Green Tea with Rhubarb Root Reduces Plasma Lipids While Preserving Gut Microbial Stability in a Healthy Human Cohort

Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, and dyslipidaemia is one of the major risk factors. The widespread use of herbs and medicinal plants in traditional medicine has garnered increasing recognition as a valuable resource for increasing wellness and reducing the onset of disease. Several epidemiologic and clinical studies have shown that altering blood lipid profiles and maintaining gut homeostasis may protect against cardiovascular diseases. Methods: A randomised, active-controlled parallel human clinical trial (n = 52) with three herbal tea infusions (green (Camellia sinensis) tea with rhubarb root, green tea with senna, and active control green tea) daily for 21 days in a free-living healthy adult cohort was conducted to assess the potential for health benefits in terms of plasma lipids and gut health. Paired plasma samples were analysed using Afinion lipid panels (total cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, triglycerides, and non-HDL cholesterol) and paired stool samples were analysed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to determine bacterial diversity within the gut microbiome. Results: Among participants providing fasting blood samples before and after the intervention (n = 47), consumption of herbal rhubarb root tea and green tea significantly lowered total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and non-HDL cholesterol (p < 0.05) in plasma after 21 days of daily consumption when compared with concentrations before the intervention. No significant change was observed in the senna tea group. In participants providing stool samples (n = 48), no significant differences in overall microbial composition were observed between pre- and post-intervention, even at the genus level. While no significant changes in overall microbial composition were observed, specific bacterial genera, such as Dorea spp., showed correlations with LDL cholesterol concentrations, suggesting potential microbiota-mediated effects of tea consumption. Diet and BMI was maintained in each of the three groups before and after the trial. Conclusions: It was found that drinking a cup of rhubarb root herbal or green tea infusion for 21 days produced beneficial effects on lipid profiles and maintained gut eubiosis without observable adverse effects in a healthy human cohort. More studies are needed to fully understand the effects of rhubarb root and green tea in fatty acid metabolism and gut microbial composition

Understanding the Optoelectronic Processes in Colloidal 2D Multi‐Layered MAPbBr₃ Perovskite Nanosheets: Funneling, Recombination and Self‐Trapped Excitons

Colloidal chemistry methods have made quasi 2D perovskites readily accessible. Ultrathin perovskites exhibit charge transport properties which are beneficial for solar cells and the combination of layers with different thicknesses directs charge carriers toward thicker layers with a smaller bandgap. However, detailed knowledge about the mechanisms by which excitons and charge carriers funnel and recombine in these structures is lacking. Here, colloidal 2D methylammonium lead bromide (MAPbBr3) Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites with a broad combination of layers (n = 3 to 10, and bulk fractions with n > 10) is characterized by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and time-resolved photoluminescence. It is found that second- and third-order processes dominate in MAPbBr3 nanosheets, indicating exciton-exciton annihilation (EEA) and Auger recombination. Long-lived excitons in thin layers (e.g., n  =  5, Eb =  136 meV) funnel into high n within 10–50 ps, which decreases their exciton binding energy below kBT and leads to radiative recombination. Parallel and consecutive funneling compete with trapping processes, making funneling an excellent tool to overcome exciton self-trapping when high-quality n-n interfaces are present. Free charge carriers in high-n regions on the other hand facilitate radiative recombination and EEA is bypassed, which is desirable for LED and lasing applications

Children’s early care experiences and their educational attainment: a population data-linkage study in Wales

Care-experienced children are at risk of lower educational attainment. Duration of care is related to attainment, as is the type of placement(s) (e.g., foster care). To determine ‘what works’ for care-experienced children, our research examined i) profiles of children on their care experiences, and ii) how these relate to educational attainment at age seven. Using anonymised, linked records in Wales, United Kingdom, we constructed an e-cohort of children born between September 2000 and August 2003. Data sources included births, children’s social care, primary health care, demographics, and education. We conducted latent class analysis using a three-step approach, summarising social care experiences, with attainment at age seven in English/Welsh and mathematics as a distal outcome. Seven profiles best fitted the data, using data on placement types, duration and age on entry. For the first six years of life, those who experienced foster care which progressed to adoption showed the highest attainment (~1.00 masked), whereas those children who entered foster care from their fourth birthday had the lowest attainment intercept (0.40, 0.13–0.68). From this, we argue that stakeholders should develop additional support for children whose placement is largely foster care, as this group was most at risk for low attainment

Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus Metabolites for Fungal Biocontrol and Application in Soybean Seed Protection

Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus bacteria, members of the Morganellaceae family, are sources of novel natural products for the biocontrol of fungal pathogens in soybean production. This study demonstrated the inhibitory effects of metabolites from four Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus strains (including a local isolate, X. szentirmaii PAM 25), against four key phytopathogenic fungi. Bacterial metabolite efficacy and fungal susceptibility varied. Xenorhabdus szentirmaii DSM 16338, X. szentirmaii PAM 25, and X. doucetiae demonstrated significant inhibition (>90%) against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Botrytis cinerea, and Macrophomina phaseolina, exhibiting superior efficacy compared to X. nematophila and Photorhabdus kayaii. Fusarium oxysporum demonstrated greater resistance to the bacterial supernatants. We identified fabclavine, pyrollizixenamide, and szentirazine from X. szentirmaii, and xenocoumacins from X. doucetiae as the antifungal bioactive compounds in the respective easyPACid mutants. Furthermore, we assessed the efficacy of X. szentirmaii PAM 25 and its metabolites in protecting soybean seeds from S. sclerotiorum and investigated the shelf stability of the bacterial metabolites as the fungus suppressors. Cell-free supernatant maintained >80% inhibition of S. sclerotiorum after one year at 5–35 °C. Importantly, the cell-free supernatant, as well as the bacterial culture, effectively inhibited S. sclerotiorum in seed treatments, ensuring ≥80% seed germination, comparable to thiophanate-methyl + fluazinam fungicide. This study demonstrates that the direct seed application of Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus bacteria offers a practical and innovative biological control method against soil-borne fungal pathogens

