Light Quality and Sucrose-Regulated Detached Ripening of Strawberry with Possible Involvement of Abscisic Acid and Auxin Signaling.

The regulation of detached ripening is significant for prolonging fruit shelf life. Although light quality and sucrose affecting strawberry fruit ripening have been widely reported, little information is available about how they co-regulate the strawberry detached ripening process. In this study, different light qualities (red light-RL, blue light-BL, and white light-WL) and 100 mM sucrose were applied to regulate the ripening of initial red fruits detached from the plant. The results showed RL-treated samples (RL + H2O, RL + 100 mM sucrose) had brighter and purer skin color with a higher L*, b*, and C* value, and promoted the ascorbic acid. Almost all light treatments significantly decreased TSS/TA (total soluble solid/titratable acid) and soluble sugar/TA ratio, which is exacerbated by the addition of sucrose. Blue or red light in combination with sucrose notably increased total phenolic content and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. In addition, blue or red light combined with sucrose increased abscisic acid (ABA) content and promoted ABA signaling by inducing ABA-INSENSITIVE 4 (ABI4) expression and inhibiting SUCROSE NONFERMENTING1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASE 2.6 (SnRK2.6) expression. The strawberries exposed to blue and red light significantly improved auxin (IAA) content compared to the control (0 d), whereas the addition of sucrose inhibited IAA accumulation. Moreover, sucrose treatment suppressed the AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID 11 (AUX/IAA11) and AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 6 (ARF6) expression under different light qualities. Overall, these results indicated that RL/BL + 100 mM sucrose might promote the detached ripening of strawberries by regulating abscisic acid and auxin signaling.

Age-related changes in peripheral T-cell subpopulations in elderly individuals: An observational study.

The age-related decline in T-cell function among elderly individuals remains unclear. We thus investigated the interrelationship between T-cell subsets and age to identify the changes in T-cell phenotypes and develop an age prediction model for the elderly population. A total of 127 individuals aged >60 years were divided into three groups (youngest-old group, 61-70 years, n = 34; middle-old group, 71-80 years, n = 53; and oldest-old group, ≥ 81 years, n = 40). The percentage of CD8+CD28- cells (P = 0.001) was highest in the oldest-old group and then followed by the middle-old group, while the youngest-old group was the lowest. Both females and males demonstrated significant decreases in the absolute counts of CD4+CD45RA+ cells (P = 0.020; P = 0.002) and CD8+CD28+ cells (P = 0.015; P = 0.005) with age. Multivariate linear regression showed that the percentage of CD8+CD28- cells (P < 0.001) was an independent predictor of aging after adjusting for sex, body mass index, hospitalization duration, smoking, drinking, chronic medical illness, and medications at admission. In conclusion, our results suggest that aging in elderly individuals is accompanied by a decrease in the counts of T-cell subpopulations. CD8+CD28- cells may be potential targets for elderly individuals in antiaging-related immunosenescence.

Is elevated triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio associated with poor prognosis of coronary heart disease? A meta-analysis of prospective studies.

BACKGROUND: Elevated triglycerides (TG) and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are recognized as essential and independent hazard factors for total death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, whether the increased TG/HDL-C forecasted the prognosis of CHD is still unknown. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between the elevated TG/HDL-C ratio and poor prognosis of CHD. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library, until August 30, 2021. Prospective observational studies regarding the association between TG/HDL-C and long-term mortality/MACEs in CHD patients were included. RESULTS: In total, 6 independent prospective studies of 10,222 participants with CHD were enrolled in the systematic and meta-analysis. Our outcomes of the meta-analysis indicated that the elevated TG/HDL-C group had a significantly increased risk of long-term all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.75-4.86, P < .05) and long-term MACEs (HR = 1.56, 95%CI 1.11-2.18, P < .05). CONCLUSION: In patients with CHD, the present study showed that the high TG/HDL-C was associated with increased risk of long-term all-cause mortality and MACE.

A Unified High-Order Semianalytical Model and Numerical Simulation for Bistable Polymer Composite Structures.

Bistable polymer composite structures are morphing shells that can change shape and maintain two stable configurations. At present, mainly two types of bistable polymer composite structures are being studied: cross-ply laminates and antisymmetric cylindrical shells. This paper proposes a unified semianalytical model based on the extensible deformation assumption and nonlinear theory of plates and shells to predict bistability. Moreover, the higher-order theoretical model is extended for better prediction accuracy, while the number of degrees of freedom is not increased; this ensures a lower computational cost. Finally, based on these theoretical models, the main factors affecting the stable characteristic of the two bistable polymer composite structures are determined by comparing the models of various orders. The main challenges in describing the bistable behavior, such as bifurcation points and the curvatures of stable states, are addressed through prediction of the corner transversal displacement in stable configurations. The results obtained from the theoretical model are validated through nonlinear finite element analysis.

Pneumatically Controlled Reconfigurable Bistable Bionic Flower for Robotic Gripper.

