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The present study investigated the structural characteristics and its protective effect against H2O2-induced injury fibroblast cells of Bletilla striata tuber polysaccharide. The polysaccharides were gently extracted by water and recovered using the method of alcohol precipitation, and after further purification by DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow gel column, a pure polysaccharide (pBSP) was finally obtained. The structural characterization of pBSP were investigated by using periodate oxidation studies, Smith-degradation, FT-IR spectroscopy, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The antioxidant effect of pBSP was evaluated by inhibiting the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human fibroblast model cells induced by H2O2. It was firstly reported that pBSP was composed of d -glucose and D-mannose in a molar ratio of 1.00:1.34 with a molecular weight of 327.6 kDa. The repeating units of pBSP contained (1 → 4)-linked-β-D-Manp, (1 → 4)-linked-α-D-Glcp and (1 → 3)-linked-β-D-Manp, and there was no branched chain. pBSP exhibited no toxic effect on fibroblasts cells and could protect them against H2O2-induced injuries. After pretreatment with pBSP for 24 h, the content of ROS in fibroblasts decreased significantly. These results not only confirm the availability B. striata, but also indicate that pBSP have potential antioxidant capacity. Our observations can provide foundation for further development of pBSP-based cosmetics.

The bottom-up assembly of periodically ordered structures provides a scalable way for producing metastructured materials with exotic optical and mechanical properties. However, direct self-assembly of small molecules into such metastructures beyond the nanoscale remains an unresolved issue. Here we demonstrate that metastructured assemblies of two-dimensional (2D) polymers, specifically 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs), can be directly synthesized in solution. We applied 2D COF monomer polycondensation to prepare flower-shaped particles consisting of highly crystalline "petals" with sizes larger than 20 μm. The petal comprises periodically arranged COF nanoflake units with tunable lengths of 490-850 nm, thicknesses about 20 nm, interflake spacing around 14 nm, and Hermans orientation factors up to 0.998. Such a metastructure is mechanically robust and remains almost intact even after full pyrolysis at 900 °C. It also demonstrates unique birefringence and polarization-dependent resonances under visible-near-infrared light not observed in its constituents, 2D COF polycrystals, and with well-defined nanopores of 1.8 nm and the high surface area of 1576 m2/g. Such metastructured particles with nanopores are well-suited as novel particulate optical devices for collecting and storing information about their surroundings that can be easily read out by polarization imaging with high sensitivity, as demonstrated by their explosive detection and anticounterfeiting applications. Self-assembly of 2D polymers into metastructures may become an important method for developing functional materials with unprecedented properties and extensive applications.

Graphical Abstract Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is an aggressive Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma with poor prognosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential mechanism of latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1)-mediated tumorigenesis and provide a novel therapeutic strategy for targeting the EBV DNA genome. We found that LMP1 upregulated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) coactivator-1β (PGC1β) through activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Furthermore, the activated PGC1β upregulated the expression of 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) through the coactivation of nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) and GA-binding protein α (GABPα), preventing reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated base incision in the EBV genome and favoring its survival. Interruption of hexokinase domain component 1 (HKDC1) by either shRNA or Tf-D-HKC8 peptide suppressed the interaction of HKDC1 with voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), triggering mitochondrial dysfunction and excessive generation of ROS, thus resulting in EBV suppression through ROS-mediated DNA damage. Suppression of the EBV genome inhibited the expression of the LMP1/PGC1β/HKDC1/OGG1 signaling pathway, forming a positive feed forward loop for the generation of ROS, hence inhibiting the EBV genome and subsequent EBV-associated tumor development. We concluded that LMP1 triggers EBV-associated tumorigenesis through activation of the PGC1β pathway. This study provided a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of EBV-associated tumors by targeting HKDC1. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12015-020-10112-8.

Sheet resistance is one of the essential properties of thin films, and the change of it under different conditions is the basis of various sensor designs. However, the contact resistances between the thin-film materials and the metal electrodes can seriously affect the sensing accuracy. Due to various material properties, the contact resistances are usually difficult to be managed or reduced, and even nonlinear Schottky barriers can form in some cases. A modified four-terminal method is proposed to eliminate the impact of contact resistances through simple resistance measurements and algebraic calculations, which can be easily integrated into sensors and accurately measure the sheet resistances/resistivities of thin films of different materials under different conditions. The carbon black/polydimethylsiloxane (CB/PDMS) thin film is taken as an example for demonstration of the method. The applications for pressure-sensitive and temperature-sensitive resistance measurement are also demonstrated.

