Effects of exogenous salicylic acid on starch physicochemical properties and in vitro digestion under heat stress during the grain-filling stage in waxy maize.

Waxy maize starch serves as a pivotal component in global food processing and industrial applications, while high temperature (HT) during the grain-filling stage seriously affects its quality. Salicylic acid (SA) has been recognized for its role in enhancing plant heat resistance. Nonetheless, its regulatory effect on the quality of waxy maize starch under HT conditions remains unclear. In this study, two waxy maize varieties, JKN2000 (heat-tolerant) and SYN5 (heat-sensitive) were treated with SA after pollination and then subjected to HT during the grain-filling stage to explore the effect of SA on grain yield and starch quality. The results indicate that exogenous SA under HT treatment led to an increase in kernel weight and starch content in both varieties. Moreover, SA reduced the HT-induced holes on the surfaces of starch granules, enlarged the starch granule size, elevated the amylopectin branching degree, and reduced amylopectin average chain length. Consequently, improvements of pasting viscosity and the decrease of retrogradation percentage of starch were observed with SA under HT. Exogenous SA reduced HT-induced rapidly digestible starch content in SYN5, but had no significant effect on that in JKN2000. In summary, SA pretreatment effectively alleviated the detrimental effects of HT on starch pasting and thermal properties of waxy maize.

Leaf photosynthetic characteristics of waxy maize in response to different degrees of heat stress during grain filling.

BACKGROUND: In the context of climate change, maize is facing unprecedented heat stress (HS) threats during grain filling. Understanding how HS affects yield is the key to reducing the impact of climate change on maize production. Suyunuo5 (SYN5) and Yunuo7 (YN7) were used as materials, and four temperature gradients of 28℃ (day)/20℃ (night; T0, control), 32 °C/24°C (T1, mild HS), 36 °C/28°C (T2, moderate HS), and 40 °C/32°C (T3, severe HS) were set up during grain filling to explore the physiological mechanism of different degrees HS affecting photosynthetic characteristics of leaves in this study. RESULTS: Results showed that HS accelerated the degradation of chlorophyll, disturbed the metabolism of reactive oxygen species, reduced the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and caused leaf damage. Heat stress induced the down-regulation of photosynthesis-related genes, which results in the decrease of enzymatic activities involved in photosynthesis, thereby inhibiting photosynthesis and reducing yield. Integrated analysis showed that the degree of the negative influence of three HS types during grain filling on leaves and yield was T3 > T2 > T1. The increase in HS disturbed leaf physiological activities and grain filling. Meanwhile, this study observed that the YN7 was more heat tolerance than SYN5 and thus it was recommended to use YN7 in waxy maize planting areas with frequent high temperatures. CONCLUSIONS: Heat stress during grain filling caused premature senescence of the leaves by inhibiting the ability of leaves to photosynthesize and accelerating the oxidative damage of cells, thereby affecting the waxy maize yield. Our study helped to simulate the productivity of waxy maize under high temperatures and provided assistance for a stable yield of waxy maize under future climate warming.

Comparison of the physicochemical properties of starches from maize reciprocal F1 hybrids and their parental lines.

Heterosis on maize yield and quality is highly variable and depends on parental selection. This study investigated and compared the starch structure and physicochemical properties among four sweet-waxy maize lines, four waxy maize lines, and their eight reciprocal F1 hybrids. Compared with the sweet-waxy maize, waxy maize and F1 hybrids had lower extent of branching of amylopectin and relative crystallinity, and larger starch granule size. Waxy maize starch had higher breakdown viscosity and retrogradation percentage, and lower setback viscosity and gelatinization enthalpy than the sweet-waxy maize starch. Meanwhile, the peak and setback viscosities, and retrogradation enthalpy of most F1 hybrid starches were higher than those of their female parent, while gelatinization enthalpy was the opposite. The F1 hybrid starches had higher onset temperature and retrogradation percentage and lower gelatinization enthalpy than their male parent in general. In conclusion, this study provides a framework for the production of new hybrids.

Effects of post-silking drought stress degree on grain yield and quality of waxy maize.

