Controllable enzymatic hydrolysis in reverse Janus emulsion microreactors.

HYPOTHESIS: The key feature of living cells is multicompartmentalization for enzymatic reactions. Artificial cell-like multicompartments with micro domains are appealing to mimic the biological counterparts. In addition, establishing a sustainable, efficient, and controllable reaction system for enzymatic hydrolysis is imperative for the production of natural fatty acids from animal and plant-based fats. EXPERIMENTS: Reverse Janus emulsion microreactors, i.e. (W1 + W2)/O, is constructed through directly using natural fats as continuous phase and aqueous two-phase solutions (ATPS) as inner phases. Enzyme is confined in the compartmented aqueous droplets dominated by the salt of Na2SO4 and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Enzyme catalyzed ester hydrolysis employed as a model reaction is performed under the conditions of agitation-free and mild temperature. Regulation of reaction kinetics is investigated by diverse droplet topology, composition of inner ATPS, and on-demand emulsification. FINDINGS: Excellent enzymatic activity toward hydrolysis of plant and animal oils achieves 88.5 % conversion after 3 h. Compartmented micro domains contribute to condense and organize the enzymes spatially. Timely removal of the products away from reaction sites of oil/water interface "pushed" the reaction forward. Distribution and transfer of enzyme in two aqueous lobes provide extra freedom in the regulation of hydrolysis kinetics, with equilibrium conversion controlled freely from 14.5 % to 88.5 %. Reversible "open" and "shut" of hydrolysis is acheived by on-demand emulsification and spontaneous demulsification. This paper paves the way to advancing progress in compartmentalized emulsion as a sustainable and high-efficiency platform for biocatalytic applications.

miR-378a-5p represses Barrett's esophagus cells proliferation, migration and invasion through targeting TSPAN8.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) belongs to a pathological phenomenon occurring in the esophagus, this paper intended to unveil the underlying function of miR-378a-5p and its target TSPAN8 in BE progression. GEO analysis was conducted to determine differentially expressed genes in BE samples. Non-dysplastic metaplasia BE samples, high-grade dysplastic BE samples and controls were collected from subjects. CP-A and CP-B cells were exposed to bile acids (BA) to mimic gastroesophageal reflux in BE cells. RT-qPCR as well as western blot were applied for verifying expressions of miR-378a-5p, TSPAN8, CDX2 and SOX9. CCK-8, wound scratch together with Transwell assays were exploited for ascertaining cell proliferation, migration as well as invasion. The targeted relationship of miR-378a-5p and TSPAN8 could be verified by correlation analysis, dual-luciferase reporter experiment, and rescue experiments. Through analyzing GSE26886 dataset, we screened the most abundantly expressed gene TSPAN8 in BE samples. miR-378a-5p was reduced whereas TSPAN8 was elevated in CP-A as well as CP-B cells after triggering with BA. Knocking down TSPAN8 could counteract BA-triggered enhancement in BE cell proliferation, migration along with invasion. miR-378a-5p could suppress BE cell proliferation, and migration along with invasion via targeting TSPAN8. In BE, miR-378a-5p targeted TSPAN8 to inhibit BE cell proliferation, and migration along invasion. miR-378a-5p deletion or elevation of TSPAN8 may be key point in regulating CDX2 and SOX9 levels, thereby promoting BE formation.

Detection of Retinal Microvascular Changes with Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Patients with Acute Leukemia Without Retinopathy.

INTRODUCTION: Acute leukemia often affects microcirculation perfusion. This study aimed to investigate retinal microvascular changes in patients with acute leukemia without retinopathy during clinical remission using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to determine the correlation of these changes with systemic laboratory values. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients in remission from acute leukemia with no retinopathy (NLR group) and 36 age-matched healthy individuals (control group) were included in this cross-sectional study. OCTA parameters, including the central foveal thickness (CFT), foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, FAZ perimeter, acircularity index (AI), foveal density (FD300), and the vessel densities (VDs) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillaris were analyzed in a 6 × 6 mm2 macular scan. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify potential systemic characteristics associated with these OCTA metrics. RESULTS: AI (P = 0.034) and FD300 (P < 0.001) differed significantly between the NLR and control groups. The VD of SCP in the parafovea (P = 0.001) and of DCP in both the parafovea (P = 0.011) and perifovea (P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the NLR group than in the control group. In a multiple linear regression analysis, the reduced VD of the perifoveal DCP was significantly correlated with the increased international normalized ratio (standardized beta [STD ß] = - 0.356; P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Macular microvascular changes can be observed during remission from acute leukemia antecedent to clinically visible retinal lesions. Hematological disturbances may be associated with microvascular impairments in preclinical leukemic retinopathy.

