Search

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a defensin‐like antimicrobial peptide (C‐13326 peptide) identified in Hermetia illucens could possess protective effect against multidrug‐resistant Aeromonas schubertii in hybrid snakehead (Channa maculate ♀ × Channa argus ♂). The cDNA of C‐13326 peptide comprised 243 nucleotides encoding 80 amino acids, with six conserved cysteine residues and the classical CSαβ structure. The recombinant expression plasmid pPIC9K‐C‐13326 was constructed and transformed into GS115 Pichia pastoris, and the C‐13326 peptide was expressed by induction with 1% methanol. The crude extract of C‐13326 peptide was precipitated by ammonium sulfate, assayed by Braford method, detected by tricine‐SDS‐PAGE, evaluated by BandScan software and identified by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The C‐13326 peptide was shown to have inhibitory activity against the growth of multidrug‐resistant A. schubertii DM210910 by using the minimum growth inhibitory concentration and Oxford cup method. In addition, scanning electron microscopy analysis suggested that C‐13326 peptide inhibited the growth of A. schubertii DM210910 by damaging the bacterial cell membrane. To explore the role of peptide C‐13326 in vivo, hybrid snakehead was fed with peptide C‐13326 as feed additives for 7 days. The results revealed that C‐13326 peptide could significantly down‐regulate the expression levels of IL‐1β, IL‐8, IL‐12 and TNF‐α (p <.05), and significantly improved the survival rate of hybrid snakehead after challenging with A. schubertii DM210910. Therefore, the C‐13326 peptide is a promising antimicrobial agent for A. schubertii treatment in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edwardsiella piscicida, an infectious bacterium, causes great economic losses to the aquaculture industry. Immersion bath which is the closest way to how the fish infect bacterial pathogens in the natural environment is an effective route of artificial infection. In this study, the dynamic process of E. piscicida infection, in the spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) was evaluated via the immersion bath. The results showed that soaking the spotted sea bass with 3 × 106 CFU mL−1E. piscicida for 30 min could artificially induce edwardsiellosis. The higher culture temperature (28.5 ± 0.5°C) or the longer bath time (30 min) would lead to higher mortality of fish. E.piscicida first invaded the gill, then entered the blood circulation to infect the spleen and kidney, where it is colonized, and gradually multiplied in the liver and brain. Meanwhile, the fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that the localization of E. piscicida in the gill and foregut after the immersion challenge proceeded from the exterior to the interior. The invasion of pathogens triggers the immune response of fish and causes tissue damage to the host. The quantitative real‐time PCR results displayed an increase in the relative expression level of immune genes (NK‐lysin, LZM, IgM and IgD). Otherwise, the most notable histopathological changes of the infected spotted sea bass were multifocal necrosis. Findings in this study broaden our understanding of the infection conditions of E. piscicida and its pathogenicity to the spotted sea bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The risk of cardiovascular disease is associated with the echo intensity of carotid plaques in ultrasound images and their cardiac cycle‐induced intensity variations. In this study, we aimed to 1) explore the underlying origin of echo intensity variations by using simulations and 2) evaluate the association between the two‐dimensional (2D) spatial distribution of these echo intensity variations and plaque vulnerability. Methods: First, we analyzed how out‐of‐plane motion and compression of simulated scattering spheres of different sizes affect the ultrasound echo intensity. Next, we propose a method to analyze the features of the 2D spatial distribution of interframe plaque echo intensity in carotid ultrasound image sequences and explore their associations with plaque vulnerability in experimental data. Results: The simulations showed that the magnitude of echo intensity changes was similar for both the out‐of‐plane motion and compression, but for scattering objects smaller than 1 mm radius, the out‐of‐plane motion dominated. In experimental data, maps of the 2D spatial distribution of the echo intensity variations had a low correlation with standard B‐mode echo intensity distribution, indicating complementary information on plaque tissue composition. In addition, we found the existence of ∼1 mm diameter subregions with pronounced echo intensity variations associated with plaque vulnerability. Conclusions: The results indicate that out‐of‐plane motion contributes to intra‐plaque regions of high echo intensity variation. The 2D echo intensity variation maps may provide complementary information for assessing plaque composition and vulnerability. Further studies are needed to verify this method's role in identifying vulnerable plaques and predicting cardiovascular disease risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor treating fields (TTFields) is an FDA‐approved adjuvant therapy for glioblastoma. The distribution of an applied electric field has been shown to be governed by distinct tissue