Effect of Methyl Jasmonate Combined with Calcium Chloride Treatment on Storage Quality of Dictyophora rubrovalvata

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of combined treatment of methyl jasmonate and calcium chloride on storage quality of Dictyophora rubrovalvata. The Dictyophora rubrovalvata was used as the experimental material in this experiment, and the effects of different dealing methods (preharvest distilled water spray treatments mark CK, preharvest 3% calcium chloride spray (S1), preharvest 0.3 mmol/L methyl jasmonate spray (S2), preharvest 0.3 mmol/L methyl jasmonate+3% calcium chloride spray (S3)) on the storage quality of Dictyophora rubrovalvata at (1±0.5) ℃ were studied. The results showed that compared with CK group, the different treatment groups could inhibit the increase of weight loss rate and respiratory intensity, reduce the Dictyophora rubrovalvata shearing force, malondialdehyde content, maintain the free amino acid content, protein content, polysaccharide content and flavone content, and maintain the SOD, CAT and POD activity of the Dictyophora rubrovalvata. At 12 d of storage, the decay rate of Dictyophora rubrovalvata in CK, S1, S2 and S3 groups was 32.56%, 28.32%, 19.85% and 14.64%, and the weight loss rate was 5.62%, 3.89%, 2.89% and 2.21%. In general, methyl jasmonate combined with calcium chloride could significantly delay the deterioration process of Dictyophora rubrovalvata and the decline of its storage quality. Therefore the combination of spraying methyl jasmonate combined with calcium chloride before picking had the best fresh-keeping effect, which could maintain the storage effect of Dictyophora rubrovalvata. This study can provide theoretical reference and technical support for the preservation of Dictyophora rubrovalvata

Enhancement of Innate Immune Function in Mice by Bifidobacterium bifidum FL-228.1

In this study, eight potential functional strains were selected to interfered with RAW264.7 murine macrophages and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Then, changes in phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells and natural killer (NK) cell activity were detected and the screened potential probiotics were further intervened in BALB/c mice to explore their immunomodulatory efficacy in vivo. In cell experiments, the results showed that the intervention of different strains significantly increased the phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells (P0.05). In conclusion, Bifidobacterium bifidum FL-228.1 can improve innate immune function and have a more comprehensive effect on the immune system by regulating immune cell activity, cytokine expression and mRNA levels of immune molecules related to antimicrobial peptides

OP9-Lhx2 stromal cells facilitate derivation of hematopoietic progenitors both in vitro and in vivo

AbstractGenerating engraftable hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is an ideal approach for obtaining induced HSCs for cell therapy. However, the path from PSCs to robustly induced HSCs (iHSCs) in vitro remains elusive. We hypothesize that the modification of hematopoietic niche cells by transcription factors facilitates the derivation of induced HSCs from PSCs. The Lhx2 transcription factor is expressed in fetal liver stromal cells but not in fetal blood cells. Knocking out Lhx2 leads to a fetal hematopoietic defect in a cell non-autonomous role. In this study, we demonstrate that the ectopic expression of Lhx2 in OP9 cells (OP9-Lhx2) accelerates the hematopoietic differentiation of PSCs. OP9-Lhx2 significantly increased the yields of hematopoietic progenitor cells via co-culture with PSCs in vitro. Interestingly, the co-injection of OP9-Lhx2 and PSCs into immune deficient mice also increased the proportion of hematopoietic progenitors via the formation of teratomas. The transplantation of phenotypic HSCs from OP9-Lhx2 teratomas but not from the OP9 control supported a transient repopulating capability. The upregulation of Apln gene by Lhx2 is correlated to the hematopoietic commitment property of OP9-Lhx2. Furthermore, the enforced expression of Apln in OP9 cells significantly increased the hematopoietic differentiation of PSCs. These results indicate that OP9-Lhx2 is a good cell line for regeneration of hematopoietic progenitors both in vitro and in vivo

