Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) significantly affects quality of life and imposes economic burdens due to its prevalence and the disability it causes. The efficacy of current treatments is limited to alleviate the symptoms and not for regenerative purposes. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combining hyaluronic acid (HA), human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs), and synthetic human growth hormone (somatotropin) in the treatment of knee OA, assessing pain relief, functional improvement, and cartilage regeneration. Methods: A four-arm, double-blind randomized trial was conducted with 51 knees from 28 subjects, aged ≥ 50 with primary knee OA. Treatments involved are HA alone, HA with hUC-MSCs, HA with somatotropin, and a combination of all three. Efficacy was measured through the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and visual analog score (VAS) along with MRI T2 mapping of cartilage were taken on pre-implantation, 6th and 12th month. Results: All treatment arms showed improvement in VAS and WOMAC scores over 12 months, suggesting some pain relief and functional improvement. However, MRI T2 mapping showed no significant cartilage regeneration across the groups. Conclusion: While combined use of HA, hUC-MSCs, and somatotropin improved symptoms of knee OA, it did not enhance cartilage regeneration significantly. The study highlights the potential of these combinations for symptom management but underscores the need for further research to optimize these therapies for regenerative outcomes.

The presence of exogenous auxins such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), has been reported in organic materials such as vermicompost. The objectives of this work were to quantify the concentration of IAA in sand-based substrates with vermicompost (S-VC), to establish the relationship between the concentration of exogenous IAA and the amount of vermicompost (VC), as well as determine its influence on the development of tomato plants. S-VC substrates with different percentages based on volume (0, 20, 40 and 50% VC) placed in pots were used to transplant tomato seedlings. In each substrate, the concentration of IAA was determined at the beginning and at the end of a culture cycle, as well as the bacterial load. In addition, some performance components were measured in the plants. The results show that by increasing 1 kg of VC in a sand-based substrate, the concentration of exogenous IAA increases both at the beginning and at the end of the experiment (0.0470 and 0.0642 mg g^-1, respectively); a result that, in turn, was related to the colony-forming units of gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus spp., mainly). Behavior that is reflected in tomato plants; for example, the root had its maximum development (371.33 cm^-3) when the amount of VC in the substrate was 4.12 kg.

The dopamine and uric acid are primary products of purine metabolism and they coexist in serum and the extracellular fluid of the central nervous system. Some diseases of the human body are due to abnormal levels of uric acid and dopamine. Thus, the clinical diagnosis of some diseases needs a sensitive and simultaneous analysis of uric acid and dopamine. In this study, a novel conductive composite film containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWTs) with cooper phthalocyanine attached to acrylate polymer (MWCNTs-CuMAPC-PnBA) was fabricated and dropped on a glassy carbon electrode and used for the simultaneous determination of Uric Acid (UA) and dopamine (DA). The modified glassy carbon electrode showed satisfactory electrocatalytic activity toward dopamine and uric acid. Low detection limits were achieved at 0.174 µM of DA and 6.87 µM of UA and the linear detection ranges of DA and UA are 5-200 µM and 20-250 µM respectively. The proposed sensing system based on the modified GCE offers promising results for rapid, cost-effective and selective simultaneous detection of uric acid and dopamine. Also, the complex modified electrode showed satisfactory results to detecting simultaneously UA and DA in real human samples (human Urine) via the standard addition method.

A survey of the trends in metal-ligand coordination and hydrogen bonding has been carried out on complexes of singly deprotonated cyanuric acid CY− and alkaline earth metals, synthesised from aqueous solution and characterised by X-ray crystallography. Involvement of cyanurate in the metal coordination increases from Mg through Ca and Sr to Ba relative to coordination by water, in parallel with the increasing ionic radius and coordination number. The incidence of bridging of metal centres by both water and cyanurate also increases in this series. The Mg complex contains hexaaqua-coordinated cations, uncoordinated CY− anions, and additional water molecules. Ca and Sr complexes feature polymeric chains of coordinated metal ions, the Ca complex with uncoordinated anions and the Sr complex with all potential ligands coordinated. The Ba complex has a two-dimensional coordination network. Extensive hydrogen bonding plays a key role in generating a three-dimensional network in all four structures. The competition between cyanurate and water for coordination to the alkaline earth metal cations, and that between coordination and hydrogen bonding propensities of the cyanurate anion, appear to be finely balanced, with the structural outcomes depending on the relative sizes and degrees of hardness of the four cations of the group.

Intestinal failure (IF) is characterized by a critical reduction of functional gut mass below the minimum needed for optimal growth in children. It requires parenteral nutrition (PN) and home-PN (HPN) which is challenging in terms of meeting nutritional needs according to age, growth velocity, clinical situation, and rapid changes in fluid and electrolyte requirements. Due to these complex requirements, age-adapted multi-chamber bags (MCBs) are important additions to the nutrition armamentarium. The launch of composite fish oil (FO)-containing intravenous lipid emulsions (ILEs) heralded the development of MCBs containing these ILEs in combination with a crystalline amino acids solution (CAAS) adapted for pediatric use. The safety and efficacy of lipid and amino acid components in this context have been widely documented in numerous published studies. This manuscript includes a review of the articles published in PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar until June 2022, exploring studies in the age groups from term infants to children and adolescents. Preterm infants with their highly specific demands are not included. It aims to offer an overview of the clinical experience regarding the use of a composite FO-based ILE and a specific CAAS developed

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a membrane-tethered serine protease overexpressed in the reactive stromal fibroblasts of > 90% human carcinomas, which makes it a promising target for developing radiopharmaceuticals for imaging and therapy of carcinomas. Here, we synthesized two novel (R)-pyrrolidin-2-yl-boronic acid-based FAP-targeted ligands; SB02055 (DOTA-conjugated (R)-(1-((6-(3-(piperazin-1-yl)propoxy)quinoline-4-carbonyl)glycyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl)boronic acid) and SB04028 (DOTA-conjugated ((R)-1-((6-(3-(piperazin-1-yl)propoxy)quinoline-4-carbonyl)-D-alanyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl)boronic acid). natGa- and 68Ga-complexes of both ligands were evaluated in preclinical studies and compared to previously reported natGa/68Ga-complexed PNT6555. Enzymatic assays showed that FAP binding affinities (IC50) of natGa-SB02055, natGa-SB04028 and natGa-PNT6555 were 0.41±0.06, 13.9±1.29 and 78.1±4.59 nM, respectively. PET imaging and biodistribution studies in HEK293T:hFAP tumor-bearing mice showed that while [68Ga]Ga-SB02055 presented with a nominal tumor uptake (1.08±0.37 %ID/g), [68Ga]Ga-SB04028 demonstrated clear tumor visualization with ~1.5-fold higher tumor uptake (10.1±0.42 %ID/g) compared to [68Ga]Ga-PNT6555 (6.38±0.45 %ID/g). High accumulation in the bladder indicated renal excretion of all three tracers. [68Ga]Ga-SB04028 displayed low background level uptake in most normal organs, and comparable to [68Ga]Ga-PNT6555. However, since its tumor uptake was considerably higher than [68Ga]Ga-PNT6555, the corresponding tumor-to-organ uptake ratios for [68Ga]Ga-SB04028 were also significantly greater than [68Ga]Ga-PNT6555. Our data demonstrate that (R)-(((quinoline-4-carbonyl)-D-alanyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl)boronic acid is a promising pharmacophore for the design of FAP-targeted radiopharmaceuticals for cancer imaging and radioligand therapy.

Triglycerides of waste cooking oil reacted with methanol in refluxing toluene to yield mixtures of diglycerides, monoglycerides and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) in the presence of 20% (w/w) catalyst/oil using the hydrophilic sulfonated silica (SiO₂-SO₃H) catalyst alone or with the addition of 10% (w/w) co-catalyst/oil [(Bun4N)](BF₄) or Aliquat 336]. The addition of the ammonium salts to the catalyst lead to a decrease in the amounts of diglycerides in the products, but the concentrations of monoglycerides increased. Mixtures of [(Bun4N)](BF4)/catalyst were superior to catalyst alone or Aliquat 336/catalyst for promoting the production of mixtures with high concentrations of FAMEs. The same experiments were repeated using DMSO as the solvent. The use of the more polar solvent resulted in excellent conversion of the triglycerides to FAME esters with all three-catalyst media. A simplified mechanism is presented to account for the experimental results.

The indole-3-pyruvic acid pathway is the major route for auxin biosynthesis in higher plants. Tryptophan aminotransferases (TAA1/TAR) and members of the YUCCA family of flavin-containing monooxygenases catalyze the conversion of L-tryptophan via indole-3-pyruvic acid into indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). It has been described that locally produced jasmonic acid (JA) in response to mechanical wounding, triggers de novo-formation of IAA through the induction of two YUCCA genes, YUC8 and YUC9. Here, we report the direct involvement of a small number of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors of the MYC family in this process. We show that the JA-mediated regulation of YUC8 and YUC9 gene expression depends on the abundance of MYC2, MYC3, and MYC4. In support of this observation, seedlings of myc knockout mutants displayed a strongly reduced response to JA-mediated IAA formation. In addition, transactivation assays provided experimental evidence for the binding of the MYC transcription factors to a particular tandem G-box motif abundant in the promoter regions of YUC8 and YUC9, but not in those of the other YUCCA genes. Moreover, we clearly demonstrate that YUC8ox and YUC9ox overexpressing plants show less damage after spider mite infestation, thereby underlining a role of auxin in plant responses toward biotic stress cues.

Maslinic acid (MA) is a natural triterpene from Olea europaea whose pharmacological functions have been showed. The objective of this study was to examine MA effect on cell viability (by MTT assay), reactive oxygen species (ROS levels, by flow cytometry) and key anti-oxidant enzyme activities (by spectrophotometry) in murine skin melanoma (B16F10) cells compared to healthy cells (A10). MA induced cytotoxic effects in cancer cells (IC50 42 µM) whereas no effect was found in A10 cells treated with MA (up to 210 µM). In order to produce a stress situation in cells, 0.15 mM of H2O2 were added. Under stressful conditions, MA protected both cell lines against oxidative damage, decreasing intracellular ROS, being higher in B16F10 than in A10 cells. The treatment with H2O2 and without MA produced different responses in anti-oxidant enzymes activities depending on cell line. In A10 cells, all enzymes were up-regulated, but in B16F10 cells only superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase increased their activities. MA restored the enzyme activities to similar levels than control group in both cell lines, highlighting that in A10 cells the highest MA doses induced values lower than control. Overall, these findings demonstrate the great anti-oxidant capacity of MA.

Fatty acid desaturase 2 (Fads2) is the key enzyme of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) biosynthesis. Endogenous production of these biomolecules in vertebrates, if present, is insufficient to meet demand. Hence, LC-PUFA are considered as conditionally-essential. At present however, LC-PUFA are globally-limited nutrients due to anthropogenic factors. Attention of research is given therefore to find ways to maximize endogenous LC-PUFA production especially in production species, whereby deeper knowledge on molecular mechanisms of enzymatic steps involved is being generated. This review first briefly informs about the milestones in the history of LC-PUFA essentiality exploration before it focuses on the main aim – to highlight the fascinating Fads2 potential to play roles fundamental to adaptation to novel environmental conditions. Investigations are summarized, which elucidate the evolutionary history of fish Fads2 providing an explanation for the remarkable plasticity of this enzyme in fish. Further, structural implications of Fads2 substrate specificity are discussed and some relevant studies performed on organisms other than fish are mentioned in cases when such studies have so far not been conducted on fish models. The importance of Fads2 in the context of growing aquaculture demand and dwindling LC-PUFA supply is depicted and a few remedies in the form of genetic engineering to improve endogenous production of these biomolecules are outlined.

Watermelon fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum (FON) is a destructive soil-borne disease throughout the world leading to serious economic losses and limit watermelon production. Cuminic acid, extracted from the seed of Cuminum cyminum L., belongs to benzoic acid analogues. In this study, the median effective concentration (EC₅₀) values for cuminic acid in inhibiting mycelial growth of FON was 22.53μg/mL. After treatment with cuminic acid, mycelial morphology was seriously influenced; cell membrane permeability and glycerol content were increased markedly, but pigment and mycotoxin (mainly fusaric acid) were significantly decreased. Synthesis genes of bikaverin and fusaric acid both were down regulated compared with the control confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. In greenhouse experiments, cuminic acid at all concentrations displayed significant bioactivities against FON. Importantly, significant enhancement of activities of SOD, POD, CAT and decrease of MDA content after cuminic acid treatment in watermelon leaves were observed in vivo. These indicated that cuminic acid not only showed high antifungal activity, but also could enhance the self-defense system of the host plant. Above all, cuminic acid showed the potential as a biofungicide to control FON.

Pain is unpleasant sensory and emotional experience accompanied by tissue injury. Often an indi-vidual experience, it can be influenced by different physiological, psychological, and social factors. Fibromyalgia, one of the most difficult-to-treat types of pain, is characterized by general muscle pain accompanied by obesity, fatigue, sleep, and memory and psychological concerns. Fibromyal-gia has increased nociceptive sensations via central sensitization in the brain and spinal cord level. We used intermittent cold stress to create a mouse fibromyalgia pain model (Day 0: 3.69  0.14 g; Day 5: 2.13  0.12 g). Mechanical pain could be reversed by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) admin-istration (Day 0: 3.72  0.14 g; Day 5: 3.69  0.13 g). A similar trend could be also observed for thermal hyperalgesia. The levels of elements in the transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) sig-naling pathway were increased in the ascending pain pathway, including the thalamus, medial prefrontal cortex, somatosensory cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and cerebellum. EPA intake significantly attenuated this overexpression. Novel chemogenetics method was used to indeed in-hibit SSC to ACC activity presented an analgesic effect through TRPV1 downstream pathway. The present results provide insights as to the role of TRPV1 signaling pathway as in fibromyalgia and its potential as a clinical target.

Introduction: We under took an in-use evaluation of a novel hypochlorous acid-based hand hygiene product with in vitro sporicidal efficacy in a NHS Older Persons inpatient ward setting. Methods: The novel hand hygiene product was implemented for a trial period of seven weeks commending in September 2023. Healthcare worker (HCW) hands were sampled before and after direct patient care, and after the application of either an alcohol-based handrub (ABHR) (n=50) or the novel product (n=50). Samples were cultured to quantify the total aerobic count (TAC) and presence or absence of MRSA, ESBLs, CREs, and C. difficile. Trends in weekly observational hand hygiene audit results were reviewed, and a survey of HCW views about the new product undertaken. Results: HCW hands had a significantly greater TAC after ABHR (p=0.01) but not after the novel product (p=0.11) compared with their respective baseline counts. 3% of 100 samples grew MRSA or ESBLs after application of the alcohol-based or novel hand hygiene products. No C. difficile was cultured from healthcare worker hands. There was no significant difference in observed hand hygiene compliance. The majority of HCW surveyed preferred the novel product to the alcohol-based hand hygiene product. Discussion: The novel hand hygiene product was more effective than ABHR at reducing the TAC on HCW hands. Poor hand hygiene technique may explain the identification of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on staff hands after ABHR or the novel product. We were not able to evaluate sporicidal efficacy since no C. difficile was cultured from hands.