BACKGROUND: Drought stress (DS) induced by post-silking have a major impact on the yield and quality of maize. In this study, the effects of different degrees of DS after pollination on grain filling, starch and protein metabolism, and functional properties were investigated using two waxy maize cultivars as materials. The levels of DS that were investigated were 'mild water stress' (WS1), 'moderate water stressed' (WS2), and 'severe waterstressed' (WS3). RESULTS: Drought stress decreased grain fresh weight, dry weight, and moisture content in both cultivars during grain filling, and reduced kernel number, kernel weight, and grain yield at maturity. The effect on grain development and yield formation gradually increased with drought aggravation. The water stress (WS) treatment downregulated the enzymatic activities related to starch biosynthesis during grain-filling process, accompanied by a decrease in soluble sugar and starch deposition. The WS treatment increased the enzymatic activities involved in protein synthesis during grain-filling process, thereby increasing the protein content of grains. On average, WS2 and WS3 treatments reduced the pasting viscosities and increased the gelatinization temperatures of grains, with WS3 having the greatest effect. However, the changes of setback viscosity, gelatinization enthalpy, retrogradation enthalpy, and retrogradation percentage under WS treatment were inconsistent in both cultivars. Pearson correlation analysis showed that starch content was negatively correlated with gelatinization temperatures and positively correlated with pasting viscosities in both cultivars. However, grain pasting  and gelatinization properties have opposite correlations with protein content and starch content. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that post-silking DS regulated the grain-filling process and starch and protein biosynthesis, which influenced grain yield and quality. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Awareness and knowledge of autism spectrum disorder in Western China: Promoting early identification and intervention.

Purpose: Given the increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the public health problems it creates; early identification and interventions are needed to improve the prognosis of ASD. Hence, this study surveyed different groups of people who are likely to have early contact with autistic children to provide an informed basis for early detection and effective diagnosis and interventions. Methods: Three groups of people were recruited for the study from Changshou District and Wushan County of Chongqing, in Western China: 269 medical workers, 181 educators, and 188 community residents. Their understanding and knowledge of autism was measured using a self-made questionnaire. Results: The positive finding was that the three groups had a certain level of understanding of autism, but they had some misunderstandings of the core problems, and there were significant differences in the understanding of autism among the three groups. Younger medical workers knew more about autism than older ones did. The ability of educators and community residents to identify autistic symptoms was positively related to their level of education and their experience with autistic children. Television and the internet were the main sources of information about autism for participants. Conclusions: The medical workers, educators, and community residents in the investigated areas in western China may be able to identify early signs of autism but have an inadequate understanding of autism. In areas far from cities, it is necessary to strengthen the training of medical workers in primary health care to promote autism screening and referral in educational institutions and communities. Using internet technology to provide public education and professional training about autism in remote areas could be a very promising method in Western China.

Effects of post-silking low temperature on the starch and protein metabolism, endogenous hormone contents, and quality of grains in waxy maize.

Waxy maize has many excellent characteristics in food and nonfood industries. However, post-silking low temperature (LT) has severe limitations on its grain yield and quality. In this study, field and pot trials were conducted to investigate the effects of post-silking LT on the physiological, biochemical, and functional characteristics of two waxy maize grains. The field and pot trials were performed with sowing date and artificial climate chamber, respectively, for LT treatment from silking stage to maturity. Results in pot trial were used to explain and validate the findings in field trial. Compared with the ambient treatment, the LT treatment significantly reduced kernel weight during the grain filling stage (P < 0.05). LT treatment in both environments resulted in an average decrease in dry weight of SYN5 and YN7 at maturity by 36.6% and 42.8%, respectively. Enzymatic activities related to starch and protein biosynthesis decreased under the LT treatment during the filling stage, accompanied by a decrease in the accumulation amounts and contents of soluble sugar and starch, and a decrease in protein accumulation amount. Meanwhile, the contents of abscisic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, and gibberellin 3 in grains decreased under the LT treatment during the filling stage. Peak, trough, breakdown, final, and setback viscosities of grains decreased by LT. LT treatment decreased the gelatinization enthalpy of grains and increased the retrogradation percentage. In conclusion, post-silking LT stress altered the content of grain components by inhibiting the production of phytohormones and down-regulating the enzymatic activities involved in starch and protein metabolism, which resulted in the deterioration of grain pasting and thermal properties.

Transcriptomic and alternative splicing analyses provide insights into the roles of exogenous salicylic acid ameliorating waxy maize seedling growth under heat stress.

