Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides ameliorate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolism regulation in an aged laying hen model.

Polysaccharides extracted from Hericium erinaceus (HEP) exhibit hepatoprotective activity in the alleviation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, the mechanisms underlying whether and how HEP regulation of the gut microbiota to alleviate liver-associated metabolic disorders are not well understood. This study used an aged laying hen model to explore the mechanisms through which HEP alleviates NAFLD, with a focus on regulatory function of HEP in the gut microbiome. The results showed that HEP ameliorated hepatic damage and metabolic disorders by improving intestinal barrier function and shaping the gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolic profiles. HEP increased the abundance of Lactobacillus and certain tryptophan metabolites, including indole-3-carboxylic acid, kynurenic acid, and tryptamine in the cecum. These metabolites upregulated the expression of ZO-1 and Occludin by activating the AhR and restoring the intestinal barrier integrity. The increased intestinal barrier functions decreased LPS transferring from the intestine to the liver, inhibited hepatic LPS/TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway activation, and reduced hepatic inflammatory response and apoptosis. Fecal microbiota transplantation experiments further confirmed that the hepatoprotective effect is likely mediated by HEP-altered gut microbiota and their metabolites. Overall, dietary HEP could ameliorate the hepatic damage and metabolic disorders of NAFLD through regulating the "gut-liver" axis.

Essential oils ameliorate the intestinal damages induced by nonylphenol exposure by modulating tryptophan metabolism and activating aryl hydrocarbon receptor via gut microbiota regulation.

Nonylphenol (NP) is a ubiquitous endocrine disruptor that persists in the environment and can significantly contribute to serious health hazards, particularly intestinal barrier injury. Plant essential oils (EOs) have recently gained widespread interest due to their potential for improving intestinal health. However, the precise mechanism and protective effects of EOs ameliorating the intestinal damages induced by NP exposure remain unclear. To clarify the potential mechanism and protective impact of EOs against intestinal injury induced by NP, a total of 144 one-day-old male ducks were randomly allocated to four groups: CON (basal diet), EO (basal diet + 200 mg/kg EOs), NP (basal diet + 40 mg/kg NP), and NPEO (basal diet + 200 mg/kg EOs + 40 mg/kg NP). The data revealed that NP exposure significantly damaged intestinal barrier, as evidenced by a reduction in the levels of tight junction gene expression and an increase in intestinal permeability. Additionally, it disturbed gut microbiota, as well as interfered with tryptophan (Trp) metabolism. The NP-induced disorder of Trp metabolism restrained the activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and resulted in decreased the expression levels of CYP1A1, IL-22, and STAT3 genes, which were alleviated after treatment with EOs. Taken together, NP exposure resulted in impairment of the intestinal barrier function, disruption of gut microbiota, and disturbances in Trp metabolism. Dietary EOs supplementation alleviated the intestinal barrier injury induced by NP through the Trp/AhR/IL-22 signaling pathway.

Enhanced Efficiency and Stability of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells via Primary Amine Molecular Reaction.

The inverted perovskite solar cells have drawn considerable attention owing to their low cost, good compatibility, and easy production processes. However, the device performance is still limited by some important factors, such as surface imperfections and interfacial nonradiative recombination losses. Here, N-acetylethylenediamine (N-AE) is introduced to bind to the surface of the perovskite film via an ammonia condensation reaction. This process creates a stable interfacial layer with n-type doping to enhance the open-circuit voltage (VOC). Moreover, during post-treatment, N-AE dissolves a portion of the perovskite on the surface, leading to perovskite recrystallization. This process enhances the surface quality of the perovskite film and reduces nonradiative recombination. As a result, the inverted perovskite solar cell exhibits a power conversion efficiency approaching 20%, with a rise in VOC from 0.96 to 1.05 V. More impressively, the unencapsulated devices display excellent stability at 85 °C annealing and retained 88% of the initial PCE for 816 h.

Polysaccharide from Hericium erinaceus improved laying performance of aged hens by promoting yolk precursor synthesis and follicle development via liver-blood-ovary axis.

