Comparison of immune-related gene signatures and immune infiltration features in early- and late-onset preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia, a severe pregnancy syndrome, is widely accepted divided into early- and late-onset preeclampsia (EOPE and LOPE) based on the onset time of preeclampsia, with distinct pathophysiological origins. However, the molecular mechanism especially immune-related mechanisms for EOPE and LOPE is currently obscure. In the present study, we focused on placental immune alterations between EOPE and LOPE and search for immune-related biomarkers that could potentially serve as potential therapeutic targets through bioinformatic analysis. METHODS: The gene expression profiling data was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. ESTIMATE algorithm and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were employed to evaluate the immune status. The intersection of differentially expressed genes in GSE74341 series and immune-related genes set screened differentially expressed immune-related genes. Protein-protein interaction network and random forest were used to identify hub genes with a validation by a quantitative real-time PCR. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, Gene Ontology and gene set variation analysis were utilized to conduct biological function and pathway enrichment analyses. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis and CIBERSORTx tools were employed to calculate the immune cell infiltration score. Correlation analyses were evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. Hub genes-miRNA network was performed by the NetworkAnalyst online tool. RESULTS: Immune score and stromal score were all lower in EOPE samples. The immune system-related gene set was significantly downregulated in EOPE compared to LOPE samples. Four hub differentially expressed immune-related genes (IL15, GZMB, IL1B and CXCL12) were identified based on a protein-protein interaction network and random forest. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction validated the lower expression levels of four hub genes in EOPE compared to LOPE samples. Immune cell infiltration analysis found that innate and adaptive immune cells were apparent lacking in EOPE samples compared to LOPE samples. Cytokine-cytokine receptor, para-inflammation, major histocompatibility complex class I and T cell co-stimulation pathways were significantly deficient and highly correlated with hub genes. We constructed a hub genes-miRNA regulatory network, revealing the correlation between hub genes and hsa-miR-374a-5p, hsa-miR-203a-3p, hsa-miR-128-3p, hsa-miR-155-3p, hsa-miR-129-2-3p and hsa-miR-7-5p. CONCLUSIONS: The innate and adaptive immune systems were severely impaired in placentas of EOPE. Four immune-related genes (IL15, GZMB, IL1B and CXCL12) were closely correlated with immune-related pathogenesis of EOPE. The result of our study may provide a new basis for discriminating between EOPE and LOPE and acknowledging the role of the immune landscape in the eventual interference and tailored treatment of EOPE.

Integration of transcriptomics and metabolomics provides metabolic and functional insights into reduced insulin secretion in MIN6 ß-cells exposed to deficient and excessive arginine.

Previous work demonstrated that arginine is one of the strongest insulin secretagogues. However, knowledge of the mechanisms linking chronic arginine metabolism with ß-cell function and insulin secretion is relatively limited. After preliminary selection of concentration according to the cell proliferation, the MIN6 pancreatic ß-cells were randomly assigned to culture in 0.04 mM (low-arginine, LA), 0.4 mM (standard-arginine, SA), or 8 mM arginine (high-arginine, HA) for 24 h. Following the treatment, a combination of transcriptomics and metabolomics, together with a series of molecular biological tests were performed to investigate the responses of ß-cells to varied arginine availability. Our results showed that HA treatment reduced the chronic insulin releases, and LA and HA treatments decreased the glucose-stimulated insulin secretions (GSIS) of ß-cells relative to the SA group (p < .05). Transcriptomics analysis indicated that LA administration significantly inhibited oxidative phosphorylation and ATP metabolic process but promoted DNA repair and mRNA processing in ß-cells, while HA administration affected ammonium ion metabolic process and mRNA export (p < .05). Both LA and HA regulated the expressions of genes involved in DNA replication, cell-cycle phase transition, and response to oxidative stress (p < .05). Protein-protein interaction and transcription factor analyses suggested that Trp53 and Nr4a2 genes may play key roles during arginine stimulation. On the contrary, metabolomics analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed metabolites (DEM) of MIN6 ß-cells induced by LA were mainly enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and purine metabolism, while most DEMs between LA vs. SA comparison belonged to amino acid metabolism. When combined the three groups, co-expression analysis suggested that insulin secretions had strong associations with L-pyroglutamic acid, L-glutamate, and creatine concentrations, while intracellular insulin contents were mainly correlated to L-arginine, argininosuccinic acid, and phosphorylcholine. At last, integrated analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics showed that glycerophospholipid metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and amino acid metabolism were the most relevant pathways in ß-cells exposed to abnormal arginine supply. This descriptive bioinformatics analysis suggested that the disturbed carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolisms, as well as the increased apoptosis and elevated oxidative stress, contributed to the reduced insulin secretion and lower GSIS in ß-cells induced by LA or HA treatments, while some underlying mechanisms need to be further explored.

