Bletilla striata carbon dots with alleviating effect of DSS-induced ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that significantly affected quality of life for patients. In this study, carbon dots based on Bletilla striata (BS-CDs) were synthesized by hydrothermal method and characterized by optical property analysis. In addition, the study measured the potential effect of BS-CDs on colonic histopathology and inflammation in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis. The results suggested that BS-CDs significantly increased colon length, improved colonic histopathology, and reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6) in colitis mice. Taken together, BS-CDs alleviate clinical inflammation by blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines which were expected to be a potential agent for the treatment of colitis.

Ternary-Metal Sn-Pb-Zn Perovskite to Reconstruct Top Surface for Efficient and Stable Less-Pb Perovskite Solar Cells.

Though Sn-Pb alloyed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) achieved great progress, there is a dilemma to further increase Sn for less-Pb requirement. High Sn ratio (>70%) perovskite exhibits nonstoichiometric Sn:Pb:I at film surface to aggravate Sn2+ oxidation and interface energy mismatch. Here, ternary metal alloyed (FASnI3 )0.7 (MAPb1- x Znx I3 )0.3 (x = 0-3%) is constructed for Pb% < 30% perovskite. Zn with smaller ionic size and stronger ionic interaction than Sn/Pb assists forming high-quality perovskite film with ZnI6 4- enriched at surface to balance Sn:Pb:I ratio. Differing from uniform bulk doping, surface-rich Zn with lower lying orbits pushes down the energy band of perovskite and adjusts the interface energy for efficient charge transfer. The alloyed PSC realizes efficiency of 19.4% at AM1.5 (one of the highest values reported for Pb% < 30% PSCs). Moreover, stronger bonding of Zn─I and Sn─I contributes to better durability of ternary perovskite than binary perovskite. This work highlights a novel alloy method for efficient and stable less-Pb PSCs.

Isolation and Proteomic Analysis of Extracellular Vesicles from Lactobacillus salivarius SNK-6.

The proteins carried by the extracellular vesicles of Lactobacillus salivarius SNK-6 (LsEVs) were identified to provide a foundation for further explorations of the probiotic activities of L. salivarius SNK-6. LsEVs were isolated from the culture media of L. salivarius SNK-6 and morphological analysis was conducted by scanning electron microscopy. Subsequent transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis were performed to assess the morphology and particle size of the LsEVs. In addition, the protein composition of LsEVs was analyzed using silver staining and protein mass spectrometry. Finally, internalization of the identified LsEVs was confirmed using a confocal microscope, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to analyze the levels of inflammatory cytokines in LPS-challenged RAW264.7 cells. The results revealed that the membrane-enclosed LsEVs were spherical, with diameters ranging from 100-250 nm. The LsEVs with diameters of 111-256 nm contained the greatest amount of cargo. In total, 320 proteins (10-38 kD) were identified in the LsEVs and included anti-inflammatory molecules, such as PrtP proteinase, co-chaperones, and elongation factor Tu, as well as some proteins involved in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, such as fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase. Enrichment analysis showed these proteins to be related to the terms "metabolic pathway," "ribosome," "glycolysis/gluconeogenesis," "carbohydrate metabolism," and "amino acid metabolism." Furthermore, the LsEVs were internalized by host liver cells and can regulate inflammation. These findings confirm that LsEVs contain various functional proteins that play important roles in energy metabolism, signal transduction, and biosynthesis.

In vitro antioxidant activity of the polysaccharide from Auricularia auricula and its structural characterisation.

A new polysaccharide (AAP) was extracted from Auricularia auricula by water extraction and alcohol precipitation. The antioxidant activity in vitro showed that AAP had a good scavenging effect on ABTS free radicals. Then AAP was purified by DEAE-52 ion exchange chromatography to obtain the purified component pAAP. The structure analysis showed that the molecular weight (Mw) of pAAP was 96.768 kDa, which was composed of rhamnose (Rha), arabinose (Ara), fucose (Fuc), xylose (Xyl), mannose (Man), glucose (Glu) and galactose (Gal), with the ratio of 0.1:0.157:0.33:2.797:2.881:2.988:0.587, and contained α-pyranose configuration and ß-pyranose configuration. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed the special conformation of pAAP in the ring and chain shape.

The Double-Edged Sword of Safety Training for Safety Behavior: The Critical Role of Psychological Factors during COVID-19.