Complete genome sequence of Nguyenibacter sp. L1, a phosphate solubilizing bacterium isolated from Lespedeza bicolor rhizosphere.

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is a predominant constraint on plant growth in acidified soils, largely due to the sequestration of P by toxic aluminum (Al) compounds. Indigenous phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria (PSBs) capable of mobilizing Al-P in these soils hold significant promise. A novel Al-P-solubilizing strain, Al-P Nguyenibacter sp. L1, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of healthy Lespedeza bicolor plants indigenous to acidic terrains. However, our understanding of the genomic landscape of bacterial species within the genus Nguyenibacter remains in its infancy. To further explore its biotechnological potentialities, we sequenced the complete genome of this strain, employing an amalgamation of Oxford Nanopore ONT and Illumina sequencing platforms. The resultant genomic sequence of Nguyenibacter sp. L1 manifests as a singular, circular chromosome encompassing 4,294,433 nucleotides and displaying a GC content of 66.73%. The genome was found to host 3,820 protein-coding sequences, 12 rRNAs, and 55 tRNAs. Intriguingly, annotations derived from the eggNOG and KEGG databases indicate the presence of genes affiliated with phosphorus solubilization and nitrogen fixation, including iscU, glnA, and gltB/D associated with nitrogen fixation, and pqqBC associated with inorganic phosphate dissolution. Several bioactive secondary metabolite genes in the genome, including pqqCDE, phytoene synthase and squalene synthase predicted by antiSMASH. Moreover, we uncovered a complete metabolic pathway for ammonia, suggesting an ammonia-affinity property inherent to Nguyenibacter sp. L1. This study verifies the nitrogen-fixing and phosphate-dissolving abilities of Nguyenibacter sp. L1 at the molecular level through genetic screening and analysis. The insights gleaned from this study offer strategic guidance for future strain enhancement and establish a strong foundation for the potential incorporation of this bacterium into agricultural practices.

Carbon neutral hydrogen storage and release cycles based on dual-functional roles of formamides.

The development of alternative clean energy carriers is a key challenge for our society. Carbon-based hydrogen storage materials are well-suited to undergo reversible (de)hydrogenation reactions and the development of catalysts for the individual process steps is crucial. In the current state, noble metal-based catalysts still dominate this field. Here, a system for partially reversible and carbon-neutral hydrogen storage and release is reported. It is based on the dual-functional roles of formamides and uses a small molecule Fe-pincer complex as the catalyst, showing good stability and reusability with high productivity. Starting from formamides, quantitative production of CO-free hydrogen is achieved at high selectivity ( > 99.9%). This system works at modest temperatures of 90 °C, which can be easily supplied by the waste heat from e.g., proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. Employing such system, we achieve >70% H2 evolution efficiency and >99% H2 selectivity in 10 charge-discharge cycles, avoiding undesired carbon emission between cycles.

Does COVID-19 affect mental health and substance use in young adults?

BACKGROUND: Mental health has been impacted by COVID-19 throughout the United States and beyond. The mental health and well-being were further affected with excessive substance use during the pandemic. The aim of this research was to explore how the COVID-19 affects the mental health of the young adults (18-24 years) in the South Jersey area. We also examined the association between mental health symptoms in young adults and substance use during the first and second year of the pandemic. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with (n = 711) 527 participants that included young adults (18-24 years old) across university campus in south jersey and in the community cohorts. Multinomial regression analysis and Chi-squared test were used to explore the association between mental symptoms and substance use. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet for descriptive statistics and Python 3.0 scikit-learn package. RESULTS: The study showed that "Lonely" and "Hopeless" were the top two mental health symptoms. It was observed that the symptoms of "Lonely" and "Hopeless" increased for both males and females. In general, males seemed to be affected more than females in this study for mental health symptoms. For substance use, "Nervous" and "Smoking" showed positive correlation in 2020 and "Hopeless" and "Alcohol" were positively correlated in 2021. CONCLUSIONS: Young adults' mental health symptoms and substance use has been proven to be affected through the pandemic and this research results even though localized will assist the community and educational institutions to plan better support to assist young adults with better health and wellness initiatives.