Continuous spinning aligned liquid crystal elastomer fibers with a 3D printer setup.

Fibrous liquid crystalline elastomers (LCE) are an attractive variant of LCE-based actuators due to their small thickness, leading to faster response times to stimuli, as well as the increased mechanical strength. Fabrication of LCE fibers has been attempted by various research groups using electro-spinning or micro-fluidic techniques, without much success. Here we propose an alternative way to achieve single-step continuous spinning LCE fibers in a more scalable and robust way, based on a liquid-ink 3D printer. We demonstrate this technique in our home-made device by dynamically extruding/stretching liquid crystalline oligomer mixed with photo-reactive cross-linker, to fix the aligned network under UV light after extrusion. The report also describes a protocol for material synthesis and identifies optimal conditions for the stable fiber spinning process. Microns-thick LCE fibers with two different compositions have been successfully spun, and demonstrated enhanced mechanical properties with the inherited thermal-actuation capability. This technique also demonstrates the potential to fine-tune the mechanical properties of fibers to enable further development in fiber-based LCE applications.

Plasma and Pancreas Islet Hormone Concentrations in Lactating Rats Are Associated with Dietary Protein Amounts.

Background: Circulating amino acid (AA) and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations and hepatic gluconeogenesis are affected by previous protein intake. However, information about their relations and islet hormone responses is limited. Objective: This study investigated the associations between islet hormone concentrations with circulating AA and NO concentrations as well as with hepatic gluconeogenesis in lactating rats. Methods: At delivery, 18 Wistar rats aged 14 wk were assigned either to low-protein (LP; 9% protein), standard-protein (SP; 21% protein), or high-protein (HP; 35% protein) diets for 15 d in groups of 6 pups/dam. Circulating AA and NO concentrations, circulating and pancreas islet hormone concentrations, and the activities and gene expressions of hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) were measured at the end of treatment. Results: Circulating insulin and glucagon concentrations were greater in the HP than in the LP (25% and 17%, respectively) and SP (37% and 31%) diet groups, whereas compared with the SP group, pancreatic concentrations were lower in the LP (32% and 49%) and HP (34% and 46%) groups (P < 0.01). Hepatic PEPCK and G6Pase activities in the HP group were greater than those in the SP (15% and 15%) and LP (8% and 19%) groups (P < 0.05). In all groups, plasma NO concentrations were correlated negatively to circulating insulin (r = -0.77, P = 0.0003) and positively to pancreas insulin and glucagon concentrations and the insulin-to-glucagon ratio (r = 0.50-0.63; P < 0.05). Some circulating AAs correlated positively to circulating insulin and pancreas insulin and glucagon (r = 0.50-0.82, P < 0.05) but negatively to circulating glucagon (r = -0.53-0.68, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Variations in circulating AA and NO concentrations and hepatic gluconeogenic enzyme activities are likely intermediary responses involved in the effects of dietary protein amounts on the synthesis and secretion of islet hormones in lactating rats.

Effects of forage source and particle size on feed sorting, milk production and nutrient digestibility in lactating dairy cows.

