MicroRNA397 promotes rice flowering by regulating the photorespiration pathway.

The precise timing of flowering plays a pivotal role in ensuring successful plant reproduction and seed production. This process is intricately governed by complex genetic networks that integrate internal and external signals. This study delved into the regulatory function of microRNA397 (miR397) and its target gene LACCASE-15 (OsLAC15) in modulating flowering traits in rice (Oryza sativa). Overexpression of miR397 led to earlier heading dates, decreased number of leaves on the main stem, and accelerated differentiation of the spikelet meristem. Conversely, overexpression of OsLAC15 resulted in delayed flowering and prolonged vegetative growth. Through biochemical and physiological assays, we uncovered that miR397-OsLAC15 had a profound impact on carbohydrate accumulation and photosynthetic assimilation, consequently enhancing the photosynthetic intensity in miR397-overexpressing rice plants. Notably, we identified that OsLAC15 is at least partially localized within the peroxisome organelle, where it regulates the photorespiration pathway. Moreover, we observed that a high CO2 concentration could rescue the late flowering phenotype in OsLAC15-overexpressing plants. These findings shed valuable insights into the regulatory mechanisms of miR397-OsLAC15 in rice flowering and provided potential strategies for developing crop varieties with early flowering and high-yield traits through genetic breeding.

Materialism in Chinese college students during 2007-2020: The influence of social change on the inclining trend.

Materialism is fundamental to the human value or goal system; therefore, an understanding of its level among Chinese college students and its changes over time is of great value. In the present study, a cross-temporal meta-analysis was performed by reviewing studies that conducted Material Values Scale-based assessment of the materialism level among Chinese university students from 2007 to 2020. Moreover, a time lag analysis was performed to clarify whether variations in materialism level are interpretable with macro-social indicators. Finally, 82 articles on studies enrolling a total of 45,966 Chinese university students were reviewed. The materialism score significantly increased on a yearly basis. Furthermore, macro-social changes in diverse areas, including economic condition (gross domestic product per capita, consumption level of all residents and national disposable income per capita), social connectedness (urbanisation degree and divorce ratio) and overall threat (rate of university enrollment), were the major factors influencing the degree of materialism among the students. By identifying the inclining trend of materialism among these college students across time and using relevant macro-social indicators, a theoretical three-dimensional framework was established to elucidate the degree of materialism among Chinese college students as a group.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles have biphasic roles on Mycobacterium-induced inflammation by activating autophagy and ferroptosis mechanisms in infected macrophages.

The ability of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) to induce bacteriostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) and their roles in regulating the pathogenic activities of immune cells have been reported previously, but the specific mechanisms underlying these regulatory functions remain unclear. This work aimed to determine how ZnONPs play the antibacterial role against M. tb. In vitro activity assays were employed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the ZnONPs against various strains of M. tb (BCG, H37Rv, and clinical susceptible MDR and XDR strains). The ZnONPs had MICs of 0.5-2 mg/L against all tested isolates. In addition, changes in the expression levels of autophagy and ferroptosis-related markers in BCG-infected macrophages exposed to ZnONPs were measured. BCG-infected mice that were administered ZnONPs were used to determine the ZnONPs functions in vivo. ZnONPs decreased the number of bacteria engulfed by the macrophages in a dose-dependent manner, while different doses of ZnONPs also affected inflammation in different directions. Although ZnONPs enhanced the BCG-induced autophagy of macrophages in a dose-dependent manner, only low doses of ZnONPs activated autophagy mechanisms by increasing the levels of pro-inflammatory factors. The ZnONPs also enhanced BCG-induced ferroptosis of macrophages at high doses. Co-administration of a ferroptosis inhibitor with the ZnONPs improved the anti-Mycobacterium activity of ZnONPs in an in vivo mouse model and alleviated acute lung injury caused by ZnONPs. Based on the above findings, we conclude that ZnONPs may act as potential antibacterial agents in future animal and clinical studies.

