Combined effects of cadmium and sulfamethoxazole on Eisenia fetida: Insights into accumulation, subcellular partitioning, biomarkers and toxicological responses.

Cadmium (Cd) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) frequently coexist in farmlands, yet their synergistic toxicological impacts on terrestrial invertebrates remain unexplored. In this study, earthworms were exposed to artificial soils percolated with Cd (5 mg/kg), SMX (5 mg/kg) or combination of them for 7 days, followed by a 12-day elimination phase in uncontaminated soil. The uptake of Cd and SMX by the earthworms, along with their subcellular distribution, was meticulously analyzed. Additionally, a suite of biomarkers-including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and weight loss-were evaluated to assess the health status of the earthworms and the toxicological effects of the Cd and SMX mixture. Notably, the cotreatment with Cd and SMX resulted in a significantly higher weight loss in Eisenia fetida (41.25 %) compared to exposure to Cd alone (26.84 %). Moreover, the cotreatment group exhibited substantially higher concentrations of Cd in the total internal body, fraction C (cytosol), and fraction E (tissue fragments and cell membranes) in Eisenia fetida compared to Cd alone counterparts. The combined exposure also significantly elevated the SMX levels in the total body and fraction C compared with the SMX-only treated earthworms. Additionally, Eisenia fetida subjected to the combined treatment showed markedly increased activities of SOD, CAT, and MDA compared to those treated with Cd alone. The effect addition indices (EAIs), ranging from 1.00 to 2.23, unequivocally demonstrated a synergistic effect of the combined treatments. Interestingly, relocating the earthworms to clean soil did not mitigate the observed adverse effects. These findings underscore the increased risk posed by the Cd-SMX complex to terrestrial invertebrates in agricultural areas.

Nuclear Charge Radii of Silicon Isotopes.

The nuclear charge radius of ^{32}Si was determined using collinear laser spectroscopy. The experimental result was confronted with ab initio nuclear lattice effective field theory, valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group, and mean field calculations, highlighting important achievements and challenges of modern many-body methods. The charge radius of ^{32}Si completes the radii of the mirror pair ^{32}Ar-^{32}Si, whose difference was correlated to the slope L of the symmetry energy in the nuclear equation of state. Our result suggests L≤60 MeV, which agrees with complementary observables.

A candidate panel of eight urinary proteins shows potential of early diagnosis and risk assessment for diabetic kidney disease in type 1 diabetes.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) poses a significant health challenge for individuals with diabetes. At its initial stages, DKD often presents asymptomatically, and the standard for non-invasive diagnosis, the albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR), employs discrete categorizations (normal, microalbuminuria, macroalbuminuria) with limitations in sensitivity and specificity across diverse population cohorts. Single biomarker reliance further restricts the predictive value in clinical settings. Given the escalating prevalence of diabetes, our study uses proteomic technologies to identify novel urinary proteins as supplementary DKD biomarkers. A total of 158 T1D subjects provided urine samples, with 28 (15 DKD; 13 non-DKD) used in the discovery stage and 131 (45 DKD; 40 pDKD; 46 non-DKD) used in the confirmation. We identified eight proteins (A1BG, AMBP, AZGP1, BTD, RBP4, ORM2, GM2A, and PGCP), all of which demonstrated excellent area-under-the-curve (AUC) values (0.959 to 0.995) in distinguishing DKD from non-DKD. Furthermore, this multi-marker panel successfully segregated the most ambiguous group (microalbuminuria) into three distinct clusters, with 80% of subjects aligning either as DKD or non-DKD. The remaining 20% exhibited continued uncertainty. Overall, the use of these candidate urinary proteins allowed for the better classification of DKD and offered potential for significant improvements in the early identification of DKD in T1D populations.

