Folate supports IL-25-induced tuft cell expansion following enteroviral infections.

Intestinal tuft cells, a kind of epithelial immune cells, rapidly expand in response to pathogenic infections, which is associated with infection-induced interleukin 25 (IL-25) upregulation. However, the metabolic mechanism of IL-25-induced tuft cell expansion is largely unknown. Folate metabolism provides essential purine and methyl substrates for cell proliferation and differentiation. Thus, we aim to investigate the roles of folate metabolism playing in IL-25-induced tuft cell expansion by enteroviral infection and recombinant murine IL-25 (rmIL-25) protein-stimulated mouse models. At present, enteroviruses, such as EV71, CVA16, CVB3, and CVB4, upregulated IL-25 expression and induced tuft cell expansion in the intestinal tissues of mice. However, EV71 did not induce intestinal tuft cell expansion in IL-25-/- mice. Interestingly, compared to the mock group, folate was enriched in the intestinal tissues of both the EV71-infected group and the rmIL-25 protein-stimulated group. Moreover, folate metabolism supported IL-25-induced tuft cell expansion since both folate-depletion and anti-folate MTX-treated mice had a disrupted tuft cell expansion in response to rmIL-25 protein stimulation. In summary, our data suggested that folate metabolism supported intestinal tuft cell expansion in response to enterovirus-induced IL-25 expression, which provided a new insight into the mechanisms of tuft cell expansion from the perspective of folate metabolism.

Gelling properties of silver carp surimi as affected by different comminution methods: blending and shearing.

BACKGROUND: Blending and shearing, two types of comminution methods, are widely used in the manufacturing of surimi-based products. The comminution methods applied are varied to product types and manufacturers. In this study effects of different comminution methods (blending and shearing) on gelling properties of silver carp surimi were investigated. RESULTS: Regardless of comminution methods, breaking force, penetration distance and water holding capacity of surimi gel significantly increased with comminution duration up to 10 min. As compared with blending, those values under shearing of the same duration were significantly higher. Within 3 min of comminuting whiteness values of gels by shearing were significantly higher than those by blending. Electrophoresis studies showed that comminution method had no obvious effect on protein patterns. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that more uniform and denser network was formed in the surimi gels made by shearing. Water distribution of the gels made by shearing was obviously more uniform according to magnetic resonance imaging analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that with respect to blending, shearing was a better choice to maximize the gelling ability of silver carp surimi, which resulted in the higher values of texture, whiteness and water holding capacity. It could be attributed to the denser three-dimensional network and more uniform water distribution of the surimi gel prepared by shearing. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

PR-957, a selective inhibitor of immunoproteasome subunit low-MW polypeptide 7, attenuates experimental autoimmune neuritis by suppressing Th17-cell differentiation and regulating cytokine production.

Experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) is a CD4+ T-cell-mediated autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the peripheral nervous system. It has been replicated in an animal model of human inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, Guillain-Barré syndrome. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of a selective inhibitor of the immunoproteasome subunit, low-MW polypeptide 7 (PR-957) in rats with EAN. Our results showed that PR-957 significantly delayed onset day, reduced severity and shortened duration of EAN, and alleviated demyelination and inflammatory infiltration in sciatic nerves. In addition to significantly regulating expression of the cytokine profile, PR-957 treatment down-regulated the proportion of proinflammatory T-helper (Th)17 cells in sciatic nerves and spleens of rats with EAN. Data presented show the role of PR-957 in the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway. PR-957 not only decreased expression of IL-6 and IL-23 but also led to down-regulation of STAT3 phosphorylation in CD4+ T cells. Regulation of the STAT3 pathway led to a reduction in retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor γ t and IL-17 production. Furthermore, reduction of STAT3 phosphorylation may have directly suppressed Th17-cell differentiation. Therefore, our study demonstrates that PR-957 could potently alleviate inflammation in rats with EAN and that it may be a likely candidate for treating Guillain-Barré syndrome.-Liu, H., Wan, C., Ding, Y., Han, R., He, Y., Xiao, J., Hao, J. PR-957, a selective inhibitor of immunoproteasome subunit low-MW polypeptide 7, attenuates experimental autoimmune neuritis by suppressing Th17-cell differentiation and regulating cytokine production.

The emerging link between O-GlcNAcylation and neurological disorders.

