Understanding Chromium Slag Recycling with Sintering-Ironmaking Processes: Influence of Cr2O3 on the Sinter Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of the Silico-Ferrite of Calcium and Aluminum (SFCA).

Chromium slag is a solid waste of chromium salt production, which contains highly toxic Cr(VI) and significant amounts of valuable metals, such as Fe and Cr. Recycling chromium slag as a raw sintering material in sintering-ironmaking processes can simultaneously reduce toxic Cr(VI) and recover valuable metals. A micro-sintering experiment, compressive strength test, microhardness test, and first-principles calculation are performed to investigate the influence of Cr2O3 on the sintering microstructure and mechanical properties of the silico-ferrite of calcium and aluminum (SFCA) in order to understand the basis of the sintering process with chromium slag addition. The results show that the microstructure of SFCA changes from blocky to interwoven, with further increasing Cr2O3 content from 0 wt% to 3 wt%, and transforms to blocky with Cr2O3 content increasing to 5 wt%. Cr2O3 reacts with Fe2O3 to form (Fe1-xCrx)2O3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), which participates in forming SFCA. With the increase in Cr doping concentrations, the hardness of SFCA first decreases and then increases, and the toughness increases. When Cr2O3 content increases from 0 wt% to 3 wt%, the SFCA microhardness decreases and the compressive strength of the sintered sample increases. Further increasing Cr2O3 contents to 5 wt%, the SFCA microhardness increases, and the compressive strength of sintered sample decreases.

An oxidized dextran-composite self-healing coated magnesium scaffold reduces apoptosis to induce bone regeneration.

Self-healing coatings have shown promise in controlling the degradation of scaffolds and addressing coating detachment issues. However, developing a self-healing coating for magnesium (Mg) possessing multiple biological functions in infectious environments remains a significant challenge. In this study, a self-healing coating was developed for magnesium scaffolds using oxidized dextran (OD), 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), and nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) doped micro-arc oxidation (MHA), named OD-MHA/Mg. The results demonstrated that the OD-MHA coating effectively addresses coating detachment issues and controls the degradation of Mg in an infectious environment through self-healing mechanisms. Furthermore, the OD-MHA/Mg scaffold exhibits antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic properties, it also promotes bone repair by upregulating the expression of osteogenesis genes and proteins. The findings of this study indicate that the OD-MHA coated Mg scaffold possessing multiple biological functions presents a promising approach for addressing infectious bone defects. Additionally, the study showcases the potential of polysaccharides with multiple biological functions in facilitating tissue healing even in challenging environments.

Axial assembly of AuNR for tumor theranostics via Zn2+-GSH chelation induced degradation of AuNR@ZIF-8 heterostructures.

Tumor microenvironment responsive photothermal ablation is a noninvasive and accurately targeted approach for cancer therapy. Herein, an intracellular directional assembly strategy for enhanced photothermal therapy (PTT) was realized by using ZIF-8 encapsulated Au nanorod (AuNR) heterostructure as the precursor of photothermal convertible material. The ZIF-8 shell selectively degraded in tumor cells upon the chelation between GSH and Zn2+, while the as-formed Zn(SG) connected the released AuNR in end-to-end fashion. The coating of ZIF-8 shell significantly improves the stability and targeting of AuNR, and the released Zn2+ shielded the GSH binding site on the lateral side of AuNR, increased the plasmonic coupling efficiency of AuNR assembly geometer. This design enabled atomic-economical, efficient and low-side effect targeted photothermal therapy through the effective integration of heterostructures.

Engineered muscle from micro-channeled PEG scaffold with magnetic Fe3O4 fixation towards accelerating esophageal muscle repair.

