A review of high internal phase Pickering emulsions: Stabilization, rheology, and 3D printing application

High internal phase Pickering emulsion (HIPPE) is renowned for its exceptionally high-volume fraction of internal phase, leading to flocculated yet deformed emulsion droplets and unique rheological behaviors such as shear-thinning property, viscoelasticity, and thixotropic recovery. Alongside the inherent features of regular emulsion systems, such as large interfacial area and well-mixture of two immiscible liquids, the HIPPEs have been emerging as building blocks to construct three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds with customized structures and programmable functions using an extrusion-based 3D printing technique, making 3D-printed HIPPE-based scaffolds attract widespread interest from various fields such as food science, biotechnology, environmental science, and energy transfer. Herein, the recent advances in preparing suitable HIPPEs as 3D printing inks for various applied fields are reviewed. This work begins with the stabilization mechanism of HIPPEs, followed by introducing the origin of their distinctive rheological behaviors and strategies to adjust the rheological behaviors to prepare more eligible HIPPEs as printing inks. Then, the compatibility between extrusion-based 3D printing and HIPPEs as building blocks was discussed, followed by a summary of the potential applications using 3D-printed HIPPE-based scaffolds. Finally, limitations and future perspectives on preparing HIPPE-based materials using extrusion-based 3D printing were presented.

Molecular mechanisms and evolutionary robustness of a color switch in proteorhodopsins

Proteorhodopsins are widely distributed photoreceptors from marine bacteria. Their discovery revealed a high degree of evolutionary adaptation to ambient light, resulting in blue- and green-absorbing variants that correlate with a conserved glutamine/leucine at position 105. On the basis of an integrated approach combining sensitivity-enhanced solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy and linear-scaling quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods, this single residue is shown to be responsible for a variety of synergistically coupled structural and electrostatic changes along the retinal polyene chain, ionone ring, and within the binding pocket. They collectively explain the observed color shift. Furthermore, analysis of the differences in chemical shift between nuclei within the same residues in green and blue proteorhodopsins also reveals a correlation with the respective degree of conservation. Our data show that the highly conserved color change mainly affects other highly conserved residues, illustrating a high degree of robustness of the color phenotype to sequence variation.

Activation of mitochondrial DNA-mediated cGAS-STING pathway contributes to chronic postsurgical pain by inducing type I interferons and A1 reactive astrocytes in the spinal cord

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is increasingly recognized as a public health issue. Recent studies indicated the innate immune pathway of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) was involved in pain regulation. However, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. Previous studies found A1 reactive astrocytes in the spinal cord contributed to CPSP. This study aimed to investigate the roles and mechanisms of the cGAS-STING pathway in regulating the generation of A1 reactive astrocytes during CPSP. First, CPSP model was established using skin/muscle incision and retraction (SMIR) in rats. We found that cGAS-STING pathway was activated accompanied with an increase in mitochondrial DNA in the cytosol in the spinal cord following SMIR. Second, a STING inhibitor C-176 was intrathecally administrated. We found that C-176 decreased the expression of type I interferons and A1 reactive astrocytes in the spinal cord, and alleviated mechanical allodynia in SMIR rats. Third, cyclosporin A as a mitochondrial permeability transition pore blocker was intrathecally administrated. We found that cyclosporin A decreased the leakage of mitochondrial DNA and inhibited the activation of cGAS-STING pathway. Compared with C-176, cyclosporin A exhibits similar analgesic effects. The expression of type I interferons and A1 reactive astrocytes in the spinal cord were also down-regulated after intervention with cyclosporin A. Moreover, simultaneous administration of cyclosporin A and C-176 did not show synergistic effects in SMIR rats. Therefore, our study demonstrated that the cGAS-STING pathway activated by the leakage of mitochondrial DNA contributed to chronic postsurgical pain by inducing type I interferons and A1 reactive astrocytes in the spinal cord.

