Search Results (41)

Linezolid, an antimicrobial agent, has been linked to lactic acidosis, oxidative stress, and liver damage. Oxidative stress is considered to play a key role in this damage. Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), the active form of thiamine, may prevent lactate accumulation and enhance aerobic capacity. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of TPP against possible linezolid-induced liver damage and lactic acidosis in rats. Twenty-four male Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 6): healthy control (HG), linezolid (LZD), thiamine plus linezolid (TLZD), and TPP plus linezolid (TPLZD). Thiamine and TPP (20 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.)) were administered once daily, while linezolid (125 mg/kg, per os (p.o.)) was given twice daily (250 mg/kg/day) for 28 days. Animals were euthanized under high-dose anesthesia (with 50 mg/kg, i.p. thiopental sodium). Liver tissues were analyzed for MDA, tGSH, SOD, and CAT, and examined histopathologically. Blood samples were collected prior to euthanasia to assess lactate, LDH, ALT, AST, and TPP levels. In the LZD group, MDA, lactate, ALT, AST, and LDH levels significantly increased, while tGSH, SOD, CAT, and TPP decreased (p < 0.001). Histopathology showed hydropic degeneration, necrosis, and mononuclear cell infiltration (p < 0.05). Thiamine did not prevent these alterations (p > 0.05), whereas TPP significantly prevented both biochemical and histopathological changes (p < 0.05), indicating its protective efficacy. TPP may offer significant protection against linezolid-induced hepatotoxicity and lactic acidosis. Full article

Soil health is essential for maintaining ecosystem balance, food security, and human well-being. Anthropogenic activities, such as climate change and excessive agrochemical use, have led to the degradation of soil ecosystems worldwide. Microbiome transplantation has emerged as a promising approach for restoring perturbed soils; however, direct soil transfer presents practical limitations for large-scale applications. An alternative strategy involves extracting microbial communities through soil washing processes, but its success highly depends on proper microbiota characterization and efficient extraction methods. This study evaluated a soil wash method using four different dispersant solutions (Tween-80, NaCl, sodium citrate, and sodium pyrophosphate) for their ability to extract the majority of microbial cells from Antarctic and Crop soils. The extracted microbiomes were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene metataxonomics to assess their diversity and abundance. We found that some treatments extracted a greater proportion of specific taxa, and, on the other hand, some extracted a lower proportion than the control treatment. In addition, these dispersant solutions showed the extraction of the relevant microbial community profile in soil samples, composed of multiple taxa, including beneficial bacteria for soil health. Our study aims to optimize DNA extraction methods for microbiome analyses and to explore the use of this technique in various biotechnological applications. The results provide insights into the effect of dispersant solutions on microbiome extractions. In this regard, sodium chloride could be optimal for Antarctic soils, while sodium citrate is suggested for the Crop soils. Full article

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, soils, and beach sediments, demonstrating a remarkable ability to adsorb dissolved organic matter (DOM). Although there are methods for extracting DOM from water, the approaches for directly extracting DOM from microplastics have not been thoroughly investigated, and the characterization of DOM adsorbed on microplastics is also insufficient. In this study, five different types of microplastic samples were collected from each of five environmental media (water and sediment), and finally 25 samples were obtained. This paper comparatively assessed the extraction efficiency of DOM from MPs with various solvents by using total organic carbon (TOC), culminating in the development of a sodium pyrophosphate-NaOH solution extraction method optimized for DOM. The morphology, material and environmental medium of microplastics were the three primary factors affecting the adsorption of DOM on microplastics, with the highest enrichment ratio of 1.4–1.8 times for extruded polyethylene microplastics (EPE-MPs) characterized by their porous structure in the flowing water environment. The molecular weight of DOM adsorbed on microplastics showed a multi-modal distribution pattern with great dissimilarities among the different environmental media. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) indicated that the weight-average molecular weight (M_w) of DOM was 2750–4552 Da for river MPs, 2760–5402 Da for Qiantang River MPs, 1233–5228 Da for East China Sea MPs, 440–7302 Da for soil sediment MPs and 438–6178 Da for beach sediment MPs, respectively. Excitation-emission matrix-parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) identified that tyrosine-like substances with high excitation in region IV and low excitation in region I were predominantly adsorbed on MPs, followed by tryptophan-like substances with low excitation in region II and protein-like substances in region IV, while humic- and fulvic-like substances in regions V and III, respectively, exhibited the least adsorption affinity. The findings underscored the critical need to comprehensively consider the interactions between MPs and DOM and their environmental impacts in pollution control strategies. Full article

