Adaptive regulation of miRNAs/milRNAs in tissue-specific interaction between apple and Valsa mali.

In plant-pathogen interactions, pathogens display tissue specificity, infecting and causing disease in particular tissues. However, the involvement of microRNAs/microRNA-like RNAs (miRNAs/milRNAs) in tissue-specific regulation during plant-pathogen interactions remains largely unexplored. This study investigates the differential expression of miRNAs/milRNAs, as well as their corresponding target genes, in interactions between Valsa mali (Vm) and different apple tissues. The results demonstrated that both apple miRNAs and Vm milRNAs exhibited distinct expression profiles when Vm infected bark and leaves, with functionally diverse corresponding target genes. Furthermore, one apple miRNA (Mdo-miR482a) and one Vm milRNA (Vm-milR57) were identified as exhibiting tissue-specific expression in interactions between Vm and apple bark or leaves. Mdo-miR482a was exclusively up-regulated in response to Vm infection in bark and target a nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) gene of apple. When Mdo-miR482a was transiently over-expressed or silenced, the resistance was significantly reduced or improved. Similarly, transient expression of the NLR gene also showed an increase in resistance. Vm-milR57 could target two essential pathogenicity-related genes of Vm. During Vm infection in bark, the expression of Vm-milR57 was down-regulated to enhance the expression of the corresponding target gene to improve the pathogenicity. The study is the first to reveal tissue-specific characteristics of apple miRNAs and Vm milRNAs in interactions between Vm and different apple tissues, providing new insights into adaptive regulation in tissue-specific interactions between plants and fungi.

VISTA: a novel checkpoint for cancer immunotherapy.

V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) is a recently identified member of the B7 family of immunoregulatory proteins. It is pivotal for maintaining T cell quiescence and exerts a significant regulatory influence on the immune response to tumors. Accumulating clinical evidence suggests that the influence of VISTA on tumor immunity is more nuanced than initially postulated. Although these revelations add layers of complexity to our understanding of the function of VISTA, they also offer novel avenues for scientific inquiry and potential therapeutic targets. In this review, we scrutinize the current literature pertaining to the expression of VISTA in various of malignancies, aiming to elucidate its intricate roles within the tumor microenvironment and in cancer immunotherapy.

Metabolomic approaches to dissect dysregulated metabolism in the progression of pre-diabetes to T2DM.

Many individuals with pre-diabetes eventually develop diabetes. Therefore, profiling of prediabetic metabolic disorders may be an effective targeted preventive measure. We aimed to elucidate the metabolic mechanism of progression of pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from a metabolic perspective. Four sets of plasma samples (20 subjects per group) collected according to fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentration were subjected to metabolomic analysis. An integrative approach of metabolome and WGCNA was employed to explore candidate metabolites. Compared with the healthy group (FBG < 5.6 mmol L-1), 113 metabolites were differentially expressed in the early stage of pre-diabetes (5.6 mmol L-1 ⩽ FBG < 6.1 mmol L-1), 237 in the late stage of pre-diabetes (6.1 mmol L-1 ⩽ FBG < 7.0 mmol L-1), and 245 in the T2DM group (FBG ⩾ 7.0 mmol L-1). A total of 27 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were shared in all comparisons. Among them, L-norleucine was downregulated, whereas ethionamide, oxidized glutathione, 5-methylcytosine, and alpha-D-glucopyranoside beta-D-fructofuranosyl were increased with the rising levels of FBG. Surprisingly, 15 (11 lyso-phosphatidylcholines, L-norleucine, oxidized glutathione, arachidonic acid, and 5-oxoproline) of the 27 DEMs were ferroptosis-associated metabolites. WGCNA clustered all metabolites into 8 modules and the pathway enrichment analysis of DEMs showed a significant annotation to the insulin resistance-related pathway. Integrated analysis of DEMs, ROC and WGCNA modules determined 12 potential biomarkers for pre-diabetes and T2DM, including L-norleucine, 8 of which were L-arginine or its metabolites. L-Norleucine and L-arginine could serve as biomarkers for pre-diabetes. The inventory of metabolites provided by our plasma metabolome offers insights into T2DM physiology metabolism.