QT prolongation, due to lengthening of the action potential duration in the ventricles, is a major risk factor of lethal ventricular arrhythmias. A widely known consequence of QT prolongation is the genesis of early afterdepolarizations (EADs), which are associated with arrhythmias through the generation of premature ventricular complexes (PVCs). However, the vast majority of the EADs observed experimentally in isolated ventricular myocytes are phase-2 EADs, and whether phase-2 EADs are mechanistically linked to PVCs in cardiac tissue remains an unanswered question. In this study, we investigate the genesis of PVCs using computer simulations with eight different ventricular action potential models of various species. Based on our results, we classify PVCs as arising from two distinct mechanisms: repolarization gradient (RG)-induced PVCs and phase-2 EAD-induced PVCs. The RG-induced PVCs are promoted by increasing RG and L-type calcium current and are insensitive to gap junction coupling. EADs are not required for this PVC mechanism. In a paced beat, a single or multiple PVCs can occur depending on the properties of the RG. In contrast, phase-2 EAD-induced PVCs occur only when the RG is small and are suppressed by increasing RG and more sensitive to gap junction coupling. Unlike with RG-induced PVCs, in each paced beat, only a single EAD-induced PVC can occur no matter how many EADs in an action potential. In the wide parameter ranges we explore, RG-induced PVCs can be observed in all models, but the EAD-induced PVCs can only be observed in five of the eight models. The links between these two distinct PVC mechanisms and arrhythmogenesis in animal experiments and clinical settings are discussed.

Ion conduction in nanoscale ion channels or ion pumps to produce electrical signals is the basis of many fundamental biological processes. Inspired by biological ion channels, artificial nanochanne...

Graphical abstract, Highlights • Magnetic double-layer MOFs was prepared with porous crystal structure. • MMOFs have high adsorption capacity for fipronil pesticides. • Adsorption model analysis fitted the Freundlich adsorption model. • Removal rate of fipronil in water and cucumber were 70.9–99.7%., In this study, a novel metal-organic framework (M-ZIF-8@ZIF-67) was successfully prepared using the single layer Fe3O4-ZIF-8 as magnetic core and wrapped a layer of ZIF-67 outer. This M-ZIF-8@ZIF-67 was employed as an adsorbent for the adsorption and removal of fipronil and its metabolites from environmental water and cucumber samples. The characterization results suggested that M-ZIF-8@ZIF-67 has the double layer structure a polyhedral structure with uniform pores, while ZIF-67 was successfully coated on the surface of Fe3O4-ZIF-8. The unique structure endowed M-ZIF-8@ZIF-67 a high surface area (219 m2/g) and high adsorption capacity for fipronil, fipronil desulfinyl, fipronil sulfide and fipronil sulfone. To our knowledge, this is the first report detailing the adsorption properties of M-ZIF-8@ZIF-67 with double layer structure relating to the adsorption and removal of pesticides. Furthermore, the adsorption model analysis demonstrated that the static adsorption data fitted the Freundlich bimolecular layer adsorption model better than the Langmuir monolayer adsorption model. This study indicates that M-ZIF-8@ZIF-67 has significant potential in the adsorption and removal of fipronil and its metabolites in water and vegetable samples.

Chemical potential energy harvesting from the concentration gradient has been largely improved recently due to the development of nanofluidic energy conversion systems. However, the reported systems mainly focus on improving the membrane's performance but neglect the forms of concentration gradient. Here, we demonstrate the chemical reaction assisted chemical-potential-driven directional ion transport through layered titanium carbides membranes for energy harvesting. The MXene membrane with negatively charged nanochannels shows excellent cation selectivity and could reach 1.1 W/m

Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are often used as insecticides and acaricides in agriculture, thus improving yields. OP residues may pose a serious threat, due to inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Therefore, a competitive bio-barcode immunoassay was designed for simultaneous quantification of organophosphate pesticide residues using AuNP signal amplification technology and Au@Pt catalysis. The AuNP probes were labelled with antibodies and corresponding bio-barcodes (ssDNAs), MNP probes coated with ovalbumin pesticide haptens and Au@Pt probes functionalized with the complementary ssDNAs were then prepared. Subsequently, pesticides competed with MNP probes to bind the AuNP probes. The recoveries of the developed assay were ranged from 71.26 to 117.47% with RSDs from 2.52 to 14.52%. The LODs were 9.88, 3.91, and 1.47 ng·kg−1, for parathion, triazophos, and chlorpyrifos, respectively. The assay was closely correlated with the data obtained from LC-MS/MS. Therefore, the developed method has the potential to be used as an alternative approach for detection of multiple pesticides.

Stimuli-responsive materials are functional materials that can change their physical and chemical properties or perform specific functions in response to external stimuli. The use of these material...

The effects of thermal annealing on the performance of hydrogenated silicon nitride anode (prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, PECVD) are investigated by varying annealing temperatures. The relationship between the annealing temperatures, microstructures and electrochemical behaviors of the anodes is revealed. The capacity of the anodes with low-temperature annealing (≤400 °C) is quite low firstly but increases abruptly after several charge/discharge activation processes. Due to weak strength of hydrogen-containing bonds in the PECVD silicon nitride, dehydrogenation occurs with cycling, which is effective to activate the anodes and thus result in the abrupt increase in the anode capacity. With increasing the annealing temperature to 450 °C, the thermal treatment can break the hydrogen-containing bonds (induce dehydrogenation) and activate the anodes; therefore, the anodes with relatively high-temperature annealing (≥450 °C) exhibit a high capacity even with no electrochemical activation processes needed. The mechanical properties of the anodes also depend on the thermal treatment and the anode elastic modulus and hardness increase with increasing the annealing temperature, which results in a poor mechanical stability and thus poor cycling performance of the anode with high-temperature annealing (~600 °C). Compared with the anode with lower- or higher-temperature annealing, the anode with an appropriate annealing (~450 °C) shows higher and more stable reversible capacity (~1001 mAh g−1 at 0.6 C over 200 cycles) and better rate performance (~327 mAh g−1 at 6.0 A g−1).

