[Prediction of formability of flavonoid extract granules by dry granulation based on design space and RBFNN].

In this paper, a flavonoid extract powder properties-process parameters-granule forming rate prediction model was constructed based on design space and radial basis function neural network(RBFNN) to predict the formability of flavonoid extract gra-nules. Box-Behnken experimental design was employed to explore the mathematical relationships between critical process parameters and quality attributes. The design space of critical process parameters was developed, and the accuracy of the design space was verified by Monte Carlo method(MC). Design Expert 10 was used for Box-Behnken design and mixture design. Scutellariae Radix mixed powder was prepared and its powder properties were measured. The mixed powder was then subjected to dry granulation and the granule forming rate was determined. The correlations between powder properties were analyzed by variance influence factor(VIF), and principal component analysis(PCA) was performed for the factors with strong collinearity. In this way, a prediction model of powder properties-process parameters-granule forming rate was established based on RBFNN, the accuracy of which was evaluated with examples. The results showed that the model had a good predictive effect on the granule forming rate, with the average relative error of 1.04%. The predicted value and the measured value had a high degree of fitting, which indicated that model presented a good prediction ability. The prediction model established in this study can provide reference for the establishment of quality control methods for Chinese medicinal preparations with similar physical properties.

Adult-onset neuronal nuclear inclusion disease presenting with mental and behavioral disorders: A case report and literature review.

Neuronal nuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a rare and chronic progressive neurological degenerative disease. We presented a 68-year-old man with paroxysmal orientation disorder 1 year prior, mental and behavioral disorders for 2 days, and confirmed the diagnosis of NIID with skin biopsy. We suggest that patients with atypical clinical symptoms showed characteristic high signal in the dermatomedullary junction on DWI; NIID should be considered.

Postoperative Elevations of Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and Platelet-to-lymphocyte Ratios Predict Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are found to increase in patients who develop postoperative complications (PCs). The aim of the present study was to explore the association of the perioperative changes of NLR (ΔNLR) and PLR (ΔPLR) with PCs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Clinical data of 509 patients, who were diagnosed with NSCLC and underwent thoracoscopic radical resection between January 1, 2014 and July 31, 2016 at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, were reviewed. Patients were divided into PC and non-PC groups, and clinical characteristics including ΔNLR and ΔPLR were compared between them. The optimal cut-off values of ΔNLR and ΔPLR were determined by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and patients were assigned to high ΔNLR/ΔPLR and low ΔNLR/ΔPLR groups in terms of the cut-off values. Clinicopathologic characteristics and the incidence of different PCs were compared between the dichotomized groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the independent risk factors for PCs. The results showed that the ΔNLR and ΔPLR in the PC group were signifcantly higher than those in the non-PC group (P<0.001 for both). The optimal cutoff values of ΔNLR and ΔPLR were 6.6 and 49, respectively. Patients with ΔNLR>6.6 or ΔPLR>49 were more likely to experience postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) (P<0.001 for both). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that smoking [odds ratio (OR): 2.450, 95% confdence interval (95% CI): 1.084-5.535, P=0.031)], tumor size (OR: 1.225, 95% CI: 1.047-1.433, P=0.011), ΔNLR>6.6 (OR: 2.453, 95% CI: 1.224-4.914, P=0.011) and ΔPLR>49 (OR: 2.231, 95% CI: 1.182-4.212, P=0.013) were predictive of PPCs. In conclusion, the ΔNLR and ΔPLR may act as novel predictors for PPCs in NSCLC patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical lung resection, and patients with ΔNLR>6.6 or ΔPLR>49 should be treated more actively to prevent or reduce PPCs.

[Research on Bayesian fault diagnosis model of traditional Chinese medicine dry granulation based on failure model and effect analysis (FMEA)].

This paper aims to construct a Bayesian(BN) fault diagnosis model of traditional Chinese medicine dry granulation based on the failure model and effect analysis(FMEA), effectively control risk factors and ensure the quality of granules.Firstly, the risk ana-lysis of dry granulation process was carried out with FMEA, and the selected medium and high risk factors were taken as node variables to establish corresponding BN network with causality.According to the mathematical reasoning method of probability theory, the model was accurately inferred and verified by Netica, and the granule nonconformance was used as the evidence for reversed reasoning to determine the most likely cause of the failure that affected the granule quality.The BN fault diagnosis model of traditional Chinese medicine dry gra-nulation was established based on the medium and high risk factors of process, prescription and equipment screened out by FMEA, such as roller pressure, raw material viscosity, clearance between rollers in the paper.The fault diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine dry granulation process was then carried out according to the model, and the posterior probability of each node under the premise of nonconforming granule quality was obtained.This method could provide strong support for operators to quickly eliminate faults and make decisions, so as to improve the efficiency and accuracy for fault diagnosis and prediction, with innovation in its application.

Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Past evidence has shown that lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) could be considered as a potential prognostic factor in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We conducted the current meta-analysis based on published studies to elucidate the prognostic value of pretreatment LMR on survival outcomes in NSCLC. Comprehensive searches of available electronic databases were implemented to identify potentially related studies that focused on the role of pretreatment LMR in predicting the prognosis of NSCLC patients. The hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were combined to assess the association of pretreatment LMR with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). A total of 20 articles including 8,304 patients were analyzed. Compared with patients with higher LMR, patients with lower LMR had poorer OS (HR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.44-1.85, p < 0.001) and PFS (HR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.25-1.77, p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis outcomes were similar to the overall analysis. Pretreatment LMR may be a useful prognostic marker in patients with NSCLC. However, more well-designed studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

[Material properties and tensile strength prediction model of traditional Chinese medicine tablets based on PCA-RBF neural network].

This paper constructs a prediction model of material attribute-tensile strength based on principal component analysis-radial basis neural network( PCA-RBF),in order to predict the formability of traditional Chinese medicine tablets. Firstly,design Expert8. 0 software was used to design the dosage of different types of extracts,the mixture of traditional Chinese medicine with different physical properties was obtained,the powder properties of each extract and the tensile strength of tablets were determined,the correlation of the original input layer data was eliminated by PCA,the new variables unrelated to each other were trained as the input data of RBF neural network,and the tensile strength of the tablets was predicted. The experimental results showed that the PCA-RBF model had a good predictive effect on the tensile strength of the tablet,the minimum relative error was 0. 25%,the maximum relative error was2. 21%,and the average error was 1. 35%,which had a high fitting degree and better network prediction accuracy. This study initially constructed a prediction model of material properties-tensile strength of Chinese herbal tablets based on PCA-RBF,which provided a reference for the establishment of effective quality control methods for traditional Chinese medicine preparations.

Preventive effects of N-acetyl-l-cysteine against imidacloprid intoxication on Bombyx mori larvae.

Imidacloprid, a widely used neonicotinoid insecticide, is toxic to silkworm (Bombyx mori). To explore whether N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) has an effect on preventing silkworm (B. mori) from toxification caused by imidacloprid, we fed the fifth-instar larvae with mulberry leaves dipped in 200 mg/L NAC solution before exposing in imidacloprid, and investigated the silkworm growth, survival rate, feed efficiency, cocoon quality, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes in midgut. The results showed that addition of NAC could significantly increase body weight, survival rate, and feed efficiency of imidacloprid poisoned silkworm larvae (P < 0.05), as well as cocoon mass, cocoon shell mass, and the ratio of cocoon shell (P < 0.05). Furthermore, it could significantly promote the activities of the antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxide in the midgut of fifth-instar larvae under imidacloprid exposure at the late stage of treatment. In addition, it also could downregulate the malondialdehyde content. The results of our findings proved that the added NAC may have some beneficial effects on protection or restoration of antioxidant balance in imidacloprid exposed larvae.

Regulatory effects of the long non­coding RNA RP11­543N12.1 and microRNA­324­3p axis on the neuronal apoptosis induced by the inflammatory reactions of microglia.

