Efficient removal of Phaeocystis globosa from seawater with the persulfate activation by arbutin-modified cellulose nanocrystals

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) from seawater have a severe threat to human health, aquaculture, and coastal nuclear power safety. Thus, it is highly desirable to explore environmentally friendly, efficient, and economic methods for controlling HABs. Herein, the arbutin-modified cellulose nanocrystals (AT-CNC) activated persulfate (PS), as a novel heterogeneous Fenton-like process, was proposed to remove Phaeocystis globosa (P. globosa) from seawater. The AT-CNC was synthesized via the surface modification of AT on CNC. The effects of AT dosage, CNC dosage, and PS dosage on the removal performance of P. globosa were investigated. With the addition of 530 mg/L AT-CNC (6 wt% AT/CNC of AT loading) and 120 mg/L PS, the removal percentage of chlorophyll a (R_c), optical density at 680 nm (R_o) and turbidity (R_t) reached 97.7%, 91.9% and 85.2% at 24 h. According to electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra and radical quenching tests, the predominant free radicals inactivating P. globosa were hydroxyl radicals (^•OH). Additionally, the flocculation of the inactivated algae cells by AT-CNC was also critical for removing P. globosa. Moreover, a positive environmental impact was achieved in the AT-CNC-PS system due to the reduction of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon contents. Based on the excellent removal performance for P. globosa, we believe that the AT-CNC activated persulfate is a promising option for HABs control.

[Role of preoperative ultrasound-guided inferior parathyroid gland localization and new classification to assist intraoperative search and protection of parathyroid glands]

Objective: To investigate the role and significance of ultrasound-guided inferior parathyroid gland (IPTG) localization in searching and protecting parathyroid glands before thyroid surgery. Methods: A randomized controlled trial study was conducted. A total of 306 patients (433 cases of lateral parathyroidectomy) who underwent primary thyroidectomy and central lymph node dissection in Beijing Tongren Hosipital from March to October 2021 were enrolled. In order to locate IPTG more quickly and effectively, new IPTG classification and the definition of quadrant position were carried out. The patients were divided into the study group (n=228) and the control group (n=205). The study group underwent ultrasound-guided IPTG examination before operation and measured the distance between the IPTG and the lower pole of the thyroid and the midline of the trachea. During the operation, the IPTG was found and protected depending on the localization. The control group did not use any auxiliary preoperative positioning method. The distribution ratio of IPTG and the coincidence rate between intraoperative validation and ultrasound localization were calculated. Results: There were 306 patients enrolled in the final analysis (95 males and 211 females), with a median age of 41 years old (18-70). Type Ⅱ and Ⅲ IPTG accounted for 77.2% (176/228) of the total cases. The total coincidence rate ranged from 72.8% to 79.4% in different IPTG groups. Type Ⅲ and quadrant 2 IPTG had the highest coincidence rate [92.4% (73/79) and 92.9% (79/85), respectively]. The study group had better in situ retention rate [82.0% (187/228) vs 73.2% (150/205), χ²=4.896, P=0.027] and less implantation rate [8.8% (20/228) vs 16.1% (33/205), χ²=5.393, P=0.020] than those of the control group. The in situ retention rate were better in type Ⅲ IPTG group, compared with those of the control group [94.9% (74/78) vs 77.4% (48/62), χ²=7.898, P=0.005]. There was no permanent hypoparathyroidism in two groups and the temporary hypoparathyroidism rate was 32.0% (24/75) and 34.6% (18/52), respectively (χ²=0.095, P=0.758). Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided IPTG localization examination has important implications for searching and protecting IPTG during operation, which can significantly increase in situ retention rate of IPTG and decrease the implantation rate.