Electrospun membranes of diselenide-containing poly(ester urethane)urea for in situ catalytic generation of nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role as a signalling molecule in the biological system. Organoselenium-coated or grafted biomaterials have the potential to achieve controlled NO release as they can catalyse decomposition of endogenous S-nitrosothiols to NO. However, such biomaterials are often challenged by the loss of the catalytic sites, which can affect the stability in tissue repair applications. In this work, we prepare a diselenide-containing poly(ester urethane)urea (SePEUU) polymer with Se-Se in the backbone, which is further electrospun into fibrous membranes by blending with poly(ester urethane)urea (PEUU) without diselenide bonds. The presence of catalytic sites in the main chain demonstrates stable and long-lasting NO catalytic activity, while the porous structure of the fibrous membranes ensures uniform distribution of the catalytic sites and better contact with the donor-containing solution. PEUU/SePEUU50 in 50/50 mass ratio has a physiologically adapted rate of NO release, with a sustained generation of NO after exposure to PBS at 37 °C for 30 d. PEUU/SePEUU50 has a low hemolysis and protein adsorption, with mechanical properties in the wet state matching those of natural vascular tissues. It can promote the adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro and control the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells in the presence of NO generation. This study exhibits the electrospun fibrous membranes have potential for utilizing as hemocompatible biomaterials for regeneration of blood-contacting tissues.

Impact of knockout of dual-specificity protein phosphatase 5 on structural and mechanical properties of rat middle cerebral arteries: implications for vascular aging.

Vascular aging influences hemodynamics, elevating risks for vascular diseases and dementia. We recently demonstrated that knockout (KO) of Dusp5 enhances cerebral and renal hemodynamics and cognitive function. This improvement correlates with elevated pPKC and pERK1/2 levels in the brain and kidneys. Additionally, we observed that Dusp5 KO modulates the passive mechanical properties of cerebral and renal arterioles, associated with increased myogenic tone at low pressure, enhanced distensibility, greater compliance, and reduced stiffness. The present study evaluates the structural and mechanical properties of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in Dusp5 KO rats. We found that vascular smooth muscle cell layers and the collagen content in the MCA wall are comparable between Dusp5 KO and control rats. The internal elastic lamina in the MCA of Dusp5 KO rats exhibits increased thickness, higher autofluorescence intensity, smaller fenestrae areas, and fewer fenestrations. Despite an enhanced myogenic response and tone of the MCA in Dusp5 KO rats, other passive mechanical properties, such as wall thickness, cross-sectional area, wall-to-lumen ratio, distensibility, incremental elasticity, circumferential wall stress, and elastic modulus, do not significantly differ between strains. These findings suggest that while Dusp5 KO has a limited impact on altering the structural and mechanical properties of MCA, its primary role in ameliorating hemodynamics and cognitive functions is likely attributable to its enzymatic activity on cerebral arterioles. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific enzymatic mechanisms and explore potential clinical applications in the context of vascular aging.

Role of Dusp5 KO on Vascular Properties of Middle Cerebral Artery in Rats.

Vascular aging influences hemodynamics, elevating risks for vascular diseases and dementia. We recently demonstrated that knockout (KO) of Dusp5 enhances cerebral and renal hemodynamics and cognitive function. This improvement correlates with elevated pPKC and pERK1/2 levels in the brain and kidneys. Additionally, we observed that Dusp5 KO modulates the passive mechanical properties of cerebral and renal arterioles, associated with increased myogenic tone at low pressure, enhanced distensibility, greater compliance, and reduced stiffness. The present study evaluates the structural and mechanical properties of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in Dusp5 KO rats. We found that vascular smooth muscle cell layers and the collagen content in the MCA wall are comparable between Dusp5 KO and control rats. The internal elastic lamina in the MCA of Dusp5 KO rats exhibits increased thickness, higher autofluorescence intensity, smaller fenestrae areas, and fewer fenestrations. Despite an enhanced myogenic response and tone of the MCA in Dusp5 KO rats, other passive mechanical properties, such as wall thickness, cross-sectional area, wall-to-lumen ratio, distensibility, incremental elasticity, circumferential wall stress, and elastic modulus, do not significantly differ between strains. These findings suggest that while Dusp5 KO has a limited impact on altering the structural and mechanical properties of MCA, its primary role in ameliorating hemodynamics and cognitive functions is likely attributable to its enzymatic activity on cerebral arterioles. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific enzymatic mechanisms and explore potential clinical applications in the context of vascular aging.

Surface Functionalization of Electrospun Scaffolds by QK-AG73 Peptide for Enhanced Interaction with Vascular Endothelial Cells.

