A bacterial pigment provides cross-species protection from H2O2- and neutrophil-mediated killing.

Bacterial infections are often polymicrobial. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus cause chronic co-infections, which are more problematic than mono-species infections. Understanding the mechanisms of their interactions is crucial for treating co-infections. Staphyloxanthin (STX), a yellow pigment synthesized by the S. aureus crt operon, promotes S. aureus resistance to oxidative stress and neutrophil-mediated killing. We found that STX production by S. aureus, either as surface-grown macrocolonies or planktonic cultures, was elevated when exposed to the P. aeruginosa exoproduct, 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO). This was observed with both mucoid and non-mucoid P. aeruginosa strains. The induction phenotype was found in a majority of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus clinical isolates examined. When subjected to hydrogen peroxide or human neutrophils, P. aeruginosa survival was significantly higher when mixed with wild-type (WT) S. aureus, compared to P. aeruginosa alone or with an S. aureus crt mutant deficient in STX production. In a murine wound model, co-infection with WT S. aureus, but not the STX-deficient mutant, enhanced P. aeruginosa burden and disease compared to mono-infection. In conclusion, we identified a role for P. aeruginosa HQNO mediating polymicrobial interactions with S. aureus by inducing STX production, which consequently promotes resistance to the innate immune effectors H2O2 and neutrophils. These results further our understanding of how different bacterial species cooperatively cause co-infections.

Identifying new cancer genes based on the integration of annotated gene sets via hypergraph neural networks.

MOTIVATION: Identifying cancer genes remains a significant challenge in cancer genomics research. Annotated gene sets encode functional associations among multiple genes, and cancer genes have been shown to cluster in hallmark signaling pathways and biological processes. The knowledge of annotated gene sets is critical for discovering cancer genes but remains to be fully exploited. RESULTS: Here, we present the DIsease-Specific Hypergraph neural network (DISHyper), a hypergraph-based computational method that integrates the knowledge from multiple types of annotated gene sets to predict cancer genes. First, our benchmark results demonstrate that DISHyper outperforms the existing state-of-the-art methods and highlight the advantages of employing hypergraphs for representing annotated gene sets. Second, we validate the accuracy of DISHyper-predicted cancer genes using functional validation results and multiple independent functional genomics data. Third, our model predicts 44 novel cancer genes, and subsequent analysis shows their significant associations with multiple types of cancers. Overall, our study provides a new perspective for discovering cancer genes and reveals previously undiscovered cancer genes. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: DISHyper is freely available for download at https://github.com/genemine/DISHyper.

Rescue of cardiac dysfunction during chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukaemia by blocking IL-1α.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) suffer from severe myocardial injury during daunorubicin (DNR)-based chemotherapy and are at high risk of cardiac mortality. The crosstalk between tumour cells and cardiomyocytes might play an important role in chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity, but this has yet to be demonstrated. This study aimed to identify its underlying mechanism and explore potential therapeutic targets. METHODS: Cardiac tissues were harvested from an AML patient after DNR-based chemotherapy and were subjected to single-nucleus RNA sequencing. Cardiac metabolism and function were evaluated in AML mice after DNR treatment by using positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and stable-isotope tracing metabolomics. Plasma cytokines were screened in AML mice after DNR treatment. Genetically modified mice and cell lines were used to validate the central role of the identified cytokine and explore its downstream effectors. RESULTS: In the AML patient, disruption of cardiac metabolic homeostasis was associated with heart dysfunction after DNR-based chemotherapy. In AML mice, cardiac fatty acid utilization was attenuated, resulting in cardiac dysfunction after DNR treatment, but these phenotypes were not observed in similarly treated tumour-free mice. Furthermore, tumour cell-derived interleukin (IL)-1α was identified as a primary factor leading to DNR-induced cardiac dysfunction and administration of an anti-IL-1α neutralizing antibody could improve cardiac functions in AML mice after DNR treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that crosstalk between tumour cells and cardiomyocytes during chemotherapy could disturb cardiac energy metabolism and impair heart function. IL-1α neutralizing antibody treatment is a promising strategy for alleviating chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity in AML patients.

Heterovalent Metal Pair Sites on Metal-Organic Framework Ordered Macropores for Multimolecular Co-Activation.

