The Critical Role of Ca2+ in Improving the Transparency and Strength of High-Filler-Content Nanocellulose/Montmorillonite Nanocomposite Films.

Strong and transparent nanocellulose/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposite films with high filler content (≥50 wt %) are emerging as versatile materials for advanced applications due to their excellent optical, barrier, mechanical, and thermal properties, and environmental friendliness. Nonetheless, these films undergo a notable decline in optical and mechanical properties at high MMT loadings. This study first demonstrates that calcium-ion-induced tactoids are the key factor causing disordered structures in nanocomposite films, leading to the degradation of optical and mechanical properties. We then address this issue by employing a Ca2+ removal strategy─dialysis. Through removing 43% of free Ca2+, simultaneous improvements in both properties are observed. For example, in a nanocomposite film with 70 wt % MMT, light transmittance increases from 75.9 to 91.6%, and the tensile strength rises from 100.4 to 139.4 MPa. This work offers insights into developing strong and transparent nanocomposite films with high MMT contents.

Strong Yet Tough Transparent Paper with Superb Foldability.

Transparent paper manufactured from wood fibers is emerging as a promising, cost-effective, and carbon-neutral alternatives to plastics. However, fully exploring their mechanical properties is one of the most pressing challenges. In this work, a strong yet tough transparent paper with superior folding endurance is prepared by rationally altering the native fiber structure. Microwave-assisted choline chloride/lactic acid deep eutectic solvent (DES) pulping is first utilized to isolate wood fibers from spruce wood. During this process, the S1 layer within the fibers is partially disrupted, forming protruding microfibrils that play a crucial role in enhancing cellulose accessibility. Subsequently, carboxymethylation treatment is applied to yield uniformly swollen carboxymethylated wood fibers (CM fibers), which improves the interaction between CM fibers during papermaking. The as-prepared transparent paper not only shows a 90% light transmittance (550 nm) but also exhibits impressive mechanical properties, including a folding endurance of over 26 000, a tensile strength of 248.4 MPa, and a toughness of 15.6 MJ m-3. This work provides a promising route for manufacturing transparent paper with superior mechanical properties from wood fibers and can extend their use in areas normally dominated by high-performance nonrenewable plastics.

The in vitro anticancer effects of FS48 from salivary glands of Xenopsylla cheopis on NCI-H460 cells via its blockage of voltage-gated K+ channels.

Voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels play a role in the cellular processes of various cancer cells, including lung cancer cells. We previously identified and reported a salivary protein from the Xenopsylla cheopis, FS48, which exhibited inhibitory activity against Kv1.1-1.3 channels when assayed in HEK 293T cells. However, whether FS48 has an inhibitory effect on cancer cells expressing Kv channels is unclear. The present study aims to reveal the effects of FS48 on the Kv channels and the NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells through patch clamp, MTT, wound healing, transwell, gelatinase zymography, qRT-PCR and WB assays. The results demonstrated that FS48 can be effective in suppressing the Kv currents, migration, and invasion of NCI-H460 cells in a dose-dependent manner, despite the failure to inhibit the proliferation. Moreover, the expression of Kv1.1 and Kv1.3 mRNA and protein were found to be significantly reduced. Finally, FS48 decreases the mRNA level of MMP-9 while increasing TIMP-1 mRNA level. The present study highlights for the first time that blood-sucking arthropod saliva-derived protein can inhibit the physiological activities of tumour cells via the Kv channels. Furthermore, FS48 can be taken as a hit compound against the tumour cells expressing Kv channels.

Mechanically stable core-shell cellulose nanofibril/sodium alginate hydrogel beads with superior cu(II) removal capacity.

