Harvesting Multicolor Photoluminescence in Nonaromatic Interpenetrated Metal-Organic Framework Nanocrystals via Pressure-Modulated Carbonyls Aggregation.

Interpenetrated metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with nonaromatic ligands provide a unique platform for adsorption, catalysis, and sensing applications. However, nonemission and the lack of optical property tailoring make it challenging to fabricate smart responsive devices with nonaromatic interpenetrated MOFs based on ligand-centered emission. In this paper, the pressure-induced aggregation effect is introduced in nonaromatic interpenetrated Zn4O(ADC)4(Et3N)6 (IRMOF-0) nanocrystals (NCs), where carbonyl groups aggregation results in O─O distances smaller than the sum of the van der Waals radii (3.04 Å), triggering the photoluminescence turn-on behavior. It is noteworthy that the IRMOF-0 NCs display an ultrabroad emission tunability of 130 nm from deep blue (440 nm) to yellow (570 nm) upon release to ambient conditions at different pressures. The eventual retention of through-space n-π* interactions in different degrees via pressure treatment is primarily responsible for achieving a controllable multicolor emission behavior in initially nonemissive IRMOF-0 NCs. The fabricated multicolor phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes based on the pressure-treated IRMOF-0 NCs exhibit excellent thermal, chromaticity, and fatigue stability. The proposed strategy not only imparts new vitality to nonaromatic interpenetrated MOFs but also offers new perspectives for advancements in the field of multicolor displays and daylight illumination.

Single substrate-functionalized molybdenum oxide nanozyme for specific colorimetric monitoring of xanthine oxidase activity.

Xanthine-functionalized molybdenum oxide nanodots (X-MoO3-x NDs) with peroxidase (POD)-like activity were developed for selective, sensitive, and facile colorimetric quantification of xanthine oxidase (XO). Xanthine functionalization can not only be favorable for the successful nanozyme preparation, but also for the specific recognition of XO as well as the simultaneous generation of hydrogen peroxide, which was subsequently transformed into hydroxyl radical to oxidize the chromogenic reagent based on the POD-like catalysis. Under the optimized conditions, the colorimetric biosensing platform was established for XO assay without addition of further substrates, showing good linearity relationship between absorbance difference (ΔA) and XO concentrations in the range 0.05-0.5 U/mL (R2 = 0.998) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.019 U/mL. The quantification of XO occurs in 25 min, which is superior to the previously reported and commercial XO assays. The proposed method has been successfully used in the assay of human serum samples, showing its high potential in the field of clinical monitoring.

Error-diffusion-kernel parameters for binary pattern in 1-bit fringe projection profilometry.

In fringe projection profilometry, 1-bit processing of 8-bit raster patterns is a common method to suppress nonlinear errors in commercial projectors and realize high-speed projection in industrial projectors. In the process of generating 1-bit fringes from sinusoidal fringes, the generation of high-order harmonics is inevitable; choosing to introduce fewer high-order harmonics of the algorithm is conducive to defocus to obtain a better sinusoidal pattern. This paper proposes a method to expand the error-diffusion kernel of the conventional Floyd-Steinberg diffusion dithering algorithm from 2×3 to 3×5, which can reduce the grayscale change of surrounding pixels and generate 1-bit fringes with fewer high-order harmonics. Meanwhile, this paper optimizes the parameters of the 3×5 error-diffusion kernel and proposes the optimal parameters for this kind of diffusion kernel. The simulation results show that the fringes generated by the proposed 3×5 error-diffusion-kernel algorithms are closer to sinusoidal fringes after Gaussian low-pass filtering. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the 3×5 diffusion kernel algorithms is higher.

Molecular insights into the structure destabilization effects of ECG and EC on the Aß protofilament: An all-atom molecular dynamics simulation study.