Potassium iodate and potassium iodide are commonly fortified in iodized table salt, which must be continuously monitored to maintain quality. Our study reported an optimized detection method for total iodine in iodized table salt using 0.5 M sodium bisulfite as the reducing agent. The iodized table salt (0.5 g) was dissolved in 0.5 M sodium bisulfite solution prior to injection in ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with a diode array detector using a weak anion-exchange column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm). Iodide was eluted at 9.92 ± 0.06 min (λ = 223 nm) when an isocratic mobile phase of 1:1 (v/v) methanol/120 mM phosphate buffer mixed with tetrasodium pyrophosphate (pH 3.0) was running at 0.20 mL/min (15 min). Iodide was detected as total iodine from 10.0 to 50.0 mg/kg with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.2 mg/kg and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 3.7 mg/kg. The method was validated with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 4.2%, 0.4%, 1.6%, and 0.8% for accuracy, repeatability, intermediate precision, and robustness, respectively. The determination of total iodine was successful on six (6) samples (n = 3), which recovered 87.2–106.9% of iodate and iodide spike. Thus, this study provides a validated protocol for the determination of total iodine in iodized table salt using 0.5 M sodium bisulfite. Full article

A novel organic–inorganic eutectic phase change material (PCM) based on sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) was developed to meet the needs of heat recovery and building heating. Three kinds of PEG with different molecular weights were selected to form organic–inorganic eutectic PCM with SAT. The thermal properties of three series of SAT-PEG eutectic PCM were compared based on DSC results, focusing on the impact of PEG addition on the phase change temperature and enthalpy of SAT, as well as the melting uniformity. The inhibitory effects of two nucleating agents on the supercooling of SAT-PEG eutectic PCM were systematically investigated. The effect of PEG on the crystallization behavior of SAT was studied using a metallographic microscope. To evaluate the thermal reliability of the SAT-PEG eutectic PCM, 600 cycles of melting–solidification experiments were conducted. Experimental results show that SAT can form eutectic PCMs with PEG200, PEG600, and PEG6000, respectively, with high enthalpy and excellent melting uniformity. The phase change temperature ranged from 55 °C to 60 °C and the enthalpy was as high as 250–280 kJ/kg. The results of the cooling curves show that 10 wt% tetrasodium pyrophosphate decahydrate (TPD) can reduce the supercooling degree to less than 1 °C. Significantly, all three series of SAT-PEG eutectic PCMs exhibit exceptional thermal reliability after 600 cycles of melting–solidification, with shifts in the phase change temperatures and enthalpies of less than 4%. XRD diffraction patterns showed that SAT, PEG, and TPD were physically mixed without a chemical reaction to form new substances. Microscopic images reveal that the addition of PEG preserves the original needle-shaped crystal morphology of SAT while reducing its crystal size. The rapid formation of small crystals can provide more nucleation points and expedite crystallization, thereby enhancing the heat release capabilities of the PCM. Full article

Extrusion processing of plasticized cassava starch, a prominent industrial crop, with chemical additives offers a thermo-mechanical approach to modify starch structures through physical and chemical interactions. This research investigates the interaction and morphology of thermoplastic cassava starch (TPS) blended with tetrasodium pyrophosphate (Na₄P₂O₇), sodium tripolyphosphate (Na₅P₃O₁₀), sodium hexametaphosphate (Na₆(PO₃)₆), sodium erythorbate (C₆H₇O₆Na), and sodium nitrite (NaNO₂) via twin-screw extrusion. The effects of these additives on the chemical structure, thermal profile, water absorption, and solubility of the TPS were examined. The high temperature and shearing forces within the extruder disrupted hydrogen bonding at α-(1-4) and α-(1-6) glycosidic linkages within anhydroglucose units. Na₄P₂O₇, Na₅P₃O₁₀ and Na₆(PO₃)₆ induced starch phosphorylation, while ¹H NMR and ATR-FTIR analyses revealed that C₆H₇O₆Na and NaNO₂ caused starch hydrolysis. These additives hindered starch recrystallization, resulting in higher amorphous fractions that subsequently influenced the thermal properties and stability of the extruded TPS. Furthermore, the type and content of the added modifier influenced the water absorption and solubility of the TPS due to varying levels of interaction. These modified starch materials exhibited enhanced antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in polyester blends fabricated via extrusion, with nitrite demonstrating the most potent antimicrobial efficacy. These findings suggest that starch modification via either phosphorylation or acid hydrolysis impacts the thermal properties, morphology, and hydrophilicity of extruded cassava TPS. Full article