Manganese Promoted (Bi)carbonate Hydrogenation and Formate Dehydrogenation: Toward a Circular Carbon and Hydrogen Economy.

We report here a feasible hydrogen storage and release process by interconversion of readily available (bi)carbonate and formate salts in the presence of naturally occurring α-amino acids. These transformations are of interest for the concept of a circular carbon economy. The use of inorganic carbonate salts for hydrogen storage and release is also described for the first time. Hydrogenation of these substrates proceeds with high formate yields in the presence of specific manganese pincer catalysts and glutamic acid. Based on this, cyclic hydrogen storage and release processes with carbonate salts succeed with good H2 yields.

Improved CO2 Capture and Catalytic Hydrogenation Using Amino Acid Based Ionic Liquids.

A series of alkyl ammonium (or imidazolium) based ionic liquids was tested as novel and potentially green absorbent for CO2 capture and utilization. By exploiting various amino acids as counter ions for ionic liquids, CO2 capture and hydrogenation to formate occur with high activity and excellent productivity utilizing arginine. The reaction was easily scalable without any significant drop in formate production, and the catalyst was reused for five consecutive runs leading to an overall TON of 12,741 for the formation of formate salt.

Assessing perceived effectiveness of career development efforts led by the women in American Medical Informatics Association Initiative.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to ascertain perceived factors affecting women's career development efforts in the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) and to provide recommendations for improvements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected using a 27-item survey administered via the AMIA newsletter and other social channels. Survey questions comprised 3 demographics, 15 Likert-scale, and 9 open-ended items. Likert-scale responses were summarized across respondent ages, career stages, and career domains, and open-ended responses were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: We received survey responses from 109 AMIA women members. Our findings demonstrate that AMIA had made strides in promoting career development, and the most effective AMIA efforts included social events (83%), panel discussions (80%), and scientific sessions (79%). However, despite these efforts, women members perceived that gender-specific challenges persisted within AMIA, and recognized the need for increased networking opportunities (96%), raising awareness of gender-specific challenges (95%), and encouraging gender proportional representation in leadership (92%). DISCUSSION: International and national biomedical informatics professional communities have put forth efforts to address gender-specific issues in career development. Yet, our study identified that some of these, including the deep-rooted gender power hierarchy and bias, are still perceived as profound in AMIA. CONCLUSION: Even though existing career development efforts for women are highly effective, important perceived gender-specific career development issues require further attention and investigation to improve existing AMIA activities.

Construction and regulation of aqueous-based Cerberus droplets by vortex mixing.

HYPOTHESIS: The emerging aqueous-based Cerberus emulsion droplets with multi-domains behave as an excellent platform to design cyto-mimetic compartmentalization for fabrication of anisotropic biomimetic materials and microreactors. However, the ultralow water/water interfacial tension impedes fabrication of aqueous Cerberus droplets in batch-scale and precisely topology regulation especially under lack of deep understanding of w/w interface properties. EXPERIMENTS: Aqueous-based ternary phase diagram composed by salt, hydrophilic polymer and fluorocarbon compound is determined. Different emulsions employing the multiple aqueous solutions as internal phase and vegetable oil as continuous phase, are prepared by traditional vortex mixing based on the diagram. The construction mechanism of (W1 + W2 + W3)/O Cerberus droplets and relationship between droplet topology and the diagram are investigated. FINDINGS: Diverse categories of aqueous-based emulsions from single emulsions, Janus emulsions, to Cerberus emulsions are delicately controlled in the same system based on the diagram. Various morphologies of Cerberus droplets such as linear and fan-like configurations are obtained, although spreading coefficient based on interfacial tension indicates preference of onion-like configuration. The viscosity plays an unexpected role in the construction of Cerberus droplets due to highly sensitive water/water interfaces within the droplets. Moreover, an empirical equation is perfectly applied, which endows quantitative prediction and control of lobe volume ratio within Cerberus droplets.

Homogeneous Carbon Capture and Catalytic Hydrogenation: Toward a Chemical Hydrogen Battery System.

