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Abstract Photoacoustic imaging (PAI)‐guided photothermal therapy (PTT) in the second near‐infrared (NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm) window has been attracting attention as a promising cancer theranostic platform. Here, it is reported that the π‐extended porphyrins fused with one or two nanographene units (NGP‐1 and NGP‐2) can serve as a new class of NIR‐responsive organic agents, displaying absorption extending to ≈1000 and ≈1400 nm in the NIR‐I and NIR‐II windows, respectively. NGP‐1 and NGP‐2 are dispersed in water through encapsulation into self‐assembled nanoparticles (NPs), achieving high photothermal conversion efficiency of 60% and 69%, respectively, under 808 and 1064 nm laser irradiation. Moreover, the NIR‐II‐active NGP‐2‐NPs demonstrated promising photoacoustic responses, along with high photostability and biocompatibility, enabling PAI and efficient NIR‐II PTT of cancer in vivo.

Highlights By employing side-chain regulation, the photothermal therapy response of conjugated diradical polymer can red-shift from near-infrared (NIR)-I to the NIR-II region. This strategy offers new radical materials in developing NIR-II photothermal materials. The conjugated diradical polymer TTB-2 receives a record-high photothermal conversion efficiency of 87.7%, far beyond the recently reported NIR-II photothermal agents. Such conjugated diradical polymer must enrich the NIR-II photothermal agents’ library and provide important insight for more diradical polymer construction. The conjugated diradical polymer nanoparticles TTB-2 NPs achieve good tumor photoablation with navigation of photoacoustic imaging in the NIR-II window, without any side effect. Furthermore, the efficient photo-immunity effect prevents the pulmonary metastasis of breast cancer.

Abstract PtII based organometallic photosensitizers (PSs) have emerged as novel potent photodynamic inactivation (PDI) reagents through their enhanced intersystem crossing (ISC) processes. Currently, few PtII PSs have been investigated as antibacterial materials, with relatively poor performances reported and with structure‐activity relationships not well described. Herein, a pair of configurational isomers are reported of Bis‐BODIPY (4,4‐difluoro‐boradizaindacene) embedded PtII PSs. The cis‐isomer (cis‐BBP) displayed enhanced 1O2 generation and better bacterial membrane anchoring capability as compared to the trans‐isomer (trans‐BBP). The effective PDI concentrations (efficiency > 99.9%) for cis‐BBP in Acinetobacter baumannii (multi‐drug resistant (MDR)) and Staphylococcus aureus are 400 nM (12 J cm−2) and 100 nM (18 J cm−2), respectively; corresponding concentrations and light doses for trans‐BBP in the two bacteria are 2.50 µM (30 J cm−2) and 1.50 µM (18 J cm−2), respectively. The 50% and 90% minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50 and MIC90) ratio of trans‐BBP to cis‐BBP is 22.22 and 24.02 in A. baumannii (MDR); 21.29 and 22.36 in methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), respectively. Furthermore, cis‐BBP displays superior in vivo antibacterial performance, with acceptable dark and photoinduced cytotoxicity. These results demonstrate cis‐BBP is a robust light‐assisted antibacterial reagent at sub‐micromolecular concentrations. More importantly, configuration of PtII PSs should be an important issue to be considered in further PDI reagents design.

Abstract Second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence imaging in the range of 1000–1700 nm has great prospects for in vivo imaging and theranostics monitoring. At present, few NIR-II probes with theranostics properties have been developed, especially the high-performance organic theranostics material remains underexploited. Herein, we demonstrate a selenium (Se)-tailoring method to develop high-efficient NIR-II imaging-guided material for in vivo cancer phototheranostics. Via Se-tailoring strategy, conjugated oligomer TPSe-based nanoparticles (TPSe NPs) achieve bright NIR-II emission up to 1400 nm and exhibit a relatively high photothermal conversion efficiency of 60% with good stability. Moreover, the TPSe NPs demonstrate their photothermal ablation of cancer cells in vitro and tumor in vivo with the guidance of NIR-II imaging. It is worth noting that the TPSe NPs have good biocompatibility without obvious side effects. Thus, this work provides new insight into the development of NIR-II theranostics agents.

