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Congenital CMV (cCMV) infection causes neurological sequelae in newborns. Recent studies of cCMV pathogenesis in animal models reveal ventriculomegaly and cortical atrophy associated with impaired neural progenitor cell (NPC) proliferation and migration.

PurposeIncreased ethanol accumulation during ethanol fermentation generates stress in yeast cells, which finally reduces the fermentation performance and efficiency. Trehalose, a potential stress protectant, has been reported to regulate the response of yeast to diverse environmental stresses. This study aimed to explore how exogenous trehalose application affects the survival, transcriptome and antioxidant enzymes of Wickerhamomyces anomalus grown under ethanol stress conditions.Design/methodology/approachExogenous trehalose was applied to the growth condition of W. anomalus, and optical densitometric method was used to detect contents of intracellular trehalose and MDA and activities of CAT and SOD. The survival was evaluated using spot analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified through transcriptomics analysis.FindingsThe results showed that ethanol stress induced the accumulation of intracellular trehalose, with further exogenous trehalose application improving the survival and alleviating oxidative stress in ethanol-stressed W. anomalus. Transcriptomic results showed that trehalose has pleiotropic regulating effects on ethanol-stressed W. anomalus since most DEGs annotated to energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, translation, folding, sorting and transport were affected post trehalose addition. Therefore, it is found that trehalose protected W. anomalus against ethanol stress, and these findings provide interesting insights into the mechanistic role of trehalose in improving ethanol stress tolerance of W. anomalus.Originality/value(1) Protective effect of exogenous trehalose addition on the survival of ethanol-stressed W. anomalus was proved. (2) Exogenous trehalose addition could partly alleviate oxidative stress induced by ethanol stress and affect transcriptome in W. anomalus.

Structural optimization based on natural products has become an effective way to develop new green fungicides, which provide important guiding significance for practicing the new development concept and promoting the green development of pesticides. In this project, combined with the fungicidal amide lead compound X-I-4 discovered in our previous work and fungicidal piperazine derivatives reported in literatures, the target compounds containing 4-quinolone and piperazine substructures based on waltherione F were designed, synthesized and screened for their biological activity. The bioassay results indicated that compounds I-3, I-5, II-3, II-7, II-10, II-11 and II-13 displayed higher inhibition rates against Rhizoctonia solani than other tested compounds. The in vitro cellular cytotoxicity assay revealed the compounds II-6 and II-11 exhibited higher cytotoxicity against HepG2 than other tested compounds. The fluorescence characteristics investigation showed that the absolute fluorescence QY value of the methanol solution of the compound I-6 was higher than those of I-2, I-3, I-7 and I-8, which was further elucidated by TD-DFT.

Schematic illustration of the strategy to construct the Tf–DHA–ASO–MnO2 nanodrug and the principle of targeted cancer therapy.

A drug-loaded aptamer functionalized fluorine-containing DNAsome was reported here, which can deliver doxorubicin into cancer cells in a targeted manner through receptor mediated endocytosis and induce the apoptosis of cancer cells.

Sn@NPC composite is synthesized by a design involving the upcycling of Sn electroplating sludge, and exhibits high selectivity and stability for CO2RR to HCOOH.

Background Herbal Reference Extracts (HREs) have been used for the overall quality control (QC) of Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) and used as an effective strategy for solving the shortage of reference standards in quality evaluation of TCMs in recently years. But the preparation and evaluation of it has rarely been reported. The ideal HREs should be a combination of Chemical Reference (CR) and Efficacy Reference (ER). However, it is not realistic to achieve "completely extracted" of TCMs at the present stage. Quality markers (Q-markers) provides a series of effective and scientific strategies for QC of TCMs. And Q-markers-based HREs should be a meaningful attempt to promote the standardization of quality evaluation system for TCMs. Purpose Preparation adequate HREs based on the principles of Q-markers, and used for quality evaluation of relevant preparation products. Then propose the general procedure for establishing HREs used for identification. Methods The authenticity, specificity, consistency and stability (ASCS) were the four essential principles of HREs. In this study, we chose Aurantii Fructus as an example, Firstly, selected 7 Q-markers of it which has the properties of specificity, effectiveness and testability based on the combination of analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method (AHP-EWM). Secondly, preparated its reference extract which is called Orange Fruit Reference Extract (OFRE) based on ASCS and its Q-markers. Thirdly, established the QC method of OFRE according to its usage requirements. And finally, demonstrated its application of the thin layer chromatography (TLC) identification and characteristic chromatogram identification in the Orange fruit formula granule (or called Zhiqiao Peifangkeli, ZQPK). Results Compared with the Herbal Reference Substance (HRS) which with characteristic appearance or morphological structure, OFRE can be used for TLC identification of ZQPK conveniently, without complicated extraction or purification steps. And in the analysis of characteristic chromatogram of ZQPK, the OFRE can provid a rather simple profile, the main naringin, neohesperidin, nobiletin and tangeretin were clearly separated, which indicated that the OFRE could be used to identify the characteristic chromatogram of ZQPK and reduce the use of Chemical Reference Substance (CRS). And finally, we propose the general procedure for establishing HREs used for identification. Conclusion In summary, Q-markers-based HREs is feasibility, and should have a broader application prospect. And this research concept can serve as a reference for study on preparation, evaluation and application of HREs used for identification.

