Enhanced CO2 Capture through SAPO-34 Impregnated with Ionic Liquid.

The concurrent utilization of an adsorbent and absorbent for carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption with synergistic effects presents a promising technique for CO2 capture. Here, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole acetate ([Bmim][Ac]), with a high affinity for CO2, and the molecular sieve SAPO-34 were selected. The impregnation method was used to composite the hybrid samples of [Bmim][Ac]/SAPO-34, and the pore structure and surface property of prepared samples were characterized. The quantity and kinetics of the sorbed CO2 for loaded samples were measured using thermogravimetric analysis. The study revealed that SAPO-34 could retain its pristine structure after [Bmim][Ac] loading. The CO2 uptake of the loaded sample was 1.879 mmol g-1 at 303 K and 1 bar, exhibiting a 20.6% rise compared to that of the pristine SAPO-34 recording 1.558 mmol g-1. The CO2 uptake kinetics of the loaded samples were also accelerated, and the apparent mass transfer resistance for CO2 sorption was significantly reduced by 11.2% compared with that of the pure [Bmim][Ac]. The differential scanning calorimetry method revealed that the loaded sample had a lower CO2 desorption heat than that of the pure [Bmim][Ac], and the CO2 desorption heat of the loaded samples was between 30.6 and 40.8 kJ mol-1. The samples exhibited good cyclic stability. This material displays great potential for CO2 capture applications, facilitating the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Outcomes of Ticagrelor Versus High-dose Clopidogrel in CYP2C19 Intermediate Metabolizer Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Coronary Syndromes.

ABSTRACT: Guidelines on antiplatelet recommendation for CYP2C19 intermediate metabolizer (IM) have not come to an agreement. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical benefit of ticagrelor when compared with high-dose clopidogrel in CYP2C19 IM after percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndromes. Patients were enrolled according to CYP2C19 genotype and individual antiplatelet therapy. Patient characteristics and clinical outcomes were collected through electronic medical record system. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE), namely a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, and stent thrombosis within 12 months. The secondary outcome was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium scale bleeding events within 12 months. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was performed, with inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) adjusting for potential confounders. A total of 532 CYP2C19 IM were enrolled in this retrospective single-center study. No statistically significant difference in incidence rate of MACCE was found between patients receiving ticagrelor versus clopidogrel (7.01 vs. 9.52 per 100 patient-years; IPTW-adjusted hazard ratio 0.71; 95% confidence interval: 0.32-1.58; adjusted log-rank P = 0.396), but the incidence rate of Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding events was statistically higher in the loss of function-ticagrelor group than in the loss of function-clopidogrel group (13.53 vs. 6.16 per 100 patient-years; IPTW-adjusted hazard ratio: 2.29; 95% confidence interval: 1.10-4.78; adjusted log-rank P = 0.027). Ticagrelor treatment in CYP2C19 IM resulted in a statistically higher risk of bleeding compared with high-dose clopidogrel, whereas a clear association between treatments and MACCE warrants further investigations.

Long Non-coding RNA Peg13 Alleviates Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Damage in Neonatal Mice via miR-20a-5p/XIAP Axis.

Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) Peg13 has been demonstrated to protect against neurological diseases. However, its underlying mechanism in the progression of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) has not been well investigated. The expression of target genes was determined in neonatal mice with HIBD and in mouse hippocampal neurons during oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunoblotting. Functional assays, including CCK-8 cell viability and apoptotic cell detection using TdT mediated dUTP nick ending labeling (TUNEL) assay were used to examine the neuroprotective role of Peg13 in mouse hippocampal neurons. Luciferase assays were performed to determine the regulatory mechanism of Peg13 in OGD-induced neuronal apoptosis. Peg13 was reduced in HIBD mice and OGD-treated mouse hippocampal neurons. Altered Peg13 expression relieved OGD-induced neuronal apoptosis. Mechanistically, Peg13 may serve as a sponge for miR-20a-5p to increase the expression of X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), a downstream target of miR-20a-5p. Our study showed that Peg13 fulfilled its anti-apoptotic function in neurons through suppressing XIAP expression by sponging miR-20a-5p. Together, Peg13 binds to miR-20a-5p to upregulate XIAP and alleviate HIBD in neonatal mice. The Peg13/miR-20a-5p/XIAP competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) axis could be a potential therapeutic target for HIBD.

