Reactive oxygen species act as the key signaling molecules mediating light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in Eucalyptus.

Light plays a pivotal role in regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in plants, and the early light-responsive signals that initiate anthocyanin biosynthesis remain to be elucidated. In this study, we showed that the anthocyanin biosynthesis in Eucalyptus is hypersensitive to increased light intensity. The combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were conducted on Eucalyptus leaves after moderate (ML; 100 µmol m-2 s-1) and high (HL; 300 µmol m-2 s-1) light intensity treatments. The results identified 1940, 1096, 1173, and 2756 differentially expressed genes at 6, 12, 24, and 36 h after HL treatment, respectively. The metabolomic results revealed the primary anthocyanin types, and other differentially accumulated flavonoids and phenylpropane intermediates that were produced in response to HL, which well aligned with the transcriptome results. Moreover, biochemical analysis showed that HL inhibited peroxidase activity and increased the ROS level in Eucalyptus leaves. ROS depletion through co-application of the antioxidants rutin, uric acid, and melatonin significantly reduced, and even abolished, anthocyanin biosynthesis induced by HL treatment. Additionally, exogenous application of hydrogen peroxide efficiently induced anthocyanin biosynthesis within 24 h, even under ML conditions, suggesting that ROS played a major role in activating anthocyanin biosynthesis. A HL-responsive MYB transcription factor EgrMYB113 was identified to play an important role in regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis by targeting multiple anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. Additionally, the results demonstrated that gibberellic acid and sugar signaling contributed to HL-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. Conclusively, these results suggested that HL triggers multiple signaling pathways to induce anthocyanin biosynthesis, with ROS acting as indispensable mediators in Eucalyptus.

CT findings of pulmonary nocardiosis: a report of 9 cases.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary nocardiosis often occurs among immunocompromised patients, especially in those with impaired cell immunity related to AIDS and transplant. As the number of patients receiving transplant, the occurrence of pulmonary nocardiosis may also increase. Radiologic characteristics of this entity have not been well documented. In present study, CT findings of clinical confirmed pulmonary nocardiosis were retrospectively reviewed in order to understand CT features of pulmonary nocardiosis. METHODS: Electronic databases of Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China, and the Third People's Hospital of Longgang District, Shenzhen, China were searched for patients with definitive diagnosis of pulmonary nocardiosis and available CT images. Nine patients were founded and they were included in this retrospective analysis. Clinical presentations at diagnosis and related medical history were recorded. CT images were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists in consensus. RESULTS: The patients consisted of seven men and two women with a median age of 47 years (range, 20-73 years). There were three immunocompromised patients and six immunocompetent patients. The latter included two patients had history of bronchiectasis. The symptoms at the diagnosis were nonspecific of fever, cough, sputum, dyspnea, chest pain, and hemoptysis. CT findings included: lung consolidation (n=8) with cavitation in three cases and foci of decreased enhancement in one patient who had contrast-enhanced CT, nodules/masses (n=6) with cavitation in two patients, ground-glass opacity (n=4), centrilobular nodules (n=4), pleural effusion (n=4), bronchiectasis (n=4), interlobular septal thickening (n=3), interlobular reticular opacity (n=3), lymph node enlargement (n=2), halo sign (n=2) and mucoid impaction (n=1). CONCLUSIONS: Lung consolidation and nodules/masses are the most common findings, but CT findings of pulmonary nocardiosis are diverse and nonspecific. In some clinical background, such as immunocompromised patients or with some underlying lung diseases, consolidation or nodules/masses with cavitation may suggest the possibility of pulmonary nocardiosis.

Fabrication of Silica-Coated Hollow Carbon Nanospheres Encapsulating Fe3O4 Cluster for Magnetical and MR Imaging Guided NIR Light Triggering Hyperthermia and Ultrasound Imaging.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs)-carbon (C) hybrid zero-dimensional nanostructures normally can be categorized into core-shell and yolk-shell architectures. Although IONP-C is a promising theranostic nanoagent, the in vivo study has surprisingly been less described. In addition, little effort has strived toward the fabrication of yolk-shell compared to the core-shell structures. In this context, we synthesized a yolk-shell type of the silica-coated hollow carbon nanospheres encapsulating IONPs cluster, which can be dispersed in aqueous solution for systemic studies in vivo, via the preparation involving the mixed micellization, polymerization/hollowing, sol-gel (hydration-condensation), and pyrolysis processes. Through a surface modification of the polyethylenimine followed by the sol-gel process, the silica shell coating was able to escape from condensing and sintering courses resulting in aggregation, due to the annealing. Not limited to the well-known functionalities in magnetical targeting and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for IONP-C hybrid structures, we expanded this yolk-shell NPs as a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive echogenic nanoagent giving an enhanced ultrasound imaging. Overall, we fabricated the NIR sensitive yolk-shell IONP-C to activate ultrasound imaging and photothermal ablation under magnetically and MR imaging guided therapy.

P3HT-based nanoarchitectural Fano solar cells.

The finite difference time domain simulation shows the existence of an asymmetric quadrupole of Fano resonance on the surface of a gold-silica core-shell (Au@silica) nanoparticle (NP) as being incorporated into the metal oxide nanoarchitecture/P3HT hybrid. Compared to the metal oxide nanoarchitecture/P3HT hybrid solar cell, a 30% enrichment of the short-circuit current density (Jsc) is attained in the P3HT-based nanoarchitectural Fano solar cell with the Au@silica NPs. The enhancement of charge separation in the cell by the electric field of the Fano resonance is directly evidenced by time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. The increase of the degree of P3HT order in the hybrid by the incorporation of Au@silica NPs into the hybrid active layer may also contribute to the enhancement in the Jsc. Charge carrier dynamic measurements show that an electron collection efficiency of ∼97% can be maintained in the P3HT-based nanoarchitectural Fano solar cell. Significant improvement of the efficiency of the inverted metal oxide/P3HT hybrid solar cell is therefore achieved.

Eccentric inorganic-polymeric nanoparticles formation by thermal induced cross-linked esterification and conversion of eccentricity to raspberry-like Janus.

The thermally induced cross-linked esterification occurs for the formation of eccentric inorganic-polymeric nanoparticles. By taking advantage of eccentricity, Ag-PSMA eccentric structure is converted to raspberry-like Au-based Janus nanoparticles.