Engineered scaffolds are used for repairing damaged esophagus to allow the precise alignment and movement of smooth muscle for peristalsis. However, most of these scaffolds focus solely on inducing cell alignment through directional apparatus, often overlooking the promotion of muscle tissue formation and causing reduced esophageal muscle repair effectiveness. To address this issue, we first introduced aligned nano-ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4) assemblies on a micropatterned poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel to form micro-/nano-stripes. Further modification using a gold coating was found to enhance cellular adhesion, orientation and organization within these micro-/nano-stripes, which consequently prevented excessive adhesion of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to the thin PEG ridges, thereby effectively confining the cells to the Fe3O4-laid channels. This architectural design promotes the alignment of the cytoskeleton and elongation of actin filaments, leading to the organized formation of muscle bundles and a tendency for SMCs to adopt synthetic phenotypes. Muscle patches are harvested from the micro-/nano-stripes and transplanted into a rat esophageal defect model. In vivo experiments demonstrate the exceptional viability of these muscle patches and their ability to accelerate the regeneration of esophageal tissue. Overall, this study presents an efficient strategy for constructing muscle patches with directional alignment and muscle bundle formation of SMCs, holding significant promise for muscle tissue regeneration.

Biological importance of human amniotic membrane in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

The human amniotic membrane (hAM) is the innermost layer of the placenta. Its distinctive structure and the biological and physical characteristics make it a highly biocompatible material in a variety of regenerative medicine applications. It also acts as a supply of bioactive factors and cells, which indicate the advantages over other tissues. In this review, we firstly discussed the biological properties of hAM-derived cells in vivo or in vitro, along with their stemness of markers, pointing out a promising source of stem cells for regenerative medicine. Then, we systematically summarized current knowledge on the collection, preparation, preservation, and decellularization of hAM, as well as their characteristics helping to improve the understanding of applications in tissue engineering. Finally, we highlighted the recent advances in which hAM has undergone additional modifications to achieve an adequate perspective of regenerative medicine applications. More investigations are required in utilizing appropriate modifications to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of hAM in the future.

Stereodynamical control of the H + HD → H2 + D reaction through HD reagent alignment.

Prealigning nonpolar reacting molecules leads to large stereodynamical effects because of their weak steering interaction en route to the reaction barrier. However, experimental limitations in preparing aligned molecules efficiently have hindered the investigation of steric effects in bimolecular reactions involving hydrogen. Here, we report a high-resolution crossed-beam study of the reaction H + HD(v = 1, j = 2) → H2(v', j') + D at collision energies of 0.50, 1.20, and 2.07 electron volts in which the vibrationally excited hydrogen deuteride (HD) molecules were prepared in two collision configurations, with their bond preferentially aligned parallel and perpendicular to the relative velocity of collision partners. Notable stereodynamical effects in differential cross sections were observed. Quantum dynamics calculations revealed that strong constructive interference in the perpendicular configuration plays an important role in the stereodynamical effects observed.

Molecular Identification of Juglans Regia Endophyte LTL-G3, Its Antifungal Potential and Bioactive Substances.

Background: Endophyte is one of the potential biocontrol agents for inhibiting plant pathogens. However, the mechanisms and characteristics involved in the inhibition of different phytopathogenic fungi by endophytes, especially walnut endophytes, are still largely unknown. Objectives: The present study aimed to identify the walnut endophytic fungus LTL-G3 from a genetic point of view, assess the strain's antifungal activity, and determine the bioactivities of the substances it produces against plant pathogens. Materials and Methods: The homologous sequence of strain LTL-G3 was examined, and typical strains of the Trichoderma virens group were used to build NJ phylogenetic trees and analyze the taxonomic position of the strain. The biocontrol agent's antagonistic potential for many plant pathogenic fungi. By using silica gel G chromatography, the active components of the strain were separated and purified. The active components were identified using GC-MS and NMR. Results: The strain LTL-G3 was identified as Trichoderma virens. Its fermentation and secondary metabolite extracts had a broad spectrum and strong inhibitory effect on the spread of six plant pathogens (Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium graminearum, Gloeosporium fructigenum, Phytophthora capsici, Rhizoctonia solani, and Valsa mali) evaluated, of which, its inhibition rate against Valsa mali reached 76.6% (fermentation extract) and 100% (ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts). On silica gel G chromatography, bioactive compounds were divided into 6 fractions and 7 sub-fractions. Fr.2-2 was the sub-fraction that showed the greatest inhibitory against V. mali, as an inhibition percentage of 89.36% in 1 mg. mL-1. Fifteen key inhibitory chemicals identified using GC-MS. By examining the NMR data, the chemical make-up of the precipitated white solid was identified. The inhibition rate against V. mali increased by over 95% at a dosage of 1 mg. mL-1, indicating a significant linear association between compound A and that rate. Conclusions: The strain LTL-G3 can be applied as an efficient biological control agent against V. mali, and its highly inhibitive secondary metabolites provide the mechanism for this action.

