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Abstract Hematopoietic stem-cell (HSC) transplantation using a donor with a homozygous mutation in the HIV co-receptor CCR5 (CCR5Δ32/Δ32) holds great promise as a cure for HIV-1. Previously, there were three patients that had been reported to be completely cured from HIV infection by this approach. However, finding a naturally suitable Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-matched homozygous CCR5Δ32 donor is very difficult. The prevalence of this allele is only 1% in the Caucasian population. Therefore, additional sources of CCR5Δ32/Δ32 HSCs are required. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system is one method to mediate CCR5 knockout in HSCs that has been successfully employed as a gene editing tool in clinical trials. Additional anti-HIV-1 strategies are still required for broad-spectrum inhibition of HIV-1 replication. Here in this study, we combined an additional anti-HIV-1 therapy, which is C46, a cell membrane-anchored HIV-1 fusion inhibitor with the CRISPR/Cas9 mediated knockout CCR5. The combined HIV-1 therapeutic genes were investigated for the potential prevention of both CCR5 (R5)- and CXCR4 (X4)-tropic HIV-1 infections in the MT4CCR5 cell line. The combinatorial CRISPR/Cas9 therapies were superior compared to single method therapy for achieving the HIV-1 cure strategy and shows potential for future applications.

Establishing a drug-screening platform is critical for the discovery of potential antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we developed a platform based on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) to investigate SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, with the aim of evaluating potential antiviral agents for anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and cardiotoxicity. Cultured myocytes of iPSC-CMs and immortalized human cardiomyocyte cell line (AC-16) were primarily characterized for the expression of cardiac markers and host receptors of SARS-CoV-2. An infectivity model for the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain was then established. Infection modeling involved inoculating cells with SARS-CoV-2 at varying multiplicities of infection (MOIs) and then quantifying infection using immunofluorescence and plaque assays. Only iPSC-CMs, not AC16 cells, expressed angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), and quantitative assays confirmed the dose-dependent infection of iPSC-CMs by SARS-CoV-2, unlike the uninfectable AC16 cells lacking the expression of ACE2. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assays across a concentration range. An assessment of the plant-derived compound panduratin A (panA) showed cytotoxicity at higher doses (50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) 10.09 μM) but promising antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 (50% inhibition concentration (IC50) 0.8–1.6 μM), suppressing infection at concentrations 10 times lower than its CC50. Plaque assays also showed decreased viral production following panA treatment. Overall, by modeling cardiac-specific infectivity, this iPSC-cardiomyocyte platform enables the reliable quantitative screening of compound cytotoxicity alongside antiviral efficacy. By combining disease pathogenesis and pharmacology, this system can facilitate the evaluation of potential novel therapeutics, such as panA, for drug discovery applications.

Abstract Porous polyimide (PI) membranes are widely used in separation processes because of their excellent thermal and mechanical properties. However, the applications of porous PI membranes are limited in the nanofiltration range. In this study, porous PI membranes with through‐holes have been successfully fabricated by the novel multiple solvent displacement method. This new method requires only a porous polyamic acid (PAA) membrane, which was prepared by immersing PAA film in N‐methylpyrrolidoneebk; (NMP) prior to immersing it in a mixed solvent consisting of NMP and a poor solvent, followed by immersion only in poor solvent. The pore size, morphology, porosity, and air permeability demonstrated that the fabricated PI membranes had a uniformly porous structure with through‐holes over their surface. This new method enabled control of pore size (3–11 μm) by selecting a suitable poor solvent. This multiple solvent displacement method is highly versatile and promising for the fabrication of porous PI membranes.

Over the last several years, the use of biomarkers in the diagnosis of patients with heart failure (HF) has skyrocketed. Natriuretic peptides are currently the most widely used biomarker in the diagnosis and prognosis of individuals with HF. Proenkephalin (PENK) activates delta-opioid receptors in cardiac tissue, resulting in a decreased myocardial contractility and heart rate. However, the goal of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between the PENK level at the time of admission and prognosis in patients with HF, such as all-cause mortality, rehospitalization, and decreasing renal function. High PENK levels have been associated with a worsened prognosis in patients with HF.

