Search

Phthalates are common endocrine disruptors. The placental barrier can be crossed by phthalates and may have a negative impact on the health of the fetus. However, the association between prenatal exposure to phthalates and birth size is still debatable. Here, we performed this meta-analysis to assess the relationship between prenatal phthalates exposure and birth size. Eighteen studies were finally included by searching PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Ovid, and Web of Science databases and standardized regression coefficients and standard errors were used to pool effect size. Our results showed that prenatal exposure to MMP (=-0.04, 95%CI: −0.08, −0.01) and MEP (=-0.01, 95%CI: −0.01, −0.002) was significantly associated with birth weight. However, no significant associations were identified for phthalate exposure with birth length, head circumference and chest circumference. Because the limiting of studies, more high-quality case–control studies or cohort studies are urgently needed to draw the best conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Dyeing rates of raw wool and modified wool at different time (standard errors) The dye performance evaluation The dyeing performance of the wool samples was evaluated by the color depth (K/S) and compared as shown in Table 3. Keywords: Thiol groups; ionic liquid; wool; hydrophilic performance; dye; surface modification; ; ; ; ; ; EN Thiol groups ionic liquid wool hydrophilic performance dye surface modification ZH 9729 9740 12 11/21/22 20221220 NES 221220 Introduction Wool is a widely used natural protein fiber due to its warmth, comfort and wear- proof properties (Wang et al. [34]; Zhou, Di, and Wang [40]). The FTIR spectra of raw wool and modified wool (95% confidence limit bands) Crystallinity test The XRD spectra of wool samples (raw wool and wool treated for 3 min) are shown in Figure 4. [Extracted from the article]

Besides, the cuticle-L + U lane showed a lighter blue band than that of the raw wool and cuticle-FA, indicating the cuticle-L + U was more difficult to be dissolved than cuticle-FA. Keywords: Wool fibers; cuticle isolation; keratin; l-cysteine; secondary structure; thermal stability; ; ; ; L- ; ; EN Wool fibers cuticle isolation keratin l-cysteine secondary structure thermal stability ZH L- 7714 7727 14 11/21/22 20221220 NES 221220 Introduction Wool has been widely used in the textile industry due to its excellent elasticity and heat retention property. FT-IR spectrum of the raw wool, cuticle-FA, and cuticle-L + U FTIR spectra comparison between the raw wool, cuticle-FA, and cuticle-L + U showed differences in 1200-1000 cm SP -1 sp . SDS-PAGE analysis of the raw wool (Lane 1), cuticle-FA (Lane 2), cuticle-L + U (Lane 3) Conclusion Taken together, our data demonstrated that pure and flaky-shaped cuticle cells could be effectively isolated with the L-cysteine and formic acid methods, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Wool, mainly composed of keratin, is a relatively high-grade textile material. Its inherent disadvantage such as high shrinkage and poor dyeability caused by the complex scale structure has puzzled people for a long time. Removing or breaking the surface scales of wool fibers in a simple, effective, and environmentally friendly way has attracted growing attention in recent years. Herein we proposed a thiourea dioxide (TD)-based method that could effectively remove the surface scale of wool fiber with minor damage to its internal structure. This was verified using Allwörden reaction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), XPS, FT-Raman spectroscopy and Ellman's test. Furthermore, the dimensional stability and dyeability were significantly improved. The machine-washable effect can be achieved with the strength loss of merely 5.16% when the TD concentration was 10%. Fluorescence microscopy images further showed that low concentrations of TD could damage the surface scale layer of wool without severe strength loss. This approach is facile, environmentally friendly, and economical, providing a new direction for the surface modification of varied keratin-rich fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wool surface modification is essential for its application in the textile industry. In this work, a novel approach using reduced ionic liquid (IL) was applied to modify the surface of wool and enhance surface-related properties of wool for overcoming the unsustainable drawbacks in the present methods. The results from the surface morphology indicated that the wool was gradually dissolved from the outside to the inside of the fiber. The treated wool was characterized using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorescence microscopy and the Allwörden reaction. Moreover, felting shrinkage, mechanical properties, and dyeing properties of the treated wool were analyzed. Disulfide bonds were cleaved during the process from XPS test. The Allwörden reaction and fluorescence analysis showed damaged scale layer on the wool surface and an intact fiber main body with an acceptable loss of mechanical properties. Compared with the untreated wool, the anti-felting properties and dyeing performance improved due to the cleavage of disulfide