Effects of different processing steps on the flavor and colloidal properties of cloudy apple juice.

BACKGROUND: Flavor loss is a common problem when manufacturing apple juice and is closely related to the properties of the colloidal pectin particles in cloudy juice. The flavor changes and particle properties of three varieties of apple juice ('Ralls', 'Golden Delicious' and 'Fuji') during processing were investigated. RESULTS: Compared with manually pressed juice, juice made by industrial pulping and filtration contained larger particles, resulting in the 'sweet and sour' taste of the juice being relatively weak and the diversity of aromas narrower, as determined by E-nose analysis. Pulping and filtration, however, released some important flavor esters, such as butyl butyrate, hexyl-2-methyl butyrate, and hexyl butyrate. The transformation of volatile compounds during apple juice processing was closely related to the apple cultivar but, in all three varieties, the content of 1-hexanal and (E)-2-hexenal in the juice gradually decreased during processing. Pectinase treatment reduced the colloid particle size and increased the ζ-potential of the juice, resulting in better uniformity and stability, as well as increasing the content of nonanal. After pasteurization, the colloidal particles tended to aggregate and the ζ-potential decreased. Many volatile compounds decreased in concentration or disappeared after heat treatment. CONCLUSION: The flavor and colloidal properties of cloudy apple juice changed markedly during processing and the effect of each processing step was different. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

4-Hydroxybenzoic acid restrains Nlrp3 inflammasome priming and activation via disrupting PU.1 DNA binding activity and direct antioxidation.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is considered central to triggering the nucleotide-binding domain-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (Nlrp3) inflammasome activation and the subsequent inflammatory responses. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) plays a critical role in maintaining intracellular ROS homeostasis and inhibiting excessive Nlrp3 inflammasome activation. However, direct supplementation of CoQ10 showed unsatisfactory clinical improvement due to its limited absorption and bioavailability. Therefore, stimulating endogenous CoQ10 biosynthesis by supplementing CoQ10 precursors may provide a more promising therapeutic approach. In this study, we described the role of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA), a precursor of CoQ10, in attenuating excessive inflammatory responses. We found that while supplementation of 4-HBA inhibited the priming and activation of Nlrp3 inflammasome, this effect was independent of its metabolic transformation into CoQ10. 4-HBA itself exhibits antioxidative activities. Furthermore, 4-HBA can disrupt the binding activity of PU.1 on the promoters of Tlr4 and Md2, thereby directly suppressing Nlrp3 inflammasome priming during LPS-induced inflammatory responses. Therefore, strategically utilizing 4-HBA or increasing 4-HBA intake may represent a potential strategy for reducing excessive inflammation.

A mouse protozoan boosts antigen-specific mucosal IgA responses in a specific lipid metabolism- and signaling-dependent manner.

IgA antibodies play an important role in mucosal immunity. However, there is still no effective way to consistently boost mucosal IgA responses, and the factors influencing these responses are not fully understood. We observed that colonization with the murine intestinal symbiotic protozoan Tritrichomonas musculis (T.mu) boosted antigen-specific mucosal IgA responses in wild-type C57BL/6 mice. This enhancement was attributed to the accumulation of free arachidonic acid (ARA) in the intestinal lumen, which served as a signal to stimulate the production of antigen-specific mucosal IgA. When ARA was prevented from undergoing its downstream metabolic transformation using the 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor zileuton or by blocking its downstream biological signaling through genetic deletion of the Leukotriene B4 receptor 1 (Blt1), the T.mu-mediated enhancement of antigen-specific mucosal IgA production was suppressed. Moreover, both T.mu transfer and dietary supplementation of ARA augmented the efficacy of an oral vaccine against Salmonella infection, with this effect being dependent on Blt1. Our findings elucidate a tripartite circuit linking nutrients from the diet or intestinal microbiota, host lipid metabolism, and the mucosal humoral immune response.

