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Abstract Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly being used for critically ill patients with cardiopulmonary failure. Air in the ECMO circuit is an emergency, a rare but fatal complication. Case presentation We introduce a case of a 76-year-old female who suffered from cardiac arrest complicated with severe trauma and was administered veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. In managing the patient with ECMO, air entered the ECMO circuit, which had not come out nor was folded or broken. Although the ECMO flow was quickly re-established, the patient died 6 h after initiating ECMO therapy. Conclusions In this case report, the reason for the complication is drainage insufficiency. This phenomenon is similar to decompression sickness. Understanding this complication is very helpful for educating the ECMO team for preventing this rare but devastating complication of fatal decompression sickness in patients on ECMO.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between genes with alternative splicing (AS) events and breed-specific differences in muscle development in two breeds of sheep. RNA-seq was utilized to identify genes with AS between Small-tailed Han sheep and Dorset sheep. The gene lists of differentially spliced genes were identified, and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted on these genes. In this study, 299 genes with 356 AS indicated significant differences between two diffrerent breeds. There are differences in 31 genes with 35 AS. Cassette, alt5′ and alt3’ exhibited the highest levels of enrichment across various significant levels. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between Wnt, TGF-beta, Notch and MAPK signaling pathways and the development of muscle in sheep. These findings indicate that genes with AS are linked to variations in muscle development in sheep. These results offer significant scientific and practical implications for improving the quality of sheep meat.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a common and complex clinical disease with high morbidity, limited treatment options and poor clinical outcomes. Several million cases of PNI in the world every year have brought a heavy burden to the patients and the social economy. Autologous nerve grafting has long been the “gold standard” in the treatment of PNI repair, but it still has some shortcomings, such as donor area injury, limited graft source and mismatch of nerve thickness after transplantation. In recent years, many artificial nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) have emerged for replacing autologous nerve grafts, and their effectiveness has been proven. Currently, there are already clinical products obtained from the European CE Certification, and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia, etc. The preparation of NGCs requires interdisciplinary studies and has received considerable attention from researchers in recent years. At present, among emerging and mature manufacturing technologies, textile methods to prepare NGCs are relatively simple and have wide material sources, which has become a hotspot in textile research. This paper mainly reviewed the current situation and recent technological achievements of NGCs that were prepared by textile methods. Several other common methods were also briefly summarized. Furthermore, current NGCs products and their clinical applications were reported. Finally, the future development direction of textile-based NGCs is discussed in this review.

Compliance mismatch between artificial blood vessel and host vessel can cause abnormal hemodynamics and is the main mechanical trigger of intimal hyperplasia (IH) after transplantation. To explore the specific effects of the degree of compliance mismatch on hemodynamics, the concept of “compliance mismatch degree” was defined in this paper. Numerical results showed that when the compliance mismatch degree was less than −22.21% or more than 3.16%, the minimum WSS in the anastomotic site was less than the safety threshold of 0.5 ​Pa, which is easy to induce IH. In addition, the compliance mismatch caused different radial displacements first, which in turn affected the hemodynamics. Inspired by this, a novel medium convex artificial blood vessel was proposed, and the simulation results theoretically validated its desired effect on reducing the compliance mismatch. An increase of 0.22 ​mm in the diameter of the artificial blood vessel corresponded to a decrease of 0.88% in compliance mismatch degree. The feasibility of preparing real medium convex artificial blood vessel was also investigated. The PLCL medium convex artificial blood vessel with good mechanical properties was prepared by dip-coating and electrospinning composite method. These findings are valuable for the design and preparation of novel artificial blood vessel which can make up for the mismatch of compliance.

