Synthesis of Acid Hydrolysis Lignin-g-Poly-(Acrylic Acid) Hydrogel Superabsorbent Composites and Adsorption of Lead Ions

A series of acid hydrolysis lignin-g-poly-(acrylic acid) (AHL-g-PAA) composites was prepared by grafting acid hydrolysis lignin on the surface of the polyacrylic acid network. The results of structure analysis revealed that AHL-g-PAA had been grafted. The surface morphologies of the hydrogels were improved, as shown by scanning electron microscopy observation. The AHL-g-PAA hydrogel had high water absorption and it possessed sensitivity to external pH stimulus. This study also revealed that the adsorption capacity of AHL-g-PAA was 235 mg/g for Pb(II) ions. The adsorption kinetics data could be described by the pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption isotherm agrees well with the Langmuir model

Controlled Pesticide Release from Porous Composite Hydrogels Based on Lignin and Polyacrylic Acid

For the controlled release of pesticides, a novel composite porous hydrogel (LBPAA) was prepared based on lignin and polyacrylic acid for use as the support frame of a pore structure for water delivery. The LBPAA was analyzed to determine its water-swelling and slow release properties. The controlled release properties of LBPAA were evaluated through experiments in relation to the cumulative release of pesticides, with particular emphasis on environmental effects and release models. The porous LBPAA hydrogel showed improved properties compared to polyacrylic acid, and could therefore be considered an efficient material for application in controlled release systems in agriculture

Green Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Lotus Seedpod (Receptaculum Nelumbinis) Assisted by Ultrasound Coupled with Glycerol

Lotus Receptaculum Nelumbinis has been sparking wide research interests due to its rich phenolic compounds. In the present work, ultrasonic-assisted extraction coupled with glycerol was employed to extract phenolic compounds from Receptaculum Nelumbinis and the process was optimized using a response surface methodology with Box-Behnken design (BBD). The optimal conditions for the total phenolic content (TPC) extract were obtained: glycerol concentration of 40%, an extraction temperature of 66 °C, ultrasonic time of 44 min, and the solvent-to-solid ratio of 55 mL/g. Under these optimum extraction conditions, the extraction yield of TPC was 92.84 ± 2.13 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) /g. Besides, the antioxidant activities demonstrated the ability of free radical scavenging by four different methods that included 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and reducing activity (RA) were 459.73 ± 7.07, 529.97 ± 7.30, 907.61 ± 20.28, and 983.66 ± 11.80 μmol TE/g, respectively. Six phenolic compounds were identified by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography combined with triple-time-of-flight mass spectrophotometry (UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS) from the extracts. Meanwhile, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was conducted to identify the characteristic functional groups of the extracts and thus reflected the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) illustrated the microstructure difference of four treatments, which might explain the relationships between antioxidant activities and the structures of phenolic compounds

Postoperative esketamine improves ventilation after video-assisted thoracoscopic lung resection: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial

Background: Pain management after lung resection plays a crucial role in reducing postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). This study aimed to examine the effect of postoperative esketamine infusion as an adjunct to opioid analgesia on ventilation and pulmonary complications in patients underwent lung resection. Methods: Patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lung resection were randomly assigned to either the esketamine group or the control group. The esketamine group received a 24-h infusion of 1.5 mcg/ml sufentanil combined with 0.75 mcg/ml esketamine after surgery, while the control group received 1.5 mcg/ml sufentanil alone. The primary outcome measure was low minute ventilation, and the secondary outcome measures were hypoxemia, PaO2/FiO2 levels, postoperative pulmonary complications, hospital stay duration, ambulation time, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, depression and anxiety levels, sleep quality, and analgesia satisfaction. Results: 80 patients were randomly divided into two groups: the esketamine group (n = 40) and the control group (n = 40). The esketamine group exhibited notably reduced incidence of low minute ventilation (P = 0.014), lower occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) compared to the control group (P = 0.039), and decreased incidence of hypoxemia (P = 0.003). Furthermore, the esketamine group showed improved outcomes with lower VAS scores on the second postoperative day and enhanced sleep quality (P < 0.001) after the surgery. Conclusions: Postoperative esketamine infusion with opioids improved ventilation and reduced PPCs after lung resection, warranting further clinical studies. Trial registration: This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (Trial ID: NCT05458453, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05458453)

Unspliced XBP1 Confers VSMC Homeostasis and Prevents Aortic Aneurysm Formation via FoxO4 Interaction

Rationale: Although not fully understood, the phenotypic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells exhibits at the early onset of the pathology of aortic aneurysms. Exploring the key regulators that are responsible for maintaining the contractile phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) may confer vascular homeostasis and prevent aneurysmal disease. XBP1 (X-box binding protein 1), which exists in a transcriptionally inactive unspliced form (XBP1u) and a spliced active form (XBP1s), is a key component in response to endoplasmic reticular stress. Compared with XBP1s, little is known about the role of XBP1u in vascular homeostasis and disease. Objective: We aim to investigate the role of XBP1u in VSMC phenotypic switching and the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms. Methods and Results: XBP1u, but not XBP1s, was markedly repressed in the aorta during the early onset of aortic aneurysm in both angiotensin II–infused apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE −/− ) and CaPO 4 (calcium phosphate)-induced C57BL/6J murine models, in parallel with a decrease in smooth muscle cell contractile apparatus proteins. In vivo studies revealed that XBP1 deficiency in smooth muscle cells caused VSMC dedifferentiation, enhanced vascular inflammation and proteolytic activity, and significantly aggravated both thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice. XBP1 deficiency, but not an inhibition of XBP1 splicing, induced VSMC switching from the contractile phenotype to a proinflammatory and proteolytic phenotype. Mechanically, in the cytoplasm, XBP1u directly associated with the N terminus of FoxO4 (Forkhead box protein O 4), a recognized repressor of VSMC differentiation via the interaction and inhibition of myocardin. Blocking the XBP1u–FoxO4 interaction facilitated nuclear translocation of FoxO4, repressed smooth muscle cell marker genes expression, promoted proinflammatory and proteolytic phenotypic transitioning in vitro, and stimulated aortic aneurysm formation in vivo. Conclusions: Our study revealed the pivotal role of the XBP1u–FoxO4–myocardin axis in maintaining the VSMC contractile phenotype and providing protection from aortic aneurysm formation. </jats:sec

Size-Selective Catalytic Growth of Nearly 100% Pure Carbon Nanocoils with Copper Nanoparticles Produced by Atomic Layer Deposition

In this paper, Cu nanoparticles with narrow size distribution are synthesized by reduction of CuO films produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD), which are used as catalysts for the catalytic growth of carbon nanostructures. By properly adjusting the ALD cycle numbers, the size of produced Cu nanoparticles can be well controlled. Uniform carbon nanocoils with near 100% purity can be obtained by using 50–80 nm Cu nanoparticles, while thin straight fibers and thick straight fibers are produced by applying 5–35 and 100–200 nm Cu nanoparticles, respectively. The mechanism of the particle size-dependent growth of the carbon nanostructure was analyzed based on the experimental results and theoretical simulation. Our results can provide important information for the preparation of helical carbon nanostructures with high purity. Moreover, this work also demonstrates that ALD is a viable technique for synthesizing nanoparticles with highly controllable size and narrow size distribution suitable for studying particle size-dependent catalytic behavior and other applications