Recognition of Underwater Materials of Bionic and Natural Fishes Based on Blue-Green Light Reflection

Thanks to the advantages of low disturbance, good concealment and high mobility, bionic fishes have been developed by many countries as equipment for underwater observation and data collection. However, differentiating between true and bionic fishes has become a challenging task. Commonly used acoustic and optical technologies have difficulty in differentiating bionic fishes from real ones due to their high similarity in shape, size, and camouflage ability. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel idea for bionic fish recognition based on blue-green light reflection, which is a powerful observation technique for underwater object detection. Blue-green light has good penetration under water and thus can be used as a signal carrier to recognize bionic fishes of different surface materials. Three types of surface materials representing bionic fishes, namely titanium alloy, carbon fiber, and nylon, are investigated in this paper. We collected 1620 groups of blue-green light reflection data of these three kinds of materials and for two real fishes. Following this, three machine learning algorithms were utilized for recognition among them. The recognition accuracy can reach up to about 92.22%, which demonstrates the satisfactory performance of our method. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to investigate bionic fish recognition from the perspective of surface material difference using blue-green light reflection.

The Perspective of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Rice Domestication and Breeding

In nature, symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi contributes to sustainable acquisition of phosphorus and other elements in over 80% of plant species; improving interactions with AM symbionts may mitigate some of the environmental problems associated with fertilizer application in grain crops such as rice. Recent developments of high-throughput genome sequencing projects of thousands of rice cultivars and the discovery of the molecular mechanisms underlying AM symbiosis suggest that interactions with AM fungi might have been an overlooked critical trait in rice domestication and breeding. In this review, we discuss genetic variation in the ability of rice to form AM symbioses and how this might have affected rice domestication. Finally, we discuss potential applications of AM symbiosis in rice breeding for more sustainable agriculture.

[Preliminary clinical effect evaluation of digital head and neck radiotherapy oral positioning stents]

Objective: To develop a designing software of digital oral positioning stent for radiotherapy of head and neck, and to compare its clinical effect with traditional oral positioning stents made by lost wax process. Methods: Thirty patients with nasopharyngeal cancer who received oral examination before radiotherapy in the prosthodontics department from July to December, 2021, were selected and divided into three groups according to the patients' wishes, 10 per group: one group without radiotherapy oral positioning stents, one group with traditional oral positioning stents (traditional stents group), and the third group with digital oral positioning stents (digital stents group). Patients' ages range from 20 years old to 71 years old. There were 15 males and 15 females involved in this study. The manufacturing time and comfort of the two positioning stents were evaluated, and the radiation doses of the radiotherapy target areas and surrounding healthy tissues were statistically analyzed at the end of radiotherapy. Results: The manufacturing time of digital stents group [(209±7) min] was much less than that of traditional stents group [(490±10) min] (t=69.85, P<0.001). The comfort of patients' wearing of digital stents [first wearing: 5 (3, 6) score; at the end of radiotherapy: 4 (3, 5) score] was better than that of traditional ones [first wearing: 7 (3, 7) score; at the end of radiotherapy: 7 (3, 7) score] (U=22.00, P=0.033; U=20.50, P=0.023). There was no significant differences in the target radiation doses among the three groups, and the radiation doses of tongue [traditional stents group: (36.74±5.45) Gy; digital stents group: (35.96±4.98) Gy] and mandible [traditional stents group: (35.46±4.19) Gy; digital stents group: (35.34±3.98) Gy] were significantly lower in the patients wearing oral positioning stents than in the patients without oral positioning stents [tongue: (41.49±4.46) Gy; madible: (39.32±3.52) Gy] (P<0.05). Conclusions: Oral positioning stents for nasopharyngeal carcinoma radiotherapy could greatly reduce the exposure doses of tongue and madible of patients. Digital oral positioning stents designed and manufactured by independently developed software had higher production efficiency than the traditional method, and patients' evaluation of comfort was better.