Different lanthanide oxynitrides (LaON, NdON, CeON, and GdON) are applied as the interfacial passivation layers (IPLs) for GaAs metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with HfO2 as the gate dielectric. The measurement results show that all the IPLs can improve the quality of the HfO2/GaAs interface by suppressing the in-diffusions of Hf and O toward the GaAs surface from the gate dielectric, and thus the growth of unstable Ga/As oxides as proved by the atomic force microscope (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Among the IPLs, the LaON IPL shows the best passivating effect on the GaAs surface, and so the relevant MOS capacitor exhibits the lowest interface-state density ( ${8} \times {10}^{{11}}$ cm−2eV−1), smallest flat-band voltage (0.65 V), negligible hysteresis (33 mV), lowest gate leakage ( ${1.08} \times {10}^{-{{6}}}$ A/cm2 at ${V}_{\text {fb}} + {1}$ V), smallest frequency dispersion (2.85% in accumulation region), and good high-field reliability. NdON exhibits slightly less performance improvement than LaON, but its lower cost and higher moisture resistance can enhance its potential for GaAs surface passivation.

Background: Mathematical modeling is useful in the analysis, prediction, and optimization of an enzymatic process. Unlike the conventional modeling methods, Monte Carlo method has special advantages in providing representations of the molecule’s spatial distribution. However, thus far, Monte Carlo modeling of enzymatic system is namely based on unimolecular basis, not suitable for practical applications. In this research, Monte Carlo modeling is performed for enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose for the purpose of real-time applications. Results: The enzyme hydrolysis of lactose, which is conformed to Michaelis–Menten kinetics, is modeled using the Monte Carlo modeling method, and the simulation results prove that the model predicts the reaction kinetics very well. Conclusions: Monte Carlo modeling method can be used to model enzymatic reactions in a simple way for real-time applications.How to cite: Gao L, Guo Q, Lin H, et al. Modeling of lactose enzymatic hydrolysis using Monte Carlo method. Electron J Biotechnol 2019;41.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2019.04.010 Keywords: β-Galactosidase, Enzymatic hydrolysis, Enzymes, Galactose, Hydrolysis, Immobilized, Lactose, Modeling, Monte Carlo, Silica gel, Stochastic, Tagatose

This work presents a monolithic integrated supercapacitor (SC), where all the SC components, including current collectors, electrodes and solid-state electrolyte, are arranged in a porous thin support, thus resulting in a significant reduction in the device volume and good interface between each component. Due to the stress-compensation effect, this monolithic integrated configuration can also effectively improve the polyaniline (PANI) morphologies with good uniformity and a well-defined porous nanostructure. Compared with the reference SC formed by the conventional assembly technique, this integrated SC shows much better performance in terms of larger areal capacitance (341.7 mF cm−2 at 0.25 mA cm−2), better cycling retention (92.8% of the capacity retained after 6500 cycles), and higher volumetric energy and power density (1.7 m Wh cm−3 at 73.9 mW cm−3; note that the whole SC volume is involved). Moreover, the energy density only degrades slightly with increasing the power density; therefore, high energy density and high power density can be simultaneously obtained for this integrated SC. This integrated SC also exhibits ultra-high flexibility and strong mechanical stability, and negligible capacity loss occurs even when the SC is rolled up. A self-powered system is also demonstrated by using the integrated SCs as the energy-storage component.

Background Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), as insecticides or acaricides, are widely used in agricultural products to ensure agricultural production. However, widespread use of OPs leads to environmental contamination and significant negative consequences on biodiversity, food security, and water resources. Therefore, developing a sensitive and rapid method to determine OPs residues in different matrices is necessary. Originally, the enzyme inhibition methods are often used as preliminary screens of OPs in crops. Many studies on the characteristic of Au nanomaterials have constantly been emerging in the past decade. Combined with anisotropic Au nanomaterials, enzyme inhibition methods have the advantages of high sensitivity, durability, and high stability. Aim of Review This review aims to summarize the principles and strategies of gold (Au) nanomaterials in enzyme inhibition methods, including colorimetric (dispersion, particle size of Au nanomaterials) and fluorometric (fluorescence energy transfer, internal filtration effect) detection, and electrochemical sensing system (shape of Au nanomaterials, Au nanomaterials combined with other nanomaterials). The application of enzyme inhibition in agricultural products and research progress was also outlined. Next, this review illustrates the advantages of Au nanomaterial-based enzyme inhibition methods compared with conventional enzyme inhibition methods. The detection limits and linear range of colorimetric and fluorometric detection and electrochemical biosensors have also been provided. At last, key perspectives, trends, gaps, and future research directions are proposed. Key Scientific Concepts of Review Herein, we introduced the technology of enzyme inhibition method based on Au nanomaterials for onsite and infield rapid detection of organophosphorus pesticide.

