Image deblurring by multi-scale modified U-Net using dilated convolution.

In modern urban traffic systems, intersection monitoring systems are used to monitor traffic flows and track vehicles by recognizing license plates. However, intersection monitors often produce motion-blurred images because of the rapid movement of cars. If a deep learning network is used for image deblurring, the blurring of the image can be eliminated first, and then the complete vehicle information can be obtained to improve the recognition rate. To restore a dynamic blurred image to a sharp image, this paper proposes a multi-scale modified U-Net image deblurring network using dilated convolution and employs a variable scaling iterative strategy to make the scheme more adaptable to actual blurred images. Multi-scale architecture uses scale changes to learn the characteristics of different scales of images, and the use of dilated convolution can improve the advantages of the receptive field and obtain more information from features without increasing the computational cost. Experimental results are obtained using a synthetic motion-blurred image dataset and a real blurred image dataset for comparison with existing deblurring methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the image deblurring method proposed in this paper has a favorable effect on actual motion-blurred images.

Sequential deacetylation/self-gelling chitin hydrogels and scaffolds functionalized with fucoidan for enhanced BMP-2 loading and sustained release.

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is a potent osteoinductive factor that promotes bone formation. A major obstacle to the clinical application of BMP-2 is its inherent instability and complications caused by its rapid release from implants. Chitin based materials have excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties, making them ideal for bone tissue engineering applications. In this study, a simple and easy method was developed to spontaneously form deacetylated ß-chitin (DAC-ß-chitin) gels at room temperature through a sequential deacetylation/self-gelation process. The structural transformation of ß-chitin to DAC-ß-chitin leads to the formation of self-gelling DAC-ß-chitin, from which hydrogels and scaffolds were prepared. Gelatin (GLT) accelerated the self-gelation of DAC-ß-chitin and increased the pore size and porosity of the DAC-ß-chitin scaffold. The DAC-ß-chitin scaffolds were then functionalized with a BMP-2-binding sulfate polysaccharide, fucoidan (FD). Compared with ß-chitin scaffolds, FD-functionalized DAC-ß-chitin scaffolds showed higher BMP-2 loading capacity and more sustainable release of BMP-2, and thus had better osteogenic activity for bone regeneration.

Intelligent films of marine polysaccharides and purple cauliflower extract for food packaging and spoilage monitoring.

In this study, metalloanthocyanin-inspired, biodegradable packaging films were developed by incorporating purple cauliflower extracted (PCE) anthocyanins into alginate (AL)/carboxymethyl chitosan (CCS) hybrid polymer matrices based on complexation of metal ions with these marine polysaccharides and anthocyanins. PCE anthocyanins-incorporated AL/CCS films were further modified with fucoidan (FD) because this sulfated polysaccharide can form strong interactions with anthocyanins. Metals-involved complexation (Ca2+ and Zn2+-crosslinked films) improved the mechanical strength and water vapor permeability but reduced the swelling degree of the films. Zn2+-cross-linked films exhibited significantly higher antibacterial activity than did pristine (non-crosslinked) and Ca2+-cross-linked films. The metal ion/polysaccharide-involved complexation with anthocyanin reduced the release rate of anthocyanins, increased the storage stability and antioxidant capability, and improved the sensitivity of the colorimetric response of the indicator films for monitoring the freshness of shrimp. The anthocyanin-metal-polysaccharide complex film showed great potential as active and intelligent packaging of food products.

