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Background: Long coronavirus disease (COVID), characterized by persistent and sometimes debilitating symptoms following a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection, has garnered increasing attention as a potential public health crisis. Emerging evidence indicates a higher incidence of hearing loss in individuals who have had COVID 2019 (COVID‐19) compared to the general population. However, the conclusions were inconsistent, and the causal relationship between COVID‐19 and sensorineural hearing loss remains unknown. Methods: To addresses this outstanding issue, we performed Mendelian randomization analysis to detect the causal association between COVID‐19 and hearing loss using the largest genome‐wide association study data to date in the European population and confirmed the results in the East Asian population. Comprehensively sensitive analyses were followed, including Cochran's Q test, Mendelian randomization (MR)‐Egger intercept test, MR‐pleiotropy residual sum and outlier, and leave‐one‐out analysis, to validate the robustness of our results. Results: Our results suggested that there is no causal association between COVID‐19 and the risk of hearing loss in the European population. Neither the susceptibility, hospitalization, and severity of COVID‐19 on hearing loss (inverse variance weighted method: odds ratio (OR) = 1.046, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.907–1.205, p =.537; OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.956–1.036, p =.823; OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.967–1.025, p =.76). Replicated analyses in the East Asian population yielded consistent results. No pleiotropy and heterogeneity were found in our results. Conclusion: In conclusion, our MR results do not support a genetically predicted causal relationship between COVID‐19 and sensorineural hearing loss. Thus, the associations observed in prior observational studies may have been influenced by confounding factors rather than a direct cause‐and‐effect relationship. More clinical and mechanism research are needed to further understand this association in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the current technological revolution and unprecedented major changes, countries are facing the situation of accelerating the development of key core technologies, which is caused by the transformation from the dispute over trade to the dispute over ecology and scientific and technological strength. Competitive situation analysis is an important link of key core technology innovation. The construction of a universal model of international competitive situation analysis of key core technology can provide scientific support for decision makers of science and technology innovation to solve technical difficulties. This study takes the new generation of information technology industry as an example, identifies key core technologies of the industry and evaluates the competitive situation of the major world countries. Studies indicate that in the field of new generation information technology, the US and Japan is in the leading position globally. In addition, China has active innovation activities in all fields, but overall there remains a considerable gap with the world-leading level, and its R&D quality needs to be further improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A GPE-PET (graphene-polyethylene terephthalate) bipolar electrode-electrochemiluminescence (BPE-ECL) platform was developed for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection. PET served as the electrode sheet substrate, and GPE was drop-coated onto the surface of PET to form a conductive line. On the functional sensing interface, the thiol (-SH) modified OTA aptamer (OTA-Aptamer) are fixed on the surface of the gold-plated cathode through Au S bonds. The efficient electron transfer ability of methylene blue (MB) made the anode ECL signal strong. Due to competition between OTA and MB with OTA-Aptamer, leading to a decrease in ECL intensity of the [Ru(bpy) 3 ]2+/TPA system on the BPE anode. Under optimized conditions, the GPE-PET BPE-ECL biosensor displayed superior sensitivity for OTA with a detection limit of 2 ng mL−1 and a wide linear concentration range of 5–100 ng mL−1. This method could be further applied to detect various toxins and had broad application prospects. • A electrode-electrochemiluminescence platform based on graphene-polyethylene terephthalate was constructed for ochratoxin A detection. • The efficient electron transfer capability of methylene blue keeps the anode ECL signal at a high value. • A detection limit of 2 ng mL−1 ochratoxin A could be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual detection of the methylglyoxal (MGO) level in the brain is critical for understanding its role in the onset and progression of AD. Herein, we disclosed a NIR fluorescent probe, DBTPP, for detecting MGO by utilizing a thiadiazole-fused o-phenylenediamine moiety as a MGO-specific sensing unit. DBTPP exhibits a series of distinct advantages, such as NIR emission, high selectivity and sensitivity, excellent acid-stability, and a huge off–on ratio. The probe could accurately monitor both exogenous and endogenous MGO variations in SH-SY5Y cells. Besides, it was able to image the endogenous MGO in a transgenic AD mouse model successfully, suggesting the great potential of MGO as a biomarker for early AD diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cysteine (Cys) is a bithiol that plays a vital role in many physiological processes. However, it is difficult to discriminate Cys from homocysteine (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH), due to their similar chemical structures and reactivity. Herein, we have developed a polymeric nanoprobe, nanoHFA, for ratiometric, highly selective, and sensitive detection of Cys based on 7-hydroxycoumarin-3-carboxylic acid (HC) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-acrylate (FITC-A) group-functionalized lipopolymer DSPE-PEG. The probe nanoHFA showed a strong fluorescence emission peak centered at 450 nm attributed to HC and a weak fluorescence emission peak centered at 520 nm due to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process of FITC induced by acrylate group. In the presence of Cys, the fluorescence signal at 520 nm could be lit up and the ratio of F520nm/F450nm showed a good linear relationship in the range of 5-60 μM with a low detection limit of 0.37 μM. The probe also displayed excellent water solubility and high selectivity to Cys over other biothiols such as Hcy and GSH. Moreover, we further used probe nanoHFA to detect Cu2+ ions in the range of 100-550 nM with a detection limit of 77 nM. The nanoprobe was successfully applied for the quantitative detection of Cys in fetal bovine serum, and fluorescent strips were developed for facile and visual detection of Cys and Cu2+ ions.ᅟ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a ratiometric turn-on fluorescent probe for sensitive detection of biothiols was designed. The probe consisted of two parts: one was rhodamine B serving as a fluorescence reference, and the other was coumarin derivative as the responsive fluorophore with an acrylate group for biothiols recognition. The response was based on the mechanism of Michael addition and intramolecular cyclization reaction, and the probe showed ratiometric and sensitive response to biothiols. Especially, the detection limit of this probe for cysteine was found to be 0.13 μΜ. More importantly, the probe showed the advantage of fast response, of which the fluorescence intensity can reach the maximum within 10 min. The ratiometric fluorescent probe has been successfully applied for the determination of biothiols in fetal bovine serum samples and the result was in good agreement with that tested by Ellman method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iron and steel production process is one of the predominant anthropogenic sources of atmospheric mercury emissions worldwide. In this study, field tests were conducted to study mercury emission characteristics and mass flows at two iron and steel plants in China. It was found that low-sulfur flue gas from sintering machines could contribute up to 41% of the total atmospheric mercury emissions, and desulfurization devices could remarkably help reduce the emissions. Coal gas burning accounted for 17%–49% of the total mercury emissions, and therefore the mercury control of coal gas burning, specifically for the power plant burning coal gas to generate electricity, was significantly important. The emissions from limestone and dolomite production and electric furnaces can contribute 29.3% and 4.2% of the total mercury emissions from iron and steel production. More attention should be paid to mercury emissions from these two processes. Blast furnace dust accounted for 27%–36% of the total mercury output for the whole iron and steel production process. The recycling of blast furnace dust could greatly increase the atmospheric mercury emissions and should not be conducted. The mercury emission factors for the coke oven, sintering machine and blast furnace were 0.039–0.047 g