Excessive bleeding induces a high risk of death and is a leading cause of deaths that result from traffic accidents and military conflict. In this paper, we developed a novel porous chitosan–CaCO3 (CS–CaCO3) composite material and investigated its hemostatic properties and wound healing performance. The CS–CaCO3 composites material was prepared via a wet-granulation method. Granulation increases the infiltrating ability of the CS–CaCO3 composites material. The improved water absorption ability was enhanced to 460% for the CS–CaCO3 composites material compared to the CaCO3 or chitosan with only one single component. The coagulation studies in vivo illustrated that the blood clotting time was greatly reduced from 31 s for CaCO3 to 16 s for the CS–CaCO3 composite material. According to the results of the wound healing experiments in rats, it was found that the CS–CaCO3 composite material can promote wound healing. The CS–CaCO3 composite material could accelerate wound healing to a rate of 9 days, compared with 12 days for the CaCO3. The hemostatic activity, biocompatibility, and low cost of CS–CaCO3 composite material make it a potential agent for effective hemostatic and wound healing materials.

Impaired wound healing is one of a variety of severe diabetic complications and involves many factors, including consistent oxidative stress, prolonged inflammation, impaired angiogenesis, and delayed re-epithelialization. Despite the severe negative impacts that impaired wound healing has on patients’ lives, detailed mechanisms and effective therapies are still not fully developed. In this study, we aim to investigate the potential effects and mechanisms of topical administration of pterostilbene and resveratrol on burn wound healing in diabetes. Our in vitro experiments in human umbilical vein endothelial cells showed that long term exposure of hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress and suppression of hypoxia inducible factor1α (HIF1α) signaling pathway, and pterostilbene treatment completely, while resveratrol treatment partly, reversed this effect. Further in vivo experiments in diabetic rats showed that topical administration of pterostilbene exhibited stronger efficacy than resveratrol in normalizing oxidative stress, HIF1α activity, and accelerating burn wound healing in diabetes. We conclude that topical administration of pterostilbene accelerates burn wound healing in diabetes through activation of the HIF1α signaling pathway; thus, pterostilbene may be a potential candidate for clinical treatment of burn wound healing in diabetes.

Background Delayed wound healing is one of the major complications of diabetes mellitus and is characterized by prolonged inflammation, delayed re-epithelialization and consistent oxidative stress, although the detailed mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential role and effect of pterostilbene (PTE) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) on diabetic wound healing. Methods Diabetic rats were used to measure the epigenetic changes in both HSCs and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). A cutaneous burn injury was induced in the rats and PTE-treated diabetic HSCs were transplanted for evaluation of wound healing. In addition, several biomedical parameters, including gene expression, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function and inflammation in macrophages, were also measured. Results Our data showed that PTE had a much stronger effect than resveratrol on accelerating diabetic wound healing, likely because PTE can ameliorate diabetes-induced epigenetic changes to estrogen receptor β promoter in HSCs, while resveratrol cannot. Further investigation showed that bone marrow transplantation of PTE-treated diabetic HSCs restores diabetes-induced suppression of estrogen receptor β and its target genes, including nuclear respiratory factor-1 and superoxide dismutase 2, and protects against diabetes-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines in both PBMCs and macrophages, subsequently accelerating cutaneous wound healing. Conclusions HSC may play an important role in wound healing through transferring epigenetic modifications to subsequent PBMCs and macrophages by differentiation, while PTE accelerates diabetic wound healing by modulating diabetes-induced epigenetic changes in HSCs. Thus, PTE may be a novel therapeutic strategy for diabetic wound healing.

Organophosphorus pesticides are widely used in agriculture and animal husbandry, which pollute the environment while endangering food safety. The aim of this study is to develop a smart adsorbent for the accurate enrichment and determination of trace organophosphorus pesticides, which is an important goal in the field of food safety. Herein, a covalent organic framework (COF)-based smart adsorbent, Fe3O4@C3N4 @COFs, was successfully fabricated via a versatile layer-by-layer assembly strategy and applied to simultaneous selective recognition, detection, and removal of profenofos. After seven regeneration cycles, the composite exhibited excellent selectivity and affinity for profenofos. Under optimized conditions, the proposed magnetic solid-phase extraction method coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry showed good linearity ( R2 ≥ 0.9973) with a low limit of detection (0.5–200.0 μg/L) for profenofos. The developed method was successfully used to detect profenofos in spiked fruit samples with satisfactory recoveries (74.33%–116.59%) and relative standard deviations (0.27%–7.41%). This study highlights the potential of COF-based smart adsorbents in sample pretreatment for targeted analysis and is a novel pathway for efficient sample preparation in food safety analysis.

