Curvature-mediated rapid extravasation and penetration of nanoparticles against interstitial fluid pressure for improved drug delivery.

Elevated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) within pathological tissues (e.g., tumors, obstructed kidneys, and cirrhotic livers) creates a significant hindrance to the transport of nanomedicine, ultimately impairing the therapeutic efficiency. Among these tissues, solid tumors present the most challenging scenario. While several strategies through reducing tumor IFP have been devised to enhance nanoparticle delivery, few approaches focus on modulating the intrinsic properties of nanoparticles to effectively counteract IFP during extravasation and penetration, which are precisely the stages obstructed by elevated IFP. Herein, we propose an innovative solution by engineering nanoparticles with a fusiform shape of high curvature, enabling efficient surmounting of IFP barriers during extravasation and penetration within tumor tissues. Through experimental and theoretical analyses, we demonstrate that the elongated nanoparticles with the highest mean curvature outperform spherical and rod-shaped counterparts against elevated IFP, leading to superior intratumoral accumulation and antitumor efficacy. Super-resolution microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations uncover the underlying mechanisms in which the high curvature contributes to diminished drag force in surmounting high-pressure differentials during extravasation. Simultaneously, the facilitated rotational movement augments the hopping frequency during penetration. This study effectively addresses the limitations posed by high-pressure impediments, uncovers the mutual interactions between the physical properties of NPs and their environment, and presents a promising avenue for advancing cancer treatment through nanomedicine.

Fine particulate matter as a key factor promoting the spread of antibiotics in river network.

The extensive utilization of antibiotics has resulted in their frequent detection, contributing to an increased abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in rivers and posing a significant threat to environmental health. Particulate matter plays a crucial role as the primary carrier of various pollutants in river ecosystem. Its physicochemical properties and processes of sedimentation and re-suspension can influence the migration and transformation of antibiotics, yet the mechanisms of this impact remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the distribution characteristics at the micro-scale of particles in the upstream plain river network of the Taihu basin and the adsorption behaviors of antibiotics in particulate matter. The results revealed that particles were predominantly in the size range of 30 to 150 µm in the river network and highest total antibiotic concentrations in 0 to 10 µm particle size fractions. Adsorption experiments also confirmed that the smaller the suspended particle size, the stronger the adsorption capacity for antibiotics. Spatially, both the average particle size and total antibiotic concentrations were lower downstream than upstream. The distribution mechanism of antibiotic in river network sediments was significantly influenced by frequent resuspension and settling of fine particles with a stronger capacity to adsorb antibiotics under hydrodynamic conditions. This ultimately facilitated the release of antibiotics from sediment into the water, resulting in lower antibiotic concentrations in downstream sediments relative to upstream These findings suggest that fine particles serve as the primary carriers of antibiotics, and their sorting and transport processes can significantly influence the distribution of antibiotics in water-sediment systems. This study enhances our understanding of the migration mechanisms of antibiotics in river networks and will prove beneficial for the development of management strategies aimed at controlling antibiotic dissemination.

Intelligent Rapid Detection Techniques for Low-Content Components in Fruits and Vegetables: A Comprehensive Review.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of our daily diet and contain low-content components that are crucial for our health. Detecting these components accurately is of paramount significance. However, traditional detection methods face challenges such as complex sample processing, slow detection speed, and the need for highly skilled operators. These limitations fail to meet the growing demand for intelligent and rapid detection of low-content components in fruits and vegetables. In recent years, significant progress has been made in intelligent rapid detection technology, particularly in detecting high-content components in fruits and vegetables. However, the accurate detection of low-content components remains a challenge and has gained considerable attention in current research. This review paper aims to explore and analyze several intelligent rapid detection techniques that have been extensively studied for this purpose. These techniques include near-infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and terahertz spectroscopy, among others. This paper provides detailed reports and analyses of the application of these methods in detecting low-content components. Furthermore, it offers a prospective exploration of their future development in this field. The goal is to contribute to the enhancement and widespread adoption of technology for detecting low-content components in fruits and vegetables. It is expected that this review will serve as a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners in this area.

Seasonal hydrological dynamics affected the diversity and assembly process of the antibiotic resistome in a canal network.