structures and electrical conductivity. Of all the tissues the skull plays a significant role in modifying the distribution of the electric field due to its large impedance. In this study, we studied how remodeling of the skull would affect the therapeutic outcome of TTFields, using a computational approach. Methods: Head models were created from the head template ICBM152 and five realistic head models. The electric field distribution was simulated using the default TTFields array layout. To study the impact of the skull on the electric field, we compared three cases, namely, intact skull, defective skull, and insulating process, wherein a thin electrical insulating layer was added between the transducer and the hydrogel. The electric field strength and heating power were calculated using the FEM (finite element method). Results: Removing the skull flap increased the average field strength at the tumor site, without increasing the field strength of "brain". The ATVs of the supratentorial tumors were enhanced significantly. Meanwhile, the heating power of the gels increased, especially those overlapping the skull defect site. Insulation lightly decreased the electric field strength and significantly decreased the heating power in deep tumor models. Conclusion: Our simulation results showed that a skull defect was beneficial for superficial tumors but had an adverse effect on deep tumors. Skull removal should be considered as an optional approach in future TTFields therapy to enhance its efficacy. An insulation process could be used as a joint option to reduce the thermogenic effect of skull defect. If excessive increase in heating power is observed in certain patients, insulating material could be used to mitigate overheating without sacrificing the therapeutic effect of TTFields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human‐made concrete structures require cutting‐edge inspection tools to ensure the quality of the construction to meet the applicable building codes and to maintain the sustainability of the aging infrastructure. This paper introduces a wall‐climbing robot for metric concrete inspection that can reach difficult‐to‐access locations with a close‐up view for visual data collection and real‐time flaws detection and localization. The wall‐climbing robot is able to detect concrete surface flaws (i.e., cracks and spalls) and produce a defect‐highlighted 3D model with extracted location clues and metric measurements. The system encompasses four modules, including a data collection module to capture RGB‐D frames and inertial measurement unit data, a visual–inertial navigation system module to generate pose‐coupled keyframes, a deep neural network module (namely InspectionNet) to classify each pixel into three classes (background, crack, and spall), and a semantic reconstruction module to integrate per‐frame measurement into a global volumetric model with defects highlighted. We found that commercial RGB‐D camera output depth is noisy with holes, and a Gussian‐Bilateral filter for depth completion is introduced to inpaint the depth image. The method achieves the state‐of‐the‐art depth completion accuracy even with large holes. Based on the semantic mesh, we introduce a coherent defect metric evaluation approach to compute the metric measurement of crack and spall area (e.g., length, width, area, and depth). Field experiments on a concrete bridge demonstrate that our wall‐climbing robot is able to operate on a rough surface and can cross over shallow gaps. The robot is capable to detect and measure surface flaws under low illuminated environments and texture‐less environments. Besides the robot system, we create the first publicly accessible concrete structure spalls and cracks data set that includes 820 labeled images and over 10,000 field‐collected images and release it to the research community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans is one of the most important ectoparasites of marine fish, causing 'white spot disease' and mass mortality in aquaculture. To accurately predict disease outbreaks and develop prevention strategies, improved detection methods are required that are sensitive, convenient and rapid. In this study, a pair of specific primers based on the C. irritans 18S rRNA gene was developed and used in a real‐time PCR (qPCR) assay. This assay was able to detect five theronts in 1 L of natural seawater. Furthermore, a linear model was established to analyse the log of Ct value and parasite abundance in seawater (y = –2.9623x + 24.2930), and the coefficient of determination (R2) value was 0.979. A lysis buffer was optimized for theront DNA extraction and used for storage sample. This method was superior to the commercial water DNA kit, and there was no significant degradation of DNA at room temperature for 24–96 hr. A dilution method was developed to manage qPCR inhibitors and used to investigate natural seawater samples in a net cage farm with diseased fish, and the findings were consistent with the actual situation. This study provides a valuable tool for assisting in the early monitoring and control of cryptocaryoniasis in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorocarbon surfactants were the main components of aqueous film‐forming foam extinguishing agents (AFFF). Unfortunately, the widely used fluorocarbon surfactant perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was limited due to its toxicity, bioaccumulation and biodegradability. In this paper, an environmentally friendly quaternary ammonium cationic fluorocarbon surfactant with high surface activity and simple synthesis route was reported. The surface performance and aggregation behavior of the mixed solution of this fluorocarbon surfactant and sodium n‐octyl sulfate were studied by means of surface tension meter and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results showed that the synergistic effect of sodium n‐octyl sulfate and this fluorocarbon surfactant was significant, and many vesicles could be observed in the mixed solution with the concentration of 0.1 mol/L under TEM. Subsequently, three environmental friendly AFFF formulations (F‐1, F‐2, F‐3) were designed with the mixture of the fluorocarbon surfactant, sodium n‐octyl sulfate and lauryl betaine BS‐12 as foaming agent. Through its foam performance test, it could be seen that F‐3 showed relatively excellent foam performance. The initial foam height h0 was 70 mm, the 25% drainage time was 315 s, the extinguishing time was 28 s, and the burn‐back time was 720 s. This kind of fire extinguishing agent had the potential of fire protection application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: The GGC repeat expansion in the NOTCH2NLC gene has been identified as the genetic cause of neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID). Recently, this repeat expansion was also reported to be associated with essential tremor (ET). However, some patients with this repeat expansion, initially diagnosed with ET, were eventually diagnosed with NIID. Therefore, controversy remains regarding the clinical diagnosis of these expansion‐positive patients presenting with tremor‐dominant symptoms. This study aimed to clarify the clinical phenotype in tremor‐dominant patients who have the GGC repeat expansion in the NOTCH2NLC gene. Methods: We screened for pathogenic GGC repeat expansions in 602 patients initially diagnosed with ET and systematically re‐evaluated the clinical features of the expansion‐positive probands and their family members. Results: Pathogenic GGC repeat expansion in the NOTCH2NLC gene was detected in 10 probands (1.66%). Seven of these probands were re‐evaluated and found to have systemic areflexia, cognitive impairment, and abnormal nerve conduction, which prompted a change of diagnosis from ET to NIID. Three of the probands had typical hyperintensity in the corticomedullary junction on diffusion‐weighted imaging. Intranuclear inclusions were detected in all four probands who underwent skin biopsy. Conclusions: The NIID tremor‐dominant subtype can be easily misdiagnosed as ET. We should take NIID into account for differential diagnosis of ET. Systemic areflexia could be an important clinical clue suggesting that cranial magnetic resonance imaging examination, or even further genetic testing and skin biopsy examination, should be used to confirm the diagnosis of NIID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wax gourd is one of the most important winter vegetables of the Cucurbitaceae family. There are only limited markers available for this crop and the draft genome of wax gourd provides a powerful tool for simple sequence repeats (SSR) marker development. In this study, we developed genome‐wide SSR markers from wax gourd genome and characterized their distribution and frequency of different motifs and repeats. A total of 52,431 microsatellites from wax gourd genome were identified, of which 39,319 SSR markers were developed. The 1152 non‐wax gourd SSR markers were selected from cucumber, melon, watermelon and pumpkin to test their transferability in wax gourd. The 580 SSR markers could be transferable in wax gourd, and 42 of them were detected with polymorphic in 11 tested accessions of wax gourd. In addition, 11 good polymorphic transferrable SSR markers and 21 SSR markers of wax gourd were selected to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of 129 wax gourd accessions. One hundred twelve alleles were detected by these 32 SSR markers. The result of population structure showed that the 129 wax gourd accessions were divided into two main populations, and the genetic diversity analysis separated them into two clusters. The large number of wax gourd SSR markers developed in this study provides a valuable resource for genetic linkage map construction, molecular mapping, and marker‐assisted selection (MAS) in wax gourd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptocaryon irritans (Brown, 1951) is an obligate parasite that mainly invades the skin, fins and gills of marine fish and causes marine 'white spot disease'. It is common to aquarium and maricultured fish and causes high mortality due to its widespread geographical distribution, indiscriminate host specificity, short and simple life cycle, and high level of virulence. Numerous physical methods and chemical bath agents are applied to cure this disease in closed, re‐circulating aquaculture systems, but these treatments are not suitable in open environments such as cages and ponds. Fortunately, new measures, such as oral chemical drugs, oral plant components, vaccines and even biological control, are being developed as promising methods to treat and prevent cryptocaryoniasis in open