The formation of Aß into amyloid fibrils was closely connected to AD, therefore, the Aß aggregates were the primary therapeutic targets against AD. Previous studies demonstrated that epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), which possessed a gallate moiety, exhibited a greater ability to disrupt the preformed Aß amyloid fibrils than epicatechin (EC), indicating that the gallate moiety was crucial. In the present study, the molecular mechanisms were investigated. Our results demonstrated that ECG had more potent disruptive impacts on the ß-sheet structure and K28-A42 salt bridges than EC. We found that ECG significantly interfered the interactions between Peptide-4 and Peptide-5. However, EC could not. The disruption of K28-A42 salt bridges by ECG was mainly due to the interactions between ECG and the hydrophobic residues located at C-terminus. Interestingly, EC disrupted the K28-A42 salt bridges by the interactions with C-terminal hydrophobic residues and the cation-π interactions with K28. Moreover, our results indicated that hydrophobic interactions, H-bonds, π-π interactions and cation-π interactions between ECG and the bend of L-shaped region caused the disaggregation of interactions between Peptide-4 and Peptide-5. Significantly, gallate moiety in ECG had contributed tremendously to the disaggregation. We believed that our findings could be useful for designing prospective drug candidates targeting AD.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a patulin degradation candidate both in vitro and in vivo.

Patulin is one of the mycotoxins that exists in abundance in fruits and derivative products and is easily exposed in daily life, leading to various toxicities such as genotoxicity, teratogenicity, immunotoxicity, and carcinogenicity in the human body, while the efficient removal or degradation measures are still in urgent demand. In this work, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a natural yeast with both patulin degradation and intestine damage protection abilities, was first applied to prevent and decrease the hazard after patulin intake. In vitro, Saccharomyces cerevisiae KD (S. cerevisiae KD) could efficiently degrade patulin at high concentrations. In a Canenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model fed on S. cerevisiae KD, locomotion, oxidative stress, patulin residual, intestine damage, and gene expression were investigated after exposure to 50 µg mL-1 patulin. The results demonstrated that S. cerevisiae KD could efficiently degrade patulin, as well as weaken the oxidative stress and intestinal damage caused by patulin. Moreover, S. cerevisiae KD could regulate the gene expression levels of daf-2 and daf-16 through the IGF-1 signaling pathway to control the ROS level and glutathione (GSH) content, thus decreasing intestinal damage. In summary, this work uncovers the outstanding characteristic of an edible probiotic S. cerevisiae KD in patulin degradation and biotoxicity alleviation and provides enlightenment toward solving the hazards caused by the accumulation of patulin.

The flavors of edible mushrooms: A comprehensive review of volatile organic compounds and their analytical methods.

Due to their distinctive flavors, edible mushrooms have gained attention in flavor-related research, and the quality of their flavors determines their consumption. The odor is a vital element of food flavor that significantly impacts consumers' perceptions and purchase decisions. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the odorant ingredient is the primary factors affecting scent characteristics. VOCs analysis and identification require technical assistance. The production and use of edible mushrooms can be aided by a broader examination of their volatile constituents. This review discusses the composition of VOCs in edible mushrooms and how they affect flavors. The principles, advantages, and disadvantages of various methods for extraction, isolation, and characterization of the VOCs of edible mushrooms are also highlighted. The numerous VOCs found in edible mushrooms such as primarily C-8 compounds, organic sulfur compounds, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and esters are summarized along with their effects on the various characteristics of scent. Combining multiple extraction, isolation, identification, and quantification technologies will facilitate rapid and accurate analysis of VOCs in edible mushrooms as proof of sensory attributes and quality.

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside promotes stress tolerance and lifespan extension of Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to polystyrene via DAF-16 pathway.

Microplastic pollution has attracted growing attention due to its prevalent and persistent exposure to general population through the food chain, but few reports have focused on the toxicological prevention of polystyrene (PS). Using the wild-type and mutant strains, this study explored the impacts of PS and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) on stress tolerance and lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). In N2 nematodes, PS exposure initiated the oxidative stress and subsequent lifespan reduction, while these adverse impacts could be positively improved by C3G treatment. Considering the pivotal role of DAF-16 pathway in stress tolerance and lifespan regulation, the expression of the daf-16 gene and its downstream antioxidant genes (clt-2, hsp-16.1, sod-3, sod-5) were examined, and found to be significantly enhanced by C3G. Since the sod-3 gene was up-regulated the most fold by C3G, the activity of SOD enzyme that encoded by the sod-3 was examined, and could be obviously enhanced upon C3G treatment. This explained the improved oxidative stress and delayed oxidation-associated aging after C3G intervention. Nevertheless, these positive effects of C3G were weakened in daf-16(-) mutant strain (with deleted DAF-16 gene), for which the beneficial effects of C3G in promoting stress resistance and lifespan extension were inhibited. These findings suggested that the DAF-16 gene and its downstream antioxidant genes, have participated in C3G's regulations on redox balance and lifespan that impacted by nano-polystyrene particles. This study highlighted the link between dietary components and environmentally driven disturbance.

