Search Results (235)

Background: This study investigated the relationships among mitochondrial energy metabolism, immune function, and gut microbiota in mice under a fatigued state, providing preliminary evidence for future nutrition-related mechanistic and intervention studies. Methods: Mice were adaptively fed for 4 days and then randomly divided into a normal control group (NC) and a fatigue model group (NM). Immune organ indices, serum IgG levels, thigh muscle ATP content, mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I–IV activities, and gut microbiota composition were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), microplate assays, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: Compared with the NC, the NM showed a significantly reduced spleen index, serum IgG levels, mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I, III, and IV activities, along with reduced ATP content. Regarding gut microbiota, mice in the NM exhibited disordered intestinal villus arrangement, inflammatory cell infiltration in the crypts and muscular layers, and markedly reduced intestinal microbial activity as well as protease and sucrase activities. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed fewer ASVs in the NM, with enrichment of Lactobacillaceae, Limosilactobacillus, and Ligilactobacillus, whereas the NC was characterized by Borkfalkiaceae and Borkfalkia. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis identified Lactobacillaceae, Firmicutes_D, and Lactobacillales as characteristic taxa of the NM. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) prediction indicated that fatigue-associated microbial functions were mainly related to carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism. Correlation and RDA analyses further suggested that alterations in gut microbiota structure were closely associated with mitochondrial energy-related indicators and immune-related parameters. Conclusions: Fatigue was associated with alterations in energy metabolism, immune function, and gut microecology in mice. The “gut microbiota–energy metabolism–immunity” framework may represent a potential association-based framework and provides biological information to support future nutrition-related intervention studies. Full article

Salinity stress severely inhibits crop growth and reduces yield. Exogenous selenium (Se) enhances plant abiotic stress tolerance, but how different selenium forms exert their impacts and pathways in mitigating salinity remains ambiguous. Under salt stress, this work compared two Se forms, selenate [Se(VI)] and selenite [Se(IV)], regarding their impacts on development, photosynthetic performance, antioxidative system, osmotic regulators, Se buildup, and stress-related gene expression in Nicotiana tabacum L. Both Se species significantly promoted tobacco growth. (1) Under 150 mmol/L NaCl stress, biomass, net photosynthetic rate and antioxidant enzyme activities decreased significantly, while soluble sugar, free proline, Na⁺/K⁺, Na⁺/Ca²⁺, H₂O₂, MDA contents and NtROS2a, NtLEA5 expression increased significantly. (2) Exogenous Se increased biomass, photosynthetic parameters; antioxidant enzyme activities and NtNAC2, NtCDPK12, NtROS2a expression; elevated Se deposition in roots and leaves; and reduced oxidative damage, ion imbalance and NtLEA5 expression in salt-stressed tobacco, suggesting that Se may improve salt tolerance by regulating these physiological processes and stress-related gene expression. (3) Compared with Se(IV), Se(VI) significantly increased root length, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, K⁺ content, SOD/CAT activities, leaf and root Se accumulation as well as and NtNAC2, NtCDPK12 expression, while Se(IV) resulted in higher root diameter, free proline content, Na⁺/K⁺ ratio and NtROS2a expression. In conclusion, both sodium selenate and sodium selenite effectively enhanced tobacco salt tolerance. The salt stress alleviation effect of Se(VI) may be associated with upregulating NtNAC2 and NtCDPK12 to improve antioxidant capacity and photosynthesis, thereby potentially maintaining cell membrane integrity and ion balance, while Se(IV) may exert its effect through upregulating NtROS2a to promote root thickening, reactive oxygen species scavenging and osmotic adjustment. At the tested concentrations, selenate was more effective. Full article

