Anion-Directed Self-Assembly of Calix[4]arene-Based Silver(I) Coordination Polymers and Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants.

Coordination polymers (CPs) have recently emerged as promising candidates for heterogeneous photocatalysis due to their structural designability and tunable properties. Herein, we developed two novel Ag(I)-calix[4]arene coordination polymers with the formula {[Ag2(µ-NO3)L1]}n (CP 1) and {[AgL1]·PF6}n (CP 2) (L1 = 2-mercapto-5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole resorcinol calix[4]arene). Crystallography revealed that anion coordination and self-inclusion behavior induced the cavitand and silver ions to self-assemble into well-defined CPs 1 and 2 with different topological coordination frameworks, respectively. Furthermore, CPs 1 and 2 display high photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) in an aqueous solution under mild conditions (WLED and UV irradiation). The comparison results demonstrate that CP 1 exhibited better photocatalytic performance than CP 2, which correlated well with the differences in their molecular structure and HOMO-LUMO energy gaps. The photocatalysis products and possible intermediates were successfully monitored and determined using mass spectrum, gas chromatography, and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements. The rational photocatalysis mechanism was further investigated and proposed.

Self-Assembly of an Anionic [Cu5I8]3- Supramolecular Cluster Driven by Ion-Pair Interaction and Catalytic Properties.

The rational design and controlling synthesis of an anionic cuprous iodide supramolecular cluster with high nuclearity through noncovalent interactions remains a significant challenge. Herein, a cationic organic ligand (L1)3+ was driven by anion-cation ion-pair electrostatic interaction to induce free cuprous iodide to aggregate into an anionic supramolecular cluster, [(Cu5I8)3-(L1)3+] (C1). Moreover, five copper(I) atoms bind with eight iodides through multiply bridged Cu-I bonds associated with intramolecular cuprophilic interactions in this butterfly-shaped cluster core. Supramolecular cluster C1 exhibited a solid-state emission at 380 nm and an emission at 405 nm in acetonitrile at room temperature, respectively. Interestingly, this unprecedented cuprous iodide cluster demonstrated a good catalytic performance for azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC) and the catalytic yield can be up to 80% for eight different substrates at 80 °C. Furthermore, the density functional theory (DFT) calculation revealed that the thermodynamic-dependent cycloaddition reaction underwent a four-step pathway with an overall energy barrier of -43.6 kcal mol-1 on the basis of intermediates monitored by mass spectrum.

Self-Assembly of Mechanoluminochromic Ladder-Shaped Gold(I) Clusters Promoted Using Cooperative Aurophilicity.

The self-assembly of mechanoluminochromic polynuclear gold(I) complexes has attracted more and more attention in the field of supramolecular gold(I) chemistry. In this work, we adopted a stepwise self-assembly strategy to precisely synthesize two polynuclear gold(I) supramolecular clusters. Through cooperative AuI···AuI and Au-N interactions, the gold(I) clusters 1+•BF4- and 24+•4BF4- with Au4 and Au16 cores, respectively, were successfully constructed. In these supramolecular clusters, (dppm)Au2Cl2 coordination motifs and trithiocyanuric linkers were stepwise assembled via sequential thiolate-chloride/phosphine coordination substitution and Au-S/Au-N coordination bond rearrangement. Two well-defined gold(I) supramolecular clusters displayed intense emission both in the solid state and in solution. Furthermore, the ladder-shaped cluster 24+•4BF4- exhibited reversible mechanochromic luminescence behavior in the solid state as well as aggregation-caused redshifted emission in solution. Upon mechanical grinding, the emission of the cluster 24+•4BF4- changed from yellow at 582 nm to red at 612 nm. The initial emission could be fully recovered by treatment with acetonitrile.

Maternal UPD of chromosome 7 in a patient with Silver-Russell syndrome and Pendred syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is a heterogeneous imprinting disorder featuring severe intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation and dysmorphic features. Pendred syndrome (PDS) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the SLC26A4 gene characterized by sensorineural hearing loss. METHODS: Karyotyping analysis was performed to investigate any chromosomal abnormalities. Whole-genome copy number variation and loss of heterozygosity were analyzed using an Affymetrix CytoScan 750 K Microarray. Variant screening was performed by targeted next-generation sequencing on all known deafness-causing genes. RESULTS: The proband was a patient with SRS caused by maternal uniparental disomy 7. The PDS of the proband was caused by homozygous variant c.919-2A > G of SLC26A4; both mutated alleles were inherited from his mother. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of uniparental disomy 7 leading to SRS and Pendred syndrome. Patients with intrauterine growth retardation or those born small for gestational age and exhibiting postnatal growth failure should undergo molecular testing to reach a clinical diagnosis.

