A convenient colorimetric assay for Cr(VI) detection based on homogeneous Cu(II)-GMP system with oxidoreductase-like activity.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is an environmental pollutant and recognized as a human carcinogen. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a simple and sensitive detection technique for Cr(VI). Herein, it is found that Cu2+ interacts with guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP) to form a homogeneous Cu(II)-GMP complex (Cu2+·GMP) that efficiently displays the oxidoreductase-like catalytic activity. Cu2+·GMP can catalyze the oxidation between Cr(VI) and substrate 3,3',5,5'- tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), resulting in color change recognized by the naked eyes. Base on this, a convenient colorimetric assay for Cr(VI) detection was developed. The detection limit (3σ/s) of this sensor for Cr(VI) was 23 nM with a linear range of 0.1-25 µM. Moreover, the proposed assay was successfully applied to detect Cr(VI) in different environmental water samples with satisfactory recoveries. Our method is simple, efficient, rapid and cost-effective for Cr(VI) detection without the need for complicated material preparation or special separation, which shows great potential in environmental monitoring.

Two three-dimensional coordination polymers as fluorescence probes for the detection of nitrobenzene, tetracycline, fluazinam and their application in green pepper.

Two coordination polymers (CPs), [Zn5(L)2(phen)5](1) and [Cd2(HL)(2,2-bpy)(H2O)3](2), were synthesized by using 2',3,3',5,5'-Diphenyl ether pentacarboxylic acid (H5L), phenanthroline (phen), and 2,2'-bipyridine (2,2'-bpy) under hydrothermal conditions. The L5- ligand adopts the µ6-к2: к2: к1: к1: к1: к1 mode in 1 and the µ5-к2: к2: к2: к2: к1 mode in 2. Sensing experiments show that 1 and 2 are fluorescence probes with high sensitivity and rapid detection of nitro explosives, antibiotics, and pesticides. In order to verify the ability of 2 to detect FLU in actual samples, we performed a spiked recovery experiment in green pepper water. The spiked recoveries were 97.77-101.18 %. Interestingly, because H5L is not completely deprotonated in 2, there is abundant hydrogen bonding, which makes the fluorescence quenching rate higher and the detection limit lower. The possible fluorescence quenching mechanism of 1 and 2 can be explained by their UV-VIS absorption spectra and orbital energy levels.

Tailored extracellular matrix-mimetic coating facilitates reendothelialization and tissue healing of cardiac occluders.

Minimally invasive transcatheter interventional therapy utilizing cardiac occluders represents the primary approach for addressing congenital heart defects and left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombosis. However, incomplete endothelialization and delayed tissue healing after occluder implantation collectively compromise clinical efficacy. In this study, we have customized a recombinant humanized collagen type I (rhCol I) and developed an rhCol I-based extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimetic coating. The innovative coating integrates metal-phenolic networks with anticoagulation and anti-inflammatory functions as a weak cross-linker, combining them with specifically engineered rhCol I that exhibits high cell adhesion activity and elicits a low inflammatory response. The amalgamation, driven by multiple forces, effectively serves to functionalize implantable materials, thereby responding positively to the microenvironment following occluder implantation. Experimental findings substantiate the coating's ability to sustain a prolonged anticoagulant effect, enhance the functionality of endothelial cells and cardiomyocyte, and modulate inflammatory responses by polarizing inflammatory cells into an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Notably, occluder implantation in a canine model confirms that the coating expedites reendothelialization process and promotes tissue healing. Collectively, this tailored ECM-mimetic coating presents a promising surface modification strategy for improving the clinical efficacy of cardiac occluders.

Screening and Predictive Biomarkers for Down Syndrome Through Amniotic Fluid Metabolomics.

