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Transplantation of stem cell-derived retinal neurons is a promising regenerative therapy for optic neuropathy. However, significant anatomic differences compromise its efficacy in large animal models. The present study describes the procedure and outcomes of human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived retinal sheet transplantation in primate models using biodegradable materials. Stem cell-derived retinal organoids were seeded on polylactic-coglycolic acid (PLGA) scaffolds and directed toward a retinal ganglion cell (RGC) fate. The seeded tissues showed active proliferation, typical neuronal morphology, and electrical excitability. The cellular scaffolds were then epiretinally transplanted onto the inner surface of rhesus monkey retinas. With sufficient graft–host contact provided by the scaffold, the transplanted tissues survived for up to 1 year without tumorigenesis. Histological examinations indicated survival, further maturation, and migration. Moreover, green fluorescent protein-labeled axonal projections toward the host optic nerve were observed. Cryopreserved organoids were also able to survive and migrate after transplantation. Our results suggest the potential efficacy of RGC replacement therapy in the repair of optic neuropathy for the restoration of visual function. In the present study, we generated a human retinal sheet by seeding hiPSC-retinal organoid-derived RGCs on a biodegradable PLGA scaffold. We transplanted this retinal sheet onto the inner surface of the rhesus monkey retina. With scaffold support, donor cells survive, migrate and project their axons into the host optic nerve. Furthermore, an effective cryopreservation strategy for retinal organoids was developed, and the thawed organoids were also observed to survive and show cell migration after transplantation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pineal region tumor is a rare intracranial tumor, and its specific location leads to its own characteristics. This study aimed to provide some insight for medical practice in the care of pineal region tumors. We investigated the key epidemiological characteristics and survival prognosis of pineal tumors based on the epidemiological data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Data of pineal region tumor patients from 1975 to 2019 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The data were divided into 3 pathologic groups: germ cell tumors, pineal parenchymal tumors, and other. The patients' overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The prognostic effects of the patient characteristics on OS were explored using the Cox proportional hazard model. The analysis results are presented as tabular data, Kaplan-Meier plots, forest plots, and nomograms. A calibration curve was used to verify the nomograms. All analyses were performed for all patients overall and stratified by pathological group using SPSS and R language. Based on the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 628 patients were included in this study, of whom 440 (70.1%) were male and 188 (29.9%) were female. Most patients were aged 0–19 years. The pathological type was germinoma for 225 patients (35.8%). Age, surgery, behavioral code, and pathology were significant factors for OS. A calibration curve was used to verify that the nomograms had a good prediction effect. An intuitive nomogram was developed and verified and can predict the prognosis of patients with pineal tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells by defined factors is a mechanism-unknown, yet extremely time-consuming process. Inefficient reprogramming leads to prolonged periods of in vitro iPSC selection, resulting in subtle genetic and epigenetic abnormalities. To facilitate pluripotent reprogramming, we have identified the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) as an endogenous factor that can enhance reprogramming of human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) and umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSC). This potentiation of iPSC induction is associated with metabolic remodeling activity, including upregulation of key glycolytic genes, an increase in cell proliferation, and the induction of mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET). We further identify the activation of the PI3K/AKT signal pathway by T3 as an underlying mechanism for the enhanced conversion to cell pluripotency in this model. These studies demonstrate that T3 enhances metabolic remodeling of donor cells in potentiating cell reprogramming. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Efficient removal of impurity such as lead for nickel recycling from nickel-containing waste solution is become urgently necessary to supply nickel as possible to meet the tremendously increasing demand from wide industries particularly of battery production. In this study, CaCO 3 , abundant in nature but insoluble, was activated by mechanical ball milling and utilized to selectively precipitate lead from nickel-containing solutions. By optimizing the parameters including ball milling speed, experimental duration and dosage of CaCO 3 , within a wide Ni2+ concentration range, an excellent separation performance was achieved with 99.77% of Pb2+ ions removed by forming precipitation as PbCO 3 and only 0.31% of Ni2+ loss accompanied. This simple and environment-friendly technology may also be used in a wider range of mutual separation of heavy metal ions, showing great potential in the enrichment of target metal as well as the purification of heavy metal contaminated wastewater. [Display omitted] • Only by simple ball milling CaCO 3 was activated to release CO 3 2- to precipitate toxic Pb2+ from nickel-containing solution. • Always over 99% Pb2+ precipitated at a stoichiometric ratio of CaCO 3 in a wide range of nickel-containing wastewater. • Efficient Pb removal was also possible from other solutions of Cu, Mn, Ni, Cd, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of iron species to remove PO 4 3− is widely used, and the fresh Fe3+ produced in situ demonstrate better effect on the removal of PO 4 3− in many researches. Therefore, in order to develop a simpler and more efficient method for PO 4 3− removal, we designed an easy operation by electrochemically dissolving siderite to produce fresh Fe3+ in situ for PO 4 3− removal from wastewater. Results showed that current intensity at 20 mA, initial pH at 6, initial PO 4 3− concentration at 1 mM and influent flow rate at 2.5 mL min−1 were the best parameters for removing PO 4 3−, ensuring that the PO 4 3− concentration of effluent can be kept below 1 mg L−1 through the electrochemical system. Different from other studies, a large amount of Fe2+ can be dissolved from natural minerals without adding H+ to the system and Fe3+ species are generated in situ from the oxidation of the Fe2+ without using a specific oxidizer. This electrochemical treatment method with siderite as a packed column can be used as a new method of high efficiency, simple operation and low-cost for treating eutrophic water bodies. [Display omitted] • Siderite can be used as Fe source through electrochemical action. • Ferric species were generated in situ during the electrochemical process. • PO 4 3- was effectively removed by the in situ generated ferric species. • The pH of the effluent was kept in neutral range after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Under the same competition, local species diversity promotes P. crassifolia growth. • B. platyphylla grew slower in a more uniformly distributed local community. • Radial growth was positively related to the local size heterogeneity. The species diversity-forest productivity relationship has been extensively studied, but few studies have systematically examined the relationship between forest structure and forest productivity. As one of the most important ecosystem establishment areas in China, the loess alpine region is in need of research to guide vegetation restoration and afforestation. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between forest structure and tree growth at the local neighbourhood level and to guide the establishment and management of plantations in the loess alpine region. We investigated 1243 living trees in Qinghai Province and analysed the effects of initial size, species diversity, competition, spatial distribution and size heterogeneity on annual growth in basal area (BA) of Picea crassifolia Kom. and Betula platyphylla Suk. using mixed-effect models. The responses of individual growth to local forest structure varied between species and were strongly related to initial size which was expressed by the DBH of focal tree in 2015. The growth of both target species decreased when the neighbourhood competition became more intense. BA growth of P. crassifolia increased with the increase in local species diversity under the same competition intensity, while that of B. platyphylla did not. The uniform spatial distribution in local communities had a negative association with the radial growth of B. platyphylla , but had no significant effect on that of P. crassifolia. Neighbourhood size heterogeneity was positively related to the growth of both target species; P. crassifolia individuals were sensitive to DBH heterogeneity, while B. platyphylla individuals were sensitive to height heterogeneity. This study indicates that complex and heterogeneous forest structures are more conducive to improving forest productivity and highlights the need to fully consider species' functional traits during afforestation and forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mushrooms are promising sources of bioactive peptides. • Endogenous peptides have been proposed as the main active form. • Mushroom-derived ACE inhibitory peptides have been intensively investigated. • Mushroom-derived antioxidant peptides are actively studied but lack of identification. Mushroom bioactive peptides (MBAPs) refer to bioactive peptides extracted directly or indirectly from mushrooms or their mycelia. Owing to the presence of a large quantity of high-quality proteins, many mushrooms are promising sources of bioactive peptides. The beneficial effects, including antihypertensive, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities, of MBAPs are being increasingly recognized with regards to health promotion and disease prevention. However, this field is relatively undeveloped and relevant reviews are scarce. Hence, the aim of this review was to present the current research status of MBAPs, focusing on their preparation and biological functions. An insight regarding the direction