A new drug discovery strategy by inducing the degradation of oncoproteins through ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has gained a lot of traction in the last decade (Verma et al. Mol Cell 77(3):446-460, 2020; Huang, Dixit. Cell Res 26:484, 2016). Multiple degrader platforms, such as IMiDs (Kronke et al. Science 343:301-305, 2014; Lu et al. Science 343:305-309; 2014), PROTAC (proteolysis targeting chimera) (Winter et al. Science 348:1376-1381, 2015), and molecular glues (Tan et al. Nature 446:640-645, 2007), have been approved or currently being developed in clinical trials. Compared to conventional drug inhibitors, degraders have a lot of advantages, such as catalytic mechanisms of action (MOA), no requirement of high-affinity ligands with targets, and potentially more sustained efficacy (Verma et al. Mol Cell 77(3):446-460, 2020; Huang, Dixit. Cell Res 26:484, 2016; Bondeson et al. Nat Chem Biol 11:611-617). Here, we describe protocols that measure intrinsic protein ubiquitination, degrader-induced target protein degradation, and cancer cell proliferation evaluation, as these protocols can help evaluate the potential of a drug target using a degrader platform.

In this study, X-ray micro computed tomography (X-ray microCT) was utilized to study the qualities of GH3536 part specimens produced by additive manufacturing. The results showed that all the specimens had high density of inclusions. Based on the location of the inclusion within the specimen, one of the inclusion was exposed to the surface by grind. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the mostly spherical particles were embedded in the specimen, and the energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) revealed that the inclusion was tungsten particle. In order to find the root source of the inclusion, the powder specimen used for printing the part specimen was characterized, and it was found that the trace amount of tungsten inclusion found in GH3536 powder specimen can only be certified by X-ray microCT, while other commonly used method for powder characterization failed to detect the contaminant.

Drug residues, organic dyes, heavy metals, and other chemical pollutants not only cause environmental pollution, but also have a serious impact on food safety. Timely and systematic summary of the latest scientific advances is of great importance for the development of new detection technologies. In particular, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) can mimic antibodies, enzymes and other biological molecules to recognize, enrich, and separate contaminants, with specific recognition, selective adsorption, high affinity, and strong resistance characteristics. Therefore, MIPs have been widely used in chemical analysis, sensing, and material adsorption. In this review, we first describe the basic principles and production processes of molecularly imprinted polymers. Secondly, an overview of recent applications of molecularly imprinted polymers in sample pre-treatment, sensors, chromatographic separation, and mimetic enzymes is highlighted. Finally, a brief assessment of current technical issues and future trends in molecularly imprinted polymers is also presented.

A novel covalent organic framework material (3DGA@COFs), for use as a solid-phase dispersion sorbent, has been synthesized for extracting organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) from vegetables. The prepared 3DGA@COFs material exhibited many advantageous features, including a large specific surface area (127.95 m2/g) and high pore volume (0.0344 cm3/g), which made it an ideal sorbent for sample pretreatment. The experimental conditions affecting extraction performance (adsorbent type, adsorbent amount, reaction time, pH, ionic concentration, and eluent) were optimized systematically. The extracted analytes were detected by HPLC–MS/MS. Under optimized conditions, the proposed method exhibited a wide linear range (0.5–100 μg/L) and low limits of detection (0.01–0.14 μg/L). The recoveries (75.40%–102.13%) satisfied the requirements for a precise detection method. The proposed method was successfully used for determining malathion, triazophos, quinalphos in lettuce, tomato and cucumber samples, thus indicating the potential of using 3DGA@COFs materials for pretreating vegetable samples.

Background and aims Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new infectious disease. To reveal the hepatic injury related to this disease and its clinical significance, we conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study that included 5,771 adult patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in Hubei Province. Approach and results We reported the distributional and temporal patterns of liver injury indicators in these patients and determined their associated factors and death risk. Longitudinal liver function tests were retrospectively analyzed and correlated with the risk factors and death. Liver injury dynamic patterns differed in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (TBIL). AST elevated first, followed by ALT, in severe patients. ALP modestly increased during hospitalization and largely remained in the normal range. The fluctuation in TBIL levels was mild in the non-severe and the severe groups. AST abnormality was associated with the highest mortality risk compared with the other indicators of liver injury during hospitalization. Common factors associated with elevated liver injury indicators were lymphocyte count decrease, neutrophil count increase, and male gender. Conclusion The dynamic patterns of liver injury indicators and their potential risk factors may provide an important explanation for the COVID-19-associated liver injury. Because elevated liver injury indicators, particularly AST, are strongly associated with the mortality risk, our study indicates that these parameters should be monitored during hospitalization.

Background The mechanism of eucalyptus volatile oil application on the prevention and treatment of burn infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) was need to examined.Methods The effect of eucalyptus volatile oil on bacterial biofilm was investigated using a PA biofilm model. The expression of LasI mRNA in PA was detected by RT-PCR. Results The minimum inhibitory concentration test showed that the volatile oil of Eucalyptus urophylla in 20% concentration or more could exert an antibacterial effect. However, neither high nor low concentration of the eucalyptus volatile oil had a zone of inhibition. In scanning electron microscopy, the volatile oil group exhibited a significant delay compared with the control group. The volatile oil group also had a significantly lower LasI mRNA expression than the control group. Conclusion As a Chinese medicine, the volatile oil of E. urophylla can affect PA proliferation and biofilm formation by interfering with the expression of LasI, thereby successfully preventing and treating burn infection caused by PA.

