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Biofuel, an inexhaustible fuel source, plays a pivotal role in the contemporary era by diminishing the dependence on non-renewable energy sources and facilitating the mitigation of CO2 emissions. Due to the many constraints in existing technology and the resulting increased costs, the production of biofuels on a large scale is a laborious process. Furthermore, the methods used to convert varied feedstock into the intended biofuel may vary based on the specific techniques and materials involved. The demand for bioethanol is increasing worldwide due to the implementation of regulations by world nations that mandates the blending of bioethanol with petrol. In this regard, second-generation bioethanol made from lignocellulosic biomass is emerging at a rapid rate. Pre-treatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation are some of the technical, practical, and economic hurdles that the biochemical conversion method must overcome. Nanoparticles (NPs) provide a very effective approach to address the present obstacles in using biomass, due to their selectivity, energy efficiency, and time management capabilities, while also reducing costs. NPs smaller dimensions allow them to be more effective at interacting with lignocellulosic components at low concentrations to release carbohydrates that can be utilized to produce bioethanol. This article provides a concise overview of various biofuels and the nanotechnological advancements in producing it, with a particular emphasis on ethanol. It provides a detailed discussion on the application of nanotechnology at each stage of ethanol production, with a particular emphasis on understanding the mechanism of how nanoparticles interact with lignocellulose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulose consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin and is a sustainable feedstock for a biorefinery to generate marketable biomaterials like biofuels and platform chemicals. Enormous tons of lignocellulose are obtained from agricultural waste, but a few tons are utilized due to a lack of awareness of the biotechnological importance of lignocellulose. Underutilizing lignocellulose could also be linked to the incomplete use of cellulose and hemicellulose in biotransformation into new products. Utilizing lignocellulose in producing value-added products alleviates agricultural waste disposal management challenges. It also reduces the emission of toxic substances into the environment, which promotes a sustainable development goal and contributes to circular economy development and economic growth. This review broadly focused on lignocellulose in the production of high-value products. The aspects that were discussed included: (i) sources of lignocellulosic biomass; (ii) conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products; and (iii) various bio-based products obtained from lignocellulose. Additionally, several challenges in upcycling lignocellulose and alleviation strategies were discussed. This review also suggested prospects using lignocellulose to replace polystyrene packaging with lignin-based packaging products, the production of crafts and interior decorations using lignin, nanolignin in producing environmental biosensors and biomimetic sensors, and processing cellulose and hemicellulose with the addition of nutritional supplements to meet dietary requirements in animal feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Virulence determinants are crucial to the risk assessment of pathogens in an environment. This study investigated the presence of eleven key virulence-associated genes in Vibrio cholerae (n = 111) and Vibrio mimicus (n = 22) and eight virulence determinants in Vibrio alginolyticus (n = 65) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (n = 17) isolated from six important water resources in Eastern Cape, South Africa, using PCR techniques. The multiple virulence gene indexes (MVGI) for sampling sites and isolates as well as hotspots for potential vibriosis outbreaks among sampling sites were determined statistically based on the comparison of MVGI. Result: The PCR assay showed that all the V. cholerae isolates belong to non-O1/non-O139 serogroups. Of the isolates, Vibrio Cholera (84%), V. mimicus (73%), V. alginolyticus (91%) and V. parahaemolyticus (100%) isolates harboured at least one of the virulence-associated genes investigated. The virulence gene combinations detected in isolates varied at sampling site and across sites. Typical virulence-associated determinants of V. cholerae were detected in V. mimicus while that of V. parahaemolyticus were detected in V. alginolyticus. The isolates with the highest MVGI were recovered from three estuaries (Sunday river, Swartkopps river, buffalo river) and a freshwater resource (Lashinton river). The cumulative MVGI for V. cholerae, V. mimicus, V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus isolates were 0.34, 0.20, 0.45, and 0.40 respectively. The targeted Vibrio spp. in increasing order of the public health risk posed in our study areas based on the MVGI is V. alginolyticus > V. parahaemolyticus > V. cholerae > V. mimicus. Five (sites SR, PA5, PA6, EL4 and EL6) out of the seventeen sampling sites were detected as the hotspots for potential cholera-like infection and vibriosis outbreaks. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that humans having contact with water resources in our study areas are exposed to potential public health risks owing to the detection of virulent determinants in human pathogenic Vibrio spp. recovered from the water resources. The study affirms the relevancy of environmental Vibrio species to the epidemiology of vibriosis, cholera and cholera-like infections. Hence we suggest a monitoring program for human pathogenic Vibrio spp. in the environment most especially surface water that humans have contact with regularly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silencing genes using small interfering (si) RNA is a promising strategy for treating cancer. However, the curative effect of siRNA is severely constrained by low serum stability and cell membrane permeability. Therefore, improving the delivery efficiency of siRNA for cancer treatment is a research hotspot. Recently, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have emerged as bright delivery vehicles for nucleic acid drugs. A comprehensive understanding of the design of MSN-based vectors is crucial for the application of siRNA in cancer therapy. We discuss several surface-functionalized MSNs' advancements as effective siRNA delivery vehicles in this paper. The advantages of using MSNs for siRNA loading regarding considerations of different shapes, various options for surface functionalization, and customizable pore sizes are highlighted. We discuss the recent investigations into strategies that efficiently improve cellular uptake, facilitate endosomal escape, and promote cargo dissociation from the MSNs for enhanced intracellular siRNA delivery. Also, particular attention was paid to the exciting progress made by combining RNAi with other therapies to improve cancer therapeutic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioactive peptides (BAPs) have been found to promote health through various mechanisms. Among them, antimicrobial peptides are gaining recognition as promising novel treatments. This study aims to generate BAPs from bovine colostrum whey using the proteolytic activity of Lactobacillus rhamnosus C25 and to evaluate their potential antibacterial efficacy, including their ability to synergistic efficacy against resistant bacteria. Bioactive peptides were successfully generated from lactobacillus culture proteases that were cultivated through batch fermentation. The resulting peptide fractions were then evaluated for their antibacterial efficacy against a selection of strains, including E. coli ATCC25922, S. aureus MTCC1144, Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978, as well as clinically isolated resistant strains of E. coli (ESBL 1384), Acinetobacter 1379, and S. aureus (MRSA 1418). Notably, the peptide fractions with a molecular weight of < 10 kDa (0–10 kDa) significantly increased the membrane permeability of both E. coli (70.30 ± 0.41%) and S. aureus (63.04 ± 0.31%) as assessed by the crystal violet assay. The checkerboard method was utilized to perform synergistic tests with peptides and antibiotics. The peptide fractions with a molecular weight of (< 10 kDa) demonstrated synergistic effects with several antibiotics, including gentamycin, Rifampicin, Levofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, and Chloramphenicol, against the resistant ESBL 1384 strain, as indicated by