In this study, the protein and salts distribution (Ca, P, Na and Mg) in processed cheese (PC) samples prepared with 180 or 360 mEq/kg of the calcium sequestering salts (CSS) disodium phosphate (DSP), disodium pyrophosphate (DSPP), sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) and trisodium citrate (TSC) was studied. For this purpose, a water-soluble extract (WSE) of PC samples was prepared. All PC samples contained 45–46% moisture, 26–27% fat and 20–21% protein and had a pH of 5.2 or 5.7. Ultracentrifugation slightly reduced the protein content of the WSE of PC, indicating that most protein in the WSE was non-sedimentable. At equal concentration of CSS, the protein content of the WSE was higher for PC at pH 5.7 compared to PC at pH 5.2. Approximately 55–85% of the Ca and P in the WSE of samples was 10 kDa-permeable for PC prepared with DSPP and SHMP. This suggests that the formation of non-permeable Ca–polyphosphate–casein complexes. For PC prepared with TSC, >90% of Ca in the WSE was 10 kDa-permeable, indicating that micellar disruption arises from sequestration of micellar Ca. These results indicate that the WSE method is an appropriate method to understand how salts present in PC are distributed. However, the WSE and ultracentrifugal supernatant of the WSE can include both soluble and protein-associated salts. Therefore, determining levels of salts in 10 kDa permeate of ultracentrifugal supernatant of the WSE is most appropriate. Full article

The aim of the study was to compare the effects and mechanism of tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) as dispersants on the selective flotation of arsenopyrite from muscovite. The results of single-mineral flotation showed that the recovery of arsenopyrite was 81.4% when no dispersant was added. The recovery of arsenopyrite slightly decreased with increasing dosage of TSPP. When the dosage of STPP was 6 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L, the recovery of arsenopyrite was only 28.6%. Neither of the dispersants had significant influence on the muscovite flotation (<10%). However, in a mixed-mineral system, the recovery of arsenopyrite dropped significantly, and then under the action of dispersants, its recovery back up. The RPM results showed that the dispersion effect of TSPP was superior to that of STPP. The electrokinetic potential showed that the potential change value of muscovite with TSPP was −17.37 mV, while that of muscovite with STPP was −8.33 mV (pH = 8). The adsorption of TSPP onto muscovite was stronger than that of STPP. FTIR and XPS analysis confirmed that dispersants exhibited chemical adsorption with the Al atoms on muscovite and that dispersant STPP exhibited stonger adsorption than TSPP on arsenopyrite, which was consistent with flotation experiments. Full article

Calcification plays a key role in biological processes, and breakdown of the regulatory mechanism results in a pathological state such as ectopic calcification. We hypothesized that ENPP1, the enzyme that produces the calcification inhibitor pyrophosphate, is transcriptionally regulated by Nrf2, and that Nrf2 activation augments ENPP1 expression to inhibit ectopic calcification. Cell culture experiments were performed using mouse osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. Nrf2 was activated by 5-aminolevulinic acid and sodium ferrous citrate. Nrf2 overexpression was induced by the transient transfection of an Nrf2 expression plasmid. ENPP1 expression was monitored by real-time RT-PCR. Because the promoter region of ENPP1 contains several Nrf2-binding sites, chromatin immunoprecipitation using an anti-Nrf2 antibody followed by real-time PCR (ChIP-qPCR) was performed. The relationship between Nrf2 activation and osteoblastic differentiation was examined by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin red staining. We used mice with a hypomorphic mutation in ENPP1 (ttw mice) to analyze whether Nrf2 activation inhibits ectopic calcification. Nrf2 and Nrf2 overexpression augmented ENPP1 expression and inhibited osteoblastic differentiation, as indicated by ALP expression and calcium deposits. ChIP-qPCR showed that some putative Nrf2-binding sites in the ENPP1 promoter region were bound by Nrf2. Nrf2 activation inhibited ectopic calcification in mice. ENPP1 gene expression was transcriptionally regulated by Nrf2, and Nrf2 activation augmented ENPP1 expression, leading to the attenuation of osteoblastic differentiation and ectopic calcification in vitro and in vivo. Nrf2 activation has a therapeutic potential for preventing ectopic calcification. Full article