Difference and consistency of corneal refractive power and astigmatism in cataract patients measured by CASIA2 and IOL Master 700 / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To compare the difference and consistency of corneal refractive power and astigmatism measured by CASIA2 and IOL Master 700 in patients with age-related cataract.METHODS: Retrospective study. A total of 153 patients(232 eyes)with age-related cataract admitted to Daping hospital from November to December 2021 were selected. The flat keratometry(Kf), steep keratometry(Ks), mean keratometry(Km), degree and axis of astigmatism(vector representation J0 and J45)of the anterior, posterior surfaces together with the total cornea from cataract patients were measured by CASIA2 and IOL Master 700, respectively. The difference, correlation and consistency of the two instruments were analyzed.RESULTS:There was no significant difference in J45 values of posterior corneal surface measured by CASIA2 and IOL Master 700(-0.006±0.038D vs. -0.005±0.044D, P>0.05), but there were significant differences in other parameters(all P<0.05). All parameters measured by the two instruments were significantly positive correlated(all r/rs>0.7, P<0.001); Bland-Altman analysis showed that the refractive power and astigmatism of the anterior cornea surface measured by the two facilities were in good consistency, while the refractive power of the posterior surface and the whole cornea showed poor consistency.CONCLUSION: CASIA2 and IOL Master 700 showed little differences and good consistency in the refractive power and astigmatism of the anterior, posterior and total corneal surface in cataract patients, which seems interchangeable. However, the refractive power of the posterior surface and the whole cornea has significant differences and poor consistency, which should not be interchange casually.

Formulation and Evaluation of Chitosan/NaCl/Maltodextrin Microparticles as a Saltiness Enhancer: Study on the Optimization of Excipients for the Spray-Drying Process.

Spray-dried chitosan/NaCl/maltodextrin microparticles have the potential to be used to enhance saltiness; however, its notable hygroscopicity results in handling and storage problems, thus limiting its application. In the present study, we attempted to introduce maltodextrin, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), and waxy starch (WS) as excipients into the spray drying formulation of microparticles to reduce the cohesiveness and caking behavior and improve the yield simultaneously by ameliorating the moisture absorption tendency. The prepared microparticles showed a spherical appearance and had particle sizes ranging from 6.29 to 7.64 µm, while the sizes of the NaCl crystals embedded in the microparticles were 0.36 to 1.24 µm. The crystalline reflections of WS and MCC were retained in the microparticles after the spray-drying process. The handling properties were assessed to be acceptable. The formulation with only maltodextrin as the excipient showed a high moisture absorption rate of 2.83 g/100 g·h and a caking strength of 3.27 kg. The addition of MCC and WS significantly reduced the hygroscopic rate and caking strength. The spray-dried products provided better saltiness perception than native NaCl; as such, they may be promising for seasoning dry food products to achieve sodium intake reduction in the food industry.

Active and intelligent gellan gum-based packaging films for controlling anthocyanins release and monitoring food freshness.

Active and intelligent packaging films with multiple functions including antioxidant, antibacterial and colorimetric pH indicator properties were developed by incorporating Clitoria ternatea (CT) extract into gellan gum (G) film. G enhanced the stability of CT anthocyanins and allowed the anthocyanins to release from G film in a pH-responsive behavior. Heat-treated soy protein isolate (HSPI) was able to interact with G and CT anthocyanins through the formation of electrostatic forces and covalent bonds. G film blended with HSPI greatly reduced the swelling capacity of G/HSPI composite film and controlled the anthocyanins release at pH greater than 6.0. The physical and mechanical properties of G films such as hydrophobicity, water vapor permeability, swelling capacity and tensile strength were also significantly modified by addition of HSPI to G films. The smart films changed their color with the increase of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) values during progressive spoilage of shrimp, revealing their potential application for monitoring seafood freshness.

An Efficient Screen for Cell-Intrinsic Factors Identifies the Chaperonin CCT and Multiple Conserved Mechanisms as Mediating Dendrite Morphogenesis.