Human respiratory syncytial virus subgroups A and B outbreak in a kindergarten in Zhejiang Province, China, 2023

BackgroundIn May–June 2023, an unprecedented outbreak of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) infections occurred in a kindergarten, Zhejiang Province, China. National, provincial, and local public health officials investigated the cause of the outbreak and instituted actions to control its spread.MethodsWe interviewed patients with the respiratory symptoms by questionnaire. Respiratory samples were screened for six respiratory pathogens by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The confirmed cases were further sequenced of G gene to confirm the HRSV genotype. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed by maximum likelihood method.ResultsOf the 103 children in the kindergarten, 45 were classified as suspected cases, and 25 cases were confirmed by RT-PCR. All confirmed cases were identified from half of classes. 36% (9/25) were admitted to hospital, none died. The attack rate was 53.19%. The median ages of suspected and confirmed cases were 32.7 months and 35.8 months, respectively. Nine of 27 confirmed cases lived in one community. Only two-family clusters among 88 household contacts were HRSV positive. A total of 18 of the G gene were obtained from the confirmed cases. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that 16 of the sequences belonged to the HRSV B/BA9 genotype, and the other 2 sequences belonged to the HRSV A/ON1 genotype. The school were closed on June 9 and the outbreak ended on June 15.ConclusionThese findings suggest the need for an increased awareness of HRSV coinfections outbreak in the kindergarten, when HRSV resurges in the community after COVID-19 pandemic

Performance and Safety Behavior of Sulfide Electrolyte-Based Solid-State Lithium Batteries

The lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the most researched battery system nowadays. LIBs, since their commercialization in the 1990s, provide better gravimetric/volumetric energy density, higher voltage, and cycle life with lower self-discharge than previously developed battery systems. All those advantages made the LIB systems an excellent candidate as the power source for portable electronic devices, electric-powered vehicles, space vehicles, electricity grid storage, and future electric aviation. However, there is a limitation to developing higher-capacity lithium-ion batteries as we approach the practical limit of the presently used cathodes, which makes today\u27s high-energy LIBs. Moreover, small-form-factor portable electric devices and large-scale applications of LIB systems for electric vehicles, space vehicles, electric and hybrid aircraft, and grid storage are all facing challenges of lower than required safety levels in today\u27s LIBs. Thus, developing new technologies and components of batteries with higher energy density and safety levels is the most desirable research & development topic. In this case, the lithium-sulfur battery (LSB) system is an excellent candidate for increasing the battery system\u27s energy, beyond the energy storage limit of today\u27s LIBs. With ~650 Wh kg-1 of gravimetric energy density, Li-S battery (LSB) achieved more than two times the energy density of state-of-art LIBs (~250 Wh kg-1). Organic liquid electrolyte (OLE) is one of the essential components in LIBs due to its high ionic conductivity (10-2-10-1 S cm-1) and electrode wettability at ambient conditions. As the temperature rises, the lack of thermal stability and high flammability of OLEs becomes a significant challenge in designing a safe operable LIB. Even a moderately elevated temperature (\u3e65°C) can severely diminish the useful capacity and cycle life and can pose thermal safety issues (such as fire and explosions). Pursuing safer electrolytes led battery researchers and manufacturers around the globe to a significant task in developing a high-conductivity, thermally-stable solid-state electrolyte (SE). Depending on material selection (polymer or inorganic ceramics or polymer-ceramic composite), the solid electrolyte can be incombustible, nonvolatile, nonflammable, and stable at elevated temperatures. Combining the concept of LSB (high energy) and SE (enhanced safety), researchers introduced high energy density, high safety all-solid-state batteries, particularly all-solid-state lithium metal batteries. My research involves understanding the performance and safety behavior of next-generation, high-energy, high-safety all-solid-state lithium batteries, including LSB and LIBs. In my study, we experimented with sulfur-infused carbon as high-capacity cathode materials. We infused the sulfur at different temperatures. We utilized carbon cloth, activated carbon on carbon cloth, and hierarchical porous carbon on carbon cloth as substrate. The cathodes were tested in the baseline liquid electrolyte-based lithium-sulfur battery. To increase the safety of the lithium-sulfur battery, we synthesized different solid electrolytes based on sulfides, such as lithium phosphorous sulfur bromine iodine (LPSBI) and lithium phosphorous sulfur chlorine (LPSCl). The selection of these Li+ conducting sulfides was based on different useful properties such as i) high Li+ conductivity, ii) high interfacial stability with lithium anodes, and iii) high compressibility required for cell fabrication at room temperature. For the synthesis of Li+ conducting sulfide solid electrolyte, we have developed a scalable synthesis route that includes material sintering in a furnace in an Ar glovebox and eliminated the risk of letting the material contact with air compared to the state-of-the-art procedure that involves sintering the materials in a volume constraint quartz tube. Learned the challenges of state-of-the-art rechargeable and primary LSBs. For the first time, we constructed and studied the performance of sulfide SE-based primary (non-rechargeable) LSBs. My research suggests that future research should address optimizing i) sulfur cathode loading, ii) stack pressure, iii) electrode kinetics to make solid-state lithium-sulfur a secondary battery. The lithium (Li) anode can undergo infinite volume change during the charge-discharge of LSBs. For example, if one starts with a Li thickness of 100 µm, during discharge thickness of the Li anode can vary from 100 µm to 0. This kind of Li volume change, especially when using SEs makes the pressure applied on the battery critical. Without proper pressure, the connectivity of LSB components (viz., anode, electrolyte, and cathode) will falter and make the battery dysfunctional. Thus, understanding the effect of pressure on the battery plays an important role in solid-state LSBs. So we studied the effect of pressure on lithium deposition (charge) and strapping (discharge) against an important sulfide SE (Lithium Phosphorus Sulfur Bromine Iodide, LPSBI). We adopted a unique charge/discharge protocol using asymmetric cell configuration and determined the maximum allowed stripping and deposition current density at various pressures. This research will facilitate future progress on rechargeable solid-state LSBs and other rechargeable solid-state LIBs. Finally, my research focused on understanding the safety (thermal, electrochemical, and environmental) of sulfide SE-based all-solid-state LIBs using high voltage cathode (lithium cobalt oxide, LiCoO2 and low voltage anode (graphite, C). Thermal safety has been evaluated using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and electrical safety by monitoring the open circuit voltage of a fully charged battery at different temperatures up to 170°C. Environmental safety has been evaluated by measuring the quantity of released H2S gas. The thermal, electrochemical, and environmental safety data obtained on sulfide SE-based all-solid-state LIBs has been found superior to commercial-type organic LE-based LIBs

Effects of chromic chloride on chick embryo fibroblast viability

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of chromic chloride (CrCl3) on chick embryo fibroblast (CEF) viability. The cells were incubated with CrCl3 (0.02, 0.1, 0.5, 2.5, 12.5, and 62.5 μM), and the viability was determined using MTT assay, morphological detection and flow cytometry. The results show that lower concentrations of CrCl3 (0.02, 0.1, and 0.5 μM) did not damage CEF viability. At 0.1 μM, CrCl3 can increase CEF viability (P < 0.05). However, at higher concentrations of CrCl3 (2.5, 12.5, and 62.5 μM), the number of apoptotic and necrotic cells (P < 0.01) and intracellular reactive oxygen species (P < 0.01) increased. In addition, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (P < 0.01) and enhanced intracellular calcium levels (P < 0.01) were observed after the exposure. Moreover, apoptotic morphological changes induced by these processes in CEF were confirmed using Hoechst 33258 staining. Cell death induced by higher concentrations of CrCl3 was caused by an apoptotic and a necrotic mechanism, whereas the main mechanism of oxidative stress and induced mitochondrial dysfunction was apoptotic death. The induced apoptotic death in CEF is concentration- and time-dependent

