Novel PATL2 variants cause female infertility with oocyte maturation defect.

PURPOSE: Oocyte maturation defect (OOMD) is a rare cause of in vitro fertilization failure characterized by the production of immature oocytes. Compound heterozygous or homozygous PATL2 mutations have been associated with oocyte arrest at the germinal vesicle (GV), metaphase I (MI), and metaphase II (MII) stages, as well as morphological changes. METHODS: In this study, we recruited three OOMD cases and conducted a comprehensive multiplatform laboratory investigation. RESULTS: Whole exome sequence (WES) revealed four diagnostic variants in PATL2, nonsense mutation c.709C > T (p.R237*) and frameshift mutation c.1486_1487delinsT (p.A496Sfs*4) were novel mutations that have not been reported previously. Furthermore, the pathogenicity of these variants was predicted using in silico analysis, which indicated detrimental effects. Molecular dynamic analysis suggested that the A496S variant disrupted the hydrophobic segment, leading to structural changes that affected the overall protein folding and stability. Additionally, biochemical and molecular experiments were conducted on cells transfected with wild-type (WT) or mutant PATL2 (p.R237* and p.A496Sfs*4) plasmid vectors. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that PATL2A496Sfs*4 and PATL2R237* had impacts on protein size and expression level. Interestingly, expression levels of specific genes involved in oocyte maturation and early embryonic development were found to be simultaneously deregulated. The findings in our study expand the variation spectrum of the PATL2 gene, provide solid evidence for counseling on future pregnancies in affected families, strongly support the application of in the diagnosis of OOMD, and contribute to the understanding of PATL2 function.

The functional and structural alterations in brain regions related to the fear network model in panic disorder: A resting-state fMRI and T1-weighted imaging study.

Abnormal functional connectivity (FC) within the fear network model (FNM) has been identified in panic disorder (PD) patients, but the specific local structural and functional properties, as well as effective connectivity (EC), remain poorly understood in PD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural and functional patterns of the FNM in PD. Magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 33 PD patients and 35 healthy controls (HCs). Gray matter volume (GMV), degree centrality (DC), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) were used to identify the structural and functional characteristics of brain regions within the FNM in PD. Subsequently, FC and EC of abnormal regions, based on local structural and functional features, and their correlation with clinical features were further examined. PD patients exhibited preserved GMV, ReHo, and ALFF in the brain regions of the FNM compared with HCs. However, increased DC in the bilateral amygdala was observed in PD patients. The amygdala and its subnuclei exhibited altered EC with rolandic operculum, insula, medial superior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus. Additionally, Hamilton Anxiety Scale score was positively correlated with EC from left lateral nuclei (dorsal portion) of amygdala to right rolandic operculum and left superior temporal gyrus. Our findings revealed a reorganized functional network in PD involving brain regions regulating exteroceptive-interoceptive signals, mood, and somatic symptoms. These results enhance our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of PD, suggesting potential biomarkers for diagnosis and targets for therapeutic intervention.

Conversion obstacle from Mg-protoporphyrin IX to protochlorophyllide might be responsible for chlorophyll-deficient phenotype of the Huangjinya's albino offspring.

The albino tea cultivar is one of the most important germplasms for key gene mining and high-quality tea producing. In order to elucidate the chlorophyll-deficient mechanism of albino cultivar 'Huangjinya' and its offspring, color difference, photosynthetic pigments and the relevant genes' expression of the tender shoots were comprehensively investigated in this study. Among the tested 16 offspring, 5 exhibited albino phenotype in spring and autumn, 3 showed albino phenotype in spring but normal green in autumn, while the rests were all normal green. The shoot of albino offspring had significantly higher lightness and/or yellowness than that of green ones, and possessed dramatically lower photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll precursor protochlorophyllide (Pchlide), as well as higher chlorophyll a/chlorophyll b but lower chlorophylls/carotenoids in comparison with green ones. Among the tested genes involved in chlorophyll and carotenoid metabolism pathways, expression of the magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester cyclase (CRD), 3,8-divinyl chlorophyllide 8-vinyl reductase (DVR), 5-aminolevulinate dehydratase 1 (HEMB1), 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase 1 (DXS1) and 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase (ISPH) was remarkably down-regulated in shoots of the albino offspring. Color difference indices of the offspring were significantly correlated with the levels of photosynthetic pigments and Pchlide, and low level of chlorophylls in shoot of albino offspring was mainly due to conversion obstacle from magnesium protoporphyrin Ⅸ (Mg-Proto IX) to Pchlide which might be attributed to down-regulatory expression of CRD and DVR.