Biocontrol activity of an endophytic Alternaria alternata Aa-Lcht against apple Valsa canker.

Apple Valsa canker (AVC), caused by Valsa mali, is the most serious branch disease for apples in East Asia. Biocontrol constitutes a desirable alternative strategy to alleviate the problems of orchard environment pollution and pathogen resistance risk. It is particularly important to explore efficient biocontrol microorganism resources to develop new biocontrol technologies and products. In this study, an endophytic fungus, which results in the specific inhibition of the growth of V. mali, was isolated from the twig tissue of Malus micromalus with a good tolerance to AVC. The fungus was identified as Alternaria alternata, based on morphological observations and phylogenetic analysis, and was named Aa-Lcht. Aa-Lcht showed a strong preventive effect against AVC, as determined with an in vitro twig evaluation method. When V. mali was inhibited by Aa-Lcht, according to morphological and cytological observations, the hyphae was deformed and it had more branches, a degradation in protoplasm, breakages in cell walls, and then finally died completely due to mycelium cells. Transcriptome analysis indicated that Aa-Lcht could suppress the growth of V. mali by inhibiting the activity of various hydrolases, destroying carbohydrate metabolic processes, and damaging the pathogen membrane system. It was further demonstrated that Aa-Lcht could colonize apple twig tissues without damaging the tissue's integrity. More importantly, Aa-Lcht could also stimulate the up-regulated expression of defense-related genes in apples together with the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and callose deposition in apple leaf cells. Summarizing the above, one endophytic biocontrol resource was isolated, and it can colonize apple twig tissue and play a biocontrol role through both pathogen inhibition and resistance inducement.

Dynamic evolution and spatial difference of public health service supply in economically developed provinces of China: typical evidence from Guangdong Province.

OBJECTIVE: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention from all sectors of society to the level of public health services. This study aims to investigate the level of public health service supply in the four major regions of Guangdong Province, providing a basis for optimizing health resource allocation. METHODS: This article uses the entropy method and panel data of 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province from 2005 to 2021 to construct the evaluation index system of public health service supply and calculate its supply index. On this basis, the standard deviation ellipse method, kernel density estimation, and Markov chain are used to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution trend of the public health service supply level in Guangdong Province. The Dagum Gini coefficient and panel regression model are further used to analyze the relative differences and the key influencing factors of difference formation. Finally, the threshold effect model is used to explore the action mechanism of the key factors. RESULTS: Overall, the level of public health service supply in Guangdong Province is on an upward trend. Among them, polarization and gradient effects are observed in the Pearl River Delta and Eastern Guangdong regions; the balance of public health service supply in Western Guangdong and Northern Mountainous areas has improved. During the observation period, the level of public health services in Guangdong Province shifted towards a higher level with a smaller probability of leapfrogging transition, and regions with a high level of supply demonstrated a positive spillover effect. The overall difference, intra-regional difference and inter-regional difference in the level of public health service supply in Guangdong Province during the observation period showed different evolutionary trends, and spatial differences still exist. These differences are more significantly positively affected by factors such as the level of regional economic development, the degree of fiscal decentralization, and the urbanization rate. Under different economic development threshold values, the degree of fiscal decentralization and urbanization rate both have a double threshold effect on the role of public health service supply level. CONCLUSION: The overall level of public health service supply in Guangdong Province has improved, but spatial differences still exist. Key factors influencing these differences include the level of regional economic development, the degree of fiscal decentralization, and the urbanization rate, all of which exhibit threshold effects. It is suggested that, in view of the actual situation of each region, efforts should be made to build and maintain their own advantages, enhance the spatial linkage of public health service supply, and consider the threshold effects of key factors in order to optimize the allocation of health resources.

