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Nonlinear optical (NLO) materials are useful for applications varying from modulation of optical signals to cancer therapy. Besides inorganic crystals and organic molecules with defined structures, carbonized products have emerged as a new generation of materials showing good NLO properties. Due to the small sizes, the NLO performance of such materials mainly originates from nonlinear absorption. Obtaining a product with a high content of π-conjugated moiety is the key to improving the NLO performance. By using aldehydes bearing π units as the precursors, in this work we synthesized three polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) through one-step pyrolysis, which also have large contents of π-conjugated structures. It was found that a larger size of π unit in the precursor led to a higher content as well as the size of the π-conjugated structure, which induced a bathochromic shift in the emission and an improved performance in the NLO response. When embedded in polymethylmethacrylate films, the products showed reverse saturable absorption (RSA) behavior with β up to 4.20 × 10−6 m W−1 and optical limit threshold down to 0.0012 J cm−2, which are comparable to those of metal-doped counterparts. This work gives deep insight on the structure-property relationship of the pyrolyzed products from π-conjugated small molecules, which is also useful for the preparation of task-specific carbon dots (CDs) or PNPs in future. TOC GraphicPyrolysis of π-conjugated aldehydes yielded soft polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs). A larger size of π-conjugated moiety in the precursor yielded PNPs with longer emission wavelength and better nonlinear optical response. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar has been widely recognized as an environmentally efficient adsorbent for removal of heavy metals in wastewater. However, inferior adsorption capacity limits its practical application. In this study, a H 3 PO 4 –modified tea branch biochar (PTBB) was firstly prepared through the one step pyrolysis of H 3 PO 4 -pretreated tea branch powder for enhancing removal efficiency of Cd2+ and Pb2+ from aqueous solutions. H 3 PO 4 modification altered the physicochemical properties of pristine biochar. The PTBB exhibited superior adsorption performance. Its maximum adsorption capacities of Cd2+ and Pb2+ were 98.25 mg g−1 and 127.5 mg g−1 at the pH 6 and dosage of 2 g L−1, which was 1.5 and 1.3 folds of the pristine biochar, respectively. Cd2+ and Pb2+ adsorption data by PTBB were well fitted by the Langmuir isothermal and pseudo-second order kinetic models, indicating monolayer chemical adsorption controlled the adsorption process. The adsorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ by PTBB was a spontaneous endothermic process and less affected by coexisting cations. PTBB demonstrated a greater affinity for Pb2+ as compared with Cd2+ in binary metal systems. Moreover, PTBB could maintain good stability and regeneration properties. The adsorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ by PTBB was attributed to cation exchange, precipitation, complexation, and π electron interactions. The quantitative analysis indicated that complexation and precipitation were the primary adsorption mechanisms, which accounted for 50.52–50.56% and 36.7–42.18% to total Cd2+ and Pb2+ adsorption for PTBB, respectively. Therefore, PTBB exhibits great potential for application in the remediation of wastewater containing Cd2+ or Pb2+. [Display omitted] • A novel H 3 PO 4 -modified biochar was prepared. • PTBB displayed superior Cd2+ and Pb2+ adsorption capacities. • PTBB enhanced Cd2+ and Pb2+ adsorption capacity by mineral precipitation and complexation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four novel terminal modified antisense oligonucleotides (ODNs) were designed, synthesized and tested for their anti-influenza virus activity. Initial biological studies indicated that lipophilic and rimantadin emodificated Flutide exhibited more potent anti-H1N1 activity than Flutide. Among them, lipophilic modificated ODN (Flutide-I) showed the most antiviral activity. The EC50 value of Flutide-I for inhibiting H1N1 induced cytopathic effect (CPE) and H1N1 RNA were respectively (0.26±0.16)μM and (0.11±0.03)μM. The cytotoxicity of these compounds has also been assessed. No significant cytotoxicities were found for any of these compounds with the concentrations up to 20μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Alopecia areata (AA) is an inflammatory hair loss disorder with a major genetic component, which may cause great psychosocial distress for those affected. Studies