BACKGROUND: Down syndrome (DS) is a congenital disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of all or part of chromosome 21. It is characterized by significant intellectual disability, distinct facial features, and growth and developmental challenges. The utilization of metabolomics to analyze specific metabolic markers in maternal amniotic fluid may provide innovative tools and screening methods for investigating the early pathophysiology of trisomy 21 at the functional level. METHODS: Amniotic fluid samples were obtained via amniocentesis from 57 pregnancies with DS and 55 control pregnancies between 173/7 and 240/7 weeks of gestation. The targeted metabolomics focused on 34 organic acids, 17 amino acids, and 5 acylcarnitine metabolites. The untargeted metabolomics analysis concentrated on lipid profiles and included 602 metabolites that met quality control standards. Principal Component Analysis, Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), and false discovery rate (FDR) adjustments were applied. MetaboAnalystR 5.0 was used to perform the metabolic pathway analysis on the identified differential metabolites. RESULTS: Fifty differential metabolites, including L-glutamine, eight organic acids, and 41 lipids, were significantly altered in DS based on three criteria: VIP > 1 in the OPLS-DA model, FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.05, and |log2FC| > log2(1.5) from a volcano plot of all detected metabolites. An analysis of 212 differential metabolites, selected from both targeted and untargeted approaches (VIP > 1 in the OPLS-DA model and FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.05), revealed significant changes in nine metabolic pathways. Fourteen key metabolites were identified to establish a screening model for DS, achieving an area under the curve of 1.00. CONCLUSIONS: Our results underscore the potential of metabolomics approaches in identifying concise and reliable biomarker combinations that demonstrate promising screening performance in DS.

In situ characterization of vacancy ordering in Ge-Sb-Te phase-change memory alloys.

Tailoring the degree of structural disorder in Ge-Sb-Te alloys is important for the development of non-volatile phase-change memory and neuro-inspired computing. Upon crystallization from the amorphous phase, these alloys form a cubic rocksalt-like structure with a high content of intrinsic vacancies. Further thermal annealing results in a gradual structural transition towards a layered structure and an insulator-to-metal transition. In this work, we elucidate the atomic-level details of the structural transition in crystalline GeSb2Te4 by in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments and ab initio density functional theory calculations, providing a comprehensive real-time and real-space view of the vacancy ordering process. We also discuss the impact of vacancy ordering on altering the electronic and optical properties of GeSb2Te4, which is relevant to multilevel storage applications. The phase evolution paths in Ge-Sb-Te alloys and Sb2Te3 are illustrated using a summary diagram, which serves as a guide for designing phase-change memory devices.

Responses of plant carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content in terrestrial ecosystems to warming: A Meta-analysis.

We conducted a Meta-analysis with 264 datasets from 55 publications to investigate the effects of warming duration and intensity on plant carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents. The results showed that warming significantly reduced shoot carbon (effect value of -1.7%), root carbon (-4.0%), litter carbon (-3.7%), shoot nitrogen (-7.0%) and litter nitrogen contents (-6.4%). For different ecosystem types, warming significantly decreased shoot carbon (-0.8%), shoot nitrogen (-5.9%), root carbon (-7.4%), litter carbon (-2.1%), and litter nitrogen content (-13.4%) in grasslands, while significantly increased shoot carbon (2.7%) in scrublands and litter phosphorus content (42.4%) in forests. Short-term warming (<5 years) decreased shoot carbon (-0.4%), shoot phosphorus (-0.4%) and litter nitrogen (-13.4%) contents, while medium- to long-term warming (5-10 years) increased shoot carbon (0.6%), shoot phosphorus (20.2%) and litter nitrogen (6.2%) contents. The 0-2 ℃ warming intensity increased shoot phosphorus (10.1%) and root phosphorus (27.4%) contents of plants, while the >2 ℃ warming intensity decreased shoot phosphorus (-3.7%) and root phosphorus (-6.5%) content. The effect values of plant shoot carbon and shoot nitrogen were significantly and positively correlated with humidity index. Warming showed negative effects on plant carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents in terrestrial ecosystems, and such effects were moderated by the duration and intensity of warming.

Making an inverted Keggin ion lacunary.