The association between complement C1q tumour necrosis factor-related protein-1 (CTRP-1) level and metabolic syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Complement C1q tumour necrosis factor-related protein (CTRP-1) is a member of the C1q protein superfamily that plays a role in metabolism. This retrospective study aimed to investigate associations between CTRP-1 and metabolic syndrome (MetS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study screened subjects who had undergone regular health examinations at the Physical Examination Centre in the First People's Hospital of Yinchuan (the Second Affiliated Hospital of Ningxia Medical University) between November 2017 and September 2020. The total recruited population included 430 subjects who had undergone regular health examinations, excluding 112 subjects with high glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c ≥ 7). Finally, the data of 318 participants were further analysed. Non-diabetic subjects were divided into 2 groups: one with MetS and one without MetS (controls). Serum CTRP-1 concentrations were evaluated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: A total of 318 subjects were included, among whom 176 were diagnosed with MetS (MetS group) and 142 were not (non-MetS controls). The MetS group had significantly lower CTRP-1 levels than non-MetS controls (128.51 [111.56-143.05] vs. 138.82 [122.83-154.33] ng/mL, p < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed that serum CTRP-1 levels correlated negatively with body mass index (r = -0.161, p = 0.004), waist circumference (r = -0.191, p = 0.001), systolic blood pressure (r = -0.198, p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.145, p = 0.010), fasting blood glucose (FBG) (r = -0.562, p < 0.001), fasting insulin (FIns) (r = -0.424, p < 0.001), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r = -0.541, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression models showed that CTRP-1 levels were associated with MetS (p < 0.01). The lipid profile area under the curve (AUC) was comparable to those for FBG and FIns, and it was significantly higher than the AUCs for demographic variables. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the serum CTRP-1 level is negatively associated with MetS. CTRP-1 is a potential metabolism-related protein and is likely to be associated with lipid profiles in MetS.

Impact of digital economic development and environmental pollution on residents' health: an empirical analysis based on 279 prefecture-level cities in China.

BACKGROUND: The digital economy based on the internet and IT is developing rapidly in China, which makes a profound impact on urban environmental quality and residents' health activities. Thus, this study introduces environmental pollution as a mediating variable based on Grossman's health production function to explore the impact of digital economic development on the health of the population and its influence path. METHODS: Based on the panel data of 279 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2017, this paper investigates the acting mechanism of digital economic development on residents' health by employing a combination of mediating effects model and spatial Durbin model. RESULTS: The development of digital economy makes direct improvement on residents' health condition, which is also obtained indirectly by means of environmental pollution mitigation. Besides, from the perspective of spatial spillover effect, the development of digital economy also has a significant promoting effect on the health of adjacent urban residents, and further analysis reveals that the promoting effect in the central and western regions of China is more pronounced than that in the eastern region. CONCLUSIONS: Digital economy can have a direct promoting effect on the health of residents, and environmental pollution has an intermediary effect between digital economy and residents' health; At the same time, there is also a regional heterogeneity among the three relationships. Therefore, this paper believes that the government should continue to formulate and implement scientific digital economy development policies at the macro and micro levels to narrow the regional digital divide, improve environmental quality and enhance the health level of residents.

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of serum metabolomic characteristics in people with different vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin with multiple functions. However, the metabolism of people with different vitamin D concentrations is still unclear. Herein, we collected clinical data and analysed the serum metabolome of people with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) ≥40 ng/mL (A), 30 ng/mL ≤25(OH)D <40 ng/mL (B) and 25(OH)D <30 ng/mL (C) by the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. We found that haemoglobin A1c, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and thioredoxin interaction protein were enhanced, while HOMA-ß was reduced with the decrease of 25(OH)D concentration. In addition, people in the C group were diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes. Metabolomics analysis showed that seven, thirty-four and nine differential metabolites were identified in the groups B vs A, C vs A and C vs B, respectively. Metabolites associated with cholesterol metabolism and bile acid biosynthesis, such as 7-ketolithocholic acid, 12-ketolithocholic acid, apocholic acid, N-arachidene glycine and d-mannose 6-phosphate, were significantly upregulated in the C group compared with the A or B groups. In conclusion, the disorder of vitamin D metabolism may be related to cholesterol metabolism and bile acid biosynthesis. This study provided a basis for exploring the possible mechanism leading to abnormal vitamin D metabolism.