Background: There is a link between diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) progression and the increase in the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the tibial nerve at the ankle. Nevertheless, no prior meta-analysis has been conducted to evaluate its usefulness for the diagnosis of DPN. Methods: We searched Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed for potential studies. Studies had to report tibial nerve CSA at the ankle and diabetes status (DM, DPN, or healthy) to be included. A random-effect meta-analysis was applied to calculate pooled tibial nerve CSA and mean differences across the groups. Subgroup and correlational analyses were conducted to study the potential covariates. Results: The analysis of 3295 subjects revealed that tibial nerve CSA was 13.39 mm2 (CI: 10.94–15.85) in DM patients and 15.12 mm2 (CI: 11.76–18.48) in DPN patients. The CSA was 1.93 mm2 (CI: 0.92–2.95, I2 = 98.69%, p < 0.01) larger than DPN-free diabetic patients. The diagnostic criteria of DPN and age were also identified as potential moderators of tibial nerve CSA. Conclusions: Although tibial nerve CSA at the ankle was significantly larger in the DPN patients, its clinical usefulness is limited by the overlap between groups and the inconsistency in the criteria used to diagnose DPN.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection is an important acute diarrheal disease of swine that results in economic and industrial losses worldwide. The clinical manifestations in infected piglets are severe diarrhea, dehydration with milk curd indigestion, leading to death. The diagnosis of PEDV is essential for monitoring and managing the disease. PEDV can be detected and identified by serology and the nucleic acid of the virus in clinical samples. Therefore, a novel isothermal amplification and detection technique, reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification couple nucleic acid lateral flow (RT-RPA-NALF) was developed for the rapid detection of PEDV. Qualitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was established as the gold standard assay to compare results. Specific primer pairs and probes were designed, and RT-RPA conditions were optimized to amplify the M gene of PEDV. The established RT-RPA-NALF assay could finish in 25 min at a temperature of 42 °C and the amplicon interpreted by visual detection. The developed RT-RPA-NALF assay was specific to the M gene of PEDV, did not detect other common swine diarrhea pathogens, and showed minimal detection at 102 TCID50/mL PEDV. The RT-RPA-NALF assay can detect PEDV in 5 simulated fecal samples. Furthermore, in 60 clinical fecal samples, the results of RT-RPA-NALF correlated with RT-qPCR assay, which provides sensitivity of 95.65% and specificity of 100%, with a coincident rate of 98.33%. The rapid RT-RPA-NALF is simple and rapid, increases high sensitivity, and can be used in the field.

Background Several pieces of evidence from in vitro studies showed that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes proliferation and differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) into neurons. Moreover, the JAK2 pathway was proposed to be associated with mouse NSC proliferation. BDNF could activate the STAT-3 pathway and induce proliferation in mouse NSCs. However, its effects on proliferation are not fully understood and JAK/STAT pathway was proposed to play a role in this activity. Methods In the present study, the effects of BDNF on cell proliferation and neurite outgrowth of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) were examined. Moreover, a specific signal transduction pathway important in cell proliferation was investigated using a JAK2 inhibitor (AG490) to clarify the role of that pathway. Results The proliferative effect of BDNF was remarkably observed as an increase in Ki-67 positive cells. The cell number of hNPCs was significantly increased after BDNF treatment represented by cellular metabolic activity of the cells measured by MTT assay. This noticeable effect was statistically shown at 20 ng/ml of BDNF treatment. BDNF, however, did not promote neurite outgrowth but increased neuronal cell number. It was found that AG490 suppressed hNPCs proliferation. However, this inhibitor partially decreased BDNF-induced hNPCs proliferation. These results demonstrated the potential role of BDNF for the amelioration of AD through the increase of AD-derived hNPCs number.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is one of the common genetic kidney disorders that are caused by mutations in PKD1 or PKD2 gene. In this report, the MUi026-A human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line was established from the skin fibroblasts of a female ADPKD patient who had the PKD1 mutation with c.5878C > T. The iPSC line retained normal karyotype. The cells displayed embryonic stem cell-like characteristics with pluripotency marker expression and were able to differentiate into three germ layers.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a highly contagious disease that usually affects infants and young children (

Recently, nanocellulose and its applications gain high attraction in both research and industrial areas due to its attractive properties such as excellent mechanical properties, high surface area, rich hydroxyl groups for modification, and natural properties with 100% environmental friendliness. In this review, the background of nanocellulose originated from lignocellulosic biomass and the typical extraction methods and general applications are summarized, in which the nanocellulose extraction methods related to ball milling are mainly introduced. Also, an outlook on its future is given. It is expected to provide guidance on the effective extraction of nanocellulose from biomass and its most possible applications in the future. Keywords: Biomass, Cellulose, Nanocellulose fiber, Extraction, Application, Outlook