BACKGROUND: Salicylic acid (SA) is a phytohormone which works to regulate the abiotic stress response of plants. However, the molecular mechanism by which SA mediates heat tolerance in waxy maize (Zea mays L. sinsensis Kulesh) remains unknown. RESULTS: Two varieties of waxy maize seedlings, heat-tolerant 'Yunuo7' (Y7) and heat-sensitive 'Suyunuo5' (S5), were pretreated with SA prior to heat stress (HTS). After treatment, physiological and transcriptomic changes were analyzed. Compared with HTS, the exogenous application of SA enhanced the shoot dry weight, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (e.g., SOD, POD, CAT and APX), and the concentration of endogenous phytohormones (e.g., SA, ABA, IAA, GA3), while decreased the MDA content. Transcriptome analysis showed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified in the control (CK) vs HTS and HTS vs HTS + SA comparisons were more in S5 than in Y7. HTS induced the downregulation of genes involved in photosynthesis and the upregulation of genes encoding heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) and heat shock proteins (HSPs). Compared with HTS, SA pretreatment reversed the expression of 5 photosynthesis-related genes, 26 phytohormone-related genes, and all genes encoding HSFs and HSPs in S5. Furthermore, the number of alternative splicing (AS) events increased under HTS treatment for both varieties, while decreased under SA pretreatment of S5. Differentially spliced genes (DSGs) showed little overlap with DEGs, and DEGs and DSGs differed significantly in functional enrichment. CONCLUSIONS: Physiological and transcriptional together indicated that HTS and SA pretreatment had a greater effect on S5 than Y7. Additionally, it appears that transcriptional regulation and AS work synergistically to enhance thermotolerance in heat-sensitive waxy maize. Our study revealed the regulatory effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of SA on waxy maize seedling under HTS.

Analysis of Intervention Effect and Satisfaction of Holistic Nursing after Oral Tumor Resection.

Objective: To explore the intervention effect and satisfaction analysis of holistic nursing after oral tumor resection. Methods: A total of 70 oral tumor patients who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital from April 2020 to September 2021 were randomly divided into two groups, with 35 patients in each group. The control group was given basic oral care, the observation group was given overall oral care, and the actual effects of the two groups of care were compared, including the emotional status, compliance and nursing satisfaction, hospital stay and nursing quality scores, pain level, quality of life, and complications occurred. Results: After nursing, the patients in the observation group had good mood, higher compliance and nursing satisfaction, shorter hospital stay, higher nursing quality and quality of life scores, lower pain level, and lower incidence of complications, when compared with the control group. Conclusion: Holistic nursing has obvious effects on patients after oral tumor surgery, which can relieve patients' negative emotions, improve patients' compliance with treatment, improve their quality of life, and effectively reduce the degree of pain and the occurrence of complications, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Decomplexation of Cu(II)-EDTA by synergistic activation of persulfate with alkali and CuO: Kinetics and activation mechanism.

Heavy metals usually coexist with a variety of chelating agents to form heavy metal complexes in industrial wastewater. The decomplexation of heavy metal complexes is the crucial step before the removal of heavy metals via alkaline precipitation process. An efficient synergistic activation of persulfate (PS) with alkali and CuO was used for the simultaneous decomplexation of Cu-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (Cu(II)-EDTA) (3.14 mM) and the Cu(II) precipitation. The experimental results demonstrated that nearly complete removal of Cu(II) could be achieved by synergistic activation of PS with alkali and CuO at pH 11 after 2 h of decomplexation reaction. However, sole PS could not effectively decomplex Cu(II)-EDTA (13.5%), while the alkaline activation of PS could accomplish 57.0% removal of Cu(II). Radical scavenger tests indicated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) including SO4•-, •OH and O2•- were responsible for the decomplexation of Cu(II)-EDTA in the synergistic activation of PS with alkali and CuO. As a heterogeneous activator, CuO possessed excellent reusability and long-lasting catalytic activity and the rate constant value (k) of Cu(II) removal showed an increase (from 0.0326 min-1 in the first cycle to 0.0491 min-1 in the 24th cycle) with 24 cycles experiments. Furthermore, the biotoxicity evaluation of treated solution revealed that the biotoxicity of Cu(II)-EDTA contaminated wastewater could be effectively mitigated by the synergistic activation of PS with alkali and CuO because of the efficient precipitation of Cu(II) and oxidative degradation of EDTA organic ligands, which was favorable for the subsequent biochemical treatment.