aquaculture systems. Here, we provide a broad overview of C. irritans research, focussing primarily on work conducted in the last decade that may offer new insights into the treatment of disease in a practical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a simple approach to synthesizing ionic vinylene‐linked two‐dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) through a quaternization‐promoted Knoevenagel condensation at three aromatic methyl carbon atoms of N‐ethyl‐2,4,6‐trimethylpyridinium halide with multitopic aromatic aldehyde derivatives. The resultant COFs exhibited a honeycomb‐like structure with high crystallinity and surface areas as large as 1343 m2 g−1. The regular shape‐persistent nanochannels and the positively charged polymeric frameworks allowed the COFs to be uniformly composited with linear polyethylene oxide and lithium salt, displaying ionic conductivity as high as 2.72×10−3 S cm−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The worldwide prevalence of "sensitive skin" group is estimated at being close to 40%. The main trigger for sensitive skin is the misuse of cosmetics products. Majority of the in vitro studies on cosmetic ingredients developed for topical application to the skin are not able to describe sensory irritation, such as stinging, burning, itching, and tingling. Besides, most of the in vivo tests often encounter problems such as limited number of subjects and usage scenarios deviate from reality. Objective: A gradient boosting algorithm is adopted in our context to integrate multisource of information including skin types, sensory response, and cosmetics ingredients to predict sensory irritation. Method: In this study, online comments were preprocessed to construct a multi‐dimensional structured data including skin types, sensory response, and cosmetics ingredients. A gradient boosting regression model was developed where sensory response was predicted based on the abovementioned structured input. The predictions were validated by in vivo test and were shown favorably when comparing with the state‐of‐the‐art results from related works. Result: 46 007 samples were collected after data cleaning and were used in model developing. Results showed that the model was capable to predict the sensory response of 16 skin types to different ingredients (R = 0.71, P < 10−10). In addition, this model was validated using data from in vivo studies and presented a value of 75% on specificity, 88.9% on sensitivity, and 82.4% on accuracy. Conclusion: Our approach that is based on a variant of the gradient boosting algorithm provided an adequate solution for understanding the sensory irritation of cosmetic ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Benzo(a)pyrene, a major environmental pollutant, is known to accelerate skin aging through oxidative stress, increase the production of inflammatory mediators, and cause skin cancer. Lentinan, prepared from Lentinus edodes (Shiitake mushroom), has been reported to exhibit anti‐coagulant, anti‐viral, anti‐cancer, anti‐tumor, and anti‐coagulant effects. However, the effect of lentinan on human keratinocytes treated with benzo(a)pyrene is unknown. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore whether lentinan inhibits benzo(a)pyrene‐induced oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokine production in human keratinocytes. Methods: We investigated the effect of lentinan on benzo(a)pyrene‐induced oxidative stress indicators (malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase) in human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). We also assessed the production of inflammatory factors interleukin‐8 and chemokine ligand‐2 induced by benzo(a)pyrene exposure at both mRNA and protein levels. Results: Lentinan inhibited oxidative stress induced by benzo(a)pyrene, as shown by the concentration‐dependent reduction in reactive oxygen species in HaCaT cells. In addition, malondialdehyde levels were reduced to 53% of those of cells treated with benzo(a)pyrene without lentinan. The activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were approximately 18‐ and 2.7‐fold higher in benzo(a)pyrene‐treated cells with lentinan than in those without lentinan. Moreover, lentinan significantly reduced interleukin‐8 and chemokine ligand‐2 mRNA and protein levels. Conclusions: These findings suggest that lentinan has two biological activities that are potentially useful for managing inflammatory skin diseases or disorders related to oxidative stress induced by benzo(a)pyrene. Therefore, cosmetics containing L edodes have promising dermatological applications, with potential utility in protecting the skin against environmental pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sensitive skin refers to skin that tends to be highly responsive to stimuli such as physical, chemical, and psychological. Psychological factors play an important role in the pathology of sensitive skin. Objective: This study investigated lipid difference between sensitive skin caused by psychological stress and normal skin, followed by construction of a support vector machine (SVM). Methods: A noninvasive method was used to collect lipid samples from the skin surface. Ultra‐performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS) technique and partial least squares‐discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) was