The present study aimed to examine how the long non­coding RNA (lncRNA) RP11­543N12.1 interacted with microRNA (miR)­324­3p to modify microglials (MIs)­induced neuroblastoma cell apoptosis, which may pose benefits to the treatment of Alzhemier's disease (AD). The cell model of AD was established by treating SH­SY5Y cells with amyloid ß (Aß)25­35, and MI were acquired using primary cell culture technology. The lncRNAs that were differentially expressed between SH­SY5Y and control cells were screened through a microarray assay and confirmed via polymerase chain reaction. In addition, overexpression of RP11­543N12.1 and miR­324­3p was established by transfection of SH­SY5Y cells with pcDNA3.1(+)­RP11­543N12.1 and miR­324­3p mimics, respectively, while downregulation of RP11­543N12.1 and miR­324­3p was achieved by transfection with RP11­543N12.1­small interfering RNA (siRNA) and miR­324­3p inhibitor, respectively. The interaction between RP11­543N12.1 and miR­324­3p was confirmed with a dual­luciferase reporter gene assay. The results revealed that the expression levels of total and phosphorylated tau in SH­SY5Y cells were significantly elevated following Aß25­35 treatment (P<0.05), and RP11­543N12.1 was found to be differentially expressed between the control and Aß25­35­treated cells (P<0.05). Furthermore, the targeted association of RP11­543N12.1 and miR­324­3p was predicted based on miRDB4.0 and PITA databases, and then validated via the dual­luciferase reporter gene assay. SH­SY5Y cells transfected with siRNA or inhibitor, and treated with Aß25­35 displayed cellular survival and apoptosis that were similar to the normal levels (P<0.05). Finally, co­culture of MI and SH­SY5Y cells transfected with RP11­543N12.1­siRNA/miR­324­3p inhibitor significantly enhanced cell apoptosis (P<0.05). In conclusion, RP11­543N12.1 targeted miR­324­3p to suppress proliferation and promote apoptosis in the AD cell model, suggesting that RP11­543N12.1 and miR­324­3p may be potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for AD.

Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from sludge biodrying instead of heat drying combined with mono-incineration in China.

Sludge is an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, both in the form of direct process emissions and as a result of indirect carbon-derived energy consumption during processing. In this study, the carbon budgets of two sludge disposal processes at two well-known sludge disposal sites in China (for biodrying and heat-drying pretreatments, both followed by mono-incineration) were quantified and compared. Total GHG emissions from heat drying combined with mono-incineration was 0.1731 tCO2e t-1, while 0.0882 tCO2e t-1 was emitted from biodrying combined with mono-incineration. Based on these findings, a significant reduction (approximately 50%) in total GHG emissions was obtained by biodrying instead of heat drying prior to sludge incineration. IMPLICATIONS: Sludge treatment results in direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moisture reduction followed by incineration is commonly used to dispose of sludge in China; however, few studies have compared the effects of different drying pretreatment options on GHG emissions during such processes. Therefore, in this study, the carbon budgets of sludge incineration were analyzed and compared following different pretreatment drying technologies (biodrying and heat drying). The results indicate that biodrying combined with incineration generated approximately half of the GHG emissions compared to heat drying followed by incineration. Accordingly, biodrying may represent a more environment-friendly sludge pretreatment prior to incineration.

Response of wine grape growth, development and the transfer of copper, lead, and cadmium in soil-fruit system to sludge compost amendment.

Sludge is an organic waste after domestic sewage being treated and contains phytonutrients and organic matter. In this study, recycling of sludge compost (SC) and its compound fertilizer (SCF) to wine grape resulted in improvement in vegetative growth, reproductive development of wine grape, and potential wine quality of grape fruit. The amounts of Cu, Pb, and Cd in grape fruit were significantly higher in response to sludge amendment than in the control, but were all below the permissible limits for agricultural product. The contents of Cu and Pb in sludge-amended soil decreased with increasing soil depth, but Cd content increased with soil depth. Ongoing monitoring of on mobility of Cd downward is proposed with sludge recycling to wine grape soil.

The DnaJ-Like Zinc Finger Domain Protein PSA2 Affects Light Acclimation and Chloroplast Development in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The biosynthesis of chlorophylls and carotenoids and the assembly of thylakoid membranes are critical for the photoautotrophic growth of plants. Different factors are involved in these two processes. In recent years, members of the DnaJ-like zinc finger domain proteins have been found to take part in the biogenesis and/or the maintenance of plastids. One member of this family of proteins, PSA2, was recently found to localize to the thylakoid lumen and regulate the accumulation of photosystem I. In this study, we report that the silencing of PSA2 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in variegated leaves and retarded growth. Although both chlorophylls and total carotenoids decreased in the psa2 mutant, violaxanthin, and zeaxanthin accumulated in the mutant seedlings grown under growth condition. Lower levels of non-photochemical quenching and electron transport rate were also found in the psa2 mutant seedlings under growth condition compared with those of the wild-type plants, indicating an impaired capability to acclimate to normal light irradiance when PSA2 was silenced. Moreover, we also observed an abnormal assembly of grana thylakoids and poorly developed stroma thylakoids in psa2 chloroplasts. Taken together, our results demonstrate that PSA2 is a member of the DnaJ-like zinc finger domain protein family that affects light acclimation and chloroplast development.