Development and verification of a novel bone collector with automatic size separating function for orthopedics surgery.

BACKGROUND: Autologous bone dust can be filled in bone defects to promote effective bone healing but typically it is lost when using suction during surgery. The aim of this study was to develop a novel bone collector that can be used to collect bone chips/dust of varying sizes without changing current surgical procedures. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This collector was designed to connect to a surgical continuous suction system and comprised a plate filter with a 3 mm hole and featured a taper filter with a mesh size of 0.27 mm for the separation and collection of both coarse and fine bone chips/dust. The bone collector was manufactured using nylon 3D printing and plastic injection with biocompatible materials. RESULTS: The bone collector functional test revealed high bone chip collection efficiency (93%) with automatic size separation function. Low (3.42%) filtration errors showed that most of the water can be drained smoothly from the bone collector. In clinical usability testing, bone collectors can provide functions demonstrated in in vivo spinal fusion and femoral fracture surgeries with different bone grafting size requirements. CONCLUSIONS: The novel bone collector has been validated as a viable and effective surgical device, offering surgeons an additional option to enhance patient outcomes.

Key Transdermal Patch Using Cannabidiol-Loaded Nanocarriers with Better Pharmacokinetics in vivo.

Purpose: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a promising therapeutic drug with low addictive potential and a favorable safety profile. However, CBD did face certain challenges, including poor solubility in water and low oral bioavailability. To harness the potential of CBD by combining it with a transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS). This innovative approach sought to develop a transdermal patch dosage form with micellar vesicular nanocarriers to enhance the bioavailability of CBD, leading to improved therapeutic outcomes. Methods: A skin-penetrating micellar vesicular nanocarriers, prepared using nano emulsion method, cannabidiol loaded transdermal nanocarriers-12 (CTD-12) was presented with a small particle size, high encapsulation efficiency, and a drug-loaded ratio for CBD. The skin permeation ability used Strat-M™ membrane with a transdermal diffusion system to evaluate the CTD and patch of CTD-12 (PCTD-12) within 24 hrs. PCTD-12 was used in a preliminary pharmacokinetic study in rats to demonstrate the potential of the developed transdermal nanocarrier drug patch for future applications. Results: In the transdermal application of CTD-12, the relative bioavailability of the formulation was 3.68 ± 0.17-fold greater than in the free CBD application. Moreover, PCTD-12 indicated 2.46 ± 0.18-fold higher relative bioavailability comparing with free CBD patch in the ex vivo evaluation. Most importantly, in the pharmacokinetics of PCTD-12, the relative bioavailability of PCTD-12 was 9.47 ± 0.88-fold higher than in the oral application. Conclusion: CTD-12, a transdermal nanocarrier, represents a promising approach for CBD delivery, suggesting its potential as an effective transdermal dosage form.

Rapid evaluation of the quality of Smilax glabra Roxb. using QADS based on FT-NIR combined with multiple intelligent algorithms.

Smilax glabra Roxb. (SGR) is known for its high nutritional and therapeutic value. However, the frequent appearance of counterfeit products causes confusion and inconsistent quality among SGR varieties. Herein, this study collected the proportion of SGR adulteration and used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure the astilbin content of SGR. Then Fourier-transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) technology, combined with multivariate intelligent algorithms, was used to establish partial least squares regression quantitative models for detecting SGR adulteration and measuring astilbin content, respectively. The method conducted a quantitative analysis of dual indicators through single-spectrum data acquisition (QADS) to comprehensively evaluate the authenticity and superiority of SGR. The coefficients of determination (R2) for both the calibration and prediction sets exceeded 0.96, which successfully leverages FT-NIR combined with multivariate intelligent algorithms to considerably enhance the accuracy and reliability of quantitative models. Overall, this research holds substantial value in the comprehensive quality evaluation in functional health foods.

Perinatal maternal undernutrition in baboons modulates hepatic mitochondrial function but not metabolites in aging offspring.