A Wild Rice Rhizobacterium Burkholderiacepacia BRDJ Enhances Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Rice

Rice domestication has dramatically improved its agronomic traits, albeit with unavoidable significantly reduced genetic diversity. Dongxiang common wild rice, the wild rice species distributed in northernmost China, exhibits excellent resistance against stress and diseases and provides a rich genetic resource for rice breeding. Most of the studies focus on the function of the plant genes, often disregarding the role of the root microbes associated with the plants. In this work, we isolated a Burkholderia strain from the root of Dongxiang wild rice, which we identified as Burkholderia cepacia BRDJ, based on a phylogenetic analysis. This strain promoted the rice growth under greenhouse conditions. The grain yield was higher in a rice line containing a small genomic fragment derived from the Dongxiang wild rice, compared to the indica rice cultivar Zhongzao 35. This new strain also increased the plant biomass under limiting nitrogen conditions. Interestingly, this strain had a differential effect on indica and japonica rice varieties under full nitrogen supply conditions. By genome sequencing and comparison with another two B. cepacia strains, we observed enriched genes related with nitrogen fixation and phytohormone and volatiles biosynthesis that may account for the growth-promoting effects of the BRDJ. BRDJ has the potential to be used as a biofertilizer in promoting nitrogen use efficiency and overall growth in rice.

Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Association between a Hypoactive NCF1 Variant and Various Autoimmune Diseases

Genetic association studies have discovered the GTF2I-NCF1 intergenic region as a strong susceptibility locus for multiple autoimmune disorders, with the missense mutation NCF1 rs201802880 as the causal polymorphism. In this work, we aimed to perform a comprehensive meta-analysis of the association of the GTF2I-NCF1 locus with various autoimmune diseases and to provide a systemic review on potential mechanisms underlying the effect of the causal NCF1 risk variants. The frequencies of the two most extensively investigated polymorphisms within the locus, GTF2I rs117026326 and NCF1 rs201802880, vary remarkably across the world, with the highest frequencies in East Asian populations. Meta-analysis showed that the GTF2I-NCF1 locus is significantly associated with primary Sjögren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. The causal NCF1 rs201802880 polymorphism leads to an amino acid substitution of p.Arg90His in the p47phox subunit of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase. The autoimmune disease risk His90 variant results in a reduced ROS production in phagocytes. Clinical and experimental evidence shows that the hypoactive His90 variant might contribute to the development of autoimmune disorders via multiple mechanisms, including impairing the clearance of apoptotic cells, regulating the mitochondria ROS-associated formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, promoting the activation and differentiation of autoreactive T cells, and enhancing type I IFN responses. In conclusion, the identification of the association of NCF1 with autoimmune disorders demonstrates that ROS is an essential regulator of immune tolerance and autoimmunity mediated disease manifestations.

Activation of Functional Somatic Stem Cells Promotes Endogenous Tissue Regeneration

Periodontal ligament derived stem cells (PDLSCs) are capable of differentiating into multiple cell types and inducing a promising immunomodulation for tissue regeneration and disease treatment. However, it is still challenging to develop a practical approach to activate endogenous stem cells for tissue self-healing and regeneration. In this study, transcriptome analysis reveals that resveratrol promotes PDLSC stemness through activation of stem cell, osteoprogenitor, and chondroprogenitor markers. Self-renewal and multipotent differentiation abilities are also improved in resveratrol-treated PDLSCs. In addition, immunomodulation of PDLSCs is dramatically increased after resveratrol treatment. Mechanistically, we show that resveratrol activates ERK/WNT crosstalk through elevation of olfactory and growth factor signaling pathways to upregulate the expression levels of RUNX2 and FASL for osteogenesis and immunomodulation, respectively. By using a periodontitis animal model, administration of resveratrol partially rescues bone loss through activation of endogenous somatic stem cells and inhibition of inflammatory T-cell infiltration. Taken together, our findings identify a novel pharmacological approach to achieve autotherapies for endogenous tissue regeneration.

[Effects and mechanism of negative pressure microenvironment on the neogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells]

Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanism of negative pressure microenvironment on the neogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: The experimental research methods were adopted. The third to the fifth passage of HUVECs in the logarithmic growth stage were used for the subsequent experiments. Three batches of cells were taken, with each batch of cells being divided into normal control group and negative pressure treatment alone group (both routinely cultured for 24 h), and 17-allylamino-17-demethoxy-geldanamycin (17-AAG) alone group and 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group (both cultured with 17-AAG for 24 h). In addition, the intermittent negative pressure suction, with the negative pressure value of -5.33 kPa (suction for 30 s, pause for 10 s) was continuously applied for 8 h on cells in the two negative pressure treatment groups using an automatic three-dimensional cell gradient negative pressure loading device designed and developed by ourselves. After the treatment of the first batch of cells, the cell proliferation level was detected by cell counting kit 8 method at 0 (immediately), 24, 48, and 72 h of culture, with the number of samples being 6. After the treatment of the second batch of cells, the scratch experiment was performed. At 12 h after scratching, the cell migration was observed under an inverted phase contrast microscope and the cell migration rate was calculated, with the number of samples being 3. After the treatment of the third batch of cells, the tubule formation experiment was conducted. After 6 h of culture, the tubulogenesis was observed under an inverted phase contrast microscope and the total tubule length and the number of branch nodes of cells were calculated, with the number of samples being 3. The cells were taken and divided into normal control group, negative pressure treatment alone group, and 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group. The cells were treated the same as in the previous corresponding group. After the treatment, Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), caveolin 1, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and eNOS phosphorylation site 1177 in the cells, and the eNOS phosphorylation site 1177/eNOS ratio was calculated, with the number of samples being 3; co-immunoprecipitation (co-precipitating HSP90 and caveolin 1, caveolin 1 and eNOS) and Western blotting were used to detect the protein expressions of caveolin 1 and eNOS in the cells, with the number of samples being 3; the protein co-localization of HSP90 and caveolin 1 and that of caveolin 1 and eNOS in the cells was assessed by immunofluorescence double staining. The molecular docking prediction of caveolin 1 and eNOS was processed by HADDOCK 2.4 protein-protein docking program. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for factorial design, one-way analysis of variance, and least significant difference method. Results: Compared with that in normal control group, the cell proliferation level in 17-AAG alone group was significantly decreased at culture hour of 24, 48, and 72 after the treatment (P<0.01), while the cell proliferation level in negative pressure treatment alone group was significantly increased at culture hour of 24, 48, and 72 after the treatment (P<0.01). Compared with that in 17-AAG alone group, the cell proliferation level in 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group was significantly increased at culture hour of 48 and 72 after the treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with that in negative pressure treatment alone group, the cell proliferation level in 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group was significantly decreased at culture hour of 24, 48, and 72 after the treatment (P<0.01). At 12 h after scratching, compared with (39.9±2.7)% in normal control group, the cell migration rate in 17-AAG alone group was significantly decreased ((10.7±2.7)%, P<0.01), while the cell migration rate in negative pressure treatment alone group was significantly increased ((61.9±2.4)%, P<0.01). Compared with those in 17-AAG alone group, the cell migration rate in 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group was significantly increased ((37.7±3.7)%, P<0.01). Compared with that in negative pressure treatment alone group, the cell migration rate in 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group was significantly decreased (P<0.01). At culture hour of 6 after the treatment, compared with those in normal control group, the total length of the tube formed by the cells in 17-AAG alone group was significantly shortened (P<0.05) and the number of branch nodes was significantly reduced (P<0.05), while the total length of the tube formed by the cells in negative pressure treatment alone group was significantly prolonged (P<0.01) and the number of branch nodes was dramatically increased (P<0.01). Compared with that in 17-AAG alone group, the number of branch nodes of the tube formed by the cells was significantly increased in 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group (P<0.05). Compared with those in negative pressure treatment alone group, the total length of the tube formed by the cells in 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group was significantly shortened (P<0.01) and the number of branch nodes was significantly reduced (P<0.01). Western blotting detection showed that after treatment, the overall comparison of eNOS and caveolin 1 protein expressions among the three groups of cells showed no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). The expression of HSP90 protein and the eNOS phosphorylation site 1177/eNOS ratio in the cells of negative pressure treatment alone group were significantly increased (P<0.01) compared with those in normal control group. Compared with those in negative pressure treatment alone group, the HSP90 protein expression and the eNOS phosphorylation site 1177/eNOS ratio in the cells of 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group were significantly decreased (P<0.01). Co-immunoprecipitation and Western blotting detection after the treatment showed that compared with those in normal control group, the expression of caveolin 1 protein in the cells of negative pressure treatment alone group was significantly increased (P<0.01), while the protein expression of eNOS was significantly decreased (P<0.05). Compared with those in negative pressure treatment alone group, the expression of caveolin 1 protein in the cells of 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group was significantly decreased (P<0.01), while the protein expression of eNOS was significantly increased (P<0.01). After the treatment, compared with those in normal control group, the co-localization of HSP90 and caveolin 1 protein in the cells of negative pressure treatment alone group was significantly increased, while the co-localization of caveolin 1 and eNOS protein was significantly decreased. Compared with those in negative pressure treatment alone group, the co-localization of HSP90 and caveolin 1 protein in the cells of 17-AAG+negative pressure treatment group was significantly decreased, while the co-localization of caveolin 1 and eNOS protein was significantly increased. Molecular docking prediction suggested that caveolin 1 interacted strongly with eNOS and inhibited the 1177 site phosphorylation of eNOS. Conclusions: The negative pressure microenvironment may inhibit the binding of caveolin 1 to eNOS by promoting the binding of HSP90 to caveolin 1 in HUVECs, so as to relieve the inhibition of 1177 site phosphorylation of eNOS by caveolin 1, thereby promoting the proliferation, migration, and tubulogenesis of HUVECs, and ultimately promoting the neogenesis of HUVECs.