Pharmacokinetic interaction between HCV protease inhibitor boceprevir and methadone or buprenorphine in subjects on stable maintenance therapy.

PURPOSE: Intravenous opioid use is a common route of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; consequently, the prevalence of HCV is high among patients on methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone. The authors evaluated the pharmacokinetic interaction of boceprevir with methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone in patients on stable maintenance therapy. METHODS: This was a two-center, open-label, fixed-sequence study in 21 adult volunteers on stable maintenance therapy. Oral methadone (20-150 mg once daily) or sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone (8/2-24/6 mg once daily) was administered alone or in combination with boceprevir (800 mg every 8 h) on days 2-7. Pharmacokinetic sampling occurred before and up to 24 h after the dose on days 1 and 7. RESULTS: Coadministration of boceprevir reduced the area under the concentration-time curve during a dosing interval τ (AUC τ ) and maximum observed plasma (or serum) concentration (C max) of R-methadone (geometric mean ratios (GMRs) [90 % confidence intervals (CIs)], 0.85 [0.74, 0.96] and 0.90 [0.71, 1.13]) and S-methadone (GMRs [90 % CIs], 0.78 [0.66, 0.93] and 0.83 [0.64, 1.09]). Boceprevir increased the AUC τ and C max of buprenorphine (GMRs [90 % CIs], 1.19 [0.91, 1.58] and 1.18 [0.93, 1.50]) and naloxone (GMRs [90 % CIs], 1.33 [0.90, 1.93] and 1.09 [0.79, 1.51]). Boceprevir exposure upon methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone coadministration was not clinically different from historical controls and there was no evidence of opioid withdrawal or excess. CONCLUSIONS: There was no clinically meaningful impact of boceprevir on methadone or buprenorphine pharmacokinetics, suggesting that methadone/buprenorphine dose adjustments are not required upon coadministration with boceprevir. Individual patients may differ in their clinical experience and clinicians should maintain vigilance when coadministering these medications.

Triggering hairpin-free chain-branching growth of fluorescent DNA dendrimers for nonlinear hybridization chain reaction.

We present a nonlinear hybridization chain reaction (HCR) system in which a trigger DNA initiates self-sustained assembly of quenched double-stranded substrates into fluorescent dendritic nanostructures. During the process, an increasing number of originally sequestered trigger sequences labeled with fluorescent reporters are freed up from quenched substrates, leading to chain-branching growth of the assembled DNA dendrimers and an exponential increase in the fluorescence intensity. The triggered assembly behavior was examined by PAGE analysis, and the morphologies of the grown dendrimers were verified by AFM imaging. The exponential kinetics of the fluorescence accumulation was also confirmed by time-dependent fluorescence spectroscopy. This method adopts a simple sequence design strategy, the concept of which could be adapted to program assembly systems with higher-order growth kinetics.

From {Au(I)···Au(I)}-coupled cages to the cage-built 2-D {Au(I)···Au(I)} arrays: Au(I)···Au(I) bonding interaction driven self-assembly and their Ag(I) sensing and photo-switchable behavior.

Metal-metal bonding interactions have been used to generate a number of unique supramolecular assemblies with fascinating functions. We presented here a new class of gold(I)-containing metallosupramolecular cages and cage-built two-dimensional (2-D) arrays of {Au8L2}n (n = 1 or ∞, L = tetrakis-dithiocarbamato-calix[4]arene, TDCC), 1-3, which are constructed from the self-assembly of deep-cavitand calix[4]arene-based supramolecular cages consisting of octanuclear Au(I) motifs. Synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction structural analyses of 1-3 revealed their quadruple-stranded helicate dimeric cage structure and the presence of 2-D arrays of cages linked together by inter- and intramolecular Au(I)···Au(I) interactions. Electronic absorption and emission studies of complexes 1-3 indicated the occurrence of a programmable self-assembly process in a concentration-dependent stepwise manner with the links built via aurophilic interactions. These novel gold(I) supramolecular cages exhibited green phosphorescence and have been shown to serve as highly selective proof-of-concept luminescent sensors toward Ag(I) cation among various competitive transition-metal ions.

