detection limit (LODs) is as low as 4.07 × 10-6 U mL-1. Furthermore, the biosensor can still maintain good analytical performance for UDG in real sample, which means that it has broad application prospects in the field of biomedicine.

Revealing the key role of molecular packing on interface spin polarization at two-dimensional limit in spintronic devices.

Understanding spinterfaces between magnetic metals and organic semiconductors is essential to unlock the great potentials that organic materials host for spintronic applications. Although plenty of efforts have been devoted to studying organic spintronic devices, exploring the role of metal/molecule spinterfaces at two-dimensional limit remains challenging because of excessive disorders and traps at the interfaces. Here, we demonstrate atomically smooth metal/molecule interfaces through nondestructively transferring magnetic electrodes on epitaxial grown single-crystalline layered organic films. Using such high-quality interfaces, we investigate spin injection of spin-valve devices based on organic films of different layers, in which molecules are packed in different manners. We find that the measured magnetoresistance and the estimated spin polarization increase markedly for bilayer devices compared with their monolayer counterparts. These observations reveal the key role of molecular packing on spin polarization, which is supported by density functional theory calculations. Our findings provide promising routes toward designing spinterfaces for organic spintronic devices.

Large-area silicon photonic crystal supporting bound states in the continuum and optical sensing formed by nanoimprint lithography.

Optical bound states in the continuum (BIC) are found in various dielectric, plasmonic and hybrid photonic systems. The localized BIC modes and quasi-BIC resonances can result in a large near-field enhancement and a high-quality factor with low optical loss. They represent a very promising class of ultrasensitive nanophotonic sensors. Usually, such quasi-BIC resonances can be carefully designed and realized in the photonic crystal that is precisely sculptured by electron beam lithography or interference lithography. Here, we report quasi-BIC resonances in large-area silicon photonic crystal slabs formed by soft nanoimprinting lithography and reactive ion etching. Such quasi-BIC resonances are extremely tolerant to fabrication imperfections while the optical characterization can be performed over macroscopic area by simple transmission measurements. By introducing lateral and vertical dimension changes during the etching process, the quasi-BIC resonance can be tuned over a wide range with the highest experimental quality factor of 136. We observe an ultra-high sensitivity of 1703 nm per RIU and a figure-of-merit of 65.5 for refractive index sensing. A good spectral shift is observed for detecting glucose solution concentration changes and adsorption of monolayer silane molecules. Our approach involves low-cost fabrication and easy characterization process for large-area quasi-BIC devices, which might enable future realistic optical sensing applications.

Identification and Structure of Epitopes on Cashew Allergens Ana o 2 and Ana o 3 Using Phage Display.

BACKGROUND: Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is a commercially important plant. Cashew nuts are a popular food source that belong to the tree nut family. Tree nuts are one of the eight major food allergens identified by the Food and Drug Administration in the USA. Allergies to cashew nuts cause severe and systemic immune reactions. Tree nut allergies are frequently fatal and are becoming more common. AIM: We aimed to identify the key allergenic epitopes of cashew nut proteins by correlating the phage display epitope prediction results with bioinformatics analysis. DESIGN: We predicted and experimentally confirmed cashew nut allergen antigenic peptides, which we named Ana o 2 (cupin superfamily) and Ana o 3 (prolamin superfamily). The Ana o 2 and Ana o 3 epitopes were predicted using DNAstar and PyMoL (incorporated in the Swiss-model package). The predicted weak and strong epitopes were synthesized as peptides. The related phage library was built. The peptides were also tested using phage display technology. The expressed antigens were tested and confirmed using microtiter plates coated with pooled human sera from patients with cashew nut allergies or healthy controls. RESULTS: The Ana o 2 epitopes were represented by four linear peptides, with the epitopes corresponding to amino acids 108-111, 113-119, 181-186, and 218-224. Furthermore, the identified Ana o 3 epitopes corresponding to amino acids 10-24, 13-27, 39-49, 66-70, 101-106, 107-114, and 115-122 were also screened out and chosen as the key allergenic epitopes. DISCUSSION: The Ana o 3 epitopes accounted for more than 40% of the total amino acid sequence of the protein; thus, Ana o 3 is potentially more allergenic than Ana o 2. CONCLUSIONS: The bioinformatic epitope prediction produced subpar results in this study. Furthermore, the phage display method was extremely effective in identifying the allergenic epitopes of cashew nut proteins. The key allergenic epitopes were chosen, providing important information for the study of cashew nut allergens.