The significant threat of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to aquatic environments health has been widely acknowledged. To date, several studies have focused on the distribution and diversity of ARGs in a single river while their profiles in complex river networks are largely known. Here, the spatiotemporal dynamics of ARG profiles in a canal network were examined using high-throughput quantitative PCR, and the underlying assembly processes and its main environmental influencing factors were elucidated using multiple statistical analyses. The results demonstrated significant seasonal dynamics with greater richness and relative abundance of ARGs observed during the dry season compared to the wet season. ARG profiles exhibited a pronounced distance-decay pattern in the dry season, whereas no such pattern was evident in the wet season. Null model analysis indicated that deterministic processes, in contrast to stochastic processes, had a significant impact on shaping the ARG profiles. Furthermore, it was found that Firmicutes and pH emerged as the foremost factors influencing these profiles. This study enhanced our comprehension of the variations in ARG profiles within canal networks, which may contribute to the design of efficient management approaches aimed at restraining the propagation of ARGs.

Luminescence properties and Judd-Ofelt analysis of Tb3+ doped Sr2YTaO6 double perovskite phosphors for white LED applications.

A series of Tb3+-doped Sr2YTaO6 double perovskite phosphors (SYT:Tb3+) were synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction method. A strong green emission was observed in the SYT:Tb3+ phosphors, and the optimal doping concentration of Tb3+ was confirmed to be 5 mol%. The electric dipole-dipole interaction was ascribed to be the main mechanism for the luminescence concentration quenching. Analysis of the concentration-dependent fluorescence decay confirmed that the self-generated quenching model holds for the dynamic process of Tb3+ decays in SYT. Furthermore, the internal quantum efficiencies, non-radiative transition rates, and energy transfer rates of the 5D4 level for the SYT:Tb3+ samples were estimated, respectively. The luminescence thermal stability of the sample was also evaluated based on the Arrhenius model. The chromaticity shift of the SYT:5 mol% Tb3+ phosphor was examined to be 0.013 when the sample temperature was increased from 303 to 483 K, thus indicating excellent chromaticity shifting resistance under high temperature conditions. Moreover, the Judd-Ofelt parameters were calculated from the emission spectra of SYT:Tb3+ to be Ω2 = 0.29 × 10-20, Ω4 = 0.45 × 10-20, and Ω6 = 0.72 × 10-20 cm2, respectively. The fluorescence branching ratios and radiative transition rates for the 5D4 level were calculated based on the obtained Judd-Ofelt parameters. Finally, a white light-emitting diode (LED) prototype was assembled using a 310 nm LED chip combined with a prepared green SYT:Tb3+ phosphor and two other commercial blue and red phosphors. The obtained warm white light exhibits good chromaticity coordinates (0.32, 0.32) and a high color rendering index of 96.1. Based on the above results, it can be known that the prepared SYT:Tb3+ phosphors have a potential application as green emitting phosphors in white LEDs.

Multicolor-emitting Er3+ and Er3+/Yb3+ doped Zn2GeO4 phosphors combining static and dynamic identifications for advanced anti-counterfeiting application.

Anti-counterfeiting labels based on luminescence materials are a newly emerging technique for protecting legal goods and intellectual property. In the anti-counterfeiting field to prevent forgery and cloning, luminescence materials with properties different from the commercialized and traditional ones are in urgent need. In this work, multicolor-emitting Er3+ single-doped and Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped Zn2GeO4 phosphors combining static and dynamic identifications were developed in order to achieve advanced anti-counterfeiting application. The variation of trap content with increasing the doping content of rare earth ions was analyzed through X - ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermoluminescence analysis. It was found that there are two types of traps with different depth in Zn2GeO4 phosphors. The depths of the traps were experimentally confirmed to be 0.68 and 0.79 eV, respectively. The transient photocurrent response measurement confirmed the existence of charge carriers, and the mechanism for long persistent luminescence was deduced. The multicolor upconversion mechanisms under 980 and 1550 nm excitation were also discovered. Based on the multicolor steady and transient emission features, an anti-counterfeiting pattern was designed using the phosphors. Static and dynamic identification was demonstrated and presented in detail. Finally, it is indicated that the studied phosphors are excellent candidates for potential applications in luminescence anti-counterfeiting labels.