As a daily consumable, wet wipes are mostly synthetic fibers, which are incinerated or landfilled after use. The nanoplastics generated during this process will lead to environmental pollution. The application of flushable wet wipes, which are dispersible and fully degradable, is of great significance. The main raw material for flushable wipes is wood pulp, which has a long growth cycle and high cost. Corn is widely planted and has a short growth cycle. Currently most corn stalk is treated by incineration, which produces a lot of smoke that pollutes the environment. Therefore, using corn stalk as the raw material for flushable wet wipes, replacing wood pulp, is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. In this study, aiming at industrial production, we explored the full process of producing flushable wet wipes from corn stalk to pulp board, then to the final wipes. The corn stalk was treated using alkali and a bleaching agent to obtain corn stalk pulp, which was then made into pulp board through the nonwoven wet-laid process. The optimal parameters for the alkali treatment and bleaching were obtained. The properties of the corn stalk pulp board were compared with the commercial wood pulp board. Further, we mixed the corn stalk pulp with Lyocell fiber to prepare wet-laid webs, which were then bonded using a chemical binder poloxamer. Then, the evenness of the web, mechanical properties, absorption, and dispersibility of the flushable wipes were characterized. Results showed that the pulp obtained using the optimal treatment process has a high yield and better whiteness. The properties of the corn stalk pulp board are comparable with the commercial wood pulp board, which can therefore potentially be replaced by the corn stalk board prepared in our study. The prepared flushable wet wipes had good evenness and their water absorption rate was more than 600%. The mechanical strength in dry and wet states achieved 595.94 N/m and 179.00 N/m, respectively. Most importantly, the wet wipes can completely disperse under the standardized testing method. A good balance of dispersibility and wet strength of the wet wipes was achieved.

Background: During the alternative splicing (AS), the exons of primary transcripts are spliced in various arrangements, resulting in structurally and functionally distinct mRNAs and proteins. This study aimed to examine genes with AS events from Small Tail Han sheep and Dorset sheep to explore the mechanism of adipose developments. Methods: This study identified the genes with AS events in adipose tissues of two different sheep with next-generation sequencing. In this paper, genes with significantly different AS events were performed gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Results: 364 genes with 411 A S events showed significant differences in adipose tissues between the two breeds; 108 genes with 120 A S events were extremely significant differences between the two breeds. We identified several novel genes that are related with adipose growth and development. The results of KEGG and GO analysis indicated that oocyte meiosis, mitogen-activated protein kinase (Wnt), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, etc. Were closely related to the adipose tissue developments. Conclusions: This paper revealed that the genes with AS events are important for adipose tissues in sheep, exploring the mechanisms of AS events associated with adipose tissue developments in sheep of different breeds.

Wheat gluten (WG) foam was successfully prepared by heating, stirring and freeze-drying. The effects of WG concentration, content of glycerol and glutaraldehyde on the macroscopic appearance, microstructure, swelling property and self-expansion, as well as mechanical compressibility, were studied. Results showed that the density and structure of foam can be changed by adjusting the concentration of WG, glycerol, and glutaraldehyde. The addition of glycerol softens the WG foams, while glutaraldehyde significantly improved their mechanical properties and stability in wet state. The swollen foams were repeatedly pressed and exhibited rapid water-triggered shape recovery performance (less than 3 ​s). Moreover, WG foams displayed excellent biodegradability and hemocompatibility. In vitro studies of drug loading and release were performed using an antibacterial drug, chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), and showed sustained drug-release activity. The above advantages make the foams hold great potential for application in self-expanding, antibacterial hemostatic medical dressings.

Small-diameter artificial blood vessels are prone to cause intimal hyperplasia (IH) after transplantation, which leads to restenosis and low long-term patency rates. The main biomechanical factor for IH formation is the compliance mismatch between the artificial and host blood vessels which can cause abnormal hemodynamics. Although there have been many studies on vascular compliance mismatches, however, little attention has been paid to the effect of the degree of compliance mismatch between graft and the host vessel on hemodynamics. At present, the research on compliance mismatch between the artificial and host blood vessels is still very limited, especially with regard to the specific impact of the compliance mismatch degree on hemodynamics. Therefore, three end-to-end anastomosis models (the compliance of the artificial blood vessel is lower than, similar to, and higher than that of the host blood vessel, called model 1, model 2, model 3, respectively) were constructed and simulated in this study. Simulation results showed that the radial displacement difference between the artificial and host blood vessels were 0.281 ​mm, 0.183 ​mm and 0.485 ​mm in model 1, model 2 and model 3, respectively. A low-velocity recirculation zone near the distal anastomosis was formed in model 1 which resulted in excessively low TAWSS (9.261 ​E-5Pa) and high OSI (0.497). Similarly, a low-velocity recirculation zone near the proximal anastomosis was formed in model 3 and lead to low TAWSS (6.007 ​E-4Pa) and high OSI (0.480). However, there was no low-velocity recirculation zone near the anastomosis stoma in model 2. The results are instructive for the design and preparation of artificial blood vessels.