Rapid endothelialization still remains challenging for blood-contacting biomaterials, especially for long-term, functional, small-diameter vascular grafts. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-mimicking QK peptide holds great promise in promoting vascular endothelial cellular activities such as adhesion, spreading, proliferation, and migration. Syndecans are transmembrane proteoglycans that are highly expressed on cell surfaces, including vascular endothelial cells, which can act as docking receptors to provide binding sites for a variety of cellular growth and signaling molecules. Herein, a novel peptide QK-AG73 that coupled the QK domain with the syndecan binding peptide AG73 was proposed, aiming to synergistically enhance the interaction with vascular endothelial cells. In addition, mechanically matched bioactive scaffolds based on poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) were successfully prepared by surface functionalization of the covalently combined QK-AG73 peptide. The result showed that the adhesion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was increased by approximately 2-fold on QK-AG73-modified surface compared with those modified with a single QK or AG73 peptide. Moreover, surface functionalization of electrospun scaffolds by this QK-AG73 peptide was more efficient in specifically promoting the proliferation of HUVECs and allowing them to grow with an elongated cobblestone-like cell morphology. It was hypothesized that both VEGF receptors and transmembrane syndecan receptors were involved in cellular regulation by the QK-AG73 peptide, which resulted in synergistic improvement of the interactions with vascular endothelial cells and provided a promising strategy to promote endothelialization of small-diameter vascular grafts.

Theoretical Study on the Coordination and Separation Capacity of Macrocyclic N-Donor Extractants for Am(III)/Eu(III).

Designing ligands that can effectively separate actinide An(III)/lanthanide Ln(III) in the solvent extraction process remains one of the key issues in the treatment of accumulated spent nuclear fuel. Nitrogen donor ligands are considered as promising extractants for the separation of An(III) and Ln(III) due to their environmental friendliness. Four new macrocyclic N-donor hexadentate extractants were designed and their coordination with Am(III) and Eu(III), as well as their extraction selectivity and separation performance for Am(III) and Eu(III), were investigated by scalar relativistic density functional theory. A variety of theoretical methods have been used to evaluate the properties of the four ligands and the coordination structures, bonding properties, and thermodynamic properties of the complexes formed by the four ligands with Am(III) and Eu(III). The results of various wavefunction analysis methods including NBO analysis, quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analysis, and so on show that Am(III) has a stronger coordination ability with the ligands than Eu(III) due to the Am 5f orbitals more involved in bonding with the ligands than the Eu 4f orbitals, and the bonding environment of the N-donor in the ligand has a significant effect on its coordination ability of the metal ions. Thermodynamic analysis of the solvent extraction process shows that all of the four N-containing macrocyclic ligands have good extraction selectivity and separation performance for Am(III) and Eu(III). This study provides theoretical support for designing potential nitrogen-containing macrocyclic extractants with excellent separation performance.

[Repeated transcranial acupuncture combined with electroacupuncture for flat descending sudden deafness: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of repeated transcranial acupuncture combined with electroacupuncture on flat descending sudden deafness. METHODS: A total of 80 patients with flat descending sudden deafness were randomly divided into an acupuncture and medication group (39 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a western medication group (39 cases, 1 case dropped off). Patients in the western medication group were treated with glucocorticoid + batroxobin + ginkgo leaf preparation. On the basis of the western medication group, patients in the acupuncture and medication group were treated with acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Ningshen, Yunting area, Mastoid 1 point, Mastoid 2 point, Fengchi (GB 20), Gongxue, Tinghui (GB 2), etc., repeated transcranial acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV 20), Ningshen and Yunting area; Mastoid 1 point and Mastoid 2 point, Fengchi (GB 20) and Gongxue of the affected side were connected to the electroacupuncture instrument, continuous wave, 2 Hz in frequency. The needle was retained for 30 min, once a day, and rest for 1 d after 6 d of continuous treatment. All patients were treated for 3 weeks. The average hearing threshold, tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) score, dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) score and speech discrimination test score were compared between the two groups before and after treatment, and the clinical effect was evaluated. RESULTS: After treatment, the average hearing threshold, THI and DHI scores of the two groups were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and above indexes in the acupuncture and medication group were lower than those in the western medication group (P<0.05). The speech discrimination test scores of the two groups were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the score in the acupuncture and medication group was higher than that in the western medication group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 87.2% (34/39) in the acupuncture and medication group, which was higher than 74.4% (29/39) in the western medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Repeated transcranial acupuncture combined with electroacupuncture can improve the hearing level of patients with flat descending sudden deafness, relieve tinnitus and vertigo symptoms.

