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Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) is characterized by excessive lipid accumulation in the liver. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of Polygala fallax Hemsl polysaccharides (PFPs) on AFLD. PFPs were purified and structurally characterized. An AFLD model was established in mice using alcohol and a high-fat diet. A significant reduction in hepatic steatosis was observed following PFPs treatment, evidenced by decreased fat deposition in liver tissues. Additionally, PFPs reduced various liver injury markers, increased levels of antioxidant enzymes, and improved significantly liver function. RNA sequencing revealed that PFPs improved lipid and CYP450 metabolic pathway abnormalities in AFLD mice. Furthermore, PFPs activated the AMPK pathway, reducing lipid accumulation and enhancing lipid metabolism. A HepG2 cell model treated with ethanol and oleic acid showed significant biochemical improvements with PFPs pretreatment, including reduced lipid accumulation and lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. To further elucidate the AMPK and PFPs correlation in AFLD, an AMPK inhibitor (compound C) was used. In vitro and in vivo qRT-PCR and Western blot results confirmed that PFPs protected against AFLD by activating AMPK phosphorylation, regulating lipid synthesis, and inhibiting lipid accumulation. PFPs also modulated CYP2E1 and oxidative stress-related gene expression, affecting liver metabolism. [Display omitted] • The study revealed PFP1's structure as a complex rhamnogalacturonan with 1,4- D -Gal p A, 1,2,4- L -Rha p , T- D -Gal p , and 1,5- L -Ara f. • The key to alleviating alcoholic fatty liver disease is to inhibit lipid synthesis. • Analyzed key AMPK pathways and differentially expressed genes affected by PFPs. • Findings reveal that PFPs effectively regulate lipid metabolism and exhibit antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. • PFPs demonstrated promising potential for enhancing liver health management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity and its complications have become a global health problem that needs to be addressed urgently. White adipose tissue (WAT) browning contributes to consuming excess energy in WAT, which is important for improving obesity and maintaining a healthy energy homeostasis. Mitochondria, as the energy metabolism center of cells, are extensively involved in many metabolic processes, including the browning of WAT. NADH: Ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit A8 (NDUFA8) is a constituent subunit of respiratory chain complex I (CI), which has been found to participate in a wide range of physiological processes by affecting the activity of respiratory CI. However, the regulatory effect of Ndufa8 on the browning of WAT has not been reported. Here, we used β3-adrenergic agonis CL316, 243 to construct WAT browning models in vivo and in vitro to investigate the role and mechanism of Ndufa8 in the regulation of WAT browning. Briefly, Ndufa8 significantly increased CI activity and suppressed mitochondrial ROS levels in vitro, thereby improving mitochondrial function. Ndufa8 also increased the transcriptional levels and protein levels of UCP1 in vitro and in vivo, which promoted WAT browning. Our findings provide a new molecular approach for the research of browning of WAT in animals, as well as a new target for animal metabolism improvement and obesity treatments. • Ndufa8 alleviates mitochondrial oxidative stress. • Ndufa8 improves mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I function. • Ndufa8 promotes white adipose tissue browning in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenol is a typical organic pollutant in wastewater, which will cause considerable damage and threat to the ecosystem and human health. In this work, hydrothermal carbon (HTC) modified copper-iron oxide (CFO) was synthesized using sol-gel method, and employed as heterogeneous catalyst to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) for degrade phenol. The composition, morphology and specific surface area of the catalyst were determined by XRD, SEM-EDS and BET, and the functional groups and valence states of elements on the catalyst surface were analyzed by FTIR and XPS. The effects of some key parameters including HTC content, initial pH value, and coexisting inorganic anions on the removal efficiency of phenol in the system were investigated. The removal rate of phenol and TOC could be reached 90.17% and 84.43% at: phenol initial concentration 20 mg/L, CFO:HTC mass ratio 30: 1 (CFO–H2), PDS dosage 0.6 g/L, and catalyst dosage 0.31 g/L, under the condition of not adjusting the pH value and avoiding light. In addition, the possible mechanism of PDS activation by CFO–H2 was proposed. The reason for the efficient performance of PDS activation by CFO–H catalyst could be assignable to the synergistic effect of HTC and CFO. HTC and Cu(I) on the surface of catalyst greatly facilitated the conversion from Fe(III) to Fe(II), which was conductive to the generation of active free radicals during the reaction process. This study provides a new idea for the design of heterogeneous catalysts for the efficient treatment of organic pollutants with PDS. Highlights: Hydrothermal carbon modified Cu–Fe oxides catalyst (CFO–H) was synthesized by sol-gel method. The CFO–H catalyst was first reported for PDS activation to phenol removal. The effects of control factors in the CFO/PDS and CFO–H/PDS systems were compared. Hydrothermal carbon effectively promoted the transformation of Fe(III) to Fe(II). The mechanism of PDS activation by CFO–H was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the non-standard customized brush roller tool is used for robotic grinding of large-scale components, the clamping and positioning error of the brush roller at the end of the robot is extremely easy to cause misalignment at the brush roller-workpiece contact interface, which will affect the machining accuracy and