Superomniphobic Silk Fibroin/Ag Nanowires Membrane for Flexible and Transparent Electronic Sensor.

Superwetting surfaces that repel various liquids have been exciting for biomimetic research and have displayed versatile potential applications. Generally, superhydrophobic coatings can allow for droplet rolling off and antifouling, whereas it is a challenge to achieve superomniphobic surfaces with transparency, flexibility, and conductivity. Here, we adopt an effective and simple method to fabricate a superomniphobic, transparent, and flexible smart silk fibroin (SF) membrane by spray-coating long AgNWs dispersed in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), followed by treatment with vacuum drying. The resulting SF/AgNWs membranes are super-repellent to different liquids with low surface tension and water, and demonstrate high contact angles (CAs) more than 150° and low rolling-off angles (RAs) even less than 10°. Moreover, the obtained membranes display superior sensitivity under stretching and bending, as well as intact stability of high transparency, which can be considered as promising flexible sensing electronics to detect human motions under wet conditions.

A hybrid bioinspired fiber trichome with special wettability for water collection, friction reduction and self-cleaning.

Inspired by biological surfaces, we designed a magnetic fiber trichome based on the surface properties of caterpillars and earthworms. The caterpillar-inspired fiber trichome possesses a cooperative superhydrophilic-superhydrophobic-slippery lubricant-infused porous surface with gradient wettability and shows excellent fog harvesting behavior due to the driving force of the gradient wettability fiber similar to caterpillar spines. The earthworm-inspired fiber trichome exhibits excellent friction reduction and antiwear properties under harsh oil-bathed friction conditions, and it moves rapidly in mud under magnetic stimulation because of the self-lubricating transfer film formed between friction contact surfaces. In addition, the earthworm-inspired fiber trichome also has continuous antifouling capacity in mud due to the self-releasing lubricating layer that can be replenished after being consumed under solid friction. Therefore, the caterpillar- and earthworm-inspired fiber trichomes extend the scope of potential applications, such as self-driven water collection, self-floating oil spill cleanup, reducing friction and wear resistance, high-efficiency antifouling, and transport of heavy loads, among others.

The disturbances of endoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostasis caused by increased intracellular reactive oxygen species contributes to fragmentation in aged porcine oocytes.

Accumulating evidence indicates that cellular and molecular abnormalities occur during oocyte aging, including fragmentation, increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and abnormal Ca(2+) oscillations. The objective of the present study was to characterize the relationships between intracellular ROS, Ca(2+) homeostasis of endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and fragmentation in aged porcine MII oocytes. Prolonged culture (36 h) of porcine oocytes resulted in elevated intracellular ROS level, impaired ER Ca(2+) homeostasis (i.e., Ca(2+) storage, Ca(2+) rising patterns after electroactivation, and the cluster distribution of ER), and increased fragmentation rates. However, when the porcine oocytes were treated with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetrakis(acetoxymethyl ester), an intracellular Ca(2+) chelator, the fragmentation was significantly inhibited during in vitro aging. In order to pursue the underlying mechanisms, H2O2 and cycloheximide (CHX) were used to artificially increase or inhibit, respectively, the intracellular ROS levels in aged porcine oocytes during in vitro culture. The results demonstrated that incubation of porcine MII oocytes with H2O2 damaged the ER clusters and the Ca(2+) regulation of ER, leading to a high proportion of fragmented oocytes. In contrast, CHX, an intracellular inhibitor of ROS generation, prevented both increase of ROS level and damage of the ER Ca(2+) homeostasis in porcine oocytes during aging, resulting in low fragmentation rate. We conclude that the increased intracellular ROS damaged the ER clusters and ER Ca(2+) homeostasis, resulting in a disorder in ooplasmic free Ca(2+), which caused the fragmentations seen in porcine MII oocytes during aging.

Adjuvanticity of epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone on inactivated vaccines against AI and ND virus.