O-linked ß-N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) is involved in the regulation of many cellular cascades and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and stroke. In the brain, the expression of O-GlcNAcylation is notably heightened, as is that of O-linked N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (OGT) and ß-N-acetylglucosaminidase (OGA), the presence of which is prominent in many regions of neurological importance. Most importantly, O-GlcNAcylation is believed to contribute to the normal functioning of neurons; conversely, its dysregulation participates in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. In neurodegenerative diseases, O-GlcNAcylation of the brain's key proteins, such as tau and amyloid-ß, interacts with their phosphorylation, thereby triggering the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques. An increase of O-GlcNAcylation by pharmacological intervention prevents neuronal loss. Additionally, O-GlcNAcylation is stress sensitive, and its elevation is cytoprotective. Increased O-GlcNAcylation ameliorated brain damage in victims of both trauma-hemorrhage and stroke. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of O-GlcNAcylation's physiological and pathological roles in the nervous system and provide a foundation for development of a therapeutic strategy for neurological disorders.

Clinical and electrophysiological features of post-traumatic Guillain-Barré syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rarely described potentially life-threatening cause of weakness. We sought to elucidate the clinical features and electrophysiological patterns of post-traumatic GBS as an aid to diagnosis. METHODS: We retrospectively studied six patients diagnosed with post-traumatic GBS between 2014 and 2016 at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, China. Clinical features, serum analysis, lumbar puncture results, electrophysiological examinations, and prognosis were assessed. RESULTS: All six patients had different degrees of muscular atrophy at nadir and in two, respiratory muscles were involved. Five also had damaged cranial nerves and four of these had serum antibodies against gangliosides. The most common electrophysiological findings were relatively normal distal latency, prominent reduction of compound muscle action potential amplitude, and absence of F-waves, which are consistent with an axonal form of GBS. CONCLUSIONS: It is often overlooked that GBS can be triggered by non-infectious factors such as trauma and its short-term prognosis is poor. Therefore, it is important to analyze the clinical and electrophysiological features of GBS after trauma. Here we have shown that electrophysiological evaluations are helpful for diagnosing post-traumatic GBS. Early diagnosis may support appropriate treatment to help prevent morbidity and improve prognosis.

Class I PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 mediates a shift in microglial/macrophage phenotype and inhibits inflammatory response in mice with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: Microglia/macrophages play a critical role in the inflammatory and immune processes of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Since microglia/macrophages can reversibly shift their phenotype toward either a "detrimental" or a "restorative" state in the injured central nervous system (CNS), compounds mediate that shift which could inhibit inflammation and restore the ability to alleviate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury would have therapeutic potential. METHODS: Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion was induced in male C57BL/6 mice. Mice were randomly separated into a sham-operated group, a control group, and a ZSTK474-treated group. We investigated the effect of ZSTK474 by assessing neurological deficits, infarct volume, and histopathological changes. We then determined the potential mechanism by immunofluorescent staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Western blot analysis. The Tukey's test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare differences among the groups. RESULTS: ZSTK474 alleviated neurological deficits and reduced infarct volume in the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury model. Presumably, ZSTK474 shifted the phenotype of microglia/macrophages to a restorative state, since this treatment decreased the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors and advanced the secretion of anti-inflammatory factors. These neuroprotective properties of ZSTK474 may be mediated by the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway. CONCLUSIONS: ZSTK474 can mediate a shift in microglia/macrophage phenotype and inhibit the inflammatory response in cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury of mice. These effects appeared to ensue via the PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 pathway. Therefore, ZSTK474 may represent a therapeutic intervention with potential for circumventing the catastrophic aftermath of ischemic stroke.

Differential responses of short-term soil respiration dynamics to the experimental addition of nitrogen and water in the temperate semi-arid steppe of Inner Mongolia, China.