Background Wingless and Int-related protein (Wnt) ligands are aberrantly expressed in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the aberrant level of Wnt ligands in serum have not been explored. Here, we aimed to identify the levels of WNT4 in serum and explored its oncogenic role in CRC. Methods The Oncomine database was used to analyze the relationship between WNT4 and the prognosis of CRC. ELISA was performed to measure WNT4 levels in serum and conditioned medium from fresh CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were carried out to measure the expression of WNT4 in human CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. The migration and invasion of CRC cells were determined by trans-well assay, and the effects of WNT4 on CRC invasion and metastasis in vivo were verified by tumor xenograft in nude mice. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and angiogenesis in subcutaneous nodules were detected by immunofluorescence (IF). In addition, the suspended spheres formation and tube formation assay were performed to explore the effects of WNT4 on CAFs and angiogenesis respectively. Results WNT4 was significantly upregulated in serum of CRC patients, and CRC tissues were identified as an important source of elevated WNT4 levels in CRC patients. Interestingly, elevated levels of WNT4 in serum were downregulated after tumor resection. Furthermore, we found that WNT4 contributed to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and activated fibroblasts by activating the WNT4/β-catenin pathway in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, angiogenesis was induced via the WNT4/β-catenin/Ang2 pathway. Those effects could be reversed by ICG-001, a β-catenin/TCF inhibitor. Conclusion Our findings indicated that serum levels of WNT4 may be a potential biomarker for CRC. WNT4 secreted by colorectal cancer tissues promote the progression of CRC by inducing EMT, activate fibroblasts and promote angiogenesis through the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway.

To study the growth inhibition and cell cycle changes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (CNE1) cells after transfection with p53 gene. A mixture of nano-liposomes and plasmid containing p53 was used for transfecting CNE1 cells. Cellular apoptosis was examined after transfection using the CCK-8 reagent method with flow cytometry. The results showed that a ratio of nanoliposome/p-ORF-GFP of 3.5:1 showed the highest transfection efficiency in CNE1 cells. The cells transfected with a mixture of composites in this proportion showed significant apoptosis of up to 50–70%. In addition, we observed that cell cycle changes-measured using flow cytometry-as well as cellular apoptosis were accelerated after administration of composites. The CCK-8 kit was used to determine the viability of nano-liposome-encapsulated p53 transfected cells. In vitro experiments showed that the combination significantly inhibited the growth of CNE1 cells with an inhibition rate of approximately 63.8%. Therefore, the nanocomposites have a significant effect on inhibiting the growth of CNE1 cells. Through the investigation of apoptosis and cell cycle changes in CNE1 cells we found that the nanoliposome-encapsulated p53 gene can inhibit growth in these cells, and might therefore serve as a novel treatment strategy for adjuvant treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and ca also reduce incompatibility issues with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This method can also provide technical and theoretical support for the development of novel drugs.

Several hyperbranched polysilicon (HBPS) materials with different end group modifications were designed and synthesized and the structures were characterized. The modified HBPS polymers were applied to the adsorption of benzoylurea insecticides (BUs). The binding mode and binding energy between the HBPS and BUs were quantified and the results of an adsorption kinetics study and an adsorption thermodynamics experiment were verified by calculation and mutual verification. The adsorption mechanism of BUs onto HBPS was also discussed. The theoretical results show that the most effective way to combine the adsorbent and BUs is via hydrogen bonding when the end group is an amino group. Moreover, the most effective combination when the end group is β-cyclodextrin is the interaction of the BUs with the interior of the cavity to form a host–guest coating. The theoretical results of other end group-modified HBPS materials were also obtained and verified by adsorption experiments. In this work, an experimental method for obtaining the binding mode by theoretical calculations and then verifying it according to adsorption experiments was established.

Objective To investigate working mechanism of Eucalyptus volatile oil on the prevention and treatment of burn wound infections. Methods P.a biofilm model was used to investigate the effect of Eucalyptus volatile oil on bacterial biofilm. The expression of LasI mRNA in P.a was detected by RT-PCR. Results MIC test showed that the volatile oil of Eucalyptus Urophylla in a concentration of 20% or more could exert anti-bacterial effect. However, no zone of inhibition could be observed in the neither high nor low concentration of the Eucalyptus volatile oil. Scanning electron microscopy results showed a significant delay in volatile oil groups when compared with the control group. The expression of LasI mRNA in the volatile oil group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Conclusion As Chinese medicine, the volatile oil of Eucalyptus Urophylla can affect the proliferation of P.a and biofilm formation by interfering with the expression of LasI, thus achieving the purpose of preventing and treating infection of burn patients.