The precise design of catalytic metal centers with multiple chemical states to facilitate sophisticated reactions involving multimolecular activation is highly desirable but challenging. Herein, we report an ordered macroporous catalyst with heterovalent metal pair (HMP) sites comprising CuII-CuI on the basis of a microporous metal-organic framework (MOF) system. This macroporous HMP catalyst with proximity heterovalent dual copper sites, whose distance is controlled to ∼2.6 Å, on macropore surface exhibits a co-activation behavior of ethanol at CuII and alkyne at CuI, and avoids microporous restriction, thereby promoting additive-free alkyne hydroboration reaction. The desired yield enhances dramatically compared with the pristine MOF and ordered macroporous MOF both with solely isovalent CuII-CuII sites. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the Cu-HMP sites can stabilize the Bpin-CuII-CuI-alkyne intermediate and facilitate C-B bond formation, resulting in a smooth alkyne hydroboration process. This work provides new perspectives to design multimolecular activation catalysts for sophisticated matter transformations.

Selective C-H Bond Activation in Propane with Molecular Oxygen over Cu(I)-ZSM-5 at Ambient Conditions.

Selective activation of C-H bonds in light alkanes under mild conditions is challenging but holds the promise of efficient upgrading of abundant hydrocarbons. In this work, we report the conversion of propane to propylene with ∼95% selectivity on Cu(I)-ZSM-5 with O2 at room temperature and pressure. The intraporous Cu(I) species was oxidized to Cu(II) during the reaction but could be regenerated with H2 at 220 °C. Diffuse reflectance ultraviolet spectroscopy indicated the presence of both Cu+-O2 and Cu2(µ-O2)2+ species in the zeolite pores during the reaction, and electron paramagnetic resonance results showed that propane activation occurred via a radical-mediated pathway distinct from that with H2O2 as the oxidant. Correlation between spectroscopic and reactivity results on Cu(I)-ZSM-5 with different Cu loadings suggests that the isolated intraporous Cu(I) species is the main active species in propane activation.

Osimertinib in combination with anti-angiogenesis therapy presents a promising option for osimertinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Osimertinib has become standard care for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients whereas drug resistance remains inevitable. Now we recognize that the interactions between the tumor and the tumor microenvironment (TME) also account for drug resistance. Therefore, we provide a new sight into post-osimertinib management, focusing on the alteration of TME. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on the prognosis of different treatments after osimertinib resistance. Next, we carried out in vivo experiment to validate our findings using a humanized mouse model. Furthermore, we performed single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) of tumor tissue from the above treatment groups to explore the mechanisms of TME changes. RESULTS: Totally 111 advanced NSCLC patients have been enrolled in the retrospective study. The median PFS was 9.84 months (95% CI 7.0-12.6 months) in the osimertinib plus anti-angiogenesis group, significantly longer than chemotherapy (P = 0.012) and osimertinib (P = 0.003). The median OS was 16.79 months (95% CI 14.97-18.61 months) in the osimertinib plus anti-angiogenesis group, significantly better than chemotherapy (P = 0.026), the chemotherapy plus osimertinib (P = 0.021), and the chemotherapy plus immunotherapy (P = 0.006). The efficacy of osimertinib plus anlotinib in the osimertinib-resistant engraft tumors (R-O+A) group was significantly more potent than the osimertinib (R-O) group (P<0.05) in vitro. The combinational therapy could significantly increase the infiltration of CD4+ T cells (P<0.05), CD25+CD4+ T cells (P<0.001), and PD-1+CD8+ T cells (P<0.05) compared to osimertinib. ScRNA-seq demonstrated that the number of CD8+ T and proliferation T cells increased, and TAM.mo was downregulated in the R-O+A group compared to the R-O group. Subtype study of T cells explained that the changes caused by combination treatment were mainly related to cytotoxic T cells. Subtype study of macrophages showed that proportion and functional changes in IL-1ß.mo and CCL18.mo might be responsible for rescue osimertinib resistance by combination therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, osimertinib plus anlotinib could improve the prognosis of patients with a progressed disease on second-line osimertinib treatment, which may ascribe to increased T cell infiltration and TAM remodeling via VEGF-VEGFR blockage.

Cluster-Cluster Co-Nucleation Induced Defective Polyoxometalate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Tandem Catalysis.