We examined the effects of simulated rainfall and increasing N supply of different levels on CO2 pulse emission from typical Inner Mongolian steppe soil using the static opaque chamber technique, respectively in a dry June and a rainy August. The treatments included NH4NO3 additions at rates of 0, 5, 10, and 20 g N/(m(2)·year) with or without water. Immediately after the experimental simulated rainfall events, the CO2 effluxes in the watering plots without N addition (WCK) increased greatly and reached the maximum value at 2 hr. However, the efflux level reverted to the background level within 48 hr. The cumulative CO2 effluxes in the soil rang ed from 5.60 to 6.49 g C/m(2) over 48 hr after a single water application, thus showing an increase of approximately 148.64% and 48.36% in the effluxes during both observation periods. By contrast, the addition of different N levels without water addition did not result in a significant change in soil respiration in the short term. Two-way ANOVA showed that the effects of the interaction between water and N addition were insignificant in short-term soil CO2 effluxes in the soil. The cumulative soil CO2 fluxes of different treatments over 48 hr accounted for approximately 5.34% to 6.91% and 2.36% to 2.93% of annual C emission in both experimental periods. These results stress the need for improving the sampling frequency after rainfall in future studies to ensure more accurate evaluation of the grassland C emission contribution.

Aptamer-Based DNA Allosteric Switch for Regulation of Protein Activity.

Allostery is a fundamental way to regulate the function of biomolecules playing crucial roles in cell metabolism and proliferation and is deemed the second secret of life. Given the limited understanding of the structure of natural allosteric molecules, the development of artificial allosteric molecules brings a huge opportunity to transform the allosteric mechanism into practical applications. In this study, the concept of bionics is introduced into the design of artificial allosteric molecules and an allosteric DNA switch with an activity site and an allosteric site based on two aptamers for selective inhibition of thrombin activity. Compared with the single aptamer, the allosteric switch possesses a significantly enhanced inhibition ability, which can be precisely regulated by converting the switch states. Moreover, the dynamic allosteric switch is further subjected to the control of the DNA threshold circuit for realizing automatic concentration determination and activity inhibition of thrombin. These compelling results confirm that this allosteric switch equipped with self-sensing and information-processing modules puts a new slant on the research of allosteric mechanisms and further application of allosteric tactics in chemical and biomedical fields.

Spatiotemporal control of DNAzyme activity for fluorescent imaging of telomerase RNA in living cells.

BACKGROUND: Human telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex that includes proteins and human telomerase RNA (hTR). Emerging evidence suggested that the expression level of hTR was high related with the development of tumor, so it is important to accurately detect the content of hTR. Optical control of DNAzyme activity shows a promising strategy for precise biosensing, biomedical imaging and modulation of biological processes. Although DNAzyme-based sensors can be controlled spatiotemporally by light, its application in the detection of hTR in living cells is still rare. Therefore, designing DNAzyme activity spatiotemporal controllable sensors for hTR detection is highly needed. RESULTS: We developed a UV light-activated DNAzyme-based nanoprobe for spatially accurate imaging of intracellular hTR. The proposed nanoprobe was named MDPH, which composed of an 8-17 DNAzyme (D) inactivated by a protector strand (P), a substrate strand (H), and MnO2 nanosheets. The MnO2 nanosheets can enhance the cellular uptake of DNA strands, so that MDPH probe can enter cells autonomously through endocytosis. Under the high concentration of GSH in cancer cells, MnO2 nanosheets can self-generate cofactors to maintain the catalytic activity of DNAzyme. When exposing UV light and in presence of target hTR, DNAzyme could cleave substrate H, resulting in the recovery of fluorescence of the system. The cells imaging results show that MDPH probe could be spatiotemporally controlled to image endogenous hTR in cancer cells. SIGNIFICANCE: With this design, telomerase RNA-specific fluorescent imaging was achieved by MDPH probe in both cancer and normal cells. Our probe made a promising new platform for spatiotemporal controllable intracellular hTR monitoring. This current method can be applied to monitor a variety of other biomarkers in living cells and perform medical diagnosis, so it may has broad applications in the field of medicine.

Boron/nitrogen-trapping and regulative electronic states around Ru nanoparticles towards bifunctional hydrogen production.