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of forage source (quality) and particle size on feed sorting, milk production and nutrient digestibility in lactating dairy cows. Twelve multiparous lactating Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Treatments were as follows: (a) feeding long oaten hay (OL), (b) feeding short oaten hay (OS), (c) feeding long wild-rye hay (WL) and (d) feeding short wild-rye hay (WS). The sorting activity of cows fed wild-rye hay diets was greater than that of cows fed oaten hay diets. Sorting activity decreased with reduced forage particle size (FPS) for wild-rye hay diets but was not affected for oaten hay diets. Cows fed oaten hay diets had a similar dry matter intake (DMI), but higher total tract nutrient digestibility, and hence higher milk yield than cows fed wild-rye hay diets. The increase in DMI as a result of reduced FPS was significant in cows fed wild-rye hay diets. Feed efficiency (4% fat-corrected milk (FCM)/DMI) decreased from 1.18 to 1.11 when FPS decreased, but was not affected by the forage source. The digestibility of DM, crude protein (CP) and organic matter (OM) in the total tract was decreased by a reduction in FPS for wild-rye hay diets, but was not affected for oaten hay diets. In conclusion, cows fed high-quality forage (oaten hay) had a lower sorting activity and higher production performance than those fed poor-quality forage (wild-rye hay). The optimal dietary FPS in lactating dairy cows should take the effect of forage source into account.

Menin Modulates Mammary Epithelial Cell Numbers in Bovine Mammary Glands Through Cyclin D1.

Menin, the protein encoded by the MEN1 gene, is abundantly expressed in the epithelial cells of mammary glands. Here, we found MEN1/menin expression slowly decreased with advancing lactation but increased by the end of lactation. It happened that the number of bovine mammary epithelial cells decreases since lactation, suggesting a role of menin in the control of mammary epithelial cell growth. Indeed, reduction of menin expression through MEN1-specific siRNA transfection in the bovine mammary epithelial cells caused cell growth arrest in G1/S phase. Decreased mRNA and protein expression of Cyclin D1 was observed upon MEN1 knockdown. Furthermore, menin was confirmed to physically bind to the promoter region of Cyclin D1 through a ChIP assay, indicating that menin plays a regulatory role in mammary epithelial cell cycle progression. Moreover, lower expression of MEN1/menin induced increased epithelial cell apoptosis and caused extracellular matrix remodeling by down-regulating its associated genes, such as DSG2 and KRT5, suggesting that menin's role may also be involved in the control of cell-cell adhesion in normal mammary glands. Taken together, our data revealed an unknown molecular function of menin in epithelial cell proliferation, which may be important in the regulation of lactation behavior of mammary glands.

Combination of biopsy forceps excision and ALA-PDT for the treatment of cervical condylomata acuminata.

BACKGROUND: Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and cervical condyloma acuminatum (CA) often co-exist. Although there are many methods to treat cervical CA, high recurrence rate and cervical scars are still troublesome. Biopsy forceps excision combined with 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is a feasible approach for cervical CA, but its efficacy and limitation need to be evaluated. METHODS: This retrospective study consisted of 49 patients aged 18-50 years with a histologically or colposcopic confirmed cervical CA and with HPV infection. Patients were treated with biopsy forceps excision and ALA-PDT. The efficacy was evaluated through HPV typing and colposcopy directed biopsy. RESULTS: Three months after the combination treatment the total lesion remission rate was 93.88 % (46/49) and the HPV clearance rate was 83.67 % (41/49). One patients showed some residual lesions and two patients showed new lesions. Recurrence rate was 4.34 % at 6 months follow-up. There was no significant difference in HPV clearance rate at 3 and 6 months follow-up. Univariate analysis showed that the combination treatment was less effective for patients who had size of visible lesion > 1.5 cm2. Adverse effects were minimal and no structural complications were reported. The main side effects were abdominal pain and increased vaginal secretions. CONCLUSION: Combination of biopsy forceps excision and ALA-PDT is safe and effective for eliminating cervical condylomata lesion and eradicating HPV infection. Colposcopic evaluation is recommended before and after treatment.