ΣFICI values of 0.55, 0.53, 0.52, 0.54, and 0.52, respectively. Furthermore, the HT-29 cell line remained completely unaffected by both peptide fractions. These findings suggest that the < 10 kDa peptide fraction possesses significant antibacterial efficacy against both reference and ESBL 1384 resistant bacterial strain. Additionally, both MRSA 1418 and Acinetobacter 1379 displayed resistance to all fractions tested. To summarize the findings of this study, colostrum whey peptides with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity can be efficiently produced through fermentation. This method could prove valuable for both the pharmaceutical and food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lactylation has been found to involve in regulating many types of biological process in cancers. However, research on lactylation-related genes in predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains limited. Methods: The differential expression of lactylation-related genes (EP300 and HDAC1–3) in pan-cancer were examined in public databases. HCC patient tissues were obtained for mRNA expression and lactylation level detection by RT-qPCR and western blotting. Transwell migration assay, CCK-8 assay, EDU staining assay and RNA-seq were performed to verify the potential function and mechanisms in HCC cell lines after lactylation inhibitor apicidin treatment. lmmuCellAI, quantiSeq, xCell, TIMER and CIBERSOR were used to analyze the correlation between transcription levels of lactylation-related genes and immune cell infiltration in HCC. Risk model of lactylation-related genes was constructed by LASSO regression analysis, and prediction effect of the model was evaluated. Result: The mRNA levels of lactylation-related genes and lactylation levels were higher in HCC tissues than normal samples. The lactylation levels, cell migration, and proliferation ability of HCC cell lines were suppressed after apicidin treatment. The dysregulation of EP300 and HDAC1–3 was associated with proportion of immune cell infiltration, especially B cell. Upregulation of HDAC1 and HDAC2 was closely associated with poorer prognosis. Finally, a novel risk model, based on HDAC1 and HDAC2, was developed for prognosis prediction in HCC. Conclusion: HDAC1 and HDAC2 are expected to become new biomarkers for HCC. Risk scoring model based on HDAC1 and HDAC2 can be used to predict the prognosis of HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The video compression sensing method based onmulti hypothesis has attracted extensive attention in the research of video codec with limited resources. However, the formation of high-quality prediction blocks in the multi hypothesis prediction stage is a challenging task. To resolve this problem, this paper constructs a novel compressed sensing-based high-quality adaptive video reconstruction optimizationmethod. Itmainly includes the optimization of prediction blocks (OPBS), the selection of searchwindows and the use of neighborhood information. Specifically, the OPBS consists of two parts: the selection of blocks and the optimization of prediction blocks. We combine the high-quality optimization reconstruction of foreground block with the residual reconstruction of the background block to improve the overall reconstruction effect of the video sequence. In addition, most of the existing methods based on predictive residual reconstruction ignore the impact of search windows and reference frames on performance. Therefore, Block-level search window (BSW) is constructed to cover the position of the optimal hypothesis block as much as possible. To maximize the availability of reference frames, Nearby reference frame information (NRFI) is designed to reconstruct the current block. The proposed method effectively suppresses the influence of the fluctuation of the prediction block on reconstruction and improves the reconstruction performance. Experimental results showthat the proposed compressed sensing-based high-quality adaptive video reconstruction optimization method significantly improves the reconstruction performance in both objective and supervisor quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clothianidin (CL) is a neonicotinoid insecticide widely used in crop protection against insect pests. However, its effects on photosynthesis remain largely unknown. Here, by investigating the influence of CL at the concentrations of 22 and 110 μg/L on the primary processes of photosynthesis, membrane fluidity and structural changes of pea chloroplasts, we located several primary binding sites of this pesticide. Similar dynamics were observed for both concentrations. However, statistically significant differences were only found at 110 μg/L for all methods used. The light saturated rate of linear electron flow decreased mainly due to the disturbance of electron flow on the acceptor side of photosystem II (PSII) associated with the appearance of Q B -nonreducing centers and empty Q B binding sites of PSII. The functioning of the donor side of PSII, the activity of photosystem I (PSI) and the maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) were not found to be significantly altered. Increased membrane fluidity and structural alterations of the thylakoid membrane led to a decrease in the development of the proton gradient ΔрН and membrane energization processes., (© 2024 American Society for Photobiology.)

Even though RNA treatments were first proposed as a way to change aberrant signaling in cancer, research in this field is currently ongoing. The term "RNAi" refers to the use of several RNAi technologies, including ribozymes, riboswitches, Aptamers, small interfering RNA (siRNA), antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The siRNA therapy has already achieved a remarkable feat by revolutionizing the treatment arena of cancers. Unlike small molecules and antibodies, which need administration every three months or even every two years, RNAi may be given every quarter to attain therapeutic results. In order to overcome complex challenges, delivering siRNAs to the targeted tissues and cells effectively and safely and improving the effectiveness of siRNAs in terms of their action, stability, specificity, and potential adverse consequences are required. In this context, the three primary techniques of siRNA therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are accomplished for inhibiting angiogenesis, decreasing cell proliferation, and promoting apoptosis, are discussed in this review. We also deliberate targeting issues, immunogenic reactions to siRNA therapy, and the difficulties with their intrinsic chemistry and transportation., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

In acute renal failure (ARF), the glomerular filtration rate is reduced, and nitrogenous waste products accumulate persistently, which can last anywhere from a few hours to several days. There is hope for a reversal of the rapid loss of renal function caused by this condition. This study, with gentamicin-induced acute ARF as a prospective setting, sets out to examine the reno-protective benefits of virgin coconut oil (VCO) and GSH. Furthermore, the study evaluated the effect of medication nanoparticle compositions on several kidney function markers. The induction of ARF is achieved with the intraperitoneal injection of gentamicin. To assess renal function, rats underwent 24 h of dehydration and hunger before their deaths. The study examined various aspects, including kidney function tests, markers of oxidative stress, histology of kidney tissue, inflammatory cytokines, immunohistochemistry expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and specific biomarkers for kidney tissue damage, such as kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). The results of our study indicated that the combination of VCO and GSH, using both regular and nanoparticle formulations, had a better protective impact on the kidneys compared to using either drug alone. The recovery of renal tissue and serum markers, which are symptomatic of organ damage, indicates improvement. This was also demonstrated by the reduction in tubular expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, KIM-1, and NGAL. The immunohistochemical studies showed that the combination therapy, especially with the nanoforms, greatly improved the damaged cellular changes in the kidneys, as shown by higher levels of NF-κB. The study shows that VCO and GSH, when administered individually or combined, significantly improve ARF in a gentamicin-induced rat model, highlighting potential therapeutic implications. Notably, the combined nanoparticulate formulations exhibit substantial effectiveness., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARBs) and