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are frequently induced using 3D culture methodologies however, it is unknown whether spheroid-based (3D) neural induction is actually superior to monolayer (2D) neural induction. Our aim was to compare the efficiency of 2D induction with 3D induction method in their ability to generate NPCs, and subsequently neurons and astrocytes. Neural differentiation was analysed at the protein level qualitatively by immunocytochemistry and quantitatively by flow cytometry for NPC (SOX1, PAX6, NESTIN), neuronal (MAP2, TUBB3), cortical layer (TBR1, CUX1) and glial markers (SOX9, GFAP, AQP4). Electron microscopy demonstrated that both methods resulted in morphologically similar neural rosettes. However, quantification of NPCs derived from 3D neural induction exhibited an increase in the number of PAX6/NESTIN double positive cells and the derived neurons exhibited longer neurites. In contrast, 2D neural induction resulted in more SOX1 positive cells. While 2D monolayer induction resulted in slightly less mature neurons, at an early stage of differentiation, the patch clamp analysis failed to reveal any significant differences between the electrophysiological properties between the two induction methods. In conclusion, 3D neural induction increases the yield of PAX6+/NESTIN+ cells and gives rise to neurons with longer neurites, which might be an advantage for the production of forebrain cortical neurons, highlighting the potential of 3D neural induction, independent of iPSCs' genetic background.

The degradation of mechanical properties is the most challenging point for the development of plastic mechanical recycling processes. Remelting and shear deformation contained in the mechanical process are a part of degradation in recycled plastics. In this study, virgin high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was simulated to be recycled by remelting and treating with shear deformation being measured at different shear treatment rates (0–100/s) using a cone-plate rheometer. The obtained shear treatment product was remolded as a thin film. The evaluation was performed comparing virgin HDPE (VPE) without any processing with shear-treated HDPE with various shear treatment rates. Tensile property, X-ray crystallography, and morphological observations were performed in order to investigate the relationship between mechanical properties, thickness of lamellar size, and the morphology of shear-treated HDPE as compared to VPE. It can be found that the elongation at break of shear-treated HDPE at a high shear treatment rate (100/s) was significantly decreased from VPE. This degradation mechanism was related to the decreased degree of crystallinity, thickness of the crystalline layer, intermediate layer, and occurrence of crystalline orientation. This study expected to explain the degradation mechanism of HDPE from shear deformation which can be further improved by the processing conditions of the mechanical plastic recycling process.

HIV-1 progeny are released from infected cells as immature particles that are unable to infect new cells. Gag-Pol polyprotein dimerization via the reverse transcriptase connection domain (RTCDs) is pivotal for proper activation of the virus protease (PR protein) in an early event of the progeny virus maturation process. Thus, the RTCD is a potential therapeutic target for a broadly effective anti-HIV agent through impediment of virus maturation. In this study, human single-chain antibodies (HuscFvs) that bound to HIV-1 RTCD were generated using phage display technology. Computerized simulation guided the selection of the transformed Escherichia coli-derived HuscFvs that bound to the RTCD dimer interface. The selected HuscFvs were linked molecularly to human-derived-cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) to make them cell-penetrable (i.e., become transbodies). The CPP-HuscFvs/transbodies produced by a selected transformed E. coli clone were tested for anti-HIV-1 activity. CPP-HuscFvs of transformed E. coli clone 11 (CPP-HuscFv11) that presumptively bound at the RTCD dimer interface effectively reduced reverse transcriptase activity in the newly released virus progeny. Infectiousness of the progeny viruses obtained from CPP-HuscFv11-treated cells were reduced by a similar magnitude to those obtained from protease/reverse transcriptase inhibitor-treated cells, indicating anti-HIV-1 activity of the transbodies. The CPP-HuscFv11/transbodies to HIV-1 RTCD could be an alternative, anti-retroviral agent for long-term HIV-1 treatment.