Exosomal circ-1199 derived from EPCs exposed to oscillating shear stress acts as a sponge of let-7g-5p to promote endothelial-mesenchymal transition of EPCs by increasing HMGA2 expression.

AIMS: Our previous study showed that oscillatory shear stress (OSS) induces endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to undergo endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), which may contribute to the onset and progression of atherosclerosis (AS). However, the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. A recent study showed that exosomes (Exos) released from EPCs played a key role in various cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to identify the role and mechanism of Exos released by EPCs exposed to OSS in EPC EndoMT. MAIN METHODS: EPCs derived from the human umbilical cord blood were cultured and characterized. The Flexcell flow STR-4000 parallel plate flow chamber system was employed to apply OSS (±3.5 dyne/cm2, 1 Hz) to EPCs for 12 h. Then, Exos were extracted from the cellular supernatant (Static-Exos) or perfusate (OSS-Exos) by exoEasy Maxi Kit. Afterward, cellular intervention, angiogenesis assays, high-throughput sequencing and online database predictions were used to identify the role and mechanism of OSS-Exos in EPC EndoMT. KEY FINDINGS: OSS-Exos inhibited angiogenesis, promoted the proliferation of EPCs both in vivo and in vitro, and induced EPC EndoMT. In addition, the expression of circ-1199 in OSS-Exos was higher than that in Static-Exos. Moreover, circ-1199 induced EPC EndoMT. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that let-7g-5p was the direct target of circ-1199. Furthermore, OSS-Exos upregulated the expression of circ-1199 and then downregulated let-7g-5p, upregulating HMGA2, which activated p-Smad3/Smad3 and Snail. SIGNIFICANCE: OSS-Exos played an important role in the EndoMT of EPCs, which was mediated by the circ-1199/let-7g-5p/HMGA2 signaling pathway. These studies would have a high probability of revealing the mechanism of EPC EndoMT.

Vitamin D deficiency leads to the abnormal activation of the complement system.

Vitamin D deficiency can damage the human immune system, and the complement system is a key component of the immune system. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which vitamin D affects the immune system by analyzing the changes in the protein expression of the complement system under different vitamin D levels. We selected 40 participants and divided them into three groups according to their serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)VD): group A, 25(OH)VD ≥ 40 ng/mL; group B, 30 ng/mL ≤ 25(OH)VD < 40 ng/mL; and group C, 25(OH)VD < 30 ng/mL. Serum samples were subjected to biochemical analysis, followed by proteomic analysis using high-throughput untargeted proteomic techniques. Vitamin D deficiency increased the levels of fasting blood sugar, fasting serum insulin, and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance and decreased the secretion of HOMA of ß-cell function, which led to insulin resistance and glucose metabolism disorder. Moreover, vitamin D deficiency resulted in the abnormal expression of 56 differential proteins, among which the expression levels of complement factor B, complement component C9, inducible co-stimulator ligand, and peptidase inhibitor 16 significantly changed with the decrease in vitamin D content. Functional enrichment analysis of these differential proteins showed that they were mainly concentrated in functions and pathways related to insulin secretion and inflammation. In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency not only contributes to insulin resistance and glucose metabolism disorder but also causes abnormal protein expression, resulting in the abnormal activation of the complement system. This study provides a novel theoretical basis for further studies on the relationship between vitamin D and the immune system.