The disadvantages of Cisplatin in anticancer treatment are connected to its poor selectivity, resistance developed of cancers to the drug, and its toxicity against normal organs. An important strategy in anticancer treatment is the synthesis and clinical investigation of non-platinum metal complexes with superior anticancer activity and improved selectivity compared to Cisplatin, combined with lower toxicity, fewer side effects and decreased resistance of cancer to the drug. In the current study, we aim to summarize the potential of important non-platinum metal-based organic compounds as therapeutic agents against different cancer cell types. The review covers the general principles of chemotherapy. A literature analysis shows that organic complexes of the metalloids arsenic (As), boron (B), antimony (Sb), and selenium (Se), and of metals, such as Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Zn, Ce, Ga, Gd, Ir, Os, Pd, Re, Rh, Ru, Ti, and V, have been investigated for potential applications in cancer therapy. This is due to their antiproliferative effects against different cancer types: lung [Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Mn(II), Ru(II), Zn(II)]; breast [Ag(I), Cu(I), Cu(II), Ir(III), Ni(II), Mn(II),. Rh(III), Ru(II)]; gastric [Cu(II), Cu(II)-La(III)]; colon [Ag(I), Cu(II), Ir(III), Pd(II), Rh(III), Ru(II), vanadium(V)]; colorectal [Ag(I), Co(II), Cu(II), Zn(II)]; liver [Ag(I), Co(II), Cu(II), Gd(III), vanadium(V)]; pancreatic [vanadium(IV)]; bladder [Ag(I), Cu(II), Ru(II)]; cervical [Ag(I), Au(I), Cu(I), Cu(II), Fe(II), Ir(III), Rh(III), Ru(II)]; testicular [vanadium(IV)]; prostate [Cu(II), Pd(II), Zn(II)]; leukemia [Ag(I), Co(II), Cu(II), Pd(II), Zn(II)]; sarcoma [Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II)]; mesothelioma [Cu(II)]; neuroblastoma [Cu(II)]; glioma [Cu(II)]; and melanoma [Au(I), Cu(II), Pd(II), Ru(II)]. The main goals for increasing anticancer metal-based complexes include increasing anticancer activity and selectivity, reducing toxicity, and avoiding cancer cell resistance. Compared to Cisplatin, organocomplexes of copper, ferrocene, and ruthenium are more active. Ruthenium and copper complexes, in particular, are also more selective. Notably, ruthenium and ferrocene derivatives are less toxic than Cisplatin. Lastly, cancers appear to exhibit less resistance against copper, gold, ruthenium, palladium, and ferrocene complexes. Full article

Selenium (Se) speciation in seafood is a key determinant of its nutritional value. However, limited data exist on the influence of common cooking methods on Se chemical forms. This study investigated Se speciation in commonly consumed Thai seafood prepared by different cooking methods, namely, fresh (control), boiling, frying, and grilling, using HPLC–ICP–QQQ–MS. Across all samples, Se was predominantly present in organic forms, with selenomethionine (SeMet) identified as the major species, followed by selenocystine (SeCys₂), while inorganic forms (Se(IV) and Se(VI)) were generally below the limit of quantification. Indo-Pacific horseshoe crab (eggs) consistently presented significantly higher SeMet concentrations than all other seafood species across all cooking methods (p < 0.05). In addition, frying and grilling resulted in higher apparent SeMet concentrations compared to fresh and boiled samples in several species (p < 0.05). This increase should be interpreted as a concentration effect associated with moisture loss during high-temperature cooking, rather than a true chemical formation of SeMet. SeCys₂ concentrations varied across species and cooking conditions, with significantly higher levels found in certain crustaceans, such as banana prawn and musk crab, particularly after boiling (p < 0.05). Extraction yields ranged from 77% to 94%, indicating high analytical recovery. Overall, cooking methods influenced the concentration of Se species but did not substantially alter their chemical forms. These findings suggest that commonly consumed Thai seafood is a rich source of bioavailable Se, particularly in the form of SeMet. Further research is warranted to characterize minor Se species and assess their nutritional implications. Full article