Developing a straightforward and general strategy to regulate the surface microenvironment of a carbon matrix enriched with N/B motifs for efficient atomic utilization and electronic state of metal sites in bifunctional hydrogen production via ammonia-borane hydrolysis (ABH) and water electrolysis is a persistent challenge. Herein, we present a simple, green, and universal approach to fabricate B/N co-doped porous carbons using ammonia-borane (AB) as a triple functional agent, eliminating the need for hazardous and explosive functional agents and complicated procedures. The pyrolysis of AB induces the regulation of the surface microenvironment of the carbon matrix, leading to the formation of abundant surface functional groups, defects, and pore structures. This regulation enhances the efficiency of atom utilization and the electronic state of the active component, resulting in improved bifunctional hydrogen evolution. Among the catalysts, B/N co-doped vulcan carbon (Ru/BNC) with 2.1 wt% Ru loading demonstrates the highest performance in catalytic hydrogen production from ABH, achieving an ultrahigh turnover frequency of 1854 min-1 (depending on the dispersion of Ru). Furthermore, this catalyst shows remarkable electrochemical activity for hydrogen evolution in alkaline water electrolysis with a low overpotential of 31 mV at 10 mA cm-2. The present study provides a simple, green, and universal method to regulate the surface microenvironment of various carbons with B/N modulators, thereby adjusting the atomic utilization and electronic state of active metals for enhanced bifunctional hydrogen evolution.

6-Thioguanine inhibits severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus through suppression of EGR1.

The severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a novel phlebovirus, recently being officially renamed as Dabie bandavirus, and a causative agent for an emerging infectious disease associated with high fatality. Effective therapeutics and vaccines are lacking and disease pathogenesis is yet to be fully elucidated. In our effort to identify new SFTSV inhibitory molecules, 6-Thioguanine (6-TG) was found to potently inhibit SFTSV infection. 6-TG has been widely used as therapeutic agent since the approval of the Food and Drug Administration in the 1960s. In the current study, we showed that 6-TG was a potent inhibitor of SFTSV infection with 50% effective concentrations (EC50) of 3.465 µM in VeroE6 cells, and 1.848 µM in HUVEC cells. The selectivity index (SI) was >57 in VeroE6 cells and >108 in HUVEC cells, respectively. The SFTSV RNA transcription, protein synthesis, and progeny virions were reduced in a dose dependent manner by the presence of 6-TG in the in vitro infection assay. Further study on the mechanism of the anti-SFTSV activity showed that 6-TG downregulated the production of early growth response gene-1 (EGR1). Using gene silencing and overexpression, we further confirmed that EGR1 was a host restriction factor against SFTSV. Meanwhile, treatment of infected experimental animals with 6-TG inhibited SFTSV infection and alleviated multi-organ dysfunction. In conclusion, we have identified 6-TG as an effective inhibitor of SFTSV replication via the inhibition of EGR1 expression. Further studies are needed to evaluate of 6-TG as a potential therapeutic for treating SFTS.

Deforestation in Latin America in the 2000s predominantly occurred outside of typical mature forests.

The role of tropical forests in the global carbon budget remains controversial, as carbon emissions from deforestation are highly uncertain. This high uncertainty arises from the use of either fixed forest carbon stock density or maps generated from satellite-based optical reflectance with limited sensitivity to biomass to generate accurate estimates of emissions from deforestation. New space missions aiming to accurately map the carbon stock density rely on direct measurements of the spatial structures of forests using lidar and radar. We found that lost forests are special cases, and their spatial structures can be directly measured by combining archived data acquired before and after deforestation by space missions principally aimed at measuring topography. Thus, using biomass mapping, we obtained new estimates of carbon loss from deforestation ahead of forthcoming space missions. Here, using a high-resolution map of forest loss and the synergy of radar and lidar to estimate the aboveground biomass density of forests, we found that deforestation in the 2000s in Latin America, one of the severely deforested regions, mainly occurred in forests with a significantly lower carbon stock density than typical mature forests. Deforestation areas with carbon stock densities lower than 20.0, 50.0, and 100.0 Mg C/ha accounted for 42.1%, 62.0%, and 83.3% of the entire deforested area, respectively. The average carbon stock density of lost forests was only 49.13 Mg C/ha, which challenges the current knowledge on the carbon stock density of lost forests (with a default value 100 Mg C/ha according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Tier 1 estimates, or approximately 112 Mg C/ha used in other studies). This is demonstrated over both the entire region and the footprints of the spaceborne lidar. Consequently, our estimate of carbon loss from deforestation in Latin America in the 2000s was 253.0 ± 21.5 Tg C/year, which was considerably less than existing remote-sensing-based estimates, namely 400-600 Tg C/year. This indicates that forests in Latin America were most likely not a net carbon source in the 2000s compared to established carbon sinks. In previous studies, considerable effort has been devoted to rectify the underestimation of carbon sinks; thus, the overestimation of carbon emissions should be given sufficient consideration in global carbon budgets. Our results also provide solid evidence for the necessity of renewing knowledge on the role of tropical forests in the global carbon budget in the future using observations from new space missions.