Exosomal miR-455-3p from BMMSCs prevents cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury.

OBJECTIVE: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) exert protective effects against myocardial infarction (MI). Here, we focused on the function and mechanism of miR-455-3p from BMMSCs-derived exosomes (BMMSCs-Exo) in myocardial infarction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BMMSCs were isolated from rat bone marrow, and the exosomes from the culture medium of BMMSCs were separated, and administered to H9C2 cells under hypoxia-reperfusion (H/R) stimulation. MTT and TUNEL staining analyzed cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. RT-qPCR determined miR-455-3p expression. Apoptosis-related proteins, autophagy-associated proteins, and the MEKK1-MKK4-JNK signaling pathway were detected. The interaction between miR-455-3p and MEKK1 was confirmed through dual luciferase activity and RIP assay. An in vivo ischemia reperfusion (I/R) model was established in rats. 2, 3, 5 triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, Masson staining, and TUNEL staining evaluated the infarct volume and histopathological changes. RESULTS: miR-455-3p's expression was down-regulated in BMMSCs-derived exosomes, I/R myocardial tissues, and H/R myocardial cells. miR-455-3p enriched by BMMSC exosomes reduced H/R-mediated cardiomyocyte damage and death-related autophagy. miR-455-3p upregulation suppressed MEKK1-MKK4-JNK. MEKK1 overexpression notably mitigated cell apoptosis, cramped cell viability, suppressed autophagy expansion, and attenuated Exo-miR-455-3p's protection on H/R myocardial cells. In-vivo trials reflected that BMMSC exosomes enriched with miR-455-3p repressed ischemia reperfusion-induced myocardial damage and myocardial cell function. CONCLUSION: miR-455-3p, shuttled by exosomes from MSCs, targets the MEKK1-MKK4-JNK signaling pathway to guard against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion damage.

Quality changes and shelf-life prediction model of postharvest apples using partial least squares and artificial neural network analysis.

The quality of postharvest apples is greatly affected by storage temperatures. In this paper, the sensory qualities, such as flavor, texture, color, and taste change of apples during storage at 4 °C and 20 °C were investigated. After correlation analysis, the partial least squares (PLS) and artificial neural network (ANN) techniques were used to build a shelf-life prediction model. The results showed that lower temperature storage can better maintain the color, flesh hardness, and release of volatile compounds of apples. The acidity of apples stored at 20 °C decreased much faster than that at 4 °C. The PLS models were successful in predicting the apple shelf life. When modeling using PLS with a single type index, the order of accuracy of the prediction model was texture, color, and flavor. As a nonlinear algorithm, the ANN model was also an effective predictive tool of apple shelf life at both temperatures.

Effect of particle size on the stability and flavor of cloudy apple juice.

Different particle sizes in cloudy apple juice were obtained following filtration with different mesh sizes (100, 200, 300, and 400-mesh). The effects of cloud particle size on the stability, nutrient content, and volatile flavor of cloudy apple juice were evaluated. With increasing mesh number, particle size decreased (p < 0.05) and particle shape changed. Particle size had an effect on volatile flavor compounds, especially nitrogen oxides, alcohols, and aromatic compounds. The content of pectin and total phenol decreased with decreasing particle size, while the content of soluble protein was not affected. The reduction of cloud particle size increased absolute value of ζ-potential, cloud stability, and apparent viscosity and decreased turbidity and cloud values. Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a strong correlation between particle size and quality indicators, except for soluble protein.