Little information is available on the effect of Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides (HEP) on laying hens, especially on improving liver and ovarian health and function. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the impacts of HEP on liver and ovarian function to delay the decline in the laying performance of aged hens. A total of 360 fifty-eight-wk-old laying hens were randomly allocated to 4 treatments, with 6 replicates of 15 birds each. After 2 wk of adaptation, the birds were fed basal diet (CON) or basal diets supplemented with 250, 500, and 750 mg/kg of HEP (HEP250, HEP500, and HEP 750, respectively) for 12 wk. The results showed that, compared with CON, hens fed HEP had significantly increased laying performance (P < 0.05) and promoted follicle development, as evidenced by the increased numbers of hierarchical follicles, small follicles, and total follicles (P < 0.05). Birds fed 500 mg/kg of HEP improved the liver function by increasing T-AOC activity (P < 0.05) and decreasing hepatic oxidative stress and inflammatory responses (inflammatory cell infiltration) caused by aging. The lipid metabolism was improved, and yolk precursor synthesis was promoted in the liver of HEP-treated laying hens by upregulating the mRNA expression of FAS, MTTP, PPAR-α, APOVLDL-Ⅱ, and VTG-Ⅱ (P < 0.05). In addition, HEP significantly decreased ovarian inflammation by regulating the mRNA levels of NF-κB, IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α (P < 0.05). As a result, the contents of E2, LH, and FSH in serum and the gene expression of ERα of the liver and FSHR of the ovary increased in HEP-treated hens (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary HEP supplementation exhibited potential hepatic and ovarian protective effects, thereby increasing the laying performance of aged hens by enhancing reproductive hormone secretion hormone secretion and promoting yolk precursor synthesis and follicle development via the liver-blood-ovary axis. The optimal supplementation level of HEP in aged hens was 500 mg/kg.

Interactions between enzyme preparations and trace element sources on growth performance and intestinal health of broiler chicks.

This experiment was conducted to explore the interactions between enzyme preparations and trace element sources on growth performance and intestinal health of broilers chicks. A total of 480 one-day-old healthy male yellow-feather broilers with similar weight were randomly arranged in a 2  ×  2 factorial design with 2 kinds of compound trace element sources (inorganic [I] and organic [O] trace element supplemented with 80, 8, 60, 40, 0.15 mg/kg of Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Se, respectively) and 2 levels of enzyme preparations (0 and 200 mg/kg). The 4 groups named I, O, IE, and OE with 6 replicates and 20 birds per replicate. The trail lasted for 28 days. Results showed that the average weight (ABW), average daily gain (ADG) of broilers in IE and OE groups significantly increased while the F/G significantly decreased as compared with group I and O (P < 0.05). Enzyme preparation supplementation, regardless of the trace element sources, significantly increased the duodenal and jejunal endogenous enzyme (e.g., Try and AACT) activity, and improved the morphology and jejunal barrier function evidenced by the increased villus height and MUC-2 mRNA expression (P < 0.05). Sequencing data manifested that enzyme preparations favorably modulated the cecal microflora by increasing bacterial diversity and abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria (e.g., Anaerostipes, Anaerofusis, and Pygmaioactor), while decreasing the abundance of harmful bacteria (e.g., Desulfovibrio). Factorial analysis indicated that there were no interactions between enzyme preparation and trace element sources on growth performance and intestinal health of broiler chicks. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with enzyme preparations, regardless of the trace element sources, could enhance endogenous enzyme activity, improve intestinal morphology and barrier functions, and favorably modulate the cecal microflora, thereby improving the intestinal health and growth performance of broiler chicks.

Plant essential oils improve growth performance by increasing antioxidative capacity, enhancing intestinal barrier function, and modulating gut microbiota in Muscovy ducks.

Essential oils (EO) are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and growth-promoting properties. However, data rgarding their impact on the intestinal health and gut microbiota of ducks remain limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of plant EO on the growth performance, intestinal health, and gut microbiota of Muscovy ducks. A total of 360 healthy male Muscovy ducks aged 1 d were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates and 15 ducks per replicate. Ducks were fed basal diets supplemented with 0, 100, 200, or 300 mg/kg EO. The results showed that 200 mg/kg EO supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) increased the final body weight and average daily gain, while significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the feed conversion ratio during the 56-d experimental period. Furthermore, dietary 200 mg/kg EO significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced antioxidant capacity and immune function and improved the barrier function of the intestine. Additionally, 16S rDNA sequencing analysis results showed that 200 mg/kg EO favorably modulated the cecal microbial diversities and composition evidenced by the increased (P < 0.05) the abundances of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (e.g., Subdoligranulum and Shuttleworthia) and decreased (P < 0.05) abundances of potential enteric pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Alistipes, Eisenbergiella, and Olsenella). The relative abundance of beneficial bacteria was positively correlated with antioxidant, immune, and barrier function biomarkers. Overall, these findings revealed that dietary supplementation with 200 mg/kg EO had several potentially beneficial effects on the growth performance of Muscovy ducks by improving antioxidant capacity, enhancing the intestinal barrier function and favorably modulating gut microbiota.

Constructing Soft Perovskite-Substrate Interfaces for Dynamic Modulation of Perovskite Film in Inverted Solar Cells with Over 6200 Hours Photostability.