Nanocellulose hydrogels are promising sustainable biosorbents for removing heavy metal ions for wastewater treatment. However, the nanocellulose hydrogels reported thus far typically suffer from inferior adsorption performance and/or poor mechanical stability, thus limiting their industrial applications. Achieving the goals of mechanical stability and high removal capability remains a crucial technical challenge, which may be addressed, as presented in this study, by developing novel core-shell carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibril (CMCNF)/sodium alginate (SA) hydrogel beads (CAbs). By immobilizing CMCNFs (shell) on the surface of the SA hydrogel bead (core) via electrostatic attractions and hydrogen bonding, a mechanically stable hydrogel bead with a core-shell configuration was constructed, which shows a Cu(II) removal capacity of up to 221 mg/g that exceeds that of CMCNFs and most other nanocellulose structural adsorbents. Furthermore, both the formation principle of the core-shell structure and the Cu(II) removal mechanism were explored in detail. Finally, we demonstrated a potential application of core-shell CAbs to treat drinking water with a low concentration of Cu(II) using a homemade column adsorption device. This work brings sustainable nanocellulose adsorbents a step closer to industrial applications for Cu(II) wastewater treatment.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Slow Anion Channel (MeSLAH4) Gene Overexpression Enhances Nitrogen Assimilation, Growth, and Yield in Rice.

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrient elements required for plant growth and development, which is also immensely related to the efficient use of nitrogen by crop plants. Therefore, plants evolved sophisticated mechanisms and anion channels to extract inorganic nitrogen (nitrate) from the soil or nutrient solutions, assimilate, and recycle the organic nitrogen. Hence, developing crop plants with a greater capability of using nitrogen efficiently is the fundamental research objective for attaining better agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. In this context, an in-depth investigation has been conducted into the cassava slow type anion channels (SLAHs) gene family, including genome-wide expression analysis, phylogenetic relationships with other related organisms, chromosome localization, and functional analysis. A potential and nitrogen-responsive gene of cassava (MeSLAH4) was identified and selected for overexpression (OE) analysis in rice, which increased the grain yield and root growth related performance. The morpho-physiological response of OE lines was better under low nitrogen (0.01 mm NH4NO3) conditions compared to the wild type (WT) and OE lines under normal nitrogen (0.5 mm NH4NO3) conditions. The relative expression of the MeSLAH4 gene was higher (about 80-fold) in the OE line than in the wild type. The accumulation and flux assay showed higher accumulation of NO 3 - and more expansion of root cells and grain dimension of OE lines compared to the wild type plants. The results of this experiment demonstrated that the MeSLAH4 gene may play a vital role in enhancing the efficient use of nitrogen in rice, which could be utilized for high-yielding crop production.

PIF4 Promotes Expression of HSFA2 to Enhance Basal Thermotolerance in Arabidopsis.

Heat stress (HS) seriously restricts the growth and development of plants. When plants are exposed to extreme high temperature, the heat stress response (HSR) is activated to enable plants to survive. Sessile plants have evolved multiple strategies to sense and cope with HS. Previous studies have established that PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) acts as a key component in thermomorphogenesis; however, whether PIF4 regulates plant thermotolerance and the molecular mechanism linking this light transcriptional factor and HSR remain unclear. Here, we show that the overexpression of PIF4 indeed provides plants with a stronger basal thermotolerance and greatly improves the survival ability of Arabidopsis under severe HS. Via phylogenetic analysis, we identified two sets (six) of PIF4 homologs in wheat, and the expression patterns of the PIF4 homologs were conservatively induced by heat treatment in both wheat and Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the PIF4 protein was accumulated under heat stress and had an identical expression level. Additionally, we found that the core regulator of HSR, HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A2 (HSFA2), was highly responsive to light and heat. Followed by promoter analysis and ChIP-qPCR, we further found that PIF4 can bind directly to the G-box motifs of the HSFA2 promoter. Via effector-reporter assays, we found that PIF4 binding could activate HSFA2 gene expression, thereby resulting in the activation of other HS-inducible genes, such as heat shock proteins. Finally, the overexpression of PIF4 led to a stronger basal thermotolerance under non-heat-treatment conditions, thereby resulting in an enhanced tolerance to severe heat stress. Taken together, our findings propose that PIF4 is linked to heat stress signaling by directly binding to the HSFA2 promoter and triggering the HSR at normal temperature conditions to promote the basal thermotolerance. These functions of PIF4 provide a candidate direction for breeding heat-resistant crop cultivars.