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of exogenous selenium on selenium enrichment and antioxidant activity of germinated chestnuts. We treated ‘Zaofeng’ chestnuts with Na₂SeO₃ at concentration of 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 mg/L, and analyzed, during germination, the level of total Se, SeCys₂, MeSecys, Se^IV, SeMet, Se^VI, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), antioxidant enzyme (phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)) activity, non-enzymatic antioxidant substances (total polyphenols and flavonoids) content and antioxidant capacity (DPPH, ABTS). The results indicated that low concentrations of selenium (20–40 mg/L) significantly promoted the organic transformation of selenium, with a Se-enrichment rate over 74%. Antioxidant enzyme (PAL, SOD, CAT) activities and total phenol content were enhanced by 1.1 to 1.9-fold compared with the control, leading to a 12.2–29.2% improvement in antioxidant capacity (DPPH and ABTS). In contrast, the high concentration of selenium (80 mg/L) induced oxidative stress, inhibiting enzyme (PAL, SOD, CAT) activities (reduced by 14.1–20.5%) and decreasing antioxidant capacity (DPPH) by approximately 19.0%. During chestnut germination, selenite was absorbed by the embryo and subsequently transformed into organic Se in vivo, ultimately being stored mainly as SeCys₂. The selenium enrichment rate decreased significantly with increasing Na₂SeO₃ treatment concentration: from 86.4% at 20 mg/L to 62.2% at 80 mg/L. Furthermore, treatment with 40 mg/L Na₂SeO₃ led to a significant increase in GABA content of germinated chestnuts, reaching 1.3 times that of the control group. Overall, germination with 20–40 mg/L Na₂SeO₃ is an effective condition for producing Se-enriched chestnut sprouts with enhanced GABA and antioxidant capacity, offering a potential functional food ingredient. Full article

Binary change detection (BCD) using heterogeneous optical and SAR imagery faces challenges due to modality-specific noise and the lack of adaptive fusion strategies. Existing methods often fail to suppress SAR speckle noise and accurately localize fine boundaries. This study proposes a novel deep architecture, termed Dual-Modal Mixture-of-Experts Attention U-Net (DMoE-AttU-Net), featuring (i) dual-stream encoders for modality-specific feature extraction, (ii) a mixture-of-experts (MoE) module in the SAR stream with a gating network for dynamic fusion, (iii) Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) and spatial attention mechanisms in the decoder, and (iv) hierarchical skip connections for multi-scale fusion. Unlike existing multimodal change detection frameworks that apply uniform feature fusion, the proposed architecture introduces a modality-aware design in which the MoE mechanism is selectively applied to the SAR stream, enabling adaptive suppression of speckle noise while preserving complementary optical information. These components collectively enhance change localization and reduce noise-induced artifacts. The proposed model achieved a mean IoU of 0.855 and a kappa coefficient of 0.836 on three optical–SAR datasets, outperforming state-of-the-art methods in both accuracy and spatial consistency. Full article

Selenium (Se) biofortification is considered an effective approach to enhance the nutritional and functional properties of fungal polysaccharides. In this study, Pleurotus geesteranus was biofortified with different Se sources including sodium selenite [Se(IV)], sodium selenate [Se(VI)], potassium 2-selenocyanatoacetate (PSeCA), and selenium ore powder (SeOP) to obtain Se-enriched polysaccharides by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). UAE parameters were optimized via a Box–Behnken design; the optimized UAE model exhibited high predictability (R² = 0.9886, CV = 1.71%), enabling reliable scale-up for industrial extraction, with the PSeCA group achieving the highest polysaccharide content (75.12 mg/g) and Se level (13.85 mg/kg) compared to the control and other Se-fortified groups. The monosaccharide composition analysis on polysaccharides revealed that Se(IV) and Se(VI) primarily increased mannose and fructose contents, whereas PSeCA and SeOP exhibited characteristic glucose-dominant profiles. Furthermore, the molecular weight (Mw) distribution of fungal polysaccharides could be altered under biofortification conditions. In addition, polysaccharides of each group revealed different antioxidant bioactivities among tested free radicals. The result indicated that PSeCA as an organic Se source, rarely studied, has promising potential in P. geesteranus biofortification for obtaining antioxidant Se-polysaccharides. Full article