[17-year study on the curative effect of treatment to prevent the recurrence of hepatitis B in different risk groups after liver transplantation]

Objective: To observe the recurrence condition of hepatitis B in different risk groups after liver transplantation in an attempt to provide useful information on whether to discontinue hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in the future at an early stage. Methods: The patient population was divided into high, low-risk, and special groups [especially primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)] according to the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation. The recurrence condition and risk factors in this population were observed for hepatitis B. Measurement data were analyzed using a t-test and a rank-sum test. Count data were compared using a χ(2) test between groups. Results: This study finally included 532 hepatitis B-related liver transplant cases. A total of 35 cases had HBV recurrence after liver transplantation, including 34 cases that were HBsAg positive, one case that was HBsAg negative, and 10 cases that were hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA positive. The overall HBV recurrence rate was 6.6%. The recurrence rate of HBV was 9.2% and 4.8% in the high- and low-risk HBV DNA positive and negative groups before surgery (P = 0.057). Among the 293 cases diagnosed with HCC before liver transplantation, 30 had hepatitis B recurrence after surgery, with a recurrence rate of 10.2%. The independent related factors for the recurrence of hepatitis B in patients with HCC after liver transplantation were HCC recurrence (HR =181.92, 95%CI 15.99~2 069.96, P < 0.001), a high postoperative dose of mycophenolate mofetil dispersible tablets (MMF) ( HR =5.190, 95%CI 1.289~20.889, P = 0.020), and a high dosage of HBIG (HR = 1.012, 95%CI 1.001~1.023, P = 0.035). Among the 239 cases who were non-HCC before liver transplantation, five cases (recurrence rate of 2.1%) arouse postoperative hepatitis B recurrence. Lamivudine was used in all cases, combined with on-demand HBIG prophylaxis after surgery. There was no hepatitis B recurrence in non-HCC patients who treated with entecavir combined with HBIG after surgery. Conclusion: High-barrier-to-resistance nucleotide analogues combined with long-term HBIG have a good effect on preventing the recurrence of hepatitis B after liver transplantation. The discontinuation of HBIG may be considered at an early stage after administration of a high-barrier-to-resistance nucleotide analogue in low-risk patients. Domestically, the HBV infection rate is high, so further research is still required to explore the timing of HBIG discontinuation for high-risk patients, especially those with HCC.

Chiral Discrimination of Acyclic Secondary Amines by 19F NMR

Chiral aliphatic amine compounds exhibit a range of physiological activities, making them highly sought-after in the pharmaceutical industry and biological research. One notable obstacle in studying these compounds stems from the pronounced steric hindrance surrounding the nitrogen atom. This characteristic often leads to a weak affinity of acyclic secondary amines for molecular probes, making their chiral discrimination intricate. In response to this challenge, our research has unveiled a novel 19F-labeled probe adept at recognizing and distinguishing between enantiomers of these acyclic secondary amines. By strategically incorporating a single fluorine atom as the 19F label, we have managed to diminish the steric hindrance at the binding site. This alteration bolsters the probe's affinity toward bulkier analytes. As a testament to its effectiveness, we have successfully employed our probe in the chiral analysis of relevant pharmaceuticals, accurately determining their enantiocomposition.

ARMC5 controls the degradation of most Pol II subunits, and ARMC5 mutation increases neural tube defect risks in mice and humans

BACKGROUND

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are caused by genetic and environmental factors. ARMC5 is part of a novel ubiquitin ligase specific for POLR2A, the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (Pol II).

RESULTS

We find that ARMC5 knockout mice have increased incidence of NTDs, such as spina bifida and exencephaly. Surprisingly, the absence of ARMC5 causes the accumulation of not only POLR2A but also most of the other 11 Pol II subunits, indicating that the degradation of the whole Pol II complex is compromised. The enlarged Pol II pool does not lead to generalized Pol II stalling or a generalized decrease in mRNA transcription. In neural progenitor cells, ARMC5 knockout only dysregulates 106 genes, some of which are known to be involved in neural tube development. FOLH1, critical in folate uptake and hence neural tube development, is downregulated in the knockout intestine. We also identify nine deleterious mutations in the ARMC5 gene in 511 patients with myelomeningocele, a severe form of spina bifida. These mutations impair the interaction between ARMC5 and Pol II and reduce Pol II ubiquitination.

CONCLUSIONS

Mutations in ARMC5 increase the risk of NTDs in mice and humans. ARMC5 is part of an E3 controlling the degradation of all 12 subunits of Pol II under physiological conditions. The Pol II pool size might have effects on NTD pathogenesis, and some of the effects might be via the downregulation of FOLH1. Additional mechanistic work is needed to establish the causal effect of the findings on NTD pathogenesis.

