Prismatic Silver Nanoparticles Decorated on Graphene Oxide Sheets for Superior Antibacterial Activity.

Spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and silver nanoprisms (Ag NPrsms) were synthesized and decorated on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. The Ag contents were 29% and 23% in the GO−Ag NPs and GO−Ag NPrsms, respectively. The Ag NPrsms exhibited stronger (111) crystal signal than Ag NPs.

Size-Dependent Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticle-Loaded Graphene Oxide Nanosheets.

A series of graphene oxide (GO) suspensions with different particle sizes (<100 nm, ~100 nm, ~1 µm and >1 µm) were successfully fabricated after 0, 30, 60 and 120 min of sonication, respectively. The antibacterial properties of GO suspensions showed that >1 µm GO size resulted in a loss of nearly 50% of bacterial viability, which was higher than treatment by ~100 nm GO size (25%) towards (). Complete entrapment of bacteria by the larger GO was observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Synergistic Antibacterial Activity of Silver-Loaded Graphene Oxide towards and .

In this study, the physicochemical and surface properties of the GO-Ag composite promote a synergistic antibacterial effect towards both Gram-negative () and Gram-positive () bacteria. GO-Ag NPs have a better bactericidal effect on (73%) and (98.5%) than pristine samples (pure Ag or GO).

Genetic engineering of transitory starch accumulation by knockdown of OsSEX4 in rice plants for enhanced bioethanol production.

Rice straw, a common agricultural waste, is used as a potential feedstock for bioethanol production. Currently, bioethanol is made mostly from the microbial fermentation of starch-containing raw materials. Therefore, genetically engineered starch-excess rice straw through interference of starch degradation as a potential strategy to enhance bioethanol production was evaluated in this study.

Fabrication of Cellulose Nanocrystal/Silver/Alginate Bionanocomposite Films with Enhanced Mechanical and Barrier Properties for Food Packaging Application.

Eco-friendly cellulose nanocrystal/silver/alginate (CNC/Ag/Alg) bionanocomposite films were successfully prepared by blending of CNC with Ag/Alg solution. The CNC was fabricated from cellulose microcrystal (CMC) by acid hydrolysis method. The Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were generated by using Alg as a reducing agent through hydrothermal process.

Antrodia cinnamomea mycelial fermentation broth inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human esophageal adenocarcinoma cancer cells.

Esophageal cancer is associated with a high mortality rate and easy metastasis. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the bio-product Antrodia cinnamomea mycelial fermentation broth (AC-MFB) on the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of human esophageal cancer cells and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects. Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) was used to induce EMT in human esophageal BE3 cancer cells.

Production of bioethanol from Napier grass via simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation in a modified bioreactor.

The aim of this study was to use a modified bioreactor system for simultaneous saccharification of cellulose and bioethanol production. We tested Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei for cellulose saccharification and Zymomonas mobilis for bioethanol production simultaneously in this modified bioreactor. The results showed that various carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) concentrations (10, 15, or 20 g/L) as a substrate for A.

The medicinal fungus regulates DNA repair and enhances the radiosensitivity of human esophageal cancer cells.

This study investigated the adjunctive effects of mycelial fermentation broth (-MFB), a Taiwanese medicinal fungus, in enhancing the radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer cells. Human CE81T/VGH squamous and BE3 adenocarcinoma esophageal cancer cells were used in this study. A colony formation assay showed that pretreatment with -MFB decreased the survival of irradiated esophageal cancer cells, with a maximum sensitizer enhancement ratio of 1.

Efficient Secretion of Recombinant Proteins from Rice Suspension-Cultured Cells Modulated by the Choice of Signal Peptide.

Plant-based expression systems have emerged as a competitive platform in the large-scale production of recombinant proteins. By adding a signal peptide, αAmy3sp, the desired recombinant proteins can be secreted outside transgenic rice cells, making them easy to harvest. In this work, to improve the secretion efficiency of recombinant proteins in rice expression systems, various signal peptides including αAmy3sp, CIN1sp, and 33KDsp have been fused to the N-terminus of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and introduced into rice cells to explore the efficiency of secretion of foreign proteins.

Enhancement of recombinant human serum albumin in transgenic rice cell culture system by cultivation strategy.

Fusion of the sugar-starvation-induced αAmy3 promoter with its signal peptide has enabled secretion of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) into the culture medium. To simplify the production process and increase the rHSA yield in rice suspension cells, a one-step strategem without medium change was adopted. The yield of rHSA was increased sixfold by this one-step approach compared with the two-step recombinant protein process, in which a change of the culture medium to sugar-free medium is required.

Ethanol extracts of Cinnamomum kanehirai Hayata leaves induce apoptosis in human hepatoma cell through caspase-3 cascade.

Inducing apoptosis to susceptible cells is the major mechanism of most cytotoxic anticancer drugs in current use. Cinnamomum kanehirai Hayata (Lauraceae), a unique and native tree of Taiwan, is the major host for the medicinal fungus Antrodia cinnamomea which exhibits anti-cancer activity. Because of the scarcity of A.

Medicinal Fungus Antrodia cinnamomea Inhibits Growth and Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background. Antrodia cinnamomea is an edible fungus commonly used in Asia as a well-known medicinal herb capable of treating drug intoxication and liver cancer. Methods.

Producing bioethanol from cellulosic hydrolyzate via co-immobilized cultivation strategy.

Lignocellulose was converted into reducing sugars by using saccharification enzymes from cocultivated Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus niger and reducing sugars as nutrients for Zymomonas mobilis to produce bioethanol in an immobilization system. After 96 h of cultivation, cocultivated T. reesei and A.

Production of mouse granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by gateway technology and transgenic rice cell culture.

To establish a production platform for recombinant proteins in rice suspension cells, we first constructed a Gateway-compatible binary T-DNA destination vector. It provided a reliable and effective method for the rapid directional cloning of target genes into plant cells through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. We used the approach to produce mouse granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (mGM-CSF) in a rice suspension cell system.

Using a fed-batch culture strategy to enhance rAAV production in the baculovirus/insect cell system.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is one of the most promising vectors for human gene therapy. However, the production systems that are currently available have a limited capacity and cannot provide sufficient quantities of rAAV for preclinical or clinical trials. Many novel methods for improving rAAV production have been developed, but few researchers have focused on the culture process.

Inhibition of acidic mammalian chitinase by RNA interference suppresses ovalbumin-sensitized allergic asthma.

Asthma, a chronic helper T cell type 2-mediated inflammatory disease, is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation. Growing evidence suggests that increased expression of acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) may play a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. In the present study, we sought to develop an RNA interference approach to suppress allergic asthma in mice through silencing of AMCase expression.

Production of human serum albumin by sugar starvation induced promoter and rice cell culture.

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most widely used clinical serum protein. Currently, commercial HSA can only be obtained from human plasma, due to lack of commercially feasible recombinant protein expression systems. In this study, inducible expression and secretion of HSA by transformed rice suspension cell culture was established.