Study on the formation pathways of characteristic volatiles in preserved egg yolk caused by lipid species during pickling.

The formation of volatiles in high-fat foods is strongly influenced by the composition and structure of lipids. The relationship between key variable lipid species and characteristic volatiles were performed by lipidomics and flavoromics to resolve the pathways of volatiles in preserved egg yolk (PEY) during pickling. The results showed that the formation of nonanal and benzaldehyde at early stage possibly derived from oleic acid sited at Sn-1 in TG(18:1_18:2_20:4), Sn-2 in PE(22:6_18:1), and linoleic acid bonded at Sn-2 in TG(18:1_18:2_20:4), respectively. 1-octen-3-ol may be formed from linoleic acid located at Sn-2 in TG(18:1_18:2_20:4) and arachidonic acid sited at Sn-3 in TG(18:1_18:2_20:4). Indole was formed through TGs(16:0_16:1_20:1;16:1_18:1_22:1;23:0_18:1_18:1) at the later stage, and acetophenone through TGs(14:0_20:0_20:4;14:0_15:0_18:1; 16:0_16:0_22:6), PCs(24:0_18:1;O-18:1_18:2), PEs(P-18:1_20:4;P-18:1_22:6) and SPH(d18:0) during whole process of pickling. Our study provides a deep and precise insight for the formation pathways of characteristic volatiles in PEY through lipids degradation during pickling at the molecular level.

Oxidative Fermentation of Acetic Acid Bacteria and Its Products.

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) are a group of Gram-negative, strictly aerobic bacteria, including 19 reported genera until 2021, which are widely found on the surface of flowers and fruits, or in traditionally fermented products. Many AAB strains have the great abilities to incompletely oxidize a large variety of carbohydrates, alcohols and related compounds to the corresponding products mainly including acetic acid, gluconic acid, gulonic acid, galactonic acid, sorbose, dihydroxyacetone and miglitol via the membrane-binding dehydrogenases, which is termed as AAB oxidative fermentation (AOF). Up to now, at least 86 AOF products have been reported in the literatures, but no any monograph or review of them has been published. In this review, at first, we briefly introduce the classification progress of AAB due to the rapid changes of AAB classification in recent years, then systematically describe the enzymes involved in AOF and classify the AOF products. Finally, we summarize the application of molecular biology technologies in AOF researches.

RNA-Seq transcriptomic analysis reveals gene expression profiles of acetic acid bacteria under high-acidity submerged industrial fermentation process.

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) are Gram-negative obligate aerobics in Acetobacteraceae family. Producing acetic acid and brewing vinegars are one of the most important industrial applications of AAB, attributed to their outstanding ability to tolerate the corresponding stresses. Several unique acid resistance (AR) mechanisms in AAB have been revealed previously. However, their overall AR strategies are still less-comprehensively clarified. Consequently, omics analysis was widely performed for a better understanding of this field. Among them, transcriptome has recently obtained more and more attention. However, most currently reported transcriptomic studies were conducted under lab conditions and even in low-acidity environment, which may be unable to completely reflect the conditions that AAB confront under industrialized vinegar-brewing processes. In this study, we performed an RNA-Seq transcriptomic analysis concerning AAB's AR mechanisms during a continuous and periodical industrial submerged vinegar fermentation process, where a single AAB strain performed the fermentation and the acetic acid concentration fluctuated between ~8% and ~12%, the highest acidity as far we know for transcriptomic studies. Samples were directly taken from the initial (CK), mid, and final stages of the same period of the on-going fermentation. 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicated the participation of Komagataeibacter europaeus in the fermentation. Transcriptomic results demonstrated that more genes were downregulated than upregulated at both mid and final stages. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrich analysis reflected that the upregulated genes mainly carried out tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation processes, probably implying a considerable role of acetic acid overoxidation in AR during fermentation. Besides, upregulation of riboflavin biosynthesis pathway and two NAD+-dependent succinate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase-coding genes suggested a critical role of succinate oxidation in AR. Meanwhile, downregulated genes were mainly ribosomal protein-coding ones, reflecting that the adverse impact on ribosomes initiates at the transcription level. However, it is ambiguous whether the downregulation is good for stress responding or it actually reflects the stress. Furthermore, we also assumed that the fermentation stages may have a greater effect on gene expression than acidity. Additionally, it is possible that some physiological alterations would affect the AR to a larger extent than changes in gene expression, which suggests the combination of molecular biology and physiology research will provide deeper insight into the AR mechanisms in AAB.