have shown that interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a very potent inducer of hair loss and a significant human hair growth inhibitor. The 4-bp insertion/deletion (Indel) polymorphism (rs3783553) within the 3′ untranslated regions of IL1A gene has been suggested to be associated with risk of various types of cancers, possibly through regulating expression of IL-1α levels. In the current study, we estimated the susceptibility to AA associated with rs3783553 in two independent case–control panels of Eastern and Southern Chinese populations, totally containing 313 AA cases and 626 healthy controls. Logistic regression analysis showed that the heterozygote and the homozygote 4-bp ins/ins confer a significantly lower risk of AA in both panels and total subjects [odds ratio (OR)=0.55, 95% confidence interval (C.I.)=0.41–0.75, P =6.24×10−5; OR=0.47, 95% C.I.=0.28–0.76, P =0.001, respectively]. Stratification analysis based on age onset showed that the protective roles of ins/del and ins/ins genotype against developing AA was more obvious in AA patients with early age onset (<30years) under dominant model (OR=0.48, 95% C.I.=0.29–0.77, P =0.001). The results of luciferase assay showed that rs3783553 could influence expression of IL-1α in a miR-122 dependant manner. Taken together, our results suggested that the IL1A 4-bp indel polymorphism may be a marker for genetic susceptibility to patchy (mild) AA in Chinese populations, likely through miR-122 mediated regulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Lawny grass is selected as a novel adsorbent to remove Cd(II) from aqueous solution. Different adsorbents are prepared by some reagents and characterized by elemental analysis, SEM and FTIR. The acidic and basic sites and points of zero charge are also determined. Influences of pH, contact time, initial concentration of Cd(II), biosorbent dosage and temperature on adsorption of Cd(II) are discussed. Different models are used to fit experimental data. Results show that experimental data follows Langmuir–Freundlich model and pseudo-second-order model. The maximum adsorption capacities obtained from Langmuir–Freundlich are 1.29 and 1.19molkg−1 by using 1CG and 0.6CG (lawny grass modified by 1molL−1 or 0.6molL−1 citric acid), respectively. Equilibrium time is obtained at 60–90min. In addition, thermodynamic parameters indicate that this adsorption process is endothermic and spontaneous. Breakthrough curves of column experiments show that the breakthrough begins at 100 BV (bed volume) by 0.6CG and 138 BV by 1CG. 0.1molL−1 HCl is selected to be as elution for regeneration of the column. After four cycles of adsorption–desorption, the adsorption capacity of regenerated column is similar to new column. Therefore, lawny grass can be used as an efficient and cost effective biosorbent for removing Cd(II) from aqueous solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Analogues of [Dmt 1 ]DALDA (H-Dmt- d -Arg-Phe-Lys-NH 2 ; Dmt = 2′,6′-dimethyltyrosine), a potent μ opioid agonist peptide with mitochondria-targeted antioxidant activity were prepared by replacing Dmt with various 2′,6′-dialkylated Tyr analogues, including 2′,4′,6′-trimethyltyrosine (Tmt), 2′-ethyl-6′-methyltyrosine (Emt), 2′-isopropyl-6′-methyltyrosine (Imt) and 2′,6′-diethyltyrosine (Det). All compounds were selective μ opioid agonists and the Tmt 1 -, Emt 1 and Det 1 -analogues showed subnanomolar μ opioid receptor binding affinities. The Tmt 1 - and Emt 1 -analogues showed improved antioxidant activity compared to the Dmt 1 -parent peptide in the DPPH radical-scavenging capacity assay, and thus are of interest as drug candidates for neuropathic pain treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there is a rapid growth on the research of metal-free phosphor. A typical example is blend of photoluminescent carbon nanomaterials with a matrix. Normally, the C dots were prepared first, which were then mixed with the matrix. A drawback of this strategy is that multiple steps have to be involved, which is time consuming. In this work, we show that by simply heating a readily-available small organic molecule (phthalic acid) in a high-boiling solvent with reactive group (formamide), ready-to-use and metal-free phosphor can be produced in high yields (over 70%). The phosphor contains single crystals of phthalic anhydride with photoluminescent species adsorbed on the surfaces, which shows yellow emission in solid state with a fluorescence quantum yield (Φ) of 28.53%. The phosphor can be directly used to prepare light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which results in a yellow LED on the UV chip and a white LED on the blue-emitting chip. Single