(1) Background: Ebolavirus (EBOV) poses as a significant threat for human health by frequently causing epidemics of the highly contagious Ebola virus disease (EVD). EBOV glycoprotein (GP), as a sole surface glycoprotein, needs to be cleaved in endosomes to fully expose a receptor-binding domain (RBD) containing a receptor-binding site (RBS) for receptor binding and genome entry into cytoplasm for replication. RBDs are highly conserved among EBOV species, so they are an attractive target for broadly effective anti-EBOV drug development. (2) Methods: Phage display technology was used as a tool to isolate human single-chain antibodies (HuscFv) that bind to recombinant RBDs from a human scFv (HuscFv) phage display library. The RBD-bound HuscFvs were fused with cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), and cell-penetrating antibodies (transbodies) were made, produced from the phage-infected E. coli clones and characterized. (3) Results: Among the HuscFvs obtained from phage-infected E. coli clones, HuscFvs of three clones, HuscFv4, HuscFv11, and HuscFv14, the non-cell-penetrable or cell-penetrable HuscFv4 effectively neutralized cellular entry of EBOV-like particles (VLPs). While all HuscFvs were found to bind cleaved GP (GPcl), their presumptive binding sites were markedly different, as determined by molecular docking. (4) Conclusions: The HuscFv4 could be a promising therapeutic agent against EBOV infection.

Each year, increasing amounts of plastic waste are generated, causing environmental pollution and resource loss. Recycling is a solution, but recycled plastics often have inferior mechanical properties to virgin plastics. However, studies have shown that holding polymers in the melt state before extrusion can restore the mechanical properties; thus, we propose a twin-screw extruder with a molten resin reservoir (MSR), a cavity between the screw zone and twin-screw extruder discharge, which retains molten polymer after mixing in the twin-screw zone, thus influencing the polymer properties. Re-extruded recycled polyethylene (RPE) pellets were produced, and the tensile properties and microstructure of virgin polyethylene (PE), unextruded RPE, and re-extruded RPE moldings prepared with and without the MSR were evaluated. Crucially, the elongation at break of the MSR-extruded RPE molding was seven times higher than that of the original RPE molding, and the Young’s modulus of the MSR-extruded RPE molding was comparable to that of the virgin PE molding. Both the MSR-extruded RPE and virgin PE moldings contained similar striped lamellae. Thus, MSR re-extrusion improved the mechanical performance of recycled polymers by optimizing the microstructure. The use of MSRs will facilitate the reuse of waste plastics as value-added materials having a wide range of industrial applications.

Plastic mechanical recycling is an attractive method for reducing the amounts of waste plastics. However, the alterations in the mechanical properties (degradation) in recycled plastics is a limitation to the material’s mechanical recycling. In this study, the mechanical recycling was enhanced by the addition of a “molten resin reservoir” unit at the end of the twin-screw extruder. Recycled polypropylene (RPP) obtained from a household was re-extruded with this developed extrusion unit. The tensile properties, type of crystalline, and conformation of polypropylene polymorphs were evaluated and compared for virgin polypropylene (VPP), recycled polypropylene (RPP) without extrusion (RPP-original), and RPP with extrusion by using a new type of extruder (RPP-extrusion). It could be found that the tensile properties of RPP-extrusion were improved, so as to be similar to those of VPP. In addition, the conformation of RPP-extrusion was similar to that of VPP by increasing the ratio between the helix and parallel band. This study succeeded in regenerating the tensile properties and inner structures in recycled PP, which could prolong the used lifetime and decrease the amount of waste from single-use plastic.

The consumption of polypropylene (PP) has significantly increased over that of other materials because of its light weight, easy molding, and high mechanical strength. However, the applications of PP are limited, owing to the lack of surface properties, especially with respect to adhesive properties and hydrophilicity. In this study, we developed a surface modification method for enhancing the adhesive properties and hydrophilicity on the PP surface using a side-chain crystalline block copolymer (SCCBC). This method was simple and involved the dipping of a PP film in a diluted SCCBC solution. The optimized modification conditions for enhancing the adhesive properties of PP were investigated. The results revealed that the adhesion strength of PP modified with the SCCBC of behenyl acrylate and 2-(tert-butylamino)ethyl methacrylate was enhanced to 2.00 N/mm (T-peel test) and 1.05 N/mm2 (tensile shear test). In addition, the hydrophilicity of PP modified with the SCCBC of behenyl acrylate and di(ethylene glycol)ethyl ether acrylate was enhanced to a water contact angle of 69 ± 4°. Surface analysis was also performed to elucidate a plausible mechanism for PP modification by the SCCBCs. This surface modification method is facile and enhances desirable properties for the wide application of PP.