Predictive value of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio for preeclampsia in twin pregnancies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, the ratio of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor for use in predicting preeclampsia has been explored extensively. Despite extensive research, available data on its effectiveness in predicting preeclampsia in twin pregnancies are limited and conflicting. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio in distinguishing cases with preeclampsia in twin pregnancies from healthy controls. DATA SOURCES: Studies that evaluated the use of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio in predicting preeclampsia were searched in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases from inception to August 6, 2023, without language restriction. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: The following population, exposure, comparators, outcomes, and study designs were included: women with twin pregnancies; an increased soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio with preeclampsia as the outcome; women without preeclampsia; a 2 × 2 diagnostic table, diagnostic accuracy data, and the incidence of preeclampsia; and prospective cohort studies and observational comparative studies, respectively. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: The quality of the included studies was evaluated. Key parameters, including the specificity, sensitivity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio, were calculated using the random- and fixed-effects models. In addition, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and the summary receiver operating characteristic curve were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies were included, including 442 women with twin pregnancies (115 patients with preeclampsia and 327 controls without preeclampsia). The results highlighted the promising effectiveness of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio in predicting preeclampsia in twin pregnancies with a pooled specificity of 0.89 (95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.95), a sensitivity of 0.84 (95% confidence interval, 0.73-0.93), a positive likelihood ratio of 32.76 (95% confidence interval, 12.82-83.74), and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.03 (95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.08). The combined diagnostic odds ratio was 35.72 (95% confidence interval, 12.92-98.76), and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.92. CONCLUSION: These collective findings underscore the potential of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 to placental growth factor ratio as an accurate marker for identifying preeclampsia among women with twin pregnancies.

Biopolymer separators from polydopamine-functionalized bacterial cellulose for lithium-sulfur batteries.

The advancement of the lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is immensely impeded by two main challenges: polysulfide shuttling between the electrodes and Li dendrite formation associated with the Li-metal anode. To tackle these challenges, we synthesized a polydopamine coated bacterial cellulose (PDA@BC) separator in a way to create physical and chemical traps for the shuttling polysulfides and to control the Li+ flux. While nanocellulose offers its dense network as a physical trap, the presence of polydopamine in the separator offers polar functional groups which not only has a high binding energy towards the polysulfides but also helps in redistribution of the Li+ ions across it. The electrochemical and physiochemical results suggest that the synthesized separator can have practical applicability owing to its superior performance compared to a commercial separator. The Li-S batteries assembled with this separator showed a specific discharge capacity of 1449 mAh/g at 0.1C and 877 mAh/g at 1C, and a capacity fade of 0.03 % per cycle over 650 cycles at 1C. Using a PDA@BC separator, a practical Li-S battery cell with S loading of 7.5 mg cm-2 (and E/S ratio of 10 µLmg-1, 82 % S ratio) was also tested at 1C, which delivered a capacity of âˆ¼ 6 mAh cm-2 for 500 cycles.

Clinical efficacy analysis of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for vulvar lichen sclerosus.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the efficacy of photodynamic therapy in the treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus who do not respond to topical glucocorticoid therapy, analyze whether there are factors that affect the efficacy, and identify adverse reactions to the treatment. METHOD: This retrospective study included 42 patients with vulval lichen sclerosis treated with ALA-PDT. Basic data of all patients were collected, and the clinical symptoms and signs of the patients before treatment were evaluated. After one year of treatment, the clinical efficacy was evaluated and analyzed whether there were any factors that affected the treatment effect. RESULT: One year after the ALA-PDT treatment, the clinical effective rate was 64.29 % (27/42), the general effective rate was 19.05 % (8/42), the ineffective rate was 4.76 % (2/42), and the recurrence rate was 11.90 % (5/42). There was no correlation between menopause, number of births given, body mass index, duration of disease, treatment times and treatment effect. For patients with severe itching and atrophy, PDT was less effective. Adverse effects were minimal and no structural complications were reported. CONCLUSION: ALA-PDT can obviously alleviate itching in VLS patients, improve skin elasticity, skin color and reduce lesion area. ALA-PDT for VLS has a low recurrence rate and few side effects.