Safety training (ST) is the primary means of avoiding unsafe behaviors, but it has not achieved the expected impact on improving workplace safety because of the high psychological stress it brings to workers. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) further threatens workers' psychological conditions, thereby diminishing the effectiveness of ST. However, the existing literature has mainly laid emphasis on the bright side of ST and neglected examining its impact on safety behavior (SB) from detrimental psychological factors. Drawing from the conservation of resources theory, a novel two-staged model was established to understand how these psychological factors mediate and moderate the association between ST and SB. We incorporated resource consumption (e.g., role overload (RO) and COVID-19-related task setbacks) and resource generation (e.g., psychological resilience) into the model to consider both detrimental and protective psychological factors against ST. We then implemented a time-separated, three-wave data collection on a sample of frontline workers to validate this hypothetical model. Consistent with our hypothesis, RO played a significant mediating role between ST and SB, that is, ST leads to RO, and in turn, holds up SB. Surprisingly, contrary to our hypothesis, COVID-19-related task setbacks weakened the negative and indirect impact of ST on SB via RO. This is one of the first empirical studies to highlight how detrimental psychological factors caused by ST constrict or amplify SB. In practice, the efficacy of ST can be enhanced by cultivating psychological resilience and clarifying employees' job responsibilities to reduce the ambiguity of roles.

The miR-216/miR-217 Cluster Regulates Lipid Metabolism in Laying Hens With Fatty Liver Syndrome via PPAR/SREBP Signaling Pathway.

Fatty liver syndrome (FLS), a common metabolic disease in laying hens, caused by excessive hepatic fat deposition is a bottleneck in the poultry industry. However, no specific therapeutic methods have been developed. Evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) are essential for liver lipid metabolism and homeostasis, providing strong evidence for targeting miRNAs as a potential treatment option for liver diseases. However, the roles of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of FLS remain unclear. In present study, RNA-sequencing was performed to discern the expression patterns of miRNAs in normal and fatty livers of laying hens. In total, 12 dysregulated miRNAs (2 down-regulated and 10 up-regulated) were detected between the normal and fatty livers. Functional enrichment analysis showed the potential impacts of the dysregulated miRNAs on lipid metabolism. Notably, miR-216a/b and miR-217-5p, which belong to the miR-216/miR-217 cluster, were up-regulated in the sera and livers of FLS chickens, as well as free fatty acid (FFA)-induced LMH cells. Oil-red O staining revealed that up-regulation of the miR-216/miR-217 cluster induced lipid accumulation in FFA-induced LMH cells. Furthermore, the dual luciferase gene reporter assay and RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase 2, F-box protein 8, and transmembrane 9 superfamily member 3 (TM9SF3) were directly targeted by miR-216a/b and miR-217-5p, respectively, and suppressed in the fatty livers of laying hens. Moreover, overexpression of the miR-216/miR-217 cluster or reduction in TM9SF3 levels led to activation of the proliferator-activated receptor/sterol regulatory-element binding protein (PPAR/SREBP) pathway. Overall, these results demonstrate that the miR-216/miR-217 cluster regulates lipid metabolism in laying hens with FLS, which should prove helpful in the development of new interventional strategies.

Lactobacillus salivarius SNK-6 Regulates Liver Lipid Metabolism Partly via the miR-130a-5p/MBOAT2 Pathway in a NAFLD Model of Laying Hens.

Lactobacillus spp., as probiotics, have shown efficacy in alleviating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here, we screened a new probiotic strain, Lactobacillus salivarius SNK-6 (L. salivarius SNK-6), which was isolated from the ileum of healthy Xinyang black-feather laying hens in China. We investigated the beneficial activity of L. salivarius SNK-6 in a NAFLD model in laying hens and found that L. salivarius SNK-6 inhibited liver fat deposition and decreased serum triglyceride levels and activity of aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase. MBOAT2 (membrane-bound O-acyltransferase domain containing 2) was directly targeted by miR-130a-5p, which was downregulated in the liver of NAFLD laying hens but reversed after L. salivarius SNK-6 treatment. Downregulation of MBOAT2, L. salivarius SNK-6 supplementation in vivo, and L. salivarius SNK-6 cell culture treatment in vitro suppressed the mRNA expression of genes involved in the PPAR/SREBP pathway. In addition, 250 metabolites were identified in the supernatants of L. salivarius SNK-6 culture media, and most of them participated in metabolic pathways, including amino acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism. Targeted metabolomic analysis revealed that acetate, butyrate, and propionate were the most abundant short-chain fatty acids, while cholic acid, ursodeoxycholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, and tauroursodeoxycholic acid were the four most-enriched bile acids among L. salivarius SNK-6 metabolites. This may have contributed to the reparative effect of L. salivarius SNK-6 in the NAFLD chicken model. Our study suggested that L. salivarius SNK-6 alleviated liver damage partly via the miR-130a-5p/MBOAT2 signaling pathway.