crystals of small organic molecules with carbon dots adsorbed on the surface have been prepared. The hybrid material shows yellow emission, which can be used as metal-free phosphor for white-light-emitting diodes. [Display omitted] • Metal-free phosphor can be readily prepared in one-step with high yield. • The phosphor can be directly used to prepare LEDs. On the blue-emitting LED chip, a white LED was obtained. • The as-prepared crystals exhibit strong emission in both solid and colloidal state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chloroplasts have multiple suborganellar membranes. Correct and efficient translocation of chloroplast proteins from their site of synthesis into or across membranes to their functional compartments are fundamental processes. In recent years, several new components and regulatory mechanisms involved in chloroplast protein import and sorting have been explored. Moreover, the formation of liquid–liquid phase transition (LLPT) has been recently reported as a novel mechanism for regulating chloroplast protein sorting. Here, we overview the recent advances of both nuclear- and chloroplast-encoded protein trafficking to their final destination within chloroplasts, and discuss the novel components and regulatory mechanisms of intrachloroplast sorting. Furthermore, we propose that LLPT may be a universal and conserved mechanism for driving organelle protein trafficking and organelle biogenesis. Identification and functional characterization of novel components, facilitating translocation across the envelope, and subsequent sorting at the thylakoid membranes, implies that the ancient thylakoid transport systems have acquired new components to adapt to their eukaryotic environment. The newly identified stromal components play key roles not only in recognizing preproteins to prevent mistargeting, but also in ensuring efficient sorting. Dynamic interactions of chloroplast signal recognition particle (cpSRP) 43 with light-harvesting chlorophyll-binding protein (LHCP), cpSRP54, and chloroplast filamentation temperature sensitive Y (cpFtsY) provide further insight on how cpSRP54 drives cpSRP43 binding to the L18 region of LHCP and the subsequent interaction of LHCP with the Alb3 translocase through structural rearrangements. The ankyrin proteins, sorting of cpTat substrates to thylakoid membranes (STT)1 and STT2, form a heterocomplex to selectively direct chloroplast twin-arginine translocation (cpTat) proteins to their thylakoid translocon through a liquid–liquid phase transition (LLPT) mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is widely distributed, and has strong drought resistance and salt tolerance. These characteristics make it the best type of tree for landscaping and resource conservation in China. In this study, the chloroplast genomes of five black locusts were identified de novo and the evolutionary relationship among these black locusts and their taxonomic statuses in leguminous plants were determined. The chloroplast structures of the five black locusts were typical and had four parts, including two single copy regions (large and small single copy sections) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs). Genome sizes were between 155,364 bp and 155,655 bp; the genome of R. pseudoacacia var. decaisneana was the smallest, while that of R. pseudoacacia var. tortuosa was the largest. The genomes contained 124–130 protein-coding genes; R. pseudoacacia var. tortuosa had the fewest, while R. hispida and R. pseudoacacia var. decaisneana had the most. In this study, eight to ten genes from chloroplast genomes contained introns. Nine genes from the chloroplast genomes of R. pseudoacacia and R. pseudoacacia f. unifolia contained introns that had lost the trnL-CAA gene via evolution, while eight chloroplast genes of R. pseudoacacia var. tortuosa contained introns that had lost the trnL-CAA and psaA genes. Among them, the rpoC1 gene had the longest introns at 2828 bp, and rps12+ had the smallest introns at only 533 bp. There were various amplification phenomena in the IR region among the five black locusts. Most of the protein-coding genes of the five black locusts had a high degree of codon preference. To determine the phylogenetic positions of the five black locusts, we conducted a systematic evolutionary analysis using common protein-coding genes in chloroplast sequences from 34 species of leguminous plants and 12 other species. The results showed that the relationship between Robinia and Acacia ligulata was the most distant among those of the leguminous plants, and the relationship between Robinia and Lotus japonicus was the closest. The chloroplast protein-coding genes in different black locusts