Evaluation of the therapeutic effects of Photodynamic Therapy in vulvar lichen sclerosus and impact on patient quality of life and sexual funtion.

BACKGROUND: Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is often associated with irritable symptoms of itching, burning pain and can lead to scarring, architectural changes and sexual dysfunction as well as a decline in quality of life.The etiology of the disease is unknown. This study sought to assess the therapeutic effects of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) in VLS, and improvment of patient quality of life and sexual funtion. METHODS: From January 2022 to April 2023, a total of 65 patients with vulvar sclerosi (VLS) were treated with PDT in our hospital. All 65 patients were divided into two groups: early-stage group and late-stage group. The Cattaneo scoring method, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores were used to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the treatment on patients' symptoms and clincal signs, quality of life as well as sexual function before and at 6-month after treatment. RESULTS: The total effective rate of early-stage patients was significantly greater than that of late-stage patients at 6-month after PDT treatment (90.91% [40/44] vs 76.19% [16/21], p <0.05). At 6-month follow-up, the symptoms and clinical signs of patients in early-stage group were significantly improved compared with baseline, the average scores of itching, skin elasticity, whitening and lesion range were significantly lower than the scores before treatment (p <0.05). In late-stage group, The decrease in scores of itching, whitening and lesion range at the 6-months follow-up is significant(p <0.05), but skin elasticity (p=0.0625). On post-treatment follow-up examination, FSFI score was seen to have significantly improved in early-stage patients(from a median score of 17.45 to 21.1, p<0.05); DLQI also significantly improved after treatment (from a median score of 7 to 4, p<0.05). In late stage patients, The DLQI score improved significantly after treatment (from a median score of 18 to 15, p<0.05). However, the improvement in sexual function is not statistically significant (pre-treatment: median=10.55, post-treatment: median=10, p=0.1865). CONCLUSION: Photodynamic therapy can effectively improve most symptoms and clinical signs, as well as quality of life of patients with VLS, especially for earlly stage patients. Moreover, improvement in sexual function is observed in early stage patients after PDT treatment. This study suggests that early and timely PDT treatment are recommended to achieve better results.

Effects of Individual Essential Amino Acids on Growth Rates of Young Rats Fed a Low-Protein Diet.

To investigate the effects of individual essential amino acids (EAA) on growth and the underlying mechanisms, EAA individually supplemented a low-protein (LP) diet fed to young rats in the present study. Treatments were an LP diet that contained 6% crude protein (CP), a high-protein (HP) diet that contained 18% CP, and 10 LP diets supplemented with individual EAA to achieve an EAA supply equal to that of the HP diet. The CP concentration of the LP diet was ascertained from the results of the first experiment, which examined the effects of dietary CP concentrations on growth rates, with CP ranging from 2% to 26%. Weight gain was increased with the supplementation of His, Ile, Lys, Thr, or Trp as compared to the LP diet (p < 0.05). Feed intake was greater for the His-, Lys-, and Thr-supplemented treatments as compared to the LP group (p < 0.05). Protein utilization efficiency was lower for the HP group than other groups (p < 0.01). The supplementation of Leu, Lys, and Val led to reduced protein utilization efficiency (p < 0.05), but the supplementation of Thr and Trp led to greater efficiency than the LP group (p < 0.05). Compared to the LP group, plasma urea concentrations were elevated with individual EAA supplementation, with the exception of the Thr addition. The added EAA resulted in increased concentrations of the corresponding EAA in plasma, except for Arg and Phe supplementation. The supplementation of Arg, His, Leu, Lys, and Met individually stimulated mTORC1 pathway activity (p < 0.05), and all EAA resulted in the decreased expression of ATF4 (p < 0.05). In summary, the supplementation of His, Ile, Lys, Thr, or Trp to an LP diet improved the growth performance of young rats. Responses to His and Lys additions were related to the activated mTORC1 pathway and feed intake increases. The improved growth performance resulting from the addition of a single EAA is not solely attributed to the increased plasma availability of EAA. Rather, it may be the consequence of a confluence of factors encompassing signaling pathways, the availability of amino acids, and other associated elements. The additivity of these factors results in independent responses to several EAA with no order of limitation, as is universally encoded in growth models for all production animal species.