Hg/ton steel, and for the electric furnace it was 0.021 g Hg/ton steel. The predominant emission species was oxidized mercury, accounting for 59%–73% of total mercury emissions to air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mercury cycling caused by dust shuttling significantly increases the atmospheric emissions from cement production. A comprehensive understanding of this mercury cycling can promote the development of mercury emission control technologies. In this study, the characteristics of mercury cycling in the cement production process were first investigated. Furthermore, the mercury enrichment and effects of dust treatment were evaluated based on the field tests conducted in two Chinese cement plants. The mercury cycling between the kiln system and the raw mill system was the most important aspect and contributed 57–73% to the total amount of mercury emitted from the kiln system. Mercury emitted from the kiln system with flue gas was enriched as high as 3.4–8.8 times in the two tested plants compared to the amount of mercury in the raw materials and coal due to mercury cycling. The mercury enrichment can be significantly affected by the proportion of mercury cycled back to the kiln system. The effects of dust treatment were evaluated, and dust treatment can efficiently reduce approximately 31–70% of atmospheric mercury emissions in the two plants. The reduction proportion approximately linearly decreased with the proportion of mercury removed from the collected dust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal combustion is a predominant anthropogenic source of atmospheric mercury emissions. The oxidation and adsorption on the surface of fly ashes are crucial to mercury control. In this study, we discussed the mercury adsorption/oxidation mechanisms on the surface of fly ashes and different roles of organic and inorganic compositions based on the experimental results of a fixed-bed reactor and temperature programmed decomposition technique (TPDT). The results indicated that the fly ashes played significant roles in mercury oxidation and adsorption. The residual Cl element on the surface of fly ashes after pretreatment at 650 °C contributed to the oxidation and adsorption of mercury. The heterogeneous oxidation process in this study has been confirmed to follow an Eley–Rideal mechanism. Unburned carbon (UBC) is important for mercury oxidation and adsorption on fly ashes. O 2 promoted mercury adsorption, but not oxidation. The adsorption capacity was greatly increased in a simulated flue gas, and the oxidation rate was 60%. Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 and TiO 2 were capable of adsorbing mercury. Among these compounds, Al 2 O 3 displayed the largest adsorption capacity. Mercury adsorption did not occur on the surface of CaO and MgO. The flue gas compositions exhibited no influences on the adsorption capacity for the above five metallic oxides. No metallic oxides catalyzed the mercury oxidation regardless of the flue gas composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The cement industry is one of the most significant anthropogenic sources of atmospheric mercury emissions worldwide. In this study of three typical Chinese cement plants, mercury in kiln flue gas was sampled using the Ontario Hydro Method (OHM), and solid samples were analyzed. Particulate matter recycling, preheating of raw materials, and the use of coal and flue gas desulfurization derived gypsum contributed to emissions of Hg in the air and to accumulation in cement. Over 90% of the mercury input was emitted into the atmosphere. Mercury emission factors were 0.044–0.072 g/t clinker for the test plants. The major species emitted into the atmosphere from cement plants is oxidized mercury, accounting for 61%–91% of the total mercury in flue gas. The results of this study help improve the accuracy of the mercury emission inventory in China and provide useful information for developing mercury controls. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hollow carbon spheres (HCSs) were prepared through a simple hydrothermal method using silica particles and glucose as the template and carbon precursor, respectively. HCSs used as supports for platinum catalysts deposited with cerium oxide (CeO2) were prepared for application as anode catalysts in direct methanol fuel cells. The composition and structure of the samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrocatalytic properties of the as-prepared catalysts for methanol oxidation were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The Pt/CeO2/HCSs catalyst heated at 550°C for 1h exhibited the best catalytic activity for methanol oxidation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: This study aimed to design and develop a 5K low-density liquid chip for Hainan cattle utilizing targeted capture sequencing technology. The chip incorporates a substantial number of functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci derived from public literature, including SNP loci significantly associated with immunity, heat stress, meat quality, reproduction, and other traits. Additionally, SNPs located in the coding regions of immune-related genes from the Bovine Genome Variation Database (BGVD) and Hainan cattle-specific SNP loci were included. Results: A total of 5,293 SNPs were selected, resulting in 9,837 DNA probes with a coverage rate of 85.69%, thereby creating a Hainan cattle-specific 5K Genotyping by Target Sequencing (GBTS) liquid chip. Evaluation with 152 cattle samples demonstrated excellent clustering performance and a detection rate ranging from 96.60 to 99.07%, with 94.5% of SNP sites exhibiting polymorphism. The chip achieved 100% gender coverage and displayed a heterozygosity rate between 14.20% and 29.65%, with a repeatability rate of 99.65–99.85%. Analyses using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed the potential regulatory roles of exonic SNPs in immune response pathways. Conclusion: The development and validation of the 5K GBTS liquid chip for Hainan cattle represent a valuable tool for genome analysis and genetic diversity assessment. Furthermore, it facilitates breed identification, gender determination, and kinship analysis, providing a foundation for the efficient utilization and development of local cattle genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chloride (Cl) addition is an effective mercury oxidation technology. However, it is difficult to determine the optimal amount of Cl addition due to the unanswered question of how elemental mercury (Hg0) is oxidized by Cl. This study used the one-dimensional drop furnace and heterogeneous oxidation models to study the reaction mechanism between Hg0 and Cl in the combustion flue gas. This study finds that the Cl and Hg0 oxidation mechanism follows the E-R mechanism. The formed active Cl atom (Cl*) on the active sites directly oxidizes the Hg0 into the Hg 2 Cl 2 or HgCl 2. Then the Hg 2 Cl 2 or HgCl 2 transfer from active sites into the gas phase. However, when the addition amount exceeds optimum point, the subsequent Cl addition will not further increase the oxidation ratio of Hg0. The optimum point of Cl addition is 40 ppm via solution impregnation addition but it is 400 ppm via HCl gas addition, respectively. Therefore, the solution impregnation is a more effective method to oxidize Hg0 compared with the HCl addition in flue gas. These results provide important guidance on the Cl addition practice in the combustion flue gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcc) is an important pathogen associated with diseases in goats, hindering the development of the livestock industry. We previously isolated the HN-B strain of Mcc from goats on Hainan Island, China. The genomic and biological characteristics of this strain were investigated. In this study, we infected mice and RAW264.7 cells with Mcc HN-B to explore its pathogenic mechanism in the host. Differentially expressed genes related to immune terms and pathways were identified using bioinformatic analyses. The expression of two inflammatory proteins, S100A8 and S100A9, was up-regulated in mouse lungs post Mcc HN-B infection. This study preliminarily elucidates the pathogenesis of Mcc in mice and paves the way for further research in goats. Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcc), a member of the Mycoplasma mycoides cluster, has a negative impact on the goat-breeding industry. However, little is known about the pathogenic mechanism of Mcc. This study infected mice using a previously isolated strain, Mcc HN-B. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, RNA sequencing, bioinformatic analyses, RT-qPCR, and immunohistochemistry were performed on mouse lung tissues. The results showed that 235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses suggested that the DEGs were mainly associated with immune response, defensive response to bacteria, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and T cell receptor signaling pathway. RT-qPCR verified the expression of Ccl5, Cd4, Cd28, Il2rb, Lck, Lat, Ptgs2, S100a8, S100a9, and Il-33. The up-regulation of S100A8 and S100A9 at the protein level was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, RT-qPCR assays on Mcc HN-B-infected RAW264.7 cells also showed that the expression of S100a8 and S100a9 was elevated. S100A8 and S100A9 not only have diagnostic value in Mcc infection but also hold great significance in clarifying the pathogenic mechanism of Mcc. This study preliminarily elucidates the mechanism of Mcc HN-B-induced lung injury and provides a theoretical basis for further research on Mcc–host interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China has thousands years of goat breeding and abundant goat genetic resources. Additionally, the Hainan black goat is one of the high-quality local goat breeds in China. In order to conserve the germplasm resources of the Hainan black goat, facilitate its genetic improvement and further protect the genetic diversity of goats, it is urgent to develop a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip for Hainan black goat. Results: In this study, we aimed to design a 10K liquid chip for Hainan black goat based on genotyping by pinpoint sequencing of liquid captured targets (cGPS). A total of 45,588 candidate SNP sites were obtained, 10,677 of which representative SNP sites were selected to design probes, which finally covered 9,993 intervals and formed a 10K cGPS liquid chip for Hainan black goat. To verify the 10K cGPS liquid chip, some southern Chinese goat breeds and a sheep breed with similar phenotype to the Hainan black goat were selected. A total of 104 samples were used to verify the clustering ability of the 10K cGPS liquid chip for Hainan black goat. The results showed that the detection rate of sites was 97.34% -99.93%. 84.5% of SNP sites were polymorphic. The heterozygosity rate was 3.08%-36.80%. The depth of more than 99.4% sites was above 10X. The repetition rate was 99.66%-99.82%. The average consistency between cGPS liquid chip results and resequencing results was 85.58%. In addition, the phylogenetic tree clustering analysis verified that the SNP sites on the chip had better clustering ability. Conclusion: These results indicate that we have successfully realized the development and verification of the 10K cGPS liquid chip for Hainan black goat, which provides a useful tool for the genome analysis of Hainan black goat. Moreover, the 10K cGPS liquid chip is conducive to the research and protection of Hainan black goat germplasm resources and lays a solid foundation for its subsequent breeding work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Mannheimia haemolytica (M. haemolytica) is a significant bacterial pathogen that causes substantial economic losses to the livestock industry by infecting ruminants. In our previous study, we successfully isolated and identified a strain of M. haemolytica from Hainan Black goats. However, the pathogenicity of this strain and the molecular mechanism underlying the interaction between M. haemolytica and animals have not been investigated. In this study, we constructed a M. haemolytica infection model in mice to analyze the histopathology of the bacterial infection and explore the immune mechanisms employed by the murine spleen to resist M. haemolytica infection. (1) Background: Mannheimia haemolytica (M. haemolytica) is an opportunistic pathogen and is mainly associated with respiratory diseases in cattle, sheep, and goats. (2) Methods: In this study, a mouse infection model was established using a M. haemolytica strain isolated from goats. Histopathological observations were conducted on various organs of the mice, and bacterial load determination and RNA-seq analysis were specifically performed on the spleens of the mice. (3) Results: The findings of this study suggest that chemokines, potentially present in the spleen of mice following a M. haemolytica challenge, may induce the migration of leukocytes to the spleen and suppress the release of pro-inflammatory factors through a negative feedback regulation mechanism. Additionally, an interesting observation was made regarding the potential of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells congregating in the spleen to differentiate into immune cells, which could potentially collaborate with leukocytes in their efforts to counteract M. haemolytica invasion. (4) Conclusions: This study revealed the immune regulation mechanism induced by M. haemolytica in the mouse spleen, providing valuable insights into host–pathogen interactions and offering a theoretical basis for the prevention, control, and treatment of mannheimiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many raw materials have active constituents for mercury removal, such as the elements oxygen (O), sulfur (S) and chloride (Cl), but these constituents are frequently neglected during the preparation process of mercury adsorbents. This study investigated the effect of various inherent active constituents of four solid wastes (waste tire, cotton straw, Chinese medicinal residue and municipal solid waste) on the mercury removal performance of their derived chars. Modification methods (chemical impregnation and physical activation) were used to clarify modification influence on inherent active constituents and mercury removal performance of chars. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature programmed decomposition technic (TPDT) and elemental mercury adsorption testing were used to measure and evaluate various chars. The results indicated that only waste tire generated mercury chemisorption sites (sulfide) during pyrolysis process. Sulfide could oxidize Hg 0 into HgS on char T6 derived from tire waste whereas sulfate could not on char derived from Chinese medicinal residue. The evaporation of element Cl during pyrolysis process led to the low adsorption capacity of municipal waste derived char. The modification methods impeded T6 mercury removal performance, but they promoted other three chars without chemisorption sites. The results provide meaningful guidance that the nature of raw materials should be taken into account during the preparation of mercury sorbents, and the preparation method should also vary for different raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) provides accurate left atrial (LA) anatomical information in the procedure of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation but lacks LA functional assessment. LA reservoir strain (LASr) is an excellent marker of LA reservoir function. This study aimed to assess the agreement between LASr derived from ICE and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in AF patients and analyze the reproducibility of LASr assessed by ICE combined with speckle tracking imaging. Methods: This study prospectively enrolled 110 patients with a clinical diagnosis of AF who were ready for AF ablation, including 71 patients with paroxysmal AF and 39 with persistent AF. TTE and ICE examinations were performed on each individual before AF ablation. LASr measurements derived from ICE and TTE images were using dedicated LA-tracking software. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and Bland–Altman plots were used to evaluate the agreement of LASr between the two modalities. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess intra- and inter-observer reproducibility. Results: The agreement between LASr obtained from ICE and TTE, especially between LASrLPV (LASr derived from LA left pulmonary vein view of ICE) and LASrTTE (LASr derived from TTE) were good in both paroxysmal and persistent AF patients [r = 0.890 (P < 0.001) for overall population; r = 0.815 (P < 0.001) and Bias ± LOA: -0.3 ± 9.9% for paroxysmal AF; r = 0.775 (P < 0.001) and Bias ± LOA: -2.6 ± 3.9% for persistent AF, respectively]. But the values of LASr derived from ICE were slightly lower than those of TTE, especially in patients with persistent AF. The ICCs for LASr derived from ICE were excellent (all ICCs > 0.90). Conclusions: In patients with AF, LASr derived from ICE demonstrated excellent reproducibility and showed good agreement with LASr obtained from TTE. Obtaining LASr from ICE images may be a supplementary method to evaluate LA reservoir function in AF patients and expands the potential of ICE in the field of cardiac function assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pasteurella multocida can cause goat hemorrhagic sepsis and endemic pneumonia. Respiratory epithelial cells are the first line of defense in the lungs during P. multocida infection. These cells act as a mechanical barrier and activate immune response to protect against invading pathogenic microorganisms. Upon infection, P. multocida adheres to the cells and causes changes in cell morphology and transcriptome. ATAC-seq was conducted to determine the changes in the chromatin open region of P. multocida-infected goat bronchial epithelial cells based on transcriptional regulation. A total of 13,079 and 28,722 peaks were identified in the control (CK) and treatment (T) groups (P. multocida infection group), respectively. The peaks significantly increased after P. multocida infection. The specific peaks for the CK and T groups were annotated to 545 and 6632 genes, respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the specific peak-related genes in the T group were enriched in