DNA-binding transcription factors are broadly characterized as proteins that bind to specific sequences within genomic DNA and modulate the expression of downstream genes. This study focused on KojR—a transcription factor involved in the metabolism of kojic acid, which is an organic acid synthesized in Aspergillus oryzae and is known for its tyrosinase-inhibitory properties. However, the regulatory mechanism underlying KojR-mediated kojic acid synthesis in remains unclear. Hence, we aimed to obtain a comprehensive identification of KojR-associated genes using genomic Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential enrichment (gSELEX-Seq) and RNA-Seq. During the genome-wide exploration of KojR-binding sites via gSELEX-Seq and identification of KojR-dependent differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using RNA-Seq, we confirmed that KojR directly regulates kojT, as was previously reported. We also observed that kojA expression, which may be controlled by KojR, was significantly reduced in a ΔkojR strain. Notably, no binding of KojR to the kojA promoter region was detected. Furthermore, certain KojR-dependent DEGs identified in the present study were associated with enzymes implicated in the carbon metabolic pathway of A. oryzae. This strongly indicates that KojR plays a central role in carbon metabolism in A. oryzae.

In this work, electrochemical deposition (galvanostatic and potentiostatic) techniques were used to obtain of new composite polymer: 3-methylpyrrole - sodium dodecyl sulfate/poly 2-methythiophene (P3MPY-SDS/P2MT) coatings on cobalt -based alloy sample for anticorrosion protection. The sodium dodecyl sulfate as a dopant ion used in electropolymerization practice can have a relevant effect at the anticorrosion protection of the composite polymer layer by blocking the entry of aggressive ions. The cobalt -based alloy substrate had an important influence on the electrochemical performance of the composite coating and this together with the presence of the polymeric layer was achieved by simultaneously formation of a complex oxides film and polymeric layers. The polymeric coatings were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. The corrosion protection of P3MPY-SDS/P2MT coated cobalt based alloy has been explored by potentiostatic and potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) procedures in1 M HCl medium. The corrosion establishment of P3MPY-SDS/P2MT covered cobalt based alloy was observed to be ~10 times less than that uncoated specimen and the effectiveness of these composite layers of this coating is above than 90%. The superior efficacy is achieved by the electrochemical polymerization of P3MPY-SDS/P2MT obtained at 0.5 mA/cm2 and 1mA/cm2 current densities and at 0.9V and 1.0V potential applied and in molar ratio 5:1. Corrosion tests result indicated that P3MPY-SDS/P2MT coatings provide good corrosion protection of cobalt -based alloy in aggressive environments.

The synthesis and characterization of the multicomponent crystals formed by 2,2’-thiodiacetic acid (H2tda) and 2,6-diaminopurine (Hdap) or N9-(2-hydroxyethyl)adenine (9heade) are reported. The crystals are in the salt rather than cocrystal form, as witnessed by single crystal X-ray diffractometry where a structural analysis revealed their ionic nature, confirming the proton transfer from the 2,2’-thiodiacetic acid to the basic groups of the coformers. The new multicomponent crystals have molecular formulas [(H9heade+)(Htda)] (1) and [(H2dap+)2(tda2)]·2H2O (2), and were also characterized by FTIR, elemental analysis as well as thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC) analyses. In the crystal packing the ions interact with each other via O–H···N, O–H···O. N–H···O and N–H···N hydrogen bonds generating cyclic hydrogen bonded motifs with graph-set notation of R22(16), R22(10), R32(10), R33(10), R22(9), R32(8) and R42(8), to form different supramolecular homo- and hetero-synthons. In addition, in the crystal packing of 2, pairs of diaminopurinium ions display an strong anti-parallel ,-stacking interaction, with short inter-centroids and interplanar distances (3.39 and 3.24 Å respectively) and fairly tight angle (17.5°). These assemblies have been further analyzed energetically by using DFT calculations, MEP surface analysis and QTAIM characterization.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the severest form of muscular dystrophy, is characterized by progressive muscle weakness with fatal outcome most often before the fourth decade of life. Despite recent addition of molecular treatments, DMD remains a disease without a cure, and the need persists for the development of supportive therapies aimed to help improve patients’ quality of life. This review focusses on the therapeutical potential of amino acid and derivative supplements, summarizing results obtained in preclinical studies in the murine disease model. Several promising compounds have come forward, with L-arginine, N-acetylcysteine and taurine featuring among the most intensively investigated. Beneficial effects include improved muscle function and reduced muscle fiber necrosis and reduced inflammatory and oxidative damage to muscle tissues, however mild side effects have also surfaced. In order to identify amino acid formulae that are safe and of true benefit to DMD patients, more explorative, placebo-controlled and long-term clinical trials need to be conducted, documenting therapeutic outcomes.

The demand for dietary supplements containing collagen has been growing for years. The speciality and uniqueness of the dietary supplement (DS) examined in our study is the presence of L-arginine and hyaluronic acid alongside collagen and vitamin C. The individual mechanisms of action and physiological role of these compounds are understood, but they have not yet been tested in the combination and amounts of the dietary supplement used in this study. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of the DS in elderly patients with musculoskeletal complaints. Somatometric, body composition, physiotherapy and laboratory tests were performed at the beginning and at the end of the study. The two-month study involved 30 people, randomly divided into two groups: a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). All subjects consumed 25 ml DS per day and EG members also participated in physiotherapy 3 times a week. Alongside the DS, blood lipid levels changed: LDL decreased, HDL increased, LDL/HDL ratio significantly decreased in both groups. For EG, the results improved more markedly. In 3 items of the body composition test, there was a significant improvement in both groups, which was attributed to the use of the dietary supplement. For the EG, there were significant changes in 5 additional test items, which we attribute to the addition of regular physical activity. Knee and hip joint range of motion (ROM) showed significant improvements in the study group, while in the CG the DS can cause significant improvements in joint range of motion in a passive condition as well.

The ultimate objective of this research work is to design a sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor for efficient detection of ascorbic acid (AA), a vital antioxidant found in blood serum that may serve as a biomarker for oxidative stress. To achieve this, we utilized a novel Yb2O3.CuO@rGO nanocomposite (NC) as the active material to modify the glassy carbon working electrode (GCE). The structural properties and morphological characteristics of the Yb2O3.CuO@rGO NC were investigated using various techniques to ensure their suitability for the sensor. The resulting sensor electrode was able to detect a broad range of AA concentrations (0.5 - 1571 µM) in neutral phosphate buffer solution with a high sensitivity of 0.4341 µAµM-1cm-2 and a reasonable detection limit of 0.062 µM. The sensor's great sensitivity and selectivity allowed it to accurately determine the levels of AA in human blood serum and commercial vitamin C tablets. It demonstrated high levels of reproducibility, repeatability, and stability, making it a reliable and robust sensor for the measurement of AA at low overpotential. Overall, the Yb2O3.CuO@rGO/GCE sensor showed great potential in detecting AA from real samples.

Cells have metabolic flexibility that allows them to adapt to changes in substrate availability. Two highly relevant metabolites are glucose and fatty acids (FA), and hence, glycolysis and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) are key metabolic pathways leading to energy production. Both pathways affect each other, and in the absence of one substrate, metabolic flexibility allows cells to maintain sufficient energy production. Here we show that glucose starvation or sustained pyruvate dehy-drogenase (PDH) activation by dichloroacetate (DCA) induce a large genetic remodeling to pro-pel FAO. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) is a key effector of this multistep metabolic remodeling. First, there is an increase in the lipid transport by expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related proteins (LRP), e.g. CD36, LRP1 and others. Second, an increase of the expression of members of the acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain (ACSL) family acti-vates FA. Finally, the expression of the enzymes that catalyze the initial step in each cycle of FAO, i.e. the acyl-CoA dehydrogenases (ACADs), is induced. All of these pathways lead to enhanced cellular FAO. In summary, we show here that different families of enzymes, which are essential to perform FAO, are regulated by the signaling pathway, i.e. MEK5/ERK5, which transduces changes from the environment to genetic adaptations.

A surgical microscope is large in size, which makes it impossible to be portable. The distance between the surgical microscope and the observation tissue is 15–30 cm, and the adjustment range of the right and left of the camera is a maximum of 30°. Therefore, the surgical microscope is generated attenuation (above 58%) of irradiation optical source owing to the long working distance. Moreover, the observation of tissue is affected because of dazzling by ambient light as the optical source power is strong (55 to 160 mW/cm2). Further, observation blind spot phenomena will occur due to the limitations in adjusting the right and left of the camera. Therefore, it is difficult to clearly observe the tumor. In this study, a compact pen-type probe with a portable surgical microscope is presented. The proposed surgical microscope comprises a small and portable pen-type probe that can adjust the working distance between the probe and the observed tissue. In addition, it allows the adjustment of the viewing angle and fluorescence brightness. The proposed probe has no blind spots or optical density loss.

Accelerated degradation of collagen membranes (CMs) in diabetic rats is associated with increased infiltration of macrophages and blood vessels. Since pre-implantation immersion of CMs in cross-linked high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (CLHA) delays membrane degradation, we evaluated its effect on the number of macrophages and endothelial cells (ECs) within the CM. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin in 16 rats, while 16 healthy rats served as control. CM discs were labeled with biotin, soaked in CLHA or PBS and implanted under the scalp. Fourteen days later, CMs were embedded in paraffin and the number of macrophages and ECs within the CMs was determined using antibodies against CD68 and Transglutaminase II, respectively. Diabetes increased the number of macrophages and ECs within the CMs (∼2.5-fold and 4-fold, respectively). Immersion of CMs in CLHA statistically significantly reduced the number of macrophages (p<0.0001) in diabetic rats, but not that of ECs. In the healthy group, CLHA had no significant effect on the number of either cells. Higher residual collagen area and membrane thickness in CLHA-treated CMs in diabetic animals were significantly correlated with reduced number of macrophages but not ECs. Immersion of CM in CLHA inhibits macrophage infiltration and reduces CM degradation in diabetic animals.

Introduction: Valproic acid (VPA) is an antiepileptic drug extensively used for treating partial and generalised seizures, acute mania and as prophylaxis for bipolar disorder. Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) persists as a significant issue related to fatal outcomes by VPA. The aim of this study was to increase our knowledge about this condition and to better identify patients affected. Methods: We conducted an observational retrospective case-control study that identified cases of DILI by VPA from the Pharmacovigilance Programme from our Laboratory Signals at La Paz University Hospital from January 2007 to December 2019. From the Therapeutic VPA Monitoring Programme, two control groups were assigned, VPA-tolerant patients and the other with patients who developed mild VPA-related hepatitis but who did not meet the DILI criteria, matched for date, age and sex. Results: A total of 60 patients were included in the study: 15 cases of DILI, 30 VPA-tolerant controls and 15 controls with mild hepatitis. Mean age for the cases was 45.7 years, 4(26.7%) were women and 5(33.34%) were children under 18 years, of them 3(20%) were fatal. Polytherapy with other antiepileptic drugs (p=0.047) and alcohol consumption (p<0.001) were associated with a greater risk of developing DILI by VPA. A diagnosis of epileptic seizure was more frequently related to DILI when compared with the VPA-tolerant controls (p<0.001). The cases developed hepatocellular hepatitis (p<0.001), while the mild hepatitis controls had a higher rate of cholestatic hepatitis (p<0.001). The laboratory lactate dehydrogenase values were statistically higher (even at baseline) in patients with DILI than in both control groups (p= 0.033 and p=0.039). Conclusions: VPA hepatotoxicity remains a considerable problem. This study offers interesting findings for characterising VPA-induced liver injury and at-risk patients.

Biphasic bone substitutes (BBS) are nowadays established biomaterials. Through their constant development even natural components like hyaluronic acid (HY) are added to improve both their handling and also their regenerative properties. However, low knowledge exists regarding the consequences of the HY addition for their biocompatibility and the inflammatory tissue reactions. Thus, the present study was conducted aiming to analyze the influence of two different amounts of high molecular weight HY (HMWHY) combined with a BBS on the in vitro biocompatibility and the in vivo tissue reaction. Established in vitro procedures using L929 cells were used for cytocompatibility analyses under the test conditions of DIN EN:ISO 10993-5. For the in vivo study part, calvarial defects were created in 20 Wistar rats and subsequently filled with the BBS and the BBS combined with two different HMWHY amounts, i.e., BBS+HY(L) and BBS+HY(H). As controls empty defects were used. Established histological, immunohistochemical and histomorphometrical methods were applied to analyze the tissue reactions to the three different materials, including the induction of pro- and anti-inflammatory macrophages and multinucleated giant cells (BMGCs). The in vitro results showed that none of the materials or compositions caused biological damages to the L929 cells and can considered to be non-toxic. The in vivo results showed that only the addition of high doses of HY to a biphasic bone substitute significantly decreases the occurrence of proinflammatory macrophages (* p < 0.05) comparable to the numbers found in the control group, while no significant differences within the three study groups for M2-macrophages nor BMGCs were detected. In conclusion, the addition of different amounts of HMWHY does not seem to affect the inflammation response to the BBS while improving the material handling properties.

Field experiments were carried out during 2011-2014 at the Research and Experimental Center to Combating Desertification located in the Elsen Tasarkhai station of central Mongolia. The study was aimed to identify the effects of oxidized brown coal humic acid fertilizer on the relative growth rate of several trees for forest rehabilitation. The trees used were Populus sibirica, Salix ledebouriana and Acer tataricum. The experiment was carried out with the concentrations of 2,000, 10,000 and 20,000 mg L-1 of humic acid fertilization treatments. The measurement of relative height growth rate (RHGR) was conducted for a period of 4 years. The treatments showed significant differences within humic fertilizer concentrations which differed depending on the species. Compared to the monthly RHGR over the study, the treatment of fertilizers were significantly better for tree growth. P. sibirica in the 10,000 and 20,000 mg L-1 humic acid fertilizers had significant height growth rates. In addition, when the humic acid treatments were compared to control, A. tataricum decreased over the years which were statistically significant for high growth rate and a positive effect of humic acid fertilization treatments was observed. Furthermore, results showed that oxidized brown coal humic acid fertilizers as organic fertilizer can have a positive effect for the growth of A. tataricum during the study years. The results showed that the soil chemical properties EC, CO2, NO3, and K2O were significant among all the treatments compared to the control. The effect on P2O5 statistically significantly increased among all the treatments. However, pH and Mg were not significant effect among all the treatments. Combining the results obtained from the oxidized brown coal humic acid fertilization with sustainable land management practices can help improve soil organics for environmental issues in degraded sandy soil regions.