Dendritic morphology is inextricably linked to neuronal function. Systematic large-scale screens combined with genetic mapping have uncovered several mechanisms underlying dendrite morphogenesis. However, a comprehensive overview of participating molecular mechanisms is still lacking. Here, we conducted an efficient clonal screen using a collection of mapped P-element insertions that were previously shown to cause lethality and eye defects in Drosophila melanogaster. Of 280 mutants, 52 exhibited dendritic defects. Further database analyses, complementation tests, and RNA interference validations verified 40 P-element insertion genes as being responsible for the dendritic defects. Twenty-eight mutants presented severe arbor reduction, and the remainder displayed other abnormalities. The intrinsic regulators encoded by the identified genes participate in multiple conserved mechanisms and pathways, including the protein folding machinery and the chaperonin-containing TCP-1 (CCT) complex that facilitates tubulin folding. Mutant neurons in which expression of CCT4 or CCT5 was depleted exhibited severely retarded dendrite growth. We show that CCT localizes in dendrites and is required for dendritic microtubule organization and tubulin stability, suggesting that CCT-mediated tubulin folding occurs locally within dendrites. Our study also reveals novel mechanisms underlying dendrite morphogenesis. For example, we show that Drosophila Nogo signaling is required for dendrite development and that Mummy and Wech also regulate dendrite morphogenesis, potentially via Dpp- and integrin-independent pathways. Our methodology represents an efficient strategy for identifying intrinsic dendrite regulators, and provides insights into the plethora of molecular mechanisms underlying dendrite morphogenesis.

Synthesis and characterization of Gd-DTPA/fucoidan/peptide complex nanoparticle and in vitro magnetic resonance imaging of inflamed endothelial cells.

P-selectin overexpressed on activated endothelial cells and platelets is a new target for treatment of cancers and cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and thrombosis. In this study, depolymerized low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF8775) and a thermolysin-hydrolyzed protamine peptide (TPP1880) were prepared. TPP1880 and LMWF8775 were able to form self-assembled complex nanoparticles (CNPs). The formation of TPP1880/LMWF8775 CNPs was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectra, circular dichroism spectra and isothermal titration calorimetry. The CNPs selectively targeted PMA-stimulated, inflamed endothelial cells (HUVECs) with high expression of P-selectin. Gd-DTPA MRI contrast agent was successfully loaded in the CNPs with better T1 relaxivity and selectively accumulated in the activated HUVECs with increased MRI intensity and reduced cytotoxicity as compared to free Gd-DTPA. Our results suggest that the TPP1880/LMWF8775 CNPs may have potential in future for early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and cancers in which the endothelium is inflamed or activated.

Improvement and Multi-Population Generalizability of a Deep Learning-Based Chest Radiograph Severity Score for COVID-19

PurposeTo improve and test the generalizability of a deep learning-based model for assessment of COVID-19 lung disease severity on chest radiographs (CXRs) from different patient populations. Materials and MethodsA published convolutional Siamese neural network-based model previously trained on hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was tuned using 250 outpatient CXRs. This model produces a quantitative measure of COVID-19 lung disease severity (pulmonary x-ray severity (PXS) score). The model was evaluated on CXRs from four test sets, including 3 from the United States (patients hospitalized at an academic medical center (N=154), patients hospitalized at a community hospital (N=113), and outpatients (N=108)) and 1 from Brazil (patients at an academic medical center emergency department (N=303)). Radiologists from both countries independently assigned reference standard CXR severity scores, which were correlated with the PXS scores as a measure of model performance (Pearson r). The Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) technique was used to visualize the neural network results. ResultsTuning the deep learning model with outpatient data improved model performance in two United States hospitalized patient datasets (r=0.88 and r=0.90, compared to baseline r=0.86). Model performance was similar, though slightly lower, when tested on the United States outpatient and Brazil emergency department datasets (r=0.86 and r=0.85, respectively). UMAP showed that the model learned disease severity information that generalized across test sets. ConclusionsPerformance of a deep learning-based model that extracts a COVID-19 severity score on CXRs improved using training data from a different patient cohort (outpatient versus hospitalized) and generalized across multiple populations.

Characterization and toxicology evaluation of low molecular weight chitosan on zebrafish.

