Mimosa-Inspired Body Temperature-Responsive Shape Memory Polymer Networks: High Energy Densities and Multi-Recyclability.

Inspired by the Mimosa plant, this study herein develops a unique dynamic shape memory polymer (SMP) network capable of transitioning from hard to pliable with heat, featuring reversible actuation, self-healing, recyclability, and degradability. This material is adept at simulating the functionalities of artificial muscles for a variety of tasks, with a remarkable specific energy density of 1.8 J g-≈46 times higher than that of human skeletal muscle.

Multidisciplinary approaches to combat emerging viruses: diagnostics, therapeutic gene and vaccine delivery, and nanotherapeutics.

Emerging viruses, such as filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg), SARS and MERS coronaviruses, and Zika, pose significant threats to global public health, particularly for individuals with co-morbidities. To address these challenges, this review article explores multidisciplinary strategies for combatting emerging viruses. We emphasize the importance of developing accurate diagnostics, innovative therapeutic gene and vaccine delivery systems, and long-acting nanotherapeutics.

Rapid Discriminative Identification of the Two Predominant Echinococcus Species from Canine Fecal Samples in the Tibetan Region of China by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification-Lateral Flow Dipstick Assay.

Echinococcosis poses a significant concern in the fields of public health and veterinary care as it can be transmitted between animals and humans. The primary endemic subtypes are cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE), which result from infestation by and , respectively. A prominent epidemic of echinococcosis greatly affects the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in China.

RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFA combined with a digital visualization instrument to detect in stray dogs and cats in Zhejiang province, China.

Unlabelled: , which causes toxoplasmosis, is prevalent in warm-blooded animals, such as cats, dogs, and humans. causes economic losses to livestock production and represents a potential risk to public health. Dogs and cats are common hosts in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis.

Viral pancreatitis: research advances and mechanisms.

Acute pancreatitis is caused by trypsinogen activation in acinar cells caused by various injury forms (gallstone, high triglycerides, alcohol, etc.). Viral pancreatitis is a clinically rare disease type, which is easily neglected by clinicians and causes serious adverse consequences.

Application of gold immunochromatographic assay strip combined with digital evaluation for early detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection in multiple species.

Background: Timely diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection is necessary to prevent and control toxoplasmosis transmission. The gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA) is a means of rapidly detecting pathogen in samples. GICA-based diagnostic methods have been developed to accurately detect pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity, and their application in T.

Establishment and application of an iELISA detection method for measuring apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) antibodies of Toxoplasma gondii in cats.

Background: Diseases caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) have introduced serious threats to public health. There is an urgent need to develop a rapid detection method for T.

Mining host candidate regulators of schistosomiasis-induced liver fibrosis in response to artesunate therapy through transcriptomics approach.

Background: Artesunate (ART) has been reported to have an antifibrotic effect in various organs. The underlying mechanism has not been systematically elucidated. We aimed to clarify the effect of ART on liver fibrosis induced by Schistosoma japonicum (S.

Transient regulation of gel properties by chemical reaction networks.

Transient regulation of gel properties by chemical reaction networks (CRNs) represents an emerging and effective strategy to program or temporally control the structures, properties, and functions of gel materials in a self-regulated manner. CRNs provide significant opportunities to construct complex or sustainable gels with excellent dynamic features, thus expanding the application scope of these materials. CRN-based methods for transiently regulating the gel properties are receiving increasing attention, and the related fields are worth further studying.

in neuropsychiatric disorders: friend or foe?

An accumulating body of evidence suggests that the bacterium exhibits positive systemic effects on host health, mainly by improving immunological and metabolic functions, and it is therefore regarded as a promising potential probiotic. Recent clinical and preclinical studies have shown that plays a vital role in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders by influencing the host brain through the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA). Numerous studies observed that and its metabolic substances can effectively improve the symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders by restoring the gut microbiota, reestablishing the integrity of the gut mucosal barrier, regulating host immunity, and modulating gut and neuroinflammation.

Potential value of neuroimmunotherapy for COVID-19: efficacies and mechanisms of vagus nerve stimulation, electroacupuncture, and cholinergic drugs.

COVID-19 is an inflammatory disease with multiple organs involved, mainly respiratory symptoms. Although the majority of patients with COVID-19 present with a mild to moderate self-limited course of illness, about 5-10% of patients with inflammatory disorders in severe COVID-19 have life-threatening progression. With the exception of a few drugs that have shown outstanding anti-COVID-19 effects, the efficacy of most drugs remains controversial.