Small-diameter artificial blood vessels do not match the compliance of the host blood vessels after transplantation, will directly affect the blood compatibility of small-diameter artificial blood vessels and resulting in problems such as thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia that can lead to transplantation failure. Since the compliance of small-diameter artificial blood vessels is directly related to the elasticity of the component materials, the poly(glyceryl sebacate) (PGS), a type of bioelastomer, and silk fibroin (SF) were blended to fabricate small-diameter artificial blood vessels by electrospinning. The morphology, structure, elasticity, tensile properties, suture retention strength, compliance, and in vitro degradation and biological properties of the samples were studied. Results showed that the small-diameter artificial blood vessel samples were composed of micro-fibers or nano-fibers, and had satisfactory compliance and elasticity. The compliance of the PGS/SF (70/30) samples was 3.58 %/100 ​mmHg, which were higher than or comparable to natural blood vessels. The results of radial cyclic tensile tests showed that the energy loss per cycle of PGS/SF tubular samples was very low. Adding PGS accelerated the degradation rate of small-diameter artificial blood vessel samples, and PGS/SF electrospun small-diameter artificial blood vessel samples promoted the adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The samples’ anticoagulant performance were also increased after adding heparin. PGS/SF blends have potential advantages in the preparation of small-diameter artificial blood vessels that can meet the requirements of elasticity and compliance.

Abstract Background/aims Sheep are important livestock with variant ovulation rate and fertility. Dorset sheep is a typical breed with low prolificacy, whereas Small Tail Han sheep with FecB mutation (HanBB) have hyperprolificacy. Our previous studies have revealed the gene expression difference between the ovaries from Dorset and HanBB sheep contributes to the difference of fecundity, however, what leads to these gene expression difference remains unclear. DNA methylation, an important epigenetic process, plays a crucial role in gene expression regulation. Methods In the present study, we constructed a methylated DNA immunoprecipitation combined with high throughput sequencing (MeDIP-seq) strategy to investigate the differentially methylated genes between the Dorset and HanBB ovaries. Results Our findings suggest the genes involved in immune response, branched-chain amino acid metabolism, cell growth and cell junction were differentially methylated in or around the gene body regions. Conclusions These findings provide prospective insights on the epigenetic basis of sheep fecundity.

As relatively new members of the non-coding RNA family, circRNAs play important roles in a variety of biological processes. However, the temporal expression pattern and the function of circRNAs during sheep skeletal muscle development remains unclear. This study aimed to identify circRNAs related to sheep skeletal muscle development and explore their roles in myoblast proliferation. The circRNA expression profiles of longissimus dorsi of sheep from F90, L30, and A3Y were obtained by the RNA-seq method. The function and mechanisms of the novel circCHRNG in muscle satellite cell proliferation were explored using CCK-8 assay, Western blot, qPCR, and dual-luciferase reporter assay. We identified 12,375 circRNAs, including 476, 133, and 233 DEcircRNAs found among three comparative groups. KEGG results showed that DEcircRNAs were enriched in muscle contraction, the regulation of cell proliferation, and the AMPK, insulin, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Notably, a novel circRNA, termed circRNA CHRNG, acts as a miR-133 sponge to promote skeletal muscle satellite cell proliferation. Our study provides a systematic description of circRNAs of ovine skeletal muscle across fetal, lamb, and adult stages. GO and KEGG analyses showed that DEcircRNAs were enriched in multiple pathways associated with muscle development, such as the PI3K-Akt and AMPK signaling pathways. In addition, we propose that circCHRNG acts as a miR-133 sponge to upregulate the expression levels of SRF and MEF2A, thereby promoting myoblast proliferation.