Prognostic potential of miR-144 in various cancers: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: MicrorNA-144 (MiR-144) has been shown to be an attractive prognostic tumor biomarker and play a fundamental role in various cancers, However, the conclusion was inconsistency. The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic role of miR-144 in cancers. METHODS: Relevant studies were searched in PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science up to April 20, 2022. Hazard ratios (HR), odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were pooled from the selected studies. RESULTS: A total of 15 articles involving 1846 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results revealed that low miR-144 expression was significantly associated with favorable overall survival (HR: 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53-0.88) in various cancers. Low miR-144 expression had better predictive value in patients with urinary system cancer (HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.35-0.64). In addition, low miR-144 expression was associated with tumor diameter (big vs small) (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.08-2.75), tumor stage (III-IV vs I-II) (OR: 2.52, 95% CI: 3.76-8.14) and invasion depth (T3 + T4 vs T2 + T1) (OR: 3.24, 95% CI: 1.72-4.89). CONCLUSION: miR-144 may serve as a prognostic biomarker in cancers.

The correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: All subjects underwent medical check-ups, which included the measurement of basic clinical, biochemical tests and imaging tests. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models and piece-wise linear regression were used to assess the relationship between NLR and PLR with NAFLD. RESULTS: All participants were divided into two groups: the Non-NAFLD group and the NAFLD group. Univariate analysis model indicated PLR was negatively correlated with NAFLD (P &lt; 0.001) and NLR was not significantly associated with NAFLD (P &gt; 0.05). Multiple logistic regression showed that no correlation between NLR and PLR with NAFLD after adjusting all covariates (P &gt; 0.05). Interestingly, a nonlinear association was detected between NLR and PLR with NAFLD by piece-wise linear regression adjusting for all confounding factors. The inflection points of NLR and PLR were 1.23 and 42.29, respectively. On the left side of the inflection point (NLR &lt; 1.23), a positive correlation was detected between NLR and NAFLD (ß = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.20~4.61, P = 0.013). And PLR was found to be negatively associated with NAFLD on the right side of the inflection point (ß = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98~0.99, P &lt; 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the relationship between NLR and PLR with NAFLD was nonlinear after adjusting for potential confounding factors. The result suggested that PLR ≥ 42.29 might be a protective factor of NAFLD, while NLR &lt; 1.23 might be a risk factor of NAFLD.

Hydrophilic glutathione-modified flower-like hollow covalent organic frameworks for highly efficient capture of N-linked glycopeptides.

Highly efficient enrichment of N-glycopeptides from complicated biosamples based on mass spectrometry is essential for biomedical applications, especially in disease biomarker research. In this work, glutathione (GSH)-modified hierarchical flower-like hollow covalent organic frameworks loaded with Au nanoparticles (HFH-COFs@Au@GSH) were synthesized for N-glycopeptide enrichment. Due to the abundant accessibility sites, high specific surface area, and inherent high stability of the hierarchical flower-like hollow structure, a large number of Au NPs and hydrophilic GSH can be modified on the HFH-COFs. The HFH-COFs@Au@GSH displayed excellent hydrophilicity and remarkable enrichment performance for N-glycopeptides: low detection limit (0.1 fmol µL-1), large adsorption capacity (200 µg mg-1), great selectivity (1 : 1000, HRP to BSA), and good reusability (at least 5 times). Furthermore, the HFH-COFs@Au@GSH were successfully applied to capture N-linked glycopeptides in human serum, and 308 N-glycosylation peptides corresponding to 84 N-glycosylation proteins with 123 N-glycosylation sites were detected. Gene ontology analyses were used to elucidate the cellular component, biological process and molecular function of detected glycoproteins in human serum, demonstrating the great potential of the HFH-COFs@Au@GSH in N-glycopeptide enrichment for glycoproteomic analysis of complex biological samples.

Spatio-temporal evolution and trend prediction of the incidence of Class B notifiable infectious diseases in China: a sample of statistical data from 2007 to 2020.