To improve the performance of shotcrete in high-altitude and low-temperature environments, emulsified asphalt shotcrete (EASC), which can be used in negative-temperature environments, was prepared by using low-freezing-point emulsified asphalt, calcium aluminate cement, and sodium pyrophosphate as modified materials. The effect of emulsified asphalt on the performance of shotcrete was investigated through concrete spraying and indoor tests. Then, the modification mechanism of emulsified asphalt with respect to EASC was analyzed by combining scanning electron microscopy images and the pore structure characteristics of EASC. The results showed that in a negative-temperature environment, the incorporation of emulsified asphalt delayed the formation of the peak of the cement hydration exotherm, slowed the rate of the cement hydration exotherm, reduced the thermal perturbation of permafrost by EASC, increased the cohesion of the concrete, improved the bond strength between EASC and permafrost, and reduced the rate of rebound. The mechanical strength of the studied EASC decreased upon increasing the amount of emulsified asphalt in the admixture, and its resistance to cracking gradually improved. A content of less than 5% emulsified asphalt could improve the internal pore structure of EASC, thus improving its durability. Increasing the content of emulsified asphalt affected the hydration process of the cement, and the volume content of the capillary pores and macropores increased, which reduced the durability of the EASC. Full article

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is a critical determinant of calcification, and its concentration is regulated by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Pit1. ALP is a key regulator of osteogenic calcification and acts by modulating local inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations through hydrolyzing pyrophosphate in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Pit1, a sodium-dependent phosphate transporter, regulates calcification via facilitating phosphate uptake within the cells. To investigate whether zinc differentially regulates osteoblastic and vascular calcifications, we examined ALP activity and Pit1 in osteoblastic and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Our findings demonstrate that calcification in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells is decreased via diminished ALP action under zinc deficiency. In contrast, zinc-deficiency-induced calcification in VSMCs is independent of ALP action, as demonstrated by very weak ALP activity and expression in calcified VSMCs. In zinc-deficient A7r5 VSMC, P accumulation increased with increasing Na phosphate concentration (3–7 mM) but not with β-GP treatment, which requires ALP activity to generate Pi. Ca deposition also increased with Na phosphate in a dose-dependent manner; in contrast, β-GP did not affect Ca deposition. In osteoblastic cells, Pit1 expression was not affected by zinc treatments. In contrast, Pit1 expression is highly upregulated in A7r5 VSMC under zinc deficiency. Using phosphonoformic acid, a competitive inhibitor of Pit1, we showed that calcification is inhibited in both A7r5 and MC3T3-E1 cells, indicating a requirement for Pit1 in both calcifications. Moreover, the downregulation of VSMC markers under zinc deficiency was restored by blocking Pit1. Taken together, our results imply that zinc-deficiency-induced calcification in VSMC is independent of ALP action in contrast to osteoblastic calcification. Moreover, Pit1 expression in VSMCs is a target for zinc deficiency and may mediate the inhibition of VSMC marker expression under zinc deficiency. Full article