Midgut immune responses induced by bacterial infection in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Insect gut epithelial cells produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to protect hosts from pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, we evaluate the pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus bombysepticus in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Survival curves show that B. bombysepticus is deadly when larval silkworms are infected orally. Bacterial infection caused intestinal hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO) levels to increase significantly by 8 and 16 h post-infection (hpi), respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis shows that the transcription levels of dual oxidase (Duox) and catalase (CAT) are highly up-regulated by P. aeruginosa infection at 8 hpi. P. aeruginosa infection induced nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) expression at 16 hpi, which contributes to the generation of NO. mRNA levels of AMP genes, specifically Glovorin 2 and Glovorin 3, which obviously increase during the early infection stage. These results indicate that invading bacteria elevate intestinal ROS and NO levels and induce AMP gene transcription, which contributes to intestinal immune defense.

Effect of glucagon on insulin secretion through cAMP signaling pathway in MIN6 cells.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the direct regulation effects and mechanisms of glucagon in insulin secretion of MIN6 cells that in the kind of the islet ß cells. Methods ICUE3 and PCDNA3.1 plasmid were transfected to the MIN6 cells by electroporation transfection, and then treated with different concentrations of glucagon (Glg) and glucose (Glu). Biosensor technology that based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was used to monitor the change of cAMP quantitatively and real-time. The level of cAMP and insulin were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The receptor of Glg was mainly located on the cell membrane in MIN6 cells. Compared with the 0 ng/L Glg group in the Glu-free state, the average value of CFP/YFP increased 4%±0.02 in the 500 ng/L Glg group, and the value in the 1000 ng/L Glg group increased 6%±0.03 (P>0.05). While in the high-Glu (16.7 mmol/L) state, the value increased 11%±0.02 in the 500 ng/L Glg group, and increased 23%±0.06 in the 1000 ng/L Glg group when compared with the 0 ng/L Glg group (P<0.01). The levels of the cAMP of 1000 ng/L and 500 ng/L Glg group were higher than those of the 100 ng/L and 0 ng/L Glg group in the condition of Glu-free (81.27±6.29, 76.73±2.10,39.45±2.83, 40.36±4.20; P<0.01). The levels of the cAMP of 1000 ng/L, 500 ng/L and 100 ng/L Glg group were higher than those of the 0 ng/L Glg group, at the meanwhile, the levels of the cAMP of 1000 ng/L and 500 ng/L Glg group were also higher than 100 ng/L Glg group in the condition of low-Glu (2.8 mmol/L) (92.91±7.35, 90.36±3.15, 65.82±10.49, 46.73±1.05; P<0.01). And this trend in the condition of high-Glu was almost to the low-Glu (106.75±7.26, 94.18±2.99, 83.09±1.16, 55.60±5.51, P<0.01). The levels of the insulin of 1000 ng/L, 500 ng/L and 100 ng/L Glg group were higher than those of the 0 ng/L Glg group. While 1000 ng/L Glg group was higher than that of the 500 ng/L and 100 ng/L Glg group in the condition of Glu-free (1844.02±200.93, 1387.94±483.12, 1251.817±60.30, 787.33±81.72; P<0.01). The levels of the insulin of 1000 ng/L and 500 ng/L Glg group were higher than those of the 100 ng/L and 0 ng/L Glg group, and the 1000 ng/L and was also higher than 500 ng/L Glg group in the condition of low-Glu (1552.31±81.20, 1285.62±131.67, 1020.85±42.60, 762.89±26.94, P<0.01). And this trend in the condition of high-Glu was almost to the low-Glu (1898.337±169.03, 1399.30±148.66, 1061.735±9.13, 972.89±22.19; P<0.01). The levels of cAMP and insulin secretion of MIN6 cells had a positive correlation in different Glu conditions (r2=0.559, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Glg may stimulate insulin secretion by increasing cAMP levels in the way of concentration gradient within the islet ß cell lines--MIN6 cells. And the increasing trend was Glu dependent.

