One-step synthesis of blue emission copper nanoclusters for the detection of furaltadone and temperature.

Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), playing roles as a templating agent, can be applied to prepare blue-emitting copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs@PVP) on the basis of a rapid chemical reduction synthesis method. The Cu NCs@PVP displayed a blue emission wavelength at 430 nm and the corresponding quantum yield (QY) could reach 10.4%. Subsequently, the as-synthesized Cu NCs@PVP were used for the trace analysis of furaltadone based on the inner filter effect (IFE) between Cu NCs@PVP and furaltadone, which caused the fluorescence to be effectively quenched. Additionally, this proposed determination platform based on the Cu NCs@PVP for furaltadone sensing possessed an excellent linear range from 0.5 to 100 µM with a lower detection limit of 0.045 µM (S/N = 3). Meanwhile, the Cu NCs@PVP also could be applied for the sensing of temperature. Furthermore, the practicability of the sensing platform has been successfully verified by measuring furaltadone in real samples, affirming its potential to increase fields for the determination of furaltadone.

A comprehensive analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics reveals new biomarkers and mechanistic insights on DEHP exposures in MCF-7 cells.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most important environmental pollutants and affects multiple pathways upon human exposure. DEHP could induce MCF-7 cell proliferation at a very low dose; however, the possible linkage between DEHP and the cell proliferation effect is still unclear. Here, we carried out a comprehensive metabolome and transcriptome analysis to depict the possible molecular mechanisms of the effect of DEHP exposure on MCF-7 proliferation. In this paper, MCF-7 cells treated with DEHP at a dose of 1 µM for 48 h were selected for metabolome and transcriptome analysis. Untargeted and targeted metabolomics identified 8 differential metabolites, including amino acids, purine, pyrimidine and nucleotides. The metabolite changes were associated with 9 metabolic pathways. Disorders in riboflavin, histidine, beta-alanine metabolism, and nitrogen metabolism caused by DEHP exposure are important concerns for MCF-7 proliferation. Moreover, a transcriptomics study of the MCF-7 cells found a total of 500 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). KEGG enrichment analyses showed that pathways in cancer had stronger responses. The results of integrated analysis of the interactions between the DEGs and metabolites revealed significant changes in the purine metabolism pathway, which will shed light on the mechanism of MCF-7 cell proliferation after DEHP exposure. Overall, this study depicts the possible contribution of DEHP exposure to MCF-7 cell proliferation and highlights the power of omics platforms to deepen the mechanistic understanding of toxicity caused by endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Compressed food with added functional oligopeptides improves performance during military endurance training.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oligosaccharide or oligopeptide supplementation may have a significant impact on endurance performance. This study evaluated the effects of adding maltooligosaccharides (MO) or soy oligopeptides (SO) to compressed food (CF) on the physical response of soldiers to daily military training. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Twelve soldiers were randomized to four diet groups: regular meals, CF, CFMO, and CFSO (crossover design). They participated in exercise tests including 90 minutes running at 55-65% VO2max and exhaustive running. Heart rates, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and blood and urine samples were collected during exercise and recovery. RESULTS: The recovery heart rates were significantly lower with the CFMO diet compared with the other diets. Compared with all other diets, blood glucose levels were higher, post-exercise blood lactate levels were lower, and lactate clearance during recovery was higher with the CFMO diet, followed by the CFSO diet. Post-exercise levels of erythrocytes and hematocrit were significantly higher with the CFSO diet. Post-exercise urine specific gravity was lower with the CFMO diet and urine pH was decreased with the CFSO diet. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and uric acid (UA) were significantly higher with the CFSO diet than with the other diets. There was no significant difference in skeletal and cardiac muscle injury indices and RPE among diets. CONCLUSIONS: CFMO led to better heart rate recovery, improved and maintained blood glucose and increased removal of blood lactate. CFSO accelerated removal of blood lactate during recovery, maintained oxygen supply, and increased fluid retention.

[Preliminary Studies on the Relationship Between Meiosis of Pollen Mother Cells and Pollen Abortion of Aloe arboresense Mill.].

The main reason for pollen abortion in Aloe arboresens Mill. was studied through the observation of meiosis and the microspore development of its pollen mother cells(PMCs). There are 14 chromosomes in the PMC of Aloe arboresens Mill., containing four pairs of long chromosomes and three pairs of short ones, and this karyotype belongs to dichotocarpism. Abnormalities observed were fallen into four categories:(1) Univalents, they were caused by failure in pairing, asynapsis and precocious cancellation of terminal chiasma. Oriented univalent pair was distributed at two poles normally in anaphase, while non-oriented univalent pair only at one pole. Another factor leading to univalents was that chromosomes were paired but without substantial exchange. (2) Multivalents. They might be produced by translocation heterozygote.(3) Chromosome bridges. There were three kinds of bridges in anaphase I and anaphase II: single and double chromosome bridge as well as "diagonal bridge".(4) A few cells were found with lagged chromosomes, micronuclei and unbalanced segregation of the chromosomes. In the later stages of meiosis, well-spread chromosomal configurations were rare because of the extremely sticky nature of the chromosome. The number and ratio of abnormalities were analysed and the relationship between abnormalities and pollen sterility were discussed. It is concluded that the sticky nature of the chromosome is the main reason for abnormal meiosis of Aloe arboresens Mill.PMC and pollen sterility. More than 90% of matured pollen grains were sterile.