The public information needs of COVID-19 vaccine: A study based on online Q&A communities and portals in China.

Purpose: This study analyzes the topic and distribution features of public information needs for the COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese online Q&A communities and portals. It aims to identify the features and differences in public COVID-19 vaccine information needs at different periods. Design/Methodology: A total of 14,296 questions about the COVID-19 vaccine from four Chinese mainstream online communities and portals were studied following five procedures: data collection, data processing, K-means clustering, LDA topic model analysis, and needs identification. Findings: The study identified the topical features of public information needs for the COVID-19 vaccine during the first pandemic outbreak, pre-listing period, and post-listing period. It constructed a framework of public vaccine information needs. The information needs can be classified into 8 main categories and 16 subcategories. The eight main categories are vaccination (53.72%), evaluation and impact of other social events (17.90%), vaccine R&D and listing (9.49%), vaccine side effects and countermeasures (5.63%), vaccination necessity (4.98%), vaccine patent exemption (3.26%), vaccination effectiveness (2.94%), and essential knowledge of vaccine (2.08%), where percentage refers to the distribution of information needs data under various categories. Implications: Online communities and portals should provide dynamic and tailored information services according to changing public vaccine information needs. The public information needs regarding vaccination is prominent and should be addressed first. In the follow-up booster vaccination efforts, government health departments should prioritize susceptible groups, such as overseas students, airport workers, and healthcare workers. Originality/Value: We built a conceptual framework using data mining techniques and analyzed the COVID-19 vaccine information needs distribution at different time points and among different social groups, focusing on the theme of public information needs for the COVID-19 vaccine. It makes recommendations for government health departments and online platforms to improve the quality of COVID-19 vaccine information services for the public and provide a reference for the vaccination of COVID-19 booster shots.

The complete chloroplast genome of weedy rye Secale cereale subsp. segetale.

Weedy rye (Secale cereale subsp. segetale Zhukov 1928) is a problematic weed species in wheat field. However, it can potentially provide valuable genetics resources to increase the genetic variations and introduce desirable genes for rye and wheat breeding. Here, we assembled the complete chloroplast genome of S. cereale subsp. segetale. The chloroplast genome is 137,051 bp in length, containing a large single copy region (81,090 bp), a small single copy region (12,795 bp) and two separated inverted repeat regions (21,583 bp). A total of 131 unique genes were annotated, consisting of 82 protein-coding genes, 41 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis showed that Secale cereale subsp. segetale (weedy rye) and S. cereale subsp. cereale (rye) clustered together as sisters to other Secale species.

