Low back pain is common after lumbar spine surgery and the injury from extensive detachment of paraspinal muscles during the surgery may play a vital role. Previously, we prepared a bovine acellular ...tendon fiber (ATF) material through lyophilization and proved that it could retain its original fibrillar structure and mechanical properties. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this new fiber material used for attachment structure reconstruction of paraspinal muscle. Defect of spinous process, interspinous and supraspinous ligament was established on lumbar spine in rabbit and rat and ATF linear material was implanted to reconstruct the attachment structure. Ultrasound showed the cross-sectional area of the paraspinal muscle in ATF group was larger than that of control group in rats. MRI showed the irregular shape and high signal changes in control group, but regular shape and uniform signal in the ATF group in rabbit. For Electromyogram, the frequency of evoked potential in control group was lower than ATF group and normal rats. HE and Masson staining showed good tissue healing, and immunohistochemical results showed the immune rejection of ATF is significantly lower than that of suture. Reconstruction of the attachment structure of paraspinous muscles with ATF linear material could maintain the morphology, volume and function of paraspinal muscle. ATF material has the potential to be used to manufacture personalized ligaments and other tissue engineering scaffolds.
Graphical abstract
Challenge remains to develop a high activity of photocatalyst for large-scale industrial application in photocatalytic selective conversion of biomass alcohols into the value-added chemicals ...accompany with H2 evolution in aqueous solution. Herein, ReS2 as high efficiency co-catalyst is utilized to modify the flower-like ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) microspheres to obtain heterojunction composite, result in dramatically enhancements in photocatalytic oxidation of furfural alcohols cooperative with H2 evolution. Further studies show that the optimal catalyst containing 4.08 wt% ReS2 (RZIS-3) realize remarkably generation rates of H2 and furfural at 3092.9 and 2981.1 μmol g−1 h−1, respectively, nearly 12 times faster than that of blank ZnIn2S4. Mechanism studies verify that the migration of the photogenerated carriers from ZnIn2S4 to ReS2 leading to the remarkably photoactivity of the composite. Moreover, the typical photocatalysis not rely on a single model substrate, and high performance of the composite has been identified for the oxidation of other alcohols biomass intermediate to value-added aldehydes/ketones, providing a new insight for design and fabrication of the novel photocatalytic hydrogen evolution systems.
Display omitted
•Flower like ReS2-ZnIn2S4 microsphere act as photocatalyst for H2 evolution coupled with valuable alcohols oxidation.•ReS2 as an efficient non-noble co-catalyst enhance the activity of ZnIn2S4.•Type I heterojunction ReS2-ZnIn2S4 promote the separation of photogenerated carriers.•The optimum catalyst exhibits an extraordinary activity, stability and universality.
Community-acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM) is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in children. The epidemiology of CABM is regional and highly dynamic. To clarify the diagnostic status and ...epidemiological characteristics of children with CABM in this region, and pay attention to the disease burden, so as to provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of CABM. By retrospective case analysis, the clinical data of 918 CABM cases in children aged 0-14 years in Zhejiang Province from January, 2019 to December, 2020 were collected. The etiological diagnosis rate of CABM in children was 23.1%, the annual incidence rate 4.42-6.15/100,000, the annual mortality rate 0.06-0.09/100,000,the cure and improvement rate 94.4%, and the case fatality rate 1.4%. The total incidence of neuroimaging abnormalities was 20.6%. The median length of stay for CABM children was 20(16) days, with an average cost of 21,531(24,835) yuan. In addition, the incidence rate was decreased with age. Escherichia coli(E.coli) and group B Streptococcus agalactiae(GBS) were the principal pathogens in CABM infant<3 months(43.3%, 34.1%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae(S. pneumoniae) was the most common pathogen in children ≥ 3 months(33.9%). In conclusion, the annual incidence and mortality of CABM in children aged 0-14 years in Zhejiang Province are at intermediate and low level. The distribution of CABM incidence and pathogen spectrum are different in age; the incidence of abnormal neuroimaging is high; and the economic burden is heavy.