immune reaction-related pathways, such as Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, MAPK signaling pathway, bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, endocytosis, and autophagy pathways. Other cellular component pathways were also enriched, including the regulation of actin cytoskeleton, adherent junction, tight junction, and focal adhesion. The differential peaks between the two groups were subsequently analyzed. Compared to those in the CK group, 863 and 11 peaks were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, after the P. multocida infection. Fifty-six known transcription factor motifs were revealed in upregulated peaks in the P. multocida-infected group. By integrating ATAC-seq and RNA-seq, some candidate genes (SETBP1, RASGEF1B, CREB5, IRF5, TNF, CD70) that might be involved in the goat bronchial epithelial cell immune reaction to P. multocida infection were identified. Overall, P. multocida infection changed the structure of the cell and caused chromatin open regions to be upregulated. In addition, P. multocida infection actively mobilized the host immune response with the inflammatory phenotype. The findings provide valuable information for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of P. multocida-infected goat bronchial epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemoradiotherapy is the standard of care for the clinical treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancers. However, the combination of ion radiation with free chemotherapeutics yields unsatisfactory therapeutic output and severe side effects due to the nonspecific biodistribution of the anticancer drugs. Herein, a self‐cooperative prodrug nanovesicle is reported for highly tumor‐specific chemoradiotherapy. The nanovesicles integrating a prodrug of oxaliplatin (OXA) can passively accumulate at the tumor site and penetrate deep into the tumor mass via matrix metalloproteinase 2‐mediated cleavage of the polyethylene glycol corona. The OXA prodrug can be restored inside the tumor cells with endogenous glutathione to trigger immunogenic cell death (ICD) of the tumor cells and sensitize the tumor to ion radiation. The nanovesicles can be further loaded with the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib to abolish chemoradiotherapy‐induced programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) upregulation on the surface of the tumor cells, thereby prompting chemoradiotherapy‐induced immunotherapy by blocking the interferon gamma‐Janus kinase‐signal transducer and activator of transcription axis. The prodrug nanoplatform reported herein might present a novel strategy to cooperatively enhance chemoradiotherapy of head and cancer and overcome PD‐L1‐dependent immune evasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloid-beta (Aβ) oligomers are highly toxic species in the process of Aβ aggregation and are regarded as potent therapeutic targets and diagnostic markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Herein, a label-free molecular beacon (MB) system integrated with enzyme-free amplification strategy was developed for simple and highly selective assay of Aβ oligomers. The MB system was constructed with abasic site (AP site)-containing stem-loop DNA and a fluorescent ligand 2-amino-5,6,7-trimethyl-1,8-naphyridine (ATMND), of which the fluorescence was quenched upon binding to the AP site in DNA stem. Enzyme-free amplification was realized by target-triggered continuous opening of two delicately designed MBs (MB1 and MB2). Target DNA hybridization with MB1 and then MB2 resulted in the release of two ATMND molecules in one binding event. Subsequent target recycling could greatly amplify the detection sensitivity due to the greatly enhanced turn-on emission of ATMND fluorescence. Combining with Aβ oligomers aptamers, the strategy was applied to analyze Aβ oligomers and the results showed that it could quantify Aβ oligomers with high selectivity and monitor the Aβ aggregation process. This novel method may be conducive to improve the diagnosis and pathogenic study of Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) is an opportunistic pathogen that is common in livestock and poultry and leads to massive economic losses in the animal husbandry sector. In this study, we challenged mice with P. multocida strain HN02 by intraperitoneal injection and collected spleens to measure bacterial loads. We also performed histopathological analysis by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Then we used RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to detect the mRNA expression levels in the mouse spleen and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to verify the sequencing data. Finally, we examined the effect of HN02 on anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) protein expression in the spleen through immunohistochemical analysis. The results showed that compared to those in the control group, the mouse spleens in the challenge group had lesions, and the average bacteria loads was (3.07 ± 1.09) × 106 CFU (colony-forming unit)/g. The RNA-seq results determined 3653 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and the qRT-PCR analysis revealed immune-related genes consistent with the expression trend in the sequencing data. The number and area of IL-10 positive cells substantially increased to resist inflammation in the challenge group. In conclusion, we analyzed the spleens of mice infected with P. multocida from multiple perspectives, and our findings lay a foundation for subsequent studies on the mechanism of pathogen-host interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goats have become one of the most adaptive and important livestock species distributed in developing countries in recent years. The Hainan Black goat is a native goat breed of the Hainan region that is generally well-liked by the local population and is thus raised in large numbers. However, the genomic diversity and selective signals of the Hainan Black goat have not been clearly elucidated yet. Therefore, in this study, we performed whole-genome resequencing of 16 Hainan Black goats and compared the results with those of 71 goats of 6 other breeds from different geographic regions. Principal component analysis (PCA) and phylogenetic analysis identified seven lineages for all goats. Hainan Black goats showed the most similarity with Leizhou goats and the least similarity with Boer goats. Selective sweep analysis identified candidate genes associated with various functions, including immune resistance to disease (TNFAIP2 (TNF alpha induced protein 2) and EXOC3L4 (exocyst complex component 3 like 4)), melanin biosynthetic process (CDH15 (cadherin 15), ASIP (agouti signaling protein), and PARD3 (par-3 family cell polarity regulator)), and light sensitivity (CNGB3 (cyclic nucleotide gated channel subunit beta 3) and CNBD1 (cyclic nucleotide binding domain containing 1)), underlying strong selection signatures in Hainan Black goats. The melanin biosynthetic process, circadian entrainment, regulation of cyclic adenosine 3,5-monophosphate (cAMP)-mediated signaling, and the Rap-1 signaling pathway were significantly enriched in Hainan Black and Alashan Cashmere goats. This result may be important for understanding each trait. Selection signature analysis revealed candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genes correlated with the traits of Hainan Black goats. Collectively, our results provide valuable insights into the genetic basis of specific traits correlated with the Hainan island climate, artificial selection in certain local goat breeds, and the importance of protecting breed resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Pasteurella multocida (Pm) infection can cause pasteurellosis in goats. Currently, the mechanisms of Pm infection in goats are limited. In this study, the effects of Pm infection to goats were characterized from the aspects of histopathology, miRNA and mRNA expression dynamics in lung of goats infected for 1, 2, 5 and 7 days and the clinical symptoms of animals. We further revealed the potential role of differentially expressed RNAs, which are commonly involved in and regulate the host immune reaction to the Pm infection. The differentially expressed genes were mapped to marker genes of the immune cells in the lung, which further confirmed the cells detected by the histopathological method. Pasteurella multocida (Pm) infection causes severe respiratory disease in goats. We investigated the effects of the Pm infection intratracheally on the histopathology, miRNA and mRNA expression dynamics in the lung of goats infected for 1, 2, 5 and 7 days. Pm infection caused fever, which significantly (p < 0.05) increased the body temperature of the goats from day 1 to 5. Haemotoxylin–eosin staining of the infected lung tissue showed characteristics of suppurative pneumonia with inflammatory cells infiltration and the lung structure destruction. During the Pm infection of the goats, compared with the control group, there were 3080, 3508, 2716 and 2675 differentially expressed genes and 42, 69, 91 and 108 significantly expressed miRNAs (|log2Fold Change| > 1, p < 0.05) in the Pm_d1, Pm_d2, Pm_d5 