BACKGROUND: With the accelerated global integration and the impact of climatic, ecological and social environmental changes, China will continue to face the challenge of the outbreak and spread of emerging infectious diseases and traditional ones. This study aims to explore the spatial and temporal evolutionary characteristics of the incidence of Class B notifiable infectious diseases in China from 2007 to 2020, and to forecast the trend of it as well. Hopefully, it will provide a reference for the formulation of infectious disease prevention and control strategies. METHODS: Data on the incidence rates of Class B notifiable infectious diseases in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China from 2007 to 2020 were collected for the prediction of the spatio-temporal evolution and spatial correlation as well as the incidence of Class B notifiable infectious diseases in China based on global spatial autocorrelation and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA). RESULTS: From 2007 to 2020, the national incidence rate of Class B notifiable infectious diseases (from 272.37 per 100,000 in 2007 to 190.35 per 100,000 in 2020) decreases year by year, and the spatial distribution shows an "east-central-west" stepwise increase. From 2007 to 2020, the spatial clustering of the incidence of Class B notifiable infectious diseases is significant and increasing year by year (Moran's I index values range from 0.189 to 0.332, p < 0.05). The forecasted incidence rates of Class B notifiable infectious diseases nationwide from 2021 to 2024 (205.26/100,000, 199.95/100,000, 194.74/100,000 and 189.62/100,000) as well as the forecasted values for most regions show a downward trend, with only some regions (Guangdong, Hunan, Hainan, Tibet, Guangxi and Guizhou) showing an increasing trend year by year. CONCLUSIONS: The current study found that since there were significant regional disparities in the prevention and control of infectious diseases in China between 2007 and 2020, the reduction of the incidence of Class B notifiable infectious diseases requires the joint efforts of the surrounding provinces. Besides, special attention should be paid to provinces with an increasing trend in the incidence of Class B notifiable infectious diseases to prevent the re-emergence of certain traditional infectious diseases in a particular province or even the whole country, as well as the outbreak and spread of emerging infectious diseases.

Recent advances in protein-imprinted polymers: synthesis, applications and challenges.

The molecular imprinting technique (MIT), also described as the "lock to key" method, has been demonstrated as an effective tool for the creation of synthetic polymers with antibody-like sites to specifically recognize target molecules. To date, most successful molecular imprinting researches were limited to small molecules (<1500 Da); biomacromolecule (especially protein) imprinting remains a serious challenge due to their large size, chemical and structural complexity, and environmental instability. Nevertheless, protein imprinting has achieved some significant breakthroughs in imprinting methods and applications over the past decade. Some special protein-imprinted materials with outstanding properties have been developed and exhibited excellent potential in several advanced fields such as separation and purification, proteomics, biomarker detection, bioimaging and therapy. In this review, we critically and comprehensively surveyed the recent advances in protein imprinting, particularly emphasizing the significant progress in imprinting methods and highlighted applications. Finally, we summarize the major challenges remaining in protein imprinting and propose its development direction in the near future.

Synergistic synthesis of hydrophilic hollow zirconium organic frameworks for simultaneous recognition and capture of phosphorylated and glycosylated peptides.

Highly efficient extraction of phospho- and glycopeptides from complicated biological samples is extremely crucial for comprehensive characterization of protein phosphorylation and glycosylation based on mass spectrometry (MS). In this work, a new synergistic strategy that combined surface covalent modification and alkaline etching was developed to synthesize hydrophilic hollow zirconium-organic frameworks (HHZr-MOFs) for simultaneous recognition and capture of phospho- and N-glycopeptides. The unique properties including high specific surface area, mesoporous shell and hollow cavity endowed HHZr-MOFs with facilitated mass transport and abundant accessible active sites. Benefited from the maltose modified on the external surface and Zr-O clusters retained on the internal surface, HHZr-MOFs could act as a highly efficient bifunctional probe for simultaneous enrichment of phospho- and N-glycopeptides based on hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and metal oxide affinity chromatography (MOAC), respectively. Finally, a total of 98 endogenous phosphopeptides and 216 endogenous N-glycopeptides were simultaneously captured by HHZr-MOFs from saliva samples of patients with oral inflammation, and several phospho- and glycoproteins related with coagulation, bacterial defense and immune response for oral inflammation were identified by Gene ontology (GO) analyses, confirming the great potential of HHZr-MOFs in rapid detection of clinical biomarkers and comprehensive profiling of phosphoproteomic and glycoproteomic for complex biological samples. This work not only provides an alternative method to precisely design and synthesize sophisticated hollow MOFs with multifunctionalities, but also offers a novel concept of multifunctional material design for bioseparation and analysis in modification-specific proteomics.