genes (ARGs) in aquaculture underscores the urgent need for alternative veterinary strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These measures are vital to reduce the likelihood of entering a post-antibiotic era. Identifying environmentally friendly biotechnological solutions to prevent and treat bacterial diseases is crucial for the sustainability of aquaculture and for minimizing the use of antimicrobials, especially antibiotics. The development of probiotics with quorum-quenching (QQ) capabilities presents a promising non-antibiotic strategy for sustainable aquaculture. Recent research has demonstrated the effectiveness of QQ probiotics (QQPs) against a range of significant fish pathogens in aquaculture. QQ disrupts microbial communication (quorum sensing, QS) by inhibiting the production, replication, and detection of signalling molecules, thereby reducing bacterial virulence factors. With their targeted anti-virulence approach, QQPs have substantial promise as a potential alternative to antibiotics. The application of QQPs in aquaculture, however, is still in its early stages and requires additional research. Key challenges include determining the optimal dosage and treatment regimens, understanding the long-term effects, and integrating QQPs with other disease control methods in diverse aquaculture systems. This review scrutinizes the current literature on antibiotic usage, AMR prevalence in aquaculture, QQ mechanisms and the application of QQPs as a sustainable alternative to antibiotics., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The current study aimed to investigate the potentiality of yeast isolate Rhodotorula toruloides Y1124 to be used as a feedstock for biodiesel production, and the reutilization of the de-oiled yeast biomass wastes as a biosorbent for the biosorption of Congo red from aquatic solutions was investigated. From screening results, eight yeast isolates were referred to as oleaginous microorganisms, of which yeast isolate Rhodotorula toruloides Y1124 was the highest lipid-accumulating isolate and was used as a feedstock for biodiesel production. The highest lipid accumulation (64.8%) was significantly dependent on the glucose concentration, pH, and incubation temperature according to Plackett–Burman and central composite design results. Under optimized conditions, the estimated amount of biodiesel synthesis from Rhodotorula toruloides biomass represented 82.12% of total analytes. The most prevalent fatty acid methyl esters were hexadecanoic and 11-octadecenoic, comprising 30.04 and 39.36% of total methyl esters which were compatible with plant oils. The optimum biosorption conditions for Congo red removal were pH 6, a 15 min contact time, and an initial dye concentration of 40 mg L−1. The biosorption isothermal and kinetics fitted well with the Langmuir model and the maximal biosorption capacity (qmax) was 81.697 mg g−1. Therefore, the current study may offer a sustainable feedstock with potential viability for both the synthesis of biodiesel and the removal of organic dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, borage oil (Borago officinalis) was used as the main source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) to obtain ethyl esters by enzymatic ethanolysis using immobilized enzymes for its application in the food industry. Commercial Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TLL) was compared to chemical ethanolysis in alkaline medium. In addition, TLL was immobilized by adsorption on hydrophobic porous support (Octadecyl-Sepabeads®) to compare the results. Fatty acid ethyl ester (FAEE) yields of both reactions were compared under the same conditions (25 °C and 200 rpm) and analyzed by GC-MS. Moreover, the conversion yield for borage oil ethanolysis catalyzed by TLL immobilized on C18-Sepabeads® supports was similar to the chemical pathway (93.4% and 99.5%, respectively). When this biocatalyst was used in a solvent-free system (at 40 °C and 200 rpm), it was possible to obtain a high FAEE yield of 84.3% in the first 24 h of reaction. Furthermore, it was possible to re-use the immobilized biocatalyst for the performance of five reaction cycles maintaining 68% of its initial activity. Thus, the use of immobilized enzymes in solvent-free systems is an eco-friendly alternative to obtain GLA ethyl esters for its possible application in cosmetics and food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) induces lipid peroxidation and mortality in bovine foetal hepatocyte-derived cells (BFH12), with underlying transcriptional perturbations associated mainly with cancer, cellular damage, inflammation, bioactivation, and detoxification pathways. In this cell line, curcumin and resveratrol have proven to be effective in mitigating AFB1-induced toxicity. In this paper, we preliminarily assessed the potential anti-AFB1 activity of a natural polyphenol, quercetin (QUE), in BFH12 cells. To this end, we primarily measured QUE cytotoxicity using a WST-1 reagent. Then, we pre-treated the cells with QUE and exposed them to AFB1. The protective role of QUE was evaluated by measuring cytotoxicity, transcriptional changes (RNA-sequencing), lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde production), and targeted post-transcriptional modifications (NQO1 and CYP3A enzymatic activity). The results demonstrated that QUE, like curcumin and resveratrol, reduced AFB1-induced cytotoxicity and lipid peroxidation and caused larger transcriptional variations than AFB1 alone. Most of the differentially expressed genes were involved in lipid homeostasis, inflammatory and immune processes, and carcinogenesis. As for enzymatic activities, QUE significantly reverted CYP3A variations induced by AFB1, but not those of NQO1. This study provides new knowledge about key molecular mechanisms involved in QUE-mediated protection against AFB1 toxicity and encourages in vivo studies to assess QUE's bioavailability and beneficial effects on aflatoxicosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary metabolites—organic compounds that are often bioactive—produced by endophytes, among others, provide a selective advantage by increasing the organism's survivability. Secondary metabolites mediate the symbiotic relationship between endophytes and their host, potentially providing the host with tolerance to, and protection against biotic and abiotic stressors. Secondary metabolites can be secreted as a dissolved substance or emitted as a volatile. In a previous study, we isolated bioactive endophytes from several macroalgae and tested them in vitro for their ability to inhibit major disease-causing pathogens of aquatic animals in the aquaculture industry. One endophyte (isolate Abp5, K. flava) inhibited and killed, in vitro, the pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica, an oomycete that causes saprolegniasis—a disease affecting a wide range of aquatic animals. Here, using analytical chemistry tools, we found that Abp5 produces the volatile organic compound (VOC) 8-nonenoic acid. Once we confirmed the production of this compound by the endophyte, we tested the compound's ability to treat S. parasitica in in vitro and in vivo bioassays. In the latter, we found that 5 mg/L of the compound improves the survival of larvae challenged with S. parasitica by 54.5%. Our isolation and characterization of the VOC emitted by the endophytic K. flava establish the groundwork for future studies of endophytic biocontrol agents from macroalgae. Use of this compound could enable managing oomycete agricultural pathogens in general, and S. parasitica in particular, a major causal agent in aquaculture diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular toxicity of hyperlipidemia has been long considered a major cause of various intractable disease such as diabetes. Discovering lipotoxicity antagonist with high efficiency and low side effects is of importance to develop therapeutics for relevant diseases. In the current study, we evaluate the anti-lipotoxic potential of punicalagin (PU) on pancreatic cells and investigate its underpinning mechanism involved. The administration of PU effectively improved cell viability, quenched intracellular reactive oxygen species, alleviated lipid peroxidation, and enhanced cellular antioxidative capacity in RINm5F cells stimulated by sodium palmitate. Besides that, PU treatment significantly inhibited the overload of mitochondrial calcium ions; alleviated the activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mediators including glucose-regulated protein 78, protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase, eukaryotic initiation factor 2α, activating transcription factor 6, caspase 12, and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP); and