PlantcircBase 7.0: Full-length transcripts and conservation of plant circRNAs.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a special type of non-coding RNA that participates in diverse biological processes in both animals and plants. Five years ago, we developed a comprehensive plant circRNA database (PlantcircBase), which has attracted much attention from the plant circRNA community. Here, we report an updated PlantcircBase (v.7.0), which contains 171,118 circRNAs from 21 plant species. Over 31,000 of the circRNAs have full-length sequences constructed based on analysis of 749 bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets downloaded from the public domain and Nanopore long-read sequencing results of rice RNAs newly generated in this study. A plant multiple conservation score (PMCS), based on the conservation of both sequence and expression profiles, was calculated for each circRNA to quantify and compare the conservation of all circRNAs. A new parameter, plant circRNA confidence level (PCCL), is introduced to measure the identity reliability of each circRNA based on experimental validation results and the number of references that support the circRNA. All this information and other details of circRNAs can be browsed, searched, and downloaded from PlantcircBase 7.0, which also provides online bioinformatics tools for visualization and sequence alignment. PlantcircBase 7.0 is publicly and freely accessible at http://ibi.zju.edu.cn/plantcircbase/.

The complete chloroplast genome of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia.

Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Vivianiis 1802 is an annual herb, native to Mexico and South America. It is one of the most widely distributed tobacco species. As a wild tobacco, N. plumbaginifolia has provided several economically important disease-resistance genes to cultivated tobacco. We assembled the complete chloroplast genome of N. plumbaginifolia. The chloroplast genome is 155,945 bp in length, which includes a large single copy region (86,621 bp), a small single copy region (18,528 bp) and two separated inverted repeat regions (25,398 bp). A total of 117 unique genes were annotated, consisting of 84 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. Based on chloroplast genomes of 17 Nicotiana species, phylogenetic analyses indicated that N. plumbaginifolia was closely related to N. suaveolens and N. amplexicaulis.

Population genomic analysis reveals domestication of cultivated rye from weedy rye.

Rye (Secale cereale) is an important crop with multiple uses and a valuable genetic resource for wheat breeding. However, due to its complex genome and outcrossing nature, the origin of cultivated rye remains elusive. The geneticist N.I. Vavilov proposed that cultivated rye had been domesticated from weedy rye, rather than directly from wild species like other crops. Unraveling the domestication history of rye will extend our understanding of crop evolution and upend our inherent understanding of agricultural weeds. To this end, in this study we generated the 8.5 Tb of whole-genome resequencing data from 116 worldwide accessions of wild, weedy, and cultivated rye, and demonstrated that cultivated rye was domesticated directly from weedy relatives with a similar but enhanced genomic selection by humans. We found that a repertoire of genes that experienced artificial selection is associated with important agronomic traits, including shattering, grain yield, and disease resistance. Furthermore, we identified a composite introgression in cultivated rye from the wild perennial Secale strictum and detected a 2-Mb introgressed fragment containing a candidate ammonium transporter gene with potential effect on the grain yield and plant growth of rye. Taken together, our findings unravel the domestication history of cultivated rye, suggest that interspecific introgression serves as one of the likely causes of obscure species taxonomy of the genus Secale, and provide an important resource for future rye and wheat breeding.

Biocompatible exosomes nanodrug cargo for cancer cell bioimaging and drug delivery.

Therapy against cancer remains a daunting issue for human health, despite remarkable innovations in many areas of pathology. In situ biosynthesized nanoclusters bestow a novel remedy for carcinogenic cell imaging. Exosomes have received special attention as an efficient tool for the diagnosis of various diseases, including cancers. All types of cells (healthy or diseased) generate exosomes, making them significantly unique for relevant disease diagnosis and treatment. In this contribution, we exploit the possibility of utilizing the exosomes to facilitate chemotherapeutics, viz. the combination of doxorubicin (Dox) and biosynthesized silver nanoclusters in cancer cells. Our study showed a new facile way for bioimaging of cancer cells using biosynthesized silver-DNA nanoclusters, and thus further targeting cancer cells using the relevant cancer exosomes as drug delivery cargo. After isolating exosomes from neoplastic cells, i.e. HeLa, loaded with the drug, and treating other neoplastic cells with cargo-loaded isolated exosomes, we found that cargo-loaded isolated exosomes can readily enter into the targeted cancer cells and efficiently kill these neoplastic cells. This raises the possibility of acting as a novel facile modality for target cancer theranostics with high efficiency and biocompability.