Scavenging excessively secreted cytokines from plasma is vital for treating cytokine storm syndrome (CSS). Therefore, appropriate adsorbent materials are highly desired for efficient and selectively capturing the plasma cytokines. For this purpose, injectable porous silicon particles (PSPs) are designed as scavenging adsorbents. The fabricated PSP features high porosity for large pore volume and high specific surface area. Polyethylene glycol is coated on the outer surface of PSP for a longer body circulation time, while antibodies are immobilized on the interior surface of PSP for the specific recognition of targeting biomacromolecules. The resultant injectable scavengers demonstrate satisfactory performance for sequestering tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or TNF receptor (TNFR) in serum and in vivo. The salient biocompatibility of the preparing scavenger is demonstrated through simulative hemoperfusion experiments and in vivo toxicology tests. Importantly, the scavengers are injected into mice like a drug to rapidly remove blood‐circulating endogenous TNFR. These features together with its facile fabrication present the silicon‐based porous particles as candidates in clinical application for relieving the infection‐induced CSS.

Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is a frustrating immunogenic “cold” tumor and generally receives unsatisfied immunotherapy outcomes in the clinic. Pyroptosis is an excellent immunogenic cell death form that can effectively activate the antitumor immune response, promote cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte infiltration, and convert tumors from “cold” to “hot.” However, the in vivo application of pyroptosis drugs is seriously limited, and the upregulation of tumor PD‐L1 caused by photo‐immunotherapy further promotes immune escape. Herein, a new nano‐photosensitizer (YBS‐BMS NPs‐RKC) with pH‐response integrating immunogenic pyroptosis induction and immune checkpoint blockade is developed. The pH‐responsive polymer equipped with the cell membrane anchoring peptide RKC is used as the carrier and further encapsulated with the near‐infrared‐activated semiconductor polymer photosensitizer YBS and a PD‐1/PD‐L1 complex small molecule inhibitor BMS‐202. The pH‐driven membrane‐anchoring and pyroptosis activation of YBS‐BMS NPs‐RKC is clearly demonstrated. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that this dual‐pronged therapy stimulates a powerful antitumor immune response to suppress primary tumor progression and evokes long‐term immune memory to inhibit tumor relapse and metastasis. This work provides an effective self‐synergistic platform for PCa immunotherapy and a new idea for developing more biocompatible photo‐controlled pyroptosis inducers.

Phototherapy has the advantages of being a highly targeted, less toxic, less invasive, and repeatable treatment, compared with conventional treatment methods such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. The preparation strategies are significant in order to determine the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles. However, choosing appropriate preparation strategies to meet applications is still challenging. This review summarizes the recent progress of preparation strategies in organic nanoparticles, mainly focusing on the principles, methods, and advantages of nanopreparation strategies. In addition, typical examples of cancer phototherapeutics are introduced in detail to inform the choice of appropriate preparation strategies. The relative future trend and outlook are preliminarily proposed.

A new electrochemical sensor for organophosphate pesticide (methyl-paraoxon) detection based on bifunctional cerium oxide (CeO2) nanozyme is here reported for the first time. Methyl-paraoxon was degraded into p-nitrophenol by using CeO2 with phosphatase mimicking activity. The CeO2 nanozyme-modified electrode was then synthesized to detect p-nitrophenol. Cyclic voltammetry was applied to investigate the electrochemical behavior of the modified electrode, which indicates that the signal enhancement effect may attribute to the coating of CeO2 nanozyme. The current research also studied and discussed the main parameters affecting the analytical signal, including accumulation potential, accumulation time, and pH. Under the optimum conditions, the present method provided a wider linear range from 0.1 to 100 μmol/L for methyl-paraoxon with a detection limit of 0.06 μmol/L. To validate the proof of concept, the electrochemical sensor was then successfully applied for the determination of methyl-paraoxon in three herb samples, i.e., Coix lacryma-jobi, Adenophora stricta and Semen nelumbinis. Our findings may provide new insights into the application of bifunctional nanozyme in electrochemical detection of organophosphorus pesticide.

Moderate light absorption by bio-tissue is conducive to the imaging performance. The second near-infrared window is perfected as 900–1880 nm, and 2080–2340 nm is proposed as the third near-infrared window.

Abstract Owing to their unique chemical reactivities and paramagnetism, organic radicals with unpaired electrons have found widespread exploration in physical, chemical, and biological fields. However, most radicals are too short‐lived to be separated and only a few of them can maintain stable radical forms via stereochemical strategies. How to utilize these raw radicals for developing stable radical‐containing materials have long been a research hotspot for many years. This perspective introduces fundamental characteristics of organic radical materials and highlights their applications in biomedical fields, particularly for bioimaging, biosensing, and photo‐triggered therapies. Molecular design of these radical materials is considered with reference to their outstanding imaging and therapeutic performances. Various challenges currently limiting the wide applications of these organic radical materials and their future development are also discussed.

