Enhanced Antioxidation and UV-Absorption Ability of Industrial Lignin via Promoting Phenolic Contents and Hydrophilicity.

Lignin possesses unique natural antioxidation and UV-absorption abilities, making it a promising ingredient for sunscreen. However, the industrial lignin produced from pulping or bioethanol production generally shows low efficiency due to the limited phenolic hydroxyl content and poor compatibility with sunscreen, respectively. To address this issue, a molten salt hydrate treatment process was carried out for the selective cleavage of ether bonds in industrial lignin.

Lignin Ultrafiltration Fractionation and Self-Assembly to Monodisperse Nanoparticles for Photonic Materials.

Lignin, a natural aromatic polymer, is a promising candidate for sustainable photonic materials. However, its heterogeneity hinders uniform nanoparticle production. This study employs membrane ultrafiltration to fractionate alkaline lignin into five molecular weight fractions (UL1-UL5) and synthesizes lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) via antisolvent self-assembly.

New Insight into Industrial Lignin Intermolecular Force Heterogeneity Mitigation: Monodispersed Lignin Colloidal Sphere Synthesis and Full Biomass Photonic Material Preparation.

Industrial lignin is an underutilized resource from the pulping industry due to its high heterogeneity. The transformation of industrial lignin into monodispersed lignin colloidal spheres (LCSs) for the preparation of advanced biomass photonic materials is particularly appealing, because of their unique biocompatibility. However, the LCSs synthesized from industrial lignin generally show a wide size distribution and thus limit this specific application.

Evaluating the detection of barbiturates in dried blood spots: A comparative analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with different extraction methods.

Rapid and accurate characterization and quantitation of blood barbiturates and their combination drugs are very important for the clinical treatment of acute barbiturate poisoning. A comparison of dried blood spot (DBS) and traditional liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) in the pre-treatment stage, as well as a comparison of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) as instrumental analysis methods, revealed differences in the analysis results of barbiturates and their combination drugs under different conditions. Based on these findings, we introduce a DBS-GC-MS/MS method.

Exosomal let-7b-5p deriving from parietal epithelial cells attenuate renal fibrosis through suppression of TGFβR1 and ARID3a in obstructive kidney disease.

As renal progenitor cells, parietal epithelial cells (PECs) have demonstrated multilineage differentiation potential in response to kidney injury. However, the function of exosomes derived from PECs has not been extensively explored. Immunofluorescent staining of Claudin-1 was used to identify primary PECs isolated from mouse glomeruli.

Repeated lyophilization: A neo-method for urine-based reference materials preparation.

In urine drug testing, a cut-off value is often imposed to determine whether the sample is negative or positive. A matrix containing a reference substance helps counteract the adverse effects of the urine matrix across different laboratories to improve the consistency of final results. However, as a biological matrix, urine is prone to corruption and other problems that make it difficult to use as a reference sample.

Urinary exosomal mRNAs as biomarkers for predicting the therapeutic effect of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in IgA nephropathy patients.

Background: Renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi) treatment is the basic therapy for IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients. However, there is few of biomarker that can predict the efficacy of RASi. This study aimed to find urinary exosomal mRNAs related to the therapeutic effect of RASi in the treatment of proteinuria in IgAN patients.

Characteristics of T cell premature senescence in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Background: Uremia-associated immunodeficiency, mainly characterized by T cell dysfunction, exists in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and promotes systemic inflammation. However, T cell senescence, one of the causes of T cell dysfunction, has not been clearly revealed yet. In this cross-sectional research, we aimed to study the manifestation of T cell premature senescence in MHD patients and further investigate the associated clinical factors.

Paxlovid for hospitalized COVID-19 patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: COVID-19 causes significant mortality during the recent pandemic. Data regarding the effectiveness of Paxlovid on COVID-19 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD, eGFR <90 ml/min) are limited.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on the clinical data of the hospitalized adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection collected at Renji Hospital from April 7, 2022 to June 21, 2022.

Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir for hemodialysis patients with COVID-19.

Hemodialysis patients have a high risk of severe/critical COVID-19 and related high mortality, but nirmatrelvir/ritonavir is not recommended for hemodialysis patients with COVID-19 infection because of lack of evidence of safety. Our study aims to evaluate the minimum plasma concentration (Cmin) of nirmatrelvir and its safety of different doses of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in hemodialysis patients with mild COVID-19. This was a prospective, two step, nonrandomized, open-label study.

P2X7R/AKT/mTOR signaling mediates high glucose-induced decrease in podocyte autophagy.

Diabetic nephropathy is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease worldwide. In our study we found that Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content was significantly increased in the urine of diabetic mice. We examined the expression of all purinergic receptors in the renal cortex and found that only purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) expression was significantly increased in the renal cortex of wild-type diabetic mice and that the P2X7R protein partially co-localized with podocytes.