Discovery of bi-4-methoxycarbonyl-2-quinolone and evaluation of its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity in vitro

A novel alkaloid with a hexa-tetra-hexa-cyclic skeleton, Bi-4-methoxycarbonyl-2-quinolone (1), was discovered during the investigation of Brucea javanica. Additionally, six known alkaloids (2-7) were also found. The chemical structures of these compounds were identified using HRESIMS and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis. Additionally, the absolute configuration of the new compound 1 was determined through X-ray single crystal diffraction. Compound 1 exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in RAW264.7 cells and demonstrated promising anti-cancer effects in Lewis cells.

A numerical investigation of the behavior of a tunnel with adaptive anti-dislocation measures subjected to the action of fault dislocation

In the context of long-distance cross-basin water transfer projects, the water conveyance tunnel serves as a pivotal component in mitigating regional disparities between economic development and water resources allocation. However, in high seismic-intensity areas of southwest China, geological complexities and densely distributed active faults present formidable challenges. Consequently, the construction of water conveyance tunnels necessitates traversing one or more active fault zones. This study examines the impact of an adaptive tunnel structure in the presence of fault dislocation, focusing on the Xianglushan Tunnel, a constituent of the Central Yunnan Water Diversion Project. Taking the Longpan-Qiaohou Fault F10-1 as a case study, we assess the influence of active faults on the anti-dislocation adaptive structure of the Xianglushan Tunnel, considering factors such as displacement, relative deformation, maximum principal stresses, and longitudinal equivalent internal force in critical tunnel sections. Numerical calculations validate the efficacy of this adaptive structure in reducing induced internal forces and deformations of the tunnel lining. The results show that, under the influence of strike-slip dominated fault movement, one side of the tunnel exhibits tensile stress, with a magnitude of approximately 5 MPa. The maximum normal and tangential deformation of the hinge joint is concentrated in the central section of the fault zone. The incorporation of an articulated adaptive design significantly enhances the stress state of lining under dislocation condition. These research results directly inform the engineering design and construction of water conveyance tunnels traversing active fault regions, providing valuable guidance for related tunnel construction endeavors.

Multitasking Pharmacophores Support Cabotegravir-Based Long-Acting HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Cabotegravir is an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) for HIV treatment and prevention. Cabotegravir-based long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) presents an emerging paradigm for infectious disease control. In this scheme, a combination of a high efficacy and low solubility of anti-infection drugs permits the establishment of a pharmaceutical firewall in HIV-vulnerable groups over a long period. Although the structure-activity-relationship (SAR) of cabotegravir as an INSTI is known, the structural determinants of its low solubility have not been identified. In this work, we have integrated multiple experimental and computational methods, namely X-ray diffraction, solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy, solution NMR spectroscopy, automated fragmentation (AF)-QM/MM and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, to address this question. The molecular organization of cabotegravir in crystal lattice has been determined. The combination of very-fast magic-angle-sample-spinning (VF MAS) SSNMR and solution NMR, as supported by AF-QM/MM and DFT calculations, permits the identification of structural factors that contribute to the low aqueous solubility of cabotegravir. Our study reveals the multitasking nature of pharmacophores in cabotegravir, which controls the drug solubility and, meanwhile, the biological activity. By unraveling these function-defining molecular features, our work could inspire further development of long-acting HIV PrEP drugs.

High spatial resolution estimates of major PM2.5 components and their associated health risks in Hong Kong using a coupled land use regression and health risk assessment approach

Few studies have focused on the spatial distribution of the typical components and source tracers of PM2.5 and their associated health risks, despite the fact that the chemical components of PM2.5 pose potentially significant and independent risks to human health. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of major PM2.5 components and their associated health risks in Hong Kong using a coupled land use regression and health risk assessment modeling approach. The established land use regression models of the major PM2.5 components and source tracers achieved a relatively high statistical performance, with training and leave-one-out cross-validation R2 values of 0.85-0.96 and 0.62-0.88, respectively. The high spatial resolution (500 m × 500 m) distribution patterns of the chemical components of PM2.5 showed the heterogeneity of population exposure to different components and the related potential health risks, as evidenced by the weak spatial correlations between the mass of PM2.5 and some components. Elemental carbon, nickel, arsenic, and chromium from PM2.5 made major contributions to the total health risk and should therefore be reduced further. Our results will enable researchers to determine independent associations between exposure to the various components of PM2.5 and health endpoints in epidemiological studies.

