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Collagen peptide chelated zinc (CPCZ) nanoparticles were prepared using collagen peptide hydrolysate from tilapia scales. The nano-chelating ability of collagen peptide hydrolysates treated with ten enzymes was evaluated. Among these collagen peptide hydrolysates, trypsin hydrolysate exhibited the best nano-chelating ability. The molecular weight distribution of trypsin hydrolysate that produced CPCZ nanoparticles indicated that most of the peptides were less than 1,000 Da. These small molecular peptides with excellent nanozinc-chelating ability were chelated with zinc ions to form CPCZ nanoparticles. CPCZ nanoparticles were nearly spherical with an average diameter of approximately 100 nm, and a zinc content of 13.2%. Transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry was used to measure the physicochemical properties of the CPCZ nanoparticles. Their cytotoxicity was also estimated by BHK21 cells. Result indicated that the CPCZ nanoparticles were non-toxic to BHK-21, and such nanoparticles significantly enhanced the survival of cells. The present work suggested that CPCZ nanoparticles could be used as zinc supplementation in the food and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two lanthanide–organic frameworks [Ln(HPIDC)(m-bdc)·1.5H2O]n (Ln = Eu 1 or Tb 2; H3PIDC = 2-(4-pyridyl)-1H-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid; m-H2bdc = 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid) were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. Compounds 1 and 2 are all of a 3D 6-connected pcu topology. There are uncoordinated nitrogen atoms in the molecule, indicating that the uncoordinated pyridine groups and imidazole groups can serve as functional groups. We tested their luminescence detection ability for cations and anions. Fluorescence measurements show that two compounds (1 and 2) can detect Cr2+ ions and Cr2O72− anions with high selectivity and sensitivity, which suggests that the two Ln-MOFs are promising functional luminescent sensor materials for sensing metal ions and anions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi20TiO32 was synthesised successfully by sol-gel and ultrasonic assisted surface impregnation methods using tetrabutyl titanate as titanium source and bismuth nitrate as bismuth source. The samples were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrocopy (DRS) and so on. In order to evaluate its photocatalytic denitrogenation performance, simulate oil containing a certain concentration of pyridine was used as the target. The results showed that the synthesized Bi20TiO32 was a kind of tetragonal crystal system of Bi-Ti oxide in metastable phase, with nanosheet size of about 16 nm and band gap of 2·9 eV, which can absorb the light ranging from the UV to 500 nm wavelength. The activity of photocatalytic degradation of 0·05 mg photocatalyst on 50 mL simulated oil (pyridine containing 100 ug g−1) was up to 86·0% under the irradiation of visible light above 420 nm wavelength for 150 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "New approaches to enhance environmental cleaning in an acute tertiary hospital," by K. Y. Hong, and colleagues is presented.

Companion animals such as cats and dogs harbor diverse microbial communities that can potentially impact human health due to close and frequent contact. To better characterize their total infectomes and assess zoonotic risks, we characterized the overall infectomes of companion animals (cats and dogs) and evaluated their potential zoonotic risks. Meta-transcriptomic analyses were performed on 239 samples from cats and dogs collected across China, identifying 24 viral species, 270 bacterial genera, and two fungal genera. Differences in the overall microbiome and infectome composition were compared across different animal species (cats or dogs), sampling sites (rectal or oropharyngeal), and health status (healthy or diseased). Diversity analyses revealed that viral abundance was generally higher in diseased animals compared to healthy ones, while differences in microbial composition were mainly driven by sampling site, followed by animal species and health status. Disease association analyses validated the pathogenicity of known pathogens and suggested potential pathogenic roles of previously undescribed bacteria and newly discovered viruses. Cross-species transmission analyses identified seven pathogens shared between cats and dogs, such as alphacoronavirus 1, which was detected in both oropharyngeal and rectal swabs albeit with differential pathogenicity. Further analyses showed that some viruses, like alphacoronavirus 1, harbored multiple lineages exhibiting distinct pathogenicity, tissue, or host preferences. Ultimately, a systematic evolutionary screening identified 27 potential zoonotic pathogens in this sample set, with far more bacterial than viral species, implying potential health threats to humans. Overall, our meta-transcriptomic analysis reveals a landscape of actively transcribing microorganisms in major companion animals, highlighting key pathogens, those with the potential for cross-species transmission, and possible zoonotic threats., Importance: This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the entire community of infectious microbes (viruses, bacteria, and fungi) in companion animals like cats and dogs, termed the "infectome." By analyzing hundreds of samples from across China, the researchers identified numerous known and novel pathogens, including 27 potential zoonotic agents that could pose health risks to both animals and humans. Notably, some of these zoonotic pathogens were detected even in apparently healthy pets, highlighting the importance of surveillance. The study also revealed key microbial factors associated with respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases in pets, as well as potential cross-species transmission events between cats and dogs. Overall, this work sheds light on the complex microbial landscapes of companion animals and their potential impacts on animal and human health, underscoring the need for monitoring and management of these infectious agents., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

We investigated the effect of overexpression suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) on lipolysis in swine primary adipocytes (pAd) induced by growth hormone (GH). We constructed pAd-SOCS2 adenoviral overexpression vectors to infect HEK293 cells for virus packaging and propagation. Cultured swine primary adipocytes were infected with virus particles; after 48 h the infected adipocytes were treated with 500 ng GH/mL in the growth medium. Lipometabolism-related gene expressions were detected at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h, by measuring mRNA and protein levels. The pAd-SOCS2 overexpression vector was successfully constructed and the concentration of titrated virus was 1.2 x 10(9) PFU/mL. We found that virus infection significantly increased SOCS2 mRNA and protein levels in swine primary adipocytes. Overexpression of SOCS2 significantly inhibited the increase in fatty acid synthase, adipose triglyceride lipase mRNA, and protein expression at 0.5 h. However, after 0.5 h, this inhibition was not significant. We concluded that overexpression of SOCS2 inhibited the increase in lipolysis induced by GH in swine primary adipocytes; this could provide a basis for studies of lipometabolism.

We present the preliminary results of a metrological standard for fiber Bragg gratings. This device is based on well-established wavemeter concepts and allows for the a priori determination of Bragg resonances that are verifiable and accurate. Although the concept is demonstrated here with small-fringe-number samplings, the production and detection of images of 50,000 metering fringes was easily accomplished with a nonidealized imaging system. Thus, since the system is characteristically similar to a standard wavemeter, increased fringe counts produce accurate frequency counter ratios for the determination of Bragg resonances, allowing for its application as a universal metering tool for many holographic systems.