A meta-analysis of the local application of vancomycin powder to prevent surgical site infection after spinal surgeries.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to systematically analyze the effectiveness and safety of the local application of vancomycin powder to prevent surgical site infection (SSI) after spinal surgeries and provide guidance for clinical practice. METHODS: Two researchers independently searched PubMed, Web of Science, Elsevier, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure using the MeSH terms "spinal surgery," "vancomycin," "local," "topical," "prophylactic," "surgical site infection," and "SSI" to identify studies published between January 2010 and January 2020 on the local application of vancomycin powder for preventing SSI after spinal surgeries. The outcome assessment indicators were analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Three randomized controlled trials, two prospective studies, and 26 retrospective studies were included in the current research. The results of the meta-analysis revealed significant differences between the vancomycin and control groups (non-vancomycin group) concerning the incidence of SSI (risk ratio = 0.39, 95% confidence interval = 0.28-0.55, Z = 5.46), indicating that local application of vancomycin powder can significantly reduce the incidence of SSI. CONCLUSION: Local application of vancomycin powder is an effective and safe method to prevent SSI after spinal surgeries.

Building of Longitudinal Ultrasonic Assisted Turning System and Its Cutting Simulation Study on Bulk Metallic Glass.

Bulk metallic glass (BMG) is a new kind of material which is made by rapid condensation of alloy. With excellent properties like high strength, high hardness, corrosion resistance, BMG is increasingly applied in mold manufacturing, weapon equipment and other fields. However, BMG is also one of hard-to-machine materials, which is arduous to be processed precisely and efficiently by the means of conventional cutting. Compared with conventional cutting, ultrasonic machining has a multitude of technological advantages such as reducing the cutting force, extending the tool life, etc. In ultrasonic machining, the ultrasonic electric signal is transformed into high frequency mechanical vibration on the tool, which changes the relationship between the tool and the workpiece in the process of machining. In this study, the longitudinal ultrasonic assisted turning (LUAT) system is established for processing BMG. Its resonant frequency and vibration characteristics are first simulated by modal analysis and harmonic response analysis, and then tested by displacement testing experiments, so that the suitable frequency and the amplitude for BMG turning can be selected and verified. On this basis, the two-dimensional turning finite element model is established to study the effect of ultrasonic vibration on cutting force under different cutting speeds. The research manifest that during the BMG turning, the assistance of longitudinal ultrasonic vibration can significantly reduce the average cutting force as well as the von Mises stress when the turning speed is below the critical turning speed. In addition, the tip of the tool contacts the workpiece discontinuously during cutting process which makes the instantaneous turning force in LUAT more periodic than that in conventional turning (CT).

A light-facilitated drug delivery system from a pseudo-protein/hyaluronic acid nanocomplex with improved anti-tumor effects.

Reduction-sensitive nanomedicine is a promising strategy to achieve controlled release of payloads in response to intracellular reductive milieu. However, endolysosomal sequestration of internalized carriers and insufficient redox potential in endolysosomes may delay the release of payloads and impact their therapeutic efficacy. Photochemical internalization (PCI), which takes advantage of light-induced endolysosomal rupture, is an effective technique for endosomal escape and cytosolic release of cargos. In this study, a biodegradable and reduction-sensitive nanocomplex was developed from arginine based poly(ester amide)s and hyaluronic acid (HA), and the PCI-photosensitizer AlPcS2a was conjugated to the surface of the nanocomplex (ArgPEA-ss-HA(AP)). This nanocomplex was used for the co-delivery of both PCI-photosensitizers and therapeutic agents to eliminate the biodistribution discrepancy resulting from the separated administration of free therapeutics. The PCI effect of the ArgPEA-ss-HA(AP) nanocomplex was validated in both monolayers and 3D spheroid models of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Synergism was detected between the PCI effect and doxorubicin-loaded nanocomplex in the inhibition of MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, the ArgPEA-ss-HA(AP) nanocomplex also provided enhanced intratumoral penetration in 3D spheroids compared to free AlPcS2a. The in vivo results suggested that the conjugation of AlPCs2a in the nanocomplex enabled the consistent and preferential accumulation of both doxorubicin and AlPcS2a in tumor sites. A light-enhanced anti-tumor effect was observed for the doxorubicin-loaded nanocomplex at well-tolerable dosage. The ArgPEA-ss-HA(AP) nanocomplex, as a reduction-responsive delivery vehicle, can hold great potential to achieve spatio-temporally controllable anti-tumor effects.

