Antiviral activity of flavonol against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) remains one of the major causative microorganisms of viral diarrhea in piglets worldwide, with no approved drugs for treatment. We identified a natural molecule, flavonol, which is widely found in tea, vegetables and herbs. Subsequently, the antiviral activity of compound flavonol was evaluated in Vero cells and IPEC-J2 cells, and its anti-PEDV mechanism was analyzed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics. The results showed that flavonol could effectively inhibit viral progeny production, RNA synthesis and protein expression of PEDV strains in a dose-dependent manner. When flavonol was added simultaneously with viral infection in Vero cells, it demonstrated potent anti-PEDV activity by affecting the viral attachment and internalization phases. Similarly, in IPEC-J2 cells, flavonol effectively inhibited PEDV infection at different stages of infection, except for the release phase. Moreover, flavonol mainly interacts with PEDV Mpro through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic forces, and the complex formed by it has high stability. Importantly, flavonol also showed broad-spectrum activity against other porcine enteric coronaviruses such as TGEV and PDCoV in vitro. These findings suggest that flavonol may exert antiviral effects by interacting with viral Mpro, thereby affecting viral replication. This means that flavonol is expected to become a potential drug to prevent or treat porcine enteric coronavirus.

Association between oxidative balance score and sarcopenia in US adults: NHANES 2011-2018.

Background: Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by diminished skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function, accompanied by inflammation and oxidative stress, remains an area of limited exploration concerning its correlation with the Oxidative Balance Score (OBS). Methods: Leveraging data from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we meticulously examined 16 dietary and four lifestyle factors to derive the OBS. Adjusting appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) by body mass index (BMI) served as the designated marker for sarcopenia. To scrutinize the association between OBS and sarcopenia, we conducted weighted logistic regression and engaged in sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, we implemented subgroup analysis and interaction tests to gain comprehensive insights into the relationship across diverse populations. Results: In a sample comprising 6,677 individuals aged 20-59, logistic regression illuminated a negative association between OBS and sarcopenia [OR = 0.942 (0.920, 0.964), p < 0.001]. Robust associations were also discerned between diseases and both dietary and lifestyle OBS. Subgroup analysis unveiled a more pronounced negative association in older, married/living with partner or more educated individuals. Moreover, this association persisted in populations grappling with comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis. Conclusion: Our study posits a perceptible link between OBS and the prevalence of sarcopenia among American adults.

Porcine kobuvirus enhances porcine epidemic diarrhea virus pathogenicity and alters the number of intestinal lymphocytes in piglets.

Recent epidemiological studies have discovered that a lot of cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection are frequently accompanied by porcine kobuvirus (PKV) infection, suggesting a potential relationship between the two viruses in the development of diarrhea. To investigate the impact of PKV on PEDV pathogenicity and the number of intestinal lymphocytes, piglets were infected with PKV or PEDV or co-infected with both viruses. Our findings demonstrate that co-infected piglets exhibit more severe symptoms, acute gastroenteritis, and higher PEDV replication compared to those infected with PEDV alone. Notably, PKV alone does not cause significant intestinal damage but enhances PEDV's pathogenicity and alters the number of intestinal lymphocytes. These results underscore the complexity of viral interactions in swine diseases and highlight the need for comprehensive diagnostic and treatment strategies addressing co-infections.

Enhanced Electrical Conductivity of (001) Oriented Sr0.9La0.1TiO3 Microplatelets for Thermoelectric Applications.

Two-dimensional perovskite microplatelets have played an important role in various applications, especially acting as a template to guide grains' epitaxial growth in the preparation of textured ceramics. The (001) oriented Sr0.9La0.1TiO3 microplatelets with a high aspect ratio of ∼20 were synthesized and obtained from Aurivillius Bi4Ti3O12 precursors. To reveal the mechanism of topochemical microcrystal conversion of Bi4Ti3O12 to Sr0.9La0.1TiO3, the reaction interface, morphology development, and phase composition evolution of the (001) oriented Sr0.9La0.1TiO3 microplatelets were investigated. When the temperature of the molten salt is above 753 °C, multiple Sr0.9La0.1TiO3 topological nucleation events took place. At 950 °C, the polycrystalline aggregate of (001)-oriented Sr0.9La0.1TiO3 crystallites grew in place of the original single crystal Bi4Ti3O12 platelets. When the temperature reached 1150 °C, the Sr0.9La0.1TiO3 platelets preserved the shape of a high aspect ratio and exhibited not only enhanced electrical conductivity with a carrier concentration of 3.518 × 1020 cm-3 and carrier mobility of 8.460 cm2·V-1·s-1 but also significantly decreased thermal conductivity ranging from 5.65 W·m-1·K-1 at 300 K to 2.54 W·m-1·K-1 at 1073 K. It can be widely applied in the field of template grain growth methods for preparing textured thermoelectric ceramics to improve their thermoelectric properties.

Experimental Demonstration of Electromagnetically Induced Transparency in a Conductively Coupled Flexible Metamaterial with Cheap Aluminum Foil.

We propose a conductively coupled terahertz metallic metamaterial exhibiting analog of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), in which the bright and dark mode antennae interact via surface currents rather than near-field coupling. Aluminum foil, which is very cheap and often used in food package, is used to fabricate our metamaterials. Thus, our metamaterials are also flexible metamaterials. In our design, aluminum bar resonators and aluminum split ring resonators (SRRs) are connected (rather than separated) in the form of a fork-shaped structure. We conduct a numerical simulation and an experiment to analyze the mechanism of the proposed metamaterial. The surface current due to LSP resonance (bright mode) flows along different paths, and a potential difference is generated at the split gaps of the SRRs. Thus, an LC resonance (dark mode) is induced, and the bright mode is suppressed, resulting in EIT. The EIT-like phenomenon exhibited by the metamaterial is induced by surface conducting currents, which may provide new ideas for the design of EIT metamaterials. Moreover, the process of fabricating microstructures on flexible substrates can provide a reference for producing flexible microstructures in the future.