Abstract Lymph node metastasis is a major metastatic route of cancer and significantly influences the prognosis of cancer patients. Radical lymphadenectomy is crucial for a successful surgery. However, iatrogenic normal organ injury during lymphadenectomy is a troublesome complication. Here, this paper reports a kind of organic nanoprobes (IDSe‐IC2F nanoparticles (NPs)) with excellent second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) fluorescence and photothermal properties. IDSe‐IC2F NPs can effectively label lymph nodes and helped achieve high‐contrast lymphatic imaging. More importantly, by jointly using IDSe‐IC2F nanoparticles and other kinds of nanoparticles with different excitation/emission properties, a multichannel NIR‐II fluorescence imaging modality and imaging‐guided lymphadenectomy is proposed. With the help of this navigation system, the iatrogenic injury can be largely avoided. In addition, NIR‐II fluorescence imaging‐guided photothermal treatment (“hot” strategy) can ablate those metastatic lymph nodes which are difficult to deal with during resection (“cold” strategy). Nanoprobes‐assisted and multichannel NIR‐II fluorescence imaging‐guided “cold” and “hot” treatment strategy provides a general new basis for the future precision surgery.

As hypoxia is closely associated with tumor progression, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and strong resistance to therapy, regulating and overcoming the hypoxia tumor microenvironment are two increasingly important aspects of tumor treatment. Herein, we report a phototherapeutic platform that uses the organic photosensitizer diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivative and inorganic iridium salts (IrCl3) with photothermal activity and the capacity to decompose H2O2 efficiently. The characterization of their photophysical properties proved that DPP-Ir nanoparticles are capable of remarkable near-infrared (NIR) absorption, and compared to DPP nanoparticles, the photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) increases from 42.1% in DPP nanoparticles to 67.0% in DPP-Ir nanoparticles. The hybrid nanoparticles utilize the catalytic decomposition of endogenous H2O2 to produce oxygen for the downregulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF-1α) protein, which could reverse the tumor hypoxic microenvironment. Benefiting from the excellent optical properties and good biocompatibility, the hybrid platform exhibits efficient photothermal therapeutic effects as well as good biological safety. In conclusion, such a hybrid platform could improve photothermal therapy against cancer.

The fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) delivered small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting β-secretase (BACE1) to achieve high transfection efficiency of siRNAs and reduction of β-amyloid (Aβ) in nerve cells. The CdSe/ZnS QDs with the conjugation of amino-polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized. Negatively charged siRNAs were electrostatically adsorbed to the surface of QDs to develop QD-PEG/siRNA nanoplexes. The QD-PEG/siRNAs nanoplexes significantly promote the transfection efficiency of siRNA, and the siRNAs from non-packaged nanoplexes were widely distributed in cell bodies and processes and efficiently silenced BACE1 gene, leading to the reduction of Aβ. The biodegradable PEG polymer coating could protect QDs from being exposed to the intracellular environment and restrained the release of toxic Cd2+. Therefore, the QD-PEG/siRNA nanoplexes reported here might serve as ideal carriers for siRNAs. We developed a novel method of siRNA delivery into nerve cells. We first reported that the QD-PEG/siRNA nanoplexes were generated by the electrostatic interaction and inhibited the Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated BACE1 gene. We also first revealed the dynamics of QD-PEG/siRNAs within nerve cells via confocal microscopy and the ultrastructural evidences under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This technology might hold promise for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.

