Display omitted
•Platinum(Pt) was recovered from spent automobile catalyst leachate by bio-sorption.•Nanocellulose from various sources and types are modified with polyethyleneimine(PEI).•Cellulose ...nano fibril from tunicate(T-CNF) exhibits the highest PEI grafting density.•Pure cellulose form and open porous structure of T-CNF enhances the PEI density.•Pt adsorption capacity is proportionally increased by PEI density on nanocellulose.
Nanocellulose is a promising biosorbent for the recovery of precious metals from waste streams. A variety of nanocelluloses exhibit significant different properties that depend on the natural source and type. In this study, cellulose nanofibrils(P-CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals(P-CNC) obtained from hard wood pulp and CNF from tunicates(T-CNF) were evaluated for their ability to recover platinum(Pt) after modification with polyethyleneimine(PEI). The PEI grafting density on each nanocellulose was distinct, resulting in significant variations in the Pt adsorption performance. The Pt adsorption capacity of the PEI-modified nanocelluloses followed the order T-CNF>>P-CNC > P-CNF. The inherent characteristics of T-CNF, that is, the negative charge and high surface area caused by open porous structure, were found attributed to the grafting of ≈40% PEI and the excellent Pt adsorption capacity(≈600 mg/g). Also PEI-modified T-CNF exhibited high selectivity towards Pt in the presence of other metals. Finally, PEI modified T-CNF was applied for Pt recovery from simulated spent automobile catalyst leachate to prove feasibility in a real application.
In this study, the methanolic extract from seeds of
exhibited strong antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities with less toxicity to NIH3T3 and HepG2 cells at the concentration of 100 µg/mL. The ...antioxidant activities (DPPH and ABTS), α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibition activities were found higher in methanolic extract (MeOH-E) than H
O extract. Besides, 9.82 ± 0.62 µg and 6.42 ± 0.26 µg of MeOH-E were equivalent to 1 µg ascorbic acid for ABTS and DPPH scavenging, respectively while 9.02 ± 0.25 µg and 6.52 ± 0.15 µg of MeOH-E were equivalent to 1 µg of acarbose for inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase respectively. Moreover, the cell assay revealed that the addition of MeOH-E (12.5 µg/mL) increased about 37% of glucose uptake in insulin resistant (IR) HepG2 as compared to untreated IR HepG2 cells. The LC- MS/MS and GC-MS analysis of MeOH-E revealed a total of 54 compounds including terpenoids, glycosides, fatty acid, phenolic acid derivatives. Among the identified compounds, chlorogenic acid and jasminoside A were found promising for anti-diabetic activity revealed by molecular docking study and these molecules are deserving further purification and molecular analysis.
Abstract
Background
Thirty-two-day-old broiler chickens at a farm located in northwestern South Korea displayed adverse neurological symptoms including limping, lying down, and head shaking. ...Approximately 2.1% of chickens died or were culled due to severe symptoms. Five carcasses were submitted to the Avian Disease Division of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) for disease diagnosis.
Results
Broilers displayed severe pericarditis and perihepatitis associated with gross lesions. Broilers also displayed microscopic lesions in the cerebrum and in the granular layer of the cerebellum, which were associated with multifocal perivascular cuffing and purulent necrosis in the cerebrum, and severe meningitis with heterophil and lymphocyte infiltration.
Staphylococcus spp
. were identified in the liver and heart using bacteriological culture. PCR/RT-PCR assays revealed that broilers were negative for avian
Clostridium botulinum
, Newcastle disease virus, and avian encephalomyelitis virus. Bacterial and viral metagenomic analysis of brain sample further revealed the presence of
Pseudomonas spp.
and Marek’s disease virus, which are known etiological agents of chicken meningoencephalitis.
Conclusions
This study reports a diagnostic analysis of gross and histopathological lesions from 32-day-old broilers displaying unique neurological symptoms that revealed the presence of the several neurological diseases including meningoencephalitis. The causative agents associated with meningoencephalitis of broilers that had not been identified by routine diagnostic methods could be diagnosed by metagenomics, which proves the usefulness of metagenomics as a diagnostic tool for unknown neurological diseases in broilers.