The Pretreatment of Xiaoqinglong Decoction Alleviates Inflammation and Oxidative Damage and Up-Regulates Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Septic Acute Lung Injury Rats.

Xiaoqinglong decoction (XQLD), a classic prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has already been used clinically to cure acute lung injury (ALI), but its mechanism remains unclear. This subject aimed to explore the preventive role of XQLD in septic ALI rats besides its effects on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)2 and its downstream factors. After, respectively, administrated with different concentrations of XQLD (6.25 g/kg/d, 12.5 g/kg/d, 25 g/kg/d) for 5 days and dexamethasone (DEX, 1 mg/kg) for 0.5 h, the rat models of ALI were established by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 mg/kg) for 24 h. All rats were evaluated by lung function test, arterial blood gas analysis, morphological observation, lung wet/dry (W/D) ratio, and the lung injury score. The levels of malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), interleukin (IL)-1ß, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and angiotensin (Ang) (1-7) in the lung were measured through biochemical and ELISA kits. The expressions of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)2, mitochondrial assembly receptor (MasR), and nuclear factor (NF)-κB in lung tissue were detected by qRT-PCR and western blotting. Positive reaction cells of MasR were observed by immunohistochemistry. The results show that XQLD significantly ameliorated septic lung injury including edema and hemorrhage, as well as improved pulmonary function and arterial blood gas. Furthermore, XQLD markedly decreased the levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α, MDA, and NF-κB while increased the levels of SOD, Ang (1-7), ACE2, and MasR in septic ALI rats. Pearson correlation showed that the expressions of ACE2 were inversely related to IL-1ß, TNF-α, MDA, and NF-κB and positively correlated with SOD contents. Our data indicated that XQLD pretreatment alleviated inflammation and oxidative damage in septic ALI rats, which might be related to the up-regulation of ACE2-Ang (1-7)-MasR axis and inhibition of the NF-κB pathway.

Sustainable one-pot construction of oxygen-rich nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets stabilized ultrafine Rh nanoparticles for efficient ammonia borane hydrolysis.

Heteroatom-doped porous carbons that possess large surface areas and well-defined porosity show great promise in heterogeneous catalysis, whereas their syntheses inevitably require complicated steps, hazardous activation and functional reagents, and an inert gas atmosphere. Herein, a one-pot synthetic strategy to oxygen-rich porous nitrogen-doped carbon (OPNC) is developed through pyrolysis of ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid tetra-sodium in air without any activation and functionalization agents. The as-prepared OPNC with more surface oxygenated groups and mesopores not only benefits synthesis of well-dispersed ultrafine Rh nanoparticles (NPs) with abundant accessible active sites, but also facilitates the diffusion of reactants and avoids mass transfer limitations, thereby considerably contributes to a high performance toward AB hydrolysis. Specifically, the optimal Rh/OPNC exhibits a high activity toward AB hydrolysis with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 433 min-1. The kinetic isotope studies indicate that the cleavage of OH bond in H2O molecules is the rate-determining step (RDS). The Rh/OPNC can be reused for five repetitive cycles with approximately 62% remained activity of the first cycle. The catalytic activity of Rh/OPNC can be further improved with a very high TOF of 1201 min-1 in alkaline solution. This study proposes a simple and sustainable pathway to synthesize efficient catalyst support for depositing metal NPs toward AB hydrolysis.

O-GlcNAcase inhibitor has protective effects in intracerebral hemorrhage by suppressing the inflammatory response.