Schisandra chinensis bee pollen's chemical profiles and protective effect against H2O2-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

BACKGROUND: Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill bee pollen extract (SCBPE) is often used as a functional food in China due to its good antioxidant property. However, its chemical compositions and effects on H9c2 cardiomyocytes against H2O2-induced cell injury still lacks of reports thus far. This study aimed to characterize the main components of SCBPE and investigate its protective effects against H2O2-induced H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury. METHODS: The main components of SCBPE were analyzed via ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF MS/MS). The three main nucleosides in SCBPE were quantitatively analyzed via ultraperformance liquid chromatography-diode array detection. Furthermore, the potential mechanism by which SCBPE exerts protective effects against H2O2-induced H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury was explored for the first time via cell survival rate measurements; cell morphological observation; myocardial superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) level determination; flow cytometry; and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Two carbohydrates, three nucleosides, and nine quinic acid nitrogen-containing derivatives in SCBPE were identified or tentatively characterized via UPLC-QTOF MS/MS. The nine quinic acid nitrogen-containing derivatives were first reported in bee pollen. The contents of uridine, guanosine, and adenosine were 2.4945 ± 0.0185, 0.1896 ± 0.0049, and 1.8418 ± 0.0157 µg/mg, respectively. Results of in vitro experiments showed that cell survival rate, myocardial SOD activity, and GSH level significantly increased and myocardial MDA level significantly decreased in SCBPE groups compared with those in H2O2 group. Cell morphology in SCBPE groups also markedly improved compared with that in H2O2 group. Results indicated that SCBPE protected H9c2 cardiomyocytes from H2O2-induced apoptosis by downregulating the mRNA expressions of Bax, cytochrome C, and caspase-3 and upregulating the Bcl-2 mRNA expression. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to report that SCBPE could protect against oxidative stress injury and apoptosis in H2O2-injured H9c2 cells. Results indicated that the nucleosides and quinic acid nitrogen-containing derivatives could be the main substances that exert protective effects against H2O2-induced H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury.

In situ self-assembled Ag-Fe3O4 nanoclusters in exosomes for cancer diagnosis.

Recently, exosomes have gained attention as an effective tool for early cancer detection. Almost all types of cells release exosomes, making them substantially important for disease diagnosis. In this study, we have utilized HepG2 cancer cells for the in situ biosynthesis of silver and iron oxide nanoclusters (NCs) from their respective salts (i.e., AgNO3 and FeCl2, respectively) in the presence of glutathione (GSH). The self-assembled biosynthesized silver and iron NCs were readily loaded on exosomes as payloads and secreted into the cell culture medium. The cargo loaded exosomes were then isolated and characterized by electron microscopy for nano-silver and iron oxide NC confirmation. Ag NCs have potential as a fluorescent probe and Fe3O4 NCs as a contrast agent for CT and MRI. Furthermore, these isolated exosomes from HepG2 cancer cells have a significant influence on cellular uptake and cell viability when exposed to both HepG2 and U87 cancer cells. These findings demonstrate that the biocompatible nature of these self-assembled NCs loaded on exosomes could be utilized to bioimage cancer in the initial stages through fluorescence imaging.

In situ self-assembling Au-DNA complexes for targeted cancer bioimaging and inhibition.

Cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases to treat. For accurate cancer diagnosis and targeted therapy, it is important to assess the localization of the affected area of cancers. The general approaches for cancer diagnostics include pathological assessments and imaging. However, these methods only generally assess the tumor area. In this study, by taking advantage of the unique microenvironment of cancers, we effectively utilize in situ self-assembled biosynthetic fluorescent gold nanocluster-DNA (GNC-DNA) complexes to facilitate safe and targeted cancer theranostics. In in vitro and in vivo tumor models, our self-assembling biosynthetic approach allowed for precise bioimaging and inhibited cancer growth after one injection of DNA and gold precursors. These results demonstrate that in situ bioresponsive self-assembling GNC-PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) complexes could be an effective noninvasive technique for accurate cancer bioimaging and treatment, thus providing a safe and promising cancer theranostics platform for cancer therapy.