High fructose and sugar-sweetened soft drink (SSSD) intakes are associated with elevated blood uric acid concentrations and increased risk of gout and cardiovascular disease. Fruits are naturally high in fructose but their effect on cardiometabolic risk is unknown. We examined the effect on serum uric acid and cardiometabolic risk factors of consuming fructose from either fruit or SSSD in overweight adults. 48 healthy, overweight (BMI≥ 28 kg/m²) men (n=21) and women (n=20) were randomised to either a fruit (n = 19) or SSSSD (n = 22) intervention for 4 weeks. The fruit group received 6 items of fresh and dried fruit per day and the SSSD group received 955ml of SSSD per day with treatments matched for energy and fructose content. Serum uric acid concentrations were significantly reduced in men in the fruit group compared to the SSSD group (difference 57.2 μmol/L [95% CI: 16.4, 98.0], p= 0.008) but there was no difference amongst women (1.3 μmol/L [95%CI: -9.5, 6.9], p= 0.295). There differences in weight change or other cardiometabolic risk factors. These findings suggest no need to restrict fruit intake in individuals with elevated serum uric acid concentrations, such as those with gout.

Abstract5′,8-Cyclo-2′-deoxyadenosine (cdA), in the 5′R and 5′Sdiastereomeric forms, are typical non strand-break oxidative DNA lesions, induced by hydroxyl radicals, with emerging importance as a molecular marker. These lesions are exclusively repaired by nucleotide excision repair (NER) mechanism with a low efficiency, thus readily accumulating in the genome. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase1 (PARP1) acts as an early responder to DNA damage and plays a key role as a nick sensor in the maintenance of the integrity of the genome by recognizing nicked DNA. So far, it was unknown whether the diastereomeric cdA lesions could induce specific PARP1 binding. Here we provide the first evidence of PARP1 to selectively recognize the diastereomeric lesions 5′S-cdA and 5′R-cdA in vitro as compared to deoxyadenosine in model DNA substrates (23-mers) by using circular dichroism,fluorescence spectroscopy, immunoblotting analysis and gel mobility shift assay. Several features of the recognition of the damaged and undamaged oligonucleotides by PARP1were characterized. Remarkably, PARP1 efficiently binds to both cdA lesions in the double stranded (ds)-oligonucleotides. In particular, PARP1 proved to bind 5′S-cdAwith a higher affinity constant for the 5'S lesion in a model of ds DNA than 5′R-cdA, showing different recognition patterns, also compared with undamaged dA. This new finding highlights the ability of PARP1 to recognize and differentiate the distorted DNA backbone in a biomimetic system caused by different diastereomeric forms of a cdA lesion.

A new cocrystal salt of metformin, an antidiabetic drug, and N,N’-(1,4-phenylene)dioxalamic acid, was synthesized by mechanochemical synthesis, purified by crystallization from solution and characterized by single X-ray crystallography. The structure revealed a salt-type cocrystal composed of one dicationic metformin unit, two monoanionic units of the acid and four water molecules namely H2Mf(HpOXA)2∙4H2O. X-ray powder, IR, 13C-CPMAS, thermal and BET adsorption-desorption analyses were performed to elucidate the structure of the molecular and supramolecurar structure of the anhydrous microcrystalline mesoporous solid H2Mf(HpOXA)2. The results suggest that their structures, conformation and hydrogen bonding schemes are very similar between them. To the best of our knowledge, the selective formation of the monoanion HpOXA⁻, as well as its structure in the solid, is herein reported for the first time. Regular O(-)∙∙∙C(), O(-)∙∙∙N+ and bifacial O(-)∙∙∙C()∙∙∙O(-) of n→* charge-assisted interactions are herein described in H2MfA cocrystal salts which could be responsible of the interactions of metformin in biologic systems. The results, support the participation of n→* charge-assisted interactions independently, and not just as a short contact imposed by the geometric constraint due to the hydrogen bonding patterns.

23-Hydroxy ursolic acid (23-OH UA) is a potent atheroprotective and anti-obesogenic phytochemical, with anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving properties. In this study, we examined whether dietary 23-OH UA protects mice against the acute onset and progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Female C57BL/6 mice were fed either a defined low-calorie maintenance diet (MD) or an MD supplemented with 0.2 % wgt/wgt 23-OH UA for 5 weeks prior to actively inducing EAE and during the 30 days post-immunization. We observed no difference in the onset of EAE between both groups of mice, but ataxia and EAE disease severity were suppressed by 52% and 48%, respectively, and disease incidence was reduced by over 49% in mice that received 23-OH UA in their diet. Furthermore, disease-associated weight loss was strikingly ameliorated in 23-OH UA-fed mice. ELISPOT analysis showed no significant differences in frequencies of T cells producing IL-17 or IFN- between 23-OH UA fed mice and control mice, suggesting that 23-OH UA does not appear to regulate peripheral T-cell responses. In summary, our findings demonstrate that dietary 23-OH UA may represent an effective oral adjunct therapy for the prevention and treatment of relapsing-remitting MS.

Introduction: In recent years, platelets have been in short supply and high demand. Approximately one in five cardiac surgery patients require platelets. In our safety-net hospital, however, the incidence is over 40%. Renal dysfunction, long cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) times, and absence of tranexamic acid (TXA) are common risk factors for requiring platelet transfusions. Methods: Our hypothesis was fewer platelets would be transfused within two hours after bypass under these three conditions: creatinine is low, predicted surgery duration is short, and TXA is uniformly administered. Our anesthesia department designed this retrospective before-and-after observational study when the surgery department decided to narrow preoperative criteria respective to these three elements. The Institutional Review Board of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport approved of the protocol and waived individual informed consent. We compared timing of platelet transfusions (within 7 days) in consecutive patients who had CPB during the first ninety days of 2022 to those in 2023 using t-tests in SAS 9.3. Confounders included age, weight, anticoagulants, gender, and the platelet counts and hemoglobin immediately prior to platelet transfusion. Secondary outcomes were postoperative day two creatinine and other components transfused. Results: Preoperatively creatinine tended to be higher in 2022 at 1.5 vs 1.1, reaching significance postoperatively at 1.9 vs 1.1 (p=0.02). Bypass times decreased from 174 to 124 minutes (p=0.06). TXA use increased from 18 of 28 to 26 of 29 patients. Platelet counts increased on bypass from 142 to 173 (p=0.06). Platelet and hemoglobin nadirs were higher (day 3: 8g/dL vs 8.8, p=0.04; 98 vs 138, p=0.005). Platelet units transfused per patient tended to increase (0.75+/-1 vs 0.93+/-1.5); if exposed, patients tended to receive more units (2.1+/-1.3 vs 2.5+/-1.4) sooner. Changes in transfusions for red cells were nonsignificant at 1.97 per patient to 1.21, cryoprecipitate 0.36 to 0.69, and FFP 0.93 to 0.83. Conclusions: This is the first study examining timing of platelet transfusions after bypass. In the present investigation, we measured platelet count during bypass and prothrombin hours after arrival in the intensive care. Platelets were often administered in sets of two because of scarce immediate supply, partly from lack of an agitator table. More importantly, these data support a need for point-of-care thromboelastograms intraoperatively, but the cost has been prohibitive. Some centers’ algorithms list triggers for transfusion by fibrinogen and prothrombin times, available immediately after separation from bypass.

: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the association of certain genetic alterations and intraoperative fluorescent activity of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) in brain metastasis (BM) of lung adenocarcinoma. A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 72 patients who underwent surgical resection of BM from lung adenocarcinoma at our institute for 5 years. Cancer cell infiltration was estimated by the intraoperative fluorescent activity of 5-ALA, and genetic alterations were analyzed by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The sensitivity and specificity for detecting cancer cell infiltration using 5-ALA were 87.5% and 96.4%, respectively. Genes associated with cell cycle regulation (p = 0.003) and cell proliferation (p = 0.044) were significantly associated with positive fluorescence activity of 5-ALA in the adjacent brain tissue. Genetic alterations in cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation were also associated with shorter recurrence-free survival (p = 0.013 and p = 0.042, respectively) and overall survival (p = 0.026 and p = 0.042, respectively) in the multivariate analysis. The results suggest that genetic alterations in cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation are associated with positive fluorescence activity of 5-ALA in the adjacent infiltrative brain tissue and influence the clinical outcome of BM of lung adenocarcinoma.

Cisplatin (CDDP), an important chemotherapeutic agent, could result in potential hepatotoxicity, but the precious molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, the protective effect of ellagic acid (EA) on CDDP exposure-induced hepatotoxicity and underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated using a mouse model. Mice were randomly divided into control, CDDP model, EA100 (i.e., EA 100 mg/kg/day), and CDDP plus EA 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day. Mice in all CDDP-treated groups were intraperitoneally injected with CDDP 20 mg/kg/day for 2 days. In all EA co-treatments, mice were orally administrated with EA for 7 days. Our results found that, compared to the control group, CDDP treatment resulted in liver dysfunction, oxidative stress, and hepatocyte necrosis, which are effectively revised by EA supplementation in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, EA supplementation inhibited CDDP-induced the elevation of caspases-9 and -3 activities in the liver tissues of mice. Furthermore, EA supplementation significantly downregulated CDDP exposure-induced the increases of NF-κB, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 proteins and mRNAs, while further upregulated the expression of Nrf2, and HO-1 proteins and mRNAs. Taken together, our results reveal that EA supplementation could ameliorate CCDP-induced liver injury in mice via the opposite regulation of Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-kB pathways.

Conventional chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (CRC) gives only a small increase in patient survival, since it is often diagnosed in late stages, when tumor has disseminated to other organs. Besides, it is common to observe that malignant cells acquire tumor escape mechanisms which leads to therapy resistance. Considering these facts, the discovery of new molecules with therapeutic potential has become an invaluable tool in chemoprevention. In this context, we previously evaluated two hybrids (SAC-CAFA-MET and SAC-CAFA-PENT) which exhibited selective cytotoxicity against SW480, with better results than the conventional chemotherapeutic agent (5-fluorouracil; 5-FU). Here, we investigated a little deeper in the possible mechanism of these molecules to identify potential therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of CRC. Both compounds induced cell damage and reduced ROS formation. Further evaluations showed that SAC-CAFA-MET induces cell death independent from caspases and p53, but probably mediated by the negative regulation of the proapoptotic Bcl-2. In addition, the lack of activation of caspase 8 and the positive regulation of caspase 3 induced by SAC-CAFA-PENT suggest this compound acts through an apoptotic mechanism, probably initiated by intrinsic pathway. Besides, the down regulation of IL-6 by SAC-CAFA-PENT suggests it also induces a significant anti-inflammatory process. In addition, docking studies would suggest caspase-3 modulation as the primary mechanism by which hybrids elicits apoptosis in human colorectal adenocarcinoma SW480. Meanwhile, DFT calculations suggest that hybrids would produce effects in modulation of ROS in SW480 cells via hydrogen atom transfer pathway (HAT). Finally, both, SAC-CAFA-MET and SAC-CAFA-PENT displayed a favorable pharmacokinetic profile. The current work highlights the potential of the lead compounds SAC-CAFA-MET and SAC-CAFA-PENT as potential agents for colorectal cancer chemoprevention.

Background: Diets based on meat products are not recommended in the case of ulcerative colitis (UC). However, some foods, as those containing high oleic acid and a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio show anti-inflammatory properties. The objective here is to test if some traditional cured meat products, as acorn-fed ham (high levels of oleic acid), may be useful for controlling inflammatory diseases as UC in animal models. Methods: 3 rat cohorts have been used: vegetable rat feed, control ham and acorn-fed ham (a traditional ham where high oleic acid concentration from acorns is storage in the muscle fat). UC was induced with DSS in drinking water ad libitum for one week. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and 16S rRNA from bacterial populations were analyzed in cecum samples. Colon samples were analyzed for histological parameters (inflammatory cell density, mucosa damages, myeloperoxidase). Results: In the acorn-fed ham cohort, a protective effect was observed with respect to UC disease activity index, inflammatory cells density, colon mucosa alterations, myeloperoxidase levels, blood total antioxidant capacity and lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, in comparison with feed cohort. Both ham diets caused a reduction in Firmicutes and an increase in Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria in comparison with rat feed diet. Also, acorn-fed ham diet induced changes in gut microbiota composition, with pronounced enrichments in anti-inflammatory bacterial genera such as Alistipes, Bacteroides, Blautia, Butyricimonas and Parabacteroides. Conclusions: In the acorn-fed ham cohort, as a result of the dietary intake of oleic acid and low intake of omega-6 fatty acids, a strong preventive effect against UC symptoms was observed, indicating a valuable effect of this traditional Mediterranean cured meat product.

Background: Early diagnosis of postoperative complications is an urgent task, allowing timely prescribing of appropriate therapy and reducing the cost of patient treatment. Prognostic models based on various data could help in the early diagnosis of postoperative complications after cardiac surgery. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine whether an integrated approach based on clinical data along with metabolites and biomarkers had greater predictive value than the models built on less data. Methods: The study included patients (n=62) admitted for planned cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass), who were retrospectively divided into two groups depending on the presence (n=26) or absence (n=36) of postoperative complications of all types. Clinical and laboratory data on the first day after surgery were analyzed. Additionally, patients' blood samples were collected before and on the first day after surgery to determine biomarkers (interleukin-6, procalcitonin, NT-proBNP, high-sensitivity troponin T) and metabolites (8 aromatic and 2 dicarboxylic acids were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Results: Patients before surgery, compared with healthy donors, differed in the concentration of metabolites (p &lt; 0.05), and had concentrations of a number of biomarkers exceeding the corresponding reference values. Multivariate PLS-DA models, predicting the presence or absence of postoperative complications, were built using clinical data (ROC-AUC=0.71), concentrations of metabolites and biomarkers (ROC-AUC=0.60), and the entire data set (ROC-AUC=0.75). For comparison we built univariate models using the EuroScore2 (ROC-AUC=0.59) and SOFA (ROC-AUC=0.76) scales; concentrations of lactate (ROC-AUC=0.71), the dynamic changes of 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid (ROC-AUC=0.69), and the sum of three sepsis-associated metabolites (ROC-AUC=0.70). The proposed complex model using entire data set was comparable to the SOFA scale, which confirms the expediency of searching for new predictive models based on a variety of factors.