attenuated the expression of cleaved caspase 3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase in test cells. Further RNA interference experiment results and miR211-5p expression analysis revealed that PU may directly mitigate CHOP expression and upregulate the expression of miR211-5p to reduce ER stress-induced pancreatic cell death. The efficacy of PU in maintaining redox equilibrium and diminishing ER stress on pancreatic cells stressed by hyperlipidemia suggests that PU can be used as a promising dietary natural product to safeguard the pancreatic health against lipotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cucurbitaceae family produces a class of secondary metabolites known as cucurbitacins. The eight cucurbitacin subunits are cucurbitacin B, D, E, I, IIa, L glucoside, Q, and R with the most significant anticancer activity. They are reported to inhibit cell proliferation, invasion, and migration; induce apoptosis; and encourage cell cycle arrest, as some of their modes of action. The JAK-STAT3, Wnt, PI3K/Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways, which are essential for the survival and apoptosis of cancer cells, have also been shown to be suppressed by cucurbitacins. The goal of the current study is to summarize potential molecular targets that cucurbitacins could inhibit in order to suppress various malignant processes. The review is noteworthy since it presents all putative molecular targets for cucurbitacins in cancer on a single podium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals with an inverse electrocardiological problem considering the reconstruction of where one has to reconstruct the heart transmembrane potential from thorax's high density measurements. The problem will be solved as an optimal control one for a partial differential system with incomplete data. The electrical activity on the heart is here modelled by a system of FitzHugh–Nagumo's type where the initial conditions corresponding to the transmembrane potential and to the gating variables are unknown. We use the low-regret optimal control method by J.-L. Lions to tackle this problem. We prove the existence and uniqueness of a low-regret control that we characterise by a singular optimality system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and implementation of safe natural alternatives to synthetic pesticides are urgent needs that will provide ecological solutions for the control of plant diseases, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, pests, and weeds to ensure the economic stability of farmers and food security, as well as protection of the environment and human health. Unambiguously, production of botanical pesticides will allow for the sustainable and efficient use of natural resources and finally decrease the use of chemical inputs and burden. This is further underlined by the strict regulations on pesticide residues in agricultural products and is in harmony with the Farm to Fork strategy, which aims to reduce pesticide use by 50% by 2030. Thus, the present work aims to compile the scientific knowledge of the last 5 years (2017–February 2023) regarding the Mediterranean plants that present biopesticidal effects. The literature review revealed 40 families of Mediterranean plants with at least one species that have been investigated as potential biopesticides. However, only six families had the highest number of species, and they were reviewed comprehensively in this study. Following a systematic approach, the extraction methods, chemical composition, biopesticidal activity, and commonly used assays for evaluating the antimicrobial, pesticidal, repellant, and herbicidal activity of plant extracts, as well as the toxicological and safety aspects of biopesticide formulation, are discussed in detail. Finally, the aspects that have not yet been investigated or are under-investigated and future perspectives are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Liver cancer represents one of the most lethal forms of cancer, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounting for the majority of its incidences and deaths. Currently, sorafenib is the first-in-line option for treating advanced and unresectable HCC. It is a multi-kinase inhibitor that intervenes with tumor growth and progression. Considering the modest results provided by sorafenib, identifying novel approaches to treating HCC remains a clinical imperative. Based on our previous work, crocin, a constituent of saffron, prevented HCC development. This study aimed to investigate its therapeutic effect in combination with sorafenib against an induced model of hepatocellular carcinoma arising from a cirrhotic milieu in rats. Our results confirmed that combination therapy yielded more effective outcomes compared to crocin and sorafenib monotherapies. It exerted the most pronounced effects in inhibiting inflammation and tumor cell proliferation while activating apoptosis and restoring macroscopic and cellular liver morphology. These results introduce a potential strategy for optimizing the anticancer effects of sorafenib using the bioactive natural compound crocin against HCC. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies, with continuously increasing cases and fatalities. Diagnosis often occurs in the advanced stages, confining patients to systemic therapies such as sorafenib. Sorafenib (SB), a multi-kinase inhibitor, has not yet demonstrated sufficient efficacy against advanced HCC. There is a strong argument in favor of studying its use in combination with other medications to optimize the therapeutic results. According to our earlier work, crocin (CR), a key bioactive component of saffron, hinders HCC development and liver cancer stemness. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic use of CR or its combination with SB in a cirrhotic rat model of HCC and evaluated how effectively SB and CR inhibited tumor growth in this model. Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was administered intraperitoneally to rats once a week for 15 weeks, leading to cirrhosis, and then 19 weeks later, leading to multifocal HCC. After 16 weeks of cancer induction, CR (200 mg/kg daily) and SB (10 mg/kg daily) were given orally to rats for three weeks, either separately or in combination. Consistently, the combination treatment considerably decreased the incidence of dyschromatic nodules, nodule multiplicity, and dysplastic nodules when compared to the HCC group of single therapies. Combined therapy also caused the highest degree of apoptosis, along with decreased proliferating and β-catenin levels in the tumor tissues. Additionally, when rats received combined therapy with CR, it showed anti-inflammatory characteristics where nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) were considerably and additively lowered. As a result, CR potentiates the suppressive effects of SB on tumor growth and provides the opportunity to strengthen the therapeutic effects of SB in the treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to assess the ameliorative effects of eugenol and to propose the possible mechanisms of action of eugenol in diethylnitrosamine (DENA)/acetylaminofluorene (AAF)-caused lung cancer in Wistar rats. To induce lung cancer, DENA at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight (b.wt) for 2 weeks were intraperitoneally injected once each week and AAF was administered orally at a dose of 20 mg/kg b.wt. four times each week for the next 3 weeks. DENA/AAF-administered rats were orally supplemented with eugenol at a dose of 20 mg/kg b.wt administered once a day until 17 weeks starting from the 1st week of DENA administration. Lung histological lesions, including sheets of tumor cells, micropapillary adenocarcinoma, and apoptotic cells, resulting from the DENA/AAF dosage, were ameliorated by eugenol treatment. However, a significant drop in the levels of LPO in the lungs and a remarkable rise in GSH content and GPx and SOD activities were observed in DENA/AAF-administered rats treated with eugenol compared with those in DENA/AAF-administered controls. Moreover, in DENA/AAF-administered rats, eugenol supplementation significantly reduced TNF-α and IL-1β levels and mRNA expression levels of NF-κB, NF-κB p65, and MCP-1 but significantly elevated the level of Nrf2. Furthermore, the DENA/AAF-administered rats treated with eugenol exhibited a significant downregulation of Bcl-2 expression levels in addition to a significant upregulation in P53 and Bax expression levels. Otherwise, the administration of DENA/AAF elevated the protein expression level of Ki-67, and this elevation was reversed by eugenol treatment. In conclusion, eugenol has effective antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, proapoptotic, and antiproliferative properties against lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil contamination by cadmium (Cd) and degradation by salinity are likely to become one of the most important problems hindering food production and human health. However, their combined effect on crops is still ambiguous. A hydroponic study was made to investigate the separate and combined exposure of 100 µM Cd and 150 µM NaCl on soybeans (Glycine max L.) growth, photosynthetic pigment, and antioxidant systems for 7 days. Both Cd and NaCl, applied separately decreased the seedlings growth, chlorophyll contents and caused oxidative stress. However, the toxic effects of salinity applied alone were more pronounced. Interestingly, combined exposure of Cd and NaCl induced higher decreases in all growth parameters and lipid peroxidation than single exposure suggesting synergistic effects. The results implicate that the phytotoxicity of both stressors can be associated with redox status imbalance. Our finding may provide insight into the physiological mechanisms of heavy metal exposure and salinity stress tolerance in soybeans and suggest that saline stress changes the effects of Cd toxicity on crops in Cd-salt-polluted soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic agriculture is of great socioeconomic significance because it can promote the nutritional quality of horticultural crops and is environmentally friendly. However, owing to the lack of techniques for studying complex aroma-related chemical profiles, limited information is available on the influence of organic practices on the flavor quality of strawberries, one of the primary factors driving consumer preferences. Here, two-dimensional gas chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOF-MS) and flavoromics analysis was employed to investigate the profiles and differences in the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of strawberries under organic (without imidacloprid) and conventional (with imidacloprid) agricultural practices. A total of 1164 VOCs, representing 23 chemical classes (e.g., aldehydes, terpenes, and furanone compounds), were detected, which is the highest number of VOCs that have ever been detected in strawberries. The sensory evaluation results indicated that there was a notable influence of imidacloprid (IMI) on the aroma of the strawberries. Principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis results suggested that the composition of volatile compounds significantly differed in the present study between the IMI-treated and non-IMI-treated groups. Furthermore, the flavor-related indicators of 25 key contributors to the differences between the two treatment groups suggested that VOC profiles can be considered an indicator for distinguishing between strawberries from different agricultural practices. Flavoromics can provide new insights into the quality of strawberries from different agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cheese is obtained by the coagulation of milk, followed by maturation under the action of microorganisms which are responsible for the development of physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of cheese. Among various microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play an essential role in establishing sensory characteristics of the cheese. In Cameroon, the effect of isolated LAB on the sensory characteristics of cheese produced from local cow milk has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the present work aimed to isolate LAB and evaluate their influence on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of locally produced soft cheeses. Four strains of LAB were isolated and identified as Enterococcus sp.1, Enterococcus sp.2, Pediococcus sp., and Leuconostoc sp. These isolates were combined in batches for production of cheeses, including Frm 741 (Enterococcus sp.1 and Enterococcus sp.2), Frm 891 (Enterococcus sp.2 and Leuconostoc sp.), Frm 683 (Pediococcus sp. and Enterococcus sp.1), Frm 425 (Pediococcus sp. and Leuconostoc sp.), Frm 503 (Pediococcus sp. and Enterococcus sp.2), Frm 439 (Leuconostoc sp. and Enterococcus sp.1), and Frm 625 (Enterococcus sp.1, Enterococcus sp.2, Leuconostoc sp., and Pediococcus sp.). Cheese produced from the combination of Enterococcus sp.1 and Enterococcus sp.2 (Frm 741), unlike the others, did not drain properly throughout the production process. However, all products showed excellent microbiological quality in relation to biological contaminants, such as Salmonella, staphylococci, and coliforms. Moreover, cheese Frm 425 was most appreciated by consumers for its sweet taste, yellow colour, pleasant smell, and low acidity (51.7°D). On the other hand, cheese Frm 439 was least appreciated by consumers owing to its bad odour, bitter taste, and high acidity (144.9°D). Taken together, the present work demonstrated that the isolated LAB could be used to produce soft cheese with a natural rind and unique sensory characteristics that are appreciated by Cameroonian consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyphenols derived from fruits, vegetables, and plants are bioactive compounds potentially beneficial to human health. Notably, compounds such as quercetin, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and resveratrol have been highlighted as antiproliferative agents for cancer. Due to their low solubility and limited bioavailability, some alternative nanotechnologies have been applied to encapsulate these compounds, aiming to improve their efficacy against cancer. In this comprehensive review, we evaluate the main nanotechnology approaches to improve the therapeutic potential of polyphenols against cancer using in vitro studies and in vivo preclinical models, highlighting recent advancements in the field. It was found that polymeric nanomaterials, lipid-based nanomaterials, inorganic nanomaterials, and carbon-based nanomaterials are the most used classes of nanocarriers for encapsulating polyphenols. These delivery systems exhibit enhanced antitumor activity and pro-apoptotic effects, particularly against breast, lung, prostate, cervical, and colorectal cancer cells, surpassing the performance of free bioactive compounds. Preclinical trials in xenograft animal models have revealed decreased tumor growth after treatment with polyphenol-loaded delivery systems. Moreover, the interaction of polyphenol co-delivery systems and polyphenol–drug delivery systems is a promising approach to increase anticancer activity and decrease chemotherapy side effects. These innovative approaches hold significant implications for the advancement of clinical cancer research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 2 (EFEMP2) has been reported to be related to the progression of various cancers. We have previously reported that EFEMP2 was highly expressed in ovarian cancer and was strongly associated with poor prognosis in patients. This study intends to further explore its interacting proteins and possible downstream signaling pathways. Method: The expression of EFEMP2 was detected by RT-qPCR, ICC and western blot in 4 kinds of ovarian cancer cells with different migration and invasion ability. Cell models with strong or weak EFEMP2 expression were constructed by lentivirus transfection. The effects of the down-regulation and up-regulation of EFEMP2 on the biological behavior of ovarian cancer cells were studied through in-vitro and in-vivo functional tests. The phosphorylation pathway profiling array and KEGG database analyses identified the downstream EGFR/ERK1/2/c-Jun signaling pathway and the programmed death-1 (PD-L1) pathway enrichment. Additionally, the protein interaction between EFEMP2 and EGFR was detected by immunoprecipitation. Result: EFEMP2 was positively correlated with the invasion ability of ovarian cancer cells, its down-regulation inhibited the migrative, invasive and cloning capacity of cancer cells in vitro and suppressed the tumor proliferation and intraperitoneal diffusion in vivo, while its up-regulation did the opposite. Moreover, EFEMP2 could bind to EGFR to induce PD-L1 regulation in ovarian cancer, which was caused by the activation of EGFR/ERK1/2/c-Jun signaling. Similar to EFEMP2, PD-L1 was also highly expressed in aggressive cells and had the ability to promote the invasion and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo, and PD-L1 upregulation was partly caused by EFEMP2 activation. Afatinib combined with trametinib had an obvious effect of inhibiting the intraperitoneal diffusion of ovarian cancer cells, especially in the group with low expression of EFEMP2, while overexpression of PD-L1 could reverse this phenomenon. Conclusion: EFEMP2 could bind to EGFR to activate ERK1/2/c-Jun pathway and regulate PD-L1 expression, furthermore PD-L1 was extremely essential for EFEMP2 to promote ovarian cancer cells invasion and dissemination in vitro and in vivo. Targeted therapy against the source gene EFEMP2 is our future research direction, which may better inhibit the invasion and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge root is used as herbal medicine for its immunomodulating activities in Chinese medicine. Recently, beneficial properties of A. membranaceus on allergic diseases have been proposed. Here we investigated the role of a commercial extract of A. membranaceus, standardized to 16% polysaccharides, in regulating the immune-inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo and its therapeutic application in asthma. A. membranaceus extract inhibited prostaglandin E2 and leukotriene C4 production in stimulated J774 and peritoneal macrophages, respectively. The extract also reduced interlukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and nitrite production, affecting inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. In vivo experiments confirmed the anti-inflammatory properties of A. membranaceus, as evident by a reduction in zymosan-induced peritoneal cellular infiltration and pro-inflammatory mediator production. The efficacy of A. membranaceus extract in modulating the immune response was confirmed in a model of allergic airway inflammation. Extracts improve lung function by inhibiting airway hyperresponsiveness, airway remodeling, and fibrosis. Its anti-asthmatic effects were further sustained by inhibition of the sensitization process, as indicated by a reduction of ovalbumin-induced IgE levels and the mounting of a Th2 immune response. In conclusion, our data demonstrate the anti-inflammatory properties of the commercial extract of A. membranaceus and its beneficial effects on asthma feature development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiesel (BD) is an alternative transportation fuel that has been commercialized. Most CaO‐based heterogeneous catalysts that are applied for BD production become strongly deactivated after not more than five cycles of reuse. Predominantly CaO and Ca(OH)2 active phases in eggshell were mixed with Fe3O4 by ball milling for 3 h followed by annealing at different temperatures (200–1000 °C) for 2 h to produce a magnetic catalyst. The catalyst was deployed to synthesize BD using a transesterification reaction with methanol. The catalyst characterization results from X‐ray diffraction and Raman analysis revealed the phase evolution of the catalysts with increasing annealing temperature, which facilitated the oxidation of the Fe3O4 to the maghemite (Fe2O3) phase. Increasing temperature led to a decrease in the catalyst surface area due to increased rigidity and loss of pores; however, the basicity increased due to the conversion of calcium carbonates mainly to CaO. Under optimal conditions of 65 °C, methanol/oil molar ratio of 12:1, and 4 wt% catalyst loading, BD yield of 95.33% could be achieved under 120 min reaction time. The catalyst could be reused seven times with minimal loss in catalytic activity. The synthesized BD showed a calorific value of 39.99 MJkg‐1, a density of 0.9 gcm‐3, a viscosity of 4.92 mm2s‐1, which satisfactorily complied with the international standards of ASTM‐D‐6751 and EN‐14214. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers a consensus problem of multiagent systems with double integrator dynamics under nonuniform sampling. In the considered problem, the maximum sampling time can be selected arbitrarily. Moreover, the communication graph can change to any possible topology as long as its associated graph Laplacian has eigenvalues in an arbitrarily selected region. Existence of a controller that ensures consensus in this setting is shown when the changing topology graphs are undirected and have a spanning tree. Also, explicit bounds for controller parameters are given. A sufficient condition is given to solve the consensus problem based on making the closed loop system matrix a contraction using a particular coordinate system for general linear dynamics. It is shown that the given condition immediately generalizes to changing topology in the case of undirected topology graphs. This condition is applied to double integrator dynamics to obtain explicit bounds on the controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal contamination impacts plant growth and productivity by causing damage at all levels of plant organization, making it one of the most significant abiotic stressors. This study evaluated the uptake and distribution of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) in Solanum lycopersicum L. and identified the antioxidant enzyme activity and tolerance capacity. In Hoagland's nutrient solution, plants were exposed to Cd and Cu for 21 days. Fresh biomass of roots and shoots, root length, Cd and Cu accumulation and antioxidants were determined. Fresh biomass of roots and shoots was maximum in control treatment. A decline of 87 and 69% in root and shoot fresh weight was observed, respectively, at 100 µM of Cd as compared to the control. While a decline of 62 and 84% in root and shoot fresh weight was observed, respectively, at 20 µM of Cu as compared to control. Root growth decreased due to Cd and Cu stress as no root growth was measured at 20 µM of Cu, and the lowest root increment of 0.12 cm was observed at 100 µM of Cd. Maximum accumulation was found at 75 µM of Cd and 20 µM of Cu where roots accumulated greater as compared to shoots. In the leaves, the CAT, APX, and SOD activities increased at almost all levels of Cd and Cu. S. lycopersicum showed significant reduction in biomass and is not tolerant or accumulator of Cd and Cu. Chelators or soil conditioners need to be used to reduce the anticipated metal toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemotherapy resistance is still a serious problem in the treatment of most cancers. Many cellular and molecular mechanisms contribute to both inherent and acquired drug resistance. They include the use of unaffected growth-signaling pathways, changes in the tumor microenvironment, and the active transport of medicines out of the cell. The antioxidant capacity of polyphenols and their potential to inhibit the activation of procarcinogens, cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis, as well as to promote the inhibition or downregulation of active drug efflux transporters, have been linked to a reduced risk of cancer in epidemiological studies. Polyphenols also have the ability to alter immunological responses and inflammatory cascades, as well as trigger apoptosis in cancer cells. The discovery of the relationship between abnormal growth signaling and metabolic dysfunction in cancer cells highlights the importance of further investigating the effects of dietary polyphenols, including their ability to boost the efficacy of chemotherapy and avoid multidrug resistance (MDR). Here, it is summarized what is known regarding the effectiveness of natural polyphenolic compounds in counteracting the resistance that might develop to cancer drugs as a result of a variety of different mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article describes studies published over the past five years on the combination of polyphenols, which are the most studied in the field of anticancer effects (curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, and apigenin) and chemotherapeutics such as cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, etc. According to WHO data, research has been limited to five cancers with the highest morbidity rate (lung, colorectal, liver, gastric, and breast cancer). A systematic review of articles published in the past five years (from January 2018 to January 2023) was carried out with the help of all Web of Science databases and the available base of clinical studies. Based on the preclinical studies presented in this review, polyphenols can enhance drug efficacy and reduce chemoresistance through different molecular mechanisms. Considering the large number of studies, curcumin could be a molecule in future chemotherapy cocktails. One of the main problems in clinical research is related to the limited bioavailability of most polyphenols. The design of a new co-delivery system for drugs and polyphenols is essential for future clinical research. Some polyphenols work in synergy with chemotherapeutic drugs, but some polyphenols can act antagonistically, so caution is always required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ovarian cancer leads to devastating outcomes, and its treatment is highly challenging. At