were relatively conservative by evolutionary selection pressure analysis standards. These results are important for our understanding of their photosynthetic mechanisms and evolution, and the transgenic engineering of their chloroplasts. Highlights • The research on molecular biology of the black locust is weak, and its phylogenetic position among plants remains unclear. • In this study, the chloroplast genomes of five black locusts were identified de novo. • The taxonomic statuses of black locusts in leguminous plants were determined. • The results are important for our understanding of their photosynthetic mechanisms and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The sensing properties of ZnO nanorods which were immobilized with CA15.3 antibody (anti-CA15.3) for CA15.3 detection were studied by using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors in this work. ZnO nanorods were synthesized at 90°C by wet chemical route which was used to grow the ZnO nanorods directly on the QCM. The sensors were constructed by binding anti-CA15.3 on ZnO nanorods surface using 3-aminopropyltrietoxy silane (APTES) and glutaraldehyde and were used for CA15.3 detection. The morphology of ZnO nanorods was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM results indicated the grown ZnO nanorods were well-aligned and the diameter was around 100nm. These QCM sensors showed high sensitivity (25.34±0.67Hz/scale (1U/mL)) and good linearity (0.99) in the concentration range of CA15.3 from 0.5 to 26U/mL by the experiment. The response time of these sensors were observed less than 10s with good reproducibility and stability. All the results indicated that one-dimensional ZnO nanostructure is a good material for biosensor application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Most of the existing image fusion methods are dedicated to extracting the respective private features in the source image to reconstruct to get a fused image that contains rich information. However, its neglect of the enhancement of texture details in the source image as well as the preservation of background structures, which makes the fusion result look less impressive. To this end, an infrared and visible image fusion method based on a semi-global weighted least squares (SGWLS) method and guided edge-aware filter (GEAF) is proposed. First, a SGWLS method is applied to decompose the source image into base and detail layers containing different scale information. Then, the detail layer are texture-enhanced by using the scale coefficients. Due to the lack of edge features in the original base layer, for this reason, a guided edge-aware filter is designed, in which the enhanced detail layer was used as the guidance image as a way to perform a quadratic feature enhancement fusion for the base layer in order to retain richer gradient information. Finally, reconstruction of the fused detail and base layers by using inverse transformation to obtain the fusion result. Compared with nine state-of-the-art fusion algorithms, a large number of experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method in highlighting texture details and background features, as well as the obvious advantages in SF and AG metrics. • A semi-global weighted least squares based image decomposition scheme is designed. • A guided edge-aware filter strategy for base layer fusion is proposed. • The results show that our method performs well in preserving texture and highlighting the background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scheme 1. Schematic illustration showcases a fish oil nanoemulsion delivery system with a dense interfacial layer coated by HA-PG10-C18, highlighting enhanced gastrointestinal stability and extended shelf-life of droplets. [Display omitted] • HA-PG10-C18 is a promising candidate emulsifier for nanoemulsion delivery system. • Surface density for HA-PG10-C18@NE is 60% greater than for PG10-C18@NE. • HA-PG10-C18@NE possesses outstanding freeze-thaw and freeze-drying stability. This study aimed to synthesize a novel emulsifier, hyaluronic acid-poly(glyceryl)10-stearate (HA-PG10-C18), and employ it for the fabrication of nanoemulsions incorporating deep-sea fish oil to improve their apparent solubility and physicochemical stability. 