Water pollution, caused by selenium contamination, is a significant global issue due to its toxic effects on humans and animals. Selenium occurs in several oxidation states, among which selenite and selenate are the most mobile and bioavailable forms. Traditional water treatment methods are often limited in efficiency, whereas adsorption offers a simple, cost-effective, and efficient solution. Various adsorbents, including metal and mineral oxides, carbon-based materials (activated carbon, graphene oxide), biosorbents, and nanocomposites, have shown high potential for Se removal. Adsorbent modifications—physical, chemical, or composite—significantly enhance adsorption capacity, selectivity, and material stability. Studies have demonstrated that nanomaterials and nanocomposites, such as MnFe₂O₄, PAA-MGO, magnetic MOFs, and magnetite-based biochars, enable rapid removal of Se(IV) and Se(VI) with high adsorption capacities. Se(IV) is primarily adsorbed through innersphere complexation, while Se(VI) forms weaker outer-sphere interactions, explaining differences in removal efficiency. Factors such as pH, the presence of surface hydroxyl and amino groups, surface charge, and competing ions strongly influence the adsorption process. Multivalent ions reduce Se adsorption efficiency, whereas monovalent ions (NO₃⁻ and Cl⁻) have minimal impact. Modified adsorbents, nanomaterials, and nanocomposites provide sustainable and practical solutions for selenium removal from water, combining high efficiency, selectivity, and reusability, making them suitable for real-world water treatment applications. Full article

Red- and near-infrared (NIR)-emissive quantum dots (QDs) hold great promise in optoelectronic devices, sensors, and biomedicine owing to their advantages of low optical scattering, deep-tissue penetration, and compatibility with advanced photonic technologies. However, the toxicity of conventional cadmium (Cd)- and lead (Pb)-based QDs has led to growing demand for eco-friendly alternatives. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of sustainable classes of red/NIR-emissive QDs, including indium phosphide (InP), I-III-VI chalcogenides (CuInS₂, AgInSe, and so on), group-IV (Si, Ge, and SiGe) nanocrystals, and carbon-based QDs (graphene QDs or carbon dots). InP QDs are leading candidates for display technologies due to their high efficiencies and narrow bandwidths in emission properties, enabled by advanced core/shell engineering. In contrast, I-III-VI chalcogenides, group-IV, and carbon-based QDs offer advantages for biocompatible NIR bioimaging, photothermal therapy, and silicon photonics integration. We discuss synthesis strategies for achieving long-wavelength emission, the mechanisms of red/NIR photoluminescence (PL), and representative applications in displays, sensors, and bioimaging. Finally, we outline the remaining challenges, such as large-scale manufacturing and long-term stability, which should be addressed for commercial and clinical viability. Full article

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals serve as the core information carrier for brain–computer interfaces (BCIs); however, their highly non-stationary nature, extremely low signal-to-noise ratio, and significant inter-individual variability pose considerable challenges for signal decoding. Existing deep learning methods struggle to strike a balance between multi-scale, fine-grained feature extraction and efficient long-range temporal modeling. To overcome this limitation, this study proposes a novel deep cascaded architecture, MSResBiMamba, which deeply integrates multi-scale spatiotemporal feature learning with cutting-edge long-sequence modeling techniques. The model first utilizes an enhanced multi-scale spatiotemporal convolutional network (MS-CNN) combined with a SE-channel attention mechanism to adaptively extract local multi-band features and dynamically suppress redundant artefacts. Subsequently, it innovatively introduces an enhanced bidirectional Mamba (Bi-Mamba) module to efficiently capture non-causal long-range temporal dependencies with linear computational complexity, whilst cascading multi-head self-attention mechanisms to establish global higher-order feature interactions. Extensive experiments on the BCI Competition IV-2a dataset demonstrate that MSResBiMamba achieves outstanding classification performance in multi-class motor imagery tasks, significantly outperforming traditional methods and existing state-of-the-art neural networks. Ablation studies and t-SNE visualisations further confirm the model’s robustness in feature decoupling and cross-subject applications, providing a high-precision, high-efficiency decoding solution for BCI systems. Full article