Emergence of the clinical rdar morphotype carbapenem-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae with enhanced adaption to hospital environment.

Klebsiella pneumoniae has evolved into strains of various phenotypes that pose a grave threat to human health in the past few decades. This study investigated a novel morphotype of K. pneumoniae with enhanced adaption to the hospital environment.

HIF1α-BNIP3-mediated mitophagy protects against renal fibrosis by decreasing ROS and inhibiting activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Chronic kidney disease affects approximately 14.3% of people worldwide. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is the final stage of almost all progressive CKD.

Adaptive immune dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 and impaired kidney function during the omicron surge.

Background: Little is known about the characteristics of lymphocyte subsets and the association with patient outcomes in COVID-19 with and without impaired kidney function.

Methods: Lymphocyte subsets were compared in COVID-19 patients with or without kidney dysfunction. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality or intensive care unit admission.

Aeromonas spp. from hospital sewage act as a reservoir of genes resistant to last-line antibiotics.

Background: Aeromonas species are opportunistic pathogens distributed widely in the ecosystem. They are known to be capable of acquiring antibiotic resistance genes, including those encoding proteins against last-line antibiotics, such as the tmexCD-toprJ, mcr and carbapenemase genes. We investigated the genomic and phenotypic characteristics of tmexCD-toprJ-positive Aeromonas strains collected from human, animals, and water samples, particularly those from hospital wastewater in China.

Genomic Shift in Population Dynamics of mcr-1-positive Escherichia coli in Human Carriage.

Emergence of the colistin resistance gene, mcr-1, has attracted worldwide attention. Despite the prevalence of mcr-1-positive Escherichia coli (MCRPEC) strains in human carriage showing a significant decrease between 2016 and 2019, genetic differences in MCRPEC strains remain largely unknown. We therefore conducted a comparative genomic study on MCRPEC strains from fecal samples of healthy human subjects in 2016 and 2019.

Emergence of an Extensive Drug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain of Chicken Origin Carrying , (X6), and - on an Inc Plasmid.

This study reports an extensively drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA166-2 which was of chicken origin and carrying , (X6) and - on a single plasmid. The strain was characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, resistance gene screening, conjugation assay, whole-genome sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis. Strain PA166-2 was resistant to tigecycline and carbapenems.

Effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on bone health and offspring growth: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Whether vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy is beneficial to bone health and offspring growth remains controversial. Moreover, there is no universal agreement regarding the appropriate dose and the time of commencement of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy.

Objective: We aimed to systematically review the effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on bone development and offspring growth.

Distribution and spread of the mobilised RND efflux pump gene cluster tmexCD-toprJ in clinical Gram-negative bacteria: a molecular epidemiological study.

Background: TMexCD1-TOprJ1, which is associated with phenotypic resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics, is a transmissible resistance-nodulation-division (RND) family efflux pump. However, the prevalence and genomic and phenotypic characteristics of clinical isolates with this important resistance determinant are poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to survey tmexCD-toprJ among clinical Gram-negative isolates collected from hospitals in China between 1991 and 2020 and characterise tmexCD-toprJ-positive clinical isolates.

Carriage of the mcr-9 and mcr-10 genes in clinical strains of the Enterobacter cloacae complex in China: a prevalence and molecular epidemiology study.

Objectives: Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) is among the most common carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in China. The emergence of mcr has rendered CRE strains resistant to the last-line antibiotic colistin. This study investigated the prevalence of mcr-9 and mcr-10 in carbapenem-resistant ECC (CRECC) and carbapenem-susceptible ECC (CSECC) in China.

Auto-Segmentation Ultrasound-Based Radiomics Technology to Stratify Patient With Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Multi-Center Retrospective Study.

Background: An increasing proportion of patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has been observed among incident hemodialysis patients in large cities, which is consistent with the continuous growth of diabetes in the past 20 years.

Purpose: In this multicenter retrospective study, we developed a deep learning (DL)-based automatic segmentation and radiomics technology to stratify patients with DKD and evaluate the possibility of clinical application across centers.

Materials And Methods: The research participants were enrolled retrospectively and separated into three parts: training, validation, and independent test datasets for further analysis.

Effectiveness of a double-carbapenem combinations against carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

The emergence of carbapenem-resistant organisms posed considerable threat to global health while only limited treatment options are available and led to efforts to discover a novel way to treat them. To evaluate synergistic activity of meropenem plus ertapenem, a total of 203 carbapenem-resistant strains, collected from 12 provinces and municipalities in China, were examined with a dual carbapenem combination therapy. The statistical software R was used for analysis.