The study delves into the Zaalklapspruit valley-bottom wetland in South Africa, a site designed through ecological engineering and currently impacted by acid mine drainage due to an upstream defunct coal mine. The research conducted in 2022, aimed to uncover the dynamics of contaminant dispersal within such a wetland setting, focusing on the origins, routes, and ultimate recipients of various metals and sulfur compounds. Analysis revealed that the bottom sediment is rich in organic material, with pH levels observed between 6.05 and 6.59, and exhibited notably low oxidation-reduction potentials, reaching down to −219.67 mV at sample point S3. Notably, Manganese displayed the highest adsorption rates, whereas Iron was predominantly absorbed by the roots of Typha capensis and the algae Klebsormidium acidophilum. The wetland's macrophyte rhizospheres hosted a rich array of microbiota, including families like Helicobacteraceae and Hydrogenophilaceae, which are crucial in metal and sulfur processing. This investigation sheds light on the intricate biogeochemical processes taking place involving the wetland's sediment, macrophyte root systems, periphyton, and microbial populations, underscoring the potential of ecologically engineered wetlands in the remediation of waters affected by acid mine drainage.

Pathogens that adapt to environmental stress can develop an increased tolerance to some physical or chemical antimicrobial treatments. The main objective of this study was to determine if acid adaptation increased the tolerance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to high voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) in raw pineapple juice. Samples (10 ml) of juice were inoculated with non-acid-adapted (NAA) or acid adapted (AA) E. coli to obtain a viable count of ~ 7.00 log10 CFU/ml. The samples were exposed to HVACP (70 kV) for 1 to 7 min with inoculated non-HVACP-treated juice serving as control. Juice samples were analyzed for survivors at 0.1 h, and after 24 h of refrigeration (4 °C). Samples analyzed after 24 h exhibited significant decreases in viable NAA cells with sub-lethal injury detected in both NAA and AA survivors (P&lt;0.05). No NAA survivor in juice exposed to HVACP for 5 or 7 min was detected after 24h. However, numbers of AA survivors were 3.33 and 3.09 log10 CFU/ml in juice treated for 5 and 7 min, respectively (P&lt;0.05). These results indicate that acid adaptation increases the tolerance of E. coli to HVACP in pineapple juice. The potentially higher tolerance of AA E. coli O157:H7 to HVACP should be considered in developing safe juice processing parameters for this novel non-thermal technology.

Background: Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal feline disease classified as either effusive (‘wet’), non-effusive (‘dry’), or a mixture of both forms (‘mixed’). The anti-FIP therapeutic effect of Mutian and molnupiravir, two drugs whose active ingredient is a nucleic acid analog, has been confirmed recently. Methods: Of the cats with FIP, we observed a total of 122 and 56 cases achieved remission after administration of Mutian and molnupiravir as routine treatments, respectively. Changes in clinical indicators suggested to be correlated with FIP remission (weight, hematocrit, and albumin to globulin ratio) before and after the administration of each drug and during follow-up observation were statistically compared for each FIP type. Results: In all three FIP types, administration of either Mutian or molnupiravir resulted in statistically significant increases in these indicators. Furthermore, the effect of Mutian on improving the albumin to globulin ratio was not observed at all in wet FIP, as compared with that of molnupiravir, but statistically significant in mixed and dry (P<0.02 and P<0.003, respectively). These clinical features were all due to differences in fluctuations of circulating globulin levels. Conclusions: These results indicate slight inflammatory responses might be elicited continuously by residual feline coronavirus non-disappeared through molnupiravir treatments.

Chiral semiconductor nanostructures and nanoparticles are promising materials for applications in biological sensing, enantioselective separation, photonics, and spin-polarized devices. Here, we have studied the induction of chirality in atomically thin only 2 monolayers thick CdSe nanoplatelets (NPLs) grown by a colloidal method and exchanged with L-alanine and L-phenylalanine as model thiol-free chiral ligands. We have developed a novel two-step approach to completely exchange the native oleic acid ligands for chiral amino acids at the basal planes of NPLs. We performed an analysis of the optical and chiroptical properties of the chiral CdSe nanoplatelets with amino acids, which was supplemented by an analysis of the composition and coordination of ligands. After the exchange, the nanoplatelets retain HH, LH and SO exciton absorbance and bright HH exciton luminescence. Capping with thiol-free enantiomer amino acid ligands induce pronounced chirality of excitons in the nanoplatelets, as proven by circular dichroism spectroscopy, with high dissymmetry g-factor up to 3.4 × 10−3 achieved for HH excitons in the case of L-phenylalanine.

This study presents the encapsulation of two amino acid-based ionic liquids (AAILs), 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium glycine [Emim][Gly] and 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium alanine [Emim][Ala], in a highly porous metal organic framework (MOF-177), to generate state-of-the-art composites for post-combustion CO2 capture. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated a successful encapsulation of the AAILs, consequently dramatically reducing the composites' surface area and pore volume. Both [Emim] [Gly]@MOF-177 and [Emim][Ala]@MOF-177 had close to 3 times the CO2 uptake of MOF-177 at 20 wt.% loading, 0.2 bar, and 303 K. Additionally, 20-[Emim][Gly]@MOF-177 and 20-[Emim] [Ala]@MOF-177 enhanced their CO2/N2 selectivity from 5 (pristine MOF-177) to 13 and 11, respectively.

Non-viral gene carriers because of their limited side effects, biocompatibility, simplicity and taking the advantages of electrostatic interactions have shown noticeable potential in gene delivery. The low transfection rate of non-viral vectors under physiological conditions is a significant issue. Here, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups on gene carriers such as two synthesized amphiphilic polymer of dextran-stearic acid-spermine (DSASP) with verified lipid and amine conjugations that associated with Fe3O4 superparamagnetic nanoparticles to promote the target delivery and decrease the transfection time using static magnetic field. Our findings illustrate that magnetic nanoparticles are spherical with positive surface charges and superparamagnetic behaviors. The DSASP–pDNA/MNPs offered a strong pDNA condensation, protection against DNase degradation, significant cell viability in HEK 293T cells and. Although conjugations of spermine play a critical role in transfection efficiency, amphiphilic polymer with more derivatives of stearic acid showed better transfection yields. Therefore, DSASP amphiphilic magnetic carriers offer new insights for gene delivery due to the amine contents and ameliorate the uptake of complexes via cell membrane based on its hydrophilic surface.

Mitochondrial dysfunctions, e.g. abnormal handling of mitochondrial DNA in TFAM mutants or in altered mitophagy, activate innate immunity. Recent reports also showed that deletion of mitochondrial matrix peptidase ClpP in mice transcriptionally upregulates inflammatory factors. Here, we studied ClpP-null mouse brain at two ages and embryonal fibroblasts, to identify which signaling pathways are responsible, employing mass spectrometry, immunoblots, and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Anomalies in the mitochondrial unfolded protein responses pathway were prominent for the co-chaperone DNAJA3, and for its known interactor STAT1. Their mitochondrial dysregulation affected also their extra-mitochondrial abundance, as possible innate immune modulators. Increased expression was observed not only for the transcription factors Stat1/2, but also for two interferon-stimulated genes (Ifi44, Gbp3). Inflammatory responses were strongest for RLR pattern recognition receptors (Ddx58, Ifih1, Oasl2, Trim25) and several cytosolic nucleic acid sensors (Ifit1, Ifit3, Oas1b, Ifi204, Mnda). They can be explained by the accumulation of mitoribosomes and mitochondrial nucleoids in ClpP-null cells, which may act as damage-associated molecular patterns. The consistent dysregulation of these factors from early age might influence also human Perrault syndrome, where ClpP loss-of-function leads to early infertility and deafness, with subsequent widespread neurodegeneration.

The effects of mixing orders of tannic acid (TA), starch and α-amylase on the enzyme inhibition of TA were studied, including mixing TA with α-amylase before starch addition (order 1), mixing TA with pre-gelatinized starch before α-amylase addition (order 2) and co-gelatinizing TA with starch before α-amylase addition (order 3). It was found that the enzyme inhibition was always highest for order 1 because TA could bind with the enzyme active site thoroughly before digestion occurred. Both order 2 and 3 reduced α-amylase inhibition through decreasing binding of TA with the enzyme, which resulted from the non-covalent physical adsorption of TA with gelatinized starch. Interestingly, at low TA concentration, α-amylase inhibition for order 2 was higher than order 3, while at high TA concentration, the inhibition was shown with opposite trend, which arose from the difference in the adsorption property between the pre-gelatinized and co-gelatinized starch at the corresponding TA concentrations. Besides, both the crystalline structures and apparent morphology of starch were not significantly altered by TA addition for order 2 and 3. Conclusively, although a polyphenol may have an acceptable inhibitory activity in vitro, the actual effect may not reach the expected one when taking processing procedures into account.

Bacterial indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), an effector molecule in microbial physiology, plays an important role in plant growth-promotion. Here, we comprehensively analyzed about 7282 prokaryotic genomes representing diverse bacterial phyla, combined with root-associated metagenomic data to unravel the distribution of tryptophan-dependent IAA synthesis pathways and to quantify the IAA synthesis-related genes in the plant root environments. We found that 82.2% of the analyzed bacterial genomes were potentially capable of synthesizing IAA from tryptophan (Trp) or intermediates. Interestingly, several phylogenetically diverse bacteria showed a preferential tendency to utilize different pathways and tryptamine and indole-3-pyruvate pathways are most prevalent in bacteria. About 45.3% of the studied genomes displayed multiple coexisting pathways, constituting complex IAA synthesis systems. Furthermore, root-associated metagenomic analyses revealed that rhizobacteria mainly synthesize IAA via IAM and tryptamine (TMP) pathways and might possess stronger IAA synthesis abilities than bacteria colonizing other environments. The obtained results refurbished our understanding of bacterial IAA synthesis pathways and provided a faster and less labor-intensive alternative to physiological screening based on genome collections. The better understanding of IAA synthesis among bacterial communities could maximize the utilization of bacterial IAA to augment the crop growth and physiological function.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has not been thoroughly studied, and the pathogenesis of NPC is unclear. Scientists have neither discovered effective therapies nor achieved a desirable prognosis. Some studies have found that the regulation of intra- and extracellular ion channels hinges directly on cell apoptosis, and treatment with Gambogenic acid (GNA) brings changes to the volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying chloride (VSOR Cl-) current of CNE-2Z cells recorded by the patch clamp method. Nevertheless, rarely have any researchers probed into the relevance between this variation and the anti-tumor mechanism of GNA. This paper is suggested that GNA activates the VSOR Cl- current on the CNE-2Z cell membrane, and the activation of VSOR Cl- currents by GNA in CNE-2Z cells is blocked by the chloride channel blockers DIDS and DCPIB. GNA induces the down-regulation of GRP78 and up-regulation of ATF4 as well as chop proteins, which is evidence for the induction of CNE-2Z cell apoptosis, and this correlates with ER stress. GNA can activate the VSOR Cl- channel and lead to the occurrence of ER stress, thus inducing the apoptosis of CNE-2Z cells and inhibiting the proliferation of CNE-2Z cells.

The synthesis of new collagen, chitosan and chitosan-collagen coated magnetic nanoparticles have been done. Two types of cross-linkers for polymer shell stabilization were used: glutaraldehyde (Gla) as a standard cross-linker and new one – squaric acid (SqA). Structure and morphology of prepared nanoparticles were characterized by ATR-FT IR, XRD and TEM analysis. The immobilization of lipase from Candida rugosa was performed on the nanoparticles surface. The amount of immobilized enzyme was quantified by the Bradford method. All of lipase-biopolymers coated nanoparticles were characterized with good activity recovery. A little hyperactivation of lipase immobilized on nanoparticles with SqA was observed. All of prepared lipase-immobilized nanoparticles were characterized with very good reusability.

Milk serves as a crucial source of natural bioactive compounds essential for human nutrition and health. The gastrointestinal digestion of milk proteins releases various biologically active peptides that positively impact human health and enhance physiological performance. With the growing production of cheese, Greek yogurt, and other dairy products, the volume of unutilized acid whey is significantly increasing. Acid whey, containing almost all whey proteins and approximately one-quarter of casein, presents a valuable raw material for generating peptides with potential health benefits. These peptides exhibit properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, opioid, mineral-binding, and growth-stimulating activities, contributing to improved human immunity and the treatment of chronic diseases. Enzymatic hydrolysis of milk proteins has been developed as a method to produce these peptides, facilitating their use in food fortification. To incorporate whey into functional beverages, it undergoes fermentation by lactic acid bacteria with proteolytic activity. To specifically enrich these beverages with peptides exhibiting targeted bioactivities, it is essential to select lactic acid bacteria strains possessing the requisite protease profiles. Additionally, the sensory properties of the final product can be enhanced using starter cultures with diverse metabolic capabilities, even in the absence of added flavoring agents. Given the imperative to develop waste-free technologies and enhance the profitability of the dairy industry, there is a growing need to efficiently utilize and transform acid whey into a broad spectrum of valuable products and food additives. This approach is justified not only by the nutritional benefits of the bioactive components in whey but also by the commercial potential of safe and health-enhancing products.

The chemical reaction between the quinolone antibiotic oxolinic acid (OA) and Fe(III), Zn(II), Ca(II), and Mg(II) ions results in the formation of metal-based complexes with the following formulas: [Fe(OA)(H2O)2Cl2]2H2O, [Zn(OA)(H2O)Cl]2H2O, [Ca(OA)(H2O)Cl], and [Mg(OA)(H2O)Cl]. We used analytical (C, N, H, Cl, metal analysis) and spectral (FT-IR, 1H NMR, UV-visible) data to structurally characterize the synthesized metal-based complexes of the OA molecule. We found that the OA molecule utilizes the two oxygen atoms of the carboxylate group and the pyridone C=O group to bind the investigated metal ions. The morphological properties of the synthesized OA complexes were assessed using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The biological properties, specifically antibacterial and antifungal activity, of the synthesized complexes were evaluated in vitro using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion protocol with five bacterial and three fungal strains. The complex containing Ca(II) ions exhibited remarkable antibacterial and antifungal activity against all tested microbial strains, surpassing or equaling the potency of the standard drugs (streptomycin for antibacterial assays and ketoconazole for antifungal assays).