Human iPSC line MU011.A-hiPS was generated from homozygous α-thalassemia (−SEA/−SEA) fetal skin fibroblasts using a non-integrative reprogramming method. Reprogramming factors OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, L-MYC, LIN28, and shRNA of TP53 contained in three episomal vectors were delivered using electroporation.

Snake venom-metalloproteinases (SVMPs) are the primary factors that disturb hemostasis and cause hemorrhage in the venomous snake bitten subjects. Kaouthiagin is a unique SVMP that binds and cleaves von Willebrand factor (vWF) at a specific peptide bond leading to inhibition of platelet aggregation, which enhances the hemorrhage. Kaouthiagin is a low abundant venom component of Thai cobra (Naja kaouthia); thus, most horse-derived antivenins used for cobra bite treatment do not contain adequate anti-kaouthiagin. This study aimed to produce human single-chain antibody variable fragments (HuscFvs) that bind to and interfere with kaouthiagin activity for further clinical use. Kaouthiagin was purified from N. kaouthia-holovenom by a single-step gel-filtration chromatography. The purified venom component was used in phage-biopanning to select the kaouthiagin-bound HuscFv-displayed-phage clones from a HuscFv-phage display library. The selected phages were used to infect Escherichia coli bacteria. Soluble HuscFvs expressed by three phage-transformed-E. coli clones interfered with cobra kaouthiagin binding to human vWF. Computerized simulation indicated that HuscFv of two phage-transformed E. coli clones formed contact interface with kaouthiagin residues at or near catalytic site and effectively inhibited fibrinogenolytic activity of the kaouthiagin. The HuscFvs have therapeutic potential as an adjunct of antivenins in treatment of bleeding caused by venomous snakebites.

To explore the levels of continuing education management in hospitals according to their size, and to investigate problems in the management of continuing education of nurse midwives by chief nurses in community hospitals. Methods: The target population was 128 chief nurses, 103 of whom (80.47%) returned the questionnaires. Data were collected using a questionnaire that had been tested for its content validity by three experts (content validity index was .80 and the Cronbach's alpha was .83). Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were used to investigate if differences existed among groups. Results: The mean score of the level of continuing education management in nurse midwives for the chief nurses was low. The levels of education management for chief nurses according to hospital size (10-bed, 30-bed, and 60-bed hospitals) were not significantly different (p > .05). The problems for chief nurses in the management of continuing education in nurse midwives in the community hospitals were: lack of manpower (70%); financial problems (45%); lack of lecturers in advanced nurse midwifery (38%); insufficient number of courses in advanced nurse midwifery (29%); length of time for study leave taken for training (21%); and safety problems in the unrest areas in the southern provinces (21%). Conclusion: The levels of continuing education management by chief nurses in all the community hospitals were low, primarily due to a lack of manpower and budgetary constraints. Therefore, the Nursing Council of Thailand should provide training and funds to support advanced nurse midwifery education programs in all parts of the country.

Objective: To improve a model of nurse-midwifery service to attain a quality corresponding to the social context and patients’ needs and to investigate the satisfaction, problems and possibility of quality development of the nurse-midwifery service. Material and Methods: The subjects of this study comprised 78 administrators, nurse-midwives, and patients of central hospitals and community hospitals before improving the service and 78 after improving the service. The instruments was a questionnaire investigating the satisfaction of administrators, nurse-midwifes, and patients. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability of the instruments was .76 and .85 respectively. Data analysis on general information was performed by the use of descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis technique. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was employed to compare the satisfaction of the administrators and nurse-midwives with the quality of the service of the nurse-midwives before and after quality development of the service. The Mann-Whitney U test in SPSS was used to compare the satisfaction of patients and the quality of the nurse-midwifery service before and after quality development of the service. Results: The model of quality development of nurse-midwifery service at both central hospitals and community hospitals covered several aspects. That is, the service system should be convenient and quick. There should be training to improve nursemidwives in terms of their personality, relationship with patients, and guidelines on quality service. Moreover, there should be training on their knowledge of normal newborn babies and new-born babies with complications. For satisfaction, it was found that at central hospitals and community hospitals administrators, nurse-midwives and patients were highly satisfied both before and after development. There was no statistically significant difference between before and after development in any subject group. Conclusion: The quality development of the nurse-midwifery service using participatory action research helped the nursemidwives to be more alert and aware of service quality. It also encouraged the nurse-midwives to use a holistic approach in their service, focusing on patients. Moreover, they gave greater importance to patients’ needs although the satisfaction of both nursemidwives and patients before and after the development showed no statistically significant difference.

