In-situ cross-linking strategy for achieving excellent impact resistance and thermal insulation of closed-cell poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) (P4HB) foams.

Owing to inherent issues like interfacial stress concentration, open-cell, a low volume expansion ratio (VER) and cell density, the impact resistance and thermal insulation of supercritical foamed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blend foams remain unsatisfactory. To overcome these challenges, an in-situ cross-linking strategy is employed to enhance the compatibility between PLA and poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) (P4HB), while improving the melt strength and crystallization behavior of the blends. The modified PLA/P4HB blend exhibits a blurred interfacial boundary with fewer stress concentrations.

Artesunate: A potential drug for the prevention and treatment from hepatitis to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver cancer represents a multifactorial, multistage, and intricately progressive malignancy. Over the past decade, artesunate (ART), initially renowned for its anti-malarial efficacy, has been the focus of over 3000 studies uncovering its diverse pharmacological actions, including anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, metabolic regulatory, anti-fibrotic, and anti-cancer properties. This review highlights ART's role in the multistep progression from hepatitis to cancer and its underlying regulatory mechanisms, revealing signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and ferroptosis (a novel form of programmed cell death) as promising therapeutic targets.

Preparation of Near-Spherical α-AlO Particles by Enhanced Precipitation of Gibbsite from Sodium Aluminate Solution Using Highly Dispersed AlO as Seeds.

The near-spherical α-AlO particles (∼200 nm) were prepared for the first time through the precipitation of gibbsite from a supersaturated sodium aluminate solution, with the addition of an acidic solution containing highly dispersed nanosized AlO seeds. The near-spherical α-AlO were achieved by employing seeds at 1100 °C, with the initial nucleation temperature being only 900 °C, due to the highly homogeneous dispersion of the seeds into gibbsite formation by in situ growth that can effectively enhance the role of the seeds in the phase transition. Moreover, the precipitation rate of sodium aluminate solution was significantly accelerated by 17-fold.

Patient Satisfaction with Nonopioid Postoperative Analgesia in Head and Neck Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Trial.

Objective: To evaluate patients' satisfaction with opioid versus opioid-sparing postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing outpatient head and neck surgery.

Study Design: Prospective randomized trial.

Setting: Tertiary care academic hospital.

Digital twin-based multi-level task rescheduling for robotic assembly line.

Assembly is a critical step in the manufacturing process. Robotic assembly technology in automatic production lines has greatly improved the production efficiency. However, in assembly process, dynamic disturbances such as processing time change and advance delivery may occur, which cause the scheduling deviation.

Preparation of NaF Microcapsules for High-Temperature Thermal Storage.

A novel NaF phase change microcapsule with a carbon shell (NaF@C microcapsule) was prepared by a simple approach. The carbon shell was synthesized by carbonization of a resole-type phenolic resin shell, which was encapsulated onto the surface of NaF particles by a simple phase separation process induced by tetraethoxysilane. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the morphology, composition, crystal phase, and thermal properties of the microcapsules.

Histone Demethylase AMX-1 Regulates Fertility in a p53/CEP-1 Dependent Manner.

Histone methylation shapes the epigenetic configuration and adjusts multiple fundamental nuclear processes, including transcription, cell cycle control and DNA repair. The absence of histone demethylase LSD1/SPR-5 leads to progressive fertility defects as well as a reduction in brood size. Similarly, LSD2 homolog AMX-1 has been implicated in regulating H3K4me2 and maintaining interstrand crosslinks (ICL) susceptibility.

Al-Microcapsules with a Self-Sacrificial Oxidation Method for High-Temperature Thermal Energy Storage.

Traditional high-temperature energy utilization systems employ conventional solid sensible heat storage (SHS) for energy storage. Latent heat storage (LHS) serves as a surrogate for energy storage as opposed to the SHS system due to the presence of phase-change materials (PCMs). In this paper, we report the production and characterization of Al microencapsulated PCM (MEPCM) through a simple one-step self-sacrificial oxidation fabrication process, where the core-shell type microencapsulated with Al microsphere (mean diameter 35 μm, melting temperature 669 °C) acted as the core (PCM) and AlO as the shell.

Histone demethylase AMX-1 is necessary for proper sensitivity to interstrand crosslink DNA damage.

Histone methylation is dynamically regulated to shape the epigenome and adjust central nuclear processes including transcription, cell cycle control and DNA repair. Lysine-specific histone demethylase 2 (LSD2) has been implicated in multiple types of human cancers. However, its functions remain poorly understood.

An affordable plasmid miniprep suitable for proficient microinjection in .

A variety of techniques, including CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, have been developed to produce genetically modified cell lines and animal models. In many cases, the success of the genome-editing techniques is dependent on the quality of the introduced DNA. However, the preparation of high-quality plasmids required for small-scale microinjection has not been explored.

Gelatin Particle-Stabilized High-Internal Phase Emulsions for Use in Oral Delivery Systems: Protection Effect and in Vitro Digestion Study.

The potential application of Pickering high-internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) in the food and pharmaceutical industries has yet to be fully developed. Herein, we synthesized fairly monodisperse, nontoxic, autofluorescent gelatin particles for use as sole stabilizers for fabricating oil-in-water (O/W) HIPEs in an effort to improve the protection and bioaccessibility of entrapped β-carotene. Our results showed that the concentration of gelatin particles determined the formation, microstructure, droplet size distribution, and digestion profile of the HIPEs.

Structural and biochemical studies of a moderately thermophilic exonuclease I from Methylocaldum szegediense.

A novel exonuclease, designated as MszExo I, was cloned from Methylocaldum szegediense, a moderately thermophilic methanotroph. It specifically digests single-stranded DNA in the 3' to 5' direction. The protein is composed of 479 amino acids, and it shares 47% sequence identity with E.

Comparison of acute proton, photon, and low-dose priming effects on genes associated with extracellular matrix and adhesion molecules in the lungs.

Background: Crew members on space missions inevitably are exposed to low background radiation and can receive much higher doses during solar particle events (SPE) that consist primarily of protons. Ionizing radiation could cause lung pathologies. Cell adhesion molecules (CAM) are believed to participate in fibrogenesis.

Expression of genes involved in mouse lung cell differentiation/regulation after acute exposure to photons and protons with or without low-dose preirradiation.

The goal of this study was to compare the effects of acute 2 Gy irradiation with photons (0.8 Gy/min) or protons (0.9 Gy/min), both with and without pre-exposure to low-dose/low-dose-rate γ rays (0.