Background: Plant essential oils have long been regarded as repositories of antimicrobial agents. In recent years, they have emerged as potential alternatives or supplements to antimicrobial drugs. Although literature reviews and previous studies have indicated that cinnamon essential oil (CIEO) and its major component, cinnamaldehyde (CID), possess potent antibacterial activities, their antibacterial mechanisms, especially the in vivo antibacterial mechanisms, remain elusive.Methods: In this study, we utilized the in vivo assessment system of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) to investigate the effects and mechanisms of high dose (100 mg/L) and low dose (10 mg/L) CIEO and CID in inhibiting Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). In addition, we also examined the in vitro antibacterial abilities of CIEO and CID against other common pathogens including P. aeruginosa and 4 other strains.Results: Our research revealed that both high (100 mg/L) and low doses (10 mg/L) of CIEO and CID treatment significantly alleviated the reduction in locomotion behavior, lifespan, and accumulation of P. aeruginosa in C. elegans infected with the bacteria. During P. aeruginosa infection, the transcriptional expression of antimicrobial peptide-related genes (lys-1 and lys-8) in C. elegans was upregulated with low-dose CIEO and CID treatment, while this trend was suppressed at high doses. Further investigation suggested that the PMK-1 mediated p38 signaling pathway may be involved in the regulation of CIEO and CID during nematode defense against P. aeruginosa infection. Furthermore, in vitro experimental results also revealed that CIEO and CID exhibit good antibacterial effects, which may be associated with their antioxidant properties.Conclusion: Our results indicated that low-dose CIEO and CID treatment could activate the p38 signaling pathway in C. elegans, thereby regulating antimicrobial peptides, and achieving antimicrobial effects. Meanwhile, high doses of CIEO and CID might directly participate in the internal antimicrobial processes of C. elegans. Our study provides research basis for the antibacterial properties of CIEO and CID both in vivo and in vitro.

Nanocapsule preparation technology, as an emerging technology with great development prospects, has uniqueness and superiority in various industries. In this paper, the preparation technology of nanocapsules was systematically divided into three categories: physical methods, chemical methods, and physicochemical methods. The technological innovation of different methods in recent years was reviewed, and the mechanisms of nanocapsules prepared via emulsion polymerization, interface polymerization, layer-by-layer self-assembly technology, nanoprecipitation, supercritical fluid, and nano spray drying was summarized in detail. Different from previous reviews, the renewal iteration of core–shell structural materials was highlighted, and relevant illustrations of their representative and latest research results were reviewed. With the continuous progress of nanocapsule technology, especially the continuous development of new wall materials and catalysts, new preparation technology, and new production equipment, nanocapsule technology will be used more widely in medicine, food, cosmetics, pesticides, petroleum products, and many other fields.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has a poor prognosis and high mortality. The relationship between the deformation capacity of the biatrial and biventricular regions in patients with DCM remains unclear. Methods: This retrospective study used cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to assess patient enrollment between September 2020 to May 2022. Feature tracking (FT) was used to evaluate biventricular global radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain (GCS) and global longitudinal strain (GLS). Fast long-axis method was used to evaluate biatrial GLS by analyzing balanced steady-state free precession cine images. The median follow-up period was 362 days (interquartile range: 234 to 500 days). DCM patients were divided into two groups based on the occurrence or non-occurrence of major adverse cardiac event (MACE). The primary endpoint was defined as all-cause death, heart transplantation, and adverse ventricular arrhythmia. The secondary end point included hospitalizations due to heart failure. Cox regression analysis was utilized for variables and Kaplan-Meier survival was utilized for clinical outcomes. Results: There were 124 DCM patients (52.82 ± 12.59 years, 67.74% male) and 53 healthy volunteers (53.17 ± 14.67 years, 52.83% male) recruited in this study. Biventricular GRS, GCS, GLS, and biatrial GLS were significantly impaired in the DCM group compared with the healthy group. In receiver-operating characteristic curve, biatrial GLS and biventricular GRS, GCS, and GLS showed significant prognostic value in predicting MACEs (all p < 0.05). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, left ventricular (LV) GLS offered a significant and independent prognostic value surpassing other CMR parameters in predicting MACE. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with a LV GLS >–4.81% had a significantly higher rate of MACE (Log-rank p < 0.001). Conclusions: LV GLS was independently associated with MACEs in DCM patients by using FT and fast long-axis method derived from CMR. Comprehensive CMR examination including biatrial and biventricular functions should be systematically performed, to understand disease characteristics, as well as improve the risk stratification and therapeutic management for patients with DCM.