Fructose in beverages has adverse effects on lipids, glucose and insulin sensitivity after acute and chronic ingestion. There is limited data showing that chronic consumption of fructose in solid foods has harmful effects. We hypothesized that a moderate amount of fructose compared with sucrose in solid food consumed for a month would not adversely influence fasting or postprandial lipids and glucose after an acute fat and carbohydrate load. Twenty-five men and women with prediabetes and/or obesity and overweight consumed in random order two acute test meals of muffins sweetened with either fructose or sucrose, followed by 4-week chronic consumption of 42g/day of either fructose or sucrose in low fat muffins after which the 2 meal tests were repeated. Subjects were randomised to sugar type in the chronic feeding period. Sugar type had no effect on the incremental area under the curve for triglyceride or uric acid at either time point (P=0.4 and P=0.9). There was no overall difference between meal tests at baseline and after 1 month and no effect of consuming sucrose or fructose muffins for 1 month. Fasting triglyceride increased after chronic consumption of fructose by 0.31±0.37 mmol/L compared with sucrose in people with IFG/IGT only (P=0.004). Fructose at a moderate intake of <10% of energy in solid food has no different effects on postprandial triglyceride and uric acid compared with sucrose although fasting triglyceride was increased in people with IFG/IGT after 1 month of fructose muffins suggesting the need for caution.

The paper focuses on the application of a multilevel, integrative and territorial approach to the protection of cultural heritage through planning instruments in Serbia. It points out the problems of the sectoral approach and discusses international recommendations that can be integrated into the planning methodology. The case study is the area of Djerdap National Park, which has an already established international and national importance. The research suggests that the cultural heritage in the area, with the exception of the Roman limes, is still recognized at the level of individual localities. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning all levels of governance to safeguard the whole spatial entity rather than focusing solely on its particular areas. The interna-tional and national importance of the planning area contributes to the strengthening of awareness of heritage and its institutional protection. However, the vitality of the area, which is key to its sustainable development, comes from the local level. Planning documents contribute to the inte-gration of local values and local communities into development programs and projects.

The impact of interaction SS with MJO on rainfall along Java Island to East Nusa Tenggara has been studied using daily rainfall observation data from 2140 weather observation stations, which are also equipped with GSMaP, OLR, and ERA5 data. There were 61 SS events found, 17 during active MJO and 44 in inactive MJO. Rainfall increases more in the western study area when the active MJO and more in the eastern study area when the inactive MJO is due to SS. SS reduces rainfall in the Jakarta region, regardless of the activity or inactivity of the MJO. SS causes extreme rainfall to only occur in a small part of certain areas, so it tends to significantly reduce the possibility of extreme rainfall. In the southern part of the IMC, SS predominates over MJO in supporting increased water vapor transport. Large-scale synoptic circulations like the monsoon, SS, and MJO can interact with local land-sea wind circulation to produce spatiotemporal variability in rainfall on Java Island. Rainfall mostly increases in the afternoon and decreases in the morning when SS occurs, whether there is MJO or not. Convective instability analysis indicates that SS increases precipitation, most likely by lowering CIN and raising VIMFC.

In order to shorten the detection time and improve the average precision on embedded devices, A lightweight and high accuracy model is proposed for passion fruit in complex environments (backlight, occlusion, overlap, sunny, cloudy, rainy). Firstly, replacing the backbone network of YOLOv5 with a lightweight GhostNet model reduces the number of parameters and computation while improving detection speed. Secondly, a new feature branch is added to the GhostNet network, and the feature fusion layer in the neck network is reconstructed to effectively combine the lower-level and higher-level features, which not only improves the accuracy of the model but also maintains its lightweight. Finally, the knowledge distillation methods are used to transfer the knowledge from the more capable teacher model to the less capable student model, which significantly improving the detection accuracy. The improved model is denoted as G-YOLO-NK. The average accuracy of the G-YOLO-NK network is 96.00%, which is 1.00% higher than the original YOLOv5s model. Furthermore, the improved model size is 7.14MB, reduced to half of the original model, and the real-time detection frame rate is 11.25 FPS on the Jetson Nano. Compared to the state-of-the-art model, the proposed model outperforms them in terms of average precision and detection performance. The present work provides an effective model for real-time detection of passion fruits in complex orchard scenes, which can provide valuable technical support for the development of orchard picking robots and greatly improve the intelligence level of orchards.

The Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) scanner is an easy and portable Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data acquisition device. Its main output is a 3D point cloud covering the scanned scene. Regarding the importance of accuracy in the survey domain, this paper aims to assess the accuracy of two SLAM scanners: the NavVis VLX and the BLK2GO Scanner. This assessment is conducted for both outdoor and indoor environments. In this context, two types of reference data are used: the Total Station (TS) and the static scanner Z+F Imager 5016. To carry out the assessment, four comparisons are tested: cloud to cloud, cloud to mesh, mesh to mesh, and edge detection board assessment. However, the results of the assessments confirm that the accuracy of indoor SLAM scanner measurements (5 mm) is greater than that of outdoor ones (between 10 mm and 60 mm). Moreover, the comparison of cloud to cloud provides the best accuracy regarding direct accuracy measurement without manipulations. Finally, based on the high accuracy, scanning speed, flexibility, and the accuracy differences between tested cases, it is confirmed that SLAM scanners are effective tools for data acquisition.

In this study, vermiculite was explored as a support material for nickel catalysts in two key processes in syngas production through dry reforming of methane with CO2 and steam reforming of ethanol. The vermiculite was subjected to acid or base treatment, then, Ni catalysts were prepared through incipient wetness impregnation and characterized using various techniques, including X-ray, FTIR, temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR). TG-TD analyses were performed to assess the formation of carbon deposits on spent catalysts. The Ni based catalysts were used in the reaction tests without a reduction pre-treatment. Initially, raw vermiculite-supported nickel showed limited catalytic activity, however after acid (Ni/VTA) or base (Ni/VTB) treatment, vermiculite became an effective support for nickel in dry methane reforming. The resulting catalysts (Ni/VTB and Ni/VTA) displayed outstanding performance, with high methane conversion and hydrogen yield. Acidic treatment improved the reduction of nickel species and reduced carbon deposition, outperforming alkali treatment. The prepared catalysts were also explored in ethanol steam reforming. The performance was investigated as a function of the temperature, water/ethanol ratio, and space velocity, with acid-treated catalysts performing as the best. The study emphasized the importance of contact time with the catalyst and addressed challenges related to carbon formation and sintering for long-term stability. In conclusion, acidic treatment of the vermiculite support, before Ni deposition, significantly enhanced the catalytic activity and stability of nickel catalysts in both dry methane reforming and ethanol steam reforming processes.

Dry eye syndrome (DES) has become increasingly prevalent due to the prolonged use of digital devices in modern society. Individual supplementation with lutein or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) demonstrated potential benefits for eye health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of lutein plus DHA complex supplementation on DES, visual function, and memory in healthy individuals. Thirty-four participants, aged 40~60 years, received lutein/DHA complex supplements (containing 10 mg free-form lutein, 200 mg DHA, 30 mg red algae extract (astaxanthin), phosphatidylserine, and vitamin A) for 12 weeks. Ophthalmological examinations and memory tests were carried out, and a questionnaire was administered at weeks 0, 6, and 12 of the study. After 12 weeks of the intervention, the tear break-up time had significantly increased, and intraocular pressure (IOP) had significantly decreased. This suggests that lutein/DHA complex supplementation may reduce the IOP and offer potential benefits for DES, as indicated by improved tear stability.

We investigated whether cigarette smoking and dietary acid load (DAL) are associated with the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in middle-aged healthy Korean men. Healthy men without diagnosed chronic disease (40-64 yrs) from the KNHANES-VI (2013–2015) included in the analysis (n=774) were subdivided by smoking status and DAL levels as estimated by the net endogenous acid production (NEAP) quartile. Current smokers tended to have a higher risk of COPD than non-smokers before and after the adjustment. When divided by the DAL quartile, the Q4 tended to have a higher risk of COPD than the Q1. Additionally, current smokers with lower (Q2), modest (Q3), and highest NEAP scores (Q4) showed more than 4-fold higher risks of COPD than the non-smokers with the lowest NEAP scores (Q1). Ex–smokers with higher NEAP scores (Q3 and Q4) showed more than 4-fold higher risks of COPD than the Q1. Interestingly, the risk of COPD was also more than 6-fold higher in non-smokers with the highest NEAP scores compared to the Q1. NEAP scores and smoking status synergistically increased the risk of COPD in middle-aged healthy Korean men. It suggests that DAL levels are an important factor for the prevention and management of COPD.

The leaves of Ligustrum robustum have been applied as Ku-Ding-Cha, a functional tea to clear heat and remove toxins; and served as a folk medicine to deal with diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid and its esters, which were isolated from the leaves of L. robustum, might be a new resource to prevent diabetes and its complications because of their strong -glucosidase and fatty acid synthase (FAS) inhibitory activities and antioxidant effect. However, the quantitative analytical method for trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid and its esters in the leaves of L. robustum hasn’t been reported so far. In addition, it was difficult and troublesome to analyze no less than 34 trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid esters by usual HPLC. Therefore, a new HPLC-UV method using hydrolyzation with sodium hydroxide for quantitation of trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid and its esters in the leaves of L. robustum was developed in the present study. The optimal hydrolyzation conditions were as follows: 1 mL sodium hydroxide aqueous solution (1 M) was added into 1 mL the extract of L. robustum and incubated at 80 °C for 2 h , and then 1 mL hydrochloride (1 M) solution was added. HPLC analysis was performed in reverse phase mode using a C-18 column, eluting with methanol-0.1% acetic acid aqueous solution (40:60, v/v) in isocratic mode at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and detecting at 310 nm. The analytical method was simple and rapid, which simplified greatly the analytical process. The method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), precision, and accuracy. High linearity was demonstrated with correlation coefficient of 1.000 for trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid. The LOD and LOQ values were 1.55 and 4.69 μg/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of intra-day and inter-day variabilities for trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid were less than 2%. The percentage recovery of trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid was 101.2% ± 0.8%. Finally, the proposed method was applied successfully to the determination and comparison of the contents of trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid and its esters in various extracts of the leaves of L. robustum. The 60%-70% ethanol extracts of L. robustum showed the highest contents of free trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid (3.96-3.99 mg/g), and the 50%-80% ethanol extracts of L. robustum displayed the highest contents of trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid esters (202.6-210.6 mg/g). The method can be applied also to the quality control of the products of L. robustum.

Red mud is a hazardous waste of alumina industry that contains high amounts of iron, aluminum, titanium and REEs. One of the promising methods for the extraction of iron from red mud is car-bothermic reduction with the addition of sodium salts. This research focuses on the process of hy-drochloric high-pressure acid leaching using 10–20% HCl of two samples of non-magnetic tailings obtained by 60-minute carbothermic roasting of red mud at 1300 °C and the mixture of 84.6 wt. % of red mud and 15.4 wt. % Na2SO4 at 1150 °C, respectively, with subsequent magnetic separation of metallic iron. An influence of temperature, leaching duration, solid-to-liquid-ratio and acid con-centration on dissolution behavior of Al, Ti, Mg, Ca, Si, Fe, Na, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sc, Zr were studied. Based on the investigation of the obtained residues, mechanism of passing of valuable elements into the solution was proposed. It has shown that 90% Al, 91% Sc and above 80% of other REEs can be dissolved under optimal conditions; Ti can be extracted into the solution or the residue depending on the leaching temperature and acid concentration. Based on the research results, novel flowsheets for red mud treatment were developed.

In recent years, electroencephalogram (EEG) emotion recognition has emerged as a research hotspot in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Despite advancements in EEG-based emotion recognition, room for enhancing performance persists due to EEG signal redundancy and limitations in feature extraction, leading to inefficient models and emotional information loss. To fully utilize EEG's emotional information and improve recognition accuracy while reducing computational costs, this paper proposes a Convolutional-Recurrent Hybrid Network with a dual-stream adaptive approach and an attention mechanism (CSA-SA-CRTNN). Firstly, the model utilizes a CSAM module to assign corresponding weights to EEG channels. Then, an adaptive dual-stream convolutional-recurrent network (SA-CRNN and MHSA-CRNN) is applied to extract local spatial-temporal features. After that, the extracted local features are concatenated and fed into a temporal convolutional network with a multi-head self-attention mechanism (MHSA-TCN) to capture global information. Finally, the extracted EEG information is used for emotion classification. We conducted binary and ternary classification experiments on the DEAP dataset, achieving 99.26% and 99.15% accuracy for arousal and valence in binary classification, and 97.69% and 98.05% in ternary classification, surpassing relevant algorithms. Additionally, the model's efficiency is significantly higher than other models, achieving better accuracy with lower resource consumption.

Glycosidic linkage analysis was conducted on the unfractionated polysaccharides in the alcohol-insoluble residues (AIRs) prepared from six red seaweeds (Gracilariopsis sp., Prionitis sp., Mastocarpus papillatus, Callophyllis sp., Mazzaella splendens, and Palmaria palmata) using GC-MS/FID analysis of partially methylated alditol acetates (PMAAs). The cell walls of P. palmata primarily contained mixed-linkage xylans and small amounts of sulfated galactans and cellulose. In contrast, the unfractionated polysaccharides of the other five species were rich in galactans displaying diverse 3,6-anhydro-galactose and galactose linkages with varied sulfation patterns. Different levels of cellulose were also observed. This glycosidic linkage method offers advantages for cellulose analysis over traditional monosaccharide analysis that is known for underrepresenting glucose in crystalline cellulose. Relative linkage compositions calculated from GC-MS and GC-FID measurements showed that anhydro sugar linkages generated more response in the latter detection method. This improved linkage workflow presents a useful tool for studying polysaccharide structural variations across red seaweed species. Furthermore, for the first time, relative linkage compositions from GC-MS and GC-FID measurements, along with normalized FID and total ion current (TIC) chromatograms without peak assignments, were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) as a proof-of-concept demonstration of the technique's potential to differentiate various red seaweed species.

Background: Educating college students about the importance of good sleep habits could lead to the adoption of healthier sleep routines, including sufficient sleep duration and sleep quality. The current pre-post study examines the impact of completing a sleep education program called “Sleep 101” on (1) sleep hygiene practices, (2) sleep quality, and (3) weekday and weekend sleep behaviors among college students. “Sleep 101” is an interactive online course developed to educate college students about the importance of sleep by addressing basic sleep physiology, the impact of sleep on mood, academic and physical performance, the interactions between sleep and various substances, and common sleep disorders. Methods: 338 college students were recruited from a midsized public university in the US and invited to participate in “Sleep 101”, of which 25 participants completed the baseline and post-intervention questionnaire. The Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) was utilized to evaluate sleep hygiene practices, while standard questions were employed to assess weekday and weekend sleep behaviors and overall sleep quality. Results: Those who completed the study demonstrated a significant increase in weekday sleep duration and were less likely to engage in negative prior bedtime activities. In addition, 40% of those who completed baseline and post-intervention assessments noticed improvements in their sleep quality. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a brief online program is beneficial in improving sleep behaviors among college and could be a scalable approach to addressing current sleep issues and preventing future sleep problems in college students.