MGMT Leu84Phe gene polymorphism and lung cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

Many studies have examined the association between the MGMT Leu84Phe polymorphism gene polymorphisms and lung cancer risk in various populations, but their results have been inconsistent. To assess this relationship more precisely, a meta-analysis was performed. The PubMed and CNKI database was searched for case-control studies published up to Nov. 2013. Data were extracted and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Ultimately, 7 studies, comprising 3,094 lung cancer cases and 4,216 controls, were included. Overall, for (Phe/Phe+Phe/Leu) versus Leu/Leu, the pooled OR for all studies was 1.08 (95% CI = 0.97-1.21 P = 0.518 for heterogeneity); for Phe/Phe versus Leu/Leu and Phe versus Leu, the pooled OR was 1.10 (95% CI = 0.99-1.21 P = 0.445 for heterogeneity) and 1.46 (95% CI = 1.05-2.02 P = 0.352 for heterogeneity), respectively. In the stratified analysis by ethnicity, significantly risks were found among Caucasians not in Asians. This meta-analysis suggests that the MGMT Leu84Phe polymorphisms are associated with lung cancer risk among Caucasians not in Asians.

Vertical ridge augmentation using xenogenous bone blocks: a comparison between the flap and tunneling procedures.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown that the subperiosteal tunneling procedure in vertical ridge augmentation accelerates healing after grafting and prevents graft exposure, with minor postoperative complications. It is conceivable that new bone formation would be greater with the tunneling procedure than with the flap procedure, because the former is minimally invasive. This hypothesis was tested in this study by comparing new bone formation between the flap and tunneling procedures after vertical ridge augmentation using xenogenous bone blocks in a canine mandible model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two Bio-Oss blocks were placed on the edentulous ridge in each side of the mandibles of 6 mongrel dogs. The blocks in each side were randomly assigned to grafting with a flap procedure (flap group) or grafting with a tunneling procedure (tunneling group). RESULTS: The mean percentage of newly formed bone within the block was 15.3 ± 6.6% in the flap group and 46.6 ± 23.4% in the tunneling group. CONCLUSION: Based on data presented in this study, when a tunneling procedure is used to place xenogenous bone blocks for vertical ridge augmentation, bone formation in the graft sites is significantly greater than when a flap procedure is used.

Molecular robotic agents that survey molecular landscapes for information retrieval.

DNA-based artificial motors have allowed the recapitulation of biological functions and the creation of new features. Here, we present a molecular robotic system that surveys molecular environments and reports spatial information in an autonomous and repeated manner. A group of molecular agents, termed 'crawlers', roam around and copy information from DNA-labeled targets, generating records that reflect their trajectories. Based on a mechanism that allows random crawling, we show that our system is capable of counting the number of subunits in example molecular complexes. Our system can also detect multivalent proximities by generating concatenated records from multiple local interactions. We demonstrate this capability by distinguishing colocalization patterns of three proteins inside fixed cells under different conditions. These mechanisms for examining molecular landscapes may serve as a basis towards creating large-scale detailed molecular interaction maps inside the cell with nanoscale resolution.

Lateral entorhinal cortex subpopulations represent experiential epochs surrounding reward.

During goal-directed navigation, 'what' information, describing the experiences occurring in periods surrounding a reward, can be combined with spatial 'where' information to guide behavior and form episodic memories. This integrative process likely occurs in the hippocampus, which receives spatial information from the medial entorhinal cortex; however, the source of the 'what' information is largely unknown. Here, we show that mouse lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) represents key experiential epochs during reward-based navigation tasks. We discover separate populations of neurons that signal goal approach and goal departure and a third population signaling reward consumption. When reward location is moved, these populations immediately shift their respective representations of each experiential epoch relative to reward, while optogenetic inhibition of LEC disrupts learning the new reward location. Therefore, the LEC contains a stable code of experiential epochs surrounding and including reward consumption, providing reward-centric information to contextualize the spatial information carried by the medial entorhinal cortex.

Palladium-anchored calix[4]arene-derived porous organic polymer towards efficient hydrolytic cleavage of carbon disulfide.

