Simulated Microplastic Release from Cutting Boards and Evaluation of Intestinal Inflammation and Gut Microbiota in Mice.

Background: Plastic cutting boards are commonly used in food preparation, increasing human exposure to microplastics (MPs). However, the health implications are still not well understood.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of long-term exposure to MPs released from cutting boards on intestinal inflammation and gut microbiota.

Copper ions induces ferroptosis in Staphylococcus aureus and promotes healing of MRSA-induced wound infections.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), poses a significant threat to public health, necessitating new antimicrobial strategies. Here, we demonstrate that low doses of copper sulfate (CuSO) exhibit potent bactericidal effects against both S. aureus and MRSA by inducing ferroptosis.

Chromium Oral Bioavailability in 16 Contaminated Soils from Different Sources: Mouse Model Development and Cr Speciation in Soil and Mouse Tissues.

Soil contamination by chromium (Cr) has attracted much public attention due to its ubiquity in the environment and toxicity to humans, with hexavalent CrVI being more toxic and mobile than trivalent CrIII. In this study, 16 soils contaminated from different sources were chosen to determine their Cr accumulation in mouse tissues and changes in Cr speciation in soils, and mouse intestinal contents, organs and excreta based on a steady-state mouse model. The Cr accumulation in mouse organs after exposing to CrVI was 1.

Quantum Dots Mediated Crystallization Enhancement in Two-Step Processed Perovskite Solar Cells.

Hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites have emerged as a promising material for high-efficiency solar cells, yet challenges related to crystallization and defects limit their performance and stability. This study investigates the use of perovskite quantum dots (QDs) as crystallization seeds to enhance the quality of FAPbI perovskite films and improve the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We demonstrate that CsPbI and CsPbBr QDs effectively guide the crystallization process, leading to the formation of larger crystals with preferential orientations, particularly the (001) and (002) planes, which are associated with reduced defect densities.

Ultrastructure and Transcriptome Analysis of the Larval Integument in Solitary and Gregarious Phases of .

larvae exhibit both solitary and gregarious phases under low and high population density, respectively; furthermore, differences in morphology, behavior and physiology have been observed in the two phases. The integument plays an essential role in the fitness, general metabolism, communication, and survival of insects; however, differences in the integument ultrastructure and gene expression in the solitary and gregarious phases are largely unknown. In this study, the integument ultrastructure of larvae in the solitary and gregarious phases was compared, and transcriptome analysis was conducted to identify which genes were differentially expressed in the two phases.

Purification, characterization, and functional validation of a novel casein complex enzyme hydrolysate-binding calcium.

Food Peptide Calcium Chelate was an excellent calcium supplement. The aim of this study was to isolate peptides with high calcium binding activity from a mixture of casein hydrolyzed peptides, to determine their structural characteristics and to verify their function. Firstly, micellar casein was hydrolyzed by a combination of flavor protease and trypsin.

circ0066187 promotes pulmonary fibrogenesis through targeting STAT3-mediated metabolism signal pathway.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive interstitial pneumonia, with increasing incidence and prevalence. One of the cellular characteristics is the differentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts. However, the metabolic-related signaling pathway regulated by circular RNAs (circRNAs) during this process remains unclear.

Quality decline of prepared dishes stored at 4 °C: Microbial regulation of nitrite and biogenic amine formation.

Prepared dishes have high water content and complex nutritional composition, making them highly susceptible to microbial contamination and oxidative spoilage during storage. To elucidate the effects of microorganisms on the quality of prepared dishes and the formation of contaminants, the dishes "stewed pork with cabbage" were stored at 4 °C for 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 days. Techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion chromatography (IC), and 16S rRNA sequencing were used to explore changes in quality of the prepared dishes.

Nanoparticle-Elicited Eustress Intensifies Cucumber Plant Adaptation to Water Deficit.

Under changing climates, engineering drought-resistant crops is critical for reducing food insecurity. Here, we leverage plant "stress memory" and ROS-generating silica nanoparticles (NPs) to enhance the drought tolerance of cucumber plants. Under PEG-mimicking drought conditions, cucumber seeds primed with fumed silica NPs (40 mg/L, 4 h) exhibited an increased seed germination rate (from 66.