bonds and the removal of the lipid layer, indicating that the treatment could modify the wool surface. Overall, the study supports a novel, facile and highly efficient approach for preparing a value-adding natural protein fiber with a potential for large-scale production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To adapt to human host environment, synonymous mutations in SARS-CoV-2 are shaped by tRNA selection, energy cost and RNA structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silk sericin (SS) is derived from natural Bombyx mori silk fibers, and it has the unique biological properties like good biocompatibility and low immunogenicity. However, pure SS material exhibits poor mechanical properties and high water solubility, which greatly reduces the formability of SS material and limits its wide range of applications. In this study, a transglutaminase (TGase) was combinedly used with two custom peptides of GQGEGQG (p-Q) and KKKK (p-K), containing exogenous glutamine and lysine residues, respectively, for facilitating the enzymatic crosslinking of sericin proteins. The efficacy of enzymatic incubation was assessed by the means of SDS-PAGE, size exclusion chromatography chromatogram, and determination of the quantitative changes in amino groups. Properties of the obtained SS membranes based on different treatments were also examined. The results revealed that incubating of SS with TGase and glutamine-containing peptide led to a noticeable increase in the molecular weight compared with others. TGase-mediated treatments had detectable impact on the conformational structures of SS, the obtained formability and mechanical property for the TGase/p-Q treated SS membrane were evidently improved compared to others. The suggestive alternative, based on the combination use of TGase and p-Q has the potential applications for preparation of the sericin-based biomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of laccase treatment on the content, structure, and surface distribution of lignin in jute fibers were fundamentally investigated. Four percent lignin was removed from jute fibers via the laccase treatment. The residual lignin in the laccase-treated jute fibers showed increased molecular weights, which indicated polymerization between lignins on jute fibers. Meanwhile, the phenolic hydroxyl content in lignin decreased during the laccase oxidation accompanied by demethylation of methoxyl groups and generation of carbonyl groups. Due to the degradation and subsequent polymerization of lignin by laccase, the bulgy lignins on jute fiber surfaces were redistributed, which made the surface neat and glossy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel organic-inorganic hybrid borotungstate is decorated by the following two disparate ligands: [{Cu (bipy)2}{(bipy)Cu(Hbtb)}{BW12O40}(H2O)2] (1) and [bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine, btb = 1,4-bis(1 H-1,2,4-triazol-1- yl)benzene], which have been hydrothermally synthesized successfully. Compound 1 is composed of {BW12} polyoxoanions and the [{Cu(bipy)2}{Cu(bipy)(Hbtb)}]5C complex cations, which generate a novel 1- D chain. There are π-π stacking interactions or supramolecular interactions all throughout to construct a two-dimensional network. In addition, the antitumor effects of the title compound 1 were studied on three human tumor cells (PG49, HOS, and PL45). The results showed that compared with the positive reference drug carboplatin, compound 1 displayed efficient antitumor activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bombyx mori silk fibroin has potential applications in the biomedical field owing to its satisfactory biocompatibility. In the present work, a tyrosine-rich polypeptide (P) with the sequence of GKGYGGYGK was grafted onto fibroin molecules using a natural cross-linking agent of genipin (GP), aiming at improving the reactivity of the fibroin-based materials. Incubation of the polypeptide-grafted fibroin membrane was subsequently carried out, with a mushroom tyrosinase (MT) and a model functional macromolecule of ε-poly-l-lysine (ε-PL). The changes in the structure and composition of the silk fibroin before and after polypeptide grafting were examined by means of size exclusion chromatography and amino acid analysis. The results indicated that the polypeptide was covalently bonded to fibroin chains and evidently promoted the succeeding enzymatic coupling of ε-PL with fibroins, resulting in a higher content of ε-PL compared to the control. The obtained antibacterial activities against S. aureus and E. coli for the fibroin membrane treated with GP/P and MT/ε-PL was more satisfactory than others. Cytotoxicity testing reveals that polypeptide grafting did less impact on the biocompatibility of silk fibroins. The present work provides a novel method to improve the reactivity of silk fibroins and it can be utilized for bio-functionalization of silk fibroin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context:Periplaneta americanaL. (Dictyoptera;Blattaria) has been traditional used to treat ulcers, burns and heart disease in southwestern China. Recent reports indicate thatP. americanacan be used as an alternative medicine in therapy of ulcerative colitis, but