Chitosan is suggested as no or low toxicity and biocompatible biomaterial. Digestion of chitosan to reduce molecular weight and formulate nanoparticle was generally used to improve efficiency for DNA or protein delivery. However, the toxicity of low-molecular-weight chitosan (LMWCS) towards freshwater fishes has not been well evaluated. Here, we reported the toxic mechanism of LMWCS using zebrafish (Danio rerio) liver (ZFL) cell line, zebrafish larvae, and adult fish. LMWCS rapidly induced cytotoxicity of ZFL cells and death of zebrafish. Cell membrane damaged by LMWCS reduced cell viability. Damaged membrane of epithelial cell in zebrafish larvae induced breakage of the yolk. Adult fish exhibited hypoxia before death due to multiple damages induced by LMWCS. Although the toxicity of LMWCS was revealed in zebrafish model, the toxicity was only present in pH < 7 and easy be neutralized by other negative ions. Collectively, these data improved a new understanding of LMWCS properties.

Automated assessment of COVID-19 pulmonary disease severity on chest radiographs using convolutional Siamese neural networks

PurposeTo develop an automated measure of COVID-19 pulmonary disease severity on chest radiographs (CXRs), for longitudinal disease evaluation and clinical risk stratification. Materials and MethodsA convolutional Siamese neural network-based algorithm was trained to output a measure of pulmonary disease severity on anterior-posterior CXRs (pulmonary x-ray severity (PXS) score), using weakly-supervised pretraining on ~160,000 images from CheXpert and transfer learning on 314 CXRs from patients with COVID-19. The algorithm was evaluated on internal and external test sets from different hospitals, containing 154 and 113 CXRs respectively. The PXS score was correlated with a radiographic severity score independently assigned by two thoracic radiologists and one in-training radiologist. For 92 internal test set patients with follow-up CXRs, the change in PXS score was compared to radiologist assessments of change. The association between PXS score and subsequent intubation or death was assessed. ResultsThe PXS score correlated with the radiographic pulmonary disease severity score assigned to CXRs in the COVID-19 internal and external test sets ({rho}=0.84 and {rho}=0.78 respectively). The direction of change in PXS score in follow-up CXRs agreed with radiologist assessment ({rho}=0.74). In patients not intubated on the admission CXR, the PXS score predicted subsequent intubation or death within three days of hospital admission (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve=0.80 (95%CI 0.75-0.85)). ConclusionA Siamese neural network-based severity score automatically measures COVID-19 pulmonary disease severity in chest radiographs, which can be scaled and rapidly deployed for clinical triage and workflow optimization. SUMMARYA convolutional Siamese neural network-based algorithm can calculate a continuous radiographic pulmonary disease severity score in COVID-19 patients, which can be used for longitudinal disease evaluation and clinical risk stratification. KEY RESULTSO_LIA Siamese neural network-based severity score correlates with radiologist-annotated pulmonary disease severity on chest radiographs from patients with COVID-19 ({rho}=0.84 and {rho}=0.78 in internal and external test sets respectively). C_LIO_LIThe direction of change in the severity score in follow-up radiographs is concordant with radiologist assessment ({rho}=0.74). C_LIO_LIThe admission chest radiograph severity score can help predict subsequent intubation or death within three days of admission (receiver operator characteristic area under the curve=0.80). C_LI

Development of bacterial cellulose/chitin multi-nanofibers based smart films containing natural active microspheres and nanoparticles formed in situ.

Nanofiber-based materials have recently gained increasing attention in food packaging, drug delivery, and biomedical applications. In this study, a multi-nanofibers composite film was developed based on bacterial cellulose nanofiber (BCNF)/chitin nanofiber (CNF) hybridization. The nanofibers were responsible for the formation of well-dispersed curcumin (Cur) micro/nanoparticles in the nanocomposite films. The release of Cur from the films were affected by CNF and the sizes of Cur particles formed in situ. The Cur particles reduced tensile strength and increased water vapor permeability of BCNF film. However, CNF improved the mechanical strength and barrier property of the Cur/BCNF/CNF composite film. Moreover, the multi-nanofibers composite film showed excellent dynamic antioxidant capacity and antibacterial activity, as well as was capable to monitor pH change and trace amount of boric acid. Results of this study suggested that the Cur/BCNF/CNF composite film can be used as a smart and active food packaging material.

Enhancing Saltiness Perception Using Chitin Nanomaterials.