Characterisation of an anticomplement polysaccharide BP-S1 from seeds of Brucea javanica

Bioactivity-guided purification obtained polysaccharide BP-S1 from seeds of Brucea javanica. The results showed that BP-S1 was a homogenous polysaccharide with molecular weight of 45.7 kDa, mainly composed of arabinose and glucose in the ratio of 1.0:1.0 and the backbone of BP-S1 was deduced to be →3,4)-α-Glup-(1→ with branches of →2)-α-Arap-(1→and α-Arap-(1→, and the possible repetitive units were speculated according to result of methylation and 2D-NMR. Moreover, BP-S1 is a periodic rope-like structure. Functional analysis revealed that BP-S1 inhibited complement activation on the classic and alternative pathways with values of CH50 0.073 ± 0.012 mg/mL and AP50 0.097 ± 0.004 mg/mL, respectively. In mechanism study, using complement component depleted-sera methods indicated that BP-S1 selectively interacted with C3 and C4 components.

Relationship between astrocyte damage and different levels of cerebrospinal fluid markers and prognosis in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage

INTRODUCTION

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between astrocyte damage and different levels of cerebrospinal fluid markers and prognosis in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 168 SAH patients diagnosed and treated in the emergency department of our hospital during the period October 2019 to February 2022 were randomly selected as the study subjects. The severity of these patients' condition was evaluated by Hunt-Hess grading and these subjects were graded as the low-level group (78 patients) and high-level group (90 patients) according to the evaluation results. The Extended Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was employed to evaluate the astrocyte damage. The content of atypical chemokine receptor 3 (ACKR3), Connexin 43 (Cx43), oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO 2 ), and endothelin (ET) in cerebrospinal fluid was measured. The relationship between the content of ACKR3, Cx43, HbO 2 , and ET in cerebrospinal fluid with EDSS score was analyzed through Pearson correlation analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was adopted to analyze the risk factors.

RESULTS

ACKR3 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of cerebrospinal fluid monocytes, and Cx43 was mainly expressed in the cell membrane and cytoplasm. Patients in the high-level group had markedly higher expression rates of ACKR3 and Cx43 positive cells in cerebrospinal fluid than those in the low-level group ( p < 0.05). Patients in the high-level group had higher content of HbO 2 and ET in cerebrospinal fluid and EDSS score than patients in the low-level group ( p < 0.05). The content of ACKR3, Cx43, HbO 2 , and ET in cerebrospinal fluid of SAH patients was positively correlated with EDSS scores ( p < 0.05). Systolic blood pressure, Hunt-Hess grade, rebleeding, emotional control, EDSS score, ACKR3, Cx43 positive cell rate, and HbO 2 and ET expression levels were independent risk factors for the prognosis of SAH patients ( p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Astrocyte damage in SAH patients was positively correlated with the content of ACKR3, Cx43, HbO 2 , and ET in cerebrospinal fluid. These indicators increased significantly with the increasing severity of the disease, and had certain value in reflecting the patient's condition. Astrocyte damage combined with cerebrospinal fluid markers had potential value in evaluating the severity and prognosis of patients.

Critical Values of Daily Sedentary Time and Its Longitudinal Association with Mild Cognitive Impairment Considering APOE ε4: A Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Long sedentary time and physical inactivity are negatively related to cognition, but the cut-off value remains unclear, and apolipoprotein E polymorphism ε4 (APOE ε4) is a known genetic risk factor of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

OBJECTIVES

To explore longitudinal association of sedentary time and MCI, and to identify a cutoff value that increases the risk of developing MCI, taking into account APOE ε4 stratification and its interactions.

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Population-based study.