Green remediation of REEs-contaminated soil by biodegradable chelators with optimization and risk assessment.

The omnipresence of rare earth elements (REEs) in the environment, driven by their extensive industrial applications and common occurrence in some weathered crusts, has raised significant concerns as emerging pollutants. Soil washing has been recognized as an effective approach to remediate REEs-contaminated soils. However, traditional washing agents frequently lead to soil acidification and salinization, adversely affecting soil microbial communities and plant growth.

Gut Dysbiosis Exacerbates Intestinal Absorption of Cadmium and Arsenic from Cocontaminated Rice in Mice Due to Impaired Intestinal Barrier Functions.

Globally, humans face gut microbiota dysbiosis; however, its impact on the bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) from rice consumption─a major source of human exposure to these metals─remains unclear. In this study, we compared Cd and As accumulation in the liver and kidneys of mice with disrupted gut microbiota (administered cefoperazone sodium), restored microbiota (administered probiotics and prebiotics following antibiotic exposure), and normal microbiota, all after consuming cocontaminated rice. Compared to normal mice, microbiota-disrupted mice exhibited 30.

Sub-Nanoscale Caffeic Acid-Functionalized TiO Composite: Enhancing Mechanical Properties and Odontogenic Differentiation Capacity of Resin-Based Dental Restoration.

Resin-based materials (RBMs) are widely applied in dentistry because they withstand the recurrent multi-dimensional force striking and the hydrolysis of teeth. Sub-nanoscale materials can enhance the mechanical strength and bioactivity of RBMs, but the effects are still limited and the mechanisms to enhance bioactivity remain unclear. Here, a TiO-based sub-nanocomposite modified with caffeic acid (CA) to enhance mechanical robustness, structural stability, and bioactivity of RBMs is reported.

A novel mode of histone-like protein HupB regulating cell division through lysine acetylation.

HU, a small, basic histone-like protein, binds to bacterial genomic DNA, influencing DNA conformation, replication, and transcription. Its acetylation is a key post-translational modification affecting its DNA-binding activity. The role of HU acetylation in regulating cell division through the cell cycle regulatory system remained largely unknown.

Rational Redomestication for Future Agriculture.

Modern agricultural practices rely on high-input, intensive cultivation of a few crop varieties with limited diversity, increasing the vulnerability of our agricultural systems to biotic and abiotic stresses and the effects of climate changes. This necessitates a paradigm shift toward a more sustainable agricultural model to ensure a stable and dependable food supply for the burgeoning global population. Leveraging knowledge from crop biology, genetics, and genomics, alongside state-of-the-art biotechnologies, rational redomestication has emerged as a targeted and knowledge-driven approach to crop innovation.

Factors influencing glycocalyx degradation: a narrative review.

The glycocalyx is a layer of villus-like structure covering the luminal surface of vascular endothelial cells. Damage to the glycocalyx has been proven linked to the development of many diseases. However, the factors that promote damage to the glycocalyx are not fully elaborated.

Whose autonomy support is more effective in promoting exercise adherence in higher vocational college students - based on self-determined theory.

Objective: Based on the self-determination theory, the three types of autonomy support of parents, teachers and peers as a whole were included in the same research system to explore their effects on exercise adherence of higher vocational college students and their internal mechanisms.

Methods: The study used the exercise autonomy support scale, autonomous motivation scale and exercise adherence scale to construct and test the hypothesised pathways for promoting exercise adherence among students in higher vocational college. Using the data obtained from a survey of 436 higher vocational college students as the unit of analysis, and taking into account the variable of students' self-determined motivation.

Rationally manipulating molecular planarity to improve molar absorptivity, NIR-II brightness, and photothermal effect for tumor phototheranostics.