Recent developments of CO2 capture and subsequent catalytic hydrogenation to C1 products are discussed and evaluated in this Perspective. Such processes can become a crucial part of a more sustainable energy economy in the future. The individual steps of this catalytic carbon capture and usage (CCU) approach also provide the basis for chemical hydrogen batteries. Here, specifically the reversible CO2/formic acid (or bicarbonate/formate salts) system is presented, and the utilized catalysts are discussed.

Unilateral isolated optic nerve infiltration combined with central retinal artery occlusion in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.

Purpose: To report a case of unilateral isolated optic nerve infiltration combined with central retinal artery occlusion in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia. Observations: A 28-year-old acute myeloid leukemia patient with systemic remission after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation presented with optic nerve infiltration combined with central retinal artery occlusion. Fundus examination showed diffuse papillary swelling with blurred margins and whitening macular with cherry-red spot. CBFß-MYH11 fusion transcript analysis revealed central nervous system relapse of acute myeloid leukemia and optic nerve infiltration. Conclusions and importance: Isolated optic nerve infiltration combined with central retinal artery occlusion is an extremely rare presentation in acute myeloid leukemia. Even in the absence of cytological and radiographic evidence from cerebrospinal fluid, optic nerve infiltration should not be ignored.

Chiral Supramolecular Polymers Assembled by Amphiphilic Oligopeptide-Perylene Diimides and High Electrochemical Sensing.

Various secondary structures, for example, ß-sheet hydrogen bonds formed by oligopeptides exhibiting high directionality and selectivity provide a new avenue to regulate optoelectronic performances of supramolecular assemblies constructed by π-conjugated chromophores. In this work, oligopeptide-perylene diimides (AUPDIs) are synthesized to generate ß-sheet strands which guide the formation of chiral supramolecular polymers with a diversity of morphologies in combination with the π-π stacking even in aqueous media. Complex morphology transitions are successfully controlled by simply adjusting the water volume fraction in the binary solvent of water and tetrahydrofuran from spherical hollow aggregates to long helical nanowires and to short nanofibers. The mechanism of the assembly changes from cooperative to the isodesmic model relying on AUPDI concentrations. This originates from the transformation in the ß-sheet that regulates profoundly the arrangement of the AUPDI molecules. Prominently efficient and positive electronic sensing to triethylamine for highly helical nanowires engenders due to the highly ordered helical arrangement within the nanowires, fourfold of the short nanofibers.

Hierarchical self-assemblies of carnosine asymmetrically functioned perylene diimide with high optoelectronic response.

HYPOTHESIS: Taking advantage of photoinduced electron transfer, one dimensional organic nanomaterials with tunable donor-acceptor (D-A) interface provide a promising avenue to get high optoelectric properties. However, strong charge transfer interaction between D and A segments impedes the formation of long-range ordered structure, which limits the charge transport through efficient π electronic delocalization. Incorporation of chiral peptide offering various hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) along with asymmetric molecular structure enables substantially controllable D-A interface and tunable organization of the π-conjugates. EXPERIMENTS: A new amphiphilic perylene diimide (CUPDI) with PDI as an acceptor is designed and synthesized. A polar chiral dipeptide composed of ß-alanine and l-histidine with the imidazole ring as the donor i.e., l-carnosine, is incorporated at one of imides. Transition of various supramolecular assemblies of CUPDI is realized by changing CUPDI concentration and solvents. The photoelectronic properties of the assemblies are investigated as well as their association with the microstructure of the nanomaterials. FINDINGS: Delicately tuned hydrogen bonds between the peptides and π-π interaction between PDI cores in different solvents enable the formation of assemblies with multifarious microstructures such as small spherical aggregates, nanowires with uniform diameter, nanobelts, and irregular aggregates. The maximum amount of photocurrent enhancement is up to 1.08 µA observed for the nanobelt, four times higher than that of irregular aggregates. However, the nanowires show the best performance of 7.1-fold in response to ammonia. Thus, the photoelectric performances are strongly dependent on the the molecular arrangement within the nanomaterials.

An amino acid based system for CO2 capture and catalytic utilization to produce formates.

Herein, we report a novel amino acid based reaction system for CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) to produce formates in the presence of the naturally occurring amino acid l-lysine. Utilizing a specific ruthenium-based catalyst system, hydrogenation of absorbed carbon dioxide occurs with high activity and excellent productivity. Noteworthy, following the CCU concept, CO2 can be captured from ambient air in the form of carbamates and converted directly to formates in one-pot (TON > 50 000). This protocol opens new potential for transforming captured CO2 from ambient air to C1-related products.