Heterogeneous copper-catalyzed synthesis of diaryl sulfones.

A carbon-supported copper nanoparticle (Cu-NP) with high catalytic activity for the synthesis of diaryl sulfones is reported. For the first time, this Cu-NP is proved to be able to effectively promote the reaction of arylboronic acids and arylsulfonyl hydrazides to generate diaryl sulfones at room temperature. The reaction shows excellent substrate universality, and substrates with different substituents can undergo the reaction smoothly, leading to the desired products in good yields. The Cu-NP is found to be made of low valence Cu based on XRD. Hence, the reaction catalyzed by the Cu-NP is believed to involve a Cu-mediated organometallic cycle.

Proteomics reveals the effects of drought stress on the kernel development and starch formation of waxy maize.

BACKGROUND: Kernel development and starch formation are the primary determinants of maize yield and quality, which are considerably influenced by drought stress. To clarify the response of maize kernel to drought stress, we established well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS) conditions at 1-30 days after pollination (dap) on waxy maize (Zea mays L. sinensis Kulesh). RESULTS: Kernel development, starch accumulation, and activities of starch biosynthetic enzymes were significantly reduced by drought stress. The morphology of starch granules changed, whereas the grain filling rate was accelerated. A comparative proteomics approach was applied to analyze the proteome change in kernels under two treatments at 10 dap and 25 dap. Under the WS conditions, 487 and 465 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) were identified at 10 dap and 25 dap, respectively. Drought induced the downregulation of proteins involved in the oxidation-reduction process and oxidoreductase, peroxidase, catalase, glutamine synthetase, abscisic acid stress ripening 1, and lipoxygenase, which might be an important reason for the effect of drought stress on kernel development. Notably, several proteins involved in waxy maize endosperm and starch biosynthesis were upregulated at early-kernel stage under WS conditions, which might have accelerated endosperm development and starch synthesis. Additionally, 17 and 11 common DAPs were sustained in the upregulated and downregulated DAP groups, respectively, at 10 dap and 25 dap. Among these 28 proteins, four maize homologs (i.e., A0A1D6H543, B4FTP0, B6SLJ0, and A0A1D6H5J5) were considered as candidate proteins that affected kernel development and drought stress response by comparing with the rice genome. CONCLUSIONS: The proteomic changes caused by drought were highly correlated with kernel development and starch accumulation, which were closely related to the final yield and quality of waxy maize. Our results provided a foundation for the enhanced understanding of kernel development and starch formation in response to drought stress in waxy maize.

[High glucose promotes the expression of DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) in cultured mouse renal tubular epithelial cells and promotes the secretion of fibrosis associated proteins by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway].

Objective To observe the effects of DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) on the expression of secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) and regulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) of mice under high glucose conditions. Methods in vitro cultured mouse RTECs were divided into normal glucose (NG) group and high glucose (HG) group. After DNMT3B short-hairclip RNA (sh-DNMT3B) and DNMT3B over-expression (DNMT3B-OE) plasmids were transfected separately into RTECs, mRNA expression of DNMT3B, SFRP1, collagen IV (Col4) and fibronectin (FN) were detected by reverse-transcription PCR. Protein expression of DNMT3B, SFRP1, glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß), phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (p-GSK3ß), ß-catenin, Col4 and FN were detected by Western blotting. The localization of DNMT3B and SFRP1 in RTECs was observed by immunofluorescence cytochemistry combined with confocal microscopy. Results Compared with the NG group, the protein expression of DNMT3B, ß-catenin, p-GSK3ß, Col4 and FN increased in the HG group, while SFRP1 protein expression was reduced in the HG group. Compared with the sh-vector group, SFRP1 mRNA and protein expression increased in the sh-DNMT3B group, while the expression of ß-catenin, p-GSK3ß and Col4 proteins decreased. FN mRNA and protein expression dropped in the sh-DNMT3B group, however, the expression of ß-catenin mRNA did not change significantly. Visually, DNMT3B over-expression reversed the above changes. Both DNMT3B and SFRP1 were expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of RTECs, and DNMT3B was aggregated in the nuclei of the cells in the HG group and the co-localization between DNMT3B and SFRP1 was also promoted in the HG group. Conclusion The expression of DNMT3B increases and the expression of SFRP1 decreases when the mouse RTECs were stimulated by HG. This subsequently leads to the activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and promotes the formation of extracellular matrix.