In the present study, we prepared and characterized chitin nanomaterials with different diameters, lengths, and degree of deacetylation (DD), and investigated their capability for enhancing saltiness perception. Chitin was isolated from squid pens and transformed into chitin nanofiber (CNF), deacetylated chitin nanofiber (DACNF), and chitin nanocrystal (CNC) by ultrasonication, alkali treatment followed by ultrasonication and acid hydrolysis, respectively. The diameters of CNF, CNC and DACNF were 17.24 nm, 16.05 nm and 15.01 nm while the lengths were 1725.05 nm, 116.91 nm, and 1806.60 nm, respectively. The aspect ratios of CNF and DACNF were much higher than that of CNC. The crystalline indices of CNF and CNC were lower than that of original ß-chitin, suggesting that ultrasonication and acid hydrolysis might change the molecular arrangement in crystalline region of chitin. The zeta-potentials were between 19.73 nV and 30.08 mV of chitin nanomaterials in distilled water. Concentrations of chitin nanomaterials (40-74 µg/mL) showed minimal effect on zeta-potential, whereas increasing the level of NaCl reduced the zeta-potential of solution. Moreover, NaCl solution (0.3%) with chitin nanomaterials addition produced significant higher saltiness perception than that of solution with NaCl alone. Therefore, chitin nanomaterials may be promising saltiness enhancers in the food industry.

Development of Injectable Fucoidan and Biological Macromolecules Hybrid Hydrogels for Intra-Articular Delivery of Platelet-Rich Plasma.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is rich in growth factors and has commonly been utilized in the repair and regeneration of damaged articular cartilage. However, the major drawbacks of direct PRP injection are unstable biological fixation and fast or burst release of growth factors. Fucoidan is a heparinoid compound that can bind growth factors to control their release rate. Furthermore, fucoidan can reduce arthritis through suppressing inflammatory responses and thus it has been reported to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis, promote bone regeneration and accelerate healing of cartilage injury. Injectable hydrogels can be used to deliver cells and growth factors for an alternative, less invasive treatment of cartilage defects. In this study, hyaluronic acid (HA) and fucoidan (FD) was blended with gelatin (GLT) and the GLT/HA/FD hybrid was further cross-linked with genipin (GP) to prepare injectable GP-GLT/HA/FD hydrogels. The gelation rate was affected by the GP, GLT, HA and FD concentrations, as well as the pH values. The addition of HA and FD to GLT networks improved the mechanical strength of the hydrogels and facilitated the sustained release of PRP growth factors. The GP-GLT/HA/FD hydrogel showed adequate injectability, shape-persistent property and strong adhesive ability, and was more resistant to enzymatic degradation. The PRP-loaded GP-GLT/HA/FD hydrogel promoted cartilage regeneration in rabbits, which may lead to an advanced PRP therapy for enhancing cartilage repair.

Fermented soymilk and soy and cow milk mixture, supplemented with orange peel fiber or Tremella flava fermented powder as prebiotics for high exopolysaccharide-producing Lactobacillus pentosus SLC 13.

BACKGROUND: A high exopolysaccharide-producing Lactobacillus pentosus SLC 13 strain was isolated from mustard pickles and showed the characteristics of a probiotic. Orange peel fiber powder (OPFP) and Tremella flava fermented powder (TFP) were shown to be potential prebiotics for L. pentosus SLC 13. The present study aimed to further develop new symbiotic fermented lactic acid beverages using SLC 13 with different proportions of cow milk and soymilk as food substrates, as well as with OPFP or TFP as prebiotics. RESULTS: Acidification rate (soymilk groups, 3.02-4.37 mU min-1 ; soymilk/milk mixture groups, 1.33-2.84 mU min-1 ) and fermentation time (soymilk groups, 7.09-9.25 h; soymilk/milk mixture groups, 12.51-27.34 h) indicated that soymilk represents a suitable substrate for SLC 13-mediated fermentation. Moreover, OPFP and TFP induced a higher exopolysaccharide production of SLC 13 and a higher water holding capacity of fermented beverages. Sensory evaluations suggested that soymilk groups fermented with 10 g kg-1 OPFP (SF-1.0P) and that with 5 g kg-1 TFP (SF-0.5T) and also soymilk/milk mixture groups fermented with 5 g kg-1 OPFP (HSMF-0.5P) and that with 10 g kg-1 TFP (HSMF-1.0T) represent potential fermented drinks. Additionally, SF-1.0P and SF-0.5T products could be preserved for at least 21 days at 4 °C, with high viable cell counts (> 8.8 log10 CFU mL-1 ) and water holding capacity. CONCLUSION: In the present study, we developed SF-1.0P and SF-0.5T products as a new symbiotic fermented lactic acid beverages. However, in the future, consumer acceptability could be improved by properly regulating the ratio of sugar to acid or seasoning. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