Developing methods to assemble nanomaterials into macroscopic scaffolds is of critical significance at the current stage of nanotechnology. However, the complications of the fabrication methods ...impede the widespread usages of newly developed materials even with the superior properties in many cases. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of a highly-efficient and potentially-continuous fiber-spinning method to produce high-performance carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber (CNTF). The processing time is <1 min from synthesis of CNTs to fabrication of highly densified and aligned CNTFs. CNTFs that are fabricated by the developed spinning method are ultra-lightweight, strong (specific tensile strength = 4.08 ± 0.25 Ntex
), stiff (specific tensile modulus = 187.5 ± 7.4 Ntex
), electrically conductive (2,270 S m
kg
), and highly flexible (knot efficiency = 48 ± 15%), so they are suitable for various high-value fabric-based applications.
Poultry feathers consist mainly of the protein keratin, which is rich in β-pleated sheets and consequently resistant to proteolysis. Although many keratinases have been identified, the reasons for ...their substrate specificity towards β-keratin remain unclear due to difficulties in preparing a soluble feather keratin substrate for use in activity assays. In the present study, we overexpressed Gallus gallus chromosomes 2 and 27 β-keratin-encoding genes in Escherichia coli, purified denatured recombinant proteins by Ni2+ affinity chromatography, and refolded by stepwise dialysis to yield soluble keratins. To assess the keratinolytic activity, we compared the proteolytic activity of crude extracts from the feather- degrading bacterium Fervidobacterium islandicum AW-1 with proteinase K, trypsin, and papain using purified recombinant keratin and casein as substrates. All tested proteases showed strong proteolytic activities for casein, whereas only F. islandicum AW-1 crude extracts and proteinase K exhibited pronounced keratinolytic activity for the recombinant keratin. Moreover, LC-MS/MS analysis of keratin hydrolysates allowed us to predict the P1 sites of keratinolytic enzymes in the F. islandicum AW-1 extracts, thereby qualifying and quantifying the extent of keratinolysis. The soluble keratin-based assay has clear therapeutic and industrial potential for the development of a high-throughput screening system for proteases hydrolyzing disease-related protein aggregates, as well as mechanically resilient keratin-based polymers.
Display omitted
•A novel, lytic, halo-forming phage vB_SalA_KFSST3 was isolated and purified.•The presence of endolysin and depolymerases was genetically confirmed in the phage.•Phage exhibited cold ...temperature-robust lytic activity with a broad specificity.•Phage almost controlled Salmonella and its biofilm on cantaloupe at 4 °C.•Phage exhibited the excellent potential for use as a commercial antibiofilm agent in fresh produce.
This study investigated the efficacy of a novel Salmonella phage with depolymerase activity to control S. Typhimurium (ST) and its biofilm on cantaloupes, for the first time, under simulated cold temperature. vB_SalA_KFSST3 forming a halo zone was isolated and purified from a slaughterhouse with a final concentration of 12.1 ± 0.1 log PFU/mL. Based on the morphological and bioinformatics analyses, vB_SalA_KFSST3 was identified as a novel phage belonging to the family Ackermannviridae. Before employing the phage on cantaloupe, its genetic characteristics, specificity, stability, and bactericidal effect were investigated. Genetic analyses confirmed its safety and identified endolysin and two depolymerase domains possessing antibiofilm potential. In addition, the phage exhibited a broad specificity with great efficiencies toward five Salmonella strains at 4 °C, 22 °C, and 37 °C, as well as stable lytic activity over a wide range of pHs (3 to 11) and temperatures (−20 °C to 60 °C). The optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI) and exposure time of phage were determined to be 100 and 2 h, respectively, based on the highest bacterial reduction of ∼2.7 log CFU/mL. Following the formation of ST biofilm on cantaloupe at 4 °C and 22 °C, the cantaloupe was treated with phage at an MOI of 100 for 2 h. The antibiofilm efficacy of phage was evaluated via the plate count method, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The initial biofilm population at 22 °C was significantly greater and more condensed than that at 4 °C. After phage treatment, biofilm population and the percentage of viable ST in biofilm were reduced by ∼4.6 log CFU/cm2 and ∼90% within 2 h, respectively, which were significantly greater than those at 22 °C (∼2.0 log CFU/cm2 and ∼45%) (P < 0.05). SEM images also confirmed more drastic destruction of the cohesive biofilm architecture at 4 °C than at 22 °C. As a result of its cold temperature-robust lytic activity and the contribution of endolysin and two depolymerases, vB_SalA_KFSST3 demonstrated excellent antibiofilm efficacy at cold temperature, highlighting its potential as a promising practical biocontrol agent for the control of ST and its biofilm.