The effects of sodium sulfite on Helicobacter pylori by establishing a hypoxic environment.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is an obligate microaerobion and does not survive in low oxygen. Sodium sulfite (SS) reacts and consume oxygen in solutions. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of SS on H. pylori. The effects of SS on oxygen concentrations in solutions and on H. pylori in vivo and in vitro were examined, and the mechanisms involved were explored. The results showed that SS decreased the oxygen concentration in water and artificial gastric juice. In Columbia blood agar and special peptone broth, SS concentration-dependently inhibited the proliferation of H. pylori ATCC43504 and Sydney strain-1 in Columbia blood agar or special peptone broth, and dose-dependently decreased the number of H. pylori in Mongolian gerbils and Kunming mouse infection models. The H. pylori was relapsed in 2 weeks withdrawal and the recurrence in the SS group was lower than that in the positive triple drug group. These effects were superior to positive triple drugs. After SS treatments, the cell membrane and cytoplasm structure of H. pylori were disrupted. SS-induced oxygen-free environment initially blocked aerobic respiration, triggered oxidative stress, disturbed energy production. In conclusion, SS consumes oxygen and creates an oxygen-free environment in which H. pylori does not survive. The present study provides a new strategy and perspective for the clinical treatment of H. pylori infectious disease.

Poly(N-2-hydroxypropylmethacrylamide)-capped gold nanoparticles as nanozymes with peroxidase-mimicking performance for the colorimetric monitoring of serum homocysteine.

Recently, nanozymes based on polymer-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted more and more attention on account of their polymer-ligands' multiple functionalization sites. However, the contribution of polymer hydrogen bonding to the catalytic activity of AuNPs has received little attention. This study designed and fabricated poly(N-2-hydroxypropylmethacrylamide)-capped AuNPs (PHPAM@AuNPs) using a hydroxyl-rich polymer as the ligand. The PHPAM@AuNPs exhibited good peroxidase-mimicking activity capable of efficiently oxidizing 3,3'5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with H2O2. The effect of PHPAM hydrogen bonding on the catalytic activity of PHPAM@AuNPs was investigated. Under peroxidase-mimicking catalysis, homocysteine introduced a notable reduction in oxidation, allowing the creation of a colorimetric method for homocysteine detection with high selectivity and sensitivity. The ultraviolet-visible absorption intensity of oxidized TMB showed a strong linear relationship with homocysteine concentration in the range of 3.0-20.0 µM (R2 = 0.998), with a limit of detection of 0.4 µM. The proposed colorimetric protocol was used to monitor homocysteine in rat serum following intraperitoneal injection. This work provides a new way to refine AuNP-based nanozymes by relying on polymer-ligand hydrogen bonding. It has strong application potential in the analysis of endogenous molecules in real samples.

Analysis of the improvement effect of Astragalus extract on oxidative stress injury in viral myocarditis through STAT3/IL-6.

The objective of this study was to investigate the improvement effect of Astragalus (AS) extract on oxidative stress (OS) and inflammatory response of myocarditis (MYO) cells through the STAT3/IL-6 axis. For this purpose, The MYO model cells prepared by intervening cardiomyocyte HL-1 with Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) were divided into four groups: model group, as well as high- (H-), medium- (M-) and low-dose (L-) AS groups treated by 80, 40, and 20 µg/mL AS, respectively. Conventionally cultured cells were set as the normal group. Cell multiplication and apoptosis, as well as levels of Myocardial injury markers (cTnT, BNP and CK), inflammatory cytokines (ICs; TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6) and OS indices (SOD, GSH-Px and MDA), were measured. STAT3/IL-6 pathway expression was also observed. Results showed that the model group presented decreased cell multiplication than the normal group, but with increased myocardial injury, apoptosis rate, Caspase3 protein, ICs and OS reaction (P < 0.05); In the three AS-intervened groups, enhanced cell multiplication, while reduced myocardial injury, apoptosis rate, ICs and OS response were observed, especially in H-AS group (P < 0.05). Besides, STAT3 and IL-6 concentrations, statistically increased in the model group, were reduced by AS intervention (P < 0.05). Colivelin, a specific activator of STAT3, further aggravated the apoptosis, inflammatory reaction and OS response of MYO cells (P < 0.05), but its impacts on MYO cells could be reversed by AS. In conclusion, AS can ameliorate MYO, and its mechanism is related to the inhibition of cellular inflammatory response and OS response through the STAT3/IL-6 axis.

Synthesis of 2'-fucosyllactose from apple pomace-derived xyloglucan oligosaccharides by an α-L-fucosidase from Pedobacter sp. CAU209.