PARTICIPANTS

We included 4932 older adults from Tianjin Elderly Nutrition and Cognition (TENC) cohort study recruited from March 2018 to June 2021 with 3.11 years of median follow-up time.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary outcome was newly diagnosed MCI, which was diagnosed by a modified version of the Petersen's criteria. The information of sedentary time (hours/day) and physical activity (MET-h/week) were obtained by questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard regression models and restricted spline curve were conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 4932 participants were included (mean [SD] age, 67.85 [4.96] years; 2627 female [53.3%] and 2305 male [46.7%]), 740 newly onset MCI patients were identified. Longer sedentary time was associated with higher risk of MCI for all participants (HR:1.069, 95%CI: 1.034, 1.105), especially in APOE ε4 non-carriers (HR:1.083, 95%CI: 1.045, 1.123) whether adjusted potential confounders. Sedentary time had synergistic interactions with APOE ε4 (β:1.503, 95%CI: 1.163, 1.942) and physical activities (β: 1.495, 95%CI: 1.210, 1.846). Restricted spline curve showed a cut-off value of 3.03 hours/day.

CONCLUSIONS

Long sedentary time (≥3.03 hours/day) could increase MCI risk, especially in APOE ε4 non-carriers, people with higher PA, aged 65 and above.

The effects of propolis-loaded chitosan nanoparticles and menstrual blood stem cells on LPS-induced ovarian inflammation in the murine ovary in vivo: An in vitro and in vivo study

Mammary glands infection via Gram-negative bacteria may cause infertility or reduced ovarian function. In the current study, a potential treatment for LPS-induced ovarian inflammation was developed. Propolis was loaded into chitosan nanoparticles and co-administered with menstrual blood stem cells (MenSCs) in mice infused with LPS. Various properties of propolis-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, drug release assay, antibacterial assay, and radical scavenging assay. In vitro studies showed biocompatibility, anti-oxidative, and antibacterial properties of the developed propolis nanoformulation. In vivo study showed that mice treated with co-administration of propolis-loaded chitosan nanoparticles and MenSCs significantly increased the total ovarian follicle reserve in mice infused with LPS. Percentage of mature follicles in co-administration method was around 13.89 ± 1.72 %. Gene expression studies showed that the expression levels of inflammation related cytokines including IL6, IL8, IL-1β, and TNF-α were downregulated in this group compared with other groups. However, the expression levels of PTEN, AKT, FOXO3 did not show a significant difference between groups. The developed treatment may potentially considered as an approach for treating ovarian infection with gram-negative bacteria.

2D van der Waals Vertical Heterojunction Transistors for Ternary Neural Networks

Compared with binary systems, ternary computing systems can utilize fewer devices to realize the same information density. However, most ternary computing systems based on binary CMOS circuits require additional devices to bridge binary processing and ternary computing. Exploring new device architectures for direct ternary processing and computing becomes the key to promoting ternary computing systems. Here, we demonstrated a 2D van der Waals vertical heterojunction transistor (V-HTR) with three flat conductance states, which can be the basic cell in ternary circuits to perform ternary processing and computing, without additional devices. A ternary neural network (TNN) and a ternary inverter were demonstrated based on the V-HTRs. The TNN can eliminate fuzzy data and output only clear data by building a ternary quantization function. By demonstrating both ternary logic and a TNN on the same device architecture, the 2D V-HTR shows potential as a basic hardware unit for future ternary computing systems.

Using a cyclocarbon additive as a cyclone separator to achieve fast lithiation and delithiation without dendrite growth in lithium-ion batteries

Carbon materials are widely used for reversible lithium uptake in the anode of lithium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, the challenge of uncontrollable dendrite deposition during fast charge-discharge cycles remains a grand hurdle. Various strategies have been explored to prevent detrimental heterogeneous dendrite metal deposits, such as interface engineering and electrolyte modification, but they often compromise the reverse diffusion freedom of Li+ ions during discharging and are incompatible with the most mainstream use of graphite as an anode material. Here, we propose the incorporation of a novel carbon allotrope of cyclocarbon as a potential additive in the anode. In contrast to conventional carbon materials, density functional theory calculations reveal that cyclocarbon has a much higher affinity for Li atoms than Li+ ions, even surpassing the inherent cohesion of Li atoms, due to the charge transfer from the 2s orbital of Li atoms to the unique in-plane π orbital of cyclocarbon. Furthermore, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations show that Li+ ions can shuttle freely back and forth across cyclocarbon, whereas the lithiation process for Li atoms occurs rapidly within picoseconds. The delithiation of Li atoms within cyclocarbon follows a voltage-gated mechanism that is effectively controlled by an external electric field of 3 V nm-1. Remarkably, cyclocarbon exhibits potential compatibility with commercialized graphite electrodes via the π-π interaction and also can be extended to sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries. These distinct compatibility, scalability and electrochemical properties of cyclocarbon provide a new avenue to realize both safety and ultrafast rechargeable performance of ion batteries.