The century-old inverted Keggin ion has been revisited in an effort to unleash its potential in the structural engineering and functional development of polyoxomolybdates (POMos). Over the past hundred years, attempts to program the metal-oxo scaffold of inverted Keggins have been conducted continually but without any success. In this work, a structurally inert, inverted Keggin-type POMo could finally be altered by means of a binary heterogroup-templated approach, resulting in the successful isolation of two lacunary species. The local structure and charge distribution of these species are adjustable, and hence they serve as available building blocks for the subsequent controlled assembly of a CeIII-incorporated derivative. From the plenary to the lacunary, the enclosed structure of the inverted Keggin has been opened up significantly, resulting in less steric hindrance, along with a transition from an electron neutral species to a negatively charged species. Owing to these beneficial properties, the emerging defect-containing polyanions demonstrated outstanding Lewis acid-base catalytic activity in the high efficiency production of pyrazoles.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Quinoline Derivatives against Phytopathogenic Bacteria Inspired from Natural Quinine Alkaloids.

A series of 2-(trifluoromethyl)-4-hydroxyquinoline derivatives were designed and synthesized with introduction of the antibacterial fragment amino alcohols, and their antibacterial activity against plant phytopathogenic bacteria was evaluated for the development of quinoline bactericides. It is worth noting that compound Qa5 exhibited excellent antibacterial activity in vitro with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 3.12 µg/mL against Xanthomonas oryzae (Xoo). Furthermore, in vivo assays demonstrated that the protective efficacy of Qa5 against rice bacterial blight at 200 µg/mL (33.0%) was superior to that of the commercial agent bismerthiazol (18.3%), while the curative efficacy (35.0%) was comparable to that of bismerthiazol (35.7%). The antibacterial mechanisms of Qa5 indicated that it affected the activity of bacteria by inducing intracellular oxidative damage in Xoo and disrupting the integrity of the bacterial cell membrane. The above results demonstrated that the novel quinoline derivative Qa5 possessed excellent in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity, indicating its potential as a novel green agricultural antibacterial agent.

A genome-wide association study of neonatal metabolites.

Genetic factors significantly influence the concentration of metabolites in adults. Nevertheless, the genetic influence on neonatal metabolites remains uncertain. To bridge this gap, we employed genotype imputation techniques on large-scale low-pass genome data obtained from non-invasive prenatal testing. Subsequently, we conducted association studies on a total of 75 metabolic components in neonates. The study identified 19 previously reported associations and 11 novel associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms and metabolic components. These associations were initially found in the discovery cohort (8,744 participants) and subsequently confirmed in a replication cohort (19,041 participants). The average heritability of metabolic components was estimated to be 76.2%, with a range of 69%-78.8%. These findings offer valuable insights into the genetic architecture of neonatal metabolism.

Design and synthesis aldehydes-thiourea and thiazolyl hydrazine derivatives as promising antifungal agents against Monilinia fructicola.

BACKGROUND: Fungal diseases present a significant threat to global agriculture, necessitating the development of new, safe, and effective fungicides. Existing fungicides face resistance and health risks, prompting the synthesis of novel compounds. Researchers have synthesized aldehyde-based thiourea and thiazolyl hydrazine derivatives, evaluating their antifungal activities to identify impactful pesticide molecules. RESULTS: The results showed that most of the compounds had broad-spectrum antifungal activity against six plant pathogenic fungi and four post-harvest fungi. Notably, compound LN18 showed the best antifungal activity against Monilinia fructicola with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 0.17 µg mL-1, which was better than the commercial fungicide natamycin. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study showed that the presence of unsaturated double bonds in the structure and the length of the carbon chain were the main factors affecting antifungal activity. The presence of unsaturated double bonds and an increase in the length of the carbon chain greatly improved inhibitory activity against the tested pathogens. The preliminary mechanism study showed that LN18 could damage the integrity of the mycelial plasma membrane, leading to leakage of intracellular nucleic acid and protein. LN18 also induced an increase in the intracellular reactive oxygen species level to exert its antifungal effects. In addition, compound LN18 had a stronger antifungal effect in vivo, and better phytotoxicity than natamycin, indicating broad application prospects in agriculture. CONCLUSION: Aldehydes-thiourea and thiazolyl hydrazine derivatives demonstrate remarkable antifungal efficacy against plant pathogenic and post-harvest fungi, offering a promising avenue for commercialization as highly efficacious, cost-effective and safe antifungal agents. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Changes of brain structure and structural covariance networks in Parkinson's disease associated cognitive impairment.