Effect of Maternal Gradient Nutritional Restriction during Pregnancy on Mammary Gland Development in Offspring.

We aimed to investigate the effect of different levels of nutritional restriction on mammary gland development during the embryonic period by gradient nutritional restriction in pregnant female mice. We started the nutritional restriction of 60 female CD-1(ICR) mice from day 9 of gestation based on 100%, 90%, 80%, 70% and 60% of ad libitum intake. After delivery, the weight and body fat of the offspring and the mother were recorded (n = 12). Offspring mammary development and gene expression were explored by whole mount and qPCR. Mammary development patterns of in offspring were constructed using Sholl analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and regression analysis. We found that: (1) Mild maternal nutritional restriction (90-70% of ad libitum intake) did not affect offspring weight, while body fat percentage was more sensitive to nutritional restriction (lower at 80% ad libitum feeding). (2) A precipitous drop in mammary development and altered developmental patterns occurred when nutritional restriction ranged from 80% to 70% of ad libitum intake. (3) Mild maternal nutritional restriction (90% of ad libitum intake) promoted mammary-development-related gene expression. In conclusion, our results suggest that mild maternal nutritional restriction during gestation contributes to increased embryonic mammary gland development. When maternal nutritional restriction reaches 70% of ad libitum intake, the mammary glands of the offspring show noticeable maldevelopment. Our results help provide a theoretical basis for the effect of maternal nutritional restriction during gestation on offspring mammary development and a reference for the amount of maternal nutritional restriction.

Comparison of growth performance and rumen metabolic pathways in sheep and goats under the same feeding pattern.

Diet and species are important factors affecting the rumen microbiota, with roughage stimulating rumen development and concentrate feeds being broken down by the decomposition of Ruminal flora to provide the organism with a large amount of energy. This study aimed to explore the effects of host and dietary factors on rumen flora composition and diversity, as well as on host metabolism. The study reports the research conducted on 5-month-old male Small-tail Han sheep and 5-month-old male Boer goat, each with an average weight of 33.87 ± 1.70 kg. Five animals of each species were divided into two groups, namely, the S group (Small-tail Han sheep) and the B group (Boer goat). The experiment was carried out in two various periods, namely, X and Y for groups S and B, respectively. The rations were fed with concentrate-to-roughage ratios of 3:7 and 5:5, respectively. Growth performance was measured by the weight increase index. The results showed that, under the same raising conditions, the ratio between body weight increases and the amount of feed was lower in the S group than in the B group, but the differences were not significant. According to the analysis of the apparent digestibility ratio of nutrition ingredients, the XS group had a significantly higher apparent digestibility ratio for acid detergent fiber than the XB group (p < 0.05). Even though the analysis of rumen fermentation parameters showed that the rumen pH has no significant differences between the XS and XB groups, it was significantly lower in the YS group than in the YB group. The XS group contained a significantly lower content of total volatile fatty acids than the XB group (p < 0.05). Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequencing results revealed that, compared to the B group, the S group was highly enriched with the following bacteria: Proteobacteria, γ-proteobacteria, Aeromonadales, and Succinivibrionaceae. Thus, the host species affected the abundance and diversity of rumen bacteria. Feed utilization efficiency of Small-tail Han sheep was higher than Boer goats, which might be specifically associated with Succinivibrionaceae. The results from this study show that animals belonging to the same family but different genera and species can differ in metabolic pathways even when they are provided with the same animal feed.

