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Ischemic stroke (IS) is a prevalent form of stroke and a leading cause of mortality and disability. Recently, cell membrane-derived nanovehicles (CMNVs) derived from erythrocytes, thrombocytes, neutrophils, macrophages, neural stem cells, and cancer cells have shown great promise as drug delivery systems for IS treatment. By precisely controlling drug release rates and targeting specific sites in the brain, CMNVs enable the reduction in drug dosage and minimization of side effects, thus significantly enhancing therapeutic strategies and approaches for IS. While there are some reviews regarding the applications of CMNVs in the treatment of IS, there has been limited attention given to important aspects such as carrier construction, structural design, and functional modification. Therefore, this review aims to address these key issues in CMNVs preparation, structural composition, modification, and other relevant aspects, with a specific focus on targeted therapy for IS. Finally, the challenges and prospects in this field are discussed.

Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs), with a wide range of bioactive components, are considered to be an important source for new drug discovery. However, the process to isolate and obtain those bioactive components to develop new drugs always consumes a large amount of organic solvents with high toxicity and non-biodegradability. Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES), a new type of green and designable solvents composed of primary plant-based metabolites, have been used as eco-friendly substitutes for traditional organic solvents in various fields. Due to the advantages of easy preparation, low production cost, low toxicity, and eco-friendliness, NADES have been also applied as extraction solvents, media, and drug delivery agents in CHMs in recent years. Besides, the special properties of NADES have been contributed to elucidating the traditional processing (also named Paozhi in Chinese) theory of CHMs, especially processing with honey. In this paper, the development process, preparation, classification, and applications for NADES in CHMs have been reviewed. Prospects in the future applications and challenges have been discussed to better understand the possibilities of the new solvents in the drug development and other uses of CHMs.

The sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) generated by sulfur burning can improve the appearance quality of food and enhance the storage time. However, excessive sulfur dioxide will pollute the environment and cause deterioration of food quality, and even the high residual levels can increase the risk of cancer. As Gastrodia elata Blume is prone to corruption during processing, sulfur fumigation is often used for preservation. In this study, spectral analysis and Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) were used to investigate the effects of traditional sulfur fumigation processing on the morphology quality, edible quality and structural characteristics of G. elata. The results showed that compared with direct drying, the pH decreased by 0.399 of the sulfur fumigated after steamed treatment G. elata, and the morphology quality, pasting ability and gel edible quality of the starch were significantly improved. In addition, it was suggested that sulfur fumigation after steaming could promote the release of molecular chains from starch granules and thus enhance the cross-linking between molecules, which explained the reason for the improve of starch edible quality. This study can provide technical and theoretical support for improving the quality of starch rich foods, replacing sulfur fumigation and reducing potential environmental hazards.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells that fall off from cancer lesions and enter the blood of human extracorporeal circulation. They are the early basis of judging cancer metastasis. However, CTCs are extremely rare, there is a great challenge to create an effective platform to isolate these cells. Herein, a two-stage CTCs separation method that combines deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) and dielectrophoresis (DEP) technology based on microfluidic chips was proposed. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the human non-small cell lung cancer cells (H322) were spiked into diluted human blood as the samples. Firstly, a designed DLD chip was used, and the overwhelming majority of RBCs and the platelets were removed based on size. However, due to the size overlapping, the separation of WBCs and H322 cells cannot be achieved by DLD technology. In the second stage, a novel DEP chip was used to separate the mixed cells (H322 cells, WBCs and few residual RBCs) according to their difference dielectric properties. The experimental results show that after the two-stage separation, H322 cells with high purity can be obtained. The separation efficiency of H322 cells was 91%, and the purity was 80.7%, and maintains its activity. In addition, the DEP response of H322 cells under various frequencies was investigated. Those findings will provide a useful reference to the separation and enrichment of CTCs in peripheral blood.