Objective: The aim of this study was to systematically explore the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) type, content and risk assessment in the three Boraginaceae used in TCM, involving Arnebia euchroma (AE), A. guttata (AG), and Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LE).Method: A UHPLC–MS/MS method was established to simultaneously determine eight pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), namely intermedine, lycopsamine, intermedine N-oxide, lycopsamine N-oxide, 7-acetyllycopsamine, 7-acetyllycopsamine N-oxide, echimidine N-oxide, and echimidine in the three herbs. Based on these results, the risk assessment was explored using the routine margin of exposure (MOE) combined with relative potency (REP) for oral and external usage, respectively.Results and Conclusion: Imermedine and imermedine N-oxide were common components in the eight tested PAs. 7-acetyllycopsamine and its N-oxide were not detected in AE; echimidine and its N-oxide were not detected in AG; lycopsamine and its N-oxide, 7-acetyllycopsamine and its N-oxide were not detected in LE. The total contents of 8 PAs in 11 batches of AG was341.56–519.51 μg/g; the content in 15 batches of LE was 71.16–515.73 μg/g, and the content in 11 batches of AE was 23.35–207.13 μg/g. Based on these results, the risk assessment was explored using MOE combined with REP for oral and external usage, respectively. The findings of the risk assessment method of PAs based on MOE combined with the REP factor were consistent with the clinical toxicity results. As an oral herb, AE had low risk or no risk due to its low PA contents, and individual batches of LE were medium risk, while attention should be paid to their clinical use.AG was also low risk. The external use of the three Boraginaceae used in TCM was not associated with any risk. This study systematically explored the PA type and content of the three Boraginaceae used in TCM. Additionally, the refined risk assessment of PAs based on REP provided a more scientific basis for quality evaluation and rational use of the medicinal Boraginaceae used in TCM to improve public health.

Additional file 2: Deterministic risk assessment results for heavy metals in TCM.

Additional file 3: Table S1. HBGV of heavy metals from different sources.

In the present study, the oral bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) in earthworms and leeches was investigated through in vitro physiologically based extraction test (PBET) digestion/Caco2 and MDKC cell models. We are the first to create an innovative assessment strategy which has capacity to offer a more precise evaluation of Cd-associated health risks in traditional animal medicines (TAMs), by combinational usage of bioavailable Cd levels, the duration and frequency of the exposure to TAMs obtained by questionnaire data, as well as safety factor of TAMs. Our data showed that the percentage of bioavailability for Caco-2 cells in earthworms and leeches ranged from 3.29 to 14.17% and 4.32 to 12.61%, respectively. The percentage of bioavailability of MDCK cells in earthworms and leeches ranged from 4.83 to 15.74% and 6.53 to 15.04%, respectively. After adjusting by the bioavailability of Cd to target hazard quotient (THQ), excitingly, our findings manifested that the health risks induced by the ingestion of earthworms and leeches were acceptable in the clinic. Our key findings suggest that bioavailability characterization cannot be ruled out and health risks should be assessed on the basis of the bioavailable Cd levels rather than total levels. Our novel strategy provides insight into the bio-accumulation of Cd in organisms as well as a more realistic and accurate assessment of Cd-associated health risks in TAMs, with the main purpose of improving public health by scientifically using TAMs.