and Pm_d7 groups, respectively. Five miRNAs and nine immune-related genes were selected for confirmation by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. The results indicated that the expression patterns of the miRNAs and genes were consistent with those determined by next-generation sequencing. The differentially expressed genes were enriched in cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, cell adhesion molecules, complement and coagulation cascades, tight junction and phagosome Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways and cytokine production, leukocyte migration, myeloid leukocyte migration, cell periphery, plasma membrane, extracellular region part, extracellular region and other Gene Ontology terms. The differentially expressed genes were mapped to marker genes in human and mouse lung cells. The results showed the presence of some marker genes of the immune cells. Compared with the CK group, five miRNAs and 892 common genes were differentially expressed in the Pm_d1, Pm_d2, Pm_d5 and Pm_d7 groups. The target relationships between the common 5 miRNAs and 892 differentially expressed genes were explored and the miRNAs involved in the host immune reaction may act through the target genes. Our study characterized goats' reaction in the lung from histopathological and molecular changes upon Pm infection, which will provide valuable information for understanding the responses in goats during Pm infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the semicontinuities of orbital and limit set maps in an impulsive semidynamical system and investigate their relationships with the stabilities of orbits. Actually, we only deal with infinite impulsive trajectories under the hypotheses that each prolongational set is compact in the phase space. We prove that if the limit set is stable (eventually stable or eventually weakly stable), then the corresponding limit set map is upper semicontinuous or lower semicontinuous, respectively. And if the limit set map is upper semicontinuous (lower semicontinuous), then the corresponding limit set is stable (eventually stable or eventually weakly stable, respectively). Furthermore, we give several sufficient conditions to guarantee that limit sets are minimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabricationof nanostructures with great complexity and regularity is a topicof intense current interest because of their importance both in fundamentaltheories and applications. Here we report an interesting finding ofthe formation of ordered polymeric double helices with precise structuresand high stability. These uniform double helices are hierarchicallyself-assembling results of undulated multicompartment cylinders whichformed from primary amphiphilic mixed-shell nanoparticles. Diblockcopolymers of P2VN-b-PAA (poly(vinylnaphthalene)-block-poly(acrylic acid) and PEO-b-PAA(poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(acrylic acid)) werenoncovalently/electrostatically cross-linked into amphiphilic PEO/P2VN-shellednanoparticles by 1,6-hexyldiamine in a common solvent DMF. When thecommon solvent changed into selective ones (water), undulated cylinderswere facilely obtained due to their hydrophobic interparticles interactions.After a certain time aging, these undulated cylinders self-organizedinto finally thermodynamic-stable double helices with complex butregular superstructures. The conditions and processes of assemblingwere carefully examined through extensive experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An instrument to detect atmospheric HO 2 radicals using fluorescence assay by gas expansion (FAGE) technique has been developed. HO 2 is measured by reaction with NO to form OH and subsequent detection of OH by laser-induced fluorescence at low pressure. The system performance has been improved by optimizing the expansion distance and pressure, the influence factors of HO 2 conversion efficiency are also studied. The interferences of RO 2 radicals were investigated by determining the conversion efficiency of RO 2 to OH during the measurement of HO 2. The dependence of the conversion of HO 2 on NO concentration was investigated, and low HO 2 conversion efficiency was selected to realize the ambient HO 2 measurement, where the conversion efficiency of RO 2 derived by propane, ethene, isoprene and methanol to OH has been reduced to less than 6% in the atmosphere. Furthermore, no significant interferences from PM 2.5 and NO were found in the ambient HO 2 measurement. The detection limits for HO 2 (S / N = 2) are estimated to 4.8 × 105 cm−3 and 1.1 × 106 cm−3 (ρ H O 2 = 20%) under night and noon conditions, with 60 sec signal integration time. The instrument was successfully deployed during STORM-2018 field campaign at Shenzhen graduate school of Peking University. The concentration of atmospheric HOx radical and the good correlation of OH with j (O1D) was obtained here. The diurnal variation of HOx concentration shows that the OH maximum concentration of those days is about 5.3 × 106 cm−3 appearing around 12:00, while the HO 2 maximum concentration is about 4.2 × 108 cm−3 appearing around 13:30. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucella-caused brucellosis is one of the most widespread worldwide zoonoses. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Brucella, which functions as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), is an important virulence factor that elicits protective antibodies. Per of B. melitensis is involved in the biosynthesis of the O-side chain of LPS. Autophagy is a crucial element of the innate immune response against intracellular pathogens including Brucella. In this study, we observed that autophagy was inhibited in RAW264.7 cells infected with Brucella melitensis ∆per. And, a high-throughput array-based screen and qRT-PCR validation were performed to identify the differentially expressed miRNAs in RAW264.7 cells infected with B. melitensis M5-90 ∆per. The results suggested that mmu-miR-146a-5p, mmu-miR-155-5p, mmu-miR-146b-5p, and mmu-miR-3473a were upregulated and mmu-miR-30c-5p was downregulated. During B. melitensis M5-90 ∆per infection, the increased expression of miR-146b-5p inhibited the autophagy activation in RAW264.7 cells. Using a bioinformatics approach, Tbc1d14 was predicted to be a potential target of miR-146b-5p. The results of a luciferase reporter assay indicated that miR-146b-5p directly targeted the 3′-UTR of Tbc1d14, and the interaction between miR-146b-5p and the 3′-UTR of Tbc1d14 was sequence-specific. High-throughput RNA-Seq-based screening was performed to identify differentially expressed genes in Tbc1d14-expressing RAW264.7 cells, and these were validated by qRT-PCR. Among the differentially expressed genes, four autophagy associated genes, IFNγ-inducible p47 GTPase 1 (IIGP1), nuclear receptor binding protein 2 (Nrbp2), transformation related protein 53 inducible nuclear protein 1 (Trp53inp1), and immunity-related GTPase family M member 1 (Irgm1), were obtained. Our findings provide important insights into the functional mechanism of LPS of B. melitensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are relevant to air quality due to their roles in tropospheric ozone (O3) production. In China, NOx emissions are very high and NOx emissions exhausted from on-road vehicles make up 20 % of total NOx emissions. In order to detect the NO and NO2 emissions on road, a dual-channel cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) system for NO2 and NO detection has been developed. In the system, NO is converted to NO2 by its reaction with excess O3 in the NOx channel, such that NO can be determined through the difference between two channels. The detection limits of NO2 and NOx for the system are estimated to be about 0.030 (1σ , 1 s) and 0.040 ppb (1 σ , 1 s), respectively. Considering the error sources of NO2 absorption cross section and RL determination, the total uncertainty of NO2 measurements is about 5%. The performance of the system was validated against a chemiluminescence (CL) analyser (42i, Thermo Scientific, Inc.) by measuring the NO2 standard mixtures. The measurement results of NO2 showed a linear correction factor (R2) of 0.99 in a slope of 1.031±0.006 , with an offset of (-0.940±0.323) ppb. An intercomparison between the system and a cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) instrument was also conducted separately for NO2 measurement in an ambient environment. Least-squares analysis showed that the slope and intercept of the regression line are 1.042±0.002 and (-0.393±0.040) ppb, respectively, with a linear correlation factor of R2=0.99. Another intercomparison conducted between the system and the CL analyser for NO detection also showed a good agreement within their uncertainties, with an absolute shift of (0.352±0.013) ppb, a slope of 0.957±0.007 and a correlation coefficient of R2=0.99. The system was deployed on the measurements of on-road vehicle emission plumes in Hefei, and the different emission characteristics were observed in the different areas of the city. The successful deployment of the system has demonstrated that the instrument can provide a new method for retrieving fast variations in NO and NO2 plumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) is a highly infectious, zoonotic pathogen. Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) is an important virulence component of the outer membrane of P. multocida. OmpA mediates bacterial biofilm formation, eukaryotic cell infection, and immunomodulation. It is unclear how OmpA affects the host immune response. We estimated the role of OmpA in the pathogenesis of P. multocida by investigating the effect of OmpA on the immune cell transcriptome. Changes in the transcriptome of rat alveolar macrophages (NR8383) upon overexpression of P. multocida OmpA were demonstrated. A model cell line for stable transcription of OmpA was constructed by infecting NR8383 cells with OmpA-expressing lentivirus. RNA was extracted from cells and sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq platform. Key gene analysis of genes in the RNA-seq dataset were performed using various bioinformatics methods, such as gene ontology enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, and Protein–Protein Interaction Analysis. Our findings revealed 1340 differentially expressed genes. Immune-related pathways that were significantly altered in rat alveolar macrophages under the effect of OmpA included focal adhesion, extracellular matrix and vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathways, antigen processing and presentation, nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptor and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. The key genes screened were Vegfa , Igf2r , Fabp5 , P2rx1 , C5ar1 , Nedd4l , Gas6 , Cxcl1 , Pf4 , Pdgfb , Thbs1 , Col7a1 , Vwf , Ccl9 , and Arg1. Data of associated pathways and altered gene expression indicated that OmpA might cause the conversion of rat alveolar macrophages to M2-like. The related pathways and key genes can serve as a reference for OmpA of P. multitocida and host interaction mechanism studies. • P. multocida OmpA was transcriptionally overexpressed in rat alveolar macrophages. • Dysfunction and polarization of alveolar macrophages. • Significant functional changes in tissue repair, angiogenesis and immunosuppression were found in RNA-seq bioinformatics analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Investigate genetic diversity and unravel genomic regions potentially under selection for climatic conditions and geographic isolation in Hainan cattle. • The population structure revealed that Hainan cattle were originally from bos indicus and carried other ancestry. • The positive selection genes in Hainan cattle were mainly associated with immune pathways including bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, chemokine signaling pathway, and T cell receptor signaling pathway. The equatorial climate of Hainan Island has led to the evolution of Hainan cattle that are well adapted to the local conditions. This study aims to estimate the genetic diversity and selection signatures of Hainan cattle. After analyzing the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of 76 cattle from four representative populations of East Asian taurine cattle, India-Pakistan indicine cattle, Chinese indicine cattle, and Hainan locally adapted cattle, a total of 20,075,403 autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected. The Hainan cattle exhibited the highest level of genetic diversity (Ho=0.31, He=0.3). The increased genetic diversity observed in Hainan cattle population may be attributed to the admixture with Chinese indicine cattle population. The analysis of selective sweep, which was achieved through the utilization of Z F ST and log 2 π, indicated the detection of 92 potential loci in Hainan cattle, which encompassed 141 genes that underwent positive selection and were associated with immune pathways, including bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, the chemokine signaling pathway, and the T cell receptor signaling pathway. Mutations analysis revealed that two missense mutations in SKINT1 (c.458C>T, p.P153L and c.580G> A , p.D194N) and two missense mutations in BCAR1 (c.1765C>G, p.A589P and c.1150C>T, p.G384S) were the homozygous genotypes in Hainan cattle. This finding enhances our understanding of the polygenic basis underlying climatic adaptation in Hainan cattle and holds significant value for the preservation and utilization of these genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, red-emissive carbon dots (CDs) were prepared through microwave-assisted heating and then conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to construct a ratiometric multi-functional nanoprobe (CDs-F) for both pH sensing and biothiols analysis. After coupling with FITC, the as-obtained CDs-F shows both green and red emissions. Based on the pH sensitivity of FITC, the CDs-F can be used for ratiometric pH sensing. On the other hand, the red emission of CDs can be quenched significantly by Ag + . Studies of quenching mechanism demonstrate that Ag + could coordinate with the functional groups of CDs resulting in the formation of the CDs-Ag + complex and also charge transfer between the CDs and Ag + . Simultaneous static and dynamic quenching processes impart the maximum quenching. Based on the strong affinity between thiol groups and Ag + , the CDs-F with dual emissions can be used for ratiometric biothiols analysis with the detection limits of tens of nanomole per liter. Furthermore, the strategy has been successfully applied to monitor proton-related enzymatic catalytic reactions and to determine biothiols in fetal bovine serum samples with good recoveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melioidosis is a severe and fatal tropical zoonosis, which is triggered by Burkholderia pseudomallei. To better understand the host’s response to infection of B. pseudomallei, an RNA-Seq technology was used to confirm differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in RAW264.7 cells infected with B. pseudomallei. In total, 4668 DEGs were identified across three time points (4, 8, and 11 hours after infection). Short Time-Series Expression Miner (STEM) analysis revealed the temporal gene expression profiles and identified seven significant patterns in a total of 26 profiles. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) was utilized to confirm significantly enriched immune process-associated pathways, and 10 DEGs, including Ccl9, Ifnb1, Tnfα, Ptgs2, Tnfaip3, Zbp1, Ccl5, Ifi202b, Nfkbia, and Nfkbie, were mapped to eight immune process-associated pathways. Subsequent quantitative real-time PCR assays confirmed that the 10 DEGs were all upregulated during infection. Overall, the results showed that B. pseudomallei infection can initiate a time-series upregulation of immune process-associated DEGs in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The discovery of this article helps us better understand the biological function of the immune process-associated genes during B. pseudomallei infection and may aid in the development of prophylaxis and treatment protocols for melioidosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An OH radical measurement instrument based on Fluorescence Assay by Gas Expansion (FAGE) has been developed in our laboratory. Ambient air is introduced into a low-pressure fluorescence cell through a pinhole aperture and irradiated by a dye laser at a high repetition rate of 8.5 kHz. The OH radical is both excited and detected at 308 nm using A-X(0,0) band. To satisfy the high efficiency needs of fluorescence collection and detection, a 4-lens optical system and a self-designed gated photomultiplier (PMT) is used, and gating is actualized by switching the voltage applied on the PMT dynodes. A micro channel photomultiplier (MCP) is also prepared for fluorescence detection. Then the weak signal is accumulated by a photon counter in a specific timing. The OH radical excitation spectrum range in the wavelength of 307.82–308.2 nm is detected and the excited line for OH detection is determined to be Q 1 (2) line. The calibration of the FAGE system is researched by using simultaneous photolysis of H 2 O and O 2 . The minimum detection limit of the instrument using gated PMT is determined to be 9.4 × 10 5 molecules/cm 3 , and the sensitivity is 9.5 × 10 − 7 cps/(OH·cm − 3 ), with a signal-to-noise ratio of 2 and an integration time of 60 sec, while OH detection limit and the detection sensitivity using MCP is calculated to be 1.6 × 10 5 molecules/cm 3 and 2.3 × 10 − 6 cps/(OH·cm − 3 ). The laboratory OH radical measurement is carried out and results show that the proposed system can be used for atmospheric OH radical measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of flue gas components and original/modified activated carbon (AC) injection on mercury removal to obtain a suitable mercury removal method for typical municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plants in China. The field test was conducted to research the mercury emission characteristics of a typical plant. The result shows that the mercury concentration of before and after air pollution control devices (APCDs) is 91.28 ± 47.98 and 25.67 ± 18.13 μg m −3 , respectively, and the average mercury removal efficiency