2'-Fucosyllactose (2'-FL) is known for its ability to provide various health benefits to infants, such as gut maturation, pathogen resistance, improved immunity, and nervous system development. However, the production of 2'-FL using α-L-fucosidases is hindered by the lack of low-cost natural fucosyl donors and high-efficiency α-L-fucosidases. In this work, a recombinant xyloglucanase from Rhizomucor miehei (RmXEG12A) was applied to produce xyloglucan-oligosaccharide (XyG-oligos) from apple pomace. Then, an α-L-fucosidase gene (PbFucB) was screened from the genomic DNA of Pedobacter sp. CAU209 and expressed in Escherichia coli. The capability of purified PbFucB to catalyze XyG-oligos and lactose to synthesize 2'-FL was further evaluated. The deduced amino acid sequence of PbFucB shared the highest identity (38.4%) with that of other reported α-L-fucosidases. PbFucB showed the highest activity at pH 5.5 and 35 °C. It catalyzed the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl-α-L-fucopyranoside (pNP-Fuc, 20.3 U mg-1), 2'-FL (8.06 U mg-1), and XyG-oligos (0.43 U mg-1). Furthermore, PbFucB demonstrated a high enzymatic conversion rate in 2'-FL synthesis with pNP-Fuc or apple pomace-derived XyG-oligos as donors and lactose as acceptor. Under the optimized conditions, PbFucB converted 50% of pNP-Fuc or 31% of the L-fucosyl residue in XyG-oligos into 2'-FL. This work elucidated an α-L-fucosidase that mediates the fucosylation of lactose and provided an efficient enzymatic strategy to synthesize 2'-FL either from artificial pNP-Fuc or natural apple pomace-derived XyG-oligos. KEY POINTS: • Xyloglucan-oligosaccharide (XyG-oligos) was produced from apple pomace by a xyloglucanase from Rhizomucor miehei. • An α-L-fucosidase (PbFucB) from Pedobacter sp. CAU209 shared the highest identity (38.4%) with reported α-L-fucosidases. •PbFucB synthesized 2'-FL using apple pomace-derived XyG-oligos and lactose with a conversion ratio of 31%.

Abnormal functional connectivity of the nucleus accumbens subregions mediates the association between anhedonia and major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: The nucleus accumbens (Nac) is a crucial brain region in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with anhedonia. However, the relationship between the functional imaging characteristics of Nac subregions and anhedonia remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the Nac subregions between MDD and anhedonia. METHODS: We performed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the rsFC of Nac subregions in 55 MDD patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs). A two-sample t test was performed to determine the brain regions with varying rsFC among Nac subregions between groups. Then, correlation analyses were carried out to investigate the relationships between the aberrant rsFC of Nac subregions and the severity of anhedonia. Furthermore, we constructed a mediation model to explain the role of the aberrant rsFC of Nac subregions between MDD and the severity of anhedonia. RESULTS: Compared with the HC group, decreased rsFC of Nac subregions with regions of the prefrontal cortex, insula, lingual gyrus, and visual association cortex was observed in MDD patients. In the MDD group, the rsFC of the right Nac shell-like subregions with the middle frontal gyrus (MFG)/superior frontal gyrus (SFG) was correlated with consummatory anhedonia, and the rsFC of the Nac core-like subdivisions with the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)/insula and lingual gyrus/visual association cortex was correlated with anticipatory anhedonia. More importantly, the functional alterations in the Nac subregions mediated the association between anhedonia and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that the functional alteration of the Nac subregions mediates the association between MDD and anhedonia, which provides evidence for the hypothesis that MDD patients have neurobiological underpinnings of reward systems that differ from those of HCs.

Epithelia-Sensory Neuron Cross Talk Underlies Cholestatic Itch Induced by Lysophosphatidylcholine.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Limited understanding of pruritus mechanisms in cholestatic liver diseases hinders development of antipruritic treatments. Previous studies implicated lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) as a potential mediator of cholestatic pruritus. METHODS: Pruritogenicity of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), LPA's precursor, was examined in naïve mice, cholestatic mice, and nonhuman primates. LPC's pruritogenicity involving keratinocyte TRPV4 was studied using genetic and pharmacologic approaches, cultured keratinocytes, ion channel physiology, and structural computational modeling. Activation of pruriceptor sensory neurons by microRNA-146a (miR-146a), secreted from keratinocytes, was identified by in vitro and ex vivo Ca2+ imaging assays. Sera from patients with primary biliary cholangitis were used for measuring the levels of LPC and miR-146a. RESULTS: LPC was robustly pruritic in mice. TRPV4 in skin keratinocytes was essential for LPC-induced itch and itch in mice with cholestasis. Three-dimensional structural modeling, site-directed mutagenesis, and channel function analysis suggested a TRPV4 C-terminal motif for LPC binding and channel activation. In keratinocytes, TRPV4 activation by LPC induced extracellular release of miR-146a, which activated TRPV1+ sensory neurons to cause itch. LPC and miR-146a levels were both elevated in sera of patients with primary biliary cholangitis with itch and correlated with itch intensity. Moreover, LPC and miR-146a were also increased in sera of cholestatic mice and elicited itch in nonhuman primates. CONCLUSIONS: We identified LPC as a novel cholestatic pruritogen that induces itch through epithelia-sensory neuron cross talk, whereby it directly activates skin keratinocyte TRPV4, which rapidly releases miR-146a to activate skin-innervating TRPV1+ pruriceptor sensory neurons. Our findings support the new concept of the skin, as a sensory organ, playing a critical role in cholestatic itch, beyond liver, peripheral sensory neurons, and central neural pathways supporting pruriception.

Redox-Responsive Polymer Nanoreactors Based on Methionine Sulfoxide for Monitoring Cell Adhesion.

Expanding the category of redox-responsive monomers suitable for enzymolysis efficiency regulation and application to living biosystems is a prerequisite to complementing the fabrication of stimuli-responsive polymer nanoreactors. However, the development of redox-responsive monomers is severely limited by chemical oxidation and low biocompatibility. This work presents a protocol for overcoming this problem by the self-assembly of redox-responsive polymer nanoreactors containing segments of water-soluble methionine sulfoxide residues and poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride-l-methionine), and by immobilizing α-l-fucosidase into the nanoreactors. These nanoreactors demonstrate highly selective responses to a mild redox triggered by H2O2 from the initial state (VO) to an oxidation state (VO1), and are reduced by methionine sulfoxide reductase A to mold the VO' state. It resulted in significantly enhanced enzymolysis efficiency and maximal reaction rates 8.1-fold (VO) and 23.3-fold (VO1) higher than those of the free enzyme. Moreover, cell adhesion was evaluated by the highly selective determination of l-fucose on cell surfaces. Using a combination of chemical oxidation and enzymatic reduction, this work achieves reiterative enzymolysis efficiency regulation of polymer nanoreactors, which has great potential for the construction of redox-responsive nanoreactors and for monitoring cell adhesion.

L-Proline-methyl ester derivative-modulated synthesis of gold nanoclusters with promoted peroxidase-mimic activity for monitoring of ofloxacin.

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), stabilized and functionalized by organic ligands, have served as new generation materials for applications in nanocatalysis. To further expand and regulate the catalytic function of AuNCs, the exploration of surface interactions and modulated-ligand properties is highly desirable. This study presents the fabrication of four kinds of AuNCs using L-proline-methyl ester derivatives as ligands. Among these AuNCs nanocatalysts, the highest peroxidase-mimic catalytic activity in an oxidation reaction of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with hydrogen peroxide is observed when using L-proline-methyl ester capped AuNCs (POMe@AuNCs) as the nanozymes. Notably, the addition of ofloxacin in the oxidation system yields more reactive oxygen species, resulting in a significant increase in catalytic capability. A colourimetric sensing strategy is developed for the highly selective and sensitive measurement of ofloxacin. The UV-vis absorption of oxTMB at 650 nm exhibits a good linear relationship with the ofloxacin amount, ranging from 0.6 µM to 12.0 µM (R2 = 0.998), and the detection limit is 0.2 µM. The protocol further displays its potential application in monitoring rat serum ofloxacin variation in a drug-metabolic-process. This study not only demonstrates a unique strategy for the ligand-modulated synthesis of AuNCs, but also guides future detection of drugs that can enhance the catalytic capability of AuNCs.

