Antioxidant Activity of Piceatannol in Canola Oil

Piceatannol has shown to be a strong antioxidant in vivo, however, its ability to suppress lipid oxidation in foods has not been examined. The present study is to examine the antioxidant effect of piceatannol on heated canola oil compared with that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The oxidation of canola oil is conducted at 60, 90, 120, and 150 °C by monitoring the depletion of oxygen, the decrease in unsaturated fatty acids, and the changes of primary and secondary oxidation products. Results demonstrated that piceatannol can suppress lipid oxidation of canola oil in a dose-dependent manner with its effect being more effective than BHT. Practical Applications: Lipid oxidation is a major factor in the deterioration of food quality. Synthetic antioxidants, such as BHT and butylated hydroxyanisole, are used to inhibit oxidation in foods, but their safety has been always concerned. Piceatannol has exhibited a strong antioxidant activity to attenuate lipid oxidation and it should be further explored for use as a natural antioxidant in foods.     

α钛富氧层增厚动力学模型

为了实现在工业化生产中对α钛富氧层厚度预测和控制,通过实验研究α钛富氧层在高温空气环境中的形成及增厚过程,讨论热处理温度和时间的影响作用,建立高温(750~850℃)空气环境下关于温度、时间的富氧层增厚动力学模型。结果表明:当恒温热处理温度为750~850℃时,α钛富氧层厚度x与保温时间t0.5呈正比例关系,且升高热处理温度可显著提高富氧层增厚速度。在此温度范围内,氧原子的扩散激活能约为203473 J/mol,计算曲线与实验数据吻合性较好。结合文献中已有的扩散系数方程和实验测得的富氧层厚度数据,推导得到5个富氧层增厚动力学方程,其中3个方程的计算曲线与实验数据吻合性较好,可为实际生产中预估富氧层厚度提供理论支持。     

Mangiferin Inhibits Apoptosis in Doxorubicin-Induced Vascular Endothelial Cells via the Nrf2 Signaling Pathway

Doxorubicin increases endothelial permeability, hence increasing cardiomyocytes’ exposure to doxorubicin (DOX) and exposing myocytes to more immediate damage. Reactive oxygen species are major effector molecules of doxorubicin’s activity. Mangiferin (MGN) is a xanthone derivative that consists of C-glucosylxanthone with additional antioxidant properties. This particular study assessed the effects of MGN on DOX-induced cytotoxicity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells’ (HUVECs’) signaling networks. Mechanistically, MGN dramatically elevated Nrf2 expression at both the messenger RNA and protein levels through the upregulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, leading to an increase in Nrf2-downstream genes. Cell apoptosis was assessed with a caspase-3 activity assay, transferase-mediated dUTP-fluorescein nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was performed to assess DNA fragmentation, and protein expression was determined by Western blot analysis. DOX markedly increased the generation of reactive oxygen species, PARP, caspase-3, and TUNEL-positive cell numbers, but reduced the expression of Bcl-2 and antioxidants’ intracellular concentrations. These were effectively antagonized with MGN (20 μM), which led to HUVECs being protected against DOX-induced apoptosis, partly through the PI3K/AKT-mediated NRF2/HO-1 signaling pathway, which could theoretically protect the vessels from severe DOX toxicity.     

Mitochondrial and Autophagic Regulation of Adult Neurogenesis in the Healthy and Diseased Brain

Adult neurogenesis is a highly regulated process during which new neurons are generated from neural stem cells in two discrete regions of the adult brain: the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle and the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus. Defects of adult hippocampal neurogenesis have been linked to cognitive decline and dysfunction during natural aging and in neurodegenerative diseases, as well as psychological stress-induced mood disorders. Understanding the mechanisms and pathways that regulate adult neurogenesis is crucial to improving preventative measures and therapies for these conditions. Accumulating evidence shows that mitochondria directly regulate various steps and phases of adult neurogenesis. This review summarizes recent findings on how mitochondrial metabolism, dynamics, and reactive oxygen species control several aspects of adult neural stem cell function and their differentiation to newborn neurons. It also discusses the importance of autophagy for adult neurogenesis, and how mitochondrial and autophagic dysfunction may contribute to cognitive defects and stress-induced mood disorders by compromising adult neurogenesis. Finally, I suggest possible ways to target mitochondrial function as a strategy for stem cell-based interventions and treatments for cognitive and mood disorders.     