Seven oxidative stress-related genes predict the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major medical challenge and of guiding significance for treatment. This study explored the actual relevance of RNA expression in predicting HCC prognosis. Cox's multiple regression was used to establish a risk score staging classification and to predict the HCC patients' prognosis on the basis of data in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We screened seven gene biomarkers related to the prognosis of HCC from the perspective of oxidative stress, including Alpha-Enolase 1(ENO1), N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), nucleophosmin (NPM1), metallothionein-3, H2A histone family member X, Thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1) and interleukin 33 (IL-33). Among them we measured the expression of ENO1, NGDP1, NPM1, TXNRD1 and IL-33 to investigate the reliability of the multi-index prediction. The first four markers' expressions increased successively in the paracellular tissues, the hepatocellular carcinoma samples (from patients with better prognosis) and the hepatocellular carcinoma samples (from patients with poor prognosis), while IL-33 showed the opposite trend. The seven genes increased the sensitivity and specificity of the predictive model, resulting in a significant increase in overall confidence. Compared with the patients with higher-risk scores, the survival rates with lower-risk scores are significantly increased. Risk score is more accurate in predicting the prognosis HCC patients than other clinical factors. In conclusion, we use the Cox regression model to identify seven oxidative stress-related genes, investigate the reliability of the multi-index prediction, and develop a risk staging model for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients and guiding precise treatment strategy.

Single-cell landscape of immune cells during the progression from HBV infection to HBV cirrhosis and HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction

Immune cells play crucial roles in the development of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, their functions at different disease stages are not fully understood.

Methods

In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to characterize the human liver immune microenvironment at different disease stages. We analyzed scRNA-seq data from 118,455 immune cells obtained from livers of six healthy individuals, four patients with HBV infection, five patients with HBV cirrhosis, and three patients with HBV-associated HCC.

Results

Our results showed an accumulation of scar-associated macrophages during disease progression, and we identified two relevant immune subsets, Macrophage-CD9/IL18 and macrophage-CD9/IFI6. Macrophage-CD9/IL18 expanded from HBV infection to cirrhosis, while macrophage-CD9/IFI6 expanded from cirrhosis to HCC. We verified the existence of Macrophage-CD9/IFI6 using multiplex immunofluorescence staining. We also found an increase in cytotoxic NK Cell-GNLY during progression from cirrhosis to HCC. Additionally, the proportion of CD4 T cell-TNFAIP3, CD8 T cell-TNF (effector CD8 T cells), and CD8 T cell-CD53 increased, while the proportion of Treg cells decreased from HBV infection to cirrhosis. The proportion of Treg and CD8 T cell-LAG3 (Exhausted CD8 T cell) enhanced, while the proportion of CD8 T cell-TNF (effector CD8 T cells) decreased from cirrhosis to HCC. Furthermore, GSEA enrichment analyses revealed that MAPK, ERBB, and P53 signaling pathways in myeloid cells were gradually inhibited from HBV infection to cirrhosis and HCC.

Discussion

Our study provides important insights into changes in the hepatic immune environment during the progression of HBV-related liver disease, which may help improve the management of HBV-infected liver diseases.

Isorhamnetin inhibits inflammatory response to alleviate DHEA-induced polycystic ovary syndrome in rats

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role of isorhamnetin on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in rats.