In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for pH color-changing materials. These materials can visually communicate signals to people by connecting pH changes with color information. Embedding pH indicators into fibers to create flexible color-changing materials is an effective way to develop daily wearable products. For the stability of the indicator and the indirect contact of the indicator with the human body, it is usually necessary to encapsulate it in capsules. In this study, different pH indicators (Thymol Blue-TB, Bromocresol Green-BCG, and Bromocresol Purple-BCP) were mixed into a wide-domain pH color-changing indicator and encapsulated with ethyl cellulose (EC) by the flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) method using a new-type droplet-shaped confined impinging jet mixer. The effects of flow rate, core-to-wall ratio, and mixed solution concentration on the formation of the nanocapsules were investigated. In addition, the morphology, particle size, size distribution, dispersion stability, and encapsulation efficiency were systematically studied. At a core-to-wall ratio of 1:2, a mixed solution with a concentration of 6 mg/mL and a feed flow rate of 40 mL/min produced nanocapsules with an average particle size of 141.83 ± 0.98 nm and a PDI of 0.125 ± 0.01. Furthermore, a zeta potential with a range of −31.83 ± 0.23 mV and an encapsulation efficiency of 75.20 ± 1.72% were observed at 1:2 core-to-wall ratios. It was concluded that the color of the nanocapsules continuously changed from yellow to green and green to blue when the pH range was increased from 3 to 10. The color-changing nanocapsules were then embedded into sodium alginate hydrogel fibers, resulting in the same color-changing trend (pH 3–10) as that obtained for the nanocapsules. This study can be useful for the pH monitoring of various body fluids, such as wound exudate, urine, and sweat.

Background/Aims: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA transcripts that are more than 200 nt long but have little protein-coding potential. Within the last few years, thousands of lncRNAs have been identified and their functions in biological processes have begun to be understood. Although many studies havebegun to examine the functions of many noncoding RNAs, very little is known about the functions of long noncoding (lncRNA) function of livestock production and molecular mechanisms of their functions are still lackingrelated to livestock production. Methods: Expression of sheep enhanced muscularityTranscript lncRNA (lnc-SEMT) and miR-125b were examined in sheep using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Expression of Myod (myogenic determination factor), Myog (myoglobin) and Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2)were examined by Western Blot.Luciferase reporter assays were performedto confirm the relationship between lnc-SEMT and miR-125b. Results: Here, we identified a novel lnc-SEMT that promote sheep myoblast differentiation in vitro and enhanced sheep muscularity in vivo. Functional analyses showed that lnc-SEMT accelerates sheep myoblast differentiation in vitro. lnc-SEMT transgenic sheep exhibit a muscle hypertrophy phenotype characterized by increased body weight, and increased the number of muscle fibers indicating that lnc-SEMT play an important role in the regulation of skeletal muscle differentiation in vivo. Our results show that lnc-SEMT acts as a molecular sponge by antagonizing miR-125b to control IGF2 protein labundance in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: In brief, lnc-SEMT is the first example of a lncRNA could be a useful candidate for improving biological growth traits such as skeletal muscle production in sheep.

In order to improve the long-term effectiveness of essential oil, a double-layered microcapsule was prepared using the inclusion encapsulation method in this study, with β-cyclodextrin as its inner layer and chitosan and sodium alginate as its outer layer. The optimized preparation process was obtained through the response surface method. The morphology, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, thermal stability and sustained release effect of the double-layered microcapsules were characterized. The microcapsules were spherical, with a particle size distribution between 2–6 μm, and had good thermal stability within 250 °C. Their encapsulation efficiency can be up to 80%, and it can continuously release the active ingredients of the essential oil under normal temperature and high temperature conditions for a long time. In order to further examine the application effect of the double-layered microcapsule, it was loaded onto the cotton fabric by the soak-roll method. The finished cotton fabric showed excellent washability and rubbing fastness. They can still maintain a light fragrance naturally for two months. The microcapsules prepared in this study can be potentially applied in sleep aid, antibacterial, mosquito prevention, food science and other related products.