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) analogues have been investigated for their prevalent occurrence in environments and potential hazardous effects to humans and wildlife; however, there is still limited ...knowledge regarding their toxicokinetics and trophic transfer in aquatic food chains. Using a developed toxicokinetic model framework, we quantified the bioaccumulation, biotransformation and trophic transfer of tetrabromobisphenol S (TBBPS) and tetrabromobisphenol A di(allyl ether) (TBBPA-DAE) during trophic transfer from brine shrimp (Artemia salina) to zebrafish (Danio rerio). The results showed that the two TBBPA analogues could be readily accumulated by brine shrimp, and the estimated bioconcentration factor (BCF) value of TBBPS (5.68 L kg-1 ww) was higher than that of TBBPA-DAE (1.04 L kg-1 ww). The assimilation efficiency (AE) of TBBPA-DAE in zebrafish fed brine shrimp was calculated to be 16.3%, resulting in a low whole-body biomagnification factor (BMF) in fish (0.684 g g-1 ww). Based on the transformation products screened using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS), oxidative debromination and hydrolysis were identified as the major transformation pathways of TBBPS, while the biotransformation of TBBPA-DAE mainly took place through ether bond breaking and phase-II metabolism. Lower accumulation of TBBPA as a metabolite than its parent chemical was observed in both brine shrimp and zebrafish, with metabolite parent concentration factors (MPCFs) < 1. The investigated BCFs for shrimp of the two TBBPA analogues were only 3.77 × 10-10 - 5.59 × 10-3 times of the theoretical Kshrimp-water based on the polyparameter linear free energy relationships (pp-LFERs) model, and the BMF of TBBPA-DAE for fish was 0.299 times of the predicted Kshrimp-fish. Overall, these results indicated the potential of the trophic transfer in bioaccumulation of specific TBBPA analogues in higher trophic-level aquatic organisms and pointed out biotransformation as an important mechanism in regulating their bioaccumulation processes.
The internal concentration of a pollutant in the body determines its toxicity to organisms, while bioaccumulation and trophic transfer play important roles in elucidating its risks to ecosystems. Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) analogues have been extensively investigated for their adverse effects on humans and wildlife; however, there is still limited knowledge regarding their toxicokinetics and trophic transfer in aquatic food chains. This study investigated the bioaccumulation, biotransformation and trophic transfer of TBBPS and TBBPA-DAE in a simulated di-trophic food chain. This state-of-art study will provide a reference for further research on this kind of emerging pollutant in aquatic environments.
Display omitted
•First insights into the toxicokinetics of TBBPA analogues in an aquatic food chain.•The trophic dilution was found for TBBPA-DAE from brine shrimp to fish.•Hydrolysis and conjugation were main transformation pathways along the food chain.•Investigated BCFs and BMFs were quite lower than the theoretical values.
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) provide a promising information channel between the biological brain and external devices and are applied in building brain-to-device control. Prior studies have ...explored the feasibility of establishing a brain-brain interface (BBI) across various brains via the combination of BMIs. However, using BBI to realize the efficient multidegree control of a living creature, such as a rat, to complete a navigation task in a complex environment has yet to be shown. In this study, we developed a BBI from the human brain to a rat implanted with microelectrodes (i.e., rat cyborg), which integrated electroencephalogram-based motor imagery and brain stimulation to realize human mind control of the rat's continuous locomotion. Control instructions were transferred from continuous motor imagery decoding results with the proposed control models and were wirelessly sent to the rat cyborg through brain micro-electrical stimulation. The results showed that rat cyborgs could be smoothly and successfully navigated by the human mind to complete a navigation task in a complex maze. Our experiments indicated that the cooperation through transmitting multidimensional information between two brains by computer-assisted BBI is promising.
Three novel monoterpenoid indole alkaloids gardflorine A (
), gardflorine B (
), and gardflorine C (
) were isolated from the leaves of
. Their structures, including absolute configurations, were ...established on the basis of spectroscopic methods (MS, UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR) and circular dichroism experiments. All the compounds were evaluated for their vasorelaxant and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities. Compound
exhibited potent vasorelaxant activity, with an EC
value of 8.7 μM, and compounds
and
showed moderate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities, with IC
values of 26.8 and 29.2 μM, respectively.
Mongolian butter and Tude are traditional high‐fat dairy products produced in Xilin Gol, China, which have unique chemical and microbiological characteristics. Mongolian Tude is made from Mongolian ...butter, dreg, and flour. In this study, the traditional manufacturing process of Mongolian butter and Tude was investigated for the first time. Mongolian butter was characterized by high‐fat content (99.38 ± 0.63%) and high acidity (77.09 ± 52.91°T), whereas Mongolian Tude was considered a high‐fat (21.45 ± 1.23%) and high‐protein (8.28 ± 0.65%) dairy product obtained by butter, dreg, and flour. Mongolian butter and Tude were proven to be safe for human consumption in terms of benzopyrene content. In addition, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, coliforms, and aflatoxin M1 were not detected in the samples. Bacteria and molds were not isolated from Mongolian butter; in contrast, the total count of bacteria and molds in Mongolian Tude was within the range of 4.5 × 102 to 9.5 × 104 and 0 to 2.2 × 105, respectively. Moreover, Lactococcus (41.55%), Lactobacillus (11.05%), Zygosaccharomyces (40.20%), and Pichia (12.90%) were the predominant bacterial and fungal genera, and Lactobacillus helveticus (15.6%), Lactococcus raffinolactis (9.6%), Streptococcus salivarius (8.5%), Pantoea vagans (6.1%), Bacillus subtilis (4.2%), Kocuria rhizophila (3.5%), Acinetobacter johnsonii (3.5%), Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (46.2%), Pichia fermentans (14.7%), and Dipodascus geotrichum (11.7%) were the predominant species in the microbiota of Mongolian Tude. Thus, it can be stated that the microbiota of food products produced by different small families varied significantly. Collectively, the findings presented herein are the first report of chemical and microbiological characterization of products of geographical origin and highlight the need for standardization of manufacturing procedures of Mongolian butter and Tude in the future.