of future research has been also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover source mismatch (CSM) can be very challenging for steganalysis because different distribution between source and target inevitably leads to poor performance of the steganalyzer on the target domain. In general, some methods from unsupervised domain adaptation, such as contrastive domain discrepancy (CDD), can be directly applied to steganalysis for addressing the CSM problem, but they cannot achieve satisfactory detection accuracy due to the neglect of steganographic characteristics. To solve this problem, reliable steganalysis labeling (RSL)-based CDD (RCDD) taking steganographic characteristics in account is proposed in this paper, which relies on RSL to generate reliable labels for extended target images, rather than utilizing clustering in CDD to obtain unreliable pseudo labels for target images. Through detailed deduction process, we know that RCDD draws closer the distribution of source and target classwisely so as to enhance the classification performance on the target domain. Simultaneously, a corresponding steganalysis network RCDD-Net is yielded by incorporating some backbone into RCDD. A large number of experiments verify that RCDD-Net is an innovation in steganalysis that effectively alleviates performance degradation when CSM occurs. Moreover, RCDD-Net provides better detection performance than several advanced steganalysis networks. • RSL is firstly proposed to generate reliable labels for extended target images. • RCDD draws closer source and target class-wisely to enhance detection performance. • RCDD-Net has the universality over standard deep steganalysis networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurodegenerative diseases are debilitating conditions that diminish the quality of life and pose significant financial and social burdens. Therefore, strategies to relieve and control these diseases are urgently required, which will improve the quality of patients' lives. Dysbacteriosis of gut microbiota has been shown to be a key component of neurodegenerative disease etiology. The homeostasis of gut microbiota and the balance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the gut can be altered by bioactive peptides derived from food sources. Therefore, biopeptides that improve neurodegenerative diseases by regulating gut microbiota have received considerable attention. The impact of gut microbiota on the brain through the gut-brain axis has been summarized. Additionally, the dual role of ROS in regulating the homeostasis of gut and gut microbiota and the function of bioactive peptides in ameliorating neurodegenerative diseases via the microbiota-gut-brain axis are discussed. Potential strategies for the production and modification of peptides to improve their bioactivity are also highlighted. Increasing evidence supports that the gut microbiota modulates neurodegenerative diseases. Bioactive peptides that modulate the gut microbiota can be used as novel and strategic molecules to control and reduce neurodegenerative diseases. The bioactivity of the peptides can be dramatically influenced by different production and modification strategies. Strategies for further development of functional foods to ameliorate neurodegenerative diseases by regulating the gut microbiota are available. Future work should focus on the bioavailability and interactions of bioactive peptides and their impact on neurodegenerative diseases. • Crosstalk exists between brain and gut microbiota via the gut-brain axis. • ROS has a dual role in the regulation of gut and gut microbiota. • Peptides modulate the ROS balance in the gut and the composition of gut microbiota. • Peptides influence the brain via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. • Strategies in the production and modification of peptides affect their bioactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A promising intervention for Alzheimer's disease (AD) would ideally target key pathological factors that are involved in AD pathogenesis. Soluble factors produced by engrafted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) mediate potential therapeutic effects in AD. However, these therapeutic benefits are largely hampered by the limited paracrine capacity of MSCs. In this study, we used adenovirus-mediated gene transduction of bone marrow MSCs to deliver exogenous proteins into the brain of APPswe/PSEN1dE9 (APP/PS1) mice in the early stage of impairment. We observed that engrafted MSCs carrying exogenous (C-X3-C motif) ligand 1 (CX3CL1) alone reduced the production of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-ɑ and improved synapse-related protein expression but not cognitive function. Transplantation of MSCs carrying CX3CL1 and Wnt3a (CX3CL1-Wnt3a-MSC) significantly attenuated the learning and memory impairment when compared with a control group. The improvement of neurobehavioral functions in APP/PS1 mice treated with CX3CL1-Wnt3a-MSC was related to the inhibition of microglial neurotoxicity and promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis. Transplantation of CX3CL1-Wnt3a-MSC also regulated phosphoinositide 3-kinase/activated protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling to inhibit the activity of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β). Taken