Near infrared emissions from both high efficient quantum cutting (173%) and nearly-pure-color upconversion in NaY(WO4)2:Er3+/Yb3+ with thermal management capability for silicon-based solar cells.

Raising photoelectric conversion efficiency and enhancing heat management are two critical concerns for silicon-based solar cells. In this work, efficient Yb3+ infrared emissions from both quantum cutting and upconversion were demonstrated by adjusting Er3+ and Yb3+ concentrations, and thermo-manage-applicable temperature sensing based on the luminescence intensity ratio of two super-low thermal quenching levels was discovered in an Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped tungstate system. The quantum cutting mechanism was clearly decrypted as a two-step energy transfer process from Er3+ to Yb3+. The two-step energy transfer efficiencies, the radiative and nonradiative transition rates of all interested 4 f levels of Er3+ in NaY(WO4)2 were confirmed in the framework of Föster-Dexter theory, Judd-Ofelt theory, and energy gap law, and based on these obtained efficiencies and rates the quantum cutting efficiency was furthermore determined to be as high as 173% in NaY(WO4)2: 5 mol% Er3+/50 mol% Yb3+ sample. Strong and nearly pure infrared upconversion emission of Yb3+ under 1550 nm excitation was achieved in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped NaY(WO4)2 by adjusting Yb3+ doping concentrations. The Yb3+ induced infrared upconversion emission enhancement was attributed to the efficient energy transfer 4I11/2 (Er3+) + 2F7/2 (Yb3+) → 4I15/2 (Er3+) + 2F5/2 (Yb3+) and large nonradiative relaxation rate of 4I9/2. Analysis on the temperature sensing indicated that the NaY(WO4)2:Er3+/Yb3+ serves well the solar cells as thermos-managing material. Moreover, it was confirmed that the fluorescence thermal quenching of 2H11/2/4S3/2 was caused by the nonradiative relaxation of 4S3/2. All the obtained results suggest that NaY(WO4)2:Er3+/Yb3+ is an excellent material for silicon-based solar cells to improve photoelectric conversion efficiency and thermal management.

Lead-free double perovskite Cs2NaInCl6 nanocrystals doped with Sb3+ and Tb3+ for copper ions detection in lubricating oil.

Detecting heavy metal copper ions in lubricating oil holds immense significance for assessing mechanical wear and predicting mechanical failure. While perovskite nanocrystals offer high sensitivity in detecting copper ions, traditional lead halide perovskites suffer from lead toxicity defects. Lead-free perovskites, like Cs2NaInCl6, avoid the issue of lead toxicity but display lower luminescence intensity due to the presence of forbidden optical transitions. To address these issues, this study synthesized Cs2NaInCl6 nanocrystals (NCs) co-doped with Sb3+ and Tb3+ ions for copper ions detection in lubricating oil. The introduction of Sb3+ effectively reduced the band gap of the Cs2NaInCl6 host, creating an energy transfer pathway for Tb3+ emission via self-trapped excitations (STEs). Moreover, the doping of Tb3+ ions resulted in the suppression of STEs emission due to electron transfer from STEs to Tb3+. The emission of Tb3+ increased initially and then decreased with the increasing Tb3+ concentration, peaking at 40 %. Finally, Cs2NaInCl6: 2.5 %Sb3+, 40 %Tb3+ NCs were employed as probes for copper ions detection, exhibiting superior sensitivity and selectivity compared to similar probes. The presence of copper ions introduced competition between copper and Tb3+ for electrons from STEs, consequently leading to the quenching of multiple emission intensities associated with STEs and Tb3+. This method shows promising potential in predicting mechanical failure.

Dynamics of the sedimentary bacterial communities in a plain river network: similar coalescence patterns with bacterioplankton communities driven by distinct assembly processes.

IMPORTANCE: Microorganisms play important roles in driving the biogeochemical cycles within river ecosystems. It has been suggested that hydrologic conditions could influence microbial communities in rivers, but their specific effects on the behaviours of microbial coalescence have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, the dynamics of sedimentary bacterial communities within a plain river network were analyzed by amplicon sequencing followed by several ecological models to uncover the underlying assembly processes. Additionally, a comparative analysis between bacterioplankton communities and sedimentary bacterial communities was performed to unveil their coalescence patterns. The results suggested that similar coalescence patterns between sedimentary bacterial and bacterioplankton communities were driven by distinct assembly processes under dynamic hydrological conditions. These findings enhanced our understanding of microbial diversity features within river ecosystems.

The Combination of Upconversion Nanoparticles and Perovskite Quantum Dots with Temperature-Dependent Emission Colors for Dual-Mode Anti-Counterfeiting Applications.

Novel and high-security anti-counterfeiting technology has always been the focus of attention and research. This work proposes a nanocomposite combination of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and perovskite quantum dots (PeQDs) to achieve color-adjustable dual-mode luminescence anti-counterfeiting. Firstly, a series of NaGdF4: Yb/Tm UCNPs with different sizes were synthesized, and their thermal-enhanced upconversion luminescence performances were investigated. The upconversion luminescence (UCL) intensity of the samples increases with rising temperature, and the UCL thermal enhancement factor rises as the particle size decreases. This intriguing thermal enhancement phenomenon can be attributed to the mitigation of surface luminescence quenching. Furthermore, CsPbBr3 PeQDs were well adhered to the surfaces and surroundings of the UCNPs. Leveraging energy transfer and the contrasting temperature responses of UCNPs and PeQDs, this nanocomposite was utilized as a dual-mode thermochromic anti-counterfeiting system. As the temperature increases, the color of the composite changes from green to pink under 980 nm excitation, while it displays green to non-luminescence under 365 nm excitation. This new anti-counterfeiting material, with its high security and convenience, has great potential in anti-counterfeiting applications.

[Efficacy and Prognosis of Transplant-Associated Thrombotic Microangiopathy Based on Different Prognostic Risk Models].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features of transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) and the prognostic value of different prognostic risk models for TA-TMA. METHODS: The clinical characteristics of 32 TA-TMA patients diagnosed at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from January 2018 to February 2022 in terms of short-term prognosis and influencing factors were retrospectively analyzed. In addition, the risk population composition ratio, treatment response, and overall survival between the BATAP risk model and the TMA index model were compared, as well as the efficacy of two prognostic risk models for predicting death in patients with TA-TMA. RESULTS: Independent risk factors affecting the short-term prognosis of TA-TMA include III-IV aGVHD prior to TA-TMA diagnosis (P=0.001), renal or neurological dysfunction (P=0.006), and Hb<70 g/L (P=0.043). In the TMA index model, treatment response was worst in the high-risk group (P=0.008), while there was no significant difference in treatment response between different risk groups in the BATAP model (P=0.105). In the BATAP model, there was a statistically significant difference in the OS between the three groups of low risk, intermediate risk, and high risk (87.5% vs 61.1% vs 16.7%, χ2＝6.7, P=0.014). In the TMA index model, there was a statistically significant difference in the OS between the three groups of low risk, intermediate risk, and high risk (77.8% vs 45.5% vs 0.0%, χ2＝7.3, P=0.017). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the TMA index model was 0.745 (95%CI: 0.56-0.88, P<0.05), and the AUC of the BATAP model was 0.743 (95%CI: 0.56-0.88, P<0.05), indicating that both prognostic risk models have good predictive value. CONCLUSION: The short-term prognosis of TA-TMA patients might be accurately determined using both the BATAP model and the TMA index model. When predicting the efficacy of TA-TMA in different risk groups, the TMA index model may perform better than the BATAP model.

Evidence for the anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to nitrous oxide reduction in landfill cover soils: Promotor and inhibitor.

Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to nitrous oxide reduction (N2O-AOM) is an important microbial pathway for mitigating greenhouse gases. However, it remains largely unknown whether this process could occur in landfills, which are important anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases emissions. Here, 13CH4 was supplied in microcosm incubations to track potential rates for the N2O-AOM process in landfill cover soils (LCS). The highest rates for the N2O-AOM process were observed in the bottom layers of LCS and it could be remarkably promoted by the addition of electron shuttles. In addition, 2-bromoethanesulfonic sodium inhibited the N2O-AOM process and reduced the expression of the mcrA gene, showing that ANME archaea/methanogens might be the methane oxidizers for the N2O-AOM process. Our results implied that the N2O-AOM process was an overlooked process for synchronous control of methane and nitrous oxide and may contribute to the future management of greenhouse gases emissions from landfills.

The preliminary development and clinical verification of the positive index score scale of "Heart Arthralgia Syndrome".

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the age of onset for coronary heart disease (CHD) has become one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The medical treatments occasionally cause side effects; therefore, there is still an urgent need to develop new therapeutic modalities for CHD in clinical practice. "Heart Arthralgia Syndrome (HAS)" is a general term for CHD with arthralgia symptoms proposed by our team based on clinical experience. At present, there is little in-depth research on the treatment of HAS by TCM. Pick Complex Therapy (PCT) is an innovative and developed theory of collateral acupuncture therapy for HAS. METHODS: We collected data from 276 patients who met the criteria for (coronary heart disease with numbness of neck, shoulder, waist, and leg). We selected 24 diagnostic criteria for HAS by means of multiple methods, including Cronbach's α coefficient, retest reliability, subjective evaluation, discrete trend, Pearson's rank correlation coefficient and factor analysis method. We thereafter evaluated the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the scale. In the clinical validation phase, we verified whether the preliminary developed positive index (PI) scale can guide clinical practice. Forty (40) patients with HAS were selected in the study. SPSS23.0 statistical software was used for statistical processing and analysis. RESULTS: Assessment results of the initial PI scale for HAS: the average time to complete the scale was 7.47 ± 3.59 minutes. Cronbach's α coefficient for the initial table was 0.711, the retest reliability was 0.897, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test result was 0.844, and the Bartlett test result was 2502.300. Following maximum variance rotation analysis, the cumulative variance contribution rate was determined to be 66.605%. In the clinical validation phase of the PI scale, we tested 40 patients before and after the PCT treatments. After 3 measurements, the correlation between the PI scale for HAS and the angina pectoris grading scoring method table decreased gradually. The last 2 measurement results of study indicated that there was a significant correlation between the PI scale and thrombin time, while physical and chemical examination showed no significant changes. CONCLUSION: The PI scale for HAS can be widely used in the clinic as a preliminary evaluation tool for guiding PCT.

Integration of Transcriptomics and Lipidomics Profiling to Reveal the Therapeutic Mechanism Underlying Ramulus mori (Sangzhi) Alkaloids for the Treatment of Liver Lipid Metabolic Disturbance in High-Fat-Diet/Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder, with a global prevalence of 25%. Currently, there remains no approved therapy. Ramulus mori (Sangzhi) alkaloids (SZ-As), a novel natural medicine, have achieved comprehensive benefits in the treatment of type 2 diabetes; however, few studies have focused on its role in ameliorating hepatic lipid metabolic disturbance. Herein, the therapeutic effect and mechanism of SZ-As on a high-fat diet (HFD) combined with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced NAFLD mice were investigated via incorporating transcriptomics and lipidomics. SZ-As reduced body weight and hepatic lipid levels, restored pathological alternation and converted the blood biochemistry perturbations. SZ-A treatment also remarkedly inhibited lipogenesis and enhanced lipolysis, fatty acid oxidation and thermogenesis. Transcriptomics analysis confirmed that SZ-As mainly altered fatty acid oxidative metabolism and the TNF signaling pathway. SZ-As were further demonstrated to downregulate inflammatory factors and effectively ameliorate hepatic inflammation. Lipidomics analysis also suggested that SZ-As affected differential lipids including triglyceride (TG) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) expression, and the main metabolic pathways included glycerophospholipid, sphingomyelins and choline metabolism. Collectively, combined with transcriptomics and metabolomics data, it is suggested that SZ-As exert their therapeutic effect on NAFLD possibly through regulating lipid metabolism pathways (glycerophospholipid metabolism and choline metabolism) and increasing levels of PC and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) metabolites. This study provides the basis for more widespread clinical applications of SZ-As.

Dissolving microneedles for alopecia treatment.

Alopecia is a treatable benign disease, however, approximately 15-30% of women and 50% of men suffer from alopecia, which greatly affects patient's self-esteem and quality of life. Currently, commercial products for alopecia treatment include topical minoxidil solution, oral finasteride tablets and oral baricitinib tablets. However, the barrier of stratum corneum, systemic adverse effects and poor cure rate limit the application of commercial products. Therefore, researchers investigated the mechanism of alopecia, and developed new drugs that could target lactate dehydrogenase-related pathways, remove excessive reactive oxygen in hair follicles, and reduce the escape of hair follicle stem cells, thus injecting new strength into the treatment of alopecia. Moreover, starting from improving drug stratum corneum penetration and reducing side effects, researchers have developed hair loss treatment strategies based on dissolved microneedles (MNs), such as drug powders/microparticles, nanoparticles, biomimetic cell membranes, phototherapy and magnetically responsive soluble microneedles, which show exciting alopecia treatment effects. However, there are still some challenges in the practical application of the current alopecia treatment strategy with soluble microneedles, and further studies are needed to accelerate its clinical translation.

Modeling and De-Noising for Nondestructive Detection of Total Soluble Solid Content of Pomelo by Using Visible/Near Infrared Spectroscopy.

The flavor of Pomelo is highly variable and difficult to determine without peeling the fruit. The quality of pomelo flavor is due largely to the total soluble solid content (TSSC) in the fruit and there is a commercial need for a quick but nondestructive TSSC detection method for the industrial grading of pomelo. Due to the large size and thick mesocarp of pomelo, determining the internal quality of a pomelo fruit in a nondestructive manner is difficult, and the detection accuracy is further complicated by the noise typically generated by the common methods for the internal quality detection of other fruits. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the optimal method to accurately detect pomelo TSSC and find a de-noising model which reduces the influence of noise on the optimal method's results. After developing a full-transmission visible/near infrared (VIS/NIR) spectroscopy sampling method, the confirming experimental results showed that the optimal pomelo TSSC detection model was Savitzky Golay + standard normal variate + competitive adaptive reweighted sampling + partial least squares regression. The R2 and RMSE of the calibration set for pomelo TSSC detection were 0.8097 and 0.8508, respectively, and the R2 and RMSE of the validation set for pomelo TSSC detection were 0.8053 and 0.8888, respectively. Both reference and dark de-noising are important for pomelo internal quality detection and should be calibrated frequently to compensate for time drift. This study found that large sensor response translation noise can be reduced with an artificial horizontal shift. Data supplementation is efficient for improving the adaption of the detection model for batch differences in pomelo samples. Using this optimized de-noising model to compensate for time drift, sensor response translation, and batch differences, the developed detection method is capable of satisfying the requirements of the industry (TSSC detection R2 was equal or larger than 0.9, RMSE was less than 1). These results indicate that full-transmission VIS/NIR spectroscopy can be exploited to realize the nondestructive detection of pomelo TSSC on an industrial scale, and that the methodologies used in this study can be immediately implemented in real-world production.

Effects of high pressure synergistic enzymatic physical state and concentration on the denaturation of polyphenol oxidase.

The synergistic effect of the initial state of the enzyme and pressure level on the denaturation of PPO has not been clear yet, but it significantly affects the application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) in the enzyme-containing food processing. Solid (S-) and low/high concentration liquid (LL-/HL-) polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was used as the study object, and the microscopic conformation, molecular morphology and macroscopic activity of PPO under HHP treatments (100-400 MPa, 25 °C/30 min) were investigated by spectroscopic techniques. The results show that the initial state has a significant effect on the activity, structure, active force and substrate channel of PPO under pressure. The effec can be ranked as follows: physical state > concentration > pressure, S-PPO > LL-PPO > HL-PPO. High concentration has a weakening effect on the pressure denaturation of the PPO solution. Under high pressure, the α-helix and concentration factors play a crucial role in stabilizing the structure.

Skin permeation of curcumin nanocrystals: Effect of particle size, delivery vehicles, and permeation enhancer.