Yield and cost of government-organized colorectal cancer screening in young high-risk population in Northeast China.

Guidelines for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommend screening at age 40 for high-risk population in China. However, the yield and cost of CRC screening in younger population are lacking. This analysis aimed to evaluate the yield and cost of CRC screening in high-risk 40- to 54-year-olds. Individuals aged 40-54 years who were determined to have a high risk of CRC were recruited from December 2012 to December 2019. We calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the detection rate of colorectal lesions among the three age groups and further calculated number of colonoscopies needed to screen (NNS) to detect one advanced lesion and cost of each group. The detection rates of advanced colorectal neoplasm in men aged 45-49 years (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 0.93-4.30) and 50-54 years (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.04-4.62) were higher than that aged 40-44 years. The detection rates of colorectal adenoma in women aged 50-54 years was higher than that aged 40-44 years (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.23-2.19). Among the male screening population, NNS and cost to detect one advanced lesion in participants aged 45-49 years were similar to that aged 50-54 years, saving approximately half endoscopic resources and financial expenses compared with screening that aged 40-44 years. From the perspective of screening results and costs, it might be beneficial to delay the starting age of screening by gender. This study may provide reference for optimizing CRC screening strategies.

Electrospun membranes of carboxylated poly(ester urethane)urea/gelatin encapsulating pterostilbene for adaptive and antioxidative purposes.

Oxidative stress caused by the harsh microenvironment after implantation of an artificial graft with mismatching mechanical properties usually triggers inflammation responses, which have adverse impacts on tissue regeneration. For coping with these problems, in this work, bioactive fibrous scaffolds were developed from specially synthesized carboxylated poly(ester urethane)urea (PEUU) and gelatin (Gel) by encapsulating pterostilbene (Pte) for the first time. The prepared electrospun membranes exhibited self-adaptable mechanical properties with high elasticity owing to the bonded electrospun fibers, cross-linking network between PEUU and Gel, and the inherent flexibility of the PEUU polymer in the fibrous matrix. The PEUU/Gel/Pte electrospun membrane containing 7% Pte could promote in vitro proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and regulate vascular smooth muscle cells with excellent antioxidant properties via free radical scavenging. In vivo results in a rat subcutaneous implantation model further demonstrated the positive effect of the specially prepared PEUU/Gel/Pte scaffold on both normal cell growth and anti-inflammatory by promoting cellularization and polarizing macrophages toward the M2 phenotype. These PEUU/Gel/Pte electrospun membranes with adaptability benefit to tissue regeneration by modulating inflammation responses, especially applications in vascular regeneration.

Skin sequelae in patients with infantile hemangioma: a systematic review.

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common vascular tumor in infancy. Although IHs can regress spontaneously, some problematic IHs still need treatment. However, either treated or untreated IHs may leave skin sequelae which can cause permanent disfigurement. Many studies evaluated the short-term efficacy of different kinds of treatment, but now, few studies are focusing on long-term skin sequelae. The objectives of our systemic review were to identify skin sequelae of IH thoroughly, determine specific factors associated with long-term IH sequelae, and learn how to improve these sequelae. We searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov. Three independent authors assessed the articles, and we reported this systemic review following PRISMA guidelines. Of 4448 articles initially identified, 62 underwent full-text review, and 17 met inclusion criteria. The overall rate of sequelae ranged from 5.3 to 93.5%. Factors associated with skin sequelae included patients' demographics, hemangioma characteristics, and treatment factors. What is Known: • Infantile hemangioma is the most common vascular tumor during infancy. • Infantile hemangiomas can regress spontaneously but either treated or untreated patients may leave permanent skin sequelae. What is New: • Skin sequelae in involuted Infantile hemangiomas are very common. • It is significant to prevent, recognize, and improve skin sequelae of infantile hemangiomas.

A Novel κ-Carrageenase from Marine Bacterium Rhodopirellula sallentina SM41: Heterologous Expression, Biochemical Characterization and Salt-Tolerance Mechanism Investigation.