together, these results indicate that the delivery of exogenous proteins via MSCs can modulate microglial function and enhance neurogenesis, thereby providing new insights into AD intervention. • CX3CL1-MSCs attenuate microglial activation and prevent synaptic loss. • CX3CL1-Wnt3a-MSCs transplantation alleviates cognitive impairment. • The cognitive improvements are related to enhanced hippocampal neurogenesis. • CX3CL1-Wnt3a-MSCs transplantation inhibits GSK3β via PI3K/Akt signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the primary noise sources of underwater-robots, the hydrodynamic-noise of the ducted-propeller (DP) originates from various unsteady flows in the flow-field. To investigate the coupling-mechanism between the flow-field and the acoustic-field of DP, this paper establishes a three-dimensional flow field-acoustic field coupling numerical calculation model based on the vortex-acoustic equation. It combines simulation and experimental research to investigate the unsteady flow-field of the DP. The mechanism of acoustic-wave generation and the distribution characteristics of the acoustic field are studied, and the DP's propagation law of hydrodynamic-noise is analyzed based on the field-synergy theory. The results show that the DP domain's vortex structure is mainly influenced by the tensile-distortion and Coriolis-force term. However, hydrodynamic-noise generation is closely related to the vortex, turbulent pulsation, and other unstable flows in the flow-field. The radiated noise of the propeller decreases and then increases with the increase of the inlet velocity-coefficient (IVC) and is smallest at the optimal efficiency point (J = 0.6). With the increase of IVC, the synergy of the propeller flow field-acoustic field is enhanced, the energy-loss of acoustic transmission increases, and the far-field radiation noise decreases. This paper provides a theoretical reference for suppressing the hydrodynamic-noise of the DP and acoustic-optimization design of the underwater-robots. • 3D flow field-acoustic field coupling CFD-simulation using vortex-acoustic theory. • DP's propagation law of hydrodynamic noise is analyzed using field synergy theory. • Reference study for the suppression of the hydrodynamic noise of the DP. • Reference study for the acoustic optimization design of the underwater robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the stable chelating effect of organic phosphonates in wastewater, phosphonates with increasing emission are difficult to be removed effectively by traditional ferric salt flocculation, which has posed tough challenges for reducing total phosphorus pollution in recent years. In this work, calcium carbonate (CaCO 3) was introduced to work together with the widely investigated flocculant of ferric chloride (FeCl 3) to realize an efficient removal of nitrilotrismethylenephosphonic acid (NTMP) at much lower dosage of FeCl 3. With an aid of synergy effect from together use of CaCO 3 and FeCl 3 , the remaining concentration as low as 0.16 mg−P/L, far below the sewage discharge limit (0.5 mg−P/L), was simply obtained with a significantly reduced Fe/P molar ratio at only 4, resulting from calcium source donor to form more stable Fe–Ca–P tridentate bridging complexes, high affinity towards ferric ions on CaCO 3 surface and slow-release alkaline from CaCO 3. A comparison among sodium hydroxide (NaOH), calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2) and CaCO 3 as additives, was carried out to highlight the advantages of using CaCO 3 and clarify the mechanism for the greatly improved performance by a set of characterizations including XRD, FTIR, Zeta potential, XPS, SEM−EDS and TG analyses. The addition of CaCO 3 in ferric flocculation resulted in further obvious advantages such as 75% shortened settling time and only one−third of sludge volume of the precipitant, beneficial to the sample handling in engineering application. The proposed new approach has been further confirmed to work efficiently on real phosphonate-containing wastewater. Discussion on the interaction between CaCO 3 and ferric salts in phosphonate solutions shed new insights into the working mechanism of using CaCO 3 for the treatment of phosphonates-containing wastewater. [Display omitted] • Effective flocs formed in CC-Fe synergistic system significantly facilitated NTMP removal via ternary bonding. • The dosage of ferric salts was greatly reduced by introducing CaCO 3. • Higher removal efficiency and better sediment properties were obtained by C C-Fe. • Both residual and dissolved CaCO 3 played an important role during the flocculation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress (OS) is created by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidant levels. OS promotes inflammation and is associated with many diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Nrf2 and NF- κ B are critical in the cellular defence against OS and the regulators of inflammatory responses, respectively. Recent studies revealed that the Nrf2 signalling pathway interacts with the NF- κ B signalling pathway in OS. More importantly, many natural compounds have long been recognized to ameliorate OS and inflammation via the Nrf2 and/or NF- κ B signalling pathway. Thus, we briefly overview the potential crosstalk between Nrf2 and NF- κ B and the upstream