The construction of defective sites is one of the effective strategies to create high-activity Metal-Organic frameworks (MOFs) catalysts. However, traditional synthesis methods usually suffer from cumbersome synthesis steps and disordered defect structures. Herein, a cluster-cluster co-nucleation (CCCN) strategy is presented that involves the in situ introduction of size-matched functional polyoxometalates (H6P2W18O62, {P2W18}) to intervene the nucleation process of cluster-based MOFs (UiO-66), achieving one-step inducement of exposed defective sites without redundant post-processing. POM-induced UiO-66 ({P2W18}-0.1@UiO-66) exhibits a classical reo topology for well-defined cluster defects. Moreover, the defective sites and the interaction between POM and skeletal cluster nodes are directly observed by Integrated Differential Phase Contrast in Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (iDPC-STEM). Owing to the molecular-level proximity between defective sites and POM in the same nano-reaction space, {P2W18}-0.1@UiO-66 exhibits efficient tandem catalysis in the preparation of γ-valerolactone (γ-GVL) from laevulinic acid (LA) by the combination of Lewis and Brønsted acids with 11 times higher performance than defective UiO-66 formed by conventional coordination modulation strategy. The CCCN strategy is applicable to different POM and has the potential to be extended to other cluster-based MOFs, which will pave a new way for the construction of functional MOFs with multi-centered synergistic catalysis.

Effects of trimetazidine on cardiac function in adult cyanotic congenital heart disease patients: Protocol for a 3-month multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Nearly 20% Patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) are not able to receive surgery. These patients experience a decline in cardiac function as they age, which has been demonstrated to be associated with changes in energy metabolism in cardiomyocytes. Trimetazidine (TMZ), a metabolic regulator, is supposed to alleviate such maladaptation and reserve cardiac function in CCHD patients. METHODS: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Eighty adult CCHD patients will be recruited and randomized to the TMZ (20 mg TMZ 3 times a day for 3 months) or placebo group (placebo 3 times a day for 3 months). The primary outcome is the difference in cardiac ejection fractions (EF) measured by cardiac magnetic resonance (MRI) between baseline and after 3 months of TMZ treatment. The secondary outcomes include TMZ serum concentration, rate of cardiac events, NYHA grading, fingertip SpO2, NT-proBNP levels, 6-minute walking test (6MWT), KCCQ-CSS questionnaire score, echocardiography, ECG, routine blood examination, liver and kidney function test, blood pressure and heart rate. DISCUSSION: This trial is designed to explore whether the application of TMZ in adult CCHD patients can improve cardiac function, reduce cardiac events, and improve exercise performance and quality of life. The results will provide targeted drug therapy for CCHD patients with hypoxia and support the application of TMZ in children with CCHD.

Current status and future directions in pediatric ventricular assist device.

A ventricular assist device (VAD) is a form of mechanical circulatory support that uses a mechanical pump to partially or fully take over the function of a failed heart. In recent decades, the VAD has become a crucial option in the treatment of end-stage heart failure in adult patients. However, due to the lack of suitable devices and more complicated patient profiles, this therapeutic approach is still not widely used for pediatric populations. This article reviews the clinically available devices, adverse events, and future directions of design and implementation in pediatric VADs.

Influence of Steric Effects on the Emission Behavior of Pyrene-Based Blue Luminogens.

Pyrene-based derivatives have been widely deployed in organic luminescent materials because of their bright fluorescence, high charge carrier mobility, and facile modification. Nevertheless, the fluorescence output of conventional pyrenes is prone to quenching upon aggregation due to extensive intermolecular π-π stacking interactions. To address this issue, a set of new Y-shaped pyrene-containing luminogens are synthesized from a new bromopyrene chemical precursor, 2-hydroxyl-7-tert-butyl-1,3-bromopyrene, where the bromo and hydroxyl groups at the pyrene core can be readily modified to obtain the target products and provide great flexibility in tuning the photophysical performances. When the hydroxy group at the 2-position of pyrene was replaced by a benzyl group, the steric hindrance of the benzyl group not only efficiently inhibits the detrimental intermolecular π-π stacking interactions but also rigidifies the molecular conformation, resulting in a narrow-band blue emission. Moreover, the TPE-containing compounds 2c and 3c possessed characteristic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties with fluorescence quantum yields of up to 66% and 38% in the solid state, respectively. Thus, this article has methodically investigated the factors influencing the optical behavior, such as intermolecular interactions, and the steric effects of the substituent group, thereby opening up the potential to develop narrow-band pyrene-based blue emitters for OLED device applications.

Pyrene-Based Deep-Blue Fluorophores with Narrow-Band Emission.

