Rapid Fabrication of Patterned Gels via Microchannel-Conformal Frontal Polymerization.

From the perspective of both fundamental and applied science, it is extremely advisable to develop a facile and feasible strategy for fabricating gels with defined structures. Herein, the authors report the rapid synthesis of patterned gels by conducting frontal polymerization (FP) at millimeter-scale (2 mm), where a series of microchannels, including linear-, parallel-, divergent-, snakelike-, circular- and concentric circular channels, were used. They have investigated the effect of various factors (monomer mass ratio, channel size, initiator concentration, and solvent content) on FP at millimeter-scale, along with the propagating rule of the front during FP in these microchannels. In addition, we developed a new microfluidic-assisted FP (MFP) strategy by combining the FP and microfluidic technique. Interestingly, the MFP can realize the production of hollow-structured gel in a rapid and continuous fashion, which have never been reported. Our work not only offers an effective pathway towards patterned gels by the microchannel-conformal FP, but also gives new insight into the continuous production of hollow-structured materials. Such a method will be beneficial for fabricating vessel and scaffold materials in a flexible, easy-to-perform, time and energy saving way.

Discrimination and evaluation of commercial salmons by low-molecule-weight compounds: Oligopeptides and phosphatides.

In this study, the overall sensory characteristics and low-molecule-weight compounds were analyzed to achieve the discrimination of different commercial salmons and investigate the salmon's sensory and nutritional quality. The results showed that above the overall sensory properties, O. mykiss, S. salar, and O. kisutch were the most satisfied salmons by the panel with the desirable texture and flavor, which displayed a large potential for growth in the consumption market. The alcohols and sulfur compounds were key volatile compounds contributing to typical aroma of O. masou and O. gorbuscha, response higher than others by 147% to 167%. The oligopeptides and phospholipids in salmon could be used as biomarkers for discrimination of these salmon. Oligopeptides were also closely related to the taste quality of salmon. Seventeen oligopeptides showed potential umami activity based on molecular docking results, especially Arg-Val and Ser-Asn, which were the key tastants contributing to the umami of salmon.

Pouring hot water through drip bags releases thousands of microplastics into coffee.

Microplastics (MPs) released from food packaging have attracted widespread attention. In this study, drip bags made from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyester (PET), and rayon selected from eight brands were employed to investigate MPs releasing. Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy (µ-FTIR), optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to study the effects of brewing time and temperature on the release of MPs. The results showed that a single plastic coffee bag steeped at 95 ℃ for 5 min could release more than 10,000 MPs particles into a cup of coffee. Irregular blocks, long strips, and size range of 10-500 µm MPs were easier to be released, implying that consuming 3-4 cups of coffee will lead to an intake of 50 thousand MPs particles daily. Rayon was the primary type of released MPs, accounting for over 80% of the total amount of the released MPs. Our results are hoped to provide evaluation standards of material selection for processing coffee bags.

Analysis of Lipid Molecule Profiling and Conversion Pathway in Mandarin Fish (Siniperca chuatsi) during Fermentation via Untargeted Lipidomics.

Lipids are the key aroma contributors and nutrients in fermented fish products. A total of 376 lipid molecules were identified in mandarin fish during fermentation by untargeted lipidomics, including glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, lysoglycerophospholipid, sphingolipids, fatty acids (FAs), and sterol lipids. Both lipid composition and content changed dynamically during fermentation. Triglyceride (TAG, 30.05%) and phosphatidylcholine (PC, 14.87%) were the two major lipids, with especially 39.36% saturated FAs in PCs and 35.34% polyunsaturated FAs in TAGs. The content of TAGs and PCs reached a peak point at 0 and 6 days, respectively. Fermented mandarin fish expressed a high nutritional value, and the ratio of total linoleic acid/total linolenic acid was about 5:1. Glycerophospholipid metabolism was a potential metabolic pathway, and the oxidation of derived FAs contributed to flavor. These data progress in understanding lipid dynamic variation during fermentation and provide thoughts on controlling the flavor quality and safety of fermented fish products.

Design of diversified chimeric antigen receptors through rational module recombination.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells have shown great promise in cancer therapy. However, the anti-tumor efficiency is limited due to the CAR-induced T cell apoptosis or exhaustion. The intracellular domain of CAR comprised of various signaling modules orchestrates CAR-T cell behaviors. The modularity of CAR signaling domain functions as the "mainboard" to assemble diversified downstream signaling components. Here, we implemented the modular recombination strategy to construct a library of CARs with synthetic co-signaling modules adopted from immunoglobin-like superfamily (IgSF) and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF). We quantitatively characterized the signaling behaviors of these recombinants by both NFAT and NF-κB reporter, and identified a set of new CARs with diverse signaling behaviors. Specifically, the 28(NM)-BB(MC) CAR-T cells exhibited improved cytotoxicity and T cell persistence. The synthetic approach can promote our understanding of the signaling principles of CAR molecule, and provide a powerful tool box for CAR-T cell engineering.

[Cloning, expression and identification of gametocyte specific protein Pfgdv1 of Plasmodium falciparum].

OBJECTIVE: To clone a gametocyte specific protein Pfgdv1 of Plasmodium falciparum, express and identify recombinant Pfgdvl protein in vitro. METHODS: PCR was performed to amplify Pfgdv1 from P. falciparum DNA which was got from the patient who was infected with P. falciparum, and the PCR product was inserted into pET28a (+) vector. pET28a-Pfgdv1 recombinant plasmid was constructed and transformed into E. coli host BL21 (DE3+). IPTG was used to induce the recombinant Pfgdv1 protein fused with His tag, and the protein was purified by His-NTA affinity chromatography. The recombinant protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. RESULTS: The PCR product of Pfgdv1 gene was about 1.65 kb, meeting the expectation of predicted fragment size. The recombinant protein was about 67 kDa, which could be recognized by His-Tag monoclonal antibody. CONCLUSION: The Pfgdv1 gene of P. falciparum is successfully cloned, and the recombinant Pfgdv1 protein is expressed, thereby providing an opportunity for further study on transmission blocking vaccine.

[HCV DF protein inhibits expression of p16 and p21 in HepG2 cells].

AIM: To investigate the effect of HCV DF (Double-shift F) protein on the expression p16 and p21 in HepG(2); cells. METHODS: DF gene was amplificated from the whole HCV 1b genome, and cloned into pCDNA3.0 vecter. The recombinant plasmid (pCDNA3.0/HCV-DF) and empty vector were transfected into HepG(2); cells. Screening was performed with G418. p16 and p21 mRNA were detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, and protein by Western blot. RESULTS: Stable expression of the recombinant plasmid was found in HCV DF protein. The expression of p16 and p21 in HepG();2 cells transfected with pCDNA3.0/HCV-DF were lower than those with blank plasmid. CONCLUSION: HCV DF protein inhibits expression of p16 and p21 in HepG(2); cells. This suggested that HCV DF protein may participate in the progress of hepatocellular carcinoma.