Abstract Background Intervertebral fusion and internal fixation are often applied to patients with lumbar spinal disease. Whether to remove the internal fixation after successful fusion remains uncertain, but such a question needs to be explored in light of concerns regarding patients’ quality of life and health insurance. We sought to probe if the removal of internal fixation after successful lumbar intervertebral fusion affects patients’ quality of life. Methods This was a real-world retrospective case–control study. Data of 102 patients who had undergone posterior lumbar fusion with cage and internal fixation to treat lumbar degenerative diseases were extracted from a single center from 2012 to 2020. Fifty-one patients had undergone internal fixation removal surgery, and 51 controls who retained internal fixations were matched according to demographic and medical characteristics. The quality of life of patients based on the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) scale and their self-assessment were surveyed. Results There was no statistical difference in the overall score of the SF-36 questionnaire between the two groups, but the general health (GH) subscore was lower in the case group than in the control group (P = 0.0284). Among those patients who underwent internal fixation removal, the quality of life was improved after instrument removal as indicated by an increased overall score (P = 0.0040), physical functioning (PF) (P = 0.0045), and bodily pain (BP) (P = 0.0008). Among patients with pre-surgery discomfort, instrument removal generated better outcomes in 25% and poor outcomes in 4.2%. Among patients without pre-surgery discomfort, instrument removal generated better outcomes in 7.4% and poor outcomes in 11.1%. Conclusion Among patients who achieved successful posterior lumbar internal fixation, whether or not to remove the fixation instruments should be evaluated carefully. In patients experiencing discomfort, instrument removal could improve their quality of life, but the benefits and risks should be comprehensively explained to these patients. Instrument removal should not be routinely performed due to its limited or even negative effect in patients who do not report discomfort before surgery.

AimsMyocardial salvage index (MSI) is attracting increasing attention for predicting prognosis in acute myocardial infarction (AMI); however, the evaluation of MSI is mainly based on contrast agent-dependent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scanning sequences. This study aims to investigate the prognostic value of MSI in reperfused ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) through the contrast agent-free CMR technique.Methods and resultsNighty-two patients with acute STEMI, who underwent CMR after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), were finally enrolled. Patients were subcategorized into two groups according to median MSI. T1 and T2 mapping were conducted for measuring infarct size (IS) and area at risk (AAR). IS was significantly larger in < median MSI group than ≥ median MSI group (P < 0.001). AAR between the two groups showed no obvious differences (P = 0.108). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was lower in < median MSI group than ≥ median MSI group (P = 0.014). There was an obvious inverse correlation between MSI and reperfusion time (R = –0.440, P < 0.001) and a strong inverse correlation between MSI and IS (R = –0.716, P = 0.011). As for the relationship LVEF, MSI showed positive but weak correlation (R = 0.2265, P < 0.001). Over a median follow-up period of 263 (227–238) days, prevalence of MACEs was significantly higher in the < median MSI group [HR: 0.15 (0.04–0.62); Log-rank P = 0.008]. The univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that LVEF, IS, and MSI were significant predictors for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) (all P < 0.05). In the stepwise multivariate Cox regression analysis, LVEF and MSI were identified as independent parameters for predicting MACEs (both P < 0.05). In the receiver-operating characteristic analysis, LVEF, IS, and MSI showed prognostic value in predicting MACEs with AUCs of 0.809, 0.779, and 0.896, respectively, all (P < 0.05). A combination of MSI with LVEF showed the strongest prognostic value of MACEs (AUC: 0.901, sensitivity: 77.78%, specificity: 98.80%, P < 0.001). Delong’s test showed that the combination of LVEF with MSI had an incremental value than LVEF itself in predicting MACEs (P = 0.026).ConclusionContrast agent-free CMR technique provides a reliable evaluation of MSI, which contributes to assessing the efficacy of reperfusion therapy and predicting the occurrence of MACEs.

This paper selects 500 samples through a recommendation algorithm and, on the basis of content analysis, examines the factors that affect the number of fans of female-oriented accounts on Chinese TikTok in terms of intrinsic attributes, surface form, and deep content. The results show that in order to increase the number of fans of female-oriented accounts on Chinese TikTok, there are four variables of the intrinsic attribute with statistically significant differences, 13 variables of the surface form with statistically significant differences, and 9 variables of the deep content with statistically significant differences. Beauty-related content is not the best means to attract fans. It requires TikTok creators to get rid of stereotyped and conceptual female impressions, display the rich social roles of women, and build true, complete, and harmonious female images in innovative ways in accordance with the humanistic communication concept.