Effect of intrawound vancomycin application in spinal surgery on the incidence of surgical site infection: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite great advances in aseptic surgical techniques, surgical site infection (SSI) is still one of the main complications after spine surgery. SSI can bring tremendous physical, psychological, and economic challenges to patients. Intrawound vancomycin application is a much disputed method for the prevention of SSI after spine surgery. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to review the current literature for studies on the intra-wound application of vancomycin powder and to analyze its effectiveness in the prevention of postoperative SSI. METHODS: PubMed, Medline, Elsevier, and CNKI were searched for the key words "vancomycin", "local/intraoperative/topical/intra-wound", "spine/spinal/lumbar/cervical/thoracolumbar surgery", "infection", and "SSI" in published studies on the effectiveness of intrawound vancomycin application to prevent postoperative SSI. RevMan 5.3 was used to compare the data extracted from the studies included. RESULTS: A total of 27 studies involving 17,321 patients were included in the final analysis. Among those patients, 7,423 patients were treated with vancomycin to prevent SSI, with 9,898 in control groups. SSI incidence after surgery in experimental groups was 0.39 times as high as control groups, and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). Among patients who underwent internal fixation, vancomycin application significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative SSI (OR 0.31 95% CI 0.19-0.50; P<0.01). Meanwhile, vancomycin did not affect SSI incidence in patients who did not receive internal fixation (P=0.17) or received deformity correction (P=0.25). CONCLUSION: SSI incidence after spinal surgery can be significantly reduced by intrawound application of vancomycin in most circumstances. This method can be applied in various spinal procedures involving instrumentation to prevent postoperative SSI.

Cell Migration in Microfabricated 3D Collagen Microtracks is Mediated through the Prometastatic Protein Girdin.

INTRODUCTION: In vivo, cancer cells can utilize tube-like microtracks formed within the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the stroma as 'highways' to escape the primary tumor, however very little is known about the molecular mechanisms that govern cell migration through these microtracks. Cell polarization and actin organization are both essential for efficient cell migration and cells are known to migrate very unidirectionally in confined spaces. In this study, we focused on understanding the role of Girdin during unidirectional migration. Girdin is a prometastatic protein known to be involved in cell polarity by directly interacting with the cell polarity protein Par-3 (Partitioning defective-3) and also known as an actin binding protein. METHODS: We utilized a microfabricated platform to recreate these microtracks in vitro using collagen and used siRNA to knockdown Girdin in MDA-MB-231 cells. RESULTS: Our data indicate that knockdown of Girdin results in decreased cell speed during 3D collagen microtrack migration. Loss of Girdin also results in altered cell morphology and cell orientation. Moreover, Girdin-depletion impairs actin organization and stress fiber formation, which can be restored by upregulating the GTPase RhoA. Activation of RhoA induces actin stress fiber formation, restores elongated migratory cell shape and partial cell migration in 3D collagen microtracks in the absence of Girdin. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that Girdin helps directional migration in collagen microtracks by promoting actin cytoskeletal organization and maintaining morphological cell polarity.

Inclusion complex from cyclodextrin-grafted hyaluronic acid and pseudo protein as biodegradable nano-delivery vehicle for gambogic acid.