The secondary near-infrared region (NIR-II) fluorescence imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) offers a noninvasive and light-controllable treatment option for deep-seated cancers. However, the development of NIR-II photothermal agents (NIR-II PTAs) that possess the desired properties of high molar absorption coefficient (ε), fluorescence quantum yield (QY), and photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) remain a challenge due to the contradiction between radiative and nonradiative processes. Herein, we propose a novel side-chain heteroatom substitution engineering strategy to simultaneously enhance ε, QY, and PCE by modifying the molecular planarity.

Design and alignment of a space gravitational wave detection telescope based on aberration scale control.

Regulating the proportion of low-order aberrations within total aberrations can effectively alter the tilt-to-length (TTL) coupling noise in a space gravitational wave telescope. Nevertheless, the low-order aberration ratio is disrupted during the actual manufacturing of the telescope. To address this issue, we analyzed the impacts of wavefront errors and low-order aberration proportions on the TTL coupling noise, determined the design requirements, and designed a 400 mm-aperture space gravitational wave telescope optical system.

A genomic variation map provides insights into potato evolution and key agronomic traits.

Hybrid potato breeding based on diploid inbred lines is transforming the way of genetic improvement of this staple food crop, which requires a deep understanding of potato domestication and differentiation. In the present study, we resequenced 314 diploid wild and landrace accessions to generate a variome map of 47,203,407 variants. Using the variome map, we discovered the reshaping of tuber transcriptome during potato domestication, characterized genome-wide differentiation between landrace groups Stenotomum and Phureja.

Centimeter-Sized CsPbBr Single-Crystal Films for Energy-Resolved Radiation Detection.

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are promising materials for radiation detection. Compared with polycrystalline films, single crystals (SCs) have lower defect density, higher carrier mobility, and lifetime. However, the direct synthesis of MHP SCs for large-area flat panel imaging detectors remains challenging.

3D printed dysphagia diet using pea protein gel modified by xanthan gum with different pyruvate group content.

3D printing offers a promising solution for the increasing demand for visually appealing dysphagia diets. Xanthan gum (XG) is a critical component in various thickeners specialized for dysphagia diets, in which pyruvate group is important, but relative study remains scarce. This study tried to create 3D printed dysphagia diet using composite gels of pea protein (PPI) and XG with various pyruvate content (XG: 5.

Enteric pathogenicity characterization of emerging parainfluenza virus 5 in western China.

Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) is a member of the Paramyxoviridae family and causes respiratory symptoms in various animal species. Although the virus has been frequently detected among fecal samples, no study has described its infection of the intestine. Recently, diarrhea with low mortality has spread on pig farms in Gansu, China.

Green synthesis of water-compatible layer-by-layer assembled sandwich bread-like molecularly imprinted polymers for selective recognition of baicalin from Scutellariae Radix.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are typically synthesized in organic solvents, leading to poor compatibility with water, weak affinity and selectivity for target molecules in aqueous media. To address these challenges, a green and sustainable synthesis of sandwich bread-like ATP@MIP was conducted using polyethylenimide (PEI) and deep eutectic solvent (DES) as hydrophilic bi-functional monomers via layer-by-layer self-assembly on the attapulgite (ATP) carrier. The new ATP@MIP can provide a higher density of imprinting sites with more orderly and uniform distribution due to inhibiting the competitive polymerization between PEI and DES, thereby significantly enhancing recognition ability.

Comparative analysis of the structure and content of N-glycans from different commercial whey protein materials.

Infant formulas are constantly being updated and upgraded, and N-glycans are functional glycans that have not been fully exploited to date. Commercial whey protein materials are often used as basic ingredients in infant formulas. Therefore, it is important to study N-glycans in commercial whey protein materials.

Program temperature-controlled drying: An effective way to improve the quality of hot-air dried shiitake mushrooms.

This study applied program temperature-controlled drying (PTCD) to optimize the hot-air drying process for shiitake mushrooms, adjusting the drying temperature based on activity changes of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTase) and cysteine sulfoxide lyase (C-S lyase). Compared with constant temperature drying, PTCD (ST_75 and ST_150) significantly enhanced the umami and aroma profiles and sulfur compounds, increasing the levels of key flavor compounds such as glutamic acid and 5'-GMP. Moreover, PTCD improved rehydration capacity (515.