used to screen for differential lipids. A correlation analysis was performed on differential lipids, and a support vector model was established based on the differential lipids. Results: Twelve differential lipids were obtained, and the most differentiating species were triacylglycerols (TGs), followed by monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), saturated fatty acids (SFAs), diacylglycerols (DGs), and 6‐hydroxysphingosine levels. Triglyceride, SFA, and MUFA species showed a high correlation, and the support vector machine (SVM) differentiation model based on differential lipids had a 100% accuracy rate. Conclusion: Psychological stress may cause damage to the permeability and antimicrobial barriers of the skin, thereby resulting in sensitive skin. Differentiation models based on SVMs have good prospects for distinguishing sensitive skin caused by psychological stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Madi rare metal granite is a complex massif, which contains a variety of rare metals, such as Nb, Ta, Li, and Be. In this paper, the geochemical characteristics of the granite were obtained by multi‐collector inductively coupled mass spectrometry (MC‐ICP‐MS). The precise crystalline age of the granite was obtained from monazite U‐Pb dating, and the source of the granite was determined using Li‐Nd isotopes. The Madi rare metal granite is a high‐K (calc‐alkaline), peraluminous, S‐type granite. The U‐Pb monazite age indicates that the crystalline age of the granite is 175.6 Ma, which is Early Jurassic. The granite is characterized by a relatively wide range of δ7Li values (+2.99‰ to +5.83‰) and high lithium concentrations (181 ppm to 1022 ppm). The lithium isotopic composition of the granite does not significantly correlate with the degree of magmatic differentiation. An insignificant amount of lithium isotope fractionation occurred during the granitic differentiation. The lithium isotopic composition of the granite significantly differs from that of the wall rock, but it is very similar to that of a primitive mantle peridotite xenolith (mean δ7Li value +3.5‰). The plot of Li concentration versus δ7Li indicates that the Li isotopic composition of the granite is similar to that of island arc lavas. Based on the above‐described evidence, the granite was mainly derived from the crust, but it was contaminated by a deep granitic magma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium‐ion batteries are regarded as a promising alternative for scalable electricity storage, but the rate capability is still a scientific challenge to be solved, owing to the poor Na+ kinetics in electrodes. Herein, nitrogen‐doped carbon nanosheets with rich defects, nanopores and various interlayer spacings are prepared by pre‐carbonized polymer sheets at different temperatures followed by sodium amide treatment. Combination of thin nanosheets, nanopores and large interlayer spacing can boost the rapid Na+ diffusion, as proven by the calculation of the diffusion coefficient. Meanwhile, the kinetics analysis demonstrates the capacitive behaviors, which favor fast Na+ storage. When applied as an anode, the material exhibits superior rate capability (111.1 mA h g−1 even at 20 A g−1), remarkable cycle stability (over 2000 cycles) and ultrahigh initial coulombic efficiency (81.4 %). Furthermore, this work demonstrates a new way to develop attractive high‐rate carbon anode materials for sodium‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An environmentally benign protocol of chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of C=C and C=O bonds with alkanols under base‐free conditions is developed by this study, wherein the cobalt‐ bidentate phosphine catalyst precursor is commercially available and the active low‐valent Co species could be generated in‐situ. For the conjugation enones, the vinyl group is selectively reduced, whereas with nonconjugated alkenones, the selectivity is changed to the carbonyl group. Besides, ortho‐alkenyl‐benzaldehydes/imines are well tolerated, and the reduction solely occurs at the C=O/C=N site with this protocol. Low‐cost and sustainable: An environmentally benign protocol of Co‐bidentate phosphine complex‐catalyzed chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of C=C and C=O bonds with equivalent alkanols under base‐free conditions was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new macrobicyclic molecule (BC‐DAP5), consisting of a diaminopillar[5]arene cavity and a fused ring, was successfully constructed using a Grubbs metathesis reaction. Further studies indicated that BC‐DAP5 possessed a unique molecular behavior, showing a response to acid/base stimuli. In BC‐DAP5, protons (acid) acted as a lock, locking the fused ring out of the cavity (pillar[5]arene), and a base served as the key, making the fused ring switch in or out freely. Reversible control of the molecular behavior was achieved simply by adding acid and base alternately. A new macrobicyclic molecule, consisting of a diaminopillar[5]arene cavity and a fused ring, was successfully prepared through a Grubbs metathesis reaction. The molecule showed a unique molecular behavior, being responsive to acid/base stimuli. Reversible control of the molecular behavior was achieved simply by adding acid and base alternately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Traditional