Borax Cross-Linked Acrylamide-Grafted Starch Self-Healing Hydrogels.

The biocompatibility and renewability of starch-based hydrogels have made them popular for applications across various sectors. Their tendency to incur damage after repeated use limits their effectiveness in practical applications. Improving the mechanical properties and self-healing of hydrogels simultaneously remains a challenge.

Elucidation of the molecular mechanism of type 2 diabetes mellitus affecting the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis using bioinformatics and network pharmacology: A review.

Increasing evidence suggests that patients with diabetes are at increased risk of developing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the underlying mechanisms that affect the progression of NASH remain unclear. In this study, we used bioinformatics and network pharmacology methods to explore the differentially expressed genes of NASH and the related genes of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a total of 46 common targets were obtained. Gene ontology showed that the common targets were mainly involved in biological processes such as glucocorticoid, hormone, and bacterium responses.

Lipoic acid-based vitrimer-like elastomer.

Dynamic covalent networks (DCNs) are materials that feature reversible bond formation and breaking, allowing for self-healing and recyclability. To speed up the bond exchange, significant amounts of catalyst are used, which creates safety concerns. To tackle this issue, we report the synthesis of a lipoic acid-based vitrimer-like elastomer (LAVE) by combining (i) ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactones, (ii) lipoic acid modification of polylactones, and (iii) UV crosslinking.

Thiol-Ene Click Cross-linking of Starch Oleate Films for Enhanced Properties.

Biobased films were synthesized from starch oleate (DS = 2.2) cross-linked with polyethylene glycol with = 2000 and 1000 g · mol, and ethylene glycol, all of which were esterified with either lipoic acid (LA) or 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA). Cross-linking was achieved through a UV-initiated thiol-ene click, and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and rheometry.

Effects of Transdermal 17β-Estradiol + Norethisterone Acetate on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women: A Meta-analysis of Data From Randomized, Controlled Trials.

Purpose: To date, no study has demonstrated the role of transdermal 17β-estradiol + norethisterone acetate on all of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. To overcome this knowledge gap, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to determine the effects of this combination treatment on BMI, body weight, waist/hip ratio, fibrinogen, factor VII, lipoprotein(a), fasting blood sugar, insulin, HbA, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TC in postmenopausal women.

Methods: PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles published between the inception of each database and April 6, 2023.

Researching the molecular mechanisms of Taohong Siwu Decoction in the treatment of varicocele-associated male infertility using network pharmacology and molecular docking: A review.

Taohong Siwu Decoction (THSWD) was widely used for the treatment of varicocele-associated male infertility. However, the pharmacological mechanism of action is not completely clear. Therefore, network pharmacology and molecular docking were performed to explore potential mechanism of THSWD in the treatment of varicocele-associated male infertility.

Starch ester film properties: The role of the casting temperature and starch its molecular weight and amylose content.

Oleic acid and 10-undecenoic acid were used to esterify corn, tapioca, potato and a waxy potato starch, with a maximum degree of substitution of 2.4 and 1.9 respectively.

Synthesis and Properties of Fully Biobased Crosslinked Starch Oleate Films.

Starch oleate (degree of substitution = 2.2) films were cast and crosslinked in the presence of air using UV curing (UVC) or heat curing (HC). A commercial photoinitiator (CPI, Irgacure 184) and a natural photoinitiator (NPI, a mixture of biobased 3-hydroxyflavone and n-phenylglycine) were used for UVC.

Scalable and Degradable Dextrin-Based Elastomers for Wearable Touch Sensing.

Elastomer-based wearables can improve people's lives; however, frictional wear caused by manipulation may pose significant concerns regarding their durability and sustainability. To address the aforementioned issue, a new class of advanced scalable supersoft elastic transparent material (ASSETm) is reported, which offers a unique combination of scalability (20 g scale), stretchability (up to 235%), and enzymatic degradability (up to 65% in 30 days). The key feature of our design is to render native dextrin hydrophobic, which turns it into a macroinitiator for bulk ring-opening polymerization.

A more efficient synthesis and properties of saturated and unsaturated starch esters.

This work presents a series of starch esters synthesized via 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]-dec-5-ene (TBD) catalyzed transesterifications in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).

All-optical microwave waveform transformation based on photonic temporal processors.

An all-photonic approach of microwave waveforms generation and transformation is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. From the perspective of envelope function operation in time domain, an initial triangular waveform is transformed into square waveform and sawtooth (or reversed-sawtooth) waveform via two types of differentiators, respectively. In addition, by using a SOA as a multiplier, both bright and dark parabolic pulses are achieved, which are further transformed into sawtooth (or reversed-sawtooth) waveform by taking the first derivative operation.

Prevalence, trend and disparities of palliative care utilization among hospitalized metastatic breast cancer patients who received critical care therapies.

Background: Early integration of palliative care (PC) for patients with advanced cancer has been recommended to improve quality of care. This study aims to describe prevalence, temporal trend and predictors of PC use in metastatic breast cancer (mBCa) patients receiving critical care therapies (CCT; included invasive mechanic ventilation, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube, total parenteral nutrition, tracheostomy and dialysis).