Expression of interleukin-17A in lung tissues of irradiated mice and the influence of dexamethasone.

PURPOSE: To investigate the expressions of IL-17A in different phases of radiation-induced lung injury and the effect of dexamethasone. METHODS: The thorax of C57BL/6 mice was irradiated with 15 Gy rays. Mice from dexamethasone-treated group were injected intraperitoneally with dexamethasone (0.42 mg/kg/day) every day for the first month after irradiation. IL-17A in lung tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. IL-17A, TGF-ß1, and IL-6 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were detected by ELISA. Lung inflammation and collagen deposition were observed by H&E and Masson methods. The degree of alveolitis and fibrosis was judged according to scoring. RESULTS: IL-17A expression was appreciable at 1 week, peaked at 4 weeks, and subsequently declined at 8 weeks after irradiation. IL-17A was reduced after dexamethasone application at all the observation periods. Dexamethasone also inhibited expressions of TGF-ß, IL-6, and TNF-α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Moreover, dexamethasone attenuated the severity of lung injury by reducing the infiltration of inflammatory cells and collagen deposition. Terms of survival and the time of death in mice of treatment group were postponed and survival rate was improved. CONCLUSIONS: IL-17A plays an important role in the process of radiation-induced lung injury. And dexamethasone may provide a protective role in lung injury induced by radiation.

Superior antibacterial activity of zinc oxide/graphene oxide composites originating from high zinc concentration localized around bacteria.

New materials with good antibacterial activity and less toxicity to other species attract numerous research interest. Taking advantage of zinc oxide (ZnO) and graphene oxide (GO), the ZnO/GO composites were prepared by a facile one-pot reaction to achieve superior antibacterial properties without damaging other species. In the composites, ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), with a size of about 4 nm, homogeneously anchored onto GO sheets. The typical bacterium Escherichia coli and HeLa cell were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of the ZnO/GO composites, respectively. The synergistic effects of GO and ZnO NPs led to the superior antibacterial activity of the composites. GO helped the dispersion of ZnO NPs, slowed the dissolution of ZnO, acted as the storage site for the dissolved zinc ions, and enabled the intimate contact of E. coli with ZnO NPs and zinc ions as well. The close contact enhanced the local zinc concentration pitting on the bacterial membrane and the permeability of the bacterial membrane and thus induced bacterial death. In addition, the ZnO/GO composites were found to be much less toxic to HeLa cells, compared to the equivalent concentration of ZnO NPs in the composites. The results indicate that the ZnO/GO composites are promising disinfection materials to be used in surface coatings on various substrates to effectively inhibit bacterial growth, propagation, and survival in medical devices.

Co-expression of xerophyte Zygophyllum xanthoxylum ZxNHX and ZxVP1-1 enhances salt and drought tolerance in transgenic Lotus corniculatus by increasing cations accumulation.

Lotus corniculatus L. is an important legume for forage, but is sensitive to salinity and drought. To develop salt- and drought-resistant L. corniculatus, ZxNHX and ZxVP1-1 genes encoding tonoplast Na+/H+ antiporter and H+-pyrophosphatase (H+-PPase) from a succulent xerophyte Zygophyllum xanthoxylum L., which is well adapted to arid environments through accumulating Na+ in its leaves, were transferred into this forage. We obtained the transgenic lines co-expressing ZxNHX and ZxVP1-1 genes (VX) as well as expressing ZxVP1-1 gene alone (VP). Compared with wild-type, both VX and VP transgenic lines grew better at 200mM NaCl, and also exhibited higher tolerance and faster recovery from water-deficit stress: these performances were associated with more Na+, K+ and Ca2+ accumulation in their leaves and roots, which caused lower leaf solute potential and thus retained more water. Moreover, the transgenic lines maintained lower relative membrane permeability and higher net photosynthesis rate under salt or water-deficit stress. These results indicate that expression of tonoplast Na+/H+ antiporter and H+-PPase genes from xerophyte enhanced salt and drought tolerance of L. corniculatus. Furthermore, compared with VP, VX showed higher shoot biomass, more cations accumulation, higher water retention, lesser cell membrane damage and higher photosynthesis capacity under salt or water-deficit condition, suggesting that co-expression of ZxVP1-1 and ZxNHX confers even greater performance to transgenic L. corniculatus than expression of the single ZxVP1-1.