A novel injectable in situ forming gel based on carboxymethyl hexanoyl chitosan/hyaluronic acid polymer blending for sustained release of berberine.

An in situ forming gel based on simply blending carboxymethyl hexanoyl chitosan (CHC) with low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (LMW HA) was developed, without needing cross-linking, photopolymerization or thermal treatments. The CHC/LMW HA blends formed nanoparticles and then rapidly transformed into supermolecular hydrogels under stirring. The gel formation mechanism was examined by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The gels were injectable, cytocompatible and biodegradable, and showed shape-persistent behavior and adhesive property. Berberine, an anti-apoptotic and anti-arthritis naturally occurring compound, was encapsulated within the CHC/LMW HA gels. The gels demonstrated a pH-responsive characteristic which were able to release berberine in a sustained manner at pH 6.0 (simulating inflamed arthritic articular cartilage) and the degradation rates were accelerated at pH 7.4 (simulating healed normal tissue). The berberine-loaded gels effectively protected chondrocytes against sodium nitroprusside-induced apoptosis. The gels may be potentially useful as an injectable system for intra-articular drug delivery and cartilage tissue engineering.

Adult renal neuroblastoma: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Adult renal neuroblastoma (NB) is extremely rare, and there have been only a few cases previously described in the literature. We report a case of adult renal NB and summarize the clinical and imaging features of the reported cases. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 41-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with a chief complaint of gross hematuria that had persisted for a month. Nonenhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a hypodense right renal mass without calcification. Enhanced CT showed an infiltrative, heterogeneously enhancing right renal mass with retrocaval lymphadenopathy and right renal vein thrombus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that the right renal mass was isointense relative to the renal parenchyma on nonenhanced T1-weighted images; it showed mixed hypointensity and hyperintensity on T2-weighted images, and heterogeneous enhancement with a hyperintense rim on fat-saturated, enhanced T1W images. The initial impression was renal cell carcinoma (RCC). DIAGNOSES: Adult renal neuroblastoma. INTERVENTIONS: Right nephroureterectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. The pathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of renal NB with retrocaval lymphadenopathy and retroperitoneal metastasis. OUTCOMES: After surgery, the patient received 6 courses of chemotherapy, and no recurrence was observed during a 24-month follow-up period. LESSONS: The clinical picture of adult renal NB is that of a 44-year-old woman, presenting with an abdominal or renal mass about 13cm in size, accompanied by hypertension, hematuria, or pain. In contrast to CT features described in previous literature, no tumor calcification is mentioned in these adult renal NB cases. It is difficult to differentiate renal NB from RCC based on CT or MRI. However, biopsy, urinary catecholamine levels, and metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scan may aid in presurgical diagnosis.

Complete genome sequence of Lactobacillus pentosus SLC13, isolated from mustard pickles, a potential probiotic strain with antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogenic microorganisms.