Risedronate sodium (RIS) exhibits limited bioavailability and undesirable gastrointestinal effects when administered orally, necessitating the development of an alternative formulation. In this study, mPEG-coated nanoparticles loaded with RIS-HA-TCS were created for osteoporosis treatment. Thiolated chitosan (TCS) was synthesized using chitosan and characterized using DSC and FTIR, with thiol immobilization assessed using Ellman’s reagent. RIS-HA nanoparticles were fabricated and conjugated with synthesized TCS. Fifteen batches of RIS-HA-TCS nanoparticles were designed using the Box–Behnken design process. The nanoparticles were formulated through the ionic gelation procedure, employing tripolyphosphate (TPP) as a crosslinking agent. In silico activity comparison of RIS and RIS-HA-TCS for farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase enzyme demonstrated a higher binding affinity for RIS. The RIS-HA-TCS nanoparticles exhibited 85.4 ± 2.21% drug entrapment efficiency, a particle size of 252.1 ± 2.44 nm, and a polydispersity index of 0.2 ± 0.01. Further conjugation with mPEG resulted in a particle size of 264.9 ± 1.91 nm, a PDI of 0.120 ± 0.01, and an encapsulation efficiency of 91.1 ± 1.17%. TEM confirmed the spherical particle size of RIS-HA-TCS and RIS-HA-TCS-mPEG. In vitro release studies demonstrated significantly higher release for RIS-HS-TCS-mPEG (95.13 ± 4.64%) compared to RIS-HA-TCS (91.74 ± 5.13%), RIS suspension (56.12 ± 5.19%), and a marketed formulation (74.69 ± 3.98%). Ex vivo gut permeation studies revealed an apparent permeability of 0.5858 × 10⁻¹ cm/min for RIS-HA-TCS-mPEG, surpassing RIS-HA-TCS (0.4011 × 10⁻⁴ cm/min), RIS suspension (0.2005 × 10⁻⁴ cm/min), and a marketed preparation (0.3401 × 10⁻⁴ cm/min). Full article

This work proposes a process for a bio-based hydrogel suitable for 3D-printing formulation. The components of the hydrogel are sodium alginate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, and calcium sulfate. Changes in the rheology of hydrogels based on alginate cross-linked with calcium released from calcium sulfate are reported for further use in 3D printing. The effect of the total or partial reaction of the compounds on the microscopic morphology and, consequently, on the rheometric behavior is studied. Full article

Sodium iron phosphate-pyrophosphate, Na₄Fe₃(PO₄)₂P₂O₇ (NFPP) emerges as an excellent cathode material for sodium-ion batteries. Because of lower electronic conductivity, its electrochemical performance depends drastically on the synthesis method. Herein, we provide a simple and unified method for synthesis of composites between NFPP and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and standard carbon black, designed as electrode materials for both sodium- and lithium-ion batteries. The carbon additives affect only the morphology and textural properties of the composites. The performance of composites in sodium and lithium cells is evaluated at elevated temperatures. It is found that NFPP/rGO outperforms NFPP/C in both Na and Li storage due to its hybrid mechanism of energy storage. In sodium half-cells, NFPP/rGO delivers a reversible capacity of 95 mAh/g at 20 °C and 115 mAh/g at 40 °C with a cycling stability of 95% and 88% at a rate of C/2. In lithium half-cells, the capacity reaches a value of 120 mAh/g at 20 and 40 °C, but the cycling stability becomes worse, especially at 40 °C. The electrochemical performance is discussed on the basis of ex situ XRD and microscopic studies. The good Na storage performance of NFPP/rGO at an elevated temperature represents a first step towards its commercialization. Full article

Ni–W alloys with a (2 2 0) or (1 1 1) preferred orientation growth and amorphous structure were prepared from a pyrophosphate bath using the electrodeposition method. Structure transformation can be the result of the bath temperature (T_b) and the concentration of sodium tungstate (C_W) in the bath. Increasing the T_b and C_W can change the crystal growth from (2 2 0) to (1 1 1). At a higher T_b and C_W, an amorphous Ni–W alloy can be obtained. The tungsten content in the coatings should be responsible for the structure change. The three textured Ni–W alloys with a (2 2 0) texture, (1 1 1) texture and amorphous structure were annealed at different temperatures ranging from 200 to 700 °C. The microhardness, corrosion resistance and HER of the as-deposited and annealed Ni–W alloys were comparatively studied. The results show that the microhardness of the amorphous Ni–W alloy is the highest and reaches 1028 HV after annealing at 400 °C. The (2 2 0)-textured Ni–W alloy has the best corrosion resistance, which is further improved after annealing, while the HER activity of the (1 1 1) textured Ni-W alloy is superior. Full article