An individually coated near-infrared fluorescent protein as a safe and robust nanoprobe for in vivo imaging.

A prerequisite for in vivo fluorescence imaging is the safety of fluorescent probes. Among all fluorescent probes, fluorescent proteins (FPs) might be the safest ones, which have been widely used in biological sciences at the gene level. But FPs have not been used in vivo in the purified form yet due to the instability of proteins. Here, we individually coat near-infrared (NIR) FPs (NIRFPs) with a silica nanoshell, resulting in NIRFP@silica, one of the safest and brightest NIR fluorescent nanoprobes with a quantum yield of 0.33 for in vivo imaging. The silica shell not only protects NIRFPs from denaturation and metabolic digestion, but also enhances the quantum yield and photostability of the coated NIRFPs. When injected via the tail vein, NIRFP@silica NPs can distribute all over the mouse body, and then can be efficiently eliminated through urine in 24 h, demonstrating its potential applications as a safe and robust NIR fluorescence probe for whole body imaging.

[Numerical simulation and application of electrical resistivity survey in heavy metal contaminated sites].

In order to analyze the effects of electrical resistivity in heavy metal contaminated sites, we established the resistivity model of typical contaminated sites and simulate the DC resistivity method with Wenner arrays using the finite element method. The simulation results showed that the electrical method was influenced by the contamination concentration and the location of pollution. The more serious the degree of pollution was, the more obvious the low resistivity anomaly, thus the easier the identification of the contaminated area; otherwise, if there was light pollution, Wenner array could not get obvious low resistivity anomalies, so it would be hard to judge the contaminated area. Our simulation results also showed that the closer the contaminated areas were to the surface, the more easily the pollution was detected and the low resistivity anomalies shown in the apparent resistivity diagram were influenced by the Layered medium. The actual field survey results using resistivity method also show that the resistivity method can correctly detect the area with serious pollution.

Biosafety and bioapplication of nanomaterials by designing protein-nanoparticle interactions.

The protein-nanoparticle (NP) interface is a current frontier of multiple disciplines, full of challenges and opportunities. The unique behaviors of nanomaterials (NMs) bring many exciting applications, and also raise safety concerns. Beyond bioapplications, various NMs could also enter human bodies from the environment. When entering human bodies, NPs interact with various biomolecules, especially proteins, forming a protein corona. This protein-NP complex is what the biosystems 'see' and 'respond to'. Therefore, understanding how NPs interact with proteins is crucial for both bioapplications and the biosafety of NMs. In this review, the current understanding of protein-NP interactions is summarized, including the theoretical background, experimental results, and computational progresses. Guidelines for improving bioapplication performance and reducing the potential biosafety hazard of NMs by designing the protein-NP interactions are discussed, along with future directions and challenges in this exciting field.

Overexpression of glucosyltransferase UGT85A1 influences trans-zeatin homeostasis and trans-zeatin responses likely through O-glucosylation.

Trans-zeatin is a kind of cytokinins that plays a crucial role in plant growth and development. The master trans-zeatin O-glucosyltransferase of Arabidopsis thaliana, UGT85A1, has been previously identified through biochemical approach. To determine the in planta role of UGT85A1 gene, the characterization of transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing UGT85A1 was carried out. Under normal conditions, transgenic Arabidopsis did not display clearly altered phenotypes. A remarkable alteration is that the accumulation level of the trans-zeatin O-glucosides was significantly increased in UGT85A1 overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis, while other forms of cytokinins kept the similar concentrations compared to the wild type. When treated with exogenously applied trans-zeatin, UGT85A1 overexpressing Arabidopsis showed much less sensitivity to trans-zeatin in primary root elongation and lateral root formation. Meanwhile, the chlorophyll content of detached leaves of transgenic Arabidopsis was much lower than wild type. Studies of spatial-temporal expression patterns showed that UGT85A1 was mainly expressed in the early seedlings and developing seeds. Analysis of subcellular localization suggested that UGT85A1 was localized to cytoplasm and nucleus. Taken together, our data suggest that overexpression of Arabidopsis glucosyltransferase UGT85A1 influences trans-zeatin homeostasis and trans-zeatin responses likely through O-glucosylation in planta.