High-efficiency narrow-band luminescent materials have attracted intense interest, resulting in their great colorimetric purity. This has led to a variety of high-tech applications in high-definition displays, spectral analysis, and biomedicine. In this study, a rigid pyrene core was employed as the molecular backbone, and four narrow-band pyrene-based blue emitters were synthesized using various synthetic methods (such as Lewis-acid catalyzed cyclization domino reactions, Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions like Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira). Due to the steric effect of the hydroxy group at the 2-position, the target compounds exhibit deep blue emission (<429 nm, CIEy < 0.08) with full width at half-maximum (FWHM) less than 33 nm both in solution and when solidified. The experimental and theoretical results indicated that the substituents at the 1- and 3-positions afford a large dihedral angle with the pyrene core, and the molecular motion is almost fixed by multiple intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions in the crystallized state, leading to a suppression of the vibrational relaxation of the molecular structure. Moreover, we observed that the suppression of the vibrational relaxation in the molecular structures and the construction of rigid conjugated structures can help develop narrow-band organic light-emitting materials.

Pharmacokinetics of PEGasparaginase in Infants with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: PEGasparaginase is known to be a critical drug for treating pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), however, there is insufficient evidence to determine the optimal dose for infants who are less than one year of age at diagnosis. This international study was conducted to identify the pharmacokinetics of PEGasparaginase in infants with newly diagnosed ALL and gather insight into the clearance and dosing of this population. METHODS: Infants with ALL who received treatment with PEGasparaginase were included in our population pharmacokinetic assessment employing non-linear mixed effects modelling (NONMEM). RESULTS: 68 infants with ALL, with a total of 388 asparaginase activity samples, were included. PEGasparaginase doses ranging from 400 to 3,663 IU/m2 were administered either intravenously or intramuscularly. A one-compartment model with time-dependent clearance, modeled using a transit model, provided the best fit to the data. Body weight was significantly correlated with clearance and volume of distribution. The final model estimated a half-life of 11.7 days just after administration, which decreased to 1.8 days 14 days after administration. Clearance was 19.5% lower during the post-induction treatment phase compared to induction. CONCLUSION: The pharmacokinetics of PEGasparaginase in infants diagnosed under one year of age with ALL is comparable to that of older children (1-18 years). We recommend a PEGasparaginase dosing at 1,500 IU/m2 for infants without dose adaptations according to age, and implementing therapeutic drug monitoring as standard practice.

Metabolites mediate the causal associations between gut microbiota and NAFLD: a Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Although gut microbiota and serum metabolite composition have been observed to be altered in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), previous observational studies have demonstrated inconsistent results. As this may be influenced by factors such as confounders and reverse causality, we used Mendelian randomization to clarify the causal effect of gut microbiota and blood metabolites on NAFLD. METHODS: In this research, we performed a two-step Mendelian randomization analysis by utilizing genome-wide association study (GWAS) data obtained from MiBioGen and UK Biobank. To mitigate potential errors, we employed False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction and linkage unbalanced regression (LDSC) analysis. Sensitivity analyses including cML-MA and bidirectional Mendelian randomization were performed to ensure the robustness of the results. RESULTS: In this study, a total of nine gut microbiota and seven metabolites were found to be significantly associated with NAFLD. MR analysis of the above findings revealed a causal relationship between Ruminococcus2 and cysteine-glutathione disulfide (OR = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.006-1.369, P = 0.041), as well as 3-indoleglyoxylic acid (OR = 1.18, 95%CI = 1.011-1.370, P = 0.036). For each incremental standard deviation in Ruminococcus2 abundance, there was a corresponding 26% reduction in NAFLD risk (OR = 0.74, 95%CI = 0.61-0.89, P = 0.0012), accompanied by a 17% increase in cysteine-glutathione disulfide levels (OR = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.01-1.37, P = 0.041) and an 18% increase in 3-indoleglyoxylic acid levels (OR = 1.18, 95%CI = 0.81-1.00, P = 0.036). The proportion mediated by cysteine-glutathione disulfide is 11.2%, while the proportion mediated by 3-indoleglyoxylic acid is 7.5%. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that increased abundance of specific gut microbiota may reduce the risk of developing NAFLD, and this relationship could potentially be mediated through blood metabolites.

Oxidative stress and neurodegenerative diseases: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

INTRODUCTION: Oxidative stress (OS) has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases in numerous epidemiological studies; however, whether it is a pathogenesis or a downstream factor remains controversial. METHODS: A two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was implemented to examine evidence of causality of 15 OS injury markers with 3 major neurodegenerative diseases using available genome-wide association studies statistics. As a main approach, inverse-variance weighted (IVW) analysis was performed. The weighted-median (WM) analysis was used to validate the relationship. In order to investigate the existence of horizontal pleiotropy and correct the IVW estimate, the Radial MR approach was applied. To gauge the consistency and robustness of the findings, several sensitivity and pleiotropy analyses were used. For this analysis, p < 0.05 indicates a nominally causal association; according to the Bonferroni correction test, p < 0.0011 indicates a statistically significant causal association. RESULTS: Via IVW and WM, in directional MR, it was genetically predicted that zinc was nominally causally correlated with the risk of Parkinson's disease but not after Bonferroni correction test; alpha-tocopherol was nominally causally correlated with the risk of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but not after Bonferroni correction test; furthermore, in reverse MR, it was genetically predicted that Alzheimer's disease was causally correlated with uric acid but not after Bonferroni correction test. These above findings were stable across sensitivity and pleiotropy analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the current study, there is no authentic genetic causal association between OS biomarkers and neurodegenerative diseases. The complex relationship is required to be confirmed in future experimental research.

Oral Administration of PLGA Nanoparticles to Deliver Antisense Oligonucleotides to Inflammatory Lesions in the Gastrointestinal Tract.

In this study, we prepared antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-encapsulated nanoparticles (NPs) with a suitable profile for oral administration for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We chose a water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) method to prepare the NPs using poly(lactide-co-glycolide) as a matrix and Pluronic as a stabilizer. The obtained NPs had a suitable diameter (158 nm) for the penetration of the mucus layer, endocytic uptake by enterocytes, and accumulation in inflammatory lesions in the intestine. The amount of ASOs in the NPs was relatively large (6.41% (w/w)). When the NPs were stably dispersed in solutions that mimicked gastrointestinal (GI) juice, minimal leakage of ASOs was demonstrated over the required period. The NPs were administered orally to mice with colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate, which reduced target gene expression in the colons and rectums of the mice, whereas naked ASO administration caused no reduction in gene expression. Thus, the NPs have the potential of promising oral carriers of ASOs for the treatment of IBD that specifically target inflammatory lesions in the GI tract, thereby reducing the non-specific toxic effects of ASOs.

A portable transistor immunosensor for fast identification of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.

Widespread distribution of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has led to catastrophic losses to the global pig farming industry. As a result, there is an urgent need for rapid, sensitive and accurate tests for PEDV to enable timely and effective interventions. In the present study, we develop and validate a floating gate carbon nanotubes field-effect transistor (FG CNT-FET)-based portable immunosensor for rapid identification of PEDV in a sensitive and accurate manner. To improve the affinity, a unique PEDV spike protein-specific monoclonal antibody is prepared by purification, and subsequently modified on FG CNT-FET sensor to recognize PEDV. The developed FET biosensor enables highly sensitive detection (LoD: 8.1 fg/mL and 100.14 TCID50/mL for recombinant spike proteins and PEDV, respectively), as well as satisfactory specificity. Notably, an integrated portable platform consisting of a pluggable FG CNT-FET chip and a portable device can discriminate PEDV positive from negative samples and even identify PEDV and porcine deltacoronavirus within 1 min with 100% accuracy. The portable sensing platform offers the capability to quickly, sensitively and accurately identify PEDV, which further points to a possibility of point of care (POC) applications of large-scale surveillance in pig breeding facilities.

