Exploring potential protein-protein interactions driving unusual fatty acid synthesis in pomegranate.

Many plant-derived unusual fatty acids (UFAs) possess valuable chemical properties and have potential applications in the food, feed, and oleochemical industries. Despite significant interest, the mechanisms by which plants synthesize and accumulate these structurally distinct fatty acids remain only partially understood. While enzyme substrate specificities involved in UFA-containing storage lipid assembly have been well characterized in many prior studies, the biochemical roles of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in coordinating UFA biosynthesis have received less attention.

Hierarchically Reinforcing Hydrogel for Multidimensional Bone Homeostasis Modulation to Regenerate Osteoporotic Defect.

To balance the requirement of high mechanical properties and convenient injectability for the hydrogel design of osteoporotic bone defects (OBD) repair, a hierarchical hydrogel stiffening strategy is proposed through the synergetic utilizing of rapidly formed dynamic hydrazone crosslinking, high-strength double-bond chemical crosslinking, and contraction of activated shape-memory short fibers (SMSFs). In detail, the Schiff Base reaction mediated first network enabled stable precursor retention at the injection site without compromising injectability. Subsequent radical polymerization by photocrosslinking enhanced the hydrogel stiffness from 9.

Construction and characterization of Pickering emulsion stabilized by agar-phenylalanine complex microgel particles.

Polysaccharide-based food-grade microgel particles show promise as Pickering stabilizers when modified with biological components to optimize wettability. This study developed agar-amino acid complex microgel particles (AAMs) by integrating non-polar amino acids (e.g.

Engineering a placenta-inspired biomimicking fibrous patch for chondrogenesis through immunomodulation.

The frequent onset of hyper-inflammatory responses after implantation impairs the availability of tissue transplants, impedes cellular renewal, and ultimately leads to the failure of scaffold-based cartilage regeneration. Existing scaffold modification strategies show limited efficacy in controlling immune cell infiltration and modulating inflammatory responses. Inspired by the placenta's dual protective and immunomodulatory attributes-through its physical barrier and biofactors release-this study develops a biomimetic surface-engineered aligned poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) fibrous patch barrier with pH-responsive drug release capabilities to shield implanted grafts, control post-implantation immunomodulatory processes, and foster chondrogenesis.

Sensitivity of Soil Organic Matter Priming to Warming Depends on Diurnal Temperature Cycle.

Understanding soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization is critical for predicting soil carbon (C) cycling, yet the effects of diurnal temperature fluctuations and their interactions with labile C inputs remain unclear. Arable soils were incubated for 42 days under constant temperatures (15 or 25 °C) or diurnal temperature fluctuations, without or with C-glucose addition. Diurnal fluctuations enhanced cumulative SOM mineralization and priming effects, with a higher temperature sensitivity () of priming (2.

Structure transition and gel melioration of ι-carrageenan and non-gelling senna tora gum mixed gel.

This study explored the potential of senna tora gum (STG) to modulate the gelation behavior and microstructure of iota-carrageenan (IC) in order to develop improved polysaccharide-based gels. Rheological and textural analyses revealed that STG significantly increased IC's gel strength without altering its structure. At an optimal STG concentration of 0.

Functions of Arabidopsis CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase 1 in phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis and root growth.

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a crucial membrane phospholipid involved in both cellular processes and stress responses. CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase 1 (CCT1) is considered to catalyze a key regulatory step in primary PC de novo biosynthesis, but its functions and regulation are yet to be well elucidated. This study explored the physiological functions of CCT1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) (AthCCT1) in PC biosynthesis under normal growth conditions and in root development under osmotic stress, as well as its regulation by phosphorylation.

Exploring the Catalytic Mechanisms of a Newly Identified Salt-Activated Alginate Lyase from ASY5.

Alginate lyases are critical enzymes in hydrolyzing alginate into alginate oligosaccharides (AOS), which are bioactive compounds known for their antioxidant properties and ability to lower serum glucose and lipid concentrations. However, elucidating catalytic mechanisms and discovering enzymes with enhanced catalytic efficiency remain long-term challenges. Here, we report AlgL2491, a novel bifunctional and cold-adapted alginate lyase from ASY5, belonging to the polysaccharide lyase family 18.

A novel core-shell microsphere with hydrophobic and gel chromatography functions enhances protein purification.

The spatial configuration and bonding conditions of polysaccharide microspheres make it difficult to distinguish molecules with similar hydrophobic properties in practical applications. Fortunately, medium modification offers more flexible chromatography conditions and higher selectivity, providing new solutions for complex purification environments. We synthesized hydrophobic composite core-shell agarose microspheres equipped with hydrophobic ligands and investigated the effects of hydrophobic ligand coupling on the morphology, particle size, pressure resistance, functional group change and protein adsorption capacity of microspheres.

Inhibition of histone deacetylase in Arabidopsis root calli promotes shoot organogenesis.

organogenesis from somatic cells to the entire plant represents a remarkable biological phenomenon, but the underlying regulatory mechanism, particularly at the epigenetic level, remains obscure. In this work, we demonstrate the important role of histone deacetylases (HDACs) in shoot organogenesis. HDAC inhibition by trichostatin A (an HDAC inhibitor) at the callus induction stage promotes shoot formation in wounded roots and circumvents tissue wounding to initiate shoot regeneration in unwounded roots.