Core–Shell Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen is a promising solution for the conversion and storage of solar energy. Because sluggish water oxidation is the bottleneck of water splitting, the design and preparation of an efficient photoanode is intensively investigated. Currently, all known photoanode materials suffer from at least one of the following drawbacks: ① low carriers separation efficiency; ② sluggish surface water oxidation reaction; ③ poor long-term stability; ④ insufficient water adsorption and gas desorption. Core–shell configurations can endow a photoanode with improved activity and stability by coating an overlayer that plays energetic, catalytic, and/or protective roles. The construction strategy has an important effect on the activity of a core–shell photoanode. Nonetheless, the mechanism for the improvement of performance is still ambiguous and is worthy of a closer examination. In this review, the successes and challenges of core–shell photoanodes for water oxidation, focusing on synthesis strategies as well as functionalities (facilitating carrier separation, surface reaction promotion, corrosion prevention, and bubble detachment) are explored. Finally, the perspectives of this class of materials in terms of new opportunities and efforts are discussed.     

Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles Containing an Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (aPDL1) to Locally Induce Immune Responses in the Central Nervous System

Immunotherapy is an efficient approach to clinical oncology. However, the immune privilege of the central nervous system (CNS) limits the application of immunotherapeutic strategies for brain cancers, especially glioblastoma (GBM). Tumor resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors is a further challenge in immunotherapies. To overcome the immunological tolerance of brain tumors, a novel multifunctional nanoparticle (NP) for highly efficient synergetic immunotherapy is reported. The NP contains an anti-PDL1 antibody (aPDL1), upconverting NPs, and the photosensitizer 5-ALA; the surface of the NP is conjugated with the B1R kinin ligand to facilitate transport across the blood-tumor-barrier. Upon irradiation with a 980 nm laser, 5-ALA is transformed into protoporphyrin IX, generating reactive oxygen species. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) further promotes intratumoral infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and sensitizes tumors to PDL1 blockade therapy. It is demonstrated that combining PDT and aPDL1 can effectively suppress GBM growth in mouse models. The proposed NPs provide a novel and effective strategy for boosting anti-GBM photoimmunotherapy.     

木片筛余物高得率半化学法清洁制浆技术研究

以太阳纸业备料车间木片筛选碎料（筛余物）为原料，对其烧碱法半化学制浆的实验室工艺和生产试验进行了研究。结果表明，筛余物采用半化学法制浆可获得较高得率和环压强度的纸浆，且用碱量对纸浆性能有显著影响。相对8%NaOH （相对于绝干原料）化学预处理，采用14%NaOH化学预处理结合两段浆浓22%的高浓磨浆工艺，所制半化学浆抄造浆张的裂断长和环压指数分别达2.89 km和9.76 N·m/g，是前者的1.9倍和1.2倍，而且优于现用国内OCC废纸浆抄造浆张；生产试验得到的浆张性能指标与实验室相吻合，其中紧度和环压强度分别达到GB/T 13023—2008瓦楞芯（原）纸AA级和A级优等品要求。     

Imidazolium functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes for direct methanol alkaline fuel cell applications

In this study, imidazolium functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was synthesized by acetalization and direct quaternization reaction. Afterwards, composite anion exchange membranes based on imidazolium‐ and quaternary ammonium‐ functionalized PVA were used for direct methanol alkaline fuel cell applications. ¹H NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data indicated that imidazole functionalized PVA was successfully synthesized. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry data demonstrated that the imidazolium structure was efficiently obtained by direct quaternization of the imidazole group. Composite anion exchange membranes were fabricated by application of the functionalized PVA solution on the surface of porous polycarbonate (PC) membranes. Fuel cell related properties of all prepared membranes were investigated systematically. The imidazolium functionalized composite membrane (PVA‐Im/PC) exhibited higher ionic conductivity (7.8 mS cm^?1 at 30 °C) despite a lower water uptake and ion exchange capacity value compared to that of quaternary ammonium. In addition, PVA‐Im/PC showed the lowest methanol permeation rate and the highest membrane selectivity as well as high alkaline and oxidative stability. Dynamic mechanical analysis results reveal that both composite membranes were mechanically resistant up to 10⁷ Pa at 140 °C. The superior performance of imidazolium functionalized PVA composite membrane compared to quaternary ammonium functionalized membrane makes it a promising candidate for direct methanol alkaline fuel cell applications. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry