Near-infrared fluorescent probe to track Cys in plant roots under heavy metal hazards and its application in cells and zebrafish.

Heavy metals, including Hg2+, Cr6+ and Cd2+, have always been a major issue in environmental pollution, leading to abnormal changes in the levels of biologically active molecules including Cys in plants, seriously affecting all aspects of the growth and development of plants. This makes it essential to develop a simple and practical method to study the potential impact of heavy metals on plants. In this paper, our research group has developed near-infrared fluorescent probe WRM-S, which has the advantages of fast response, sensitivity to Cys, and successfully applying it to cells and zebrafish. Moreover, it combined the close relationship between heavy metal stress on plants and Cys, using Cys as the detection target, monitoring the internal environment changes of two plants under Hg2+, Cr6+, and Cd2+ stress in the environment, and then conducting 3D imaging. The results indicated that the probe has strong penetration ability in plant tissues, and revealed abnormal changes in plant Cys levels caused by heavy metal stress-induced cellular oxidative stress or cytotoxicity. Thus, the in-situ imaging detection of this probe provides a direction for the physiological dynamics research of plant environmental stress.

Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe for Imaging Upregulated Hydrogen Sulfide Levels in Rice under Salt and Drought Stress.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a hazardous gas found in living organisms and is directly tied to our daily lives. Recent studies show that it plays a significant role in plant growth, development, and response to environmental stresses. However, few of the reported near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes have been applied to rice and deeply investigated the influence of the external environment on the biological molecules in its internal environment. Therefore, our team created BSZ-H2S, which has the advantage of an emission wavelength of up to 720 nm with fast response, successfully applying it to cell and zebrafish imaging. More importantly, the probe detected H2S in rice roots by in situ imaging in a facile manner and verified the existence of an upregulation process of H2S in response to salt and drought stress. This work provides a concept for the intervention of external stresses in rice culture.

Impact of a continuing education program on pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes toward asthma patient care.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an asthma continuing education program on pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes related to asthma pharmaceutical care. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A 20-hour continuing education program was conducted by the joint efforts of the Taipei City Government, Taiwan Association of Asthma Education and Taipei Medical University Wan Fang Hospital, in a series of 4 days afternoon sessions from June 26 to July 4, 2004. One hundred and twenty-five pharmacists participated. The Asthma Knowledge Test in Mandarin and the Asthma Attitude Scale in Mandarin were developed by adapting the scale used to evaluate the impact of pharmacist continuing education programs on diabetic care. The results before and after the intervention were compared to evaluate the impact of the program. RESULTS: Of the 125 participants, 105 returned both the pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, for a response rate of 84.0%. The total score of the attitude section increased significantly from 40.04 +/- 3.35 to 42.54 +/- 2.98 (full score = 50, p < 0.001). The total score of the knowledge section also increased significantly from 7.18 +/- 1.31 to 7.56 +/- 1.15 (p = 0.008). Improvement in the attitude score was found in 70 (67.0%) subjects, and in the knowledge score in 45 (43.5%) subjects. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that attitude and knowledge toward asthma care improved after the continuing education program. Further study of long-term impact and direct changes in asthma pharmaceutical care practice will be necessary.

Comparative effects of cellulose and soluble fibers (pectin, konjac glucomannan, inulin) on fecal water toxicity toward Caco-2 cells, fecal bacteria enzymes, bile acid, and short-chain fatty acids.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of cellulose and three soluble dietary fibers, pectin, konjac glucomannan (KGM), and inulin, on the cytotoxicity and DNA damage of fecal water-treated Caco-2 cells, a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line, and to investigate the fecal components that potentially modulate the fecal toxicity, that is, bacterial enzymes, bile acids, and short-chain fatty acids. Six-week-old BALB/cJ mice were randomly allocated to consume an AIN-93 diet that contained no dietary fiber (fiber-free) or 5% (w/w) cellulose, pectin, KGM, and inulin for 3 weeks. Feces were collected during days 18-21. Fecal waters were co-incubated with Caco-2 cells to determine the cytotoxicity and DNA damage. In addition, the fecal bacterial enzymes, bile acids, and short-chain fatty acids were determined. Results indicated that all fiber diets similarly increased the survival rate (%) of fecal water-treated Caco-2 cells as compared with the fiber-free diet. The inhibition of fecal water-induced DNA damage in Caco-2 cells was greater for the pectin and inulin diets than for the cellulose and KGM diets. In contrast, cellulose exerted the greatest inhibitory effect on the fecal ß-glucuronidase activity. Cellulose and all soluble dietary fibers reduced the secondary bile acid concentrations in the fecal water, but only soluble fibers increased the fecal concentrations of short-chain fatty acids, as compared with no fiber. Therefore, this study suggests that all dietary fibers substantially reduced the fecal water toxicity, which is associated with decreased secondary bile acid levels by all fibers, reduced fecal ß-glucuronidase activity by cellulose, and increased short-chain fatty acid levels by soluble dietary fibers.

Near-infrared fluorescent probe visual detection of Hg2+ and its application in biological system and ecological system.

Mercury ion (Hg2+), a heavy metal cation with greater toxicity, is widely present in the ecological environment and has become a serious threat to human health and environmental safety. Currently, developing a solution to simultaneously visualize and monitor Hg2+ in environmental samples, including water, soil, and plants, remains a great challenge. In this work, we created and synthesized a near-infrared fluorescent probe, BBN-Hg, and utilized Hg2+ to trigger the partial cleavage of the carbon sulfate ester in BBN-Hg as a sensing mechanism, and the fluorescence intensity of BBN-Hg was significantly enhanced at 650 nm, thus realizing the visualization of Hg2+ with good selectivity (detection limit, 53 nM). In live cells and zebrafish, the probe BBN-Hg enhances the red fluorescence signal in the presence of Hg2+, and successfully performs 3D imaging on zebrafish, making it a powerful tool for detecting Hg2+ in living systems. More importantly, with BBN-Hg, we are able to detect Hg2+ in actual water samples, soil and plant seedling roots. Furthermore, the probe was prepared as a test strip for on-site determination of Hg2+ with the assistance of a smartphone. Therefore, this study offers an easy-to-use and useful method for tracking Hg2+ levels in living organisms and their surroundings.