The release of carbon disulfide can have adverse effects on our environment and human health. The stability of carbon disulfide and the slow kinetics of hydrolysis can make it challenging to achieve efficient and practical cleavage of the CS bonds. Herein, a calix[4]arene-based porous organic polymer (CPOP-1) is innovatively synthesized through an optimized polycondensation reaction using C-Methylcalix[4]resorcinarene and hexafluoro-hexaazatriphenylene as monomers. Subsequently, palladium-induced calix[4]arene-based porous organic polymer was also synthesized via strong Pd-N coordination bonds to construct the metal-induced porous catalyst (CPOP-2). The polymeric catalyst active center [Pd2+(N^N)(NO3-)2] demonstrated outstanding catalytic hydrolysis performance (11.14 µmol g-1 h-1) in 10.5 h which is significantly enhanced by ca.13.2 times as compared to reported mononuclear Bpy-Pd(NO3)2, and 7.07 times than model trinuclear complex catalyst HATN-Pd-1, respectively. The control experiments revealed that POP catalysts showcased robust stability, prolonged effectiveness, and feasible recyclability during the hydrolytic cleavage of carbon disulfide at room temperature in aqueous solutions. Furthermore, the coordination environment of [Pd2+(N^N)] was validated through XPS, EXAFS, and isotope labeling measurements, and the hydrolysis cleavage products were confirmed e. g. CO2, sulfide, and protons. More importantly, a reaction mechanism was formulated coupled with theoretical calculations, and simulations. The proposed mechanism involves sequential OH- nucleophilic attacks on the carbon atoms of insert-coordinated CS2 and COS, leading to the cleavage of double CS bonds and the formation of CO bonds. The concurrent dissociation of the C-S bond and liberation of CO2 result in an intermediate structure characterized by [(N^N)Pd2+](SH-)2. This intermediate motif serves as the source of the thermodynamic driving force for the reaction.

Conformation-dependent exonuclease III activity mediated by metal ions reshuffling on thymine-rich DNA duplexes for an ultrasensitive electrochemical method for Hg2+ detection.

Hg(2+) is known to bind very strongly with T-T mismatches in DNA duplexes to form T-Hg(2+)-T base pairs, the structure of which is stabilized by covalent N-Hg bonds and exhibits bonding strength higher than hydrogen bonds. In this work, we exploit exonuclease III (Exo III) activity on DNA hybrids containing T-Hg(2+)-T base pairs and our experiments show that Hg(2+) ions could intentionally trigger the activity of Exo III toward a designed thymine-rich DNA oligonucleotide (e-T-rich probe) by the conformational change of the probe. Our sensing strategy utilizes this conformation-dependent activity of Exo III, which is controlled through the cyclical shuffling of Hg(2+) ions between the solution phase and the solid DNA hybrid. This interesting attribute has led to the development of an ultrasensitive detection platform for Hg(2+) ions with a detection limit of 0.2 nM and a total assay time within minutes. This simple detection strategy could be used for the detection of other metal ions which exhibit specific interactions with natural or synthetic bases.

Association between the -1438G/A and T102C polymorphisms of 5-HT2A receptor gene and obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis.

The serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor has been implicated in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5-HT2A gene have been found in OSA, the most common being -1438G/A and T102C; however, studies of the association between 5-HT2A SNPs and OSA risk have reported inconsistent findings. A meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively review the association between -1438G/A and T102C SNPs and OSA. Five studies, including 791 subjects for -1438G/A genotype and 1,068 subjects for T102C genotype, were selected. Pooled data analysis of the -1438G/A genotype indicated a significantly increased OSA risk was associated with two variant genotypes (AA vs. AG+GG: OR 3.023, 95 % CI 2.169-4.213, P = 0.506 for heterogeneity; A allele carriers vs. GG: OR 1.938, 95 % CI 0.879-4.274, P = 0.012 for heterogeneity). Stratification analysis by gender supported the association in males, but not females. For the T102C genotype, no significantly increased OSA risk was associated with the two variant genotypes (CC vs. CT+TT: OR 1.065, 95 % CI 0.787-1.442, P = 0.361 for heterogeneity; C allele carriers vs. TT: OR 0.979, 95 % CI 0.737-1.3, P = 0.9 for heterogeneity).In conclusions, meta-analysis indicated that the -1438G/A, and not T102C, polymorphism of 5-HT2A is a positive risk factor of OSA, especially in males.

Minimally invasive ridge augmentation using xenogenous bone blocks in an atrophied posterior mandible: a clinical and histological study.

PURPOSE: Although various techniques for the treatment of an atrophic alveolar ridge have been described in the literature, these procedures have increased the morbidity and discomfort for the patient. The purpose of this study was to evaluate histological and clinical results in 9 patients who underwent a subperiosteal tunneling procedure with a Bio-Oss block onlay graft in an atrophic area of the mandible. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine months after grafting, at the time of dental implantation, biopsy samples were taken from the grafted areas of 9 patients and were analyzed histologically. RESULTS: New bone formation through the bovine bone block was observed consistently in the 9 cases. There was direct deposition of bone on the surface of the graft material. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that ridge augmentation using a subperiosteal tunneling procedure with Bio-Oss bone blocks might be useful for implant placement in the atrophic alveolar ridges.

Lateral entorhinal cortex subpopulations represent experiential epochs surrounding reward.