Beyond their colorful appearances and versatile geometries, flowers can self-shape-morph by adapting to environmental changes. Nature-inspired artificial systems that mimic their natural counterparts in function, flexibility, and adaptation find an emerging application in mobile robotics. In this study, a novel reconfigurable bionic flower made of petal-shaped bistable carbon fiber-reinforced composites and actuated by soft pneumatic actuators is presented. A robotic gripper based on the bionic flower was then developed for transportation tasks. First, a bionic petal based on a hybridization of bistable composites was designed and a theoretical model was established to analyze its bistable characteristic. Second, experiments and simulations were performed to analyze the out-of-plane deformation and morphing processes of the bionic petal. Curvature analysis of the closing state and blooming state shows a good match with the theoretical results. Finally, a flower-inspired robotic gripper made of the bionic petal is demonstrated to evaluate its gripping performances, including gripping force, response time, and reliability. The functional tests confirmed that the proposed soft gripper can grip objects of various shapes, sizes, and weights within milliseconds response time. The stable gripping configuration was maintained through the bistability of the bionic petal without continuous pressure consumption. The high reliability of the gripper is very useful for gripping tasks under unstructured environments, where precise control over the robot is not possible.

Worldwide prevalence of early repolarization pattern in general population and physically active individuals: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The early repolarization pattern (ERP) has recently been associated with cardiac events such as ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. However, estimates of the prevalence of ERP vary widely, especially between the general population and physically active individuals. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate the worldwide prevalence of ERP in the general population and physically active individuals. METHODS: We thoroughly searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of science, the Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases for relevant studies published until December 20, 2020. Studies in which prevalence was presented or could be estimated from eligible data were included. The pooled prevalence was analyzed using a random-effect model. RESULTS: Finally, we included 29 studies (182,135 subjects) in the general population and 14 studies (8087 subjects) in the physically active individuals. The worldwide pooled prevalence of ERP in the general population was 11.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.0%-13.3%). The incidence of ERP was 17.0% and 6.2% in men and women, respectively. The prevalence was 20.9% in blacks, 13.4% in Asians, and 10.1% in Caucasians. Additionally, the prevalence of ERP in physically active individuals was 33.9% (95% CI: 25.3%-42.6%). CONCLUSION: A significant difference in the worldwide prevalence of ERP is revealed in this study. The ERP is highly prevalent in men, blacks, and physically active individuals.

H2O2-independent chemodynamic therapy initiated from magnetic iron carbide nanoparticle-assisted artemisinin synergy.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is a booming technology that utilizes Fenton reagents to kill tumor cells by transforming intracellular H2O2 into reactive oxygen species (ROS), but insufficient endogenous H2O2 makes it difficult to attain satisfactory antitumor results. In this article, a H2O2-free CDT technique with tumor-specificity is developed by using pH-sensitive magnetic iron carbide nanoparticles (PEG/Fe2C@Fe3O4 NPs) to trigger artemisinin (ART) to in situ form ROS. ART-loaded PEG/Fe2C@Fe3O4 NPs are fabricated for the enormous release of Fe2+ ions induced by the acidic conditions of the tumor microenvironment after magnetic-assisted tumor enrichment, which results in the rapid degradation of the PEG/Fe2C@Fe3O4 NPs and release of ART once endocytosed into tumor cells. In situ catalysis reaction between the co-released Fe2+ ions and ART generates toxic ROS and then induces apoptosis of tumor cells. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that the efficient Fe-enhanced and tumor-specific CDT efficacy for effective tumor inhibition based on ROS generation. This work provides a new direction to improve CDT efficacy based on H2O2-independent ROS generation.

Magnetic Reactive Oxygen Species Nanoreactor for Switchable Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guided Cancer Therapy Based on pH-Sensitive Fe5C2@Fe3O4 Nanoparticles.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are crucial molecules in cancer therapy. Unfortunately, the therapeutic efficiency of ROS is unsatisfactory in clinic, primarily due to their rigorous production conditions. By taking advantage of the intrinsic acidity and overproduction of H2O2 in the tumor environment, we have reported an ROS nanoreactor based on core-shell-structured iron carbide (Fe5C2@Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) through the catalysis of the Fenton reaction. These NPs are able to release ferrous ions in acidic environments to disproportionate H2O2 into •OH radicals, which effectively inhibits the proliferation of tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. The high magnetization of Fe5C2@Fe3O4 NPs is favorable for both magnetic targeting and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ionization of these NPs simultaneously decreases the T2 signal and enhances the T1 signal in MRI, and this T2/T1 switching process provides the visualization of ferrous ions release and ROS generation for the supervision of tumor curing. These Fe5C2@Fe3O4 NPs show great potential in endogenous environment-excited cancer therapy with high efficiency and tumor specificity and can be guided further by MRI.

Targeting XIST induced apoptosis of human osteosarcoma cells by activation of NF-kB/PUMA signal.