regulators of Nrf2 and review the literature on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of dietary phytochemicals (DPs) that can activate these defence systems. The aim is to provide evidence for the development of DPs into functional food for the regulation of the Nrf2/NF- κ B signalling pathway by upstream regulators of Nrf2. Dietary phytochemicals (DPs) may exert protective effects by intervening in the Nrf2/NF- κ B pathway via activation of the upstream regulators of Nrf2. [Display omitted] • Nrf2 and NF- κ B are key transcription factor for OS and inflammation, respectively. • There is a crosstalk between Nrf2 and NF- κ B. • Upstream factors of Nrf2 are critical targets in Nrf2/NF- κ B signaling pathway. • DPs can affect Nrf2/NF- κ B signaling pathway by the upstream factors of Nrf2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CMP prevented HFD-induced obesity and associated diseases. • CMP presented beneficial effects on modulating gut microbiota and metabolites. • Gut microbiota and metabolites were involved in the anti-obesity effects of CMP. Improved gut microbes and nutritious metabolites have been considered as the mediators of health benefits from indigestible polysaccharides, but their role in the anti-obesity effect of polysaccharides from Cordyceps militaris (CMP) remains elusive. This study aims to explore the potential mediators of the anti-obesity effects of CMP in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice using 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics analysis. The results showed that CMP supplementation in HFD-fed mice reduced body weight, fat accumulation, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and impaired glucose tolerance as well as gut barrier. Moreover, the CMP reversed the HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, as indicated by the elevated population of Alloprevotella , Parabacteroides , Butyricimonas , and Alistipes ; and decreased population of Negativebacillus , in addition to altered levels of metabolites, such as brassicasterol and 4′-O-methylkanzonol W. Notably, CMP prevented obesity in association with the altered gut microbes and metabolites. These findings suggest that CMP may serve as a potential prebiotic agent to modulate specific gut microbes and related metabolites, which play a critical role in its preventing obesity-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pro-inflammatory factors released by activated microglia may contribute to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. As a natural phenolic acid, chlorogenic acid (CGA) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, it is unclear whether CGA has the ability to mediate microglial activation. The present study investigated the role of CGA in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated microglia. Our data demonstrated that CGA significantly suppressed NO production and TNF-α release in LPS-stimulated primary microglia. In addition, CGA decreased LPS-stimulated phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitory kappa B-alpha (IκBα), and prevented translocation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB). Furthermore, CGA prevented neurotoxicity caused by microglial activation and ultimately improved survival of dopaminergic (DA) neuron. Finally, in vivo data showed that CGA pretreatment attenuated LPS-induced IL-1β and TNF-α release in substantia nigra (SN). Our results suggested that the pretreatment of CGA significantly inhibits the microglial activation, and CGA may be neuroprotective for pro-inflammatory factor-mediated neurodegenerative disorders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many types of anionic pollutants exit in the aqueous environment including the group containing halogen (F-, I-, IO 3 -, BrO 3 -, ClO 3 −), the group containing heavy metals (VO 4 3−, AsO 3 3−, CrO 4 2−, AsO 4 3−), and eutrophic elements resulting from agricultural, aquacultural, urban and industrial activities (NO 3 −, PO 4 3−). Except for layered double hydroxide, anionic exchangeable resin, few choices are available to work for the treatment of the anionic pollutants. In this study, a new type of anion exchangeable compound was reported as an alternative. Sulfate-based layered bismuth oxide with the formula of Bi 2 O(OH) 2 SO 4 as a clear crystalline phase was prepared simply by ball milling Bi oxide and sulfate together. Several analytical methods such as XRD, XPS, FTIR were used to characterize the products after the As (V) adsorption to understand the ions exchange mechanism. The excellent performance to fix arsenate anion reaching over 99.9% of As(V) removal percentage with Bi 2 O(OH)AsO 4 as adsorption product was understood probably due to the synergistic effect of several exchangeable anions inside the prepared sample. This research may open a promising way to effectively remove toxic and harmful anions by the newly prepared anion exchangeable materials. The mechanism to remove As (V) pollutant. [Display omitted] ➢ Active Bi 2 O(OH) 2 SO 4 synthesized by milling for effective As (V) fixation. ➢ Improvement of drinking water arsenic concentration standards ➢ Highly efficient sulfate-based layered bismuth oxide for anion exchange ➢ Prospects for advanced treatment of anion-containing wastewater [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]