Polymer-capped gold nanoparticles as nanozymes with improved catalytic activity for the monitoring of serum ciprofloxacin.

More recently, gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based nanozymes have become one of the burgeoning research hot topics. However, few studies have focused on these AuNP-nanozymes with polymers as ligands. A significant challenge is to reveal their catalytic mechanism and to improve their catalytic activity by changing the structures of the polymers. In this study, polyacrylamide (PAM) with different chain lengths was synthesized and used as the ligand to prepare PAM@AuNPs. The resultant nanozymes exhibited good peroxidase-like activity for catalyzing the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In particular, due to the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged PAM@AuNPs and the positively charged drug, the addition of ciprofloxacin in the oxidation system induced the aggregation of PAM@AuNPs and produced more amount of reactive oxygen species, which greatly promoted the catalytic activity of PAM@AuNPs. Inspired by the attractive property, a highly selective and sensitive colorimetric assay for the monitoring of ciprofloxacin was created. A good linear relationship between the UV-Vis absorption intensity of PAM@AuNPs-TMB-H2O2 at 650 nm wavelength and the ciprofloxacin concentration was observed ranging from 1.0 µM to 12.0 µM (R2 = 0.998), providing the detection limit of 0.5 µM. The ciprofloxacin metabolism was further studied in rats. It reveals great potential of polymer protected AuNP-nanozymes in practical drug analysis.

Poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide)-stabilized gold nanoparticles as nanozymes with enhancement of catalytic activity for detection of lomefloxacin.

Recently, polymer-protected gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted extensive attention due to their good catalytic activities. However, how to regulate their catalytic activities by changing the polymer chain morphologies or the interactions between the ligands and the analytes through external stimuli is still a great challenge. This study describes a simple synthesis of AuNPs capped by thermo-responsive poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMAM). In comparison with three kinds of PDMAMs@AuNPs, PDMAM-2@AuNPs exhibited better peroxidase-mimic ability via the catalytic oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to generate oxidized TMB (oxTMB). Interestingly, its catalytic activity could be regulated by changing environmental temperature. Importantly, the addition of the antibiotic lomefloxacin endowed the PDMAM-2@AuNPs with enhancement in catalytic efficiency due to electrostatic interactions and the increased levels of reactive oxygen species. Based on this principle, a protocol for highly selective and sensitive monitoring of lomefloxacin has been constructed with the color change from pale blue to deep blue. The ultraviolet-visible absorbance of oxTMB at the wavelength of 650 nm showed a good linear relationship with antibiotic concentration in the range of 0.25-10.0 µM (R2 = 0.990). The limit of detection was 0.1 µM. The practical application of the proposed protocol with the promoted peroxidase-mimic activity for the measurement of lomefloxacin in capsules was realized.

A novel neutral thermophilic ß-mannanase from Malbranchea cinnamomea for controllable production of partially hydrolyzed konjac powder.

Partially hydrolyzed konjac powder (PHKP) can be used to increase the daily intake of dietary fibers of consumers. To produce PHKP by enzymatic hydrolysis, a novel ß-mannanase gene (McMan5B) from Malbranchea cinnamomea was expressed in Pichia pastoris. It showed a low identity of less than 52% with other GH family 5 ß-mannanases. Through high cell density fermentation, the highest ß-mannanase activity of 42200 U mL-1 was obtained. McMan5B showed the maximal activity at pH 7.5 and 75 °C, respectively. It exhibited excellent pH stability and thermostability. Due to the different residues (Phe214, Pro253, and His328) in catalytic groove and the change of ß2-α2 loop, McMan5B showed unique hydrolysis property as compared to other ß-mannanases. The enzyme was employed to hydrolyze konjac powder for controllable production of PHKP with a weight-average molecular weight of 22000 Da (average degree of polymerization 136). Furthermore, the influence of PHKP (1.0%-4.0%) on the qualities of steamed bread was evaluated. The steamed bread adding 3.0% PHKP had the maximum specific volume and the minimum hardness, which showed 11.0% increment and 25.4% decrement as compared to the control, respectively. Thus, a suitable ß-mannanase for PHKP controllable production and a fiber supplement for steamed bread preparation were provided in this study. KEY POINTS: • A novel ß-mannanase gene (McMan5B) was cloned from Malbranchea cinnamomea and expressed in Pichia pastoris at high level. • McMan5B hydrolyzed konjac powder to yield partially hydrolyzed konjac powder (PHKP) instead of manno-oligosaccharides. • PHKP showed more positive effect on the quality of steamed bread than many other dietary fibers including konjac powder.

Sterically Wrapped Multiple Resonance Fluorophors for Suppression of Concentration Quenching and Spectrum Broadening.

Multiple resonance (MR) emitters are promising for highly efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with narrowband emission; however, they still face intractable challenges with concentration-caused emission quenching, exciton annihilation, and spectral broadening. In this study, sterically wrapped MR dopants with a fluorescent MR core sandwiched by bulk substituents were developed to address the intractable challenges by reducing intermolecular interactions. Consequently, high photo-luminance quantum yields of ≥90 % and small full width at half maximums (FWHMs) of ≤25 nm over a wide range of dopant concentrations (1-20 wt %) were recorded. In addition, we demonstrated that the sandwiched MR emitter can effectively suppress Dexter interaction when doped in a thermally activated delayed fluorescence sensitizer, eliminating exciton loss through dopant triplet. Within the above dopant concentration range, the optimal emitter realizes remarkably high maximum external quantum efficiencies of 36.3-37.2 %, identical small FWHMs of 24 nm, and alleviated efficiency roll-offs in OLEDs.

In Situ Determination of Sialic Acid on Cell Surface with a pH-Regulated Polymer Enzyme Nanoreactor.

Sialic acid (SA) is an important monosaccharide that is involved in incurable cancer immunotherapy. However, it is difficult to detect SA in situ using the existing strategy based on the SA-terminated glycopeptide extraction from the cell lysate. The countermeasures of the bottleneck caused by cell disruption and peptide extraction should be designed based on a "cell-surface attachment and controlled enzymolysis" protocol. Herein, a poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride-acrylic acid-concanavalin A) (PSM-PAA-ConA) was synthesized and developed as a pH-regulated enzyme nanoreactor after being loaded with sialidase and myoglobin. The nanoreactor showed controllable biocatalysis induced by a cascade enzyme reaction and applied for the in situ detection of SA on a living cell surface. The addition of an acidic solution resulted in a decrease in the size of the nanoreactor and enhancement of its permeability, triggering an "on" state of the SA catalysis. Subsequent pH increase led to increased hydrophilicity of the nanoreactor, increasing its size and resulting in the catalytic "off" state. ConA assisted the cell-surface attachment of the enzyme reactor. Furthermore, SA on the surface of living cancer cells was successfully monitored by the pH-regulated enzyme nanoreactor, demonstrating the feasibility of high specificity in situ analysis for SA. This pH-induced catalytic efficiency control by the enzyme nanoreactor provides a potential platform for functional stimuli-responsive catalytic systems as well as a strategy for in situ analysis of biomolecules on the cell surface.

Simultaneous Monitoring of Intracellular Temperature and Norepinephrine Variation by Fluorescent Probes during Norepinephrine Reuptake.

A long-standing challenge has been the simultaneous sensing of intracellular temperature and norepinephrine (NE) variations to explore signaling pathways and depression pathogeny. Here, we designed a fluorescent probe using poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and 1-[4-(7-nitro-benzo [1,2,5]oxadiazol-4-yl)-piperazin-1-yl]-propenone (PNIPAm-AANBD) and (E)-1-(4-boronobenzyl)-2-(2-(1,3-dioxo-1H,3H-benzo[de]isochromen-6-yl)vinyl)pyridin-1-ium bromide (PHE) for simultaneously measuring the temperature and NE with high selectivity. The fluorescence intensity of the PNIPAm-AANBD moiety exhibited a good response to temperature changes. The PHE moiety could selectively sense NE due to the naphthalic anhydride group in PHE, which formed naphthalimide upon bonding with the primary amino group of NE. The hydroxyl-terminated ligand recognized the phenolic hydroxyl group of NE through the formation of hydrogen bonds. Using the proposed fluorescent probe, variations in the intracellular temperature and NE during NE reuptake could be simultaneously measured. It was first discovered that with the inhibition of antidepressant drugs, the intracellular temperature increased by 1.2-2.1 °C, and the NE reuptake decreased by about 21.5 µM. The measured variations in intracellular temperature and NE during neurotransmitter reuptake can shed light on the underlying mechanism of neurotransmitter signaling pathways, which may facilitate the treatment of depression.