MALT1 in asthma children: A potential biomarker for monitoring exacerbation risk and Th1/Th2 imbalance-mediated inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT1) participates in the immune-related allergic response and inflammation flare, while its clinical role in asthma children is still unknown. Herein, this study aimed to investigate MALT1 expression, and its correlation with exacerbation risk, T helper (Th)1, Th2 cells (and their secreted cytokines), as well as inflammatory cytokines in asthma children. METHODS: Sixty children with asthma exacerbation and 60 children with remission asthma were enrolled in this study; then their blood MALT1, Th1, Th2 cells, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were detected. Besides, blood MALT1 in another 20 health controls was also determined. RESULTS: Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 was highest in children with asthma exacerbation, followed by children with remission asthma, and lowest in health controls (p < 0.001). MALT1 could distinguish children with asthma exacerbation from children with remission asthma (area under the curve (AUC): 0.757, 95% CI: 0.670-0.843). In children with asthma exacerbation, MALT1 was negatively linked with IFN-γ (p = 0.002) and Th1 cells (p = 0.050), but positively related to Th2 cells (p = 0.027) and exhibited a positive correlation trend (without statistical significance) with IL-4 (p = 0.066); meanwhile, MALT1 was positively correlated with exacerbation severity (p = 0.010) and TNF-α (p = 0.003), but not linked with IL-6 (p = 0.096). In children with remission asthma, MALT1 only was negatively associated with Th1 cells (p = 0.023), but positively linked with TNF-α (p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 serves as a potential biomarker for monitoring exacerbation risk and Th1/Th2 imbalance-mediated inflammation of asthma children.

Catalase (CAT) Gene Family in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): Evolution, Expression Pattern and Function Analysis.

Catalases (CATs) are present in almost all living organisms and play important roles in plant development and response to various stresses. However, there is relatively little information on CAT genes in wheat and related Triticeae species. A few studies on CAT family genes in wheat have been reported. In this study, ten CAT proteins (TaCATs) were identified in wheat and classified into three groups based on their phylogenetic features and sequence analysis. The analysis of the structure and motif composition of the TaCAT proteins suggested that a segmental duplication event occurred in the TaCAT gene family. Collinearity relationship analysis among different species showed that there were three orthologous CAT genes in rice and in maize. By analyzing the cis-elements in the promoter regions, we speculated that TaCAT genes expression might be regulated by light, oxygen deficit, methyl jasmonate and abscisic acid, and by transcription factors such as MYB. A Gene Ontology (GO)-based analysis showed that TaCAT proteins may be related to the response to various stresses, are cytoplasm localized, and may function as antioxidant enzymes. RT-qPCR and transcriptome data analyses exhibited distinct expression patterns of TaCAT genes in different tissues and in response to various treatments. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of wheat CAT genes was performed, enriching our knowledge of CAT genes and providing a foundation for further functional analyses of this gene family in wheat.

Favorable combination of foldability and toughness of transparent cellulose nanofibril films by a PET fiber-reinforced strategy.

Transparent cellulose nanofibril (CNF) films have been considered a promising sustainable alternative for nonrenewable and nonbiodegradable petroleum-based plastic films. However, their relatively low toughness and poor folding endurance are two remaining challenges for commercial application. In this work, inspired by fiber-reinforced polymer, a transparent CNF film with favorable combination of toughness and folding endurance is demonstrated by a facile and scalable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber-reinforced strategy. The as-prepared PET fiber-reinforced CNF film not only exhibits a maximum average toughness of 13.7 ± 2.4 MJ/m3 that is nearly 4 times stronger than that of pure CNF film (3.7 ± 1.1 MJ/m3), but also presents superior bending flexibility with a folding endurance of over 104 times that is an order of magnitude higher than that of pure CNF film (~4 × 103 times). Moreover, its underlying principle for the enhanced toughness and foldability is explored. This work provides a facile strategy to prepare tough yet foldable CNF film and could promote its industrial uses in the fields of energy storage devices, packaging, and electronic devices.

Approaching Theoretical Haze of Highly Transparent All-Cellulose Composite Films.

