Investigation of the Inhibitory Effects of Illicium verum Essential Oil Nanoemulsion on Fusarium proliferatum via Combined Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Analysis.

Fusarium proliferatum is the main pathogen that causes Panax notoginseng root rot. The shortcomings of strong volatility and poor water solubility of Illicium verum essential oil (EO) limit its utilization. In this study, we prepared traditional emulsion (BDT) and nanoemulsion (Bneo) of I. verum EO by ultrasonic method with Tween-80 and absolute ethanol as solvents. The chemical components of EO, BDT, and Bneo were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and the antifungal activity and mechanism were compared. The results show that Bneo has good stability and its particle size is 34.86 nm. The contents of (-) -anethole and estragole in Bneo were significantly higher than those in BDT. The antifungal activity against F. proliferatum was 5.8-fold higher than BDT. In the presence of I. verum EO, the occurrence of P. notoginseng root rot was significantly reduced. By combining transcriptome and metabolomics analysis, I. verum EO was found to be involved in the mutual transformation of pentose and glucuronic acid, galactose metabolism, streptomycin biosynthesis, carbon metabolism, and other metabolic pathways of F. proliferatum, and it interfered with the normal growth of F. proliferatum to exert antifungal effects. This study provide a theoretical basis for expanding the practical application of Bneo.

Foeniculum vulgare essential oil nanoemulsion inhibits Fusarium oxysporum causing Panax notoginseng root-rot disease.

Background: Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum) is the primary pathogenic fungus that causes Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng) root rot disease. To control the disease, safe and efficient antifungal pesticides must currently be developed. Methods: In this study, we prepared and characterized a nanoemulsion of Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (Ne-FvEO) using ultrasonic technology and evaluated its stability. Traditional Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (T-FvEO) was prepared simultaneously with 1/1000 Tween-80 and 20/1000 dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The effects and inhibitory mechanism of Ne-FvEO and T-FvEO in F. oxysporum were investigated through combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses. Results: Results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Ne-FvEO decreased from 3.65 mg/mL to 0.35 mg/mL, and its bioavailability increased by 10-fold. The results of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) showed that T-FvEO did not contain a high content of estragole compared to Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (FvEO) and Ne-FvEO. Combined metabolome and transcriptome analysis showed that both emulsions inhibited the growth and development of F. oxysporum through the synthesis of the cell wall and cell membrane, energy metabolism, and genetic information of F. oxysporum mycelium. Ne-FvEO also inhibited the expression of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase and reduced the content of 2-oxoglutarate, which inhibited the germination of spores. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Ne-FvEO effectively inhibited the growth of F. oxysporum in P. notoginseng in vivo. The findings contribute to our comprehension of the antifungal mechanism of essential oils (EOs) and lay the groundwork for the creation of plant-derived antifungal medicines.

Cellulose sulfate lithium as a conductive binder for LiFePO4 cathode with long cycle life.

Polysaccharides can be potential binders for lithium-ion batteries due to their strong adhesion through numerous hydroxyl groups. As a novel waterborne lithiated polysaccharide derivative, cellulose sulfate lithium (CSL) is successfully synthesized and used as the binder for LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode. The chemical structure of CSL is verified by FTIR-ATR, XRD, C13-NMR, GPC, EA, ICP and TGA. Compared to LFP cathode using polyvinylidene difluoride binder, electrochemical measurements show that the LFP cathode using CSL (LFP-CSL) has lower polarization and better rate performance owing to higher lithium-ion conductivity of CSL. The result of morphological analysis indicates that CSL binder can maintain an integrated LFP cathode structure during hundreds of cycles. As a result, the LFP-CSL cathode exhibits a discharge capacity of 133.4 mAh g-1 and maintains remarkable cycle stability with retention of 93.1 % after 300 cycles at 1C. These findings provide novel insights into the rational design of the binders for the LFP cathode.

Analysis of related factors of scheduled ICU before primary hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Methods for improving the safety of medical treatments for patients, reducing the occurrence of postoperative complications and optimizing medical resources for primary hip replacement are needed. Previous literature has mostly analysed the risk factors and constructed and models to predict a transfer to the ICU after surgery, and no reports on preoperative ICU reservations have been found. This study evaluated the risk factors for preoperative ICU reservation and considered the necessity of preoperative ICU reservations to optimize preoperative communication, enable a seamless transfer between the operating room and ICU, reduce postoperative complications and shorten hospital stays. METHODS: We extracted the data of 1488 patients who underwent hip replacement from the hospital case database from November 2017 to May 2021 and used the case-control test to divide the patients into the case group (scheduled ICU admission, 134 cases) and the control group (Not scheduled ICU admission, 213 cases). The general conditions of the patients before surgery, including sex, age, Charlson comorbidity index, laboratory test results, and anaesthesia methods, were collected and used as independent variables. The t test, rank sum test, and X2 test were used to analyse and identify significant factors with a P < 0.05. Then, these factors were entered into binary logistic regression analysis, and a ROC curve was used to test the efficacy of the regression model. RESULTS: In the data we collected, 134 patients were planned to be transferred to the ICU, and 213 patients were not transferred to the ICU. The two groups of data were analyzed by logistic regression. We defined the risk factors for preoperative ICU appointment in patients with primary hip arthroplasty, including age. (odds ratio (OR) 1.066, 95% (confidence interval) CI (1.039, 1.093), P < 0.001), general anesthesia ( (OR) 1.821, 95%CI (1.165, 2.845), P = 0.008), preoperative C-reactive protein ((OR) 1.016, 95%CI (1.010, 1.022), P < 0.05), preoperative alanine aminotransferase ((OR) 1.042, 95%CI ((1.016, 1.070)), P = 0.002). These were promoting factors for preoperative ICU appointment,and preoperative albumin ((OR) 0.0839, 95%CI (0.792, 0.889)), P < 0.05) was a protective factor for ICU appointment. CONCLUSION: For patients requiring primary hip replacement. Age, general anesthesia, preoperative C-reactive protein, preoperative alanine aminotransferase and preoperative albumin are the key points of our preoperative assessment. Paying attention to the changes of these indicators will help surgeons assess the patient's condition and contact the ICU in advance.These data can be fully understood by the patients' families, reduce the unnecessary use of medical resources, and optimize perioperative management.

Effect of Boron on the Grain Refinement and Mechanical Properties of as-Cast Mg Alloy AM50.

The effect of B addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AM50 was investigated, and the mechanism of grain refinement was clarified. Optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalysis were used to characterize the microstructure evolution. The grain size of as-cast AM50 decreased from 550 µm to 100 µm with the B content increasing from 0 to 0.15 wt.%. AlB2 particles in the Al-3B master alloy transformed to Mg-B, and acted as the grain refiner. The addition of B to as cast AM50 alloy results in improved mechanical properties of AM50 + xB alloys. For instance, the YTS (yield tensile strength), UTS (ultimate tensile strength), and elongation of as cast AM50 + 0.15 wt.% B alloy was 94 MPa, 215 MPa, and 12.3%.