Hydrosilylation Reactions Catalyzed by Rhenium.

Hydrosilylation is an important process, not only in the silicon industry to produce silicon polymers, but also in fine chemistry. In this review, the development of rhenium-based catalysts for the hydrosilylation of unsaturated bonds in carbonyl-, cyano-, nitro-, carboxylic acid derivatives and alkenes is summarized. Mechanisms of rhenium-catalyzed hydrosilylation are discussed.

Optical Density Value and Ratio as Novel Indexes for Nanoemulsion Sterile Filtration Process Control or Characterization.

Sterile filtration is an effective method to remove any microorganisms present during nanoemulsion preparation. However, it lacks effective control parameters. Here, we established a simple and rapid approach for the process control of nanoemulsion sterile filtration by utilizing optical density detection as a process control parameter. During sterile filtration, the optical density or optical density ratio of the filtrate were continuously monitored to explore the correlation between optical density and the emulsion content and the change in the optical density ratio before and after sterile filtration. In the emulsion stability test, the optical density ratio was determined. A good correlation was obtained between the optical density and the nanoemulsion content during sterile filtration, thereby reducing sterile filtration loss. The optical density ratio changed significantly after sterile filtration, indicating that it could be used as a process control parameter to monitor leakage during emulsion sterile filtration. The optical density ratio can be a characterization index for stability monitoring as it is more sensitive than particle size detection and more convenient than large particle detection. These parameters may be used for sterile filtration process control and as an index for nanoemulsion characterization. This approach overcomes the limitations of existing nanoemulsion characterization methods.

Organophosphorus and Iron Catalysis: Good Partners for Hydrometalation of Olefins and Alkynes.

The last decades have seen an impressive development of iron complexes involving organophosphorus ligands applied in homogeneous catalyzed hydrometalation of olefins and alkynes. Two main topics will be covered in this JOCSynopsis: (i) an overview of the achievements in the area of iron-catalyzed hydrophosphination and then (ii) hydrosilylation, hydroborylation, and hydromagnesiation reactions promoted by catalysts based on organophosphorus ligands and iron.

Manganese and rhenium-catalyzed selective reduction of esters to aldehydes with hydrosilanes.

The selective reduction of esters to aldehydes, via the formation of stable alkyl silyl acetals, was, for the first time, achieved with both manganese, -Mn2(CO)10- and rhenium -Re2(CO)10- catalysts in the presence of triethylsilane as reductant. These two methods provide a direct access to a large variety of aliphatic and aromatic alkyl silyl acetals (30 examples) and to the corresponding aldehydes (13 examples) upon hydrolysis. The reactions proceeded in excellent yields and high selectivity at room temperature under photo-irradiation conditions (LED, 365 nm, 40 W, 9 h).

A review of auditing techniques for the Unified Medical Language System.

OBJECTIVE: The study sought to describe the literature related to the development of methods for auditing the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), with particular attention to identifying errors and inconsistencies of attributes of the concepts in the UMLS Metathesaurus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We applied the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach by searching the MEDLINE database and Google Scholar for studies referencing the UMLS and any of several terms related to auditing, error detection, and quality assurance. A qualitative analysis and summarization of articles that met inclusion criteria were performed. RESULTS: Eighty-three studies were reviewed in detail. We first categorized techniques based on various aspects including concepts, concept names, and synonymy (n = 37), semantic type assignments (n = 36), hierarchical relationships (n = 24), lateral relationships (n = 12), ontology enrichment (n = 8), and ontology alignment (n = 18). We also categorized the methods according to their level of automation (ie, automated systematic, automated heuristic, or manual) and the type of knowledge used (ie, intrinsic or extrinsic knowledge). CONCLUSIONS: This study is a comprehensive review of the published methods for auditing the various conceptual aspects of the UMLS. Categorizing the auditing techniques according to the various aspects will enable the curators of the UMLS as well as researchers comprehensive easy access to this wealth of knowledge (eg, for auditing lateral relationships in the UMLS). We also reviewed ontology enrichment and alignment techniques due to their critical use of and impact on the UMLS.