A highly transparent cellulose film with a high built-in haze is emerging as a green photonic material for optoelectronics. Unfortunately, attaining its theoretical haze still remains a challenge. Here, we demonstrate an all-cellulose composite film with a 90.1% transmittance and a maximal transmission haze of 95.2% close to the theoretical limit (∼100%), in which the entangled network of softwood cellulose fibers works as strong light scattering sources and regenerated cellulose (RC) with undissolved fibril bundles functions as a matrix to simultaneously improve the optical transparency and transmission haze. The underlying mechanism for the ultrahigh haze is attributed to microsized irregularities in the refractive index, arising primarily from the crystalline structure of softwood fibers, undissolved nanofibril bundles in RC, and a small number of internal cavities. Moreover, the resulting composite film presents a folding resistance of over 3500 times and good water resistance, and its application in a perovskite solar cell as an advanced light management layer is demonstrated. This work sheds light on the design of a highly transparent cellulose film with a haze approaching the theoretical limit for optoelectronics and brings us a step further toward its industrial production.

Comparison between the Effects of Acupuncture Relative to Other Controls on Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder with recurrent abdominal pain and altered defecation habits. We here attempted to determine the effect of acupuncture on IBS. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of science, and ClinicalTrials.gov till July 17, 2019 were searched. Outcomes were total efficacy rates, overall IBS symptom scores, or global quality of life scores. Standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI were calculated for meta-analysis. Results: We included 41 RCTs involving 3440 participants for analysis. 8 RCTs compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, among which 3 trials confirmed the biological effects of acupuncture, especially in treating abdominal pain, discomfort, and stool frequency. No significant difference was found when acupuncture was compared with sham acupuncture, in terms of effects on IBS symptoms and quality of life (SMD = 0.18, 95% CI -0.26∼0.63, P=0.42; SMD = -0.10, 95% CI -0.31∼0.11, P=0.35), but the pooled efficacy rate data showed a better outcome for true acupuncture (RR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.01∼1.47, P=0.04), which was not supported by sensitivity analysis. Acupuncture was more effective relative to western medicine in alleviating IBS symptoms (RR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.12∼1.23, I 2 = 0%, P < 0.00001), whose effect might last 3 months. Besides, acupuncture as an adjunct to western medicine, Chinese medications, or tuina was superior over the single latter treatment (RR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.40, P=0.004; 1.19, 1.03 to 1.36, P=0.02; 1.36, 1.08 to 1.72, P=0.009, respectively), with high heterogeneities. Conclusions: Relative to sham controls, acupuncture showed no superiority for treating IBS, while the advantage over western medicine was significant. Acupuncture could be used as an adjunct in clinical settings to improve efficacy. Future high-quality and large-sample-size studies with adequate quantity-effect design need to be conducted.

Efficient Removal of Cu2+ in Water by Carboxymethylated Cellulose Nanofibrils: Performance and Mechanism.

Simultaneous production and functionalization of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) for heavy metal ion removal is an economical and promising solution to expedite their use in water treatment. In this work, carboxymethylated CNFs (CMCNFs) with a carboxylate content up to 2.7 mmol/g are prepared by a combination of carboxymethylation and homogenization, which show diameters of 3.40-3.53 nm and lengths of 1210.6-383.3 nm. The effect of experimental conditions (including pH, carboxylate content, contact time, initial Cu2+ concentration) on the removal performance of CMCNFs for Cu2+ is investigated in detail. Adsorption performances of CMCNFs present a record high equilibrium Cu2+ removal capacity of 115.3 mg/g at pH 5.0. Additionally, the underlying mechanism for the removal of Cu2+ ions was uncovered by coupling the fitting results based on pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models with various characterizations such as scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), EDS mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. Finally, the potential application of CMCNF-2.7 with high carboxylate content in converting copper-contaminated water into drinking water was demonstrated. CMCNFs provide a new selection for the design of novel nanocellulose-based materials for water treatments.

[Review of the mechanism of essential hypertension treated by acupuncture].

The relevant literature of pathogenesis of essential hypertension (EH) and the clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment of EH was retrieved from January 1, 1999 to February 28, 2018 in the CNKI and PubMed databases, and aimed to summarize and explore the mechanism of antihypertensive by acupuncture.It has been found that acupuncture exerts antihypertensive effect by coordinating multi-system, multi-target, multi-layer adjustment mechanism, such as acupuncture inhibiting of central and peripheral sympathetic nerve activity, rejusting immune system and expression of inflammatory response factors, regulating the balance of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), improving vascular structure and function, the anti-oxidative stress and promoting autophagy.