We previously demonstrated in baboons that maternal undernutrition (MUN), achieved by 70 % of control nutrition, impairs fetal liver function, but long-term changes associated with aging in this model remain unexplored. Here, we assessed clinical phenotypes of liver function, mitochondrial bioenergetics, and protein abundance in adult male and female baboons exposed to MUN during pregnancy and lactation and their control counterparts. Plasma liver enzymes were assessed enzymatically. Liver glycogen, choline, and lipid concentrations were quantified by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Mitochondrial respiration in primary hepatocytes under standard culture conditions and in response to metabolic (1 mM glucose) and oxidative (100 µM H2O2) stress were assessed with Seahorse XFe96. Hepatocyte mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and protein abundance were determined by tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester staining and immunoblotting, respectively. Liver enzymes and metabolite concentrations were largely unaffected by MUN, except for higher aspartate aminotransferase levels in MUN offspring when male and female data were combined. Oxygen consumption rate, extracellular acidification rate, and MMP were significantly higher in male MUN offspring relative to control animals under standard culture. However, in females, cellular respiration was similar in control and MUN offspring. In response to low glucose challenge, only control male hepatocytes were resistant to low glucose-stimulated increase in basal and ATP-linked respiration. H2O2 did not affect hepatocyte mitochondrial respiration. Protein markers of mitochondrial respiratory chain subunits, biogenesis, dynamics, and antioxidant enzymes were unchanged. Male-specific increases in mitochondrial bioenergetics in MUN offspring may be associated with increased energy demand in these animals. The similarity in systemic liver parameters suggests that changes in hepatocyte bioenergetics capacity precede detectable circulatory hepatic defects in MUN offspring and that the mitochondria may be an orchestrator of liver programming outcome.

Dependence of evolution of Cyanobacteria superiority on temperature and nutrient use efficiency in a meso-eutrophic plateau lake.

Algal blooms in lakes have been a challenging environmental issue globally under the dual influence of human activity and climate change. Considerable progress has been made in the study of phytoplankton dynamics in lakes; The long-term in situ evolution of dominant bloom-forming cyanobacteria in meso-eutrophic plateau lakes, however, lacks systematic research. Here, the monthly parameters from 12 sampling sites during the period of 1997-2022 were utilized to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving the superiority of bloom-forming cyanobacteria in Erhai, a representative meso-eutrophic plateau lake. The findings indicate that global warming will intensify the risk of cynaobacteria blooms, prolong Microcystis blooms in autumn to winter or even into the following year, and increase the superiority of filamentous Planktothrix and Cylindrospermum in summer and autumn. High RUETN (1.52 Biomass/TN, 0.95-3.04 times higher than other species) under N limitation (TN < 0.5 mg/L, TN/TP < 22.6) in the meso-eutrophic Lake Erhai facilitates the superiority of Dolichospermum. High RUETP (43.8 Biomass/TP, 2.1-10.2 times higher than others) in TP of 0.03-0.05 mg/L promotes the superiority of Planktothrix and Cylindrospermum. We provided a novel insight into the formation of Planktothrix and Cylindrospermum superiority in meso-eutrophic plateau lake with low TP (0.005-0.07 mg/L), which is mainly influenced by warming, high RUETP and their vertical migration characteristics. Therefore, we posit that although the obvious improvement of lake water quality is not directly proportional to the control efficacy of cyanobacterial blooms, the evolutionary shift in cyanobacteria population structure from Microcystis, which thrives under high nitrogen and phosphorus conditions, to filamentous cyanobacteria adapted to low nitrogen and phosphorus levels may serve as a significant indicator of water quality amelioration. Therefore, we suggest that the risk of filamentous cyanobacteria blooms in the meso-eutrophic plateau lake should be given attention, particularly in light of improving water quality and global warming, to ensure drinking water safety.

Differential mitochondrial bioenergetics and cellular resilience in astrocytes, hepatocytes, and fibroblasts from aging baboons.

Biological resilience, broadly defined as the ability to recover from an acute challenge and return to homeostasis, is of growing importance to the biology of aging. At the cellular level, there is variability across tissue types in resilience and these differences are likely to contribute to tissue aging rate disparities. However, there are challenges in addressing these cell-type differences at regional, tissue, and subject level. To address this question, we established primary cells from aged male and female baboons between 13.3 and 17.8 years spanning across different tissues, tissue regions, and cell types including (1) fibroblasts from skin and from the heart separated into the left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), left atrium (LA), and right atrium (RA); (2) astrocytes from the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus; and (3) hepatocytes. Primary cells were characterized by their cell surface markers and their cellular respiration was assessed with Seahorse XFe96. Cellular resilience was assessed by modifying a live-cell imaging approach; we previously reported that monitors proliferation of dividing cells following response and recovery to oxidative (50 µM-H2O2), metabolic (1 mM-glucose), and proteostasis (0.1 µM-thapsigargin) stress. We noted significant differences even among similar cell types that are dependent on tissue source and the diversity in cellular response is stressor-specific. For example, astrocytes had a higher oxygen consumption rate and exhibited greater resilience to oxidative stress (OS) than both fibroblasts and hepatocytes. RV and RA fibroblasts were less resilient to OS compared with LV and LA, respectively. Skin fibroblasts were less impacted by proteostasis stress compared to astrocytes and cardiac fibroblasts. Future studies will test the functional relationship of these outcomes to the age and developmental status of donors as potential predictive markers.