Glutathione Induced Transformation of Partially Hollow Gold-Silver Nanocages for Cancer Diagnosis and Photothermal Therapy.

Gold-silver nanocages (GSNCs) are widely used in cancer imaging and therapy due to excellent biocompatibility, internal hollow structures, and tunable optical properties. However, their possible responses toward the tumor microenvironment are still not well understood. In this study, it is demonstrated that a kind of relatively small sized (35 nm) and partially hollow GSNCs (absorbance centered at 532 nm) can enhance the intrinsic photoacoustic imaging performances for blood vessels around tumor sites. More importantly, the high concentration of glutathione around the tumor cells' microenvironment may induce the aggregation, disintegration, and agglomeration of these GSNCs sequentially, allowing significant shifts in the absorbance spectrum of GSNCs to the near-infrared (NIR) region. This enhanced absorbance in the NIR region entails the significant photothermal therapy (PTT) effect. In vivo experiments, including photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) for cancer diagnosis and PTT in tumor model mice, also show coincident consequences. Taken together, the slightly hollow GSNCs may assist PAM-based tumor diagnosis and induce a tumor targeted PTT effect. This work paves a new avenue for the development of an alternative tumor diagnostic and therapeutic strategy.

Antioxidative and Cardioprotective Effects of Schisandra chinensis Bee Pollen Extract on Isoprenaline-Induced Myocardial Infarction in Rats.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction (MI). Schisandra chinensis bee pollen extract (SCBPE) possesses powerful antioxidant capacity. This study aimed to further explore the antioxidative and cardioprotective effects of SCBPE on acute MI induced by isoprenaline (ISO) in rats. The rats were intragastrically administrated with SCBPE (600, 1200, or 1800 mg/kg/day) and Compound Danshen dropping pills (270 mg/kg/day) for 30 days, then subcutaneously injected with ISO (65 mg/kg/day) on the 29th and 30th day. Compared with the model group, pretreatment with middle and high doses of SCBPE significantly reduced serum aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase activities and increased myocardial superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase activities. The histopathologic aspects showed that pathological heart change was found in the model group and reduced to varying degrees in the SCBPE groups. Moreover, the protein expression of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and Bcl2 in the heart increased in the SCBPE groups, while that of Bax decreased compared to the model group. Besides this, uridine was isolated from S. chinensis bee pollen for the first time. This study could provide a scientific basis for using Schisandra chinensis bee pollen as a functional food for the prevention of MI.

Nano in nano: Biosynthesized gold and iron nanoclusters cargo neoplastic exosomes for cancer status biomarking.

Timely detection is crucial for successful treatment of cancer. The current study describes a new approach that involves utilization of the tumor cell environment for bioimaging with in-situ biosynthesized nanoscale gold and iron probes and subsequent dissemination of Au-Fe nanoclusters from cargo exosomes within the circulatory system. We have isolated the Au-Fe cargo exosomes from the blood of the treated murine models after in situ biosyntheses from their respective pre-ionic solutions (HAuCl4, FeCl2), whereas Na2SeO3 supplementation added into Au lethal effect. The microarray data of various differentially expressed genes revealed the up-regulated tumor ablation and metal binding genes in SGC-7901 cell lines after treatment with Au-Fe-Se triplet ionic solution. The isolation of Au-Fe nanoclusters cargo exosomes (nano in nano) after secretion from deeply seated tumors may help in early diagnosis and reveal the tumor ablation status during and after the relevant treatment like radio-chemo therapies et al.

Correction to: Monitoring dynamic release of intracellular hydrogen peroxide through a microelectrode based enzymatic biosensor.

The authors would like to call the reader's attention to the fact that unfortunately Alberto Pasquarelli's and Kay-Eberhard Gottschalk's affiliations were wrong in the original publication.