The profile of secondary metabolites occurring in apple cuticular layer is not only characteristic for particular apple cultivar, but also dynamically reflects various external factors in growing environment. In this study, the possibility to authenticate apple samples based on analysis of their cuticular layer extracts was investigated. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) was employed for obtaining metabolomic fingerprints. In total, 274 authentic apple samples, four cultivars harvested within the seasons 2020 to 2022 in the Czech Republic and Poland were analysed. The generated complex data processed by univariate and multivariate statistical methods enabled to build classification models for discrimination of apple cultivars as well as their geographical origin. The models showed very good performance in differentiation of Czech and Polish samples for three of four cultivars: ‘Gala’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Idared’, moreover, the validity of the models was verified over harvest seasons. The diagnostic markers, besides metabolites of triterpene biosynthetic pathway, mainly represented wax esters. ‘Jonagold’, which is known to be susceptible to mutations, was the only cultivar for which the unambiguous classification of geographical origin was not possible.

Superior fiber quality is one of the most important objectives in cotton breeding. To detect the genetic basis underlying fiber quality, an F2 population containing 413 plants was constructed by crossing Jifeng 914 and Jifeng 173, both of which have superior fiber quality, with Jifeng 173 being better. Five fiber quality traits were investigated in the F2, F2:3, F2:4, and F2:5 populations. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted based on a high-density genetic map containing 11,488 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and spanning 4,202.12 cM in length. Transgressive segregation patterns and complex correlations in the five tested traits were observed. A total of 108 QTLs were found, including 27 for fiber length (FL), 16 for fiber strength (FS), 24 for micronaire (MC), 17 for fiber uniformity (FU), and 24 for fiber elongation rate (FE). Chromosome A7 contained 12 QTL, ranking the first. No QTL was found on chromosome D1 and D11. Each QTL contributed 1.98%–21.45% to the phenotypic variation (PV), including 13 major effect QTLs that contributed more than 10% toward PV. Two QTLs could be repeatedly detected in three populations, including qFL-D3-2 in F2, F2:4, and F2:5 with 9.18%–21.45% of PV, qFS-A11-1 in F2:3, F2:4 and F2:5 with 6.05%–10.41% of PV. Another seven stable QTLs could be detected in two populations, including four major effect QTLs: qFL-A12-3, qFS-D10-2, qMC-D6-2, and qMC-D8-1. Fourteen QTL-overlapping regions were found, which might explain the complex correlations among the five phenotypic traits. Four regions on chromosome A11, D3, D6, and D10 covered by both stable and major effect QTLs are promising for further fine mapping. The genomic regions of the two QTLs detected in three populations and the four major effect QTLs contain 810 genes. Gene functional analysis revealed that the annotated genes are mainly involved in protein binding and metabolic pathways. Fifteen candidate genes in the qFL-D3-2 region are highly expressed in fiber or ovules during fiber initiation, elongation, secondary cell wall thickening, or maturation stages. qRT-PCR revealed that Ghir_D03G005440.1 and Ghir_D03G011310.1 may play a role in promoting fiber initiation, Ghir_D03G006470.1 may be beneficial for promoting fiber elongation. This study provides more information for revealing the molecular genetic basis underlying cotton fiber quality.

Currently there are fewer depth models applied to pepper picking detection, while the existing generalized neural networks have problems such as large model parameters, long training time, and low model accuracy.In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a Yolo-chili target detection algorithm for chili pepper detection. First, the classical target detection algorithm yolov5 is used as a benchmark model, and an adaptive spatial feature pyramid structure combining the attention mechanism and the idea of multi-scale prediction is introduced to improve the model's detection effect on occluded peppers and small target peppers. Secondly, a three-channel attention mechanism module is introduced to improve the algorithm's long-distance recognition ability and reduce the interference of redundant testers. Finally, the quantized pruning method is used to reduce the model parameters and realize the lightweight processing of the model. Applying the method to the homemade chili pepper dataset, the AP value of chili pepper reaches 93.11%; the accuracy rate is 93.51% and the recall rate is 92.55%.The experimental results show that yolo-chili is able to achieve accurate and real-time pepper detection under complex orchards.

The temporary immersion system bioreactor named GreenTray®[2], [3]presents advantages over the existing ones. Firstly, there is no need to use forceps to move the shoots or plantlets in or out of the recipient, neither the use of scalpel to divide them. Secondly, the basis of the shoot can remain in the GreenTray® and can sprout again in several cycles of growth. These two characteristics reduce the costs in the process of micropropagation. Besides, shoots or plantlets development is enhanced by the aeration of the recipient, thus enriching with CO2 the recipient atmosphere. The chapter describes and provides images and values of interest in (1) the micropropagation process of some commercial Prunus or Pyrus rootstocks; (2) the plantlet growth under autotrophic conditions; and (2) the inoculation of plants with pathogens that reproduce in vitro the symptoms observed in vivo, using the GreenTray® bioreactor.

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical outcomes of treating isolated surgical neck fractures of the humerus using either the intramedullary nail or the MIROS (Minimally Invasive Reduction and Osteosynthesis System®) system. The study included 42 patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Polyclinic from January 2014 to June 2020. The results indicated that both treatments were effective; however, the MIROS system exhibited a higher complication rate. Intramedullary nailing was more reliable, thus recommended as the primary treatment method. This study underscores the importance of selecting the appropriate fixation technique to minimize complications and enhance patient outcomes.

The continuous growth of roots depends on their ability to maintain a balanced ratio between cell production and cell differentiation at the tip. This process was reported to be regulated by the hormonal balance of cytokinin and auxin. However, other important regulators, such as plant folates, have also been reported to play a regulatory role. In this study, we investigated the impact of the folate precursor PABA on root development. Using pharmacological, genetic, and imaging approaches, we show that the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana roots is repressed by either supplementing the growth medium with PABA or overexpressing the PABA synthesis gene GAT-ADCS. This is associated with a smaller root meristem size, which consists of fewer cells. Conversely, reducing the levels of free root endogenous PABA results in longer roots with extended meristems and increased cell numbers. We provide evidence that PABA represses Arabidopsis root growth in a folate-independent manner and likely acts through two mechanisms: (i) the G2/M transition of cell division in the root apical meristem and (ii) promoting premature cell differentiation in the transition zone. These data collectively suggest that PABA plays a role in Arabidopsis root growth at the point where cell division and cell differentiation intersect.

The blended perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomers are prepared to have equivalent weight (EW) ~1000, 980, and 830. The catalyst layers (CLs) using blended PFSA ionomers with different side chain lengths and EWs are investigated, compared to the CLs utilizing single ionomers. The IEC results indicate that the blended ionomers have the targeted EWs. As a result, it is found that the blended ionomers exhibit higher ion conductivity than the single ionomers at all temperatures due to higher water uptake of the blended ionomers. Even though they have a similar EW, it implies that the blended ionomers have bulk structure to form competent free volume. The blended ionomers with short side chain (SSC) and low EW can help reduce the activation energy due to the enhanced hydrophobic and hydrophilic segregation. In addition, it is observed that the catalyst layers using the blended ionomer form more porous microstructure to help reduce the resistance of oxygen transport and attributes to lower mass transfer loss. This effect is significantly revealed in the fuel cell operation at not the lower temperature (70 °C) and full humidification (100%) but the elevated temperature (80 °C) and lower relative humidity (50 and 75%). The blended ionomer-based catalyst layers with higher water uptake and porous CL structure result in higher fuel cell performance and better mass transport than the single ionomer-based catalyst layers.

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a key vegetative hormone that plays crucial roles in plant growth and development. In this study, the effect of the exogenous application of IAA as a biostimulant in the cultivation of onions (Allium cepa) was investigated. Different IAA concentrations were evaluated to determine their effects on onion growth and chemical parameters. Various physical and chemical parameters such as total fresh weight, plant height, chlorophyll content, nitrates, total phenols, and antioxidant capacity (DPPH) were analyzed. The results revealed that exogenous application of IAA had a significant impact on onion growth and quality. Specifically, it was found that certain concentrations of IAA fostered a greater fresh weight of the bulb, an increase in the levels of phenolic compounds and a greater DPPH. However, the onion response to IAA was dependent on the concentration. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that the exogenous application of IAA as a biostimulant can improve onion growth and quality. These results are relevant for the development of sustainable agricultural practices and could be oriented towards crop improvement.

The human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) poses a serious risk to global public health and is a significant cause of severe lower respiratory infections. There are currently only a few therapies available to treat RSV infections, as well as no RSV vaccinations. Therefore, there is an urgent demand for clinically feasible, safe, and affordable RSV prevention and treatment alternatives. In this study, an ion-activated in situ gel comprising broad-spectrum antiviral 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) for antiviral action on RSV was developed. In this content, mechanical properties, sprayability, drug content, pH, ex vivo mucoadhesive strength, in vitro drug release pattern, and stability were all examined. Rheological properties were also tested by utilizing in vitro gelation capacity and rheological synergism tests. Finally, the optimized in situ gel's cytotoxic and antiviral activities on RSV cultured in human laryngeal epidermoid carcinoma (HEP-2) cell line were evaluated. In conclusion, the optimized in situ gel prepared with a combination of 0.5%w/w gellan gum and 0.5%w/w sodium carboxymethylcellulose demonstrated good gelation capacity and sprayability (weight deviation between T0 and T14: 0.34%), desired rheological synergism (mucoadhesive force (Fb): 9.53), mechanical characteristics (adhesiveness: 0.300 mJ ± 0.05), ex vivo bioadhesion force (19.67 g ± 1.90), drug content uniformity (RSD%: 0.494), and sustained drug release over period of 168 h (101.57% ± 0.53). The antiviral activity test results showed that the optimized in situ gel had strong anti-HRSV activity (EC50 simultaneous = 0.05 µg/ml, SI = 306; EC50 preinfection = 0.154 µg/ml, SI= 100) which was significantly higher than that of ribavirin (EC50 =4.189 µg/ml; SI= 28) used as a positive control against hRSV. In conclusion, this research has demonstrated the formulation of an effective antiviral nasal spray that has the ability to possess both prophylactic and virucidal activity.

In this research, Cellulose Nanofibers (NFC) modified with a eutectic of lauric acid (LA) was prepared as a new form-stable phase change material (NFC-LA). Thermal properties of this composite were investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The results revealed that the melting temperature and latent heat of NFC/LA were 21.56 °C and 88.5 J/g, respectively; and the super cooling degree for the NFC-LA composite decreased to 13.99 °C when compared to 20.28 °C of the pure lauric acid. Natural clay was purified and modified with Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) to prepare organoclay. Through FTIR spectra, we have confirmed that the clay was successfully modified. The PCM-composite was then added to the organoclay to obtain a new composite denoted NFC-LA-OC. this latter was added to cement and was investigated as a reinforcement material in cement mortars for thermal energy storage application. The prepared material can both solve the leakage problem associated to the phase change material, and reduce or even avoid the use of heating and air conditioning systems, which are energy-intensive systems, and therefore reduce energy consumption.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) for the detection of sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis compared to standard pathological ultrastaging in patients with early-stage endometrial cancer (EC). A total of 526 SLNs from 191 patients with EC were included in the study. 379 SLNs (147 patients) were evaluated by both methods, OSNA and standard pathological ultrastaging. The central 1-mm portion of each lymph node was subjected to semi-serial sectioning at 200-μm intervals and examined by hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemistry with CK19; the remaining tissue was analysed by OSNA for CK19 mRNA. The OSNA assay detected metastases in 19.7% of patients (14.9% micrometastasis and 4.8% macrometastasis), whereas pathological ultrastaging detected metastasis in 8.8% of patients (3.4% micrometastasis and 5.4% macrometastasis). Using the established cut-off value for detecting SLN metastasis by OSNA in EC (250 copies/μl), the sensitivity of the OSNA assay was 92%; specificity was 82%; diagnostic accuracy was 83%, and the negative predictive value was 99%. Discordant results between both methods were recorded in 20 patients (13.6%). OSNA resulted in an upstaging in 12 patients (8.2%). OSNA could aid in the identification of patients requiring adjuvant treatment at the time of diagnosis.

Gut microbiota and its metabolites like short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are linked with pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)- a debilitating public health problem in older adults. However, strategies to beneficially modulate gut microbiota and its sensing signaling pathways remain largely unknown. Here, we screened, validated and established the agonists of free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2) signaling, which senses beneficial signals from SCFAs produced by microbiota in the gut. We demonstrated that inhibition of FFAR2 signaling increases amyloid-beta (Aβ) stimulated neuronal toxicity. Thus, we screened FFAR2 agonists, using in-silico library of more than 144,000 natural compounds, and 15 compounds were selected based on binding with FFAR2 agonist sites. Further, cell culture toxicity and FFAR2 stimulatory experiments demonstrated that Fenchol (a natural compound commonly present in basil) was potent FFAR2 agonist in neuronal cells. Interestingly, we also demonstrated that Fenchol protects Aβ-stimulated neurodegeneration in FFAR2 dependent manner. In addition, Fenchol reduced AD like phenotypes such as Aβ-accumulation and, learning and memory behaviors in Caenorhabditis (C.) elegans. Fenchol increased Aβ-clearance by increasing proteasome/lysosome activity and reduced senescence in neuronal cells. These results demonstrated that the inhibition of FFAR2 signaling promotes Aβ-induced neurodegeneration, while activating it by Fenchol as a natural agonist reverse it by promoting Aβ-clearance and reducing cellular senescence; thus stimulation of FFAR2 signaling can be a therapeutic approach to prevent/ treat AD.