Influence and compensation of connection characteristics on shaking table control performance.

When testing earthquake simulation shaking tables, it is commonly assumed that the test load, table, and actuator are integrated, which differs significantly from the actual situation and negatively impacts the accuracy of system waveform reproduction. This paper simplifies the connection between the three as a spring-damping model for simulation modeling. The effects of different load mass, different connection intrinsic frequency, different connection damping ratios, and other factors on the control performance of the system are analyzed, and based on the results of the analysis, a method to improve the effects of the connection characteristics on the performance of the system, called flexible connection reaction force compensation algorithm, is proposed. Resonance peaks caused by flexible connections reduce the effective bandwidth. To broaden the bandwidth and enhance system stability, the paper introduces a flexible connection force compensation algorithm based on a multi-parameter control algorithm to compensate for the interaction force caused by the connection characteristics. This compensation strategy expands the effective bandwidth, eliminates resonance peaks, improves the waveform correlation coefficient (CC), and reduces the root-mean-square error (RMSE).

Continuous Detection of Cobalt Ions and Pyrophosphates by NAC-CdTe Quantum Dots Fluorescence Probes.

In this work, a simple and sensitive N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC)-covered CdTe quantum dots (NAC-CdTe QDs) fluorescence probe for continuous detection of Co2+ and pyrophosphate ions (PPi, P2O74-) was synthesized. The fluorescence of the quantum dots was significantly quenched by Co2+ through the coordination of Co2+ and the carboxyl groups on the NAC-CdTe quantum dots. Interestingly, the combination of NAC-CdTe quantum dots with Co2+ yields a new fluorescence probe of Co2+-modified NAC-CdTe QDs (Co2+@NAC-CdTe). The addition of PPi restored the fluorescence due to the competition between PPi and carboxyl groups with Co2+ causing Co2+ to detach from the surface of Co2+@NAC-CdTe quantum dots. Thus, a sensitive and reversible detection of Co2+ and PPi had been successfully established. The Co2+@NAC-CdTe quantum dots fluorescence probe exhibits excellent selectivity and high sensitivity toward PPi detection with low detection limit of 0.28 µM. In addition, the novel fluorescence probe was successfully applied to detect the concentration of PPi in environmental water samples and in-vitro cells imaging.

Design, fabrication, and characterization of a high-sensitivity integrated quartz vibrating beam accelerometer.

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and characterization of a quartz vibrating beam accelerometer consisting of a metal spring-mass and quartz double-ended tuning forks (DETFs). In this approach, the inertial force of the proof mass pulls or compresses the DETFs, affecting their resonance frequency and, thus, enabling the quasi-digital measurement of acceleration. An isolation structure was specifically designed to prevent the external interference stress from transforming into the DETFs and to decrease the DETFs' thermal stress as the ambient temperature changes. A stress-free and high-precision wire-cut electrical discharge machining process was introduced to solve the fabrication problem of flexible hinges, and a femtosecond laser was used to release the proof mass, comprehensively considering the compatibility of the fabrication process and structural design. The oscillation excitation and detection of the DETFs were analyzed, and the DETFs were fabricated using a micro-electromechanical systems process. Sensor dimensions were optimized to improve sensor sensitivity. An accelerometer prototype was fabricated, and its performance was characterized. The tested scale factor was 157.28 Hz/g, and its stability was 16.54 ppm. The bias stability and 1 g stability at 1 h were 18 and 7.84 µg, respectively. The experimental results validated the feasibility of the sensor design.

A subunit-based influenza/SARS-CoV-2 Omicron combined vaccine induced potent protective immunity in BALB/c mice.