The self-directed channel (SDC) class of memristors employs a multilayer architecture that is designed to enable robust Ag ion conduction, long cycling lifetime, and thermal stability. While several layers contribute to mechanical and chemical reliability, two layers primarily govern the electrical behavior: the amorphous Ge–chalcogenide active layer that is adjacent to the bottom electrode and the overlying metal–chalcogenide source layer. In this work, we investigate how the variation in the chalcogen species in these two layers influences switching characteristics in the pre-write regime, both in the pristine state and after a write/erase cycle, as well as the conduction behavior at room temperature. The devices were fabricated using Ge-rich chalcogenides containing O, S, Se, or Te, combined with SnS, SnSe, or Ag₂Se metal–chalcogenide layers. The DC current-voltage measurements were analyzed using the standard linearization approaches to examine whether the transport behavior in the pre-write regime exhibits characteristics that are associated with Ohmic, Schottky, Poole–Frenkel, or space charge limited conduction. These measurements specifically probe the pre-write region of the I-V curve, where early ionic redistribution and structural rearrangement precede the abrupt formation of the conductive channels responsible for the resistive switching. The results show that the chalcogen composition strongly affects the threshold voltage, the resistance window, and the onset of field-enhanced transport, reflecting the differences in ionic distribution and channel formation dynamics. The results indicate that transport evolves with a bias and a compliance current, transitioning between regimes that are influenced by the interface injection and bulk-limited conduction, depending on the material stack. These findings clarify the role of chalcogen chemistry in governing the SDC switching behavior and provide guidance for the material selection in application-specific device design. Full article

The growing demand for functional foods reflects greater consumer awareness of diet–health links, with bioactive peptides receiving increasing attention for their health-promoting effects. In this study, bioactive peptides exhibiting antioxidant, dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities were produced from a jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) protein isolate using a continuous proteolysis system with two enzymes. This study encompassed two major phases: isolating protein from jack beans and implementing a continuous enzymatic hydrolysis process. Key variables examined included the enzyme-to-substrate ratio ([E]/[S]), pH level, and residence time (τ). Optimal performance was achieved at [E]/[S] = 5%, pH = 7.5, and τ = 12 h, yielding a permeate with peptide content of 0.6143 mg SE/mL, along with notable antioxidant capacity and ACE inhibition of 0.0454 mg TEAC/mL and 92.18%, respectively. These results confirm that the jack bean protein isolate is a viable substrate for generating multifunctional bioactive peptides. This study provides a foundation for scalable and sustainable production of functional food ingredients from underutilized legumes using continuous bioprocessing technology. Industrial relevance: Integrating a stirred tank reactor with membrane separation provides a promising approach for continuous bioactive peptide production using a free-enzyme system, helping to streamline processing, reduces the demand for enzyme immobilization, and minimizes batch-to-batch variability. This study shows that continuous hydrolysis of jack bean protein isolate in EMR can enhance antioxidant activity and ACE inhibition of the hydrolysates. This approach offers a safer and more efficient route to support the commercialization of jack bean-based functional products. Full article