skincare involves the subjective classification of skin into 4 categories (oily, dry, mixed, and neutral) prior to skin treatment. Following the development of noninvasive methods in skin and skin imaging technology, scientists have developed efficacy‐based skincare products based on the physiological characteristics of skin under different conditions. Currently, the emergence of skinomics and systems biology has facilitated the development of precision skincare. In this article, the evolution of skincare based on the physiological states of the skin (from traditional skincare and efficacy‐based skincare to precision skincare) is described. In doing so, we highlight skinomics and systems biology, with particular emphasis on the importance of skin lipidomics and microbiomes in precision skincare. The emerging trends of precision skincare are anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Lentinus edodes is one of the largest edible fungi. Lentinan, extracted from its fruiting body has clinically significant anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticoagulant effects; however, its preventive effects on skin oxidative damage are unclear. Aims: We aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidation capability of lentinan and its protective and reparative effects on a model of cell oxidative damage. Methods: We evaluated the in vitro antioxidant potential of lentinan by assessing its free‐radical quenching ability using DPPH and ABTS and superoxide anions. Using the HaCaT cell line as the experimental system, we tested the protective and reparative effects of lentinan on a model of H2O2‐induced cellular oxidative damage through assessment of cell survival rate, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Results: Lentinan displayed high antioxidant potential: DDPH and ABTS quenching rates were above 60%; superoxide anions, approximately 18%. Furthermore, lentinan could dose‐dependently prevent the reduction of activity in HaCaT cells by H2O2, reduce MDA formation, and increase SOD activity. Moreover, lentinan showed not only a protective effect against oxidative damage but also reparative effects to a certain extent, in HaCaT cells. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated the ability of lentinan to enhance cellular tolerance to oxidative damage, stress resistance, and to have protective and reparative effects on damaged cells. Therefore, with L. edodes as a source for antiaging substances, cosmetics with homology to foods have great potential clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioma cells may infiltrate beyond the tumor margins revealed on conventional structural images.Purpose: To investigate whether the presence of a glioma infiltration sign on high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can predict the prognosis of gliomas.Study Type: Retrospective cohort.Subjects: Fifty-two patients with gliomas (14 WHO grade II; 13 WHO grade III; 25 WHO grade IV).Field Strength/sequence: 3.0T, including a T1 -weighted contrast-enhanced (T1 w-CE) sequence, contrast-enhanced T2 -flair sequence, and a DWI sequence.Assessment: T1 w-CE images and contrast-enhanced T2 -flair images were used for identifying the tumor region for enhancing and nonenhancing gliomas, respectively. The glioma infiltration sign was defined as the presence of a peritumoral abnormal high signal region on DWI map, which was adjacent to the tumor region and had higher signal than surrounding areas. This sign was assessed on a high b-value DWI map with b = 3000 s/mm2 . For patients with glioma infiltration sign, DWI3000max , DWI1000max , ADC3000min , and ADC1000min were measured by drawing a region of interest over the peritumoral abnormal high signal region.Statistical Tests: Survival analysis was conducted by using Cox regression.Results: Glioma infiltration sign was observed in 28 (53.8%) patients. The occurrence rate of this sign was 92.0% in grade IV gliomas, 30.8% in grade III gliomas, and 7.1% in grade II gliomas. The glioma infiltration sign could independently predict both the progression-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.58 [3.19-23.03], P < 0.001) and overall survival (HR, 95% CI = 11.90 [3.41-41.55], P < 0.001) after adjustment. For patients with glioma infiltration sign, DWI3000max (P = 0.005) and ADC3000min (P = 0.008) were both independent predictors of overall survival after adjustment, while DWI1000max and ADC1000min were not.Data Conclusion: The glioma infiltration sign on high b-value DWI is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in glioma patients. High b-value DWI might be a convenient method to detect glioma infiltration.Level Of Evidence: 3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A protocol for a CoII/N,N′,N′′‐trihydroxyisocyanuric acid (THICA)‐catalyzed aerobic oxidative esterification and amidation of aldehydes has been developed. Preliminary insight into the mechanism indicates that such an oxidative C−O/N cross‐coupling reaction proceeds by masking the aldehyde in a nucleophilic addition reaction with an alkoxy/amino source, thereby keeping the highly reactive formyl group from undesired oxidation. This protocol for the oxidative esterification and amidation of aldehydes proceeds through two different pathways that are characterized by the intrinsic