First, the findings presented are the first report of chemical and microbiological characterization of inherited food products (Mongolian butter and Tude) obtained by traditional technologies. Second, nutritional (e.g., fat, protein, moisture, and acidity), safety (e.g., benzopyrene, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, coliform, and aflatoxin M1), and microbiological (e.g., TBC, Mold, bacterial, and fungal community) parameters were determined in this study.
Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), has become an important pest in Chinese agricultural systems since its invasion on 11 December 2018. After its establishment, FAW months in ...the year-round breeding region have become the main source population migrating to other areas in China. Field investigations were conducted in tropical and subtropical regions to improve understanding of its year-round breeding area in China. The results showed that FAW larval density was significantly correlated with the seasonal temperature of the location surveyed. The FAW larvae maintained a high density in the tropical area and were frequently found in sites of the south subtropical region, but were absent from the north subtropical region and the northern part of the central subtropical region. These results indicated that FAW can reproduce annually in the tropical and south subtropical regions of China, including Hainan, Taiwan and the southern area of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Hence, great effort should be made to monitor and control FAW in the year-round breeding region to suppress the population density of this area and to reduce migration of moths into northern parts of China. This study clarifies the occurrence area of the pest in winter in China and provides much valuable information for its population forecasting and management.
We report the first detection of radio recombination lines (RRLs) of ions heavier than helium. In a highly sensitive multi-band (12–50 GHz) line survey toward Orion KL with the TianMa 65-m Radio ...Telescope (TMRT), we successfully detected more than fifteen unblended
α
lines of RRLs of singly ionized species (X
II
) recombined from X
III
. The
Ka
-band (26–35 GHz) spectrum also shows tentative signals of
β
lines of ions. The detected lines can be successfully crossmatched with the rest frequencies of RRLs of C
II
and/or O
II
. This finding greatly expands the scope of our understanding of ion RRLs, since prior to this work, only two blended lines (105
α
and 121
α
) of He
II
had been reported. Our detected lines can be fitted simultaneously under assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). An abundance of C
III
and O
III
of 8.8×10
−4
was obtained, avoiding the complexities of optical and infrared observations and the blending of RRLs of atoms. It is consistent with but approaches the upper bound of the value (10
−4
–10
−3
) estimated from optical and infrared observations. The effects of dielectronic recombination may contribute to enhancing the level populations even at large
n
. We expect future observations using radio interferometers could break the degeneracy between C and O, while also helping to reveal the ionization structure and dynamical evolution of various ionized regions.
Abstract
Gas at high Galactic latitude is a relatively little noticed component of the interstellar medium. In an effort to address this, 41 Planck Galactic Cold Clumps at high Galactic latitude ...(HGal; ∣
b
∣ > 25°) were observed in
12
CO,
13
CO, and C
18
O
J
= 1−0 lines, using the Purple Mountain Observatory 13.7 m telescope.
12
CO (1−0) and
13
CO (1−0) emission was detected in all clumps, while C
18
O (1−0) emission was only seen in 16 clumps. The highest and average latitudes are 71.°4 and 37.°8, respectively. Fifty-one velocity components were obtained, and then each was identified as a single clump. Thirty-three clumps were further mapped at 1′ resolution, and 54 dense cores were extracted. Among dense cores, the average excitation temperature
T
ex
of
12
CO is 10.3 K. The average line widths of thermal and nonthermal velocity dispersions are 0.19 and 0.46 km s
−1
, respectively, suggesting that these cores are dominated by turbulence. Distances of the HGal clumps given by Gaia dust reddening are about 120–360 pc. The ratio of
X
13
/
X
18
is significantly higher than that in the solar neighborhood, implying that HGal gas has a different star formation history compared to the gas in the Galactic disk. HGal cores with sizes from 0.01 to 0.1 pc show no notable Larson’s relation, and the turbulence remains supersonic down to a scale of slightly below 0.1 pc. None of the HGal cores that bear masses from 0.01 to 1
M
⊙
are gravitationally bound, and all appear to be confined by outer pressure.
PDF