Single-Crystalline Covalent Organic Frameworks as High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Stationary Phases for Positional Isomer Separation.

Vigorously developing new stationary phases to meet the requirements for the separation of positional isomers that have similar physicochemical properties is still an urgent topic in separation science. Herein, a single-crystalline covalent organic framework (COF-300) packed column for the separation of positional isomers in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was reported for the first time. Benefitting from its regular shape, excellent chemical and thermal stability, microporous feature, and strong hydrophobicity of single-crystalline COF-300, the single-crystalline COF-300-packed column showed excellent resolution for the separation of positional isomers, including nitroaniline, dichlorobenzene, dibromobenzene, diiodobenzene, diethylbenzene, chloronitrobenzene, bromonitrobenzene, and iodonitrobenzene isomers, which cannot be all separated on commercial columns and a polycrystalline COF-300-packed column. Especially, the resolution values for m-/p-diiodobenzene and o-/m-diiodobenzene were 4.45 and 2.53. Moreover, the alkylbenzene, monosubstituted aromatics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the mixture of ethylbenzene and styrene were also baseline separated on the single-crystalline COF-300-packed column. This successful application not only confirmed the great potential of single-crystalline COFs in HPLC separation of positional isomers but also pioneered the utilization of single-crystalline COFs in separation science.

Controllable Synthesis of Hollow Microtubular Covalent Organic Frameworks as an Enzyme-Immobilized Platform for Enhancing Catalytic Activity.

Despite great achievement that has been made in the synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs), precise construction of COFs with well-defined nano/microstructures poses a rigorous challenge. Herein, we introduce a simple template-free strategy for controllable synthesis of hollow microtubular COFs. The obtained COFs show a spontaneous morphology transformation from a microfiber to a hollow microtubular structure when the concentrations of catalytic acid are regulated elaborately. Furthermore, the as-prepared COFs exhibit high crystallinity, well-defined hollow tubular morphology, and high surface areas (∼2600 m2/g). Taking the advantages of the unique morphological structure, the hollow microtubular COFs can serve as an ideal host material for enzymes. The resultant biocomposites show high catalytic performance and can be successfully applied to rapid and high-efficiency proteolysis of proteins. This work blazes a trail for controllable synthesis of the hollow microtubular COFs through a template-free process and expands the application of COFs as a promising platform for enzyme immobilization.

Comparison of clinical esthetic outcomes of immediately placed implants with and without immediate provisionalization in single-tooth implants of the esthetic area: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Immediately placed implants with immediate provisionalization have become attractive options for patients and clinicians. However, there is no agreement on the esthetic advantages of immediately placed implants with immediate provisionalization. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis will be to assess the effect of immediate provisionalization on the clinical esthetic outcomes of immediately placed implants in a single-tooth implant of the esthetic area. METHODS: An electronic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.org., Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine (CBM), Wan Fang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), and VIP Science Technology Periodical Database will be performed. The search will be carried out in the databases for articles published until May 2021. Two researchers will independently perform the literature selection, data extraction and quality assessment. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on the impact of immediate provisionalization on the clinical esthetic outcomes of implants immediately placed in a single-tooth implant of the aesthetic area will be included. The primary outcome of this study will be the esthetic outcome assessed by the objective index and patient satisfaction. The survival rate of implants and restorations and the changes in mucosa and bone around implants will also be analyzed. The included studies will be analyzed by Review Manager 5.3, and a meta-analysis will be performed. RESULTS: The study will evaluate the clinical esthetic outcomes of immediately placed implants with and without immediate provisionalization in single-tooth implants of the esthetic area. The results will provide clinicians with a better treatment approach in their application. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis will provide more reliable, evidence-based data for the impact of immediate provisionalization on the clinical esthetic outcomes of immediately placed implants, which may or may not be beneficial. REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021221669.