surface quality. In order to ensure the parallel contact between the brush roller and the workpiece surface during the machining process, a calculation model of the angular misalignment at the brush roller-workpiece contact interface is proposed based on the elastic contact force perception, and then the accurate positioning of the robot end brush roller is realized by a fast compensation method. Firstly, according to the geometric force relationship between the brush roller and the workpiece, as well as the determined brush roller material property parameters, the estimation model of angular misalignment is established. Secondly, both the axial force and normal torque at the time of initial contact detected by the force-controlled sensor are regarded as the input parameters in the model. Furthermore, the calculated brush roller-workpiece contact offset is used as the geometric error compensation amount, and the brush roller is deflected to achieve error compensation by the robot RAPID program control command. The finite element simulation results are compared with the theoretical calculation values, and the average relative error is 15.1%. The experiment on robotic grinding and brushing of high-speed rail body indicates that the compensated angle can be reduced to 0.024° from an average of 0.179° before compensation, coupled with uniform material removal depth. The proposed method can significantly improve the contour accuracy of large-scale components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of nanozymes as multifunctional hybrid nanomaterials for modern industrial applications is necessary to meet the demands of emerging technologies and overcome the limitations of natural enzymes. In this study, an aminopropyl-functionalized copper-containing phyllosilicate (ACP) was facilely synthesized as a novel laccase-mimicking nanozyme, which can be used instead of natural laccase in the field of environmental remediation. ACP exhibited greater stability than laccase over broad ranges of pH (3.0–10.0), temperature (30–90 °C), and salinity (0–500 mM). Moreover, ACP showed good recyclability, with nearly 50% of the catalytic activity maintained after 13 consecutive cycles. Kinetic experiments revealed that although ACP possessed a considerably lower affinity for the substrate, its specific activity was still 51% that of laccase. Based on the excellent laccase-like activity of ACP, a bioinspired route to remove aqueous hydroquinone (HQ) by catalytic oxidative polymerization was constructed. The results showed that ACP achieved an HQ removal efficiency of approximately 100% within 30 min, which is much higher than that of natural laccase. This rapid, low-cost biomimetic process gives rise to new possibilities for the rational design of biomimetic nanozyme systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerotic plaque progression and rupture play an important role in cardiovascular disease development and the final drastic events such as heart attack and stroke. Medical imaging and image-based computational modeling methods advanced considerably in recent years to quantify plaque morphology and biomechanical conditions and gain a better understanding of plaque evolution and rupture process. This article first briefly reviewed clinical imaging techniques for coronary thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) plaques used in image-based computational modeling. This was followed by a summary of different types of biomechanical models for coronary plaques. Plaque progression and vulnerability prediction studies based on image-based computational modeling were reviewed and compared. Much progress has been made and a reasonable high prediction accuracy has been achieved. However, there are still some inconsistencies in existing literature on the impact of biomechanical and morphological factors on future plaque behavior, and it is very difficult to perform direct comparison analysis as differences like image modality, biomechanical factors selection, predictive models, and progression/vulnerability measures exist among these studies. Encouraging data and model sharing across the research community would partially resolve these differences, and possibly lead to clearer assertive conclusions. In vivo image-based computational modeling could be used as a powerful tool for quantitative assessment of coronary plaque vulnerability for potential clinical applications. • Review current progress in effectively predicting future coronary plaque behavior • Predictive framework that combines medical imaging and biomechanical modeling • Vast differences in image data, methods exist across published studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The rapid development of nanozymes for ultrasensitive detection of contaminate has resulted in considerable attention. Herein, a carboxyl- and aminopropyl-functionalized copper organophyllosilicate (Cu-CAP) was synthesized by a facile, one-pot sol–gel method. The bifunctional groups endow it with superior catalytic activity than that of natural enzyme. Besides, it possesses outstanding catalytic stability under harsh conditions such as high temperature, extremely high or low pH, and high salinity. Apart from laccase-mimetic activity, Cu-CAP also shows oxidation of the peroxidase substrate 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to the blue-colored TMBox in the presence of H2O2, which is similar to natural horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Interestingly, this colorimetric system was suppressed by hydroquinone (HQ) specifically. Inspired by this, Cu-CAP was used to develop a highly sensitive and selective colorimetric method for the determination of HQ. This assay displayed an extremely low detection limit of 23 nM and was applied for the detection of HQ in environmental water with high accuracy. This approach offers a new route for the rational design of high performance nanozymes for environmental and biosensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]