Electrochemical heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (E-catazone) is a promising and advanced oxidation technology that uses a titanium dioxide nanoflower (TiO2-NF)-coated porous Ti gas diffuser as an anode material. Our previous study has highlighted that the importance of the TiO2-NF coating layer in enhancing OH production and rapidly degrading O3-resistant drugs. It is well known that the properties of TiO2-NF are closely related to its sintering temperature. However, to date, related research has not been conducted in E-catazone systems. Thus, this study evaluated the effect of the sintering temperature on the degradation of the O3-resistant drug para-chlorobenzoic acid (p-CBA) using both experimental and kinetic modeling and revealed its influence mechanism. The results indicated that the TiO2-NF sintering temperature could influence p-CBA degradation and OH production. TiO2-NF prepared at 450 °C showcased the highest p-CBA removal efficiency (98.5% in 5 min) at a rate of 0.82 min−1, and an OH exposure of 8.41 × 10−10 mol L−1 s. Kinetic modeling results and interface characterization data revealed that the sintering temperature could alter the TiO2 crystallized phase and the content of surface-adsorbed oxygen, thus affecting the two key limiting reactions in the E-catazone process. That is, ≡TiO2 surface reacted with H2O to form TiO2-(OH)2, which then heterogeneously catalyzed O3 to form OH. Consequently, E-catazone with a TiO2-NF anode prepared at 450 °C generated the highest surface reaction rate (5.00 × 10−1 s−1 and 4.00 × 10-3 L mol-1 s−1, respectively), owing to its higher anatase content and adsorbed oxygen. Thus, a rapid O3-TiO2 reaction was achieved, resulting in an enhanced OH formation and a highly effective p-CBA degradation. Overall, this study provides novel baseline data to improve the application of E-catazone technology.

Background American ginseng (AG) is a valuable medicine widely consumed as a herbal remedy throughout the world. Huge price difference among AG with different growth years leads to intentional adulteration for higher profits. Thus, developing reliable approaches to authenticate the cultivation ages of AG products is of great use in preventing age falsification. Methods A total of 106 batches of AG samples along with their 9 physicochemical features were collected and measured from experiments, which was then split into a training set and two test sets (test set 1 and 2) according to the cultivation regions. Principle component analysis (PCA) was carried out to examine the distribution of the three data sets. Four machine learning (ML) algorithms, namely elastic net, k-nearest neighbors, support vector machine and multi-layer perception (MLP) were employed to construct predictive models using the features as inputs and their growth years as outputs. In addition, a similarity-based applicability domain (AD) was defined for these models to ensure the reliability of the predictive results for AG samples produced in different regions. Results A positive correlation was observed between the several features and the growth years. PCA revealed diverse distributions among different cultivation regions. The most accurate model derived from MLP shows good prediction power for the fivefold cross validation and the test set 1 with mean square error (MSE) of 0.017 and 0.016 respectively, but a higher MSE value of 1.260 for the test set 2. After applying the AD, all models showed much lower prediction errors for the test samples within AD (IDs) than those outside the AD (ODs). MLP remains the best predictive model with an MSE value of 0.030 for the IDs. Conclusion Cultivation years have a close relationship with bioactive components of AG. The constructed models and AD are also able to predict the cultivation years and discriminate samples that have inaccurate prediction results. The AD-equipped models used in this study provide useful tools for determining the age of AG in the market and are freely available at https://github.com/dreadlesss/Panax_age_predictor.

Aqueous K-ion batteries have attracted increasing attention. Yet, their capacity and durability are facing severe challenges. Construction of available electrolyte plays a vital role to overcome these challenges. Herein, a polymer-free CH3COOK (KAc) gel electrolyte is developed with a ultrahigh salt-water mole ratio, which can be high as 1: 1.16 (KAc: H2O). With a glassy carbon electrode, the electrochemical stability window of the gel is up to 4 V (-1.9 ~ 2.1 V vs Ag/AgCl). At room temperature , the ion conductivity is measured to be 10.9 mS cm−1, which increases to 23.5 mS cm−1 at 90 ℃ and is still 3.4 mS cm−1 at -20 ℃, indicating good temperature adaptability. Surprisingly, unlike other high-concentered electrolytes, anti-deliquescence ability of the gel is also rather good. With Raman analysis, it is found that there are almost no free water and cross-link structure among K+, Ac− and water should be formed in the gel, which is further demonstrated by density function theory (DFT) computation. Using this gel electrolyte, FeSe2 can deliver a high and reversible capacity of 250 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 as anode. Most importantly, stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer is found to be formed. It is believed that the quasi-solid state of the electrolyte together with the SEI layer can effectively suppress the reaction activity and the solvent ability of water, and hence inhibit mass loss of active materials, even the materials that store charges through phase conversion reactions.

The high renewables penetration results in increased imbalance volumes and balancing actions due to system stability requirements. The balancing market (BM) primarily turns down renewable generation and turns up traditional carbon-intensive generation in response to real-time energy imbalance. Existing dual-stage market mechanisms conflict with the carbon reduction trajectory by implementing balancing actions regardless of their carbon footprint. This paper proposes a novel carbon-oriented BM model to coordinate the environmental targets in the dayahead (DA) and real-time BMs. The emissions of dispatchable generators and flexible loads are distinguished by their operation modes and flexibility types, respectively. Carbon signals are incorporated into their bid/offer prices through the proposed carbon emission flow (CEF) model. By integrating these carbon incentives, the dual-stage market model is formulated to minimize economic and environmental costs. Simulation results demonstrate that, overall, although the proposed BM mechanism results in an increased cost of balancing services (159.10 m£), there is a concurrent larger drop in carbon costs (294.14 m£), resulting in a reduction in total cost. It enables system operators to incentivize decarbonized energy resources in DA scheduling and real-time balancing actions.