Infection with influenza A virus (IAV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a significant risk to human life, health, and the global economy. Vaccination is one of the most effective strategies in the fight against infectious viruses. In this study, we, for the first time, have evaluated the immunogenicity and protective effect of an influenza/SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subunit combined vaccine adjuvanted with MF59 and administered to BALB/c mice. Results showed that the combined vaccine induced high levels of IgG, IgG1 , and IgG2a antibodies, as well as influenza A H1N1/California/2009 virus-specific hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies in BALB/c mice. Moreover, this subunit combined vaccine induced high titers of neutralization antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineage BA.5 pseudovirus and effectively reduced the viral load of authentic SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineage BA.5.2 in the cell culture supernatants. These results suggested that this subunit combined vaccine achieved protective effect against both H1N1 A/California/07/2009 strain and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5.2 variant. It is therefore expected that this study will establish the scientific foundation for the next-step development of combined vaccines against other strains or variants of IAV and SARS-CoV-2.

Human Airway Organoids and Multimodal Imaging-Based Toxicity Evaluation of 1-Nitropyrene.

Despite significant advances in understanding the general health impacts of air pollution, the toxic effects of air pollution on cells in the human respiratory tract are still elusive. A robust, biologically relevant in vitro model for recapitulating the physiological response of the human airway is needed to obtain a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms of air pollutants. In this study, by using 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) as a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of evaluating environmental pollutants in physiologically active human airway organoids. Multimodal imaging tools, including live cell imaging, fluorescence microscopy, and MALDI-mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), were implemented to evaluate the cytotoxicity of 1-NP for airway organoids. In addition, lipidomic alterations upon 1-NP treatment were quantitatively analyzed by nontargeted lipidomics. 1-NP exposure was found to be associated with the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and dysregulation of lipid pathways, including the SM-Cer conversion, as well as cardiolipin in our organoids. Compared with that of cell lines, a higher tolerance of 1-NP toxicity was observed in the human airway organoids, which might reflect a more physiologically relevant response in the native airway epithelium. Collectively, we have established a novel system for evaluating and investigating molecular mechanisms of environmental pollutants in the human airways via the combinatory use of human airway organoids, multimodal imaging analysis, and MS-based analyses.

A Novel DNBS-based Fluorescent Probe for the Detection of H2S in Cells and on Test Strips.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays a key role in the physiology and pathology of organisms, and H2S in the environment is easily absorbed and harmful to health. It is of great significance to develop a probe with good selectivity, high sensitivity and good stability that can detect hydrogen sulfide inside and outside organisms. In this work, we designed a novel "turn-on" fluorescent probe CIM-SDB for the detection of H2S. The probe CIM-SDB used indene-carbazole as the fluorophore and 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl as the recognition site. The probe CIM-SDB exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity to H2S (detection limit as low as 123 nM). Moreover, the probe CIM-SDB was successfully applied to the detection of intracellular exogenous and endogenous H2S, and the test strips prepared by the probe CIM-SDB could realize the convenient and rapid detection of H2S.

Dryopterisjinpingensis, a critically endangered diploid new species of Dryopteridaceae from Yunnan, China.

Dryopterisjinpingensis, a new species of diploid, sexually reproductive ferns of Dryopteridaceae from Yunnan, southwestern China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically, D.jinpingensis is similar to D.gaoligongensis but unique in elongated lanceolate laminae, sessile or subsessile pinna stalks, and overlapping membranous scales adnate to stipe base. Phylogenetic analyses based on both plastome and the nuclear AK1 gene sequences showed that D.jinpingensis is sister to D.gaoligongensis. A detailed taxonomic description with line drawings is provided, and its conservation status is evaluated to be critically endangered.

Differential mitochondrial bioenergetics and cellular resilience in astrocytes, hepatocytes, and fibroblasts from aging baboons.

Biological resilience, broadly defined as ability to recover from acute challenge and return to homeostasis, is of growing importance to the biology of aging. At the cellular level, there is variability across tissue types in resilience and these differences likely to contribute to tissue aging rate disparities. However, there are challenges in addressing these cell-type differences at regional, tissue and subject level. To address this question, we established primary cells from aged male and female baboons between 13.3-17.8 years spanning across different tissues, tissue regions, and cell types including: (1) fibroblasts from skin and from heart separated into left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), left atrium (LA) and right atrium (RA), (2) astrocytes from the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and (3) hepatocytes. Primary cells were characterized by their cell surface markers and their cellular respiration assessed with Seahorse XFe96. Cellular resilience was assessed by modifying a live-cell imaging approach we previously reported that monitors proliferation of dividing cells following response and recovery to oxidative (50µM-H2O2), metabolic (1mM-glucose) and proteostasis (0.1µM-thapsigargin) stress. We noted significant differences even among similar cell types that are dependent on tissue source and the diversity in cellular response is stressor specific. For example, astrocytes were more energetic and exhibited greater resilience to oxidative stress (OS) than both fibroblasts and hepatocytes. RV and RA fibroblasts were less resilient to OS compared with LV and LA respectively. Skin fibroblasts were less impacted by proteostasis stress compared to astrocytes and cardiac fibroblasts. Future studies will test the functional relationship of these outcomes to age and developmental status of donors as potential predictive markers.