Active Textile Fabrics from Weaving Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Filaments.

Active fabrics, responding autonomously to environmental changes, are the "Holy Grail" of the development of smart textiles. Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) promise to be the base materials for large-stroke reversible actuation. The mechanical behavior of LCEs matches almost exactly the human muscle. Yet, it has not been possible to produce filaments from LCEs that will be suitable for standard textile production methods, such as weaving. Based on the recent development of LCE fibers, here, the crafting of active fabrics incorporating LCE yarn, woven on a standard loom, giving control over the weave density and structure, is presented. Two types of LCE yarns (soft and stiff) and their incorporation into several weaving patterns are tested, and the "champions" identified: the twill pattern with stiffer LCE yarn that shows the greatest blocking force of 1-2 N cm-1 , and the weft rib pattern with over 10% reversible actuation strain on repeated heating cycles. Reversible 3D shape changes of active fabric utilize the circular weaving patterns that lead to cone shapes upon heating. The seamless combination of active LCE yarns into the rich portfolio of existing passive yarns can be transformative in creating new stimuli-responsive actuating textiles.

Evaluating changes in the strength of the levator ani muscle after vaginal delivery using T2-parameter mapping.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pelvic floor muscle injury in patients with levator ani muscle (LAM) weakness after vaginal delivery using T2-parameter mapping. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 40 parturients (patient group) and 25 nonparturients (healthy control group) were enrolled in the study. The LAM weakness group had a Modified Oxford Grading System (MOGS) grade of less than 3 after vaginal delivery. All participants underwent pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, including T2 and T2* mapping, on which the main branches of the LAM, the puborectalis and iliococcygeus, were evaluated. The differences in T2 and T2* values in the puborectalis and iliococcygeus between patients with LAM weakness and controls were analyzed using an independent samples t test or a Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: For both the right and left iliococcygeus, the T2* values of the patient group were lower than those of the control group (P = 0.002 and 0.008, respectively), while no significant difference was observed in the T2 values between the groups (P = 0.45 and 0.69, respectively). For both the right and left puborectalis, no significant differences in the T2* (P = 0.25 and P = 0.25, respectively) or T2 values (P = 0.38 and 0.43, respectively) were observed between the patient and control groups. CONCLUSION: T2* mapping as a quantitative measurement is an effective imaging tool to assess LAM injury in women after vaginal delivery. The iliococcygeus was more susceptible to vaginal delivery damage than the puborectalis, and pelvic floor dysfunction may be mainly driven by iliococcygeus injury.

Responses in splanchnic and mammary amino acid metabolism to short-term graded removal of methionine in lactating goats.

Four multi-catheterized lactating goats were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square experiment to investigate the responses of amino acid metabolism in portal-drained viscera (PDV), liver, and mammary glands to short-term varying supplies of methionine (Met). During the last 45 h in each experimental period, goats were fasted for 12 h and then abomasally infused with an amino acid (AA) mixture plus glucose for 33 h. Treatments consisted of graded removal of Met from an infused AA mixture to achieve Met content in the infusate of 100% (complete), 60%, 30%, or 0% that in casein. Graded Met removal decreased the production of milk, milk protein, lactose, and fat linearly whilst also decreasing arterial Met concentration linearly (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, net PDV uptake and liver removal of Met decreased linearly (P < 0.05) due to decreased Met affinity of PDV and liver (P < 0.05). Net mammary uptake of Met (P > 0.1) was maintained as Met supply declined. This was achieved through increased mammary affinity (P < 0.05) and increased mammary blood flow (P < 0.05) totally offsetting the negative effect of decreased circulating Met concentration. Graded removal of Met from the infusate linearly decreased mammary uptake-to-milk output ratios of Met (P < 0.05) and tended to decrease essential amino acid (EAA) linearly (0.05 < P < 0.1). Treatments also linearly decreased circulating concentration of prolactin and linearly increased insulin concentration (P < 0.05). In conclusion, results of the present study indicated there were several mechanisms used to mitigate a Met deficiency, including reduced catabolism of Met in PDV, liver, and peripheral tissue (including mammary glands) and a linear increase in mammary blood flow. The observed decreases in milk protein production as Met supply decreased appear to be a result of regulatory events which may have been driven by decreased circulating prolactin, rather than as a result of decreased mammary Met uptake.

