Inhibitory effects of Belamcanda extract on inflammatory response and antiviral mechanism in H9N2 Avian influenza virus: insights from in vitro and in vivo studies.

Avian influenza, particularly the H9N2 subtype, presents significant challenges to poultry health, underscoring the need for effective antiviral interventions. This study explores the antiviral capabilities of Belamcanda extract, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, against H9N2 Avian influenza virus (AIV) in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chicks. Through a comprehensive approach, we evaluated the impact of the extract on cytokine modulation and crucial immunological signaling pathways, essential for understanding the host-virus interaction. Our findings demonstrate that Belamcanda extract significantly modulates the expression of key inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), which are pivotal to the host's response to H9N2 AIV infection. Western blot analysis further revealed that the extract markedly reduces the expression of critical immune signaling molecules such as toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-ß (TRIF), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). These insights into the mechanisms by which Belamcanda extract influences host immune responses and hinders viral replication highlight its potential as an innovative antiviral agent for poultry health management. The study advances our comprehension of natural compounds' antiviral mechanisms and lays the groundwork for developing strategies to manage viral infections in poultry. The demonstrated ability of Belamcanda extract to modulate immune responses and inhibit viral replication establishes it as a promising candidate for future antiviral therapy development, especially in light of the need for effective treatments against evolving influenza virus strains and the critical demand for enhanced poultry health management strategies.

IFN-γ differential expression in the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis of thyroidectomized rats.

IFN-γ is critical for both thyroid and ovarian function, while thyroxine, secreted from the thyroid gland, regulates the ovarian function via the hypothalamus-pituitary -ovary axis. However, the effect of thyroxine on INF-γ involved in the regulation of hypothalamic pituitary ovarian axis ovarian function is hitherto unknown. Therefore, we set up three groups including a sham-operated group, an experimental thyroidectomized group, and an experimental thyroidectomized group treated with T4 to reveal the IFN-γ expression levels in the in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovary by immunohistochemical staining, RT-PCR, and Western blotting. IFN-γ-like immunoreactive-positive substances were visualized in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovary, which were located mainly in the cytoplasm of the hypothalamic neurons anterior pituitary cells, luteal cells, and theca cells in the ovary of hypothyroidism rats, respectively. RT-PCR and Western blotting showed that the rats in the experimental thyroidectomized group treated with T4 had significantly elevated expression of IFN-γ at both the mRNA and protein levels. Thyroxine affects the expression of IFN-γ in the thalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis, which may influence the secretion of IFN-γ to regulate ovarian function during hypothyroidism. This work highlights the potential effect of thyroxine on the involvement of INF-γ in the modulation of the ovarian function in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis.

Stability of GO Modified by Different Dispersants in Cement Paste and Its Related Mechanism.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a potential material to be used as a nano-reinforcement in cement matrix. However, a prerequisite for GO to fulfill its function in the cement matrix is homogeneous dispersion. In this study, the effects of three different dispersing agents (DAs), including polycarboxylate-based high range water reducer (P-HRWR), naphthalene-based high range water reducer (N-HRWR), and air entraining agent (AEA) on the dispersion of GO in aqueous solution, simulated concrete pore solution (SCPS), and suspension of cement pastes were sequentially investigated. Results showed that the dispersion effect of GO in aqueous solutions was improved with different DAs. However, the homogeneous dispersion of GO in aqueous solution re-agglomerated in SCPS and suspension of cement pastes. It was concluded that as the cement content and pH of aqueous solutions increased, GOs re-agglomerated and precipitated in an alkaline solution. A possible mechanism was proposed in this study and it was believed that electrostatic interactions and steric hindrance provided by the P-HRWR further made GOs stable in aqueous solutions. The ions and pH of cement pastes increased with the increasing amount of cement, which caused the separation of P-HRWR from GOs. Therefore, GOs were re-agglomerated and absorbed on the surface of the cement particles, resulting in GOs sedimentation.

Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Reinforced Cement Composites.

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the effect of uniformly dispersed graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets on dynamic mechanical properties of cement based composites prepared with recycled fine aggregate (RFA). Three different amounts of GO, 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.20% in mass of cement, were used in the experiments. The visual inspections of GO nanosheets were also carried out after ultrasonication by transmission electron microscope (TEM) atomic force microscope (AFM), and Raman to characterize the dispersion effect of graphite oxide. Dynamic mechanical analyzer test showed that the maximum increased amount of loss factor and storage modulus, energy absorption was 125%, 53%, and 200% when compared to the control sample, respectively. The flexural and compressive strengths of GO-mortar increased up to 22% to 41.3% and 16.2% to 16.4% with 0.20 wt % GO at 14 and 28 days, respectively. However the workability decreased by 7.5% to 18.8% with 0.05% and 0.2% GO addition. Microstructural analysis with environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM)/backscattered mode (BSEM) showed that the GO-cement composites had a much denser structure and better crystallized hydration products, meanwhile mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) testing and image analysis demonstrated that the incorporation of GO in the composites can help in refining capillary pore structure and reducing the air voids content.