The long noncoding RNA X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) plays vital roles in tumor progression. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of targeting XIST on osteosarcoma (OS) cells in vitro and in vivo. We used shRNA to knockdown XIST to evaluate cell growth and apoptosis in U2OS cells in vitro and xenograft formation in vivo. An observed relationship between XIST and the p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) pathway was further explored by using small interfering RNA (siRNA). Our results showed that suppression of XIST by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) impeded U2OS cell growth, induced apoptosis and lessened OS xenograft tumor growth. Targeting XIST increased NF-kB-dependent PUMA upregulation in U2OS cells. Upregulation of PUMA is correlated with suppression of XIST-induced apoptosis in U2OS cells. Therefore, inhibition of XIST could promote U2OS cell death via activation of NF-kB/PUMA pathways.

sCLU as prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor. Secretory apolipoprotein J/clusterin (sCLU) is overexpressed in many cancers; however, its role in OS has not been previously investigated. The objectives of this study were to address this question and also to assess the clinical value of sCLU as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target by comparing sCLU expression in human OS (n = 106), normal bone (n = 16), fibrous dysplasia (n = 9), and ossifying myositis (n = 11) tissues and by evaluating the effect of sCLU silencing on OS growth, invasion, and chemosensitivity in vitro and in vivo. We found that sCLU was highly expressed in OS tissue specimens, which was positively correlated with metastatic disease and negatively correlated with response to chemotherapy. sCLU knockdown in KHOS cells inhibited proliferation and invasion and increased apoptosis as well as sensitivity to the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine (Gem). In a mouse xenograft model, sCLU depletion suppressed lung metastasis and enhanced the effects of Gem, thereby slowing KHOS tumor growth. These results indicate that sCLU overexpression is a biomarker for malignant transformation of OS and that therapeutic strategies targeting sCLU may be an effective treatment for OS. Highlights ● Secretory apolipoprotein J/clusterin (sCLU) is overexpressed in osteosarcoma (OS). ● sCLU overexpression is associated with metastasis and chemoresistance. ● Silencing sCLU inhibits metastasis and enhances chemosensitivity in OS cells. sCLU is a biomarker for metastatic OS and a potential therapeutic target.

Iron carbide nanoparticles: an innovative nanoplatform for biomedical applications.

Iron carbide nanoparticles (ICNPs) are nano-intermetallic compounds that consist of iron and carbon. Benefiting from the magnetic and chemical activity of iron, and/or mechanical strength and chemical inertness of carbon, they have been widely applied in energetic and biomedical-related fields. Particularly in biomedicine, ICNPs have shown high colloidal stability and good performance in magnetic-dependent diagnosis and therapies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic hyperthermia (MH), due to their high magnetization and moderate coercivity. The carbon content protects ICNPs from oxidation and corrosion (ion release), which prolongs their life time and reduces their toxicity in physiological environments, and endows nanoparticles (NPs) with high performance in carbon-relevant theranostics as well. On this basis, ICNPs have great promise in multi-modal imaging or imaging-guided tumor-selective therapy to realize precise diagnoses with mild side effects. This paper aims to cover the state of the art applications of ICNPs in biomedicine, primarily including MRI, MH, magnetic targeting (MT), magnetic separation (MS), photothermal therapy (PTT) and photoacoustic tomography (PAT). The biocompatibility of ICNPs is also addressed.

Enantiomeric separations of chiral polychlorinated biphenyls on three polysaccharide-type chiral stationary phases by supercritical fluid chromatography.

Enantiomeric separations of 18 chiral polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated on three polysaccharide-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs; Sino-Chiral OJ, Chiralpak IB, and Chiralcel OD) by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). With these commonly used polysaccharide CSPs, 17 PCBs except PCB 135 (R(S) = 0.81) were well resolved (R(S) > 1.5) under appropriate mobile phases and temperatures. Using Sino-Chiral OJ, 14 PCBs could be baseline-separated, while only one and nine PCBs could be completely separated using Chiralpak IB and Chiralcel OD, respectively. The influence of column temperature was studied for the optimization of resolution, as well as for the type and percentage of organic modifier in the mobile phase. The resolution decreased as the temperature increased in the range of 26-40 °C in which the enantiomeric separations were an enthalpy-driven process. The addition of modifiers in the mobile phase decreased the resolution of the PCB enantiomers, but it clearly shortened their retention time. These separation results indicate that SFC is a promising chromatographic technique for chiral separation and enantiopure standard preparation.

Enantiomeric resolution of five chiral pesticides on a Chiralpak IB-H column by SFC.

The enantiomeric separations of five chiral pesticides, diclofopmethyl, 1; benalaxy, 2; acetofenate, 3; myclobutanil, 4; and difenoconazole, 5, were conducted on a Chiralpak IB-H column by a packed-column supercritical fluid chromatography (p-SFC). All compounds, except difenoconazole and myclobutanil, were well resolved within 10 min. As the mobile phase polarity decreased through changing the percentage and the type of alcohol modifiers in the supercritical carbon dioxide (CO(2)), the retention time, the separation factors, and the resolution increased. However, based on the retention time and the resolution, the optimized separations were obtained with the mobile phase containing 10% 2-propanol for diclofop-methyl 1; benalaxy, 2; myclobutanil, 4; difenoconazole, 5; and containing 3% 2-propanol for acetofenate, 3. The optimized separation temperature was at 35°C under the supercritical fluid condition. The π-π interactions and the hydrogen bonding interactions between Chiralpak IB-H CSP and the analytes might be the main chiral discriminations on enantioseparation of these five pesticides.