Babesia Bovis Ligand-Receptor Interaction: AMA-1 Contains Small Regions Governing Bovine Erythrocyte Binding

Apical membrane antigen 1 is a microneme protein which plays an indispensable role during Apicomplexa parasite invasion. The detailed mechanism of AMA-1 molecular interaction with its receptor on bovine erythrocytes has not been completely defined in Babesia bovis. This study was focused on identifying the minimum B. bovis AMA-1-derived regions governing specific and high-affinity binding to its target cells. Different approaches were used for detecting ama-1 locus genetic variability and natural selection signatures. The binding properties of twelve highly conserved 20-residue-long peptides were evaluated using a sensitive and specific binding assay based on radio-iodination. B. bovis AMA-1 ectodomain structure was modelled and refined using molecular modelling software. NetMHCIIpan software was used for calculating B- and T-cell epitopes. The B. bovis ama-1 gene had regions under functional constraint, having the highest negative selective pressure intensity in the Domain I encoding region. Interestingly, B. bovis AMA-1-DI (¹⁰⁰YMQKFDIPRNHGSGIYVDLG¹¹⁹ and ¹²⁰GYESVGSKSYRMPVGKCPVV¹³⁹) and DII (³⁰²CPMHPVRDAIFGKWSGGSCV³²¹)-derived peptides had high specificity interaction with erythrocytes and bound to a chymotrypsin and neuraminidase-treatment sensitive receptor. DI-derived peptides appear to be exposed on the protein’s surface and contain predicted B- and T-cell epitopes. These findings provide data (for the first-time) concerning B. bovis AMA-1 functional subunits which are important for establishing receptor-ligand interactions which could be used in synthetic vaccine development.     

转锈稳锈材料在石油钻采设备薄壁件表面的应用

石油钻采设备中存在部分薄壁板件(厚度不超过3 mm),在喷砂或喷丸过程中极易造成变形,故实际生产中只能手工打磨清理。但是手工打磨效率较低,且一旦手工清理不彻底,会影响产品的防腐质量。为提升石油钻采设备中薄壁防腐质量,引进了新材料——转锈稳锈材料。通过控制变量,使用拉拔仪检测不同变量下涂层附着力;对转锈稳锈材料和传统的手工处理进行比较,考察其对不同品牌的油漆是否具有兼容性。研究结果表明:转锈稳锈材料与传统的手工打磨清理相比在增加漆膜附着力方面更具有优势,而且与大多数的油漆具有兼容性。     

Immiscible PHB/PBS and PHB/PBSA blends: morphology,phase composition and modelling of elastic modulus

This paper reports the thermal, morphological and mechanical properties of environmentally friendly poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and PHB/poly[(butylene succinate)-co-(butylene adipate)] (PBSA) blends, prepared by melt mixing. The blends are known to be immiscible, as also confirmed by the thermodynamic analysis here presented. A detailed quantification of the crystalline and amorphous fractions was performed, in order to interpret the mechanical properties of the blends. As expected, the ductility increased with increasing PBS or PBSA amount, but in parallel the decrease in the elastic modulus appeared limited. Surprisingly, the elastic modulus was found properly described by the rule of mixtures in the whole composition range, thus attesting mechanical compatibility between the two blend components. This unusual behavior has been explained as due to co-continuous morphology, present in a wide composition range, but also at the same time as the result of shrinkage occurring during sequential crystallization of the two components, which can lead to physical adhesion between matrix and dispersed phase. For the first time, the elastic moduli of the crystalline and mobile amorphous fractions of PBS and PBSA and of the mobile amorphous fraction of PHB at ambient temperature have been estimated through a mechanical modelling approach. © 2021 The Authors. Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Industrial Chemistry.     

Preparation and characterization of calcium phosphate cement with enhanced tissue adhesion for bone defect repair

Anti-washout and tissue adhesion properties are essential for the clinical application of injectable bone materials. In this study, we prepared calcium phosphate cement (CPC) with anti-washout and tissue adhesion properties and attempted to build covalent bonds between CPC and the amino groups in bone tissue under a self-regulating pH system in the CPC (acidic to basic). The results of push-out tests demonstrated that a significant enhancement (from 6.42 ± 0.76 N to 61.5 ± 4.09 N) in tissue adhesion was obtained with the addition of 6% (w/w) oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) in CPC. The FTIR, XRD, anti-washout test, XPS, pH test, and SEM results suggested that the synergistic effect of OSA-citric acid (CA) led to the formation of a three-dimensional gel network structure in the CPC, and the Schiff base reaction between aldehyde and amino groups induced adhesion between CPC and the bone tissue. Further, the addition of less OSA had no significant negative effect on the hydration properties of CPC. Our work aims to promote the development of injectable bone material in clinical applications.     

Multifunctional Hydrophobized Microparticles for Accelerated Wound Healing after Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) provides strong therapeutic benefits for early gastrointestinal cancer as a minimally invasive treatment. However, there is currently no reliable treatment to prevent scar contracture resulting from ESD which may lead to cicatricial stricture. Herein, a multifunctional colloidal wound dressing to promote tissue regeneration after ESD is demonstrated. This sprayable wound dressing, composed of hydrophobized microparticles, exhibits the multifunctionality necessary for wound healing including tissue adhesiveness, blood coagulation, re‐epithelialization, angiogenesis, and controlled inflammation based on hydrophobic interaction with biological systems. An in vivo feasibility study using swine gastric ESD models reveals that this colloidal wound dressing suppresses fibrosis and accelerates wound healing. Multifunctional colloidal and sprayable wound dressings have an enormous therapeutic potential for use in a wide range of biomedical applications including accelerated wound healing after ESD, prevention of perforation, and the treatment of inflammatory diseases.     

油介质下高速轮轨低黏着特性和撒砂试验研究

在车轮-钢轨高速滚动接触疲劳试验机上进行油介质下高速轮轨低黏着特性和增黏试验,研究油介质条件下不同速度、蠕滑率、轴质量以及撒砂对黏着系数的影响,最高试验线速度200 km/h。结果表明:黏着系数随蠕滑率的增加先增大、再微降随后趋于平稳,在蠕滑率3%左右达到最大;随着速度的增加,黏着系数呈快速下降趋势,如速度从50 km/h增加至200 km/h时,最大黏着系数从0.092下降至0.049;当轴质量由12 t增至16 t时,黏着系数仅略微增加了0.01;撒砂后,黏着系数约为未撒砂时的3倍左右,且依然随速度增加而降低;撒砂会使得试验后轮轨表面产生很多麻坑,从而增大了表面粗糙度,对增黏起到了一定作用,但增黏砂会对接触表面造成显著损伤,在极端条件下会促进滚动接触疲劳的萌生,威胁运行安全。