Geminiviruses possess single-stranded, circular DNA genomes, and control the transcription of their late genes, including BV1 of many bipartite begomoviruses, through transcriptional activation by the early expressing AC2 protein. DNA binding by AC2 is not sequence-specific, hence the specificity of AC2 activation is thought to be conferred by plant transcription factors (TFs) recruited by AC2 in infected cells. However, the exact TFs AC2 recruits are not known for most viruses. Here we report a systematic examination of the BV1 promoter (PBV1) of mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) for conserved promoter motifs. We found that MYMV PBV1 contains three abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive elements (ABREs) within its first 70 nucleotides. Deleting these ABREs, or mutating them all via site-directed mutagenesis, abolished the capacity of PBV1 to respond to AC2-mediated transcriptional activation. Furthermore, ABRE and other related ABA-responsive elements were prevalent in more than a dozen Old World begomoviruses we inspected. Together these findings suggest that ABA-responsive TFs may be recruited by AC2 to BV1 promoters of these viruses to confer specificity to AC2 activation. These observations are expected to guide the search for the actual TF(s), furthering our understanding of the mechanism of AC2 action.

Spices rich in polyphenols are metabolized to a convergent group of phenolic acids. We conducted a dose-exposure nutrikinetic study to investigate associations between mixed spices intake and plasma concentrations of selected, unconjugated phenolic acids. In a randomized crossover study, 20 Chinese males consumed a curry meal containing 0 g, 6 g, and 12 g of mixed spices. Postprandial blood was drawn up to 7 h at regular intervals and plasma phenolic acids were quantified via LC-MS/MS. Cinnamic acid (CNA, p < 0.0001) and phenylacetic acid (PAA, p < 0.0005) concentrations were significantly increased with mixed spices consumption, although none of the other measured phenolic acids differ significantly between treatments. CNA displayed a high dose-exposure association (R² > 0.8, p < 0.0001). The adjusted mean AUC_{0-7 h} for CNA during the 3 increasing doses were 8.4 ± 3.4, 376.1 ± 104.7 and 875.7 ± 291.9 nM·h respectively. Plasma CNA concentration may be used as a biomarker of spice intake.

In the frame of a broader project, we were interested at comparing the amino acid profile in a specific variety of onion, Rossa da inverno sel. Rojo Duro, produced in two different Italian sites: Cannara (Umbria region) and Imola (Emilia Romagna region). In both places, onions were cultivated and harvested in the same way, and irrigated by water sprinkler method. A further group of Cannara onions, growth by microirrigation, was also evaluated. After the extraction of free amino acid mixture from onion samples, an ion-pairing RP-HPLC method allowed the separation and the evaporative light scattering detection of almost all underivatized proteinogenic amino acids. However, only the peaks corresponding to Leu, Phe, Trp, were present in all the investigated samples and unaffected from matrix interfering peaks. The application of the beeswarm/box plots with the ANOVA/TukeyHSD statistical approach revealed a content of Leu and Phe markedly influenced by the geographical origin of the onions, while not by the irrigation procedure. The developed HPLC method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, LOD and LOQ, accuracy and precision, before the quantitative assay of Leu, Phe and Trp in the onion samples. Although further studies are necessary, these preliminary findings can represent a good starting point for considering the quantity of specific amino acids in the Rossa da inverno sel. Rojo Duro variety as a fingerprint of its geographical origin. In principle, the developed approach might be applied to other onion varieties, thus contributing to their characterization and traceability, also contributing to limit commercial frauds.

Aiming at the problems of inaccurate segmentation of long object and information loss of small object in real-time semantic segmentation algorithm, this paper proposes a lightweight multi-branch real-time semantic segmentation network based on BiseNetV2. The new auxiliary branch makes full use of spatial details and context information to cover the long object in the field of view. Meanwhile, in order to ensure the inference speed of the model, the asymmetric convolution is used in each stage of the auxiliary branch to design a structure with low computational complexity. In the multi-branch fusion stage, the alignment and fusion module is designed to provide guidance information for deep and shallow feature mapping, so as to make up for the problem of feature misalignment in the fusion of information at different scales, and thus reduce the loss of small target information. In order to further improve the model’s awareness of key information, a global context module is designed to capture the most important features in the input data. The proposed network uses NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU experiment, on the road street view data set Cityscapes and CamVid average occurring simultaneously ratio reached 77.1% and 78.4% respectively, with running speed of 127 frames/s respectively and 112 frames/s. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve real-time segmentation and improve the accuracy significantly, showing good semantic segmentation performance

Excess nitrogen in agricultural drainage poses a serious threat to the water quality safety of the Yellow River basin. Utilizing aquatic plants to modify the rhizosphere microbial community structure and facilitate nitrogen transformation is a crucial strategy for mitigating regional water eutrophication. Our results revealed that the denitrification rate (DR), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium rate (DNRAR) and nitrogen fixation rate (NFR) of rhizosphere sediments exhibited a significant increase in artificially cultivated ditch. Compared with those in natural ditches, the richness of the bacterial community and the relative abundances of Bacteroidota, Verrucomicrobiota, Firmicutes, Anaeromyxobacter and Geobacter, which are involved mainly in the nitrogen cycle, in the rhizosphere sediments of artificially cultivated ditch were significantly greater due to improvements in environmental conditions. In artificially cultivated ditch, the dominant functional genes affecting DRNARs in the rhizosphere sediments of P. australis were nrfC and nrfA, while DRs were driven mainly by norB and napA, which were influenced by the nitrogen and carbon levels; and the dominant functional genes affecting NFRs in the rhizosphere sediments of T. orientalis were nifD, nifK and nifH. Our results provide a scientific basis for the use of aquatic plants for mitigating excess nitrogen levels in agricultural drainage.

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

Background: Skin- (SSM) and nipple-sparing (NSM) mastectomies are frequently performed surgeries with a considerable risk for post-operative hematoma or seroma. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is a potent antifibrinolytic drug commonly used in many surgical fields but rather novel in plastic and specifically breast surgery. This study investigates the influence of TXA in patients undergoing SSM or NSM with expander-based reconstruction (EbR) on post-operative outcomes. Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted on 132 patients undergoing uni- or bilateral SSM or NSM with EbR between May 2015 and March 2022. Patients receiving systemic TXA treatment for 48 hours following a standardized protocol were compared to those who received no treatment. Multivariable linear regression was performed to identify influencing factors and quantify their effect on drainage volume, duration of drain placement, length of hospital stay, post-operative bleeding, and seroma formation. Results: 132 patients underwent a total of 155 mastectomies (72 in the TXA group, 83 in the control group). TXA significantly reduced drainage volume (-22.3ml, P=0.011). Duration of drain placement and length of hospital stay were significantly shorter in the TXA group (P&lt;0.001 and P=0.001). No significant side effects were reported. Conclusion: TXA is a safe drug if administered respecting the well-defined contraindications. Systemic TXA administration significantly reduces drainage volume in patients undergoing SSM or NSM and should encourage surgeons to reconsider using drains in post-operative protocols. Duration of drain placement and length of hospital stay were significantly reduced in the TXA group but other factors like resection weight might have a more substantial impact.

Glioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumors. Despite advances in surgical techniques and treatment regimens, the therapeutic effects remain unsatisfactory. Immunotherapy has brought new hope to glioma patients, but the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME) has limited the therapeutic outcomes. This study aims to reveal the subpopulations and functional characteristics of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), to explore the regulatory effects of chlorogenic acid on the immune microenvironment, and investigate its potential for clinical application. In this study, Chlorogenic acid slowed tumor growth in the mouse model and extended the survival time of the mice. ScRNA-seq analysis elucidated the differentiation trajectories and functional characteristics of BMDMs and microglia, revealing the regulatory effects of chlorogenic acid on these two populations. It enhanced the antigen-presenting function of macrophages and the gene expression related to T-cell immune activation, activated microglia through the JAK-STAT pathway, and improved antitumor functions. Using the target prediction database, a PPI and molecular docking model were constructed, confirming the good affinity of chlorogenic acid with STAT1. A case of a patient treated with chlorogenic acid was reviewed, who survived for 5 years and 6 months, achieved partial remission (PR) after 9 months of treatment, and remains alive with no new symptoms or toxic side effects. Our study revealed the subtypes and differentiation trajectories of tumor-associated macrophages. Chlorogenic acid significantly improved the immune microenvironment of glioma by modulating the function of bone marrow-derived mono-macrophages (BMDMs) and microglia, demonstrating good antitumor effects. This study provides new insights for targeting the regulation of the TME and offers theoretical and practical support for the clinical application of chlorogenic acid.

In this paper we study a class of impulsive delayed neural networks with parameter uncertainties and reaction-diffusion terms. Using the properties of M-matrices and some inequality techniques, some sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the global exponential stability of the given system. The results obtained are presented by simple algebraic inequalities, which are certainly more concise than previous methods. Finally, the validity and usefulness of our results are illustrated by arithmetic examples.

Pyrops candelaria is one of the common pests of fruit trees, but the research on the pathogenic microorganisms it may carry is very limited. Therefore, it is essential to reveal the pathogenic microbes it carries and their potential hazards. This study found a new virus from the transcriptome of P. candelaria, which was first reported in P. candelaria and named as PyCaV (Pyrops candelaria associated virus). RACE and bioinformatics assay revealed that the full-length of PyCaV is 10855 bp with the polyA tail, containing a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polyprotein consisting of 3171 amino acid (aa). The virus has a typical Iflavirus structure, including two rhv domains, a RNA helicase domain (HEL), a 3C cysteine protease domain (Pro), and a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain (RdRp). Further phylogenetic analysis revealed that this virus belongs to family Iflaviridae and sequence alignements analysis suggedted PyCaV is new member in unassigned genus of family Iflaviridae. Further in-depth analysis of virus-infection-part showed that PyCaV is distributing in the whole longan lanternfly, including its head, chest, and abdomen, but more PyCaV was identified in the chest. The distribution of PyCaV in different parts of P. candelaria was further explored, which showed that more PyCaV were detected in its piercing-sucking mouthparts and chest viscera. Statistical analysis showed that the PyCaV infection was affected by time and locations.

Apis mellifera, especially weak ones, are highly vulnerable to Carpoglyphus lactis mites, which can rapidly infest and consume stored pollen, leading to weakened colonies and potentially colony collapse. This study aimed to ascertain and investigate the prevalence of this mite in honeybee colonies across 9 provinces in the Republic of Korea (ROK). A total of 615 honeybee colonies were collected, from 66 apiaries during the spring and 58 apiaries during the summer of 2023. A 1,242 bp segment of the the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The detection levels of C. lactis in the honeybees were compared between winter and summer. Based on the COI sequence analysis, the nucleotide sequence similarity of C. lactis mites isolated in the ROK with those from China (NC048990.1) was found to be 99.5%, and with those from the United Kingdom (KY922482.1) was 99.3%. This study is the first report of C. lactis in Korean apiaries. The findings in this study demonstrate a significantly higher detection rate in winter, which is 4.1 times greater than that in summer (p &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, the results underscore the usefulness of molecular diagnostic techniques for detecting C. lactis mites.

Our previous studies demonstrated a tight connection between simvastatin (SIM) inhibition of B16.F10 murine melanoma cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro and strong suppression of the subunit α of hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) (HIF-1 α) production in these cancer cells. Since the translation of HIF-1α is modulated by signaling pathways coordinated by Akt, SIM effects on the link between these two regulatory factors and cancer cell metabolism under normoxia was investigated, which to our knowledge have never been described before. To achieve the proposed aim, SIM effects on cell metabolism were analysed at mRNA (via RNA-seq and RT-qPCR) as well as protein level (via western blot and catalytic activity of the key enzymes) Our data suggested that SIM might orientate glucose transport and metabolism to ensure replenishment of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity. Moreover, it seems that SIM enhanced biosynthetic role of TCA over its energy role to further support synthesis of lipid-derived signaling molecules. Thus, under normoxia SIM treatment orientated lipid metabolism to stimulate isoprenoid and prostaglandin synthesis which might favor melanoma cell survival and aggressiveness.

COX II containing a dual core CuA active site is one of the three core subunits of mitochondrial Cco, which plays a significant role in the physiological process. In this report, the full-length cDNA of COXⅡ gene was cloned from Sitophilus zeamais, which had an ORF of 684 bp encoding 227 amino acids residues. The predicted COXⅡ protein had a molecular mass of 26.2 kDa with pI value of 6.37, and multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that Sitophilus zeamais COXⅡ had high sequence identity 78.51% with the COXⅡ of other insect species, especially similarity to sitophilus oryzae. This gene was subcloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a, and induced by IPTG in E.coli Transetta (DE3) expression system. Finally the COXⅡ with 6-His tag was purified using affinity chromatography with Ni²⁺-NTA agarose. WB showed the recombinant COXⅡ was about 44 kD, and the concentration of fusion protein was 50μg/mL. UV-spectrophotometer and infrared spectrometer analysis showed that recombinant COXⅡ could catalyze the oxidation of substrate Cytc, and influenced by AITC. It was found that AITC could form a hydrophobic region with COXⅡ protein via molecular docking, besides, a sulfur atom of AITC structure could form a length of 2.9 Å hydrogen bond with Leu-31. These results will provide valuable information for elucidating the role of COXⅡ in Sitophilus zeamais responses to AITC, meanwhile, it will helpful to carry out a point mutation in AITC binding sites for the future research.

In this paper, we extend the KdVSKR equations in (1+1)-dimension and (2+1)-dimension to fractional KdVSKR equations with modified Riemann-Liouville derivative. The (2+1)-dimensional KdVSKR equation, which is a recent extension of (1+1)-dimensional KdVSKR equation, can model the resonances of solitons in shallow water. By means of the Hirota bilinear method, finite symmetry group method and consistent Riccati expansion method, many new interaction solutions have been derived. Soliton-cnoidal interaction solution of the (1+1)-dimensional fractional KdVSKR equation has been derived for the first time. For the (2+1)-dimensional frac-tional KdVSKR equation, two-wave interaction solutions and three-wave interaction solutions, including dark-soliton-sine interaction solution, bright-soliton-elliptic interaction solution, and lump-hyperbolic-sine interaction solution, have been derived. Impact of the fractional order on the shapes of these solutions has been illustrated by figures. Three-wave interaction solutions of fractional systems have not been reported in the existing references. The research idea in this paper can be applied to other fractional differential equations.

With the burgeoning growth of online retail, the issue of counterfeit products has become a significant threat to both consumer trust and brand integrity, posing challenges to sustainable market practices. Online retail platforms are promoted to redesign their channel structures and enhance brand traceability to tackle counterfeits using blockchain technology. To investigate the interactions between blockchain technology and the channel structures of online retail platforms, we design a game theory model incorporating a manufacturer with(out) blockchain participation selling products via an online retail platform that operates an agency channel and/or a reselling channel. We show that the critical trade-off of blockchain participation comprises the brand assurance effect of the blockchain, the channel competition intensification effect, and the blockchain adoption cost. The platform is capable of strategically designing the channel structure to encourage (while discouraging) blockchain participation by the manufacturer. Our analysis highlights the complementarity between blockchain participation and the channel structure. Furthermore, the effect of the consumer’s belief in the reselling channel, the commission fee in the agency channel, and the substitutability between channels are investigated in depth. The research provides valuable insights for online retail platforms and policymakers seeking to foster a sustainable and trustworthy e-commerce ecosystem.