In our previous study, we investigated the regulatory relationship between lncRNAs, miRNA, and mRNAs in an effort to shed light onto the regulatory mechanisms involved in sheep fecundity. As an extension of this study, here, we aimed to identify potential regulators of sheep fecundity using a genome-wide analysis of miRNAs and the methylated genes encoding mRNAs and lncRNAs in the ovaries of Dorset sheep (low fecundity) and Small Tail Han ewes (high fecundity) with the genotype BB (Han BB) and the genotype ++ (Han ++) by performing RNA-Seq and MeDIP-Seq analyses. Methylated coding-non-coding gene co-expression networks for Han and Dorset sheep were constructed using the methylated genes encoding the differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs identified in this study. In the Han BB vs. Dorset comparison, the lncRNAs TTC26 and MYH15 had the largest degree. Similarly, the lncRNA NYAP1 had the largest degree in the Han ++ vs. Dorset comparison. None of the methylated genes encoding lncRNAs were co-expressed with the methylated genes encoding mRNAs in the Han BB vs. Han ++ comparison. The methylated genes encoding lncRNAs identified here may play a vital regulatory role in sheep breeding. Our results suggest that miRNAs might play a key role in sheep prolificacy by regulating target genes related to thyroid hormone synthesis, and methylated genes encoding lncRNAs associated with tight junctions might contribute to the high breeding rate in Han sheep. These findings may contribute to a deeper understanding of sheep prolificacy.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly being recognized as key regulators in many cellular processes. However, few reports of them in livestock have been published. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of lncRNAs in ovine skeletal muscle. Eight libraries were constructed from the gastrocnemius muscle of fetal (days 85 and 120), newborn and adult Texel and Ujumqin sheep. The 2002 identified transcripts shared some characteristics, such as their number of exons, length and distribution. We also identified some coding genes near these lncRNA transcripts, which are particularly associated with transcriptional regulation- and development-related processes, suggesting that the lncRNAs are associated with muscle development. In addition, in pairwise comparisons between the libraries of the same stage in different breeds, a total of 967 transcripts were differentially expressed but just 15 differentially expressed lncRNAs were common to all stages. Among them, we found that TCONS_00013201 exhibited higher expression in Ujumqin samples, while TCONS_00006187 and TCONS_00083104 were higher in Texel samples. Moreover, TCONS_00044801, TCONS_00008482 and TCONS_00102859 were almost completely absent from Ujumqin samples. Our results suggest that differences in the expression of these lncRNAs may be associated with the muscular differences observed between Texel and Ujumqin sheep breeds.

Silk fibroin (SF) hydrogels were obtained from both domestic (Bombyx mori) and wild (Antheraea pernyi) silkworms from aqueous silk fibroin solutions at room temperature. The gelation time of the Antheraea pernyi (A. pernyi) SF solution was significantly shorter than that of the Bombyx mori (B. mori) SF solution. The secondary structures of the two kinds of hydrogels were also compared. In order to further reduce the gelation time, various amounts of polyethylene glycol (PEG) were blended with the silk fibroins of A. pernyi and B. mori. The gelation time of both A. pernyi SF and B. mori SF decreased with the increased amount of PEG. After freeze-drying, the hydrogels were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Raman spectroscopy. Results showed that the addition of polyalcohol did not change the main secondary structure of the hydrogels. However, the addition of polyalcohol did reduce the gelation time and triggered additional formation of β-sheets.

Synchrotron radiation real-time imaging technology was carried out in situ to observe and characterize the effect of thermomigration on the growth behavior of interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in Cu/Sn/Cu solder joint during soldering. The thermomigration resulted in asymmetrical formation and growth of the interfacial IMCs. Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn IMCs formed at the cold end and grew rapidly during the whole soldering process. However, only Cu6Sn5 IMC formed at the hot end and remained relatively thin until solidification. The IMCs at the cold end were nearly seven times thicker than that at the hot end after solidification. The Cu dissolution at the cold end was significantly restrained, while that at the hot end was promoted, which supplied Cu atoms to diffuse toward the cold end under thermomigration to feed the rapid IMC growth. Moreover, the thermomigration also caused asymmetrical morphology of the interfacial IMCs at the cooling stage, i.e., the Cu6Sn5 IMC at the cold end transformed into facet structure, while that at the hot end remained scallop-type. The asymmetrical growth behavior of the interfacial IMCs was analyzed from the view point of kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, self-assembly regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) nanofibers were prepared and observed by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). Then RSF films containing nanospheres and nanofibers were prepared and dissolved with poly (L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) with a blending ratio of 30/70 in hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP). In order to determine whether different nanostructures in the solution influence the morphological, structural, and mechanical properties of the final electrospun materials, flat membranes were prepared and characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), and mechanical testing. The secondary structure of as-spun materials with RSF nanofibers were not changed, however, the diameter of electrospun fibers decreased and tensile strength and elongation at breaks increased. Electrospun materials with RSF nanofibers have the potential to be used for skin, cartilage, and blood vessels because of their biocompatibility and improved mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]