Cellulose nanofiber-created air barrier enabling closed-cell foams prepared via oven-drying.

Cellulose foams are renewable and biodegradable materials that are promising substitutes for plastic foams. However, the scale-up fabrication of cellulose foams is severely hindered by technological complexity and cost- and time-consuming drying processes. Here, we developed a facile and robust method to fabricate cellulose foams via oven-drying following surfactant-assisted mechanical foaming of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs).

Polydopamine-integrated cellulose/graphene oxide monoliths: A versatile platform for efficient continuous-flow iodine capture and photothermal-enhanced reduction of Cr(VI).

The global challenge of wastewater contamination, especially from persistent pollutants like radioactive isotopes and heavy metals, demands innovative purification solutions. Radioactive iodine isotopes (I and I), stemming from nuclear activities, pose serious health risks due to their mobility, bioaccumulation, and ionizing radiation, particularly impacting thyroid health. Similarly, hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), is highly toxic and persistent in water, linked to cancer and other severe health issues.

Biocompatible dually reinforced gellan gum hydrogels with selective antibacterial activity.

The poor mechanics and functionality of natural-polymer hydrogels from gellan gum (GG) prohibit their practical application, despite the intrinsic thermo-reversible gelation nature, structural and quality consistency, biocompatibility, biodegradability and sustainability of microbial fermentation-produced GG. Herein, a dual-reinforcing strategy, i.e.

Effect of glycoside hydrolase-mediated wheat arabinoxylan hydrolysate on gut microbiota and metabolite profiles.

Cereal arabinoxylans (AX) are complex non-digestible polysaccharides and their molecular structural features significantly influence their degradation and metabolic behaviors within the body. This study focuses on investigating the impact of wheat AX hydrolysates produced by different glycoside hydrolases on the gut microbiota during colonic fermentation. Endo-1,4-β-xylanase (XYN) and arabinofuranosidase (ARF) were used to hydrolyze the xylan backbone and remove the arabinose side chains, respectively.

Development of a rapid enzymatic quantification method for hyaluronic acid based on the gene-mining of hyaluronate lyase.

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a vital polysaccharide naturally present in human tissues, is widely utilized in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to its diverse functionalities and bioactivity. Rapid and accurate quantification of HA is essential for the quality control of its products. Enzymatic quantification methods, known for their simplicity and high specificity, were employed for polysaccharide measurement.

Biomimetic fucoidan nanoparticles with regulation of macrophage polarization for targeted therapy of acute lung injury.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a complex acute respiratory illness with a high mortality rate. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a pivotal role in ALI, inducing cellular damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress, thereby exacerbating the severity of the injury. In this study, inspired by the "subtractive" strategy, we developed a fucoidan-based macrophage membrane bio-nanosystem, abbreviated as MF@CB, designed as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent to alleviate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in ALI.

One-pot ligation of multiple mRNA fragments on dsDNA splint advancing regional modification and translation.

Region-specific RNA modifications are crucial for advancing RNA research and therapeutics, including messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccines and immunotherapy. However, the predominant method, synthesizing regionally modified mRNAs with short single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) splints, encounters challenges in ligating long mRNA fragments due to the formation of RNA self-folded complex structures. To address this issue, we developed an efficient strategy using an easily obtained long double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) as a ligation splint after in situ denaturing, while parts of this dsDNA are the templates for transcribing mRNA fragments.

Sodium alginate-crosslinked montmorillonite nanosheets hydrogel for efficient gallium recovery.

An efficient adsorbent for Ga(III) recovery was developed by applying the geochemical principles of Ga mineralization, using Al-rich clay minerals with a natural affinity for Ga as the raw material. Sodium alginate (SA) facilitated the cross-linked assembly of montmorillonite nanosheets (MMTNS), forming a three-dimensional structured hydrogel. This was achieved through electrostatic interactions between -OH groups on the edges of MMTNS and -COO groups in SA, as well as the complexation of Ca and -COO groups.

Micro-corrugated chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystal films integrated with ionic conductive hydrogels leads to flexible materials for multidirectional strain sensing applications.

Multidirectional strain sensors are of technological importance for wearable devices and soft robots. Here, we report that flexible materials capable of multidirectional anisotropic strain sensing can be constructed leveraging diffusion-induced infiltration of monomers and in situ polymerization of metal ion-containing double network hydrogels in and on the surface of micro-corrugated chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystal/glucose films. Integrating the micro-corrugated cellulose nanocrystal/glucose chiral nematic films with ionic conductive hydrogels of PAA-co-AAm/sodium alginate/Al endows the materials with multidirectional mechanoelectrical resistivity and mechanochromism anisotropy.