κ-carrageenases are members of the glycoside hydrolase family 16 (GH16) that hydrolyze sulfated galactans in red algae, known as κ-carrageenans. In this study, a novel κ-carrageenase gene from the marine bacterium Rhodopirellula sallentina SM41 (RsCgk) was discovered via the genome mining approach. There are currently no reports on κ-carrageenase from the Rhodopirellula genus, and RsCgk shares a low identity (less than 65%) with κ- carrageenase from other genera. The RsCgk was heterologously overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 and characterized for its enzymatic properties. RsCgk exhibited maximum activity at pH 7.0 and 40 °C, and 50% of its initial activity was retained after incubating at 30 °C for 2 h. More than 70% of its activity was maintained after incubation at pH 6.0-8.0 and 4 °C for 24 h. As a marine derived enzyme, RsCgk showed excellent salt tolerance, retaining full activity in 1.2 M NaCl, and the addition of NaCl greatly enhanced its thermal stability. Mass spectrometry analysis of the RsCgk hydrolysis products revealed that the enzyme had high degradation specificity and mainly produced κ-carrageenan disaccharide. Comparative molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the conformational changes of tunnel-forming loops under salt environments may cause the deactivation or stabilization of RsCgk. Our results demonstrated that RsCgk could be utilized as a potential tool enzyme for efficient production of κ-carrageenan oligosaccharides under high salt conditions.

Study on the Relationship between Lung Cancer Stromal Cells and Air Cavity Diffusion Based on an Image Acquisition System.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the role of tumor stromal cells in the pathogenesis of STAS, the relationship between air diffusion (STAS) and tumor stromal cells (TSCs) was studied, and the prognostic significance of TSC and STAS in patients with lung adenocarcinoma was evaluated. Methods: A total of 150 patients with lung cancer diagnosed in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu Province were selected. From the perspective of pathology, medical information technology was used to assist the diagnosis. The data of multiple magnetic resonance images were analyzed by three-dimensional space convolution (CNN), fuzzy neural network (FNN), transfinite learning machine (ELM), and binarization. Result: After data fusion, the specificity and sensitivity of multiple magnetic resonance (MRI) data are significantly higher than those of single MRI data, and the more fusion times, the better the sensitivity and specificity. With the increase in the number of information and data fusion, the proportion of the significant effect and the comprehensive effective rate of patients are on the rise. Multiple MRI data fusion examination and analysis under medical information technology can improve the cure rate of patients, and the 1-year survival rate and the 3-year survival rate of patients have also gradually improved. Conclusion: The MRI data fusion diagnosis method under the application of information technology can improve the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis results and comprehensively improve the clinical cure rate and the survival rate at different times of prognosis. In the context of the current big data information age, this multifeature fusion analysis technology is playing a more and more important role in medical treatment. The application of this method and technology not only improves the quality of life of patients but also processes multiple types of data at one time only by using the proposed medical assistant diagnosis model, which can save the diagnosis time to a certain extent. It has effectively realized the medical management and medical service quality and has important promotion significance.

Corrigendum: Key Enzymes in Fatty Acid Synthesis Pathway for Bioactive Lipids Biosynthesis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.851402.].

Key Enzymes in Fatty Acid Synthesis Pathway for Bioactive Lipids Biosynthesis.

Dietary bioactive lipids, one of the three primary nutrients, is not only essential for growth and provides nutrients and energy for life's activities but can also help to guard against disease, such as Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases, which further strengthen the immune system and maintain many body functions. Many microorganisms, such as yeast, algae, and marine fungi, have been widely developed for dietary bioactive lipids production. These biosynthetic processes were not limited by the climate and ground, which are also responsible for superiority of shorter periods and high conversion rate. However, the production process was also exposed to the challenges of low stability, concentration, and productivity, which was derived from the limited knowledge about the critical enzyme in the metabolic pathway. Fortunately, the development of enzymatic research methods provides powerful tools to understand the catalytic process, including site-specific mutagenesis, protein dynamic simulation, and metabolic engineering technology. Thus, we review the characteristics of critical desaturase and elongase involved in the fatty acids' synthesis metabolic pathway, which aims to not only provide extensive data for enzyme rational design and modification but also provides a more profound and comprehensive understanding of the dietary bioactive lipids' synthetic process.

Biochemical Characterization and Cold-Adaption Mechanism of a PL-17 Family Alginate Lyase Aly23 from Marine Bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. ASY5 and Its Application for Oligosaccharides Production.