present, there is a lack of clinical symptoms, well-known sensitivity biomarkers, and patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Currently, available therapeutics against ovarian cancer are inefficient, costly, and associated with severe side effects. The present study evaluated the anticancer potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) that were successfully biosynthesized in an ecofriendly mode using pumpkin seed extracts. Methods and results: The anticancer potential of the biosynthesized ZnO NPs was assessed using an in vitro human ovarian teratocarcinoma cell line (PA-1) by well-known assays such as MTT assay, morphological alterations, induction of apoptosis, measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and inhibition of cell adhesion/migration. The biogenic ZnO NPs exerted a high level of cytotoxicity against PA-1 cells. Furthermore, the ZnO NPs inhibited cellular adhesion and migration but induced ROS production and cell death through programmed cell death. Conclusion: The aforementioned anticancer properties highlight the therapeutic utility of ZnO NPs in ovarian cancer treatment. However, further research is recommended to envisage their mechanism of action in different cancer models and validation in a suitable in vivo system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato peel wastes are generated in high quantities from potato processing industries. They are pollutants to the environment, and they release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The present study assessed the potentiality of hydrolyzing potato wastes by amylase-producing fungi to improve biogas generation from potato peels through the anaerobic digestion process. Different fungal isolates were screened for amylase production on potato wastes, and the highest amylase producer was selected for optimizing the efficacy of producing amylases in high quantities to efficiently allow the conversion of potato organic matter into fermentable sugars that are utilized for the anaerobic digestion process. The best amylase producers were those derived from Rhizopus stolonifer (32.61 ± 0.89 U/mL). The highest cumulative methane yield from hydrolyzed potato peel was 65.23 ± 3.9 mL CH4/g and the methane production rate was 0.39 mL CH4/h, whereas the highest biogas yield from unhydrolyzed potato wastes was 41.32 ± 2.15 mL CH4/g and the biogas production rate was 0.25 mL CH4/h. Furthermore, it was found that the two combined sequential stages of anaerobic digestion (biogas production) followed by biodiesel production (enzymatic esterification) were the most effective, recording 72.36 ± 1.85 mL CH4/g and 64.82% biodiesel of the total analytes. However, one-pot fermentation revealed that biogas yield was 22.83 ± 2.8 mL CH4/g and the biodiesel extracted was 23.67% of the total analytes. The insights of the current paper may increase the feasibility of potato peel-based biorefinery through the biological hydrolysis strategy of potato wastes using eco-friendly enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive transport modeling has become widely used to help improve understanding of hydrogeochemical processes from the pore scale to the watershed scale. In recent years, the scope of reactive transport applications has increased toward a higher level of complexity and process coupling. For example, the production and consumption of water as well as porosity evolution associated with the dissolution and precipitation of hydrated minerals can impact system evolution. Waste rock weathering, carbon sequestration, or the degradation of engineered barriers in radioactive waste repositories all constitute applications in which geochemistry and hydrodynamics can strongly influence each other. For these purposes, the traditional formulation of reactive transport simulators, which decouples groundwater flow and reactive transport processes, is limited. We present a global implicit compositional approach, which integrates the flow processes directly into the reactive transport and geochemical framework. This approach solves the flow field implicitly with the reactive transport equations, simultaneously accounting for water consumption and production due to geochemical reactions. Applications show that the model allows tackling complex reactive transport problems while accounting for intra‐aqueous reactions, redox reactions, and reactions involving mass transfer with the gas and solid phases. The presented simulations also demonstrate that the compositional and traditional approaches yield similar results for complex geochemical systems with relatively low reactivity. Key Points: A new global implicit approach for reactive transport modeling is presentedPressure evolution is linked to a water conservation equation which is intrinsically coupled with the reactive transport equationsThe method is validated for one‐dimensional cases with complex geochemistry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For hyperspectral images (HSI) compressed sensing reconstruction, the 3D total variation (3DTV) is a powerful regulation term encoding the spatial-spectral local smooth prior structure. The term is calculated by supposing the sparsity structure on a gradient map along the spatial and spectral direction. In some real scenes, however, the gradient maps along different directions of HSI are not always sparse. Actually, TV constraints established on the gradient map of the original HSI are more effective in most cases. In this paper, instead of imposing sparsity on gradient maps themselves directly, compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction for HSI is formulated as an optimization problem utilizing a novel regulation term named multi-TV (MTV), which combines the sparsity prior for the gradient map and the TV projection along with other directions of the gradient map. We also develop a workable utility algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) to effectively deal with the optimization problem. The proposed MTV term can easily replace the conventional 3DTV term and be embedded into hyperspectral CS (HCS) reconstruction to improve its performance. Experimental results show that compared with similar state-of-the-art methods, the proposed MTV term can significantly improve reconstruction precision for HCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free enzymes often face economic problems because of their non-repeatability and variability, which limit their application in industrial production. In this study, KDN lipase was immobilized with the macroporous resin LXTE-1000 and glutaraldehyde. The optimal conditions of enzyme immobilization were defined by a single factor experiment and response surface methodology (RSM). The concentration of the cross-linking agent glutaraldehyde was 0.46% (v/v), the cross-linking temperature was 25.0 °C, and the cross-linking time was 157 min. The enzyme activity of the immobilized KDN lipase after adsorption/cross-linking was 291.36 U/g, and the recovery of the enzyme activity was 9.90%. The optimal conditions for the synthesis of isopropyl myristate were catalyzed by the immobilized KDN lipase in a solvent-free system: immobilized enzyme 53 mg, reaction temperature 36.1 °C, myristic acid 228.4 mg, isopropanol 114 µL, and reaction time 18 h. The yield of isopropyl myristate was 66.62%. After ten cycles, the activity of the immobilized KDN lipase preserved more than 46.87% of its initial enzyme activity, and it demonstrated high tolerance to solvents compared to free KDN lipase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile broadband (MBB) penetration has deepened globally over the last twenty years. This is largely due to the adoption of smart devices, improved mobile communications network coverage, and the perpetual drive to develop ever faster mobile and wireless communication technologies. However, information on the quality of service (QoS) delivered by MBB operators to the end users remains an issue of concern. This has driven independent researchers and mobile communication industry regulators to develop methodologies for independent and unbiased evaluation of the QoS offered by MBB networks. This paper provides a detailed review of MBB adoption and penetration across several regions of the world. It also includes the existing methodologies for evaluating the performance of MBB systems as experienced by the end user. Specifically, methodologies such as the drive and walk tests, crowd-sourced mobile device-based methods and the software applications they employ, and the dedicated measurement testbeds are reviewed. Based on this, the challenges of adopting each of the methods are discussed in order to make a case for the development of more