Tandem modification strategy on technical lignin realize the balance of solubility and antioxidant activity in castor oil.

In this study, demethylated-acylated enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (DAEHL) with excellent solubility in castor oil and antioxidant activities were prepared via the tandem modification strategy. First, iodocyclohexane simultaneously achieved β-O-4 breakage and hydrogenation, which enhanced the antioxidant activity of lignin. Furthermore, the acylation reaction by palmitoyl chloride increased the alkyl content in the lignin, which can improve the solubility of lignin in castor oil.

Nanocellulose-reinforced nanofiber composite poly(aryl ether ketone) polymer electrolyte for advanced lithium batteries.

Solid polymer batteries (SPEs) are highly desirable for energy storage because of the urgent need for higher energy density and safer lithium ion batteries (LIBs). In this work, the single-ion lithium salt PAEK-LiCPSI was synthesized by grafting 3-chloropropanesulfonyl trifluoromethanesulimide lithium (LiCPSI) onto poly(aryl ether ketone) (PAEK). Nanocellulose (NCC), PAEK-LiCPSI, and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF-HFP) were compounded to obtain NCC reinforced high-performance nanofiber composite polymer electrolytes (NCC/PAEK/PVDF) through electrospinning, which presented tensile strength of 15.

Glutathione depletion-based pH-responsive injectable hydrogels for synergistic treatment of colon tumor.

In this paper, a pH-sensitive chitosan-grafted phenylboronic acid (CS-BA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel was constructed based on dynamic borate bonding for loading chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin (CDDP) and divalent Cu (CS-BA/PVA-Cu-CDDP). The hydrogel can respond and degrade specifically in the simulative acidic tumor microenvironment (TME), and the released Cu can deplete glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells and generate Cu. It is worth noting that, Cu can further catalyze the Fenton-like reaction to generate cancer cell-toxic hydroxyl radicals (OH•).

A novel photoelectrochemical biosensor for sensitive detection of nucleic acids based on recombinase polymerase amplification and 3D-array titania nanorods.

Nucleic acids detection is essential for diagnosing pathogens; however, traditional methods usually face challenges such as low sensitivity, lengthy reaction times, and strict temperature requirements. This study develops a novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor that integrates recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) with a 3D-array titania (TiO) nanorods nanorod electrode, addressing the challenge of achieving sensitive detection of RPA-amplified nucleic acids products, thereby enabling earlier and more reliable pathogen detection. The biosensor utilizes a triple-binding mode involving FITC antibodies, target nucleic acids, and an HRP-streptavidin sandwich structure, significantly improving the bio-functionalization of the electrode surface.

The role and mechanism of m6A methylation in diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus, characterized by progressive deterioration of renal structure and function, which may eventually lead to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, an important modality of RNA modification, involves three classes of key regulators, writers (e.g.

Imaged capillary isoelectric focusing and online mass spectrometry for milk whey protein characterization in dairy products.

Characterizing major bovine milk proteins, including whey and casein, is of significant interest in the dairy industry. The diverse array of protein proteoforms can be different in terms of genetic variation, breed ways, lactation stage, and animal nutritional status. Current routine methods for bovine milk protein profiling are typically based on immunological techniques, infrared spectroscopy, slab gel isoelectric focusing, capillary electrophoresis, and high-performance liquid chromatography.

Harnessing nature's arsenal: Targeting the TGF-β/Smad Cascade with novel natural anti-fibrotic agents.

Background: Hepatic fibrosis is a wound healing response that leads to excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) due to sustained liver injury. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are key players in ECM synthesis, with the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway being central to their activation. Despite advances in understanding the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis, effective anti-fibrotic therapies are still lacking.

Advances in the impact of ASS1 dysregulation on metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells.

ASS1(argininosuccinate synthase 1) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the urea cycle, catalyzing the synthesis of argininosuccinate from citrulline and aspartate to ultimately produce arginine and support cellular metabolism. Increasing evidence suggests that ASS1 is commonly dysregulated in the tumor microenvironment, promoting tumor cell metastasis and infiltration. With a deeper understanding of tumor metabolic reprogramming in recent years, the impact of ASS1 dysregulation on abnormal tumor metabolism has attracted growing interest among researchers.

GFRs in Chinese CKD: A systematic review.