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in Parkinson's disease (PD). Multiple brain regions and their interactions are involved in PD associated CI. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology is a non-invasive method in investigating brain structure and inter-regional connections. In this study, by comparing cortical thickness, subcortical volume, and brain network topology properties in PD patients with and without CI, we aimed to understand the changes of brain structure and structural covariance network properties in PD associated CI. Methods: A total of 18 PD patients with CI and 33 PD patients without CI were recruited. Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Hoehn and Yahr stage, Mini Mental State Examination Scale, Non-motor Symptom Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and Hamilton Depression Scale were assessed. All participants underwent structural 3T MRI. Cortical thickness, subcortical volume, global and nodal network topology properties were measured. Results: Compared with PD patients without CI, the volumes of white matter, thalamus and hippocampus were lower in PD patients with CI. And decreased whole-brain local efficiency is associated with CI in PD patients. While the cortical thickness and nodal network topology properties were comparable between PD patients with and without CI. Conclusion: Our findings support the alterations of brain structure and disruption of structural covariance network are involved in PD associated CI, providing a new insight into the association between graph properties and PD associated CI.

Loss of TET Activity in the Postnatal Mouse Brain Perturbs Synaptic Gene Expression and Impairs Cognitive Function.

Conversion of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) by ten-eleven translocation (TET) family proteins leads to the accumulation of 5hmC in the central nervous system; however, the role of 5hmC in the postnatal brain and how its levels and target genes are regulated by TETs remain elusive. We have generated mice that lack all three Tet genes specifically in postnatal excitatory neurons. These mice exhibit significantly reduced 5hmC levels, altered dendritic spine morphology within brain regions crucial for cognition, and substantially impaired spatial and associative memories. Transcriptome profiling combined with epigenetic mapping reveals that a subset of genes, which display changes in both 5hmC/5mC levels and expression patterns, are involved in synapse-related functions. Our findings provide insight into the role of postnatally accumulated 5hmC in the mouse brain and underscore the impact of 5hmC modification on the expression of genes essential for synapse development and function.

Direct Electrolysis of Municipal Reclaimed Water for Efficient Hydrogen Production Using a Bifunctional Non-Noble-Metal Catalyst.

Water electrolysis for green H2 production traditionally requires a stable supply of renewable electricity and pure water. However, spatial separation of renewables and water resources as well as water scarcity per capita in China necessitate unconventional water resources for electrolysis. Reclaimed water produced from municipal wastewater treatment plants is widely distributed with quality improved significantly in recent years, which may be a promising alternative to feedstock. However, there are few reports on the direct use of this wastewater for H2 production. Here, we present a direct electrolysis of reclaimed water for decentralized H2 production by developing a highly efficient and stable bifunctional 3D-dandelion-like (DL) vanadium(V)-doped CoP catalyst grown in situ on Ni foam (NF) in an alkaline electrolyzer. The V-CoP-DL/NF electrode decreases 6.5 and 25% overpotentials of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively, compared to noble-metal Pt (HER) and IrO2 (OER) catalysts, and exhibits exceptional durability, as a voltage required for overall reclaimed water splitting only increases by 80 mV (1.81-1.89 V) after 90 days of operation at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. The maximum stable current can reach 1000 mA cm-2. The impacts of potential pollutants in reclaimed water on the performance of electrolysis and the behavior of major wastewater ions in alkaline electrolyte were investigated. The observed exceptional performance is attributed to the catalyst's unique nanostructure, which enhances charge transfer and reactant/electrolyte diffusion. The in situ growth strategy further enhances the conductivity and stability of the catalyst. This work underscores the feasibility of utilizing reclaimed water instead of pure water as the feedstock for sustainable hydrogen production.