As an important enzyme involved in the marine carbon cycle, alginate lyase has received extensive attention because of its excellent degradation ability on brown algae, which is widely utilized for alginate oligosaccharide preparation or bioethanol production. In comparison with endo-type alginate lyases (PL-5, PL-7, and PL-18 families), limited studies have focused on PL-17 family alginate lyases, especially for those with special characteristics. In this study, a novel PL-17 family alginate lyase, Aly23, was identified and cloned from the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora ASY5. Aly23 exhibited maximum activity at 35 °C and retained 48.93% of its highest activity at 4 °C, representing an excellent cold-adaptation property. Comparative molecular dynamics analysis was implemented to explore the structural basis for the cold-adaptation property of Aly23. Aly23 had a high substrate preference for poly ß-D-mannuronate and exhibited both endolytic and exolytic activities; its hydrolysis reaction mainly produced monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides. Furthermore, the enzymatic hydrolyzed oligosaccharides displayed good antioxidant activities to reduce ferric and scavenge radicals, such as hydroxyl, ABTS+, and DPPH. Our work demonstrated that Aly23 is a promising cold-adapted biocatalyst for the preparation of natural antioxidants from brown algae.

Oncocytoma-Related Gene Signature to Differentiate Chromophobe Renal Cancer and Oncocytoma Using Machine Learning.

Publicly available gene expression datasets were analyzed to develop a chromophobe and oncocytoma related gene signature (COGS) to distinguish chRCC from RO. The datasets GSE11151, GSE19982, GSE2109, GSE8271 and GSE11024 were combined into a discovery dataset. The transcriptomic differences were identified with unsupervised learning in the discovery dataset (97.8% accuracy) with density based UMAP (DBU). The top 30 genes were identified by univariate gene expression analysis and ROC analysis, to create a gene signature called COGS. COGS, combined with DBU, was able to differentiate chRCC from RO in the discovery dataset with an accuracy of 97.8%. The classification accuracy of COGS was validated in an independent meta-dataset consisting of TCGA-KICH and GSE12090, where COGS could differentiate chRCC from RO with 100% accuracy. The differentially expressed genes were involved in carbohydrate metabolism, transcriptomic regulation by TP53, beta-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling, and cytokine (IL-4 and IL-13) signaling highly active in cancer cells. Using multiple datasets and machine learning, we constructed and validated COGS as a tool that can differentiate chRCC from RO and complement histology in routine clinical practice to distinguish these two tumors.

New Proposals for Application of Terahertz Imaging Technique in Chinese Medicine.

The rapid development of terahertz technology promotes the realization of various terahertz imaging systems. Terahertz technology features terahertz waves as good non-invasive illumination sources due to their high spectral resolution, penetration and safety. The terahertz imaging technique (TIT) has gradually been extended from the biomedical field to the field of Chinese medicine (CM), and it has become a powerful tool for seeking scientific evidence for CM theories with the use of modern science and technology. This paper reviews the current application of TITs in the field of CM research, and most importantly offers novel proposals for the application of TITs in CM research from the perspective of CM syndrome objectification and acupuncture research and cites existing reports as reference to the feasibility of these new proposals.

Helical structure motifs made searchable for functional peptide design.

The systematic design of functional peptides has technological and therapeutic applications. However, there is a need for pattern-based search engines that help locate desired functional motifs in primary sequences regardless of their evolutionary conservation. Existing databases such as The Protein Secondary Structure database (PSS) no longer serves the community, while the Dictionary of Protein Secondary Structure (DSSP) annotates the secondary structures when tertiary structures of proteins are provided. Here, we extract 1.7 million helices from the PDB and compile them into a database (Therapeutic Peptide Design database; TP-DB) that allows queries of compounded patterns to facilitate the identification of sequence motifs of helical structures. We show how TP-DB helps us identify a known purification-tag-specific antibody that can be repurposed into a diagnostic kit for Helicobacter pylori. We also show how the database can be used to design a new antimicrobial peptide that shows better Candida albicans clearance and lower hemolysis than its template homologs. Finally, we demonstrate how TP-DB can suggest point mutations in helical peptide blockers to prevent a targeted tumorigenic protein-protein interaction. TP-DB is made available at http://dyn.life.nthu.edu.tw/design/ .