Young osteocyte-derived extracellular vesicles facilitate osteogenesis by transferring tropomyosin-1.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can undergo inadequate osteogenesis or excessive adipogenesis as they age due to changes in the bone microenvironment, ultimately resulting in decreased bone density and elevated risk of fractures in senile osteoporosis. This study aims to investigate the effects of osteocyte senescence on the bone microenvironment and its influence on BMSCs during aging. RESULTS: Primary osteocytes were isolated from 2-month-old and 16-month-old mice to obtain young osteocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (YO-EVs) and senescent osteocyte-derived EVs (SO-EVs), respectively. YO-EVs were found to significantly increase alkaline phosphatase activity, mineralization deposition, and the expression of osteogenesis-related genes in BMSCs, while SO-EVs promoted BMSC adipogenesis. Neither YO-EVs nor SO-EVs exerted an effect on the osteoclastogenesis of primary macrophages/monocytes. Our constructed transgenic mice, designed to trace osteocyte-derived EV distribution, revealed abundant osteocyte-derived EVs embedded in the bone matrix. Moreover, mature osteoclasts were found to release osteocyte-derived EVs from bone slices, playing a pivotal role in regulating the functions of the surrounding culture medium. Following intravenous injection into young and elderly mouse models, YO-EVs demonstrated a significant enhancement of bone mass and biomechanical strength compared to SO-EVs. Immunostaining of bone sections revealed that YO-EV treatment augmented the number of osteoblasts on the bone surface, while SO-EV treatment promoted adipocyte formation in the bone marrow. Proteomics analysis of YO-EVs and SO-EVs showed that tropomyosin-1 (TPM1) was enriched in YO-EVs, which increased the matrix stiffness of BMSCs, consequently promoting osteogenesis. Specifically, the siRNA-mediated depletion of Tpm1 eliminated pro-osteogenic activity of YO-EVs both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that YO-EVs played a crucial role in maintaining the balance between bone resorption and formation, and their pro-osteogenic activity declining with aging. Therefore, YO-EVs and the delivered TPM1 hold potential as therapeutic targets for senile osteoporosis.

Fractional Fourier-transform off-axis digital holographic imaging.

A fractional Fourier-transform digital holographic imaging method with resolution enhancement features is presented. In an optical configuration, an extended fractional Fourier-transform optical setup is set in the object arm of an off-axis digital holographic recording system to record a fractional Fourier-transform hologram via the optical interference of the fractional Fourier-transform wavefront of an object wave with a reference wave. For reconstruction imaging, the reconstruction approach for fractional Fourier-transform holograms is given. In the experiment, the fractional Fourier-transform digital holograms are recorded under the different recording parameters, and their amplitude images are effectively reconstructed. The imaging results demonstrate that the reconstruction-imaging resolution of fractional-order Fourier-transform holograms is obviously enhanced compared to that of conventional image-plane holograms. The presented fractional Fourier-transform digital holographic imaging with resolution enhancement and optical configuration flexibility provides, to our knowledge, a novel way for off-axis digital holographic imaging.

New Hydroxyphenylacetic Acids and α-Pyrone Derivative from the Deep-Sea Cold Seep Sediment-Derived Fungus Penicillium corylophilum CS-682.

Two pairs of new enantiomeric hydroxyphenylacetic acid derivatives, (±)-corylophenols A and B ((±)-1 and (±)-2), a new α-pyrone analogue, corylopyrone A (3), and six andrastin-type meroterpenoids (4-9) were isolated and identified from the deep-sea cold-seep sediment-derived fungus Penicillium corylophilum CS-682. Their structures and stereo configurations were determined by detailed spectroscopic analysis of NMR and MS data, chiral HPLC analysis, J-based configuration analysis, and quantum chemical calculations of ECD, specific rotation, and NMR (with DP4+ probability analysis). Compound 3 showed inhibitory activity against some strains of pathogenic bacteria.

Fluorescence/visual aptasensor based on Au/MOF nanocomposite for accurate and convenient aflatoxin B1 detection.

A dual-mode fluorescence/visual aptasensor was developed for straightforward and accurate determination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) based on an Au/metal-organic framework (Au/MOF) composite. Aptamer-modified Au/Fe3O4 (Apt/Au/Fe3O4) served as the recognition element, and Au/MOF modified with complementary chains and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (cDNA/TMB/Au/MOF) acted as the fluorescence and visual probes. These components are integrated to form conjugates (Apt/Au/Fe3O4-cDNA/TMB/Au/MOF). Upon the introduction of AFB1, some cDNA/TMB/Au/MOF dissociated from Apt/Au/Fe3O4, enabling the use of detached probes for visual detection. The undecomposed conjugates were isolated magnetically for use in fluorescence detection. As the AFB1 concentration increases, the visual signal intensifies and fluorescence intensity diminishes. Thus, the proposed aptasensor achieves the simultaneous fluorescence and visual determination of AFB1, obviating the need for material and reagent substitutions. The detection limits were established at 0.07 ng mL-1 for the fluorescence mode and 0.08 ng mL-1 for the visual mode. The effectiveness of the aptasensor was further validated by quantifying AFB1 in real samples.