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample was queried for mBCa patients receiving CCT between 2005 and 2014.

Effects of Fermentation on Compositions, Color, and Functional Properties of Gelatinized Potato Flours.

This study investigated effects of fermentation on compositions, color, and functional properties of gelatinized potato flours from Atlantic and Kexin No.1 cultivars. Atlantic flour (AF) and Kexin No.

Investigating lignin from Canna edulis ker residues induced activation of α-amylase: Kinetics, interaction, and molecular docking.

The lignin isolated from C. edulis ker residues showed a significant activating effect on α-amylase. Further studies revealed that the isolated lignin formed a 1:1 complex with α-amylase through hydrogen bonding and quenched fluorescence of α-amylase with a static quenching procedure.

Effects of high hydrostatic pressure and high pressure homogenization processing on characteristics of potato peel waste pectin.

To better understand the effects of high pressure processing on potato peel waste pectins, the structural characteristics, physicochemical properties, and morphological features of the pectin treated with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and high pressure homogenization (HPH) at 200 MPa for 5 min were studied. The potato peel waste pectins subjected to high pressure treatments exhibited increased galacturonic acid contents as well as decreased esterification degree, (Gal + Ara)/Rha ratio, and molecular weight. Furthermore, the potato peel waste pectins treated with high pressure had an increased viscosity and improved emulsifying properties.

Intracellular Expression of Antifreeze Peptides in Food Grade Lactococcus lactis and Evaluation of Their Cryoprotective Activity.

Unlabelled: Antifreeze peptides can protect living organisms from low temperatures by preventing damage or killing due to ice crystal formation between cells. Therefore, antifreeze peptides can be used as a low temperature protectant for cryopreservation of cells and tissues, and also in food production. In this study, a recombinant SF-P gene was constructed and inserted into pNZ8149 to construct a food grade expression vector, which was then electroporated into Lactococcus lactis NZ3900.

Application of two-phase lamellar model to study the ultrastructure of annealed canna starch: A comparison with linear correlation function.

Canna starch was annealed at sub-gelatinization temperature (50°C) with different annealing time. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to estimate the ultrastructure of the annealed starches with the combined two-phase lamellar model and one-dimensional correlation function. The results showed that, upon annealing, water preferably swelled the amorphous regions of canna starch granules while maintained the part of crystalline region, resulted in an increase in amorphous thickness (d) and lamellar repeat distance (d).

Ultrastructure of underutilized tuber starches and its relation to physicochemical properties.

Starches from five underutilized tubers (canna, potato, Chinese yam, water chestnut, and taro) were extracted to investigate quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR) in each starch using a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Structural parameters of the tuber starches were determined using the paracrystalline model. Swelling power (SP), water solubility index (WSI), amylose leaching (AML), and thermal properties were also measured.

Chronic nicotine treatment enhances vascular smooth muscle relaxation in rats.

Aim: To investigate the effect of chronic nicotine treatment on vascular function and to identify the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Adult rats were treated with nicotine (3 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1), sc) for 6 weeks. After the rats were sacrificed, aortic rings were prepared for detecting vascular reactivity, and thoracic aorta and periaortic fat samples were collected for histological and molecular biology studies.

[Study of screening nephroprotective bioactive substances based on triple-color fluorescence probes in Carthami flos].

In this study, an approach based on triple-color fluorescence probes was developed for screening potential nephro-protective bioactive substances. Three fluorescent probes (i. e.

Vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis is an early trigger for hypothyroid atherosclerosis.

Aims: Endothelial dysfunction is an initial and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) apoptosis, a later step of atherosclerosis. Hypothyroidism accelerates atherosclerosis. However, the early events responsible for this pro-atherosclerotic effect are unclear.

[Study on rapid screening and identifying hepatotoxic compounds in toosendan fructus].

Fluorescein diacetate-labeled HepG2 cells model and flouresence automatic microscopy screening assay were used for fast screening 23 components from Toosendan Fructus, in which 5 components showed significant toxicity on HepG2 cells. The 10 compounds in the 2 components were tentatively identified with LC-MS(n), and 3 of them (meliasenin B, trichilinin D and 1-O-tigloy-1-O-debenzoylohchinal) were prepared and identified. Further experiments showed that the 3 compounds displayed dose-dependent toxicity on HepG2 cells, suggesting that these compounds in Toosendan Fructus may cause hepatotoxicity.

[Effects of three different treatments on atherosclerosis and adipose in rats].

Objective: To explore the effects of three different treatments, including probucol plus aspirin (PS), lovastatin plus aspirin (AS) and probucol, lovastatin plus aspirin (PAS) on atherosclerotic plaque and adipose.

Methods: A total of 31 SD rats with established atherosclerosis were randomly divided into control group (n = 7), high-fat group (n = 4), PS group (n = 8), AS group (n = 5) and PAS group (n = 7). The PS group rats were lavaged with probucol (104.