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is aggravated by immune cells that participate in the inflammatory response from the blood-brain barrier (BBB). O-Glycosylation has been reported to regulate the inflammatory response in the central nervous system but its cerebral protective effects remain unknown. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the protective effects of O-GlcNAcylation in a murine model of ICH and the possible mechanisms involved. METHODS: The effects of O-GlcNAcylation on hematoma and edema formation were tested using pathological and dry/wet weight methods, whereas its effects on neural function were determined using neurologic tests. The effect of O-GlcNAcylation on BBB integrity was determined by Evans blue dye extrusion. Flow cytometry was used to quantify the immune cells in the central nervous system. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the protective effect of O-GlcNAcylation in ICH. RESULTS: The hematoma volume was significantly lower in the prevention and treatment groups than in the control group after ICH induction, indicating that O-GlcNAcylation had reduced the formation of cerebral hematoma in ICH. In the prevention and treatment groups, the modified neurological severity score, corner turn test and rotating rod test results were improved and the BBB integrity was better than that in the control group. O-GlcNAcylation also regulated the microglia, neutrophils and other central nervous system immune cells after ICH, effectively reducing the inflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS: O-GlcNAcylation played an important role in suppressing the inflammatory response, enhancing the BBB integrity and reducing edema after ICH.

Improvement on storage stability of iron-fortified soybean powder by microencapsulation.

Full-fat soybean powder was a more difficult-to-fortify food vehicle than cereal flour and powdered milk products because of a large quantity of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly when iron was necessary to be fortified. Minimizing oxidation of lipids was extremely valuable in the fortified-food industry. However, very limited data were available on the effect of microencapsulation of iron compounds on lipid oxidation in full-fat soybean powder. In our study, ferric pyrophosphate (FP) was microencapsulated by the emulsifying-gelation technique and its effect on the storage stability of Yingyangbao (YYB) was evaluated. The results showed that microencapsulated FP (MFP) was regularly spherical and uniformly distributed. MFP could significantly (P < 0.05) decrease the sensory score of rancid odor for YYB. The formation of lipid oxidation products such as carbonyl compounds, malondialdehyde, pentanal, and hexanal in YYB during the accelerated test was significantly retarded, improving oxidative stability and delaying the sensory deterioration. The E-nose analysis showed that YYB with MFP had significantly (P < 0.05) lower levels of response values on the specific sensors than YYB containing FP with or without ascorbyl palmitate. MFP could significantly (P < 0.05) improve the sensory and oxidative stability of iron-fortified full-fat soybean powder such as YYB.

Combination of Serum Neurofilament Light Chain Levels and MRI Markers to Predict Cognitive Function in Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: It is important to predict poststroke cognitive outcome to guide individualized treatment and prevention strategy. We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the combination of a serum biomarker for axonal damage (neurofilament light chain [NfL]) and neuroimaging markers (volume of infarction and white matter hyperintensities [WMH]) for neuronal abnormality in poststroke cognitive outcome. METHODS: A total of 1028 patients were screened; among them, 144 patients with acute ischemic stroke (stroke group) and 30 patients without stroke (control group) were enrolled. Serum NfL levels of samples obtained from both groups were measured through single molecule array assay. Neuroimaging markers of neuroaxonal injury, including infarct volume and WMH in the stroke group were quantified on magnetic resonance images using an in-house MATLAB code (MATLAB 2017; MathWorks). The primary outcome was the functional independence measure (FIM) cognitive subscores on discharge. We assessed the association of serum NfL levels and neuroimaging markers with cognitive outcome. The prognosis value of the combination of serum NfL levels and imaging markers for predicting FIM cognitive subscores on discharge was calculated using the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic. RESULTS: Serum NfL levels of the stroke group were 9-fold higher than those of the control group (1449.7 vs 157.2 pg/mL, n = 144/30, P < .001). There was a correlation of serum NfL levels with infarct volume (r = 0.530, P < .001) and functional outcome, including FIM cognitive subscores (r = -0.387, P < .001) and FIM motor subscores on admission (r = -0.306, P < .001), but not with WMH volume after adjusting for infarct volume (r = -0.196, P = .245). Serum NfL levels on admission independently predicted poststroke FIM cognitive subscores on discharge (AUC = 0.672, P < .001). The predictive value for poststroke cognitive outcome was improved by combining serum NfL levels with infarct and WMH volume (AUC = 0.760, P < .001). CONCLUSION: The combination of serum NfL levels with volume of infarct and WMH shows an improved predictive value for cognitive function during acute rehabilitation phase after stroke, providing a promising panel of biomarkers for prognosis and guidance of treatment.