METHODS

Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were subcutaneously injected with dehydroepiandrosteron (DHEA) to establish PCOS model. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) were used to measure histological changes and apoptosis of ovary tissues. The levels of serum hormones and inflammatory factors in ovary tissues were measured by enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

In DHEA-induced PCOS rats, the levels of serum glucose, insulin, testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) were enhanced, estradiol (E2), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were decreased, inflammatory levels and apoptosis of ovary tissues were increased. Additionally, DHEA increased the body weight, ovary weight, and ovary volume, cystic follicles, and decreased corpus luteum. Moreover, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway was activated in PCOS rats. The levels of TNF receptor superfamily member 1 A (TNFR1), TNF-α, and fas cell surface death feceptor (FAS) were enhanced in ovary tissues of DHEA induced PCOS rats. Isorhamnetin (ISO) treatment after DHEA modeling markedly reduced serum levels of glucose, insulin, testosterone and LH, increased E2, SHBG, FSH level, decreased inflammatory levels, and inhibited apoptosis and decreased body weight, ovary weight, and ovary volume. The levels of TNFR1, TNF-α, and FAS were markedly decreased after ISO treatment in PCOS rats. Additionally, ISO alone had no significant effect on rats.

CONCLUSION

Isorhamnetin inhibits inflammatory response to alleviate DHEA-induced PCOS in rats by inactivating the TNF signaling pathway.

The adsorption of biogenetic odorants onto activated carbon: Adsorption characteristics and impacts of algal organic matter

Powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption is regarded as an efficient method for removing odorants from drinking water. However, in eutrophic aquatic environments, the presence of algal organic matter (AOM) produced by cyanobacteria considerably impedes the adsorption of odorous compounds by activated carbon. This study focused on investigating the adsorption characteristics of three representative odorants: 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB), β-cyclocitral (β-cyclo), and butyl sulfide (BS) by PAC and the effects of AOM on the PAC adsorption of odorants. The removal of the three odorants reached 83.5-97.5% at a PAC dosage of 10 mg/L after 12 h of exposure in a competition-free scenario. The adsorption kinetics demonstrated higher conformity (R2 > 0.9) with the pseudo-second-order model, whereas the adsorption capacity exhibited stronger conformity (R2 > 0.9) with the Freundlich model. The presence of AOM resulted in varying levels of competition for PAC for the adsorption of the three odorants. As the concentration of AOM increased from 0 to 5 mg C/L, the removal of 2-MIB was the most affected (from 83.5% to 10.0%), followed by β-cyclo (from 86.6% to 55.0%), and BS (from 97.5% to 92.0%). The competitive adsorption of AOM at the molecular level was studied using density functional theory (DFT). The DFT results suggested that odorants with higher and more uniformly distributed electrostatic potentials exhibited a heightened affinity for PAC adsorption and a diminished susceptibility to disruption caused by AOM. This study provides valuable insights into the mitigation of odorous compounds during drinking water purification.

Input Design for Active Fault Detection: Reconciling System Control Objectives

Active fault detection (AFD) is the newest frontier in the field of fault detection and has drawn increasing amounts of research attention. AFD technology can enhance fault detection performance by injecting a predesigned auxiliary input signal for a specific fault. In most existing studies, system control objectives are not fully considered in the auxiliary input design of AFD. This article investigates a new reconciliatory input design problem for both achieving control objectives and improving fault detection performance. An exemplary algorithm for the reconciliatory input design is proposed, by using a trajectory optimization approach. The proposed algorithm consists of three parts: 1) residual generation; 2) trajectory optimization; and 3) input design. A state observer is designed to obtain residual signals used as fault indicators. Considering the optimization index composed of the fault indicators, a trajectory optimization technique is carried out to find an optimal system trajectory which can improve the fault detection ability to the greatest extent. The control input is designed to track this optimal trajectory while complying with system physical constraints. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, simulation cases on an underwater manipulator are conducted.

Long-term stability and toxicity effects of three-dimensional electrokinetic remediation on chromium-contaminated soils