Why is pollen in Camellia oleifera inedible to honeybees?

This Commentary examines a recent study that addressed a long-standing controversy: Is the lethal effect of Tea-oil Camellia on honeybee larvae due to nectar or pollen toxicity? Flowers of Camellia oleifera are adapting to bird pollination, evolving 'anti-bee' traits such as theasaponin-containing pollen, which is toxic to bee larvae.

A Prospective Study on Risk Prediction of Preeclampsia Using Bi-Platform Calibration and Machine Learning.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy syndrome characterized by complex symptoms which cause maternal and fetal problems and deaths. The aim of this study is to achieve preeclampsia risk prediction and early risk prediction in Xinjiang, China, based on the placental growth factor measured using the SiMoA or Elecsys platform. A novel reliable calibration modeling method and missing data imputing method are proposed, in which different strategies are used to adapt to small samples, training data, test data, independent features, and dependent feature pairs. Multiple machine learning algorithms were applied to train models using various datasets, such as single-platform versus bi-platform data, early pregnancy versus early plus non-early pregnancy data, and real versus real plus augmented data. It was found that a combination of two types of mono-platform data could improve risk prediction performance, and non-early pregnancy data could enhance early risk prediction performance when limited early pregnancy data were available. Additionally, the inclusion of augmented data resulted in achieving a high but unstable performance. The models in this study significantly reduced the incidence of preeclampsia in the region from 7.2% to 2.0%, and the mortality rate was reduced to 0%.

Sarbecovirus RBD indels and specific residues dictating multi-species ACE2 adaptiveness.

Our comprehensive understanding of the multi-species ACE2 adaptiveness of sarbecoviruses remains elusive, particularly for those with various receptor binding motif (RBM) insertions/deletions (indels). Here, we analyzed RBM sequences from 268 sarbecoviruses categorized into four RBM indel types. We examined the ability of 20 representative sarbecovirus Spike glycoproteins (S) and derivatives in utilizing ACE2 from various bats and several other mammalian species. We reveal that sarbecoviruses with long RBMs (type-I) can achieve broad ACE2 tropism, whereas viruses with single deletions in Region 1 (type-II) or Region 2 (type-III) exhibit narrower ACE2 tropism. Sarbecoviruses with double region deletions (type-IV) completely lost ACE2 usage, which is restricted by clade-specific residues within and outside RBM. Lastly, we propose the evolution of sarbecovirus RBM indels and illustrate how loop lengths, disulfide, and residue determinants shape multi-species ACE2 adaptiveness. This study provides profound insights into the mechanisms governing ACE2 usage and spillover risks of sarbecoviruses.

Antimicrobial Effect of Waterborne Polyurethane-Based Cellulose Nanofibril/Silver Nanoparticles Composites and Acacia concinna (Willd.) DC Extract (Shikakai).

Antimicrobial coatings are becoming increasingly popular in functional material modification and are essential in addressing microbial infection challenges. In this study, the phytochemical and antimicrobial potential of aqueous, 80% methanol and 80% ethanol pod extracts of Acacia concinna (Willd.) DC (AC) and its application in the green in situ (one pot) synthesis of silver nanoparticles on Cellulose nano fibrils (CNF) and Waterborne polyurethane (WPU) were prepared. The phytochemical evaluation of Acacia concinna crude extracts showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, terpenoids, saponins, steroids. The surface plasmon Resonance peak of CNF/AC-AgNPs was 450 nm and the FTIR result confirmed functional groups such as carbonyl, phenols and carboxyl were present which was important for the bio-reduction of silver nanoparticles. The crude AC aqueous pods extract against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria compared with AC ethanol and AC methanol extracts. The WPU/CNF/AC-AgNPs composite dispersion was also good in terms of its antibacterial activities. The WPU/CNF/AC-AgNPs nanocomposites could be applied as bifunctional nanofillers as an antimicrobial agent in food packaging systems and other biological applications.

