Effect of probiotic intervention on intestinal flora and immune status in patients with secondary infections to HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure

Objective To assess the effect of probiotic intervention on intestinal flora and immune status in patients with secondary infections to HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). Methods A total of 101 patients with HBV-ACLF treated in our hospital between January, 2017 and June, 2018 were enrolled in this study, including 56 without secondary infections (HBV-ACLF group) and 45 with secondary infections to HBV-ACLF (secondary infection group), with 67 healthy participants as controls. All the patients with HBV-ACLF were treated with bifidobacterium quadruple live bacteria tablets in addition to the routine treatments for 1 month. From all the participants, fecal specimens were collected before and after the treatment to analyze the changes in Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, yeast, Staphylococcus, Bacteroides and Streptococcus mutans; peripheral blood samples were also obtained for testing the serum levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG and IgM using ELISA; the changes in T lymphocyte subsets CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ were detected using immunofluorescence flow cytometry, and the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8(IL-8) were determined using ELISA. Results Compared with the control group, the patients with HBV-ACLF in both groups before the treatment showed significantly reduced abundance of intestinal Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria and increased abundance of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, yeast, Staphylococcus, Bacteroides, and Streptococcus pneumoniae (P 0.05). Conclusion The patients with secondary infections to HBV-ACLF have abnormal changes in intestinal flora and immune status, which can be improved by probiotic intervention

Osthole improves collagen-induced arthritis in a rat model through inhibiting inflammation and cellular stress

Abstract Background Osthole is a natural product that has multiple bioactive functions and has been reported to exert potent immunosuppressive effects. However, the therapeutic effect of osthole on arthritis has not been explored. In the present study, a collagen-induced arthritis rat model, IL-1β-stimulated SW982 cells, and RA-like fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) were employed to investigate the effect and possible mechanism of osthole on arthritis in vivo and in vitro. Results 20 and 40 mg/kg osthole significantly alleviated collagen-induced arthritic symptoms based on histopathology and clinical arthritis scores, and improved erosion using HE staining. 20 and 40 mg/kg osthole decreased the level of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 in rats and ameliorated oxidative stress in serum evaluated using ELISA kits. In addition, treatment with 50 and 100 μM osthole for 48 h inhibited 10 ng/ml IL-1β-stimulated proliferation and migration of SW982, and significantly inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinases, such as MMP-1, MMP-3 and MMP-13, as detected by western blot. 50 and 100 μM osthole also blocked the generation of IL-6 and TNF-α in IL-1β-stimulated SW982 cells. The NF-κB and MAPK pathways were also inhibited by osthole in IL-1β-treated SW982 cells. Conclusion These results collectively demonstrated that osthole improves collagen-induced arthritis in a rat model and IL-1β-treated SW982 cells through inhibiting inflammation and cellular stress in vivo and in vitro, and osthole might be a promising therapeutic agent for RA

Co-Combustion Behavior of Paper Sludge Hydrochar and Pulverized Coal: Low Rank Coal and Its Product by Hydrothermal Carbonization

In this paper, the combustion behavior of low rank coal and its product after hydrothermal carbonization with paper sludge hydrochar were studied. The Raman technique was used to compare the structural differences between raw coal and the product. Thermogravimetric analysis was employed to conduct experiments of single sample and their mixtures with different proportions at a heating rate of 20 °C/min, the activation energy of chemical reactions was calculated. The results showed that upgraded product had higher carbon ordering degree than raw coal and the ignition temperature and burnout temperature of the product were advanced. Compared with raw coal, the combustion characteristic parameters C and S of the product were higher, indicating that its combustibility was better. As for the mixture, when the paper sludge hydrochar ratio was not more than 10%, the mixed fuel combustion curve was still similar to coal curve. After the paper sludge hydrochar ratio exceeded 10%, the activation energy of the mixed combustion reaction of paper sludge hydrochar and upgraded coal was lower than that of raw coal and paper sludge hydrochar. These results indicated that the mixture of upgraded coal and paper sludge hydrochar as mixed fuel was a better option

Relationship between precipitation behavior and loading orientations of the creep-aged Al–Cu–Li single crystal