Identification of YAP1 as a novel downstream effector of the FGF2/STAT3 pathway in the pathogenesis of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis.

Chronic kidney disease is a global health problem and eventually develops into an end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It is now widely believed that renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) plays an important role in the progression of ESRD. Renal tubular epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important cause of TIF. Studies have shown that FGF2 is highly expressed in fibrotic renal tissue, although the mechanism remains unclear. We found that FGF2 can activate STAT3 and induce EMT in renal tubular epithelial cells. STAT3, an important transcription factor, was predicted by the JASPAR biological database to bind to the promoter region of YAP1. In this study, STAT3 was shown to promote the expression of the downstream target gene YAP1 through transcription, promote EMT of renal tubular epithelial cells, and mediate the occurrence of renal TIF. This study provides a theoretical basis for the involvement of the FGF2/STAT3/YAP1 signaling pathway in the process of renal interstitial fibrosis and provides a potential target for the treatment of renal fibrosis.

A Fluorescent Visual Proton Donor and Photoacid Sterilant Based on Sulfonate-conjugated BODIPY.

Increasing acidity is an effective method for bacterial inactivation by inhibiting the synthesis of intracellular proteins at low pH. Photo-driven proton release probe can be used for the measurement of proton in hydrophobic condition. To develop fluorescent proton donor, two boron dipyrromethene derivatives (BDP-S and BDP-S2) were characterized by spectroscopic methods. Irradiation of BDP-S by white LED light resulted in efficient generation of acidic species with changes of fluorescence emission. The linear relationship between the pH value and the fluorescence intensity of BDP-S was obtained, indicating that BDP-S is a fluorescent visual proton donor. Light-induced antibacterial results indicate that BDP-S can significantly inhibit the growth of E. coli. The results prove that BDP-S is a very promising photoacid sterilant.

Remediation of phenanthrene contaminated soil by ferrous oxalate and its phytotoxicity evaluation.

Phenanthrene contaminated soil was remediated by the photochemical process of ferrous oxalate. Without using H2O2 and adjusting soil pH, phenanthrene in contaminated soil was degraded effectively by the ferrous oxalate under visible light irradiation. Ferrous oxalate possesses excellent visible light absorption ability which benefits the degradation of phenanthrene in soil under visible light irradiation. Via the Fe(II)/Fe(III) catalytic cycle of ferrous oxalate, H2O2 and Fe(II) could be produced continuously and H2O2 was further catalyzed by Fe(II) and released hydroxyl radicals (•OH) to degrade the phenanthrene in soil. The dosage of ferrous oxalate, moisture content of soil, and soil thickness were most important factors for degradation of phenanthrene in soil. In addition, a good mixing of ferrous oxalate and soil was vital for enhancing the degradation ratio of phenanthrene. After phenanthrene contaminated soil was treated by ferrous oxalate, the toxicity of treated soil was evaluated via the lettuce cultivation experiments. It was demonstrated the toxicity of phenanthrene contaminated soil was significantly reduced by ferrous oxalate according to the growth indexes of lettuces, including root length, leaf length, and fresh weight. This environment-friendly soil remediation method based on ferrous oxalate has huge potential in the remediation of organic pollutant contaminated soil.