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are frequently induced using 3D culture methodologies however, it is unknown whether spheroid-based (3D) neural induction is actually superior to monolayer (2D) neural induction. Our aim was to compare the efficiency of 2D induction with 3D induction method in their ability to generate NPCs, and subsequently neurons and astrocytes. Neural differentiation was analysed at the protein level qualitatively by immunocytochemistry and quantitatively by flow cytometry for NPC (SOX1, PAX6, NESTIN), neuronal (MAP2, TUBB3), cortical layer (TBR1, CUX1) and glial markers (SOX9, GFAP, AQP4). Electron microscopy demonstrated that both methods resulted in morphologically similar neural rosettes. However, quantification of NPCs derived from 3D neural induction exhibited an increase in the number of PAX6/NESTIN double positive cells and the derived neurons exhibited longer neurites. In contrast, 2D neural induction resulted in more SOX1 positive cells. While 2D monolayer induction resulted in slightly less mature neurons, at an early stage of differentiation, the patch clamp analysis failed to reveal any significant differences between the electrophysiological properties between the two induction methods. In conclusion, 3D neural induction increases the yield of PAX6 + /NESTIN + cells and gives rise to neurons with longer neurites, which might be an advantage for the production of forebrain cortical neurons, highlighting the potential of 3D neural induction, independent of iPSCs' genetic background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocellulose was extracted from two kinds of general cellulose feedstocks, i.e. , cellulose paper and cellulose powder, by coupling planetary dry ball milling with mild acid hydrolysis. The effect of ball milling time on the yield and properties of nanocellulose obtained by mild hydrolysis in lower concentration (47 wt%) of sulfuric acid was investigated in details. The obtained nanocellulose was characterized by scanning electron microscopy ( SEM ), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ( FTIR ), X-ray diffraction ( XRD ), and thermogravimetric analysis ( TGA ). It is found that the crystallinity and crystal size of ball-milled cellulose decreased with the increase of ball milling time, and the mild acid hydrolysis of the ball-milled cellulose resulted in the crystallinity and thermal stability of nanocellulose at the high temperature range increased but without any changes in chemical structure. It indicates that the appropriate ball-milling of cellulose feedstock could be beneficial for the mild hydrolysis process for the production of high quality nanocellulose with high yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human iPSC line MU011.A-hiPS was generated from homozygous α-thalassemia (− SEA /− SEA ) fetal skin fibroblasts using a non-integrative reprogramming method. Reprogramming factors OCT3/4 , SOX2 , KLF4 , L-MYC , LIN28 , and shRNA of TP53 contained in three episomal vectors were delivered using electroporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of histamine fish poisoning has been being an issue in food safety and international trade. The growth of contaminated bacterial species including Morganella morganii which produce histidine decarboxylase causes histamine formation in fish during storage. Histamine, the main toxin, causes mild to severe allergic reaction. At present, there is no well-established solution for histamine fish poisoning. This study was performed to determine the antibacterial activity of essential oils from Thai spices against histamine-producing bacteria. Among the essential oils tested, clove, lemongrass and sweet basil oils were found to possess the antibacterial activity. Clove oil showed the strongest inhibitory activity against Morganella morganii, followed by lemongrass and sweet basil oils. The results indicated that clove, lemongrass and sweet basil oils could be useful for the control of histamine-producing bacteria. The attempt to identify the active components using preparative TLC and GC/MS found eugenol, citral and methyl chavicol as the active components of clove, lemongrass and sweet basil oils, respectively. The information from this study would be useful in the research and development for the control of histamine-producing bacteria in fish or seafood products to reduce the incidence of histamine fish poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is one of the common genetic kidney disorders that are caused by mutations in PKD1 or PKD2 gene. In this report, the MUi026-A human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line was established from the skin fibroblasts of a female ADPKD patient who had the PKD1 mutation with c.5878C > T. The iPSC line retained normal karyotype. The cells displayed embryonic stem cell-like characteristics with pluripotency marker expression and were able to differentiate into three germ layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the neuroendocrine system possibly improves the reproductive performance of captivated crustacean broodstock in aquaculture and it may substitute eyestalk ablation. In this study, we explored the luteinizing hormone (LH)-like molecule and proved the existence of the LH receptor (PpelLHR)-like mRNA in the blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus. Using the anti-human LH-β antibody, the immunoreactivities were found in the central nervous system (CNS) and ovary of the crab with the strongest signal in the mature ovary. The full-length PpelLHR-like mRNA sequence contained 4818 bp with deduced protein predicted as seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor, made of 1605 amino acids. The phylogenetic tree suggested this protein belonged to the clade of invertebrate LHR/FSHR-like proteins. The PpelLHR-like mRNA expressed in various organs and real-time qPCR revealed significantly higher expression of this mRNA in the brain and lower expression in the ovary of the mature crabs. In situ hybridization of this mRNA was demonstrated in neuronal clusters of the brain, ventral nerve cord, and in the oocyte stage 1-4 of the ovary, respectively. This study was preliminary to prove the existence of LH and its receptor in the blue swimming crab. Functional assay of this receptor should be performed as the next part of experiments to firmly conclude its appearance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest This manuscript has been performed with no conflict of interest from any authors., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background Aims: Gene therapy using lentiviral vectors (LVs) that harbor a functional β-globin gene provides a curative treatment for hemoglobinopathies including beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Accurate quantification of the vector copy number (VCN) and/or the proportion of transduced cells is critical to evaluate the efficacy of transduction and stability of the transgene during treatment. Moreover, commonly used techniques for LV quantification, including real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or fluorescence-activated cell sorting, require either a standard curve or expression of a reporter protein for the detection of transduced cells. In the present study, we describe a digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) technique to measure the lentiviral VCN in transduced hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs)., Methods: After HSPCs were transduced with an LV encoding the therapeutic β-globin (β A-T87Q ) gene, the integrated lentiviral sequence in the host genome was amplified with primers that targeted a sequence within the vector and the human RPP30 gene. The dynamic range of ddPCR was between 5 × 10 -3 ng and 5 × 10 -6 ng of target copy per reaction., Results: We found that the ddPCR-based approach was able to estimate VCN with high sensitivity and a low standard deviation. Furthermore, ddPCR-mediated quantitation of lentiviral copy numbers in differentiated erythroblasts correlated with the level of β A-T87Q protein detected by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography., Conclusions: Taken together, the ddPCR technique has the potential to precisely detect LV copy numbers in the host genome, which can be used for VCN estimation, calculation of infectious titer and multiplicity of infection for HSPC transduction in a clinical setting., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no commercial, proprietary or financial interest in the products or companies described in this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Establishing a drug-screening platform is critical for the discovery of potential antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we developed a platform based on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) to investigate SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, with the aim of evaluating potential antiviral agents for anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and cardiotoxicity. Cultured myocytes of iPSC-CMs and immortalized human cardiomyocyte cell line (AC-16) were primarily characterized for the expression of cardiac markers and host receptors of SARS-CoV-2. An infectivity model for the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain was then established. Infection modeling involved inoculating cells with SARS-CoV-2 at varying multiplicities of infection (MOIs) and then quantifying infection using immunofluorescence and plaque assays. Only iPSC-CMs, not AC16 cells, expressed angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), and quantitative assays confirmed the dose-dependent infection of iPSC-CMs by SARS-CoV-2, unlike the uninfectable AC16 cells lacking the expression of ACE2. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assays across a concentration range. An assessment of the plant-derived compound panduratin A (panA) showed cytotoxicity at higher doses (50% cytotoxic concentration (CC 50 ) 10.09 μM) but promising antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 (50% inhibition concentration (IC 50 ) 0.8-1.6 μM), suppressing infection at concentrations 10 times lower than its CC 50 . Plaque assays also showed decreased viral production following panA treatment. Overall, by modeling cardiac-specific infectivity, this iPSC-cardiomyocyte platform enables the reliable quantitative screening of compound cytotoxicity alongside antiviral efficacy. By combining disease pathogenesis and pharmacology, this system can facilitate the evaluation of potential novel therapeutics, such as panA, for drug discovery applications.