robust, partially autonomous and scalable MBB measurement platforms for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dogs are one of few species that naturally develop prostate cancer (PCa), which clinically resembles aggressive, advanced PCa in humans. Moreover, PCa-tumor samples from dogs are often androgen receptor (AR)-negative and may enrich our understanding of AR-indifferent PCa in humans, a highly lethal subset of PCa for which few treatment modalities are available This narrative review discusses the molecular similarities between dog PCa and specific human-PCa variants, underscoring the possibilities of using the dog as a novel pre-clinical animal model for human PCa, resulting in new therapies and diagnostics that may benefit both species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent development of resistance to chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-flourouracil (5-FU) complicates the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Resveratrol is able to utilize β1-integrin receptors, strongly expressed in CRC cells, to transmit and exert anti-carcinogenic signals, but whether it can also utilize these receptors to overcome 5-FU chemoresistance in CRC cells has not yet been investigated. Effects of β1-integrin knockdown on anti-cancer capabilities of resveratrol and 5-FU were investigated in HCT-116 and 5-FU-resistant HCT-116R CRC tumor microenvironment (TME) with 3D-alginate as well as monolayer cultures. Resveratrol increased CRC cell sensitivity to 5-FU by reducing TME-promoted vitality, proliferation, colony formation, invasion tendency and mesenchymal phenotype including pro-migration pseudopodia. Furthermore, resveratrol impaired CRC cells in favor of more effective utilization of 5-FU by down-regulating TME-induced inflammation (NF-kB), vascularisation (VEGF, HIF-1α) and cancer stem cell production (CD44, CD133, ALDH1), while up-regulating apoptosis (caspase-3) that was previously inhibited by TME. These anti-cancer mechanisms of resveratrol were largely abolished by antisense oligonucleotides against β1-integrin (β1-ASO) in both CRC cell lines, indicating the particular importance of β1-integrin receptors for the 5-FU-chemosensitising effect of resveratrol. Lastly, co-immunoprecipitation tests showed that resveratrol targets and modulates the TME-associated β1-integrin/HIF-1α signaling axis in CRC cells. Our results suggest for the first time the utility of the β1-integrin/HIF-1α signaling axis related to chemosensitization and overcoming chemoresistance to 5-FU in CRC cells by resveratrol, underlining its potential supportive applications in CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of nanomaterials have been developed specifically for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery in cancer treatment. These materials involve both synthetic and natural nanoparticles and nanofibers of varying dimensions. The efficacy of a drug delivery system (DDS) depends on its biocompatibility, intrinsic high surface area, high interconnected porosity, and chemical functionality. Recent advances in metal-organic framework (MOF) nanostructures have led to the achievement of these desirable features. MOFs consist of metal ions and organic linkers that are assembled in different geometries and can be produced in 0, 1, 2, or 3 dimensions. The defining features of MOFs are their outstanding surface area, interconnected porosity, and variable chemical functionality, which enable an endless range of modalities for loading drugs into their hierarchical structures. MOFs, coupled with biocompatibility requisites, are now regarded as highly successful DDSs for the treatment of diverse diseases. This review aims to present the development and applications of DDSs based on chemically-functionalized MOF nanostructures in the context of cancer treatment. A concise overview of the structure, synthesis, and mode of action of MOF-DDS is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with a high occurrence, mortality, and poor prognosis. MLX interacting protein like (MLXIPL) is an important regulator of glucolipid metabolism and is involved in tumor progression. We aimed to clarify the role of MLXIPL in HCC and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: The level of MLXIPL was predicted using bioinformatic analysis and verified using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), immunohistochemical analysis, and western blot. We assessed the effects of MLXIPL on biological behaviors using the cell counting kit-8, colony formation, and Transwell assay. Glycolysis was evaluated using the Seahorse method. The interaction between MLXIPL and mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR) was confirmed using RNA immunoprecipitation and co-immunoprecipitation. mTOR expression was detected in HCC cells using qPCR, immunofluorescence analysis, and western blot. Results: The results showed that MLXIPL levels were elevated in both HCC tissues and HCC cell lines. Knockdown of MLXIPL impeded HCC cell growth, invasion, migration, and glycolysis. Moreover, MLXIPL combined with mTOR to induce phosphorylation of mTOR. Activated mTOR abrogated the effects on cellular processes induced by MLXIPL. Conclusion: MLXIPL promoted the malignant progression of HCC by activating phosphorylation of mTOR, suggesting an important role of the combination of MLXIPL and mTOR in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we utilized pomegranate peel and marine algae Ulva lactuca (U. lactuca) as rich and sustained sources of bioactive compounds to combat tomato-black spot disease. n-Hexane extracts from the peel of pomegranate (Punica granatum) (PPE) and the marine algal biomass U. lactuca (ULE) were used alone and in combinations to verify their impact against Alternaria alternata (A. alternata). The applied extracts exhibited severe destructive effects on both fungal growth and structure such as mycelia malformation, underdeveloped conidia, cell wall deformation, and shrinkage. Moreover, increased deformations and protrusions, and notch-like structures, were noticed in A. alternata mycelia treated with mixed extracts (PPE and ULE) compared to all other treatments. The protein and reduced sugar contents in tomato fruits were significantly increased in the infected fruits with A. alternata. The highest enzyme activities of pectinase, cellulase, catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were recorded in infected tomatoes in comparison with the healthy ones. Molecular docking studies showed that each extract is rich with bioactive compounds that have a promising inhibition effect on A. alternata cellulases. Pomegranate and Ulva extract showed promising antifungal activity against A. alternata which revealed their feasibility and applicability as biocontrol agents in postharvest disease management and food preservation against fungal pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cadmium (Cd) tolerance protein (SpCTP3) involved in the Sedum plumbizincicola response to Cd stress was identified. However, the mechanism underlying the Cd detoxification and accumulation mediated by SpCTP3 in plants remains unclear. We compared wild-type (WT) and SpCTP3-overexpressing transgenic poplars in terms of Cd accumulation, physiological indices, and the expression profiles of transporter genes following with 100 mmol/L CdCl2. Compared with the WT, significantly more Cd accumulated in the above-ground and below-ground parts of the SpCTP3-overexpressing lines after 100 mmol/L CdCl2 treatment. The Cd flow rate was significantly higher in the transgenic roots than in the WT roots. The overexpression of SpCTP3 resulted in the subcellular redistribution of Cd, with decreased and increased Cd proportions in the cell wall and the soluble fraction, respectively, in the roots and leaves. Additionally, the accumulation of Cd increased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content. The activities of three antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase) increased significantly in response to Cd stress. The observed increase in the titratable acid content in the cytoplasm might lead to the enhanced chelation of Cd. The genes encoding several transporters related to Cd2+ transport and detoxification were expressed at higher levels in the transgenic poplars than in the WT plants. Our results suggest that overexpressing SpCTP3 in transgenic poplar plants promotes Cd accumulation, modulates Cd distribution and ROS homeostasis, and decreases Cd toxicity via organic acids. In conclusion, genetically modifying plants to overexpress SpCTP3 may be a viable strategy for improving the phytoremediation of Cd-polluted soil [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]