Public health events and economic growth in a neoclassical framework.

Public health events (PHEs) have emerged as significant threats to human life, health, and economic growth. PHEs, such as COVID-19, have prompted a reevaluation for enhanced regular prevention and control (RPC). In this study, we focus on the core concept of prevention and control intensity (PCI), and establish a neoclassical economic growth model from the long-term and macro perspective to balance life protection and economic growth. The model construct the mechanism of PCI on economic growth through population dynamics and capital accumulation under the backdrop of RPC for PHEs. We find the conditions for PCI when the economy achieves steady state, and provides an algorithm establishing the optimal strategy that maximises per capita disposable income based on the optimal PCI and consumption. Simulation result quantifies an inverted U-shaped relationship between PCI and capital per capita, output per capita and consumption per capita in the steady state. The model suggests that, given the PHEs of inducing potential unemployment shock, it is worthwhile to combine the implementation of moderate PCI with coordinated policies of income distribution.

Active CRISPR-Cas12a on Hydrophilic Metal-Organic Frameworks: A Nanobiocomposite with High Stability and Activity for Nucleic Acid Detection.

CRISPR-Cas12a is an accurate and responsive biosensing technique, but its limited stability has restricted its widespread applications. To address this, we propose a strategy using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to protect Cas12a from harsh environments. After screening multiple candidate MOFs, it was found that hydrophilic MAF-7 is highly compatible with Cas12a, and the as-formed Cas12a-on-MAF-7 (COM) not only retains high enzymatic activity but also possesses excellent tolerance to heat, salt, and organic solvents. Further investigation showed that COM can serve as an analytical component for nucleic acid detection, resulting in an ultrasensitive assay for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection with a detection limit of 1 copy. This is the first successful attempt to create an active Cas12a nanobiocomposite that functions as a biosensor without the need for shell deconstruction or enzyme release.

Integrating CRISPR/Cas12a with strand displacement amplification for the ultrasensitive aptasensing of cadmium(II).

Cadmium ion (Cd(II)) is a pernicious environmental pollutant that has been shown to contaminate agricultural lands, accumulate through the food chain, and seriously threaten human health. At present, Cd(II) monitoring is dependent on centralized instruments, necessitating the development of rapid and on-site detection platforms. Against this backdrop, the present study reports on the development of a fluorometric aptasensor designed to target Cd(II), which is achieved through the integration of strand displacement amplification (SDA) and CRISPR/Cas12a. In the absence of Cd(II), the aptamer initiates SDA, resulting in the generation of a profusion of ssDNA that activates Cas12a, leading to a substantial increase in fluorescence output. Conversely, the presence of Cd(II) curtails the SDA efficiency, culminating in a significant reduction in fluorescence output. The proposed approach has been demonstrated to enable the selective detection of Cd(II) at concentrations of 60 pM, with the performance of the aptasensor validated in real water and rice samples. The proposed platform based on aptamer-target interaction holds immense promise as a signal-amplified and precise method for the detection of Cd(II) and has the potential to transform current hazard detection practices in food samples.

A DNA-Cu nanocluster and exonuclease I integrated label-free reporting system for CRISPR/Cas12a-based SARS-CoV-2 detection with minimized background signals.

CRISPR-driven biosensing is developing rapidly, but current studies mostly adopt dye-labeled ssDNA as the signal reporter, which is costly and unstable. Herein, we developed a label-free and low-background reporter for CRISPR/Cas12a signaling by integrating DNA-templated copper nanoclusters (DNA-CuNCs) and exonuclease I (EXO I). The template of the DNA-CuNCs was rationally designed as a ds-/ss-DNA hybrid, ensuring that after a quick and nonpersistent cut of Cas12a, a majority of the template can be digested by EXO I. Based on this novel reporter, a biosensor termed CRISPR-CNS (cost-effective, nimble, and sensitive copper nanocluster sensor integrating CRISPR) was developed. Due to the high signal-to-background ratio of our proposed reporter, CRISPR-CNS shows excellent performances for nucleic acid detection, yielding a detection limit of 20 copies for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Considering its facile synthesis, robust fluorescence, effective cost, and good sensitivity, this combination shall serve as a highly potential output for CRISPR-based point-of-care testing.

Recent developments on nanomaterial probes for detection of pesticide residues: A review.

The accumulation of pesticide residues may cause harm to the human body and the environment. Traditional chromatographic methods are limited by stringent testing conditions, so it is necessary to develop convenient and efficient methods for pesticide residue detection. Fluorescence assays have great potential in the development of portable detection tools due to their fast response and intuitive visualization. In this paper, we reviewed nanomaterial-based fluorescent probes for pesticide residue detection that have been reported in recent years, including small molecule probes, metal-organic framework fluorescent probes, fluorescent quantum dot probes, and nanocluster probes. In addition, we describe the design strategy, detection mechanism, and practical application of these probes in detail. The latest progress and application strategies of fluorescent probe detection methods based on nanomaterials are comprehensively discussed, and prospects are proposed.

Neddylation inhibitor MLN4924 induces G2 cell cycle arrest, DNA damage and sensitizes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells to cisplatin.

Inhibiting the protein neddylation pathway using the NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor MLN4924 represents an attractive anticancer strategy having been demonstrated to exhibit promising anticancer efficacy and with tolerable levels of toxicity; however, the mechanism by which MLN4924 inhibits cell proliferation in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells requires further investigation. The present study revealed that MLN4924 treatment led to G2 cell cycle arrest and enhanced the protein stability of Wee1-like protein kinase and cyclin dependent protein kinase inhibitor 1A and B and p27. Furthermore, MLN4924 induced DNA damage and sensitized esophageal cancer cells to cisplatin by enhancing apoptosis. These findings extend the understanding of the function and mechanism of MLN4924 in ESCC and provide further evidence for the future development of neddylation inhibitors in clinical trials of esophageal cancer therapy, either alone or in combination.

Targeting the overexpressed ROC1 induces G2 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in esophageal cancer cells.

Recent reports showed that regulator of Cullins-1 (ROC1) play an important role in tumor progression in a tumor-specific manner. However, the role and mechanism of ROC1 in esophageal cancer remains elusive. Here we demonstrated that ROC1 was overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, which was positive associated with poor prognosis of esophageal cancer patients. ROC1 knockdown significantly inhibited the growth of esophageal cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, ROC1 silencing induced G2 cell cycle arrest and triggered apoptosis by accumulating the pro-apoptotic protein NOXA. Consistently, the downregulation of NOXA expression via siRNA substantially attenuated apoptosis induced by ROC1 silencing. These findings suggest that ROC1 is an appealing drug target for esophageal cancer.