ß-Cyclodextrin can form inclusion complex with a series of guest molecules including phenyl moieties, and has gained considerable popularity in the study of supramolecular nanostructure. In this study, a biodegradable nanocomplex (HA(CD)-4Phe4 nanocomplex) was developed from ß-cyclodextrin grafted hyaluronic acid (HA) and phenylalanine based poly(ester amide). The phenylalanine based poly(ester amide) is a biodegradable pseudo protein which provides the encapsulation capacity for gambogic acid (GA), a naturally-derived chemotherapeutic which has been effectively employed to treat multidrug resistant tumor. The therapeutic potency of free GA is limited due to its poor solubility in water and the lack of tumor-selective toxicity. The nanocomplex carrier enhanced the solubility and availability of GA in aqueous media, and the HA component enabled the targeted delivery to tumor cells with overexpression of CD44 receptors. In the presence of hyaluronidase, the release of GA from the nanocomplex was significantly accelerated, due to the enzymatic biodegradation of the carrier. Compared to free GA, GA-loaded nanocomplex exhibited improved cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-435/MDR multidrug resistant melanoma cells, and induced enhanced level of apoptosis and mitochondrial depolarization, at low concentration of GA (1-2µM). The nanocomplex enhanced the therapeutic potency of GA, especially when diluted in physiological environment. In addition, suppressed matrix metalloproteinase activity was also detected in MDA-MB-435/MDR cells treated by GA-loaded nanocomplex, which demonstrated its potency in the inhibition of tumor metastasis. The in vitro data suggested that HA(CD)-4Phe4 nanocomplex could provide a promising alternative in the treatment of multidrug resistant tumor cells. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Gambogic acid (GA), naturally derived from genus Garcinia trees, exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against multiple types of tumors with resistance to traditional chemotherapeutics. Unfortunately, the poor solubility of GA in conventional pharmaceutical solvents and non-targeted distribution in normal tissues greatly limited its therapeutic potency. To overcome the challenges, we develop a nanoplatform from the supramolecular assembly of ß-cyclodextrin grafted hyaluronic acid (HA) and phenylalanine based pseudo protein. The pseudo protein in the nanocomplex provided the hydrophobic interaction and loading capacity for GA, while the HA component targeted the overexpressed CD44 receptor and improved the selective endocytosis in multidrug resistant melanoma cells. The supramolecular nanocomplex provide a promising platform for the delivery of hydrophobic chemotherapeutics to improve the bioavailability and efficiency.

A Novel Pseudo-Protein-Based Biodegradable Nanomicellar Platform for the Delivery of Anticancer Drugs.

Amino acid-based poly(ester amide)s are a new family of biodegradable polymers that exhibit "pseudo-protein" characteristics and the structural varieties of poly(ester amide)s make them hold great potential in multiple biomedical applications. In this study, a lysine-phenylalanine-based pseudo-protein is developed as the self-assembled nanomicellar carrier for efficient delivery of doxorubicin. The lysine moieties from the pseudo-protein provide available sites for further functionalization, and methylcoumarin is introduced for easy and photocontrollable crosslinking, to effectively improve the micellar stability in serum containing environment and against dilution. However, photocrosslinks do not bring in any barrier for the intracellular release of doxoubicin. Doxorubicin release is significantly accelerated by proteolytic enzyme, due to the biodegradability of pseudo-protein micelles. In addition, pseudo-protein delivery system exhibits unique interactions with HCT116 human colon cancer cells. Doxorubicin loaded in pseudo-protein micelles colocalizes with mitochondria and endolysosomes, while free doxorubicin is distributed only in the nuclei. Doxorubicin-loaded pseudo-protein micelles stimulate increased level of intracellular reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial damage. Free doxorubicin induces conditional apoptosis in HCT116 cells between 0.5× 10-6 and 2 × 10-6 m, while DOX loaded in pseudo-protein micelles induces apoptosis over a higher/broader concentration range (2 × 10-6 -10 × 10-6 m).

Characteristics of moisture and salinity of soil in Taklimakan Desert, China.

The Taklimakan desert is known as the largest dunefield in China and also as the world's second largest shifting sand desert. The Tarim Desert Highway, which is the first highway to cross the Taklimakan desert, was built for the purpose of oil and gas resources extraction in the Tarim area, as well as for the development of the southern area of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Shelterbelts have been planted along the highway to prevent shifting sand from burying the road. This paper analyzes the variations of moisture and salinity of the unirrigated desert soil under natural conditions in the center of Taklimakan Desert. A number of important findings indicating the moisture and salinity of the soil at capillary saturation zone were determined by the groundwater and related to the evaporation on the top. Salinity could be affected by vegetation, which was different from moisture in the soil. Meanwhile, clay layer played an important role in water preservation in the soil, which was also beneficial to the accumulation of salinity in soil. Compared with clay layer, vegetation was a decisive factor for the gathering of salinity. The findings were significant for reasonable adjustment of irrigation in the shelterbelts for the further development of the Tarim Desert Highway.