BackgroundThe differentiation between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and hypertensive heart disease (HHD) is challenging due to similar myocardial hypertrophic phenotype. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT) and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) to distinguish between HCM and HHD and the potential relationship between myocardial strain and cardiac functional parameters.MethodsOne hundred and seventy subjects (57 HCM, 45 HHD, and 68 controls) underwent 3.0 T CMR, including steady-state free precession cines and LGE images. Global and segmental (basal, mid, and apical) analyses of myocardial radial, circumferential, longitudinal strain, and left ventricular (LV) torsion, as well as global and 16 segments of LGE were assessed. The multivariate analysis was used to predict the diagnostic ability by combining comprehensive myocardial strain parameters and LGE.ResultsGlobal radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and LV torsion were significantly higher in the HCM group than in the HHD group (GRS, 21.18 ± 7.52 vs. 14.56 ± 7.46%; GCS, −13.34 ± 3.52 vs. −10.11 ± 4.13%; torsion, 1.79 ± 0.69 vs. 1.23 ± 0.65 deg/cm, all P < 0.001). A similar trend was also seen in the corresponding strain rate. As for segmental strain analysis, basal radial strain (BRS), basal circumferential strain (BCS), basal longitudinal strain (BLS), mid-radial strain (MRS), and mid-circumferential strain (MCS) were higher in the HCM group than in the HHD group (all P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of LGE in the mid-interventricular septum (mIVS) was the highest among global and segmental LGE analyses. On the multivariate regression analysis, a combined model of LGE (mIVS) with GRS obtained the highest AUC value, which was 0.835 with 88.89% sensitivity and 70.18% specificity, respectively. In addition, for patients with HCM, GRS, GCS, and global longitudinal strain had correlations with LV ejection fraction (LVEF), maximum interventricular septum thickness (IVST max), and left ventricular mass index (LVMi). Torsion was mildly associated with LVEF.ConclusionCMR-FT-derived myocardial strain and torsion provided valuable methods for evaluation of HCM and HHD. In addition, the combination of GRS and LGE (mIVS) achieved the highest diagnostic value.

At present, the technology used for the extraction and purification of Camellia oleifera saponins generally has the problems of high cost and low purity, and the quantitative detection of Camellia oleifera saponins also has the problems of low sensitivity and easy interference from impurities. To solve these problems, this paper aimed to use liquid chromatography for the quantitative detection of Camellia oleifera saponins, and to adjust and optimize the related conditions. In our study, the average recovery of Camellia oleifera saponins obtained was 100.42%. The RSD of precision test was 0.41%. The RSD of the repeatability test was 0.22%. The detection limit of the liquid chromatography was 0.06 mg/L, and the quantification limit was 0.2 mg/L. In order to improve the yield and purity, the Camellia oleifera saponins were extracted from Camellia oleifera Abel. seed meal by methanol extraction. Then, the extracted Camellia oleifera saponins were extracted with an ammonium sulfate/propanol aqueous two-phase system. We optimized the purification process of formaldehyde extraction and aqueous two-phase extraction. Under the optimal purification process, the purity of Camellia oleifera saponins extracted by methanol was 36.15%, and the yield was 25.24%. The purity of Camellia oleifera saponins obtained by aqueous two-phase extraction was 83.72%. Thus, this study can provide a reference standard for rapid and efficient detection and analysis of Camellia oleifera saponins for industrial extraction and purification.

Two-dimensional (2D) all-carbon materials hold great fascination because of their superior properties and promising applications. Herein, we presented the first demonstration for the use of graphdiyne (GDY) as photothermo-acoustic wave nanotransducers for simultaneous effective photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and photothermal therapy (PTT) in living mice. With a large extinction coefficient in near-infrared (NIR) region, upon irradiated by 808 nm laser, GDY not only exhibits a stable photothermal performance with a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 42%, but also provides an excellent photoacoustic response. Owing to its good biocompatibility modified with PEGylation, GDY can be simultaneously used as PAI probe and PTT agent and exhibits an efficient photothermal ablation of cancer cells in living mice. This work opens a new way into the development of 2D graphdiynes as novel theranostic platform for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photothermal therapy (PTT) holds great promise for noninvasive cancer treatment. To fulfill this goal, highly effective and low-risk photothermal agents have been intensively explored. Here, we present a new PTT material based on conjugated polymer dots (Pdots) that exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption and high photostability. The Pdots result in a thermal response upon illumination with a NIR laser, leading to a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 65%. Thus, the photothermal ablation of cancer cells using the Pdots both in vitro and in vivo can be achieved, highlighting the potential of Pdots as a nanoplatform for clinical therapy. They also open up a new avenue to develop new photothermal therapeutic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food production is becoming critical to national security to effectively protect and increase the income of farmers. Increasing inputs of fertilizer and pesticides provides the fastest way to improve yield, but many studies have shown this will directly or indirectly result in an increase in the heavy metal content. This study used field sampling and laboratory analysis methods to study the major corn producing areas of Lishu County, Jilin Province, China. The effects of inputs of chemical fertilizer, mixed chemical and organic fertilizer, mixed chemical and straw fertilizer were analyzed with four kinds of agricultural soils. The accumulation of six heavy metals, Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb, was analyzed. Results showed that Cd accumulation in soil is associated with the application of organic fertilizer, and As accumulation is associated with chemical fertilizer. Cd cumulant in black and sandy soil is much lower than in the other two soils. As accumulation is likely in all four soils, especially under high fertilization rates; all four soils were prone to accumulate As. Nevertheless, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Pb did not accumulate significantly in the four soils analyzed here, and maintaining these inputs in the short term will not cause soil pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control of fungal phytopathogens affecting crops and woodlands is an important goal in environmental management and the maintenance of food security. This work describes the synthesis of 37 camphor derivatives, of which 27 were new compounds. Their antifungal effects on six fungi were evaluated in vitro. Compounds 3a, 4a and 5k showed strong antifungal activity against Trametes versicolor, with EC50 values of 0.43, 6.80 and 4.86 mg/L, respectively, which were better than that of tricyclazole (EC50 118.20 mg/L) and close to or better than that of carbendazim (EC50 1.20 mg/L). The most potent compound, 3a, exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity towards six fungi with EC50 values within the range of 0.43–40.18 mg/L. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that compounds 3a, 4a and 5k gave irregular growth and shriveling of the mycelia. In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation revealed that the tested camphor derivatives had mild or no cytotoxicity for LO2 and HEK293T cell lines. Quantitative structure−activity relationship (QSAR) analysis revealed that the number of F atoms, relative molecular weight, the atomic orbital electronic population and total charge on the positively charged surfaces of the molecules of camphor derivatives have effects on antifungal activity. The present study may provide a theoretical basis for a high-value use of camphor and could be helpful for the development of novel potential antifungals.

Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) is a frequent harmful fungal pathogen. It can infect traditional Chinese medicine materials and release aflatoxin, to cause both economic and human health effects. By comparing the inhibitory potential of Litsea cubeba oil and its active components to A. flavus CGMCC 3.4408, citral was confirmed to be the main component that inhibits the growth of A. flavus CGMCC 3.4408, and the EC50 was 163.65 mg L−1. The inhibitory effect of citral on A. flavus CGMCC 3.4408 was studied for colony growth rate, mycelium biomass, aflatoxin production, and microstructure. Citral slowed down the growth rate of colonies and reduced mycelium biomass and toxin production. Moreover, citral altered the morphology of fungal spores and mycelium. In addition, citral also has the inhibitory effects on the isolates of A. flavus from moldy traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Thus, citral can be used as a potential agent to check the growth of A. flavus or related fungal strains.

Multifunctional nanoparticles as theranostic tools hold great potential for its unique and efficient way to visualize the process of disease treatment. However, the toxicity of conventional fluorescent labels and difficulty of functionalization limit their widespread use. Recently, a number of amino-rich polymers have demonstrated high luminescent fluorescence but rarely showed potential for in vivo imaging due to their blue fluorescence. Here, a general route has been found to construct polymer-based multifunctional nanoparticles for combined imaging and drug delivering. The weak fluorescent polyethyleneimine (PEI) has been conjugated with hydrophobic polylactide as the amphiphilic PEI for construction of nanoparticles which showed bright and multicolor fluorescence with high drug loading capacity. The paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles showed significant therapy effect in contrast to the free paclitaxel. Meanwhile, fluorescence imaging of the nanoparticles showed accumulation around tumor. These results demonstrate a new type of polymer-based multifunctional nanoparticles for imaging-guided drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a mixture of neutral primary amine dehydroabietylamine (DHAA) and long-chain cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as the template, ordered lamellar supermicroporous silicas were synthesized with NaOH as the base source and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as the silica source. The concentrations of DHAA, CTAB, and NaOH in the synthesis system had great effects on the structural properties of the samples. When the molar ratio of components was nTEOS:nCTAB:nDHAA:nNaOH:nH2O = 1:0.114:0.00457:0.5:60, the material showed a lamellar phase with the highest ordering degree. By adding only a trace amount of DHAA into the synthesis system, the structure of the samples could be transformed from cubic phase to lamellar phase, since the added DHAA solubilized in CTAB micelles to change the effective surfactant ion pair packing parameter. The dosage of CTAB should be moderate; too high or too low will decay the ordering degree of the lamellar structure.A much higher concentration of NaOH resulted in an ethanol-rich solvent in which the DHAA did not solubilize in the micelles of CTAB, but adsorbed at the hydrophilic headgroup-solvent interface. Accordingly, a structural transformation from lamellar phase to hexagonal phase occurred.