Purpose: This was an evidence-based study to assess which creatinine-based equation was most useful for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Chinese adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: Multiple databases were searched to collect relevant studies on creatinine-based eGFR equations for Chinese adults with CKD in Chinese and English from January 2009 to January 2023, using "glomerular filtration rate", "GFR equations", "Chinese CKD", "chronic kidney disease", "equation development" and "equation validation". The quality of each study was assessed using the diagnostic test accuracy review by RevMan 5.

Highly hydrophobic calixarene polymers for efficient enrichment of polar nitrobenzene compounds.

Macrocyclic polymer materials exhibit excellent selectivity and adsorption performance in pollutant adsorption due to unique host-guest recognition. Herein, three kinds of calixarene polymers (C4P, C6P and C8P) were synthesized through Sonogashira reaction, and were characterized through H NMR, FT-IR, SEM, and TEM. The water contact angle experiments revealed that three kinds of calixarene polymers were highly hydrophobic, and they all exhibited high enrichment efficiency for weak polar chloro-substituted benzene compounds (chlorobenzene, o-chlorotoluene, p-dichlorobenzene and o-dichlorobenzene) and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes).

Disentangling activity-stability trade-off in the catalytic degradation of malodorous sulfur-containing VOCs driven by active sites' self-dynamic evolution.

The catalytic degradation of malodorous sulfur-containing volatile organic compounds (S-VOCs), especially methanethiol (CHSH), faces an enormous challenge in striking a balance between activity and stability. Herein, we develop the time-tandem and spatial-extended strategy for synthesizing t-MoO/meso-SiO nano-reactor-type catalysts and reveal the migration and transformation behaviors of both carbon and sulfur species at the mesoscopic scale to break the catalytic CHSH activity and stability trade-off. The dynamic evolution of active centers from initial oxygen sites and acid sites to sulfur vacancies in MoS during the reaction process as well as the formation of a new dimethyl disulfide (CHSSCH) reaction pathway are identified as the main reason for the catalysts' superior activity and sulfur resistance.

Scale effects on suspended sediment and their response to extreme precipitation in karst basins.

Extreme precipitation is a crucial trigger for soil erosion events in karst regions. However, the existence of a scale effect in suspended sediment characteristics of karst basins and which extreme precipitation variables control this effect remain unclear. To investigate this, we analyzed the scale effect on suspended sediment characteristics using monthly hydrological data from five karst basins of varying scales, consistently monitored from 2012 to 2019.

Predictive value of the nutritional risk index for postoperative complications in individuals with pancreatic cancer undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Purpose: To explore the predictive value of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) for postoperative complications and their severity in older adults with pancreatic cancer undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).

Methods: This study conducted a retrospective analysis of 109 older adults with pancreatic cancer undergoing PD at the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Quzhou Medical University, between May 2019 and May 2022. Statistical analysis of clinical data was performed to assess the predictive value of the GNRI for postoperative complications and their severity in older adults with pancreatic cancer undergoing PD.

Construction of naphthalimide-based fluorescent probe for sequential detection of Al and NOR and its application in tea and honey.

Metal aluminum ions and the antibiotic NOR have both benefited humanity and due to improper use, posed significant threats to the environment and human health. Although the correct and rational use of these substances is crucial, developing real-time, rapid, and highly sensitive detection of trace aluminum ions and NOR in the environment and organisms is more important for early diagnosis of potential related diseases. After several decades of development, fluorescence analysis has become a mainstream research method due to its ability to meet these requirements.

The impacts of alien species on river bioassessment.

The extent of alien taxa impacts on river ecosystem health is unclear, but their frequency continues to rise. We investigated 1) the prevalence of including alien taxa in common bioindicators used in river bioassessment, 2) the effect of alien taxa on the richness and abundance of natives, and 3) whether including alien taxa in bioassessment tools increased their sensitivity to river degradation. In the 17 countries analyzed fish represented the greatest number of alien species (1726), followed by macrophytes (925), macroinvertebrates (556), and diatoms (7).

In situ swelling of low-friction, high load-bearing self-bending bilayer hydrogels inspired by articular cartilage.

The articular cartilage is characterized by its gradient hierarchical structure, which exhibits excellent lubrication and robust load-bearing properties. However, its inherent difficulty in self-repair after damage presents numerous formidable challenges for cartilage repair. Inspired by the unique structure of articular cartilage, a biomimetic bilayer hydrogel composed of PAM (polyacrylamide) and PAM/SA (sodium alginate) is prepared using a two-step in-situ swelling method.