In present work, typical loading orientations were applied on an Al–Cu–Li single crystal during creep aging, and the relationship between precipitation behavior and loading orientations of the creep-aged Al–Cu–Li single crystal was studied by high angle annular dark field - scanning transmission electron microscope (HAADF-STEM) observation along multiple zone axes. The results show that the precipitation behavior of the precipitates (i.e., T1, θ′) in creep-aged Al–Cu–Li alloy was directly attributed to the loading directions. The number density of T1-phase in the creep-aged single crystal loaded close to α direction is highest, and that of T1-phase is the lowest when the loading direction is α. Moreover, the oriented-precipitation of T1-phase was found in the creep-aged sample loaded close to α direction, while that of θ′-phase was observed in the creep-aged sample loaded close to α direction. The hardness evolution of the creep-aged samples along different loading orientations is also in agreement with the corresponding precipitation behavior. The present work proposes a novel method to regulate the precipitation behavior of the creep-aged Al–Cu–Li alloy by controlling the loading direction, and the ideal loading direction is α for the Al–Cu–Li alloy to obtain better mechanical property

Antimicrobial Bioresorbable Mg–Zn–Ca Alloy for Bone Repair in a Comparison Study with Mg–Zn–Sr Alloy and Pure Mg

Magnesium-zinc-calcium (Mg-Zn-Ca) alloys have attracted increasing attention for biomedical implant applications, especially for bone repair, because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and similar mechanical properties to human bone. The objectives of this study were to characterize Mg-2 wt % Zn-0.5 wt % Ca (named ZC21) alloy pins microstructurally and mechanically, and determine their degradation and interactions with host cells and pathogenic bacteria in vitro and in vivo in comparison with the previously studied Mg-4 wt % Zn-1 wt % strontium (named ZSr41) alloy and Mg control. Specifically, the in vitro degradation and cytocompatibility of ZC21 pins with bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were investigated using both direct culture and direct exposure culture methods. The adhesion density of BMSCs on ZC21 pins (i.e., direct contact) was significantly higher than on pure Mg pins in both in vitro culture methods; the cell adhesion density around ZC21 pins (i.e., indirect contact) was similar to the cell-only positive control in both in vitro culture methods. Interestingly, ZC21 showed a higher daily degradation rate, crack width and crack area ratio in the direct exposure culture than in the direct culture, suggesting different culture methods did affect its in vitro degradation behaviors. When cultured with Gram-positive bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), ZC21 reduced bacterial adhesion on the surface more significantly than that of ZSr41 and Mg. The in vivo degradation and biocompatibility of the ZC21 pins for bone regeneration were studied in a mouse femoral defect model. The in vivo degradation rate of ZC21 pins was much slower than that of ZSr41 alloy and Mg control pins. After 12 weeks of implantation in vivo, the ZC21 group showed the shortest gap at the femoral defect, indicating that ZC21 pins promoted osteogenesis and bone healing more than ZSr41 and Mg control pins. Overall, the ZC21 alloy is promising for bone repair, while providing antibacterial activities, and should be further studied toward clinical translation

Shape Control of Ternary Sulfide Nanocrystals

Synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals with a definite shape is the foundation of their anisotropy properties investigation; however, it is more challenging in ternary metal sulfides than that of noble metal and binary sulfides. In this paper, we report a solvent polarity control strategy to prepare a family of ternary sulfide (Ag₃SbS₃) semiconductor nanocrystals with tunable polyhedral shapes. The crystal growth speed along different directions was confined by the capping effect of the polarity of solvents that was defined by reaction temperature. Crystal shape of Ag₃SbS₃ nanocrystals could be tailored as a sphere, hexagonal plate, and prism. A shape-controllable growth mechanism was analyzed based on the Bravais–Friedel–Donnay–Harker theory by taking crystal structure characteristics and the polarity of solvents into consideration. The semiconductor nanocrystals show a near value of the band gaps for different shaped samples and facet-dependent photocatalytic water-splitting activities, which may result from the discrimination of the terminal surface structure and binding energy of Sb and S for the three different shaped nanocrystals. Thus, we provide a new crystal shape tunable strategy for ternary sulfide nanocrystal synthesis, which is important for optimizing properties and applications of sulfide semiconductor nanocrystals