Sirt1/Foxo Axis Plays a Crucial Role in the Mechanisms of Therapeutic Effects of Erzhi Pill in Ovariectomized Rats.

Background. Erzhi pill (EZP), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, has been widely used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) in China. However, its molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of the present study is to investigate the antiosteoporotic effect of EZP on an ovariectomized rat model of PMOP. We performed the biomarkers of bone metabolism disorder, bone morphology, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone biomechanics to confirm the successful establishment of the PMOP model. We then investigated the expression of biomarkers related to the Sirt1/Foxo axis. We also examined microRNA-132 (miR-132), a regulator in the Sirtuin1 (Sirt1) expression. The bone metabolism disorder, bone morphology, BMD, and bone biomechanics in ovariectomized rats were improved by EZP administration. The antiosteoporotic effect of EZP was confirmed. We also found that the expressions of Sirt1, Runx2, Foxo1, and Foxo3a were downregulated in ovariectomized rats, while being then upregulated by EZP administration. And the expression of PPAR-γ and miR-132 was upregulated in ovariectomized rats and then downregulated by EZP administration. These results provided evidence that Sirt1/Foxo axis related mechanism may play a crucial role in the therapeutic effects of EZP, indicating that Sirt1/Foxo axis can be considered as a potential therapeutic target for PMOP in the future.

A data-driven noise reduction method and its application for the enhancement of stress wave signals.

Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) has been recently used to recover a signal from observed noisy data. Typically this is performed by partial reconstruction or thresholding operation. In this paper we describe an efficient noise reduction method. EEMD is used to decompose a signal into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). The time intervals between two adjacent zero-crossings within the IMF, called instantaneous half period (IHP), are used as a criterion to detect and classify the noise oscillations. The undesirable waveforms with a larger IHP are set to zero. Furthermore, the optimum threshold in this approach can be derived from the signal itself using the consecutive mean square error (CMSE). The method is fully data driven, and it requires no prior knowledge of the target signals. This method can be verified with the simulative program by using Matlab. The denoising results are proper. In comparison with other EEMD based methods, it is concluded that the means adopted in this paper is suitable to preprocess the stress wave signals in the wood nondestructive testing.

Thickness measurement of colloidal opal crystal growth by Bragg reflection.

This study investigates a simple method for thickness estimation with single layer accuracy for self-assembling opal crystals prepared by the dip-coating method. The thickness (number of layers) of the opal crystals was estimated by an analysis of the optical reflectance from s-polarization incident light, and then verified with SEM. The opal crystals were considered as periodic dielectric layers and were analyzed with the transfer matrix method. The reflectance simulation showed a good agreement with the experimental results. The lattice constant and the thickness were determined at the peak position and by the fringes of the reflection spectra, respectively.

[Effects of deltamethrin on neurobehavioral development of offspring of intoxicated rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of deltamethrin on the filial brain nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and neurobehavioral development of the exposed lactational rats. METHODS: Pregnant rats were randomizedly divided into the treated group and the control group. The treated group was administered orally with 3.35, 6.70 mg/kg deltamethrin every other day from postnatal day (PND) 1 to PND 19 while the control group was administered with the corn oil of same amount in the same period. The activity of NOS of filial brain and neurobehavioral functions of the filial rats were observed. RESULTS: The lactational survival rate (81.80%:78.60%) in both treated groups was decreased significantly (P < 0.01) compared with that in the control group. The body weight of filial rats on PND 10, 21 in 6.70 mg/kg DM treated group [(16.62 +/- 2.2 8), (31.34 +/- 6.94) g] was less than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The delayed time in the filial rats in 6.70 mg/kg group was (3.05 +/- 1.20) s and the positive rates of passive escaping response in 3.35 and 6.70 mg/kg DM treated group were 22.5% and 21.5% respectively. There was the trend of the developmental increase of the activity of filial brain NOS between PND 5 and PND 21 and the NOS activity of rat brain on PND 5 in 6.70 mg/kg group [(0.60 +/- 0.07) U.mg pro(-1).h(-1)] was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Exposure to high dose of deltamethrin in lactational female rats will decrease the activity of NOS of brain and retard the neurobehavioral development of their filial rats.