High-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs) depend heavily on the quality of perovskite films, which is closely related to the lattice distortion, perovskite crystallization, and interfacial defects when being spin-coated and annealed on the substrate surface. Here, a dynamic strategy to modulate the perovskite film formation by using a soft perovskite-substrate interface constructed by employing amphiphilic soft molecules (ASMs) with long alkyl chains and Lewis base groups is proposed. The hydrophobic alkyl chains of ASMs interacted with poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) greatly improve the wettability of PTAA to facilitate the nucleation and growth of perovskite crystals, while the Lewis base groups bound to perovskite lattices significantly passivate the defects in situ. More importantly, this soft perovskite-substrate interface with ASMs between PTAA and perovskite film can dynamically match the lattice distortion with reduced interfacial residual strain upon perovskite crystallization and thermal annealing owing to the soft self-adaptive long-chains, leading to high-quality perovskite films. Thus, the inverted PSCs show a power conversion efficiency approaching 20% with good reproducibility and negligible hysteresis. More impressively, the unencapsulated device exhibits state-of-the-art photostability, retaining 84% of its initial efficiency under continuous simulated 1-sun illumination for more than 6200 h at elevated temperature (≈65 °C).

Effects of Malic Acid and Sucrose on the Fermentation Parameters, CNCPS Nitrogen Fractions, and Bacterial Community of Moringa oleifera Leaves Silage.

The present study investigated the effects of malic acid, sucrose, and their mixture on the fermentation parameters, Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) nitrogen fractions, and bacterial community of Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) silages. The trial was divided into four treatments and labeled as CON (control group) and MLA, SUC, and MIX (respectively denoting the addition of 1% malic acid, 1% sucrose, and 1% malic acid + 1% sucrose to the fresh weight basis). The silage packages were opened on the 2nd, 5th, 10th, 20th, and 40th days of ensiling for subsequent determination. Malic acid and sucrose increased the lactic acid content (p < 0.05) and pH value, and the acetic acid contents of MLA and MIX were lower than those in CON (p < 0.05). Compared with sucrose, malic acid had a better capacity to preserve nutrients and inhibit proteolysis, and thus exerted better effects on the CNCPS nitrogen fractions. The results of 16S rRNA showed that the dominant phyla were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and that the dominant genera were Lactobacillus and Weissella. With the application of silage additives and the processing of fermentation, there was a remarkable change in the composition and function of the bacterial community. The variation of the fermentation parameters and CNCPS nitrogen fractions in the MOL silages caused by malic acid and sucrose might be attributed to the dynamic and dramatic changes of the bacterial community.

Physically unclonable cryptographic primitives using self-assembled carbon nanotubes.

Information security underpins many aspects of modern society. However, silicon chips are vulnerable to hazards such as counterfeiting, tampering and information leakage through side-channel attacks (for example, by measuring power consumption, timing or electromagnetic radiation). Single-walled carbon nanotubes are a potential replacement for silicon as the channel material of transistors due to their superb electrical properties and intrinsic ultrathin body, but problems such as limited semiconducting purity and non-ideal assembly still need to be addressed before they can deliver high-performance electronics. Here, we show that by using these inherent imperfections, an unclonable electronic random structure can be constructed at low cost from carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes are self-assembled into patterned HfO2 trenches using ion-exchange chemistry, and the width of the trench is optimized to maximize the randomness of the nanotube placement. With this approach, two-dimensional (2D) random bit arrays are created that can offer ternary-bit architecture by determining the connection yield and switching type of the nanotube devices. As a result, our cryptographic keys provide a significantly higher level of security than conventional binary-bit architecture with the same key size.

A novel electrochemical biosensor based on dynamic polymerase-extending hybridization for E. coli O157:H7 DNA detection.

A novel biosensor based on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) probe functionalized aluminum anodized oxide (AAO) nanopore membranes was demonstrated for Escherichia coli O157:H7 DNA detection. An original and dynamic polymerase-extending (PE) DNA hybridization procedure is proposed, where hybridization happens in the existence of Taq DNA polymerase and dNTPs under controlled reaction temperature. The probe strand would be extended as long as the target DNA strand, then the capability to block the ionic flow in the pores has been prominently enhanced by the double strand complex. We have investigated the variation of ionic conductivity during the fabrication of the film and the hybridization using cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. The present approach provides low detection limit for DNA (a few hundreds of pmol), rapid label-free and easy-to-use bacteria detection, which holds the potential for future use in various ss-DNA analyses by integrated into a self-contained biochip.

Sensing Escherichia coli O157:H7 via frequency shift through a self-assembled monolayer based QCM immunosensor.

By means of the specific immuno-recognition and ultra-sensitive mass detection, a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor for Escherichia coli O157:H7 detection was developed in this work. As a suitable surfactant, 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHDA) was introduced onto the Au surface of QCM, and then self-assembled with N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) raster as a reactive intermediate to provide an active interface for the specific antibody immobilization. The binding of target bacteria with the immobilized antibodies decreased the sensor's resonant frequency, and the frequency shift was correlated to the bacterial concentration. The stepwise assembly of the immunosensor was characterized by means of the electrochemical techniques. Using the immersion-dry-immersion procedure, this QCM biosensor could detect 2.0x10(2) colony forming units (CFU)/ml E. coli O157:H7. In order to reduce the fabrication time, a polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer self-assembly (LBL-SA) method was adopted for fast construction. Finally, the reproducibility of this biosensor was discussed.