the mechanism involved remains obscure. Objective:This study investigated the therapeutic effect ofP. americanaextract (PAE) in rat colitis and elucidated its potential mechanism. Materials and methods:Dinitrochlorobenzene and acetic acid-induced colitis rat model was applied. Colitis rats were treated with PAE for 10 d and estimated disease activity index daily. Rectal inflammation was assessed by myeloperoxidase activity and histological changes. Another colitis rats were treated with PAE for 4 d, meanwhile gavage withEscherichia colilabelled with green fluorescent protein. Mesenteric lymph nodes, colon, liver, spleen and kidney were harvested for bacteria culture. PAE was suspended in distilled water then partitioned with ethyl acetate andn-butanol to obtain ethyl acetate fraction,n-butanol fraction and water fraction, respectively. Fibroblasts proliferation and collagen accumulation of each fraction was determined. Results:PAE treatment reduced the severity of colitis and tissue myeloperoxidase accumulation (p < 0.001). Also, PAE at 80 mg/kg significantly inhibited labelledE. colifrom translocating to distant organs, especially to MLN and liver. Additionally, PAE significantly stimulated fibroblasts proliferation (126.9%) and collagen accumulation (130.8%) for 48 h incubation. Among the partitions, ethyl acetate fraction generally had higher fibroblast viability enhanced-activity. Conclusions:PAE can protect against ulcerative colitis and this protection is attributed to anti-inflammation and fibroblasts viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to the traditional dyeing processes using synthetic dyes, biological dyeing method has a bright future in the textile industry due to their advantages of environmentally-friendly and milder processing conditions. Biological dyeing involves the catalysis of phenolic monomers by oxidoreductases, such as laccase, to form the colorful polymers used for dyeing. In this study, wool fabrics were treated with laccase/phenol via a one- or two-step treatment, and polymers synthesized in-situ were used to dye wool fabrics. The K/S values of the wool fabrics were evaluated under different treatment conditions, including the dosages of laccase and dye precursor, temperature, pH, mediator type, and mechanical agitation. The surface of wool fibers was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the dyeing effect of the wool fabric samples using the single step processing method of in-situ color synthesis and fabric dyeing was better than those dyed using the two-step methods of color synthesis and fabric dyeing under the same conditions. The color depth of the dyed wool fabrics increased gradually with increasing concentration of laccase, and also depended on other process parameters, such as dosage of catechol, temperature, and pH. Moreover, addition of mediators and adjustment of mechanical agitation also improved the color depth of the wool fabrics which were dyed in-situ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a modification procedure for ramie fabrics was developed using modified cellulases. Cellulase was modified by covalent coupling to Eudragit S-100, which resulted in a larger molecule, to trigger its activity toward the cellulosic fiber surface. The modified fabrics were characterized by using atomic force microscope, thermogravimetric analysis, and Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric techniques in order to determine their morphology, thermal stability, and handle. In addition, the moisture evaporation, wicking property, and air permeability of the modified ramie fabrics were investigated. Furthermore, the weight loss and copper number were determined to identify the damages in the modified ramie fibers. The results show that the modified cellulase can prevent excessive damage to ramie fabrics with the desired performance because the hydrolytic attack of the modified cellulase is restricted to the surface of the ramie fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Cd(II) coordination polymer, namely [Cd(Hbci)]n(1 H3bci = bis(2-carboxyethyl)isocyanurate), has been synthesized by the reactions of Cd(II) ions with H3bci under hydrothermal conditions. Single crystal X-ray analysis reveals that1features a two-dimensional (2D) layer framework with (3,6)-connectedkgdtopology. In addition, the luminescent properties of1were also investigated in the solid state at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Co(II) coordination polymer, namely [Co0.5(bix)1.5]n·n(NO3)·2n(H2O) (1 bix = 4,4′-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene), has been successfully synthesized and structurally characterized. Single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that the crystal belongs to triclinic crystal system,P-1 space group witha= 9.3078(9), b = 9.9938(10),c= 13.2647(14) Å, α = 78.154(9)°,b= 73.742(9)° and γ = 82.751(8)°. In the complex, bix ligands acting as bridges link the Co(II) ions into a three-dimensional (3D) 6-connected anionic framework, and the nitrate ions, which not only act as charge balance ions but also act as template in the process of self-assembly, did not involve in coordinating to Co(II) ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]