Antimicrobial peptides represent a promising alternative to traditional drugs in relation to cost, toxicity and, primarily, the growing problem of drug resistance. Here we report on the activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 of a previously described wide-spectrum synthetic decapeptide, Killer Peptide (KP). As determined by plaque reduction assays, treatment with KP at 100 μg/mL resulted in a reduction in the viral yield titer of 3.5 Logs for HSV-1 and 4.1 Logs for HSV-2. Further evaluation of KP antiviral activity focused on the early stages of virus replicative cycle, including the determination of the residual infectivity of viral suspensions treated with KP. A direct effect of the peptide on viral particles, impairing virus absorption and penetration, was shown. The toxicity profile proved to be extremely good with a selectivity index of 29.6 for HSV-1 and 156 for HSV-2. KP was also active against an acyclovir (ACV)-resistant HSV-1 strain, while HSV-1 subcultures in the presence of sub-inhibitory doses of KP did not lead to the emergence of resistant strains. Finally, the antiviral action of KP proved to be synergistic with that of ACV. Overall, these results demonstrate that KP could represent an interesting addition/alternative to acyclovir for antiviral treatment.

The properties of the annual, semiannual and triennial oscillations (AO, SAO and TO) in the middle atmosphere have been investigated using the TIMED/SABER temperature data. The Lomb-Scargle and wavelet spectra were used to determine the dominant oscillations in the background temperature field. The AO is prominent at the mid-latitudes. The AO amplitudes present an asymmetry between the two Hemispheres, being larger in the mesosphere than in the stratosphere. The SAO dominates the tropical regions, with three amplitude maxima at altitudes of 45, 75, and 85 km. The SAOs in the upper mesosphere (75 km) are out of phase with those in the mesopause (85 km) in the tropical regions, which can generate an enhancement of 11 K at each equinox, contributing to the lower mesospheric inversion layer. The TO is significant in the tropical region, with amplitude being maximum at 35, 45 and 85 km. Result shows that there may be potential interaction by the TO with SAO at 85km at the equator. The relation between ENSO and TO has also been discussed. The ENSO signal may modulate the amplitude of the TO, mainly in the lower stratosphere. The real origin of the TO may lie in the wave-mean-flow interaction.

As the world population grows, fulfilling the need for biomaterials in the healthcare system becomes increasingly important. Biomaterials, which include metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites, play an important role in the creation of medical devices that improve people's lives. The European Society for Biomaterials described biomaterials as non-biological materials used in medical devices to interact with biological systems. This definition has developed to encompass materials that treat, assess, or replace tissues or bodily functions. Biocompatibility, as defined by the FDA, is a key feature of biomaterials, as is the requirement to fulfil design requirements such as mechanical performance, geometry, and electrical control. Over the last decade, advances in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering have boosted biomaterials' usage in medical applications dramatically. Despite its promise, scientists, engineers, and physicians continue to face significant challenges due to the complexity of biomaterials. Biomaterials have various benefits, including biodegradability, non-toxicity, and biocompatibility, making them extremely useful for replacing, sustaining, or improving biological activities in damaged tissues. They are used in a wide range of applications, including tissue engineering implants, human tissue healing and regeneration, medication delivery systems, and biosensors. This study gives insights into the fundamental characteristics, case studies, and ethical issues associated with the usage and use of biomaterials, further examining their potential and significance in healthcare and medicine.

The paper describes the new method for image compression based on coordinated group signal transformation. The algorithm is a type of difference coding. Coordinated processing significantly simplifies the difference signal conversion scheme using a single group codec for all signals. The described method considers color channels as correlated signals of a multi-channel communication system. The specifics of the processed data required modification of the coordinated group processing algorithm. First, we changed how to calculate the difference signals to prevent data loss. Secondly, the group codec was supplemented with a neural network to improve the quality of reconstructed images. We considered the following types of neural networks: fully connected, recurrent, convolution, and convolution in the Fourier space. Based on the simulation results, it is best to use fully connected neural networks if the goal is to minimize processing delay time. These networks have a response time of 13 ms. On the other hand, if the priority is to improve quality in cases where delays are not critical, then convolution neural networks in the Fourier space should be used. These networks have a response time of 140 ms and are of significant interest.

Songorine (SON) is a diterpenoid alkaloid from Aconitum plants. Preparations of Aconitum roots have been employed in traditional oriental herbal medicine, however, their mechanisms of action are still unclear. Since GABA-receptors are possible brain targets of SON, we investigated which subtypes of GABA-receptors contribute to the effects of SON, and how SON affects anxiety-like trait behavior and psychomotor cognitive performance of rats. First, we investigated the effects of microiontophoretically applied SON alone and combined with GABA-receptor agents picrotoxin and saclofen on neuronal firing activity in various brain areas. Next, putative anxiolytic effects of SON (1.0-3.0 mg/kg) were tested against the GABA-receptor positive allosteric modulator refer-ence compound diazepam (1.0-5.0 mg/kg) in the elevated zero maze (EOM). Furthermore, basic cognitive effects were assessed in a rodent version of the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). Local application of SON predominantly inhibited the firing activity of neurons. This inhibitory effect of SON was successfully blocked by GABA(A)-receptor antagonist picrotoxin but not by GABA(B)-receptor antagonist saclofen. Similar to GABA(A)-receptor positive allosteric modulator diazepam, SON increased the time spent by animals in the open quadrants of the EOM without any signs of adverse psychomotor and cognitive effects observed in the PVT. We showed that, under in vivo conditions SON acts as a potent GABA(A)-receptor agonist and effectively decreases anxiety without observable side effects. The present findings facilitate the deeper understanding of the mechanism of action and the widespread pharmacological use of diterpene alkaloids in various CNS indications.

This study was conducted to determine the dynamic effects of dietary crude protein (CP) intake on nitrogen (N) balance, ileal amino acid digestibility, and gene expression levels of digestive enzymes at three stages in pigs. In Experiment 1, 18 growing pigs (average body weight (BW) = 9.5 kg) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments (n = 6/treatment group), including normal (20% CP), low (17% CP), and very low (14% CP) protein intake. In Experiment 2, 18 growing pigs (average BW = 30 kg) were allotted randomly to one of three treatments (n = 6/treatment group), including normal (18% CP), low (15% CP), and very low (12% CP) protein intake. In Experiment 3, 18 growing pigs (average BW = 45 kg) were assigned randomly to one of three treatments (n = 6/treatment group), including normal (16% CP), low (13% CP), and very low (10% CP) protein intake. Growing pigs fed the 14% CP and 17% CP diets had lower final BW (P < 0.05) and average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.05) compared to pigs fed the 20% CP diet. Reducing the dietary CP level from 20 to 14% decreased urinary N excretion by 52.8% (P < 0.001) in Experiment 1. Reducing the dietary CP level from 18 to 12% decreased urinary N excretion by 55.3% (P < 0.001) and reduced fecal N excretion by 34% (P < 0.05) in Experiment 2. Reducing the dietary CP level from 16 to 10% decreased urinary N excretion by 56.4% (P < 0.001) and fecal N excretion by 47.1% (P < 0.001) in Experiment 3. Pigs fed the very low (14%, 12%, and 10% CP) diets showed higher digestibility for CP (P < 0.05), His (P < 0.05), Ile (P < 0.05), Phe (P < 0.05), Thr (P < 0.05), Trp (P < 0.05), Glu (P < 0.05), and Ser (P < 0.05) compared to pigs fed the normal (20%, 18%, and 16% CP) diets among the three experiments. Pigs fed the very low (14%, 12%, and 10% CP) diets showed higher mRNA levels for chymotrypsin C (P < 0.01 in Experiment 1 and 2; P < 0.05 in Experiment 3) compared to pigs fed the normal (20%, 18%, and 16% CP) diets among the three experiments. These results indicated that a reduction in dietary CP by 6% limited the growth performance of growing pigs, and a reduction of dietary CP by 3% supplemented with essential amino acids could reduce the excretion of N into the environment without affecting weight gain.

In electromagnetic ultrasonic testing, it is difficult to recognize small-size bottom cracks by time of flight (ToF), and the lift-off fluctuation of the probe affects the accuracy and consistency of the inspection results. In order to overcome the difficulty, a novel EMAT (electromagnetic acoustic transducer)-PEC (pulse eddy current) composite sensor is designed. We use amplitude of bottom echo recorded by EMAT to identify the tiny bottom crack as well as the amplitude of PEC signals picked up by the integrated symmetric coils to measure the average lift-off of the probe in real time. Firstly, the effects of lift-off and bottom cracks on amplitude of bottom echo are distinguished combining the theoretical analysis and finite element method (FEM). And then an amplitude correction method based on the fusion of EMAT and PEC signals is proposed to reduce the impact of lift-off on the defect signal. The experimental results demonstrate that the designed composite sensor can effectively detect the bottom crack as small as 0.1mm* 0.3mm. The signal fusion method can accurately correct the amplitude of defect signal and the relative error is less than ±8%.

The studied solar pot is a recent invention, which gained a utility model protection in 2021 from the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office under patent number 5489. The device is made for environmentally friendly cooking or heating (by utilizing solar energy) of foods and liquids. Its structure is similar to a double pipe heat exchanger, it has an outer mantle and an inner cooking tank. The goals of the paper are proposing a new physically-based mathematical model describing the solar pot and carrying out computer experiments with it, assembling an experimental system of the pot connected with a solar collector and performing measurements on it. Based on the results, the solar pot can successfully be used for cooking or sterilizing foods or liquids during the studied time period, in Hungary.

The research reported on this paper was aimed at improving the overall efficiency of a PDO certified artisanal cheese production process. Being a PDO certified foodstuff by the EU, it is considered to have properties and qualities determined by the geographical environment in which is made, with its production taking place in a specific and determined geographical location, in this case the Serra da Estrela region. In that sense, the authors conducted a mapping according to a systemic perspective of the processes involved in the context of manufacturing and distribution of certified Serra da Estrela cheese. Numerous methods were used throughout the process, such as a systemic design analysis, and techniques derived from ethnographic methods, which led to the collection of data in the field and consequently provided the immersion of the researcher in genuine work situations. Critical points were identified and emphasized in the systemic map with the purpose of encouraging initiatives to address and overcome the gaps and inefficiencies detected. The systemic design analysis triggered the development of design work. Observations following an ethnographic approach identified ergonomic risks in cheese making during the process of cutting excess chips, fostering the emergence of musculoskeletal disorders at the wrist. A tool that fits best to the task at hand was developed. A prototype of the new tool enabled collecting feedback from use in the work context, in order to inform product development. The domains of agricultural production and microbiology, considering the specific microorganisms developed trough the ripening process of the cheese, turned out to be aspects of high importance for the issue under focus, contributing to a broader understanding of the ripening process and its risks, simultaneously improving the efficiency and success of cheese production. If it were not for the systemic analysis, which served as a link between the boundaries of distinct domains such as the risk of microorganism contamination, ergonomics, energy efficiency, legislation and regulation policies, transportation challenges and economic viability, approached throughout the research. Simultaneously creating bridges between them, the various problems might not have been detected in the first place, as they are usually addressed in specialized disciplines, predetermined by the restrictions of each specific area of knowledge. As a consequence of the development of this research, which was based on an analysis that sought to establish possible connections between various disciplines and tried to constantly maintain a holistic perspective, making new connections and observing the issues from a new angle, apart from the already established methodologies. All this allowed to lay out the seeds for the development of a plan to tackle the critical points identified by the systemic analysis reported in this paper.

Abstract: Transcription factors are crucial pre-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that can modulate the expression of downstream genes by binding to their promoter regions. DOF (DNA binding with One Finger) proteins are a unique class of transcription factors with extensive roles in plant growth and development. Our previous research indicated a decrease in iron content in chlorotic bamboo leaves. However, to our knowledge, genes related to iron metabolism pathways in bamboo species have not yet been studied. Therefore, in the current study, we identified iron metabolism-related (IMR) genes in bamboo and determined the transcription factors that significantly influence them. Among these, DOFs were found to have widespread effects and potentially significant impacts on their expression. We identified specific DOF members in Dendrocalamus latiflorus with binding abilities through homology with Arabidopsis DOF proteins, and established connections between some of these members and IMR genes using RNA-seq data. Additionally, molecular docking confirmed the binding interactions between these DlDOFs and the DOF binding sites in the promoter regions of IMR genes. The co-expression relationship between the two gene sets was further validated using q-PCR experiments. This study paves the way for research into iron metabolism pathways in bamboo and lays the foundation for understanding the role of DOF transcription factors in D. latiflorus.

Tussilago farfara L. is a traditional medicinal plant valued for its potentially health-promoting metabolites. Its herbal raw material has been recognized and used since ancient times and continues to be widely used in traditional medicine. Introducing these plants to in vitro cultivation is a challenging task, but once the protocol is developed, such cultures can provide an abundant and inexhaustible source of plant material. In this study, we report the successful induction and growth of vigorous T. farfara L. callus in vitro. Callus induction was achieved on solid media in darkness, whereas it appeared inefficient under light conditions and in suspension culture. We present a detailed description of callus growth kinetics, morphological analysis, photosynthetic activity and biochemical parameters (including protein content and photosynthetic pigments) supported by histological studies. Furthermore, we observed potential for organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. This method for in vitro propagation of T. farfara, along with callus culture maintenance, offers a wide range of applications in pharmacy and could benefit the environment by minimizing the depletion of natural populations of this species.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major concern in public healthcare, leading to increased morbidity, pro-longed hospital stays length, and significant economic costs. Understanding the epidemiology and risk fac-tors of SSIs is crucial for developing effective prevention and management strategies. In the last century, CDC ‘s HICPAC improved a bundle for prevention of HAIs based on the use of aseptic procedures, disin-fection of the skin and correct use of antibiotics for SSIs. In our country, Gelli-Bianco law introduced the national health guidelines system that include the prophylaxis antibiotic therapy pre- and post-surgery. The aim of our study is to evaluate adherence and appropriateness of the use of antibiotic-preoperative prophylaxis in a province of southern Italy and to identify risk factors that may influence the development of an SSI. The study found many statistically significant associations among the factors examined, i.e. the timing of administration adherent to guidelines, with 47% of the analyzed files administering antibiotics within 60 min before the intervention and 62.7% using intravenous administration.