The three-dimensional electrokinetic remediation (3D EKR) achieved efficient removal of chromium (Cr) from the soil through mechanisms including electromigration, electroosmosis, and redox reactions. In this study, the long-term stability, leaching toxicity, bioavailability, and phytotoxicity of Cr in remediated soils were systematically analyzed to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of the 3D EKR method. The results showed that the concentration of hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) in the leachate of the 3D EKR system with sulfidated nano-scale zerovalent iron (S-nZVI) was more than 40% lower than those of the other 3D electrode groups, and the time required to reach the level III standard of groundwater quality criterion in China (0.05 mg/L, GB/T 14848-2017) was significantly shortened. The stabilization of Cr(VI) in contaminated soil after 3D EKR was maintained for 300 pore volumes (PVs), indicating that the treated Cr(VI) had good long-term stability. The leaching toxicity and bioaccessibility of Cr were assessed by the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP), the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), and the physiologically based extraction test (PBET). The concentration of Cr(VI) in the SPLP, TCLP, and PBET leachates of the S-nZVI group decreased by more than 25% compared to the other 3D electrode groups, corresponding to the decrease in leaching toxicity and bioavailability of the treated Cr during the 15-day remediation period. In addition, the germination rate of wheat seeds and the average biomass of wheat seedlings in the S-nZVI group under alkaline conditions (EE) were higher than those in the non-polluting group (Blank-OH), indicating that the remediated soil had no obvious toxicity to wheat. In summary, 3D EKR achieved a satisfactory and stable remediation effect on Cr-contaminated soil, especially when using S-nZVI as the 3D electrode.

Deep Learning with Geometry-Enhanced Molecular Representation for Augmentation of Large-Scale Docking-Based Virtual Screening

Structure-based virtual screening has been a crucial tool in drug discovery for decades. However, as the chemical space expands, the existing structure-based virtual screening techniques based on molecular docking and scoring struggle to handle billion-entry ultralarge libraries due to the high computational cost. To address this challenge, people have resorted to machine learning techniques to enhance structure-based virtual screening for efficiently exploring the vast chemical space. In those cases, compounds are usually treated as sequential strings or two-dimensional topology graphs, limiting their ability to incorporate three-dimensional structural information for downstream tasks. We herein propose a novel deep learning protocol, GEM-Screen, which utilizes the geometry-enhanced molecular representation of the compounds docking to a specific target and is trained on docking scores of a small fraction of a library through an active learning strategy to approximate the docking outcome for yet nontraining entries. This protocol is applied to virtual screening campaigns against the AmpC and D4 targets, demonstrating that GEM-Screen enriches more than 90% of the hit scaffolds for AmpC in the top 4% of model predictions and more than 80% of the hit scaffolds for D4 in the same top-ranking size of library. GEM-Screen can be used in conjunction with traditional docking programs for docking of only the top-ranked compounds to avoid the exhaustive docking of the whole library, thus allowing for discovering top-scoring compounds from billion-entry libraries in a rapid yet accurate fashion.

MgCl2 Attenuates ox-LDL-Induced Vascular Smooth Muscle-Derived Foam Cells Pyroptosis by Downregulating the TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death that is generally upregulated during atherosclerosis (AS). Magnesium, an important cation in the body, has exhibited an antiatherosclerotic effect. We collected AS model datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and explored the correlation between pyroptosis and AS through a series of bioinformatics methods. We next investigated the impact of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) on primary cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) foaminess and pyroptosis. Finally, foam cells were preconditioned with different concentrations of MgCl2 to explore its influence on ox-LDL-induced VSMCs pyroptosis. NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis plays a core role in regulating AS progression as shown by bioinformatic analysis. Ox-LDL (50/75/100 mg/L) increased CE/TE ratio (> 50%) in VSMCs and prompted VSMC-derived foam cell formation, and (75/100 mg/L) ox-LDL-induced pyroptosis. Compared to 1 mmol/L MgCl2, 10 mmol/L MgCl2 significantly downregulated the expression of pyroptosis related molecules in VSMCs induced by 75 mg/L ox-LDL, including NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, and GSDMD. The secretion of IL-1β, IL-18, and LDH was also inhibited by MgCl2. According to CCK-8 and Hoechst 33,342/PI staining, the damage to VSMCs viability induced by ox-LDL was ameliorated by MgCl2. In addition, MgCl2 attenuated the upregulation of TLR4, IKKβ, and p65 and the downregulation of IκBα in VSMCs induced by ox-LDL. The present study demonstrated that pyroptosis-related genes were the core genes in AS. We also revealed the effect and underlying mechanism of MgCl2 on ox-LDL-induced VSMCs pyroptosis, suggesting that MgCl2 has promising clinical applications for AS pyroptosis prevention and treatment.