Cadherin-17 (CDH17), a structurally unique member of the non-classical cadherin family, is associated with poor survival, cell proliferation, and metastasis in colorectal cancer. However, the role of CDH17 in the apoptosis and autophagy of colorectal cancer cells remains unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of CDH17 knockdown on autophagy and apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. We inhibited CDH17 expression in KM12SM and KM12C colorectal cancer cells by RNA interference and found that silencing of CDH17 significantly inhibited cell viability and increased apoptosis in KM12SM and KM12C cells. In addition, silencing of CDH17 significantly increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax and decreased the expression of Bcl-2. Concurrently, silencing of CDH17 significantly inhibited the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II and decreased the formation of LC3+ autophagic vacuoles and the accumulation of acidic vesicular organelles, indicating that autophagy was significantly inhibited in KM12SM and KM12C cells. Additionally, treatment with the autophagy-specific activator rapamycin attenuated apoptosis in CDH17-knockdown cells and as indicated by decreased caspase-3 activity, decreased expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, and increased expression of Bcl-2. In conclusion, CDH17 silencing induced apoptosis and inhibited autophagy in KM12SM and KM12C cells, and this autophagy protected the cells from apoptotic cell death.

Corrosion inhibition of methionine (Met) and valine (Val) molecules on carbon steel was investigated in phase change materials solution. Electrochemical measurements showed that these inhibitors can protect steel against corrosion, with a maximal protection efficiency up to 96.85% by the molar ratio of Met/Val is 1/1 and the concentration of Met is 0.05 mol·L−1. All inhibitors acted as anode type inhibitors. The analysis result of scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the surface morphology of the carbon steel sample immersed in the phase change materials solution in the presence of the Met/Val inhibitor was significantly better than that of the uninhibited sample. The inhibition mechanism was theoretically investigated through the quantum chemical calculation and molecular dynamic simulation, that showed the Methionine and valine molecules could adsorb on Fe (110) surface, N atoms, S atoms, and COOH group were the main adsorption active sites. Finally, the migration rate of Cl− ions in the film of three corrosion inhibitors (concentration: 0.05 mol·L−1) was studied.

Our previous work demonstrated the good biocompatibility and bactericidal activity of a plasma-sprayed Zn and Ag co-incorporated calcium silicate ceramic coating (Ag-Ca2ZnSi2O7), namely Ag-HT. In this work, we evaluated the influence of the surface roughness of Ag-HT coatings for Escherichia coli adhesion behavior, considering that surface topography is an important factor that regulates bacterial responses to biomaterials. Surface characteristics of as-sprayed and satin-finished Ag-HT coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and measured using a surface roughness tester. Bacterial adhesion experiments showed that the number of viable E. coli cells on the as-sprayed or satin-finished coating surfaces was substantially lower than on the Ti-6Al-4V control surface, which can be explained by the antimicrobial effect of Ag and/or Zn. Moreover, the density of E. coli on the as-sprayed Ag-HT coating was considerably lower than on the satin-finished derivative. We attribute this difference to the fact that the as-sprayed coating surface was relatively smooth at a scale comparable to the size of an individual bacterium, while the satin-finished surface was slightly rough at this length scale and thus favored bacterial adhesion.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematologic malignancy due to inevitable relapse and chemoresistance development. Our preliminary data show that MM cells express high levels of PGC1β and LDHA. In this study, we investigated the mechanism behind PGC1β‐mediated LDHA expression and its contribution to tumorigenesis, to aid in the development of novel therapeutic approaches for MM. Real‐time PCR and western blotting were first used to evaluate gene expression of PGC1β and LDHA in different MM cells, and then, luciferase reporter assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation, LDHA deletion report vectors, and siRNA techniques were used to investigate the mechanism underlying PGC1β‐induced LDHA expression. Furthermore, knockdown cell lines and lines stably overexpressing PGC1β or LDHA lentivirus were established to evaluate in vitro glycolysis metabolism, mitochondrial function, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, and cell proliferation. In addition, in vivo xenograft tumor development studies were performed to investigate the effect of PGC1β or LDHA expression on tumor growth and mouse survival. We found that PGC1β and LDHA are highly expressed in different MM cells and LDHA is upregulated by PGC1β through the PGC1β/RXRβ axis acting on the LDHA promoter. Overexpression of PGC1β or LDHA significantly potentiated glycolysis metabolism with increased cell proliferation and tumor growth. On the other hand, knockdown of PGC1β or LDHA largely suppressed glycolysis metabolism with increased ROS formation and apoptosis rate, in addition to suppressing tumor growth and enhancing mouse survival. This is the first time the mechanism underlying PGC1β‐mediated LDHA expression in multiple myeloma has been identified. We conclude that PGC1β regulates multiple myeloma tumor growth through LDHA‐mediated glycolytic metabolism. Targeting the PGC1β/LDHA pathway may be a novel therapeutic strategy for multiple myeloma treatment.

With the rapid decline of conventional crude oil’s production and transportation, heavy crude oil, heavy oil, oil sands, oil shale and other unconventional oil have gradually become the main body of the marine oil spills. The used oil spill fingerprinting methods mainly for conventional oil are facing new challenges. According to the time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, concentration value is introduced as a new data dimension to the fluorescence spectra and the concentration-resolved-fluorescence spectroscopy (CRFS) is developed to express more PAHs information. Laboratory simulation experiments of weathering and distillation were carried out and the results demonstrate this method has strong anti-weathering and anti-interference ability. Oil source classification of close-related heavy crude oil samples under light weathering and seawater weathering lasting 120 d are studied. 96% of the correct rate for the closely related oil source samples is achieved by combining Gabor wavelet with supported vector machine (SVM). The obtained results suggest that the newly-developed method may become specifically applicable in spilled oils identification and also can be applied to other multi-fluorophoric systems such as in petroleum exploration, dissolved organic matter in environment monitoring and petroleum exploration.