During goal-directed navigation, "what" information, which describes the experiences occurring in periods surrounding a reward, can be combined with spatial "where" information to guide behavior and form episodic memories1,2. This integrative process is thought to occur in the hippocampus3, which receives spatial information from the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC)4; however, the source of the "what" information and how it is represented is largely unknown. Here, by establishing a novel imaging method, we show that the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) of mice represents key experiential epochs during a reward-based navigation task. We discover a population of neurons that signals goal approach and a separate population of neurons that signals goal departure. A third population of neurons signals reward consumption. When reward location is moved, these populations immediately shift their respective representations of each experiential epoch relative to reward, while optogenetic inhibition of LEC disrupts learning of the new reward location. Together, these results indicate the LEC provides a stable code of experiential epochs surrounding and including reward consumption, providing reward-centric information to contextualize the spatial information carried by the MEC. Such parallel representations are well-suited for generating episodic memories of rewarding experiences and guiding flexible and efficient goal-directed navigation5-7.

Long non-coding RNA PSMG3 Antisense RNA 1 is correlated with oral squamous cell carcinoma and regulates cancer cell proliferation by targeting premature microRNA-141.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is common worldwide. In this study, the interaction of microRNA-141 (miR-141) with long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) PSMG3 Antisense RNA 1 (PSMG3-AS1) in OSCC was explored. RT-qPCR was used to analyze the expression of PSMG3-AS1 and miR-141 (both mature and premature) in OSCC. Nuclear fractionation assay was applied to detect PSMG3-AS1 in subcellular locations. RNA pull-down assay was performed to evaluate the binding of miR-141 to PSMG3-AS1. Overexpression assay followed by RT-qPCR was performed to explore the role of PSMG3-AS1 in maturation of miR-141. The function of PSMG3-AS1 and miR-141 in regulating OSCC cell proliferation was assessed by BrdU assay. The results showed that PSMG3-AS1 was highly upregulated in OSCC and miR-141 was downregulated in OSCC. However, no alteration in the expression of premature miR-141 was observed in OSCC. Premature miR-141 was found to directly bind to PSMG3-AS1. Overexpression of PSMG3-AS1 suppressed the maturation of miR-141. PSMG3-AS1 increased OSCC cell proliferation and tumor growth and suppressed the inhibitory role of miR-141 in cell proliferation and tumor growth. Therefore, PSMG3-AS1 may inhibit the maturation of miR-141 to promote OSCC cell proliferation.

Gancao Nourishing-Yin decoction combined with methotrexate in treatment of aging CIA mice: a study based on DIA proteomic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Elderly rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) population faces multiple treatment dilemma. Here we aim to investigate if Gancao Nourishing-Yin decoction (GCNY) added to methotrexate (MTX) exhibit better effects in an ERA mice model. METHODS: ERA mice model was established by adding D-galactose (Dgal) to collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. The model was then assigned into control group (CIA + Dgal), MTX treatment group (MTX), GCNY treatment group (GCNY), and integrative treatment group (MTX + GCNY). Pathological scoring was performed to evaluate the severity between the groups. Proteomic analysis was applied to investigate the secretory phenotype of the ERA mouse model and the underlying mechanism of GCNY, MTX and their combination. Representative cytokines related to proteomic results were further validated by ELISAs. RESULTS: CIA + Dgal mice showed more aggressive joints damage than the CIA mice. Besides changes in the inflammatory pathway such as Pi3k-Akt signaling pathway in both model, differential expressed proteins (DEPs) indicated metabolism-related pathways were more obvious in CIA + Dgal mice. Low-dose MTX failed to show pathological improvement in CIA + Dgal mice, while GCNY improved joints damage significantly. Besides down-regulated inflammation-related targets, GCNY-regulated DEPs (such as Apoc1 ~ 3, Grk2 and Creb3l3) were broadly enriched in metabolism-related pathways. MTX + GCNY showed the best therapeutic effect, and the DEPs enriched in a variety of inflammatory,metabolism and osteoclast differentiation signaling pathway. Notably, MTX + GCNY treatment up-regulated Dhfr, Cbr1, Shmt1 involved in folic acid biosynthesis and anti-folate resistance pathways indicated a coincidence synergic action. ELISAs confirmed CPR and Akt that elevated in CIA + Dgal mice were significantly ameliorated by treatments, and adding on GCNY elevated folic acid levels and its regulator Dhfr. CONCLUSION: Aging aggravated joints damage in CIA, which probably due to metabolic changes rather than more severe inflammation. GCNY showed significant effects in the ERA mice model especially when integrated with MTX to obtain a synergic action.