nucleophilicity of the alkanol and amine substrates The former occurs in the presence of p‐CH3C6H4SO3H as a cocatalyst and orthoformates as the alkoxy sources, instead of alkanols, to efficiently afford the transient acetals. In contrast, the coupling of the more nucleophilic amines with aldehydes renders a readily accessible cross‐coupling reaction that occurs without any cocatalyst but is limited by the potential inhibition of THICA upon nucleophilic substitution by an amine. Consequently, only sterically hindered amines were tolerated in this catalytic system, whereas further condensation occurred in the presence of primary amines to lead to imines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimuli-responsive molecular containers are of great importance for controlled drug delivery and other biomedical applications. A new type of acid labile acyclic cucurbit[ n]uril (CB[ n]) molecular containers is presented that can degrade and release the encapsulated cargo at accelerated rates under mildly acidic conditions (pH 5.5-6.5). These containers retain the excellent recognition properties of CB[ n]-type hosts. A cell culture study demonstrated that the cellular uptake of cargos could be fine-tuned by complexation with different containers. The release and cell uptake of cargo dye was promoted by acidic pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gam protein is an inhibitor of the host RecBCD exonuclease, and this inhibition is essential to the proficiency of Red recombinase-mediated gene replacement. In Klebsiella pneumoniae, the efficiency of this gene replacement was lower than that in Escherichia coli, and the minimum length of homologous extensions required was longer. Thus, it was supposed that the inhibitory effect of Gam against RecBCD was weak in K. pneumoniae. To test this hypothesis, a Gam-deficient Red recombinase expression plasmid and a Δ recB K. pneumoniae mutant were constructed. The Gam-deficient Red recombinase showed a reduced capacity for gene replacement compared with that of the complete Red recombinase. The efficiency of gene replacement in the Δ recB mutant was 6-8 times higher than the wild-type strain, and the minimum length for the homologous extensions was reduced to 100 bp. These results indicate that Gam does inhibit the RecBCD exonuclease in K. pneumoniae, but that this inhibition is not stringent. Furthermore, mutation of recB presents a convenient and efficient method to enhance the Red recombinase assisted gene replacement in K. pneumoniae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact toughness of Q&T Mn-Ni-Mo bainitic steel in the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) region was measured. The fracture micromechanism associated with the microstructural features was studied, by statistically analyzing the grain sizes of various structures. The results reveal that the cleavage fracture behavior is controlled by bainitic packets. There exists a critical bainitic packet size. When a microcrack formed in the bainitic packet with a size exceeding the critical size propagates into adjacent packets, brittle cleavage fracture occurs. The probability of finding the bainitic packets larger than the critical size dominates the impact toughness and its scattering. It is suggested that refining the bainitic packets and homogenizing their sizes is an effective method of improving the impact toughness and reducing its scattering in the DBTT region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudorotaxane type host-guest complex of a secondary ammonium salt and oxacalixcrown with the polyether linker as short as five ethylene glycol units was created. While an axle containing both ammonium and carbamate stations was installed in an oxacalixcrown-6-based [2]rotaxane through a threading-followed-by-stoppering approach, translocation of the oxacalixcrown-6 component of the [2]rotaxane from the secondary ammonium station to the carbamate station of the thread was achieved through blocking the amino moiety with a bulky Boc group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1,8-Dioxyanthracene-based bisarylene crown ethers, composed of ethylene glycol chains and aromatic moieties, have been synthesized. Complexation studies revealed that these crown ethers could form 1:1 complexes with methyl viologen dication ( N, N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dication; MV2+) in a mixed solvent of CDCl3 and CD3CN (1:1 v/v) with association constants in a range of (1.2 ± 0.1) × 103 M-1 to (1.6 ± 0.2) × 104 M-1. The structure of the complex and the strength of the π-donor/π-acceptor interactions between the 1,8-dioxyanthracene planes and the pyridinium rings of MV2+ are highly dependent on the length of the polyether chains of the ethers. Structural analysis showed that the tetraethylene glycol-derived bis-1,8-dioxyanthracene-based crown ether 9 forms a U-shaped host-guest complex with MV2+ by inserting the coplanar pyridinium rings of MV2+ between the two parallel oriented 1,8-dioxyanthracene units of 9, which is driven predominantly by π-donor/π-acceptor interactions. The pentaethylene glycol-derived bis-1,8-dioxyanthracene-based crown ether 10, however, adopts a crescent-shaped conformation in complex 10⊃MV2+ with the MV2+ guest being encapsulated by the polyether chains, propelled mainly by the hydrogen-bonding interactions between the hydrogen atoms of MV2+ and the oxygen atoms of the polyether chains of 10. Similarly, the hexaethylene glycol-derived bis-1,8-dioxyanthracene-based crown ether 11 forms a complex with MV2+. However, only weak π-donor/π-acceptor interactions between the aromatic groups of the mixed bisarylene crown ethers 12 and 13, and MV2+ were observed, and construction of tetracationic cyclophane [CBPQT4+] and crown ether 13 based [2]catenane 15 was achieved through supramolecular interactions between the [CBPQT4+] ring and naphtho unit in the crown ether. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel branched fluorinated anion surfactant 4-(3,3,4,4,5,5,5-heptafluoro-2,2-bis-tri-fluoromethyl-pentyl)benzene lithium phosphonate was successfully synthesized via a four-step route using perfluoro-2-methyl-2-pentene as starting material. The surface activity was investigated. The result showed that the cmc value of the surfactant in water is about 1.5×10−2 mol/L at 298 K and the surface tension of the aqueous solution is 19.2 mN/m at the cmc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the presence of Co2(CO)8 and additives, propargyl alcohol derivatives could be reduced to alkenes in moderate to good yield. The selectivity of this reaction could be controlled by adding different additives: with H2O as the additive, the major configuration of product is Z-alkene; with CF3COOH as the additive, the major configuration of product is E-alkene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetraamido-oxacalix[4]arene derivatives have been synthesized via the reactions of tetraamino-oxacalix[4]arene with excess butyryl chloride, octanoyl chloride, benzoyl chloride and p-toluenesulfonyl chloride, respectively. 1H NMR results suggest that these oxacalix[4]arene derivatives preferentially adopt the 1,3-alternate (saddle-like) conformation in solution, which were also the case in the solid state as demonstrated by single crystal X-ray analysis. A dimerized slipped capsule could be formed by tetra-butyramido-oxacalix[4]arene in the solid state via intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions under the assistance of two encapsulated methanol molecules. On the other hand, a molecular cavity was formed by tetra- p-toluenesulfonamido-oxacalix[4]arene which can encapsulate a solvent molecule of ethyl acetate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intermolecular Pauson-Khand reaction between 2-ethynylbenzaldehyde and ethylene promoted by dimethyl sulfide can be utilized to synthesize 2-(2-formylphenyl)cyclopentenone efficiently. This compound and its derivatives undergo a cascade process of Michael addition reaction followed by Henry reaction with nitromethane to construct substituted aromatic fused 2,3-dihydroindanones. Furthermore, direct one-pot synthesis of aromatic fused 2,3-dihydroindanones from 2-ethynylbenzaldehyde is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluorosurfactants (PFOS) have caused great harm to human health and the environment, but the irreplaceable properties of fluorosurfactants offer great values. To this end, we have synthesized a highly surface active, environmentally friendly sulfonate surfactant (PBSA) with a perfluorinated branched short chain and systematically investigated its thermal stability, surface properties, wetting performance, and so forth. The minimal surface tension (γCMC) and critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the aqueous solution of PBSA were 22.70 mN/m and 0.067 mmol/L, respectively. In addition, the binary system of PBSA and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) exhibited excellent synergistic effects: γCMC and CMC values were reduced to 18.94 mN/m and 0.008 mmol/L. Moreover, the PBSA/CTAB mixed solution exhibited superb wetting ability: it could achieve complete wetting of PTFE plates at low concentrations (1.82 × 10−3 mol/L), with a minimum wetting concentration of only 2.84 × 10−5 mol/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A procedure for the stereospecific synthesis of drospirenone has been developed. The key steps included the stereospecific reduction of the C7-tertiary alcohol with ZnI2/Et3SiH, a novel mild and stereospecific tertiary alcohol reduction system, and the tandem oxidation/cyclopropanation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorogenic labeling enables imaging cellular molecules of interest with minimal background. This process is accompanied with the notable increase of the quantum yield of fluorophore, thus minimizing the background signals from unactivated profluorophores. Herein, the development of a highly efficient and bioorthogonal nitroso‐based Diels–Alder fluorogenic reaction is presented and its usefulness is validated as effective and controllable in fluorescent probes and live‐cell labeling strategies for dynamic cellular imaging. It is demonstrated that nitroso‐based cycloaddition is an efficient fluorogenic labeling tool through experiments of further UV‐activatable fluorescent labeling on proteins and live cells. The ability of tuning the fluorescence of labeled proteins by UV‐irradiation enables selective activation of proteins of interest in a particular cell compartment at a given time point, while leaving the remaining labeled molecules untouched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]