Soil fumigation with chloropicrin (CP) is an effective means of overcoming continuous cropping obstacles (CCO) in Panax notoginseng and improving its yield and quality. CP fumigation can change the microbial community of soil. Therefore, a key step after CP fumigation is the rapid restoration of soil microorganisms and the promotion of beneficial microorganism proliferation as the dominant flora. In this study, continuously cropped soil of P. notoginseng was fumigated with CP, and general organic fertilizer (GOF) or microbial organic fertilizer (MOF) was used to restore soil microorganisms after fumigation. Soil physical and chemical properties, soil microorganisms, and quality of P. notoginseng were investigated. The application of MOF and GOF after CP fumigation promoted increases in soil nitrogen (9.88% and 8.21%, respectively), phosphorus (21.39% and 11.57%, respectively), potassium (7.99% and 2.75%, respectively), and the quality of P. notoginseng; it also promoted the accumulation of saponins in the main roots (23.62% and 9.12%, respectively). Application of MOF and GOF can restore the diversity of microorganisms in the soil. MOF increased the relative abundance of the beneficial soil microorganisms Glomeromycota, Mortierellomycota, Humicola and Bacillus, thereby lowering the relative abundance of the harmful Ascomycota and Fusarium relative to GOF. In summary, CP fumigation reduces the diversity of microorganisms in the soil. The addition of organic fertilizer can promote microbial diversity and increase the relative abundance of beneficial species. Moreover, the promotion effect of MOF is better than that of GOF, thereby improving soil fertility and ultimately promoting the quality and yield of P. notoginseng.

Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen is a Chinese medicinal plant of the Araliaceae family used for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in Asia. P. notoginseng is vulnerable to root rot disease, which reduces the yield of P. notoginseng. In this study, we analyzed the rhizosphere soil and root endophyte microbial communities of P. notoginseng from different geographical locations using high-throughput sequencing. Our results revealed that the P. notoginseng rhizosphere soil microbial community was more diverse than the root endophyte community. Rhodopseudomonas, Actinoplanes, Burkholderia, and Variovorax paradoxus can help P. notoginseng resist the invasion of root rot disease. Ilyonectria mors-panacis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudopyrenochaeta lycopersici are pathogenic bacteria of P. notoginseng. The upregulation of amino acid transport and metabolism in the soil would help to resist pathogens and improve the resistance of P. notoginseng. The ABC transporter and gene modulating resistance genes can improve the disease resistance of P. notoginseng, and the increase in the number of GTs (glycosyltransferases) and GHs (glycoside hydrolases) families may be a molecular manifestation of P. notoginseng root rot. In addition, the complete genomes of two Flavobacteriaceae species and one Bacteroides species were obtained. This study demonstrated the microbial and functional diversity in the rhizosphere and root microbial community of P. notoginseng and provided useful information for a better understanding of the microbial community in P. notoginseng root rot. Our results provide insights into the molecular mechanism underlying P. notoginseng root rot and other plant rhizosphere microbial communities.

In recent years, deep eutectic systems (DES) emerged as novel vehicles for facilitating the transdermal delivery of various drugs, including polysaccharides, proteins, insulin, vaccine, nanoparticles, and herb extracts. The objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive review of the application of DES to transdermal drug delivery, based on previous work and the reported references. Following a brief overview, the roles of DES in TDDS, the modes of action, as well as the structure–activity relationship of DES are discussed. Particularly, the skin permeation of active macromolecules and rigid nanoparticles, which are the defining characteristics of DES, are extensively discussed. The objective is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current investigation and development of DES-based transdermal delivery systems, as well as a framework for the construction of novel DES-TDDS in the future.

Herb polysaccharides (HPS) have been studied extensively for their healthcare applications. Though the toxicity was not fully clarified, HPS were widely accepted for their biodegradability and biocompatibility. In addition, as carbohydrate polymers with a unique chemical composition, molecular weight, and functional group profile, HPS can be conjugated, cross-linked, and functionally modified. Thus, they are great candidates for the fabrication of drug delivery systems (DDS). HPS-based DDS (HPS-DDS) can bypass phagocytosis by the reticuloendothelial system, prevent the degradation of biomolecules, and increase the bioavailability of small molecules, thus exerting therapeutic effects. In this review, we focus on the application of HPS as components of immunoregulatory DDS. We summarize the principles governing the fabrication of HPS-DDS, including nanoparticles, micelles, liposomes, microemulsions, hydrogels, and microneedles. In addition, we discuss the role of HPS in DDS for immunotherapy. This comprehensive review provides valuable insights that could guide the design of effective HPS-DDS.

Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen is a medicinal herb used to treat blood disorders since ancient times, of which the steamed form exhibits the anti-anemia effect and acts with a “blood-tonifying” function according to traditional use. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-anemia effect and underlying mechanism of steamed P. notoginseng (SPN) on mice with blood deficiency syndrome induced by chemotherapy. Blood deficiency syndrome was induced in mice by cyclophosphamide and acetylphenylhydrazine. A number of peripheral blood cells and organs (liver, kidney, and spleen) coefficients were measured. The mRNA expression of hematopoietic function-related cytokines in the bone marrow of mice was detected by RT-qPCR. The janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway was screened based on our previous analysis by network pharmacology. The expression of related proteins and cell cycle factors predicted in the pathway was determined by Western blot and RT-qPCR. SPN could significantly increase the numbers of peripheral blood cells and reverse the enlargement of spleen in a dose-dependent manner. The quantities of related hematopoietic factors in bone marrow were also increased significantly after SPN administration. SPN was involved in the cell cycle reaction and activation of immune cells through the JAK-STAT pathway, which could promote the hematopoiesis.

Ship ballast water contains high concentration of plankton, bacteria, and other microorganisms. If the huge amount of ballast water is discharged without being inactivated, it will definitely spell disaster to the marine environment. Microalgae is the most common species exiting in ballast water, so the detection of the concentration and viability of microalgae is a very important issue. The traditional methods of detecting microalgae in ballast water were costly and need the help of bulky equipment. Herein, a novel method based on microalgae cell intracellular chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) imaging combines with cell bright field (BF) microscopy was proposed. The geometric features of microalgae cells were obtained by BF image, and the cell viability was obtained by CF image. The two images were fused through the classic image registration algorithm to achieve simultaneous detection of the viability and concentration of microalgae cells. Furthermore, a low-cost, miniaturized CF/BF microscopy imaging prototype system based on the above principles was designed. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, four typical microalgae in ballast water (Platymonas, Pyramimonas sp., Chrysophyta, and Prorocentrum lima) were selected as the samples. The experimental results show that the self-developed prototype can quickly and accurately determine the concentration and the viability of microalgae cells in ship ballast water based on the dual images of BF and CF, and the detection accuracy is equivalent to that of commercial microscope. It was the first time to simultaneously detect the viability and concentration of microalgae cells in ship ballast water using the method that combining the fluorescence and bright field images; moreover, a miniaturized microscopic imaging prototype was developed. Those findings expected to contribute to the microalgae detection and ship ballast water management.

Abstract An isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitative (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomic approach was used to screen the differentially expressed proteins during control treatment (CK), aluminum (Al) and Al+ indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) treatment of wheat lines ET8 (Al-tolerant). Further, the the expression levels of auxin response factor (ARF), Aux/IAA, Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) 2c, and MAPK1a were analyzed. Results showed that 16 proteins were determined to be differentially expressed in response to Al and IAA co-treatment compared with Al alone. Among them, MAPK2c and MAPK1a proteins displayed markedly differential expression during the processes. The expression of ARF2 was upregulated and Aux/IAA was downregulated by Al, while both in concentration- and time-dependent manners. Western-blot detection of MAPK2c and MAPK1a indicated that Al upregulated MAPK2c and downregulated MAPK1a in both concentration- and time-dependent manners. Exogenous IAA could promote the expression of MAPK2c, but inhibit the expression of MAPK1a in the presence/absence of Al. These findings indicated that IAA acted as one of the key signaling molecule controls the response mechanism of wheat malic acid efflux to Al stress through the suppression/activation of Aux/IAA and ARFs, and the activity of MAPK2c and MAPK1a were positively or negatively regulated.

In complex indoor propagation environment, the non-line-of-sight error caused by various obstacles brings great error to node positioning. Choosing the appropriate signal transmission methods is important to improve node indoor positioning accuracy. In this research, ultra-wideband technology, as baseband with high theoretical positioning accuracy and real-time performance, is implemented to transmit indoor signals. The proposed fusion algorithm with ultra-wideband baseband takes advantages from both time difference of arrival and angle of arrival algorithms, combined through the steepest descent algorithm. The non-line-of-sight signal estimation error is iteratively eliminated to achieve effective positioning accuracy. The experimental results indicate that the novel time difference of arrival/angle of arrival fusion algorithm with steepest descent algorithm can largely improve node positioning accuracy and stability.