Use of physiological and transcriptome analysis to infer the interactions between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis isolated from Chinese traditional sourdoughs

This study aimed to explore the interaction between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis during sourdough fermentation based on metabolic characteristics and transcriptional changes in pure and mixed cultures. Dough was prepared by using these species either as single cultures, or in combination. The cell counts, acidity and volatile compounds in sourdough samples were determined. The growth of S. cerevisiae and L. sanfranciscensis remained unaffacted in mixed culture. In addition, production of some volatile compounds, mainly associated with S. cerevisiae (ethanol, 2,3-pentanedione, 3-methyl-1-butanol, phenylethyl alcohol and 2-methyl-1-propanol) was negatively affected in mixed culture. On the other hand, S. cerevisiae stimulated the acetic acid production by L. sanfranciscensis, but did not have a significant effect on other metabolic traits of L. sanfranciscensis. The transcriptional profile of S. cerevisiae in pure and mixed cultures was analyzed using RNA sequencing. The results showed a significant effect of co-fermentation on S. cerevisiae carbohydrate and amino acids metabolism. The glycerol synthesis, arginine metabolism and glutamate metabolism increased, while the synthesis of ethanol and acetic acid and glutathione metabolism decreased in mixed culture when compared with results obtained from pure culture of S. cerevisiae

Purification and identification of novel peptides with inhibitory effect against angiotensin I-converting enzyme and optimization of process conditions in milk fermented with the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides from milk fermented with the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus Z17 were identified. The optimum process conditions for the production of bioactive peptides were also established. Two novel peptides exhibiting ACE-inhibitory activity were identified from the fermented milk using Sephadex G-15 gel filtration, reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography and MALDI/TOF-TOF MS/MS. The sequences of the two novel peptides were VLSRYP and LRFF with IC50 values of 36.7 and 116.9 µM, respectively. Lineweaver–Burk plots revealed that both peptides behaved as competitive ACE inhibitors. Response surface methodology was used to determine the optimum process conditions for the production of ACE-inhibitory peptides. The results showed that the most significant factors affecting ACE inhibition were fermentation temperature, inoculum level and rotation speed. The maximum ACE-inhibitory activity (81.23%) was observed at temperature 32 °C, initial pH 6.5, inoculum level 6% and rotation speed of 189 rpm. The peptide content and peptidase activity (carboxypeptidase and aminopeptidase) had a significant positive effect on ACE inhibition, while endoproteinase activity showed an insignificant effect. The results of this study may contribute to the development of a functional beverage with antihypertensive effects

Weight-Reducing Effect of Lactobacillus Plantarum ZJUFT17 Isolated from Sourdough Ecosystem

Lactobacillus plantarum ZJUFT17 (T17) is a potential probiotic bacterium isolated from Chinese traditional sourdough. The purpose of this study was to investigate its weight-reducing effects in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and further to elucidate possible mechanisms. Male C57BL/6J mice fed HFD were given T17 (2&ndash;4 &times; 108 cfu) intragastrically for 10 weeks. The results showed that the administration of T17 significantly suppressed HFD-induced body weight gain, alleviated HFD-induced increase in serum lipids and decreased energy intake. The serum levels of obesity-related metabolic signaling molecules, including insulin, adiponectin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the cytokines interleukin (IL)-1&beta; and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-&alpha;, were markedly improved. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that T17 administration dramatically modulated the gut microbiota, suppressing pathogenic and pro-inflammatory microbes and stimulating the microbes favoring anti-obesity. The weight-reducing efficacy of T17 may be explained by its ability to ameliorate systemic inflammation and insulin resistance mediated by gut microbiota. This study revealed that T17 could ameliorate obesity and the concomitant metabolic syndrome in mice and that the lactic acid bacteria in the sourdough ecosystem may also possess anti-obesity/weight-reducing properties