The generation of a transplantable liver scaffold is crucial for the treatment of end‐stage liver failure. Unfortunately, decellularized liver scaffolds suffer from lack of bioactive molecules and ...functionality. In this study, we conjugated homogenized liver‐extracellular matrix (ECM) into a decellularized liver in a rat model to improve its structural and functional properties. The homogenized ECM was prepared, characterized, and subsequently perfused into ethyl carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)/N‐hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) activated liver scaffolds. Various techniques were performed to confirm the improvements that were accomplished through the conjugation process; these included micro/ultra‐structural analyses, biochemical analysis of ECM components, DNA quantification, swelling ratio, structural stability, calcification properties, platelet activation study, static and dynamic seeding with EAhy926 endothelial cells and HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells, subcutaneous implantation and intrahepatic transplantation. The results showed that the conjugated scaffolds have superior micro‐ and ultrastructural and biochemical characteristics. In addition, DNA contents, swelling ratios, calcification properties, platelet reactions, and host inflammatory reactions were not altered with the conjugation process. The conjugated scaffolds revealed better cellular spreading and popularity compared to the non‐conjugated scaffolds. Intrahepatic transplantation showed that the conjugated scaffold had higher popularity of hepatic regenerative cells with better angiogenesis. The conjugation of the decellularized liver scaffold with homogenized liver‐ECM is a promising tool to improve the quality of the generated scaffold for further transplantation.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer to be diagnosed, and it has a substantial mortality rate. Despite numerous studies being conducted on CRC, it remains a significant health ...concern. The disease-free survival rates notably decrease as CRC progresses, emphasizing the urgency for effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. CRC development is caused by environmental factors, which mostly lead to the disruption of signaling pathways. Among these pathways, the Wingless/Integrated (Wnt) signaling pathway, Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway, and p53 signaling pathway are considered to be important. These signaling pathways are also regulated by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). They have emerged as crucial regulators of gene expression in CRC by changing their expression levels. The altered expression patterns of these ncRNAs have been implicated in CRC progression and development, suggesting their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. This review provides an overview of the five key signaling pathways and regulation of ncRNAs involved in CRC pathogenesis that are studied to identify promising avenues for diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Acute liver failure (ALF) occurs due to severe liver damage that triggers rapid loss of normal liver function. Here, we investigate the usefulness of an injectable liver extracellular matrix ...(LECM)‐rich hydrogel generated from an optimized decellularization protocol incorporated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a promising therapy for ALF. First, we optimized a non‐destructive protocol for rat liver decellularization to obtain ECM‐rich well‐preserved scaffold. Then, LECM hydrogel generated from two commonly used decellularization protocols were compared by LECM hydrogel obtained from our optimized protocol. The ALF model was induced by an intraperitoneal (IP) thioacetamide (TAA) injection followed by the IP injection of LECM hydrogel, collagen–AgNP mixture, or LECM hydrogel–AgNP mixture. LECM‐rich scaffold and hydrogel were successfully obtained using our optimized decellularization protocol. Use of the LECM hydrogel–AgNP mixture to treat TAA‐induced ALF greatly improved liver injury and histological liver regeneration. Interleukin‐6 and transforming growth factor‐beta expressions were significantly reduced, while albumin, hepatocyte growth factor, and Ki67‐positive cells were highly expressed. Moreover, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase plasma levels and liver homogenate nitric oxide level were significantly lowered. In conclusion, the LECM hydrogel–AgNP mixture has potential efficient therapeutic and regenerative effects on TAA‐induced liver injury.
This study introduces a novel approach to address the growing demand for flexible energy storage systems in wearable and human-integrated devices. A flexible supercapacitor (SC) system is developed ...using a plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-derived ionogel electrolyte. The ionogel consists of PVC, dibutyl adipate (DBA) plasticizer, and 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide (EMIM
+
TFSI
−
) ionic liquid (IL), offering impressive properties such as high stretchability (~ 2050%) and non-volatility. SCs assembled with activated carbon electrodes embedded in the ionogel exhibit remarkable electrochemical performance. They attain near-100% Coulombic efficiency (CE) up to 2.0 V and a specific capacitance of up to 64.8 F g
−1
, finely tuned by modulating the concentration of EMIM
+
TFSI
−
IL. Significantly, the SC employing the optimized PVC-based ionogel demonstrates exceptional stability over 1000 charge–discharge cycles, maintaining both capacitance and CE. The non-volatile nature of the ionogel enhances its robustness under ambient conditions, contributing to long-term stability. Moreover, the potential integration of the PVC-based ionogel with flexible electrodes and a malleable current collector hints at the possibility of creating a highly stretchable SC system. This work advances the field of SC powering flexible electronics and accelerates their seamless integration into everyday life.
PDF