The purpose of this research was to compare the activities of different dose of epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone adjuvant (EPA). The inactivated avian influenza (AI) and Newcastle disease (ND) vaccine containing three doses of EPA were prepared. In AI vaccine vaccination experiment, 300 14-day-old chickens were randomly divided into 6 groups and inoculated with three EPA-AI vaccines taking oil adjuvant (OA), non-adjuvant (NA) vaccines and physiological saline as controls, repeated at 28-day-old. The lymphocyte proliferation and serum antibody titer were determined. In ND vaccine vaccination experiment, 300 14-day-old chickens were grouped, treated with three EPA-ND vaccines, and determined same to AI vaccine vaccination experiment; at 42-day-old the chickens were challenged with NDV. On D(15) after challenged, the immune protective effect was observed. The results showed that EPA could significantly promote lymphocyte proliferation and enhance serum antibody titer against AI and ND, and reduce the morbidity of chickens challenged with NDV after vaccinated with ND vaccine, especially the effect of medium dose was better than that of non-adjuvant and oil adjuvant. These results indicated that EPA could enhance the immune effect of inactivated AI vaccine and ND vaccine and would be expected as a new-type adjuvant.

Astragalus polysaccharide and sulfated epimedium polysaccharide synergistically resist the immunosuppression.

The immunoenhancement of compound polysaccharides, APS-sEPS composed with astragalus polysaccharide (APS) and sulfated epimedium polysaccharide (sEPS), was observed in immunosuppressed model chicken induced by cyclophosphamide (Cy). 11-day-old chickens were injected with Cy once a day for three successive days except vaccine control group. At day-14-old, all chickens were vaccinated with ND vaccine, and in experimental groups simultaneously administrated with APS-sEPS at three dosages, APS and sEPS once a day for three successive days. On days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after the administration, the peripheral T-lymphocyte proliferation, serum antibody titers, IFN-γ, IL-2, IgG and IgM were determined. The results displayed that APS-sEPS could overcome Cy-induced immunosuppression, significantly promote T-lymphocyte proliferation and raised serum antibody titers, IFN-γ, IL-2, IgG and IgM levels, its high and medium doses were superior to single APS or sEPS. This demonstrated that APS and sEPS could synergistically resist the immunosuppression and APS-sEPS was an effective immunopotentiator.

Adjuvanticity of compound polysaccharides on chickens against Newcastle disease and avian influenza vaccine.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of compound polysaccharides (cPS) on the immune responses via chicken models. First, in screening experiment, a comprehensive analysis for immunomodulatory activity of four cPSs, including Astragalus polysaccharides (APS), Epimedium polysaccharides (EPS), sulfated APS (sAPS) and sulfated EPS (sEPS), was performed in vitro and in vivo. APS-sEPS was picked out having the best effect on lymphocyte proliferation and raising the antibody titers. Therefore, the adjuvanticities of APS-sEPS on Newcastle disease (ND) and avian influenza (AI) vaccine were further validated. Chickens were administrated with ND or AI vaccines containing APS-sEPS of 150, 100 and 50 mg/kg, respectively, taking oil adjuvant vaccine as control. It was observed ND or AI antibody titers and lymphocyte proliferation were enhanced at 100 mg/kg of APS-sEPS. In conclusion, appropriate dose of APS-sEPS may be a safe and efficacious immune stimulator candidate suitable for vaccines.

Liposome and epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone can synergistically enhance immune effect of vaccine.

Three preparations of epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone immunopotentiator (EPI), EPI liposome, EPI suspension and EPI watery solution were prepared. In immune response test, their adjuvanticities were compared in 14-day-old chickens vaccinated with Newcastle disease (ND) vaccine. In immune protection test, the effects of the three preparations on Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infection were compared in chickens vaccinated with ND vaccine then challenged with NDV. The results displayed that EPI liposome could enhance the antibody titer, T lymphocyte proliferation and the concentrations of interferon-γ and interleukin-6, when compared with the other two preparations. In EPI liposome group, the antibody titers, lymphocyte proliferation and protective rate were the highest, while the mortality and morbidity were the lowest, in comparison with the other groups. These results indicated that liposome could enhance the immune effect of EPI on ND vaccine and would be expected as the suitable dosage form of this immunopotentiator.