Construction of biomimetic nanozyme with high laccase- and catecholase-like activity for oxidation and detection of phenolic compounds

Despite the rapid development of nanozyme, it is still challenging to develop multifunctional nanozyme with high oxidase-like activity. In this work, a novel type of amorphous imidazole-Cu nanozyme (I-Cu) with high laccase- and catecholase-like activity was prepared by the water induced precipitation of Cu²⁺ and imidazole to mimick the N-Cu coordinated environment in their active site. I-Cu shows similar K_m but 3.7-fold higher V_max than laccase at the same mass concentration. The possible catalytic mechanism of I-Cu nanozyme, which is composed of substrate binding, substrate oxidation, oxygen binding and oxygen reduction, is proposed. In addition, it also displays high stability under various pH, temperature, long-term storage and high salinity. The oxidation efficiency of I-Cu nanozyme for environmental phenolic pollutants (2,4-dichlorophenol) is 91.8% at 10 h, which is higher than that of laccase (68.8% at 10 h). Furthermore, the colorimetric and smart phone detection of dopamine by I-Cu nanozyme is developed with the detection limit of 0.412 μM. Therefore, we expect this amorphous nanozyme is promising in the various application of bioremediation and biosensor.

Controllable synthesis of a sponge-like Z-scheme N,S-CQDs/Bi2MoO6@TiO2 film with enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity under visible/NIR light irradiation

Multifunctional photocatalytic surfaces for pollutant degradation and antimicrobial application are often in high demand, however they confront many challenges in charge transfer and light capture ability. In this work, a sponge-like N,S-CQDs/Bi₂MoO₆@TiO₂ film was constructed via hydrothermal technique aiming to solve above problems. As a result, the ternary film showed enhanced photocatalytic efficiency under visible and near-infrared (NIR) light, in which 85.8% and 44.6% of ciprofloxacin (CIP) were degraded after 240 min irradiation with visible and NIR light, respectively. Moreover, the composite film effectively realized photocatalytic sterilization of gram-positive B. subtilis and gram-negative E. coli under visible light irradiation. The bacterial colony decreased significantly from 7.56-log to 1-log cfu/mL after adding the ternary film within 1.5 h. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency was closely related to both introduction of surface-functional N,S-CQDs and the construction of N,S-CQDs/Bi₂MoO₆@TiO₂ Z-scheme system, in which the transfer efficiency of photoinduced carriers and the light absorption property were significantly improved. We consider that the N,S-CQDs/Bi₂MoO₆@TiO₂ film is promising for the degradation of refractory pollutants and antimicrobial application under visible/NIR light irradiation. The relatively convenient recycling property and excellent photocatalytic performance of the N,S-CQDs/Bi₂MoO₆@TiO₂ film are beneficial for industrial applications.