Microwave-assisted enhanced activation of date palm leaf char for optimized CO₂ adsorption

This study presents a novel hybrid approach for producing mesoporous activated carbon (AC) from date palm leaves by integrating conventional carbonization with microwave-assisted activation. K₂CO₃ was utilized for chemical activation to enhance adsorption performance. Three critical parameters, namely microwave power, residence time, and activation temperature, were investigated focusing on yield, temperature ramp-up time, and CO₂ capture capacity. Results reveal that both microwave power and activation temperature were pivotal in influencing the yield and adsorption efficiency. Microwave-assisted activation (850 W, 500 °C, 7 min) yielded an optimal CO₂ adsorption capacity of 126.7 mg/g at 25 °C and 1 bar, with 78% and 76% reductions in activation energy and processing time, respectively. This method enhanced the textural properties of the activated carbon, increasing the surface area to 411 m²/g and improving pore size distribution, as compared to conventional thermal activation (60 min under CO₂), which achieved only 88 mg/g uptake and a surface area of 286 m²/g. Compared to conventional methods, the hybrid approach reduced energy and time demands to about 25%

Commentary article on the AC-25 (Liverpool) Session ‘Beyond the lab – Turning yourresearch into reality’

A session at the annual conference of the Microbiology Society 2025 (Liverpool) washeld on gaining impact from basic and applied research, ‘Beyond the lab – Turningyour research into reality’. This Commentary provides a short description of therationale behind the session, the key take-home messages, information on thespeakers and key resources they shared for the microbiology community

Environments and the experience of flow: A scoping review

Investigations into the impact of natural and built environments on mental health often place greater emphasis on hedonic experience over other meaningful aspects of human wellbeing such as flow. Psychological flow occurs during episodes of deep immersion in intrinsically motivated activities. Giving rise to feelings of fulfilment and self-transcendence, it can contribute to both hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Although individual differences and social contexts can enable or inhibit flow, it is not entirely clear how natural and built environments are associated with flow experiences. The objective of this review is to map existing primary research concerning how environments (natural and built) relate to flow experiences. A total of 60 included sources, published between 1975 and the end of 2022, illustrate that flow is not only impacted by the environment, but also connected to place-based meaning. Four themes reflect the type of source findings, highlighting the importance of 1. contact with nature, 2. person-environment fit, 3. aesthetics and 4. relationship to place. Review findings explore areas for future research and potential implications for nature-based interventions

Targeting Ferroptosis in Tuberous Sclerosis Cell Line Models

Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent cell death mechanism characterized by oxidative damage to phospholipids and subsequent membrane damage, presents a promising target for cancer therapy. The TSC1-TSC2 complex is crucial in cellular signalling, regulating cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism. Mutations or loss of TSC2 lead to hyperactivation of mTORC1, implicated in various cancers. This research aimed to elucidate the role of TSC2 loss in ferroptosis and its contribution to drug resistance in TSC2-cell line models, potentially guiding the development of new therapeutic strategies. Cytotoxicity testing within this study revealed that Tsc2-deficient cells have greater resistance to ferroptosis induction compared to Tsc2-positive cells. Notably, inhibition of mTORC1 did not reverse this resistance, whereas NRF2 antioxidant pathway inhibition and AMPK activation did, suggesting that resistance operates through mTORC1-independent pathways. Biochemical analysis identified altered ferroptosis markers in Tsc2-deficient cells, such as ROS-mediated lipid peroxidation, GPX4, GSH, and labile iron pools as key factors in this resistance. Further investigations into NRF2 revealed significantly elevated nuclear translocation upon ferroptosis induction in Tsc2-deficient cells during ferroptosis induction, identifying the NRF2 pathway as a potential mediator of resistance. qPCR and RNAseq analyses confirmed significant dysregulation of NRF2 and its target genes between TSC2-deficient and TSC2-expressing tumours. Additionally, inhibition of ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1) also counteracted the cell death resistance in Tsc2-deficient cells. These cells displayed a fourfold increase in mRNA levels of FSP1, which significantly enhanced their resistance to ferroptosis. Overall, this thesis establishes that the loss of TSC2 confers resistance to ferroptosis through mechanisms that are independent of mTORC1 overactivation but dependent on NRF2 activation. This study also provides a deeper understanding of ferroptosis and additional cellular signalling pathways, such as those involving ROS regulation, lipid peroxidation, and iron metabolism, within the context of TSC2 loss. These insights will guide the development of future therapeutic strategies targeting ferroptosis in TSC2-deficient cancers