Silicon nitride anodes are prepared by inductively-coupled-plasma and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition techniques (denoted as ICP-CVD and PE-CVD respectively). The main difference of the ICP-CVD and PE-CVD anodes is considerable hydrogen content in the latter. The effects of hydrogen incorporation on the anode performance are investigated by comparing the ICP-CVD anode with the PE-CVD one. The capacity of the ICP-CVD anode maintains a low value (39 mAh g−1 for the 500-nm film) with cycling. For comparison, the capacity of the PE-CVD anode is negligible at first but increases abruptly after several cycles. The 500-nm PE-CVD anode delivers a reversible capacity of 881 mAh g−1 over 300 cycles at 0.6 C. A stable capacity of 773 mAh g−1 can still be obtained even when the anode increases to 900 nm. Due to weak strength of the hydrogen-containing bonds in the PE-CVD anode, hydrogen dissociation happens with cycling, which increases the anode conductivity and reaction kinetics, thus resulting in the high capacity. The hydrogen dissociation also leads to the formation of LiSixNy, which has a high ionic conductivity and also can act as a buffer matrix surrounding the active anode, thus helpful to improve the anode performance.

The present study investigated the concentrations of residues of four groups of pesticides in the People's Republic of China: organophosphorus, carbamate, pyrethroid, and triazine pesticides. Twenty-six pesticides were examined using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in 2,169 samples of 12 typical vegetables collected from 15 provinces in China. The results showed that 908 (41.9%) samples were positive, with 133 (6.1%) samples exceeding the limit legal in China. Leafy vegetables showed higher positive rates than fruits and root vegetables. Organophosphorus, carbamate, pyrethroid, and triazine pesticides were found in 11.8, 7.7, 13.9, and 10.9% of the samples, respectively, which provided important information on current concentrations of cumulative assessment group pesticide residues for vegetables in China. Of the positive samples, a slight violation rate of 1.9% for the organophosphorus pesticide category exceeded China's maximum residue limits. Positive rates for chlorpyrifos in celery, pak-choi, and leeks were higher, but fewer exceeded China's maximum residue limits.

We developed a highly sensitive fluorescent assay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs) for detection of triadimenol in tap water and agricultural irrigation water. The electrostatic interaction between the positively charged CdTe QDs and negatively charged AuNPs strongly quenched the fluorescence emission of CdTe QDs. In the presence of triadimenol, the strong electrostatic attraction between negatively charged AuNPs and positively charged triadimenol molecules rapidly induced the aggregation of AuNPs, blocking the FRET reaction and attenuating the quenched efficiency of CdTe QDs. The change of fluorescence intensity was linearly related to the concentration of triadimenol in the concentration range of 0.338–33.8 μM. The detection limit (S/N = 3) of the sensor was as low as 0.182 μM. The fluorescent sensor was successfully used to detect triadimenol in spiked water samples and gave good recoveries.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element with strong antioxidant activity, showing a great prospect in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the narrow gap between the beneficial and toxic effects has limited its further clinical application. In this experiment, we used porous Se@SiO2 nanocomposites (Se@SiO2) modified by nanotechnology as a new means of release control to investigate the anti-oxidative effect in SCI. In vitro Se@SiO2 toxicity, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects on microglia were assayed. In vivo we investigated the protective effect of Se@SiO2 to SCI rats. Neurological function was evaluated by Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB). The histopathological analysis, microglia activation, oxidative stress, inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) and apoptosis were detected at 3 and 14 days after SCI. The favorable biocompatibility of Se@SiO2 suppressed microglia activation, which is known to be associated with oxidative stress and inflammation in vivo and in vitro. In addition, Se@SiO2 improved the rat neurological function and reduced apoptosis via caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 pathways in SCI. Se@SiO2 was able to treat SCI and reduce oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis induced by microglia activation, which may provide a novel and safe strategy for clinical application.

A pretreatment method using hyperbranched polyester (HBPE) composite as sorbent based on dispersive micro-solid-phase (d-μ-SPE) extraction preceding high-performance liquid chromatography analysis was developed for the determination of benzoylurea insecticides (BUs) in water samples. Parameters that may influence the extraction efficiency, such as the diameter and the amount of the sorbent, extraction and desorption time and the pH value of the solution, were investigated and optimized using batch and column procedures. Under optimized conditions, good linearity was obtained for all of the tested compounds, with r values of at least 0.9924. The linearity of the method was determined in the range of 1–25 000 μg L−1. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.024 to 0.068 μg L−1. The recoveries of the four benzoylurea insecticides in water samples increased from 85.50–96.12%. The results confirmed the possibility of using hyperbranched polyester in the determination of relatively hydrophobic trace pesticides residues. Finally, the proposed method was applied to the determination of BUs in water samples with satisfactory results.