is 71.9%. Based on actual APCDs condition, the flue gas components (O 2 , SO 2 , HCl and NO), fly ash, activated carbon and NH 4 Cl-modfied AC were used to further remove the mercury of flue gas. The O 2 and HCl slightly promoted mercury removal while the SO 2 and NO addition decreased mercury concentration from 50 μg m −3 to 35.8 and 13.7 μg m −3 , respectively. The increase of AC injection amount failed to decrease emission concentration to desired value and imposed heavy financial burden to plants. The method of 2.5 wt% Cl-modified AC addition reduced mercury concentration to below 5 μg m −3 in various flue gas condition and did not need to change any existing APCDs or operating parameters, which was considered as the optimal method for mercury removal in MSW incineration. Reaction mechanism of SO 2 , NO and Cl-modified AC was explored by TPD, XPS and in situ Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform (DRIFT). The SO 2 and NO formed effective active groups of SO 3 -M and NO 2 -M, and their reaction mechanism follows Langmiur-Hinshelwood mechanism and Eley–Rideal mechanism, respectively. The Cl modification effectiveness was ascribed to C-Cl group formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innate recognition of Brucella spp. is a key step in the activation of inflammation. CD14 binds PAMPs and is involved in LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine release. Previously we showed that knock down of CD14 in RAW264.7 macrophages disrupted Brucella–host interactions. However, its effect on the macrophage microRNA (miRNA) expression profile, especially after stimulation by Brucella infection, is still unclear. To identify miRNAs involved in the macrophage response to Brucella infection, we performed miRNA expression profiling of CD14 knock-down RAW264.7 (224.3) macrophages infected with Brucella melitensis, and demonstrated, for the first time, that CD14 knock down significantly up-regulated the expression of mmu-miR-199a-3p and mmu-miR-183-5p in these conditions. These miRNAs have a well-characterized association with the target genes involved in immune response, inflammatory response, innate immune response, apoptosis processes, anti-apoptosis, cytokine production and cytokine-mediated signaling pathways. Among the 104 inflammation-related candidate target genes of mmu-miR-199a-3p and mmu-miR-183-5p in the 224.3+B. melitensis group cells, the expression of the Cbl-b, a potential target of mmu-miR-199a-3p, was confirmed to be down-regulated using qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Our findings suggest that CD14 functions in the Brucella–host interaction may be through altered miRNA expression, and regulation of Cbl-b proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper is closely related to liver damage, therefore, it is essential to develop a simple and sensitive strategy to detect copper ions (Cu 2+ ) in liver cells. A hydrophobic carbon dots (HCDs)-based dual-emission fluorescent probe for Cu 2+ was prepared by encapsulating HCDs in micelles formed by self-assembly of amphiphilic polymer DSPE-PEG and tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP)-modified DSPE-PEG. The obtained probe showed characteristic fluorescence emissions of HCDs and TCPP with large emission shift of 170 nm with single-wavelength excitation. In the presence of Cu 2+ , the fluorescence of TCPP was quenched and that of HCDs remained unchanged, displaying ratiometric fluorescence response to Cu 2+ . The developed probe exhibited high sensitivity (detection limit down to 36 nM) and selectivity to Cu 2+ over other substances, and the probe was used to image the changes of Cu 2+ level in liver cells successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-chars as mercury sorbent were derived from cotton straw via pyrolysis carbonization, microwave/steam activation and ammonium halides impregnation. Mercury adsorption capacity of various impregnated bio-chars was tested at different temperatures. Rising temperature improved the adsorption capacity of bio-chars modified with NH 4 Br and NH 4 I yet inhabited that of bio-char modified with NH 4 Cl. Kinetic model analysis indicated that the changes of mercury adsorption capacity were related to the difference of enthalpy change for various bio-chars. In temperature programmed desorption technic (TPDT) analysis, high desorption energy (80.9–82.1 kJ mol −1 ) proved that mercury adsorption mainly depended on chemisorption for halide modified bio-chars. Modification effect of ammonium halides on mercury adsorption capacity followed the order: NH 4 I (7643.1 μg g −1 ) > NH 4 Br (842.0 μg g −1 ) > NH 4 Cl (365.3 μg g −1 ). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis proved that C-X groups served as mercury adsorption sites and determined the mercury removal capacity of bio-chars. This study explained the mechanism of temperature effects and halides modification as well as proposed useful suggestion on mercury sorbent preparation and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury (Hg) pollution control has become an urgent need at global and national scales. This study, for the first time, comprehensively examines Hg flows in Mainland China and uncovers domestic and external causal drivers of China's Hg emissions/releases. Results show that China's Hg input reaches 2643 t in 2010. China discharges 1368 t of Hg to the environment (to air, 633 t; water, 84 t; and land, 651 t). Embedded Hg transfers across production sectors via waste/byproduct flows reduce Hg releases to land, but lead to secondary Hg emissions to air. Such revelations of embedded Hg transfers adjusts China's comprehensive Hg control that would otherwise only tackle primary emitters. Domestic consumption causes 67% of China's Hg emissions/releases, and external consumption induces the remaining 33%. Besides traditional production-side Hg control measures, demand-side measures and international joint efforts are required to effectively combat Hg pollution. Uncovering embedded and embodied Hg flows within the global economy can assist a paradigm shift necessary to make real progress in global Hg control and the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold production has been identified as an important source of anthropogenic mercury emissions. Few measurements have been conducted on the mercury emission in the industrial gold production. In this study, field measurements on mercury concentration and speciation profile in the roasting flue gas were conducted in a two-stage roasting gold smelter, and the corresponding mercury emission factors were obtained using mass balance analysis. The average mercury concentration in the feed gold concentrates was 730.0 μg/kg, and the daily input mercury was 94.9 g in this research. In the roasting procedure, 38.4%, 27.3% and 9.0% of input mercury was removed into the sulfuric acid, contaminated water and arsenic, respectively, while 22.8% of input mercury flowed into the cyanidation-refining procedure within the roasting residue and the dust collected from the gas cooling tower and the electrostatic precipitator. Finally, 2.3% and 5.9% of input mercury was emitted into the atmosphere with the roasting flue gas and the refining flue gas. Mercury concentration in the roasting flue gas was 4.02 μg/m 3 , where the proportion of Hg p :Hg 2 + :Hg 0 was 11:57:33. The balance calculation results indicated that the atmospheric mercury emission factor was 2.27 × 10 − 3 g mercury/g gold produced for the tested smelter. Both the emission factor and mercury removal efficiencies of air pollution control devices are useful for development of a more accurate emission inventory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is an opportunistic pathogen which can cause pneumonia, sepsis and infections of skin and soft tissue. The host mostly relies on innate immune responses to defend against the infection of A. baumannii. Currently, it has been confirmed that fibroblasts involved in innate immune responses. Therefore, to explore how bovine skin fibroblasts mediated immune responses to defend against A. baumannii infection, we analyzed the differential transcripts data of bovine skin fibroblasts infected with bovine A. baumannii by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). We found that there were 3014 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 14h with bovine A. baumannii infection, including 1940 up-regulated genes and 1074 down-regulated genes. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment showed that ubiquitin protein ligase binding, IL-6 receptor complex, ERK1 and ERK2 cascade terms were mainly enriched. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment showed that innate immune pathways were significantly enriched, such as TNF, IL-17, NLR, MAPK, NF-κB, endocytosis, apoptosis and HIF-1 signaling pathways. Furthermore, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that GO terms such as chemokine receptor binding and Th17 cell differentiation and KEGG pathways such as TLR and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways were up-regulated. In addition, CASP3 and JUN were the core functional genes of apoptosis, while IL-6 , ERBB2 , EGFR , CHUK and MAPK8 were the core functional genes of immunity by Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) analysis. Our study provided an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms of fibroblasts against A. baumannii infection. It also lays the foundation for the development of new therapeutic targets for the diseases caused by A. baumannii infection and formulates effective therapeutic strategies for the prevention and control of the diseases caused by A. baumannii. • Highly virulent A. baumannii conferred immune responses on fibroblasts at MOI = 30. • A large number of DEGs involved in innate immunity such as IL-6 , etc. • KEGG and GSEA enrichment showed that TLR, NLR, IL-17, TNF, endocytosis, apoptosis, MAPK signaling pathways were enriched. • CASP3 and JUN were the core genes of apoptosis, while IL-6 , ERBB2 , EGFR , CHUK and MAPK8 were the core genes of immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of three halides (chloride, bromide and iodide) modification and reason for their modified effect difference was investigated in this study. Bio-chars derived from cotton straw were further activated and modified with microwave/steam and halides impregnation. Modified bio-chars serving as mercury sorbent was measured via BET, SEM and XPS analyses. The chemisorption site was identified as crucial factor for mercury adsorption performance via pore structure, SEM analysis and adsorption testing study. Based on XPS analysis of bio-char prior to and after adsorption testing, carbon–halide functional groups (C-X) were dominant chemisorption sites oxidizing Hg 0 into mercury halide (HgCl 2 , HgBr 2 and HgI 2 ). The amount of C-X groups possibly decided halide modification effect order: I − > Br − > Cl − . The formation of C-X groups depended on the reducibility and size of halide ions. In order to verify the adsorption mechanism, the molecular sieve (MCM-22) as non-carbon carrier was used to compare with bio-char. Results suggested that the lack of C-X groups decreased mercury removal performance in experimental condition. This paper firstly explained the reason for modified difference of three halides in term of chemisorption site formation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis E virus- (HEV-) mediated hepatitis has become a global public health problem. An important regulatory protein of HEV, ORF3, influences multiple signal pathways in host cells. In this study, to investigate the function of ORF3 from the swine form of HEV (SHEV), high-throughput RNA-Seq-based screening was performed to identify the differentially expressed genes in ORF3-expressing HepG2 cells. The results were validated with quantitative real-time PCR and gene ontology was employed to assign differentially expressed genes to functional categories. The results indicated that, in the established ORF3-expressing HepG2 cells, the mRNA levels of CLDN6, YLPM1, APOC3, NLRP1, SCARA3, FGA, FGG, FGB, and FREM1 were upregulated, whereas the mRNA levels of SLC2A3, DKK1, BPIFB2, and PTGR1 were downregulated. The deregulated expression of CLDN6 and FREM1 might contribute to changes in integral membrane protein and basement membrane protein expression, expression changes for NLRP1 might affect the apoptosis of HepG2 cells, and the altered expression of APOC3, SCARA3, and DKK1 may affect lipid metabolism in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, ORF3 plays a functional role in virus-cell interactions by affecting the expression of integral membrane protein and basement membrane proteins and by altering the process of apoptosis and lipid metabolism in host cells. These findings provide important insight into the pathogenic mechanism of HEV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-doped carbon dots (C-dots) were synthesized using a facile one-pot solvothermal method, and the C-dots can be used as a ratiometric pH probe directly without integrating with other dyes, which was demonstrated by monitoring the proton-producing enzyme catalytic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changes of sialic acid (SA) expression on cell surface are closely associated with various malignant diseases. The analysis of SA expression is therefore becoming an important parameter in clinical diagnosis. In this paper, we reported a sensitive electrochemical cytosensor for the analysis of SA expression on cell surface using three-dimensional architecture of Au@BSA and nanoprobes of carbon nanospheres modified with Au nanoparticles (CNS/AuNPs). Au@BSA microspheres provided an effective matrix for binding of Concanavalin A (Con A) which acted as the recognizer and capturer for cells via the specific affinity to mannose and the core trimannoside of N-glycan on the cell surface. On the basis of the specific recognition of Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA) to cell surface sialic acid groups, the SNA and HRP modified CNS/AuNPs nanoprobes were introduced onto the electrode surface, and amplified signals were produced by an enzymatic catalytic reaction of HRP toward the oxidation of hydroquinone (HQ) by H2O2. This cytosensor was successfully applied to the analysis of SA expression on cell surface disturbed by sialidase and to detect MCF-7 cells and BGC-823 cells with a low detection limit of 40 cells mL−1 and 120 cells mL−1. Therefore, the proposed strategy offers a new way for insight into the SA function in biological processes and helps improve cancer diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crude okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus L.) polysaccharide (RPS) was obtained by water extraction and alcohol precipitation. Three purified fractions of RPS, designated RPS-1, RPS-2, and RPS-3, were fractioned by diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose chromatography. Their molecular weights, monosaccharide compositions, infrared (Fourier transform infrared [FT-IR]) spectra, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra were analyzed. Their immunomodulatory activity was evaluated with an in vitro cell model (RAW264.7 cells). In vivo immunomodulatory activity of RPS-2 was evaluated in normal and cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice. The results showed that the molecular weights of RPS-1, RPS-2, and RPS-3 were 600, 990, and 1300 kDa, respectively. RPS-1 and RPS-2 were mainly composed of galactose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, and glucuronic acid, while RPS-3 was mainly composed of galactose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucuronic acid, and glucose. FT-IR and NMR spectrum data indicated a rhamnogalacturonan I characteristic of polysaccharide. Both RPS and its purified fractions RPS-1, RPS-2, and RPS-3 significantly increased RAW264.7 cell proliferation, nitric oxide (NO) production, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- α, interferon (IFN)- γ, and interleukin (IL)-10 secretion ( P < .05). The purified fraction RPS-2 also increased the spleen index, splenocyte proliferation, and cytokine secretion in vivo. These results indicate that okra polysaccharides may potentially serve as novel immunomodulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on melamine binding-triggered triplex formation and subsequent activation of Mg2+-dependent DNAzymes, a novel strategy for DNAzyme regulation was proposed and developed for melamine recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isotopic composition of mercury (Hg) is increasingly used to constrain the sources and pathways of this metal in the atmosphere. Though China has the highest Hg production, consumption and emission in the world, Hg isotope ratios are rarely reported for Chinese wet deposition. In this study, we examined, for the first time outside North America, both mass-dependent fractionation (MDF, expressed as δ 202 Hg) and mass-independent fractionation of odd (odd-MIF, Δ 199 Hg) and even (even-MIF, Δ 200 Hg) Hg isotopes in 15 precipitation samples collected from September 2012 to August 2013 in Guiyang (SW China). All samples displayed significant negative δ 202 Hg (–0.44 ∼ –4.27‰), positive Δ 199 Hg (+0.19 to +1.16‰) and slightly positive Δ 200 Hg (–0.01‰ to +0.20‰). Potential sources of Hg in precipitation were identified by coupling both MDF and MIF of Hg isotopes with a back-trajectory model. The results showed that local emission from coal-fired power plants and cement plants and western long-range transportation are two main contributing sources, while the contribution of Hg from south wind events would be very limited on an annual basis. The relatively lower Δ 200 Hg values in Guiyang precipitation may indicate a dilution effect by local sources and/or insignificant even-MIF in the tropopause contribution of this subtropical region. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of isotope fractionation, especially MIF for tracing sources and pathways of Hg in the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A melamine aptamer derived from an abasic-site-containing triplex molecular beacon (tMB) was designed and developed for sensitive recognition of melamine by integrating tMBs and fluorescent silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]