Twelve (+)-nopinone-based 2-amino-3-cyanopyridines 4a—l were synthesized from (—)-β-pinene. The structures of these compounds were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, and ESI-MS. All the compounds were tested for their anticancer activity against lung cancer cell line A549, gastric cancer cell line MKN45 and breast cancer cell line MCF7 by MTT method, respectively. The results showed that compounds 4f, 4j and 4k had promising anticancer activity against these cancer cell lines, in particular, compound 4f exhibited broad-spectrum and highly efficient anticancer activity against cell lines A549, MKN45 and MCF7 with IC50 of 23.78, 67.61 and 53.87 μmol·L-1, respectively. The preliminary analysis of the structure activity relationship implied that the Br or Cl substituted group of the benzene ring in these derivatives significantly contributed to the anticancer activity.

With the assistance of a rosin-based surfactant, dehydroabietyltrimethyl ammonium bromine (DTAB), well-dispersed hollow cube-like zirconia particles were firstly synthesized by the hydrothermal treatment of ZrOCl2 aqueous solutions. The introduction of DTAB is crucial for improving the dispersion and regularity of the as-synthesized sample. After calcination, the crystal size of the calcined samples increased, and the edge angle of the cube-like particles became round accordingly. Finally, a hollow spherical morphology was formed for the sample calcined at 923 K. The as-synthesized sample showed big surface area of 146.78 m2/g and large pore volume of 0.23 cm3/g. With the increase of calcination temperature, the surface area and pore volume of the samples decreased significantly, and the pore size increased accordingly.

Background: The development of new antifungal agents has always been a hot research topic in pesticide development. In this study, a series of derivatives of natural compound β-pinene were prepared, and the antifungal activities of these derivatives were evaluated. The purpose of this work is to develop some novel molecules as promising new fungicides. Methods: Through a variety of chemical reactions, β-pinene was transformed into a series of β-pinene-based derivatives containing amide moieties and acylthiourea moieties. The antifungal activities of these derivatives against five plant pathogens including Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium proliferatum, Alternaria kikuchiana, Phomopsis sp. and Phytophthora capsici were tested; preliminary structure−activity relationship was discussed. Results: Some derivatives exhibited moderate or significant antifungal activity due to the fusion of the amide moiety or the acylthiourea moiety with the pinane skeleton. The structure−activity relationship analysis showed that the fluorine atom and the strong electron withdrawing nitro group, or trifluoromethyl group on the benzene ring of the derivatives had a significant effect on the improvement of the antifungal activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium proliferatum, Alternaria kikuchiana and Phomopsis sp. Meanwhile, the introduction of an ethyl group at the meta-position on the benzene ring of the derivatives could improve the antifungal activity against Phytophthora capsici. Compounds 4e, 4h, 4q, 4r exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against the tested strains. Compound 4o had significant antifungal activity against Phytophthora capsici (IC50 = 0.18 μmol/L). These derivatives were expected to be used as precursor molecules for novel pesticide development in further research.

Various solutions are utilized widely for the isolation, harvesting, sorting, testing and transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs), whereas the effects of harvesting media on the biological characteristics and repair potential of NSCs remain unclear. To examine some of these effects, NSCs were isolated from cortex of E14.5 mice and exposed to the conventional harvesting media [0.9% saline (Saline), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF)] or the proliferation culture medium (PCM) for different durations at 4°C. Treated NSCs were grafted by in situ injection into the lesion sites of traumatic brain injury (TBI) mice. In vitro, harvesting media-exposed NSCs displayed time-dependent reduction of viability and proliferation. S phase entry decreased in harvesting media-exposed cells, which was associated with upregulation of p53 protein and downregulation of cyclin E1 protein. Moreover, harvesting media exposure induced the necrosis and apoptosis of NSCs. The levels of Fas-L, cleaved caspase 3 and 8 were increased, which suggests that the death receptor signaling pathway is involved in the apoptosis of NSCs. In addition, exposure to Saline did not facilitate the neuronal differentiation of NSCs, suggesting that Saline exposure may be disadvantageous for neurogenesis. In vivo, NSC-mediated functional recovery in harvesting media-exposed NSC groups was notably attenuated in comparison with the PCM-exposed NSC group. In conclusion, harvesting media exposure modulates the biological characteristics and repair potential of NSCs after TBI. Our results suggest that insight of the effects of harvesting media exposure on NSCs is critical for developing strategies to assure the successful long-term engraftment of NSCs.