Nanocrystals are characterized by high drug loading, low carrier toxicity, and great structural stability. Therefore, they are a promising and versatile strategy for enhancing the local delivery of insoluble drugs. They achieve this by improving skin adhesion, concentration gradients, and hair follicle accumulation, as well as generating corona diffusion (which forms through the overlap of dissolved drug molecules around a nanocrystal). The development of suitable formulations for enhancing the passive diffusion and/or follicular targeting of nanocrystals is of great importance to clinical practice. We sought to elucidate the influence of particle size, a penetration enhancer, and delivery vehicles on the follicular accumulation and passive dermal permeation of nanocrystals. For this purpose, curcumin nanocrystals (particle size: 60, 120, and 480 nm) were incorporated into xanthan gum gels (delivery vehicles) with propylene glycol (penetration enhancer). This evaluation was performed in a porcine skin model. The results showed that xanthan gum reduced the follicular penetration and passive skin accumulation of curcumin nanocrystals. The propylene glycol enhanced the skin penetration and retention of curcumin nanocrystals in vitro for 24 h. The curcumin nanocrystals of smaller particle size (i.e., 60 and 120 nm) displayed higher passive skin penetration versus those with larger particle size (i.e., 480 nm); however, the latter type showed deeper follicular accumulation. In conclusion, the delivery vehicles, penetration enhancer, and particle sizes examined in this study affect the dermal penetration and accumulation of curcumin nanocrystals. Hence, their effects should be adequately considered when designing formulations of such nanocrystals.

Bi3+ and Tb3+ Co-doped Cs2AgInCl6 Lead-free double perovskite nanocrystals for detection of temperature and copper ions.

The content of Cu2+ in lubricating oil and lubricant temperature are important indicators predicting mechanical failure. Therefore, developing a nontoxic fluorescence probe is necessary to detect Cu2+ and temperature in lubricating oil. The lead-free inorganic double perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) Cs2AgInCl6 are potential candidates. However, the low fluorescence intensity and the high excitation energy required of Cs2AgInCl6 NCs limit their practical applications. In this study, Bi3+ and Tb3+ were successfully co-doped into Cs2AgInCl6 NCs via the hot-injection method. The doping of Bi3+ produces a broad emission originating from self-trapped excitons and reduces the excitation energy, allowing commercial LEDs as excitation sources. Tb3+ ions doping offers characteristic emission peaks (5D0-7FJ) of Tb3+ ions and improves the fluorescence intensity of Cs2AgInCl6 NCs. Furthermore, the Cs2AgInCl6: Bi3+/Tb3+ NCs have been employed as optical thermometry, which provide a temperature calibration curve with the maximum absolute and relative sensitivities of 2.15% K-1 at 350 K and 2.25% K-1 at 303 K in the temperature range of 303-423 K, respectively. Finally, the nanocrystals have been applied to detect Cu2+ in lubricating oil. The fluorescent probe shows a good detection sensitivity of 8.94 × 10-4 nM-1 and a low detection limit of 14.3 nM in the range of 10-300 nM. This work not merely offers a novel way for improving the luminescence performances of double perovskite NCs Cs2AgInCl6, but broadens their potential for detection of Cu2+ and temperature.

Intense red up-conversion luminescence and temperature sensing property of Yb3+/Er3+ co-doped BaGd2O4 phosphors.

In this study, intense red and extremely weak green up-conversion (UC) luminescence was obtained in BaGd2O4: x mol% Yb3+/y mol% Er3+ phosphors under the excitations of 980 nm and 1550 nm. The corresponding maximum integrated intensity ratios of the red to green UC emissions are 50.3 and 158.7, respectively. The UC luminescence mechanisms upon different excitations were discussed. It was confirmed that two-photon and three-photon processes were responsible for both the red and green UC emissions excited at 980 nm and 1550 nm, respectively. The energy transfer efficiency from Er3+ to Yb3+ was calculated according to the fluorescence lifetime measurement under 1550 nm excitation. Temperature sensing based upon the thermally coupled energy levels 2H11/2/4S3/2 as well as thermally coupled Stark sublevels of 4F9/2 level of Er3+ was investigated under the excitation of 980 nm. The maximum absolute sensitivities were respectively obtained to be 0.42% K-1 at 573 K and 0.18% K-1 at 298 K. Our results indicated that BaGd2O4: Yb3+/Er3+ phosphors might be a kind of promising red UC phosphors with optical temperature measurement function.