The elemental composition of the vitreous humor may reflect physiological and pathological processes occurring in the eye. The objective of this study was to provide a complex multielemental analysis of human vitreous humor. Vitreous humor samples (n = 57) were collected post-mortem during autopsies. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed to quantify micro-, trace-, ultra-trace, and toxic elements. The study showed the occurrence of elements at the ppm (Na, K, P, Ca, Mg), ppb (Al, Rb, Zn, Fe, Sr, Cu), and ppt (Ce, La, Nd, Tb) levels. Hierarchical clustering using Ward’s method and k-means analysis revealed four distinct clusters, including two major clusters representing the baseline macro- and microelement profile characteristic for the studied population. Correlations between elements revealed statistically significant (p < 0.05) positive and negative correlations between elements with (I) chemical similarity Ce-La, Cs-Rb, Rb-K, Ca-P, Zn-Cu, and Cs-K; (II) a possible common environmental origin, Cd-P, and Rb-P; (III) involvement in similar biological processes as K-P; and (iv) a common geochemical origin and similar biological functions, i.e., Se-Zn. The study identified several quantitative trends in the demographic and medical characteristics of the participants. Alcohol users had significantly higher Zn concentrations than non-alcohol users; women had significantly higher Ca concentrations than men; higher BMI correlated positively with Cs and negatively with Be and Cr levels; and Cu, Sb, Cd, Se, and Ca concentrations increased with age. The presence of several toxic and potentially toxic elements was identified in the vitreous body: Al (>10 ppb); Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Mn; and Ba (<10 ppb); As, Hg, Sb, Tl, Bi, Be (<1 ppb). The study showed that, within a given geographic region, the accumulation profiles of toxic metals are quite homogeneous, indicating common sources of exposure. Full article

Background/Objectives: Combined chronotherapy (CCT), which combines repeated sleep deprivation and light therapy, is used in the clinical treatment of severe depression. Despite its potential to rapidly reduce depressive symptoms, CCT is infrequently used in clinical practice. We explored whether actigraphy-derived within-patient changes in physical activity, sleep parameters, and sleep–wake patterns prior to CCT can help identify those most likely to benefit from this treatment, supporting personalized mental health care. Methods: Actigraphy data from nine severely depressed patients were collected before, during, and after CCT. Data were assessed with a questionnaire on depressive symptoms (Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology—Self Report, IDS-SR) and actigraphy measures for sleep–wake patterns and physical activity: daily mean activity level, rhythm (intradaily variability (IV), interdaily stability (IS)), Midpoint of Sleep (MSF), time in bed, sleep efficiency (SE), and the fragmentation index (FI). Variables were compared before and after CCT by systematic visual inspection due to the small sample size. A prior set Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) of a 30% change in IDS scores from before and the week after CCT was used to categorize patients as responders (n = 3) or nonresponders (n = 6) to CCT. Results: After CCT, for both responders and nonresponders, there was a notable decrease in IDS, IV and FI. Prior to CCT, responders, compared to nonresponders, were characterized with higher IDS, more time in bed and higher FI, while having lower SE. Conclusions: We concluded that actigraphy assessments during regular CCT are feasible and found preliminary evidence that patients with the most disrupted sleep–wake patterns prior to treatment may benefit most from CCT. Full article

Sulfidized nano zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) particles are known to stimulate the reductive removal of various oxyanions due to enhanced electron selectivity and electron conductivity between the Fe(0) core and the target compound. Sulfidation creates a number of reactive sulfur species, the role of which has not yet been investigated in the context of S-nZVI. In this study, we investigated the contribution of reactive sulfur species to Se(VI) reduction by S-nZVI at different molar S/Fe ratios (0, 0.1 and 0.6) and Se(VI) concentrations (0, 5 and 50 mg L⁻¹). In the presence of S-nZVI, the rate of reduction was accelerated by a factor of up to ten. X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy and surface-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identified Se(0) as the predominant reduction product (~90%). The reduction reaction was accompanied by a loss of FeS and the formation of surface-bound Fe(II) polysulfide (FeSx) and S(0) species. Likewise, wet chemical extraction techniques suggested a direct involvement of acid volatile sulfide (AVS) species (surface-bound FeS) in the reduction of Se(IV) to Se(0) and formation of S(0). Mass balance estimates reveal that between 9 and 15% of the conversion of Se(0) originates from oxidation of FeS to FeSx. From these findings, we propose that surface-bound Fe sulfide species are important but previously overlooked reactants contributing to the reduction of oxyanions associated with S-nZVI particles, as well as in natural environments undergoing sulfidation reactions. Full article