A live attenuated RHΔompdcΔuprt mutant of Toxoplasma gondii induces strong protective immunity against toxoplasmosis in mice and cats.

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasite and is responsible for zoonotic toxoplasmosis. It is essential to develop an effective anti-T. gondii vaccine for the control of toxoplasmosis, and this study is to explore the immunoprotective effects of a live attenuated vaccine in mice and cats.

Proteomic profiling of serum extracellular vesicles identifies diagnostic markers for echinococcosis.

Echinococcosis is a parasitic disease caused by the metacestodes of Echinococcus spp. The disease has a long latent period and is largely underdiagnosed, partially because of the lack of effective early diagnostic approaches. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we profiled the serum-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) of E.

Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 in the First Batch of COVID-19 Patients in China by a Self-Developed Rapid IgM-IgG Test.

It has been over two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and it is still an unprecedented global challenge. Here, we aim to characterize the antibody profile from a large batch of early COVID-19 cases in China, from January - March 2020. More than 1,000 serum samples from participants in Hubei and Zhejiang province were collected.

A novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification-lateral-flow-dipstick (LAMP-LFD) device for rapid detection of Toxoplasma gondii in the blood of stray cats and dogs.

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis and threatens warm-blooded animal and human health worldwide. Simple and applicable diagnostic methods are urgently needed to guide development of effective approaches for prevention of toxoplasmosis. Most molecular diagnostic tools for T.

Predictive Analysis of the Neutralization Activity in Convalescent Plasmas From COVID-19 Recovered Patients in Zhejiang Province, China, January-March, 2020.

Background: Convalescent plasma (CP) transfusion is considered to be the priority therapeutic option for COVID-19 inpatients when no specific drugs are available for emerging infections. An alternative, simple, and sensitive method is urgently needed for clinical use to detect neutralization activity of the CP to avoid the use of inconvenient micro-neutralization assay.

Method: This study aims to explore optimal index in predicting the COVID-19 CP neutralization activity (neutralizing antibody titers, NAb titers) in an indirect ELISA format.

Early Detection of Trichinella spiralis DNA in Rat Feces Based on Tracing Phosphate Ions Generated During Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification.

Early diagnosis of trichinellosis is still difficult because of the lack of specific symptoms and limited window for serological detection. Here we established an assay based on tracing phosphate ions generated during loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to detect Trichinella spiralis DNA in rat feces during its early stage of infection. By targeting a 1.

Preparation of millimeter-sized chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose hollow capsule and its dye adsorption properties.

In this study, millimeter-sized chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose (CTS/CMC) hollow capsules with molar ratio of 1/1 and 1/1.5 were successfully prepared by simple mixing and stirring of positively charged CTS and negatively charged CMC solutions under electrostatic interaction. The hollow capsule exhibited distinct removal performance for three typical dyes of methylene blue, methyl orange and acid blue-113 with different charged functional groups.

DNA detection of Paragonimus westermani: Diagnostic validity of a new assay based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) combined with a lateral flow dipstick.

Paragonimus westermani (P. westermani) is widely spread in Asian countries and is one of the most important causative agents for lung fluke diseases. The prevention and control of Paragonimiaisis mainly depends on the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

The Virulence-Related MYR1 Protein of as a Novel DNA Vaccine Against Toxoplasmosis in Mice.

causes serious public health problems, but there is no effective treatment strategy against it currently. DNA vaccines have shown promising findings in this regard. MYR1 is a new virulence factor identified in that may have potential as a DNA vaccine candidate.

GRA24-Based DNA Vaccine Prolongs Survival in Mice Challenged With a Virulent Strain.

causes infections in a wide range of intermediate hosts and remains a threatening disease worldwide because of the lack of effective drugs and vaccines. Dense granule protein 24 (GRA24) is a novel essential virulence factor that is transferred into the nucleus of host cells from the parasitophorous vacuole to regulate gene expression. In the present study, bioinformatic analysis showed that GRA24 had a high score for B-cell and T-cell epitopes compared with surface antigen 1 (SAG1), which has been studied as a promising vaccine candidate.

Early Detection of Toxoplasma gondii Infection In Mongolian Gerbil By Quantitative Real-Time PCR.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is associated with several clinical syndromes, including encephalitis, chorioretinitis, and congenital infection. Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite found in both humans and animals. Mongolian gerbils, which are more susceptible to both high- and low-virulence Toxoplasma strains compared with mice, are considered useful models for assessing diagnosis and treatment methods for toxoplasmosis, as well as infection by and host defense to this organism.