BACKGROUND: Lactobacillus pentosus SLC13 is a high exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing strain with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and the ability to grow in simulated gastrointestinal conditions. SLC13 was isolated from mustard pickles in Taiwan for potential probiotic applications. To better understand the molecular base for its antimicrobial activity and high EPS production, entire genome of SLC13 was determined by PacBio SMRT sequencing. RESULTS: L. pentosus SLC13 contains a genome with a 3,520,510-bp chromosome and a 62,498-bp plasmid. GC content of the complete genome was 46.5% and that of plasmid pSLC13 was 41.3%. Sequences were annotated at the RAST prokaryotic genome annotation server, and the results showed that the genome contained 3172 coding sequences and 82 RNA genes. Seventy-six protein-coding sequences were identified on the plasmid pSLC13. A plantaricin gene cluster, which is responsible for bacteriosins biosynthesis and could be associated with its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, was identified based on comparative genomic analysis. Two gene clusters involved in EPS production were also identified. CONCLUSION: This genomic sequence might contribute to a future application of this strain as probiotic in productive livestock potentially inhibiting competing and pathogenic organisms.

Drug release and antioxidant/antibacterial activities of silymarin-zein nanoparticle/bacterial cellulose nanofiber composite films.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer composed of nanofibers which has excellent film-forming ability. However, BC do not have antibacterial or antioxidant activity, thus limiting the applicability of BC for food and biomedical applications. In this study, flavonoid silymarin (SMN) and zein were assembled into spherical SMN-Zein nanoparticles that could be effectively adsorbed onto BC nanofibers. SMN-Zein nanoparticles greatly changed the wettability and swelling property of BC films due to the formation of nanoparticles/nanofibers nanocomposites. SMN-Zein nanoparticles enhanced the release of sparingly soluble silymarin from the nanocomposite films. The active films showed more effective antioxidant and antibacterial activities as compared with pure BC films and thus were able to protect salmon muscle from deterioration and lipid oxidation. These findings suggest that the nanoparticle/nanofiber composites may offer a suitable platform for modification of BC films with improved drug release properties and biological activities.

Comparison of clinical effects between bromfenac sodium versus loteprednol etabonate following FS-LASIK / 中华实验眼科杂志

Objective To compare the efficacy,safety and tolerability between bromfenac sodium ophthalmic solution 0.1％ eye drop and loteprednol etabonate 0.5％ eye drop after femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK).Methods A prospective randomized controlled trail was performed.Seventy-six patients who had been undergone FS-LASIK in Daping Hospital were enrolled from December 2013 to December 2014.They were divided into two groups randomly by using the random number table method.The bromfenac sodium group included 38 patients administered 0.1％ bromfenac sodium ophthalmic solution,and the loteprednol etabonate group comprised 38 patients treated with 0.5％ loteprednol etabonate.Patients in both groups initially administered tobramycin-dexamethasone four times a day after FS-LASIK for 1 week.Then the patients in the bromfenac sodium group were treated with bromfenac sodium twice a day until 1 month postoperatively.While the patients from the loteprednol etabonate group were treated with loteprednol etabonate twice a day until 1 month after surgery.Visual acuity,refraction,intraocular pressure and ocular manifestation were examined preoperative and 1 day,1 week,1 month,3 months,6 months after FS-LASIK.This study was approved by the medical ethics Committee of Daping Hospital.Results No significant difference was found in the rate of uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) which achieved to preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) between the two groups at each time point after operation (x2 =8.000,P =0.613).There was no difference in spherical equivalent (SE) between the two groups postoperatively (Fgroup =1.137,P =0.288),but a significant difference was found between the different time points (Ftime =29.771,P =0.000).Postoperative SE in the two groups tended to have mild hyperopia in the early days,and then gradually tended to " zero" or mild myopia.There was a significant difference with intraocular pressure among different time points (Ftime =87.519,P =0.000),but no significant difference of intraocular pressure was found between the groups (Fgroup =1.989,P =0.161).One month after surgery,the intraocular pressure were higher than 20 mmHg in two eyes in the loteprednol etabonate group,and two eyes were 5 mmHg higher than preoperative intraocular pressure.In bromfenac group,no one was higher than 5 mmHg compared with the preoperative intraocular pressure,and the pressures of all the eyes were lower than 18 mmHg.All the patients in bromfenac group were no drug withdrawal.But three patients were forced to guide drug withdrawal due to high intraocular pressure in loteprednol group.Conclusions Bromfenac sodium is safe,effective and well tolerated after FS-LASIK.