This study established the ultra-performance liquid chromatography(UPLC) fingerprint of Xinnaojian preparations. With epicatechin gallate as the internal reference substance, a quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker(QAMS) method for determining the content of nine components(gallic acid, epigallocatechin, catechin, caffeine, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and catechin gallate) in Xinnaojian preparations was established. The content determined by the external standard method(ESM) and QAMS method was compared to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of QAMS method. The results showed that the standard curves of nine components had good linear relationship within the test concentration ranges. The average recoveries were 87.57%-107.4%, and the RSD was 1.5%-2.9%. Except epigallocatechin, the other components showed good repeatability under different experimental conditions. Epigallocatechin could meet the requirements in the same instrument and at the same wavelength. The results generally showed no significant difference between QAMS and ESM. The content of 9 components varied between the samples from different manufacturers, while it showed no significant difference between the samples from the same manufacturer. In summary, the UPLC fingerprint combined with QAMS method is feasible and accurate for determining the content of the nine components, which can be used for rapid quality evaluation of Xinnaojian preparations.

Background Clear aligner (CA) treatment has been gaining popularity, but the biomechanical effects of CAs in bimaxillary dentition have not been thoroughly investigated. Direct and indirect strong anchorages are two common anchorage control methods, but the underlying biomechanical mechanism has not yet been elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the different biomechanical effects of CAs in closing the bimaxillary space under different anchorage controls, further instructing the compensation strategies design and strong anchorage choice in clinical practice. Methods Three-dimensional (3D) bimaxillary models of different anchorage controls were created based on cone-beam computed tomography and intraoral scan data. Four first premolars were extracted using 3D modeling software. Finite element analysis was conducted to simulate the space closure process of the CAs. Results In the two strong anchorage groups, the bimaxillary dentition presented different movement patterns during the space closure process, and the lower dentition was more vulnerable to elastic force. From the vertical view, direct strong anchorage with elastic force had the advantage of flattening the longitudinal occlusal curve and resisting the roller-coaster effects, whereas indirect strong anchorage could lead to a deep longitudinal occlusal curve. From the sagittal view, indirect strong anchorage with metallic ligaments had a greater instantaneous anchorage protection effect, particularly in the lower dentition, which reduced the mesial movement of the posterior teeth by nearly four times that of the direct anchorage group. In addition, indirect strong anchorage presented better anterior teeth torque/tipping control, while direct strong anchorage could aggravate lingual tipping of the upper central incisors. Due to the differences in anterior–posterior anchorage and arch shape, compared with the upper dentition, anchorage preservation and vertical control effects were amplified in the lower dentition. Conclusions The biomechanical effects of CAs differed between the two strong anchorage groups. Due to the differences in dentition morphology, anterior–posterior anchorage, and dental arch shape, CAs present different biomechanical effects in bimaxillary space closure. Orthodontists should consider the corresponding mechanical compensation according to specific anchorage control methods and dentitions.

Herein, an efficient method to prepare sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) based cation exchange membranes (CEMs) is developed, where polyethersulfone (PES) is used as an additive. The optimized membrane of 30 wt.%PES/SPEEK-M exhibits a rather low anion permeability and a high ionic conductivity of 9.52 mS cm

The utilization of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) benefits the realization of net-zero in the energy-transportation nexus. Since BESS represents a substantial part of vehicle total costs, the mitigation of battery degradation should be factored into energy management strategies. This paper proposes a two-stage BESS aging quantification and health-aware energy management method for reducing vehicle battery aging costs. In the first stage, a battery aging state calibration model is established by analyzing the impact of cycles with various Crates and depth of discharges based on a semi-empirical method. The model is further linearized by learning the mapping relationship between aging features and battery life loss with a linear-in-the-parameter supervised learning method. In the second stage, with the linear battery life loss quantification model, a neural hybrid optimization-based energy management method is developed for mitigating vehicle BESS aging. The battery aging cost function is formulated as a linear combination of system states, which simplifies model solving and reduces computation cost. The case studies in an aggregated EVs peak-shaving scenario and a PHEV with an engine-battery hybrid powertrain demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed method in reducing battery aging costs and improving vehicle total economy. This work provides a practical solution to hedge vehicle battery degradation costs and will further promote decarbonization in the energy-transportation nexus.