Dynamic Monitoring of Phase-Separated Biomolecular Condensates by Photoluminescence Lifetime Imaging.

The formation of biomolecular condensates is driven by liquid-liquid phase separation, which is prevalent in cells to govern crucial cellular functions. However, understanding the properties of phase-separated condensates remains very challenging for the lack of suitable techniques. Here, we report a photoluminescence lifetime imaging method for real-time monitoring of phase-separated condensates, both in vitro and in living cells, using a microsecond-scale photoluminescence lifetime probe based on iridium complex. The probe has a large Stokes shift, excellent cell permeability, and minimal cell autofluorescence interference. With this method, the dynamic process of phase separation of fused in sarcoma protein has been well explored, showing high spatiotemporal resolution and high throughput. Beginning with initial formation, the protein droplets get bigger and more viscous, and then a final maturation to solidified aggregates has been characterized. This study paves the path for a deeper understanding of the properties of phase-separated biomolecular condensates.

Comparison of radiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab vs. chemoradiotherapy for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The present study compared the effectiveness and toxicity of two treatment modalities, namely radiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab (N) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LR-NPC). METHODS: Patients with LR-NPC who were treated with radiotherapy were retrospectively enrolled from January 2015 to December 2018. The treatment included radiotherapy combined with N or platinum-based induction chemotherapy and/or concurrent chemotherapy. The comparison of survival and toxicity between the two treatment modalities was evaluated using the log-rank and chi-squared tests. Overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint. RESULTS: A total of 87 patients were included, of whom 32 and 55 were divided into the N group and the CRT group, respectively. No significant differences were noted in the survival rate between the N and the CRT groups (4-year OS rates, 37.1% vs. 40.7%, respectively; P = 0.735). Mild to moderate acute complications were common during the radiation period and mainly included mucositis and xerostomia. The majority of the acute toxic reactions were tolerated well. A total of 48 patients (55.2%) demonstrated late radiation injuries of grade ≥ 3, including 12 patients (37.5%) in the N group and 36 patients (66.5%) in the CRT group. The CRT group exhibited significantly higher incidence of severe late radiation injuries compared with that of the N group (P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy combined with N did not appear to enhance treatment efficacy compared with CRT in patients with LR-NPC. However, radiotherapy combined with N may be superior to CRT due to its lower incidence of acute and late toxicities. Further studies are required to confirm the current findings.

Boosting the peroxidase-like activity of gold nanoclusters for the colorimetric detection of oxytetracycline in rat serum.

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs)-based nanozymes have been studied widely as they provide unrivaled advantages in terms of preferable enzyme-like activities, high stability, and good biocompatibility. Although the enzyme-like catalytic activity of AuNCs has been the object of extensive investigation, understanding how charges or reactive oxygen species on the surfaces of AuNCs can enhance their catalytic performance in the colorimetric sensing of drugs by regulating the catalytic activity of AuNCs is still a big challenge. Herein, l-tryptophanonitrile (LTN)-protected AuNCs (LTN@AuNCs) were prepared, and their nanozyme activity was investigated in the catalytic oxidation process of the peroxidase substrate, namely 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine, in the prescence of hydrogen peroxide. Oxytetracycline induced the aggregation of LTN@AuNCs due to the electrostatic interaction between the positively charged LTN@AuNCs and the negatively charged drug. Importantly, the aggregated LTN@AuNCs produced more reactive oxygen species and significantly boosted their peroxidase-like activity. Subsequently, a colorimetric method for highly specific and sensitive detection of oxytetracycline was establised. The ultraviolet-visible absorbance at a wavelength of 650 nm of the aggregated-LTN@AuNCs exhibited a good linear relationship with oxytetracycline in a range of 0.5-15.0 µM (R2 = 0.994). The limit of detection was 0.3 µM. After oxytetracycline was abdominally injected in rats, the metabolic process of the drug in serums was further investigated by using the proposed sensing protocol. The improvable catalytic activity capability of the AuNCs-based nanozymes discloses its great potential in real bio-applications.