Tuning the amphiphilicity of agarose by grafting phenolic acids: A versatile approach for developing lutein-loaded emulsion gels.

In this study, three phenolic acids, namely 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid (DBA), 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DPA), and 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylpropanoic acid (DPPA), were grafted onto agarose molecules to improve the physicochemical and biological properties of agarose. DBA-grafted agarose (DBA-AG), DPA-grafted agarose (DPA-AG), and DPPA-grafted agarose (DPPA-AG) were prepared and used as encapsulation materials to construct a lutein-loaded emulsion gel delivery system. The results confirmed that phenolic acids were successfully grafted onto the agarose backbone via ester bonds, with a grafting degree of approximately 8 %.

A novel Pickering emulsion stabilized solely by agar-glycine Maillard conjugates.

A novel Pickering emulsifier was developed through the Maillard reaction between acidolyzed agar and glycine. The resulting agar-glycine (Agar-Gly) Maillard product particles effectively stabilized a long-term Pickering emulsion at low pH (as low as 3) and medium oil content (40 %-50 %) with a particle concentration of 1 %. Microstructural analysis revealed that Agar-Gly particles adsorbed around the droplets, forming a typical O/W Pickering emulsion.

Multi-scale attention patching encoder network: a deployable model for continuous estimation of hand kinematics from surface electromyographic signals.

Background: Simultaneous and proportional control (SPC) based on surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals has emerged as a research hotspot in the field of human-machine interaction (HMI). However, the existing continuous motion estimation methods mostly have an average Pearson coefficient (CC) of less than 0.85, while high-precision methods suffer from the problem of long inference time (> 200 ms) and can only estimate SPC of less than 15 hand movements, which limits their applications in HMI.

Enhanced osteo-angiogenic coupling by a bioactive cell-free fat extract (CEFFE) delivered through electrospun fibers.

Regeneration of functional bone tissue relies heavily on achieving adequate vascularization in engineered bone constructs following implantation. This process requires the close integration of osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Cell-free fat extract (CEFFE or FE), a recently emerging acellular fat extract containing abundant growth factors, holds significant potential for regulating osteo-angiogenic coupling and promoting regeneration of vascularized bone tissue.

Interpretable multi-modal artificial intelligence model for predicting gastric cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy assessment is imperative for prognostication and clinical management of locally advanced gastric cancer. We propose an incremental supervised contrastive learning model (iSCLM), an interpretable artificial intelligence framework integrating pretreatment CT scans and H&E-stained biopsy images, for improved decision-making regarding neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We have constructed and tested iSCLM using retrospective data from 2,387 patients across 10 medical centers and evaluated its discriminative ability in a prospective cohort (132 patients; ChiCTR2300068917).

Histone deacetylase 9 promotes osteogenic trans-differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells via ferroptosis in chronic kidney disease vascular calcification.

Vascular calcification, a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), remains an unmet therapeutic challenge. The trans-differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) into osteoblast-like cells is crucial in the pathogenesis of vascular calcification in CKD. Despite ferroptosis promotes vascular calcification in CKD, the upstream or downstream regulatory mechanisms involved remains unclear.

Association between sleep duration and the risk of hyperhomocysteinemia among adults in the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2006.

The study aimed to discuss the association between sleep duration and the risk of hyperhomocysteinemia (Hhcy). This cross-sectional study included 4173 adults (≥ 20 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006. According to their sleep duration, participants were divided into five subgroups.

Engineering Rhodosporidium toruloides for sustainable production of value-added punicic acid from glucose and wood residues.

Rhodosporidium toruloides has emerged as a prominent candidate for producing single-cell oil from cost-effective feedstocks. In this study, the capability of R. toruloides to produce punicic acid (PuA), a representative plant unusual fatty acid, was investigated.

Structure, characterization, and application of a novel thermoreversible emulsion gel fabricated by citrate agar.

A novel thermoreversible emulsion gel was successfully prepared with citrate agar (CA) as the sole emulsifier. Compared with native agar gel emulsion, CA gel emulsion (CAGE) formed a stable emulsion gel when the CA concentration was increased to 1.25 % (w/w).

Dietary calcium intake at breakfast is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment than at dinner in Chinese adults: the CHNS cohort study.

Background And Objectives: If the proportion of calcium intake over a whole day is related to the risk of cognitive impairment in adults is still largely unknown. This research aimed to examine the relation of dietary calcium intake at dinner versus breakfast with the risk of cognitive impairment by using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS).

Methods And Study Design: A total of 2,099 participants (including 668 cognitive impairment) in the CHNS (1997-2006) were included.

Agar-gelatin Maillard conjugates used for Pickering emulsion stabilization.

A few protein- and polysaccharide-based particles have shown promising potential as stabilizers in multi-phase food systems. By incorporating polymer-based particles and modifying the wettability of colloidal systems, it is possible to create particle-stabilized emulsions with excellent stability. A Pickering emulsifier (AGMs) with better emulsifying properties was obtained by the Maillard reaction between acid-hydrolysed agar and gelatin.