1H NMR and FT-IR analyses indicated successful synthesis of HA-PG10-C18. Nanoemulsions of deep-sea fish oil loaded with HA-PG10-C18 (HA-PG10-C18@NE) were successfully fabricated by ultrasonic emulsification. The fixed aqueous layer thickness (FALT) of PG10-C18@NE and HA-PG10-C18@NE was determined and the FALT of both nanoemulsions was similar, while the surface density of HA-PG10-C18@NE (4.92 × 10−12 ng/nm2) is 60 % higher than that of PG10-C18@NE (3.07 × 10−12 ng/nm2). Notably, HA-PG10-C18@NE demonstrated an exceptional physicochemical stability when exposed to various stressed environmental conditions, especially its freeze-thaw stability. Moreover, after simulated in vitro digestion, the HA-PG10-C18@NE exhibited a comparatively greater liberation of free fatty acids (94.0 ± 1.7 %) when compared to the release observed in PG10-C18@NE (85.5 ± 2.2 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Demonstration of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of tetrahydropalmatine (THP) on gouty arthritis. • The inhibitory effect of tetrahydropalmatine (THP) on NLRP3 inflammasome was found. • It was found that tetrahydropalmatine (THP) has dual anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Activation of NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a crucial role in the inflammatory responses of monosodium urate (MSU) crystal-induced gouty arthritis. Therefore, the molecular basis of NLRP3 inflammasome is very valuable in developing potential therapeutic drugs for gout. Tetrahydropalmatine (THP), the main active component of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Corydalis yanhusuo, has shown prominent anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, but to date, these effects have not been investigated exhaustively on gout. This study indicated that THP attenuated pain and swelling in an MSU-induced acute gout model by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine production and inflammatory cell infiltration. THP exerted its actions by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent formation of caspase-1. Furthermore, results showed that THP alleviated MSU-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, upstream of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, by an increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, our study suggests that THP suppressed ROS-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation in MSU-induced inflammatory responses, which highlights its therapeutic potential in gouty arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modification of a HCV NS5A inhibitor, ombitasvir, led to the identification of 10d with improved pan-genotype NS5A inhibition and better pharmacokinetic properties. The key structural changes to ombitasvir include bioisosteric replacement of carbon with silicon atom. Compared with ombitasvir, the activity of anti-HCV genotypes (GT 1 to 6) of 10d is increased to some extent, especially the inhibitory activity against genotype 3a and 6a is increased by more than seven times, and the dog's in vivo pharmacokinetics properties were also superior to ombitasvir. Further drug evaluation showed that 10d was similar to ombitasvir on plasma protein binding and liver distribution profiles, with no cytotoxicity and no inhibitory effect on both CYP 450 and hERG ligand binding. However, permeability assay results indicated that 10d was not the substrate of P-gp or BCRP transporter, which is different from that of ombitasvir. The results of a 14-day repeat-dose toxicity study identified no toxicity with 10d . Our findings in preclinical tests suggest that the silicon-containing compound 10d could be worthy of continued study as a potential drug candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global health problem. HBsAg inhibitors are expected to reduce the production of HBsAg via inhibiting host proteins PAPD5 & PAPD7 and finally achieve the ideal goal of "functional cure". In this work, a series of tetrahydropyridine (THP) derivatives with a bridged ring were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibiting HBsAg production and HBV DNA activity. Among them, compound 17i was identified as potent HBsAg production inhibitor with excellent in vitro anti-HBV potency (HBV DNA EC 50 = 0.018 μM, HBsAg EC 50 = 0.044 μM) and low toxicity (CC 50 > 100 μM). Moreover, 17i exhibited favorable in vitro/in vivo DMPK properties in mice. 17i could also significantly reduce serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels (1.08 and 1.04 log units, respectively) in HBV transgenic mice. [Display omitted] • A series of tetrahydropyridine (THP) derivatives with bridged fragments were designed and synthesized. • The target compounds showed potent antiHBV activity. • Compound 17i was identified as potent HBsAg production inhibitor with excellent in vitro anti-HBV potency and low toxicity. • Compound 17i exhibited favorable in vitro/in vivo DMPK properties in mice. • Compound 17i could also significantly reduce serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels in HBV transgenic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]