Female baboon adrenal zona fasciculata and zona reticularis regulatory and functional proteins decrease across the life course.

Debate exists on life-course adrenocortical zonal function trajectories. Rapid, phasic blood steroid concentration changes, such as circadian rhythms and acute stress responses, complicate quantification. To avoid pitfalls and account for life-stage changes in adrenocortical activity indices, we quantified zonae fasciculata (ZF) and reticularis (ZR) across the life-course, by immunohistochemistry of key regulatory and functional proteins. In 28 female baboon adrenals (7.5-22.1 years), we quantified 12 key proteins involved in cell metabolism, division, proliferation, steroidogenesis (including steroid acute regulatory protein, StAR), oxidative stress, and glucocorticoid and mitochondrial function. Life-course abundance of ten ZF proteins decreased with age. Cell cycle inhibitor and oxidative stress markers increased. Seven of the 12 proteins changed in the same direction for ZR and ZF. Importantly, ZF StAR decreased, while ZR StAR was unchanged. Findings indicate ZF function decreased, and less markedly ZR function, with age. Causes and aging consequences of these changes remain to be determined.

[Preparation and effectiveness evaluation of placebo of Jiawei Ermiao Granules].

This study explored the preparation process of the placebo of Jiawei Ermiao Granules and evaluated the placebo effect, aiming to provide qualified placebo samples for clinical trials of Jiawei Ermiao Granules and a reference for the preparation and quality evaluation of placebos of traditional Chinese medicine granules. On the basis of the comprehensive analysis results of Jiawei Ermiao Granules, the orthogonal experiment was conducted to optimize the flavoring agents and colorants. After manual evaluation, the placebo formula was determined as dextrin 10 g, Codonopsis Radix extract 5.0 g, bitter melon extract 1.6 g, Mume Fructus extract 0.3 g, stevioside 0.1 g, sucrose octaacetate 0.004 g, indigo 0.004 g, lemon yellow 0.003 1 g, sunset yellow 0.001 8 g, bitter tea powder 0.001 8 g, caramel 0.001 3 g. Pilot trials were conducted on the placebo formula. The simulation effect of placebo was evaluated independently and comparatively, and the objectively evaluated by electronic nose and electronic tongue. The results showed that the independent manual evaluation of the placebo formula had higher error rate, and the placebo and Jiawei Ermiao Granules showed the similarity of 99.61% in the comparative manual evaluation. The smell similarity between the placebo and Jiawei Ermiao Granules was 99.19%, and the electronic tongue test showed little difference in the taste. In conclusion, the placebo prepared in this study shows a high similarity to Jiawei Ermiao Granules, which is not easy to break the blindness when being applied to clinical trials. This study provides a reference for the preparation and quality evaluation and promotes the large-scale production of placebos of traditional Chinese medicine granules, playing a role in improving the persuasiveness and acceptance of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines.

A novel fluorescent probe based on carbazole-thiophene for the recognition of hypochlorite and its applications.

A carbazole thiophene-aldehyde and 4-methylbenzenesulfonhydrazide conjugate CSH was synthesized by introducing 5-thiophene aldehyde at the 3-position of the carbazole group as the precursor and then condensing it with 4-methylbenzenesulfonhydrazide. CSH has high selectivity and sensitivity towards ClO-, which can specifically identify ClO- by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. CSH can rapidly respond to ClO- in the physiological pH range through a fluorescence quenching pattern, accompanied by the color of CSH changing markedly from turquoise to yellowish green under the 365 nm UV light. Probe CSH exhibits a quantitative response to ClO- (0-11 µM) with a low detection limit (1.16 × 10-6 M). Cell imaging experiments have shown that CSH can capture fluorescent signals in the cyan and yellow channels of HeLa cells through fluorescence confocal microscopy, and can successfully identify exogenous ClO- in HeLa cells. In addition, probe CSH can also be used to detect ClO- in environmental water samples. These results indicate that CSH has potential application prospects in the environmental analysis and biological aspects.