Double Networks of Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers with Enhanced Mechanical Strength.

Liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are frequently used in soft actuator development. However, applications are limited because LCEs are prone to mechanical failure when subjected to heavy loads and high temperatures during the working cycle. A mechanically tough LCE system offers larger work capacity and lower failure rate for the actuators. Herein, we adopt the double-network strategy, starting with a siloxane-based exchangeable LCE and developing a series of double-network liquid-crystalline elastomers (DN-LCEs) that are mechanically tougher than the initial elastomer. We incorporate diacrylate reacting monomers to fabricate DN-LCEs, some of which have the breaking stress of 40 MPa. We incorporate thermoplastic polyurethane to fabricate a DN-LCE, achieving an enormous ductility of 90 MJ/m3. We have also attempted to utilize the aza-Michael chemistry to make a DN-LCE that retains high plasticity because of several bond-exchange mechanisms; however, it failed to produce a stable reprocessable LCE system using conventional ester-based reactive mesogens. Each of these DN-LCEs exhibits unique features and characteristics, which are compared and discussed.

Imine-Based Reactive Mesogen and Its Corresponding Exchangeable Liquid Crystal Elastomer.

To date, exchangeable liquid crystalline elastomers (xLCEs) have been mainly fabricated by combining conventional LCEs with additional exchangeable functional groups in their networks. While conventional LCEs are frequently made from commercially available aromatic-ester reacting mesogens or from mesogens based on a biphenyl core, such reacting monomers are not optimized to fabricating xLCEs whose bond-exchange reaction is fast and clean cut. Here, we develop a fast synthesis route to produce a new type of reactive mesogen based on an aromatic-imine structure that intrinsically enables a fast and stable bond-exchange reaction in the resulting imine-based xLCE. This new xLCE displays vitrimer plastic-flow behavior, and its bond-exchange activation energy is calculated to be 54 kJ/mol. We also demonstrate that this xLCE is thermally stable to withstand many recycling cycles without visible decay, and its liquid crystallinity is preserved. Finally, we demonstrate the reprogramming and realignment of the mesogen orientation in this xLCE with the realigned xLCE capable of reversible thermal actuation.

Fused Filament Fabrication of a Dynamically Crosslinked Network Derived from Commodity Thermoplastics.

A massive carbon footprint is associated with the ubiquitous use of plastics and their afterlife. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from plastics are rising and increasingly consuming the global "carbon budget". It is, hence, paramount to implement an effective strategy to reclaim postconsumer plastic as feedstock for technologically innovative materials. Credible opportunity is offered by advances in materials chemistry and catalysis. Here, we demonstrate that by dynamically crosslinking thermoplastic polyolefins, commodity plastics can be upcycled into technically superior and economically competitive materials. A broadly applicable crosslinking strategy has been applied to polymers containing solely carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds, initially by maleic anhydride functionalization, followed by epoxy-anhydride curing. These dynamic networks show a distinct rubber modulus above the melting transition. We demonstrate that sustainability and performance do not have to be mutually exclusive. The dynamic network can be extruded into a continuous filament to be in three-dimensional (3D) printing of complex objects, which retain the mechanical integrity of vitrimers. Being covalently crosslinked, these networks show a thermally triggered shape-memory response, with 90% recovery of a programmed shape. This study opens up the possibility of reclaiming recycled thermoplastics by imparting performance, sustainability, and technological advances to the reprocessed plastic.