Improvement of okara noodle quality by modifying the soluble/insoluble dietary fibre ratio.

This study investigated the effect of okara modified through cellulase hydrolysis and extrusion on noodle quality. Modification increased the soluble dietary fibre/insoluble dietary fibre (SDF/IDF) ratio in okara, improved appearance, cooking, and texture, and reduced starch digestibility of okara noodles. The 4.0 % cellulase enzymolysis-extruded okara noodles exhibited the quality closest to that of wheat noodles, with an estimated glycaemic index (eGI) < 55 (low-GI). As the okara SDF/IDF ratio increased, the water mobility of noodles decreased, indicating that an increase in the SDF/IDF ratio reduced competitive water absorption of okara. In addition, increased SDF/IDF ratio increased ß-sheet content and promoted the enhanced hydrogen bond interactions between proteins and polymerisation between gliadin and glutenin. Moreover, the microstructure of noodles with a higher SDF/IDF ratio of okara was more continuous and compact, further confirming the promotional effect of okara with a higher SDF/IDF ratio on the quality of okara noodles.

Effects of Pinus tabuliformis and Quercus liaotungensis mixture on morphological characteristics of ectomycorrhizae.

The mycorrhizal diversity and morphological plasticity determine the adaptability of host plants to habitat changes. To understand the effects of mixture between coniferous and broadleaf trees on the morphological characteri-stics of ectomyzorrhizal (EcM) associations, we examined the influences of environmental factors on changes in morphological characteristics based on a systematic investigation of the EcM morphological traits in Pinus tabuliformis Carr. and Quercus liaotungensis Koidz. grown in pure stands as well as in various levels of mixture (i.e., P. tabuliformis and Q. liaodongensis in a 3:1 mixture, a 1:1 mixture, and a 1:3 mixture) in Taiyue Mountains of Shanxi Province. Results showed that the EcM in both species are predominantly of the contact exploration type in all stand types. In P. tabuliformis, the root tip numbers of the contact and medium-distance exploration types in mixed stands were significantly greater by 3%-10% and 10%-16%, respectively, than in pure stands. In Q. liaotungensis, the root tip numbers of the contact exploration type in mixed stands were significantly higher by 5%-10% than in pure stands. In both species, the values of Simpson morphological diversity index were higher in mixed stands than in pure stands. Redundancy analysis indicated that the morphological variability of EcM was mostly affected by soil nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (explainable by 7.5%) and soil water content (explainable by 5.2%) in P. tabuliformis, while it was mostly affected by soil carbon content in Q. liaotungensis (explainable by 3.5%). Both P. tabuliformis and Q. liaotungensis are capable of adapting to conditions with competition for, and sharing of, soil nutrients in mixed forests through morphological variations of EcM.

Low-Dose Baricitinib Plus Narrow-Band Ultraviolet B for the Treatment of Progressive Non-Segmental Vitiligo: A Prospective, Controlled, Open-Label Study.

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disease, and current treatments for vitiligo have limited efficacy. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors could offer new therapeutic options. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of baricitinib, an oral JAK1/2 inhibitor, combined with narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) in vitiligo treatment. This prospective, controlled, open-label study included adults with progressive non-segmental vitiligo (NSV). Patients were assigned to combination therapy with baricitinib 2 mg daily and NB-UVB three times a week or NB-UVB alone three times a week (control). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving 50% or greater improvement from baseline in the total Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (T-VASI50) at week 16. Of the 33 patients (mean age, 34.1 years; 27.3% women) who completed the study, 12 of 17 (70.6%) patients in the combination group and 2 of 16 (12.5%) in the control group had a T-VASI50 response at week 16 (relative risk [RR] = 5.6; 95% CI = 1.5-21.4; p = 0.001). Adverse events were minor, including erythema, mild blister after phototherapy and acne. Combination therapy with low-dose baricitinib and NB-UVB was effective and well tolerated in adults with progressive NSV.