MicroRNA-27a targets Sfrp1 to induce renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy by activating Wnt/ß-Catenin signalling.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) commonly causes end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Increasing evidence indicates that abnormal miRNA expression is tightly associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This work aimed to investigate whether miR-27a can promote the occurrence of renal fibrosis in DN by suppressing the expression of secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (Sfrp1) to activate Wnt/ß-catenin signalling. Therefore, we assessed the expression levels of miR-27a, Sfrp1, Wnt signalling components, and extracellular matrix (ECM)-related molecules in vitro and in vivo. Sfrp1 was significantly down-regulated in a high-glucose environment, while miR-27a levels were markedly increased. A luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-27a down-regulated Sfrp1 by binding to the 3' untranslated region directly. Further, NRK-52E cells under high-glucose conditions underwent transfection with miR-27a mimic or the corresponding negative control, miR-27a inhibitor or the corresponding negative control, si-Sfrp1, or combined miR-27a inhibitor and si-Sfrp1. Immunoblotting and immunofluorescence were performed to assess the relative expression levels of Wnt/ß-catenin signalling and ECM components. The mRNA levels of Sfrp1, miR-27a, and ECM-related molecules were also detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). We found that miR-27a inhibitor inactivated Wnt/ß-catenin signalling and reduced ECM deposition. Conversely, Wnt/ß-catenin signalling was activated, while ECM deposition was increased after transfection with si-Sfrp1. Interestingly, miR-27a inhibitor attenuated the effects of si-Sfrp1. We concluded that miR-27a down-regulated Sfrp1 and activated Wnt/ß-catenin signalling to promote renal fibrosis.

Remediation of phenanthrene contaminated soil by g-C3N4/Fe3O4 composites and its phytotoxicity evaluation.

This work is a premier demonstrating the technical feasibility of remediation of PAHs-contaminated soil by g-C3N4/Fe3O4. g-C3N4/Fe3O4 has been synthesized by typical two steps involved the synthesis of g-C3N4 and the subsequent in situ co-precipitation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. g-C3N4/Fe3O4 exhibits excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity for the degradation of phenanthrene in soil at circumneutral pH. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4/Fe3O4 should be attributed to the hybrid of Fe3O4 and g-C3N4 and appropriate Fe3O4 loading amount can improve not only the visible light absorption ability but also the separation of the photo-induced electron-hole pairs. The phytotoxicity evaluation, a preliminary ecological risk assess, was conducted on lettuce cultivation experiments. Base on the data of growth indexes including seeds germination percentage, root length, leaf length, and fresh weight of lettuce, it can be conclude that photocatalytic oxidation based on g-C3N4/Fe3O4 provide a mild oxidation process to degrade the phenanthrene from contaminated soil and there is no negative impact on the growth of lettuce. This work definitely demonstrates that this soil remediation method based on g-C3N4/Fe3O4 is technologically feasible and has immense potential in the application of remediation of organic pollutant contaminated soils.

BODIPY-Mn nanoassemblies for accurate MRI and phototherapy of hypoxic cancer.

Hypoxia promotes not only the metastasis of tumors but also therapeutic resistance. Photosensitizer-mediated consumption of O2 during photodynamic therapy (PDT) reinforces tumor hypoxia. Herein, a light-dependent attenuator of a hypoxic environment is reported for accurate MRI and phototherapy of hypoxic cancer. First, a photoresponsive Mn(ii) nanoassembly was constructed, then it was assembled with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and modified with polyethylene glycol-folic acid (PEG-FA), forming cancer targeting Mn-DBA@BSA-FA nanoassemblies, which offer T1 signals and can catalyze the water oxidation reaction under irradiation of red light emitting diode (LED) light with the generation of O2 and heat. Moreover, they could selectively penetrate through and accumulate in the tumor tissues with clear T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals, and have remarkably eliminated the tumors in vivo, while they are of low toxicity to the healthy organs. The release of the Mn(ii) complex from the nanoparticles in an acidic environment and the in vivo biodistribution results confirm the selective cancer targeting. Our work demonstrates the potential of nanoparticles as excellent theranostic agents for MR imaging combined with phototherapy triggered by near-infrared light.

[Research on Molecular Spectra of Interactions Between Salvianolic Acid A and Salvianolic Acid B with Insulin, and Effect of Glucose on the Binding].

The interactions of Salvianolic acis A (SAA) and Salvianolic acid B (SAB) with insulin were studied by using fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in simulating physiological condition (pH 7.40). The fluorescence quenching of insulin by SAA and SAB were static quenching process. The results of synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra suggested no obvious conformation changes of insulin after SAA or SAB binding. But ATR-FTIR spectra showed that SAA and SAB could change the secondary structures of insulin, of which ß-turns decreased and random coil increased accompanied with α-belices and ß-sheets no clear change. The glucose might influenced the bioactivity of insulin in the SAA-insulin and SAB-insulin systems by changing the binding constants of SAA (or SAB) with insulin and exacerbating the changes of insulin conformation and relative contents of α-belices.