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Because of high moisture content, blueberries are susceptible to disease and insect infestation leading to corruption and deterioration, which has serious influence on the shelf life of blueberry fruits. This article summarizes the cause mechanism of postharvest quality deterioration of blueberry fruits and the research progress of blueberry preservation technology at home and abroad, mainly including physical, chemical and biological preservation methods; and emphasizes the application of biological methods in the postharvest preservation of blueberries.

The purpose of this study was to obtain microbial strains capable of high-efficiency degradation of T-2 toxin and to investigate their mechanism of action. T-2 toxin-degrading microorganisms were isolated from wheat and identified and their degradation characteristics were explored; their metabolites and mechanism of action were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The results showed that two efficient T-2 toxin degrading strains, AFJ-2 and AFJ-3, were screened from 50 wheat samples and identified respectively as Curtobacterium sp. and Bacillus sp. by morphological observation and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. T-2 toxin at 5 μg/mL was completely degraded within 7 and 12 h by strains AFJ-2 and AFJ-3, respectively, and intracellular enzymes from them could significantly degrade T-2 toxin (P < 0.05) without adsorption. Strain AFJ-2 was able to convert T-2 toxin to HT-2 toxin and T-2 triol, while strain AFJ-3 could degrade T-2 toxin to produce neosolaniol (NEO). Based on the predicted degradation sites, it was hypothesized that the two strains could work together to degrade T-2 toxin to produce a new product, 4-deacetyl-NEO. The research results enrich the strain resource bank for the biodegradation of T-2 toxin, and provide a reference for the separation and purification of T-2 toxin-degrading enzymes and the excavation of functional genes.

* Context.--Most laboratories currently use patient tissues for validating immunohistochemical stains. Objective.--To explore advantages of using cell lines with known antigenicity as a validation method. Design.--Five American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) cell lines with known negative, low positive, and moderate to strong estrogen receptor (ER) expression as well as negative, equivocal, and positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression were cultured and made into cell blocks. One block from each cell line was fixed in formalin and another in ethanol before cell block preparation. Two sets of paired unstained slides from each block were sent to 10 different laboratories for HER2 and ER staining to be stained on runs from different days according to each laboratory's defined protocol. Results.--The 10 study participants evaluated 40 slides in a blinded fashion. For ER expression, all 80 interpretations for the ER strong and moderate positive cell lines had the target ER-positive result, and 74 of 80 ER-negative cell lines (92.5%) had agreement with the intended negative result. The ER low positive cell line showed varied but positive expression among all observers. The HER2 (3+)positive cell lines yielded a target interpretation of 3+ in 65 of 80 interpretations (81.2%). For the HER2-negative cell line 69 of 78 interpretations (88.5%) were consistent with the target response (0 or 1+). No significant variation was observed between the ethanol- and non-ethanol-exposed cell lines, or between runs by the same laboratory. Variation from target results clustered within laboratories. Conclusions.--This study indicates that variability between laboratories can be identified by using cell lines for quantitative or semiquantitative immunohistochemistry when using cultured cell lines of known antigenicity. These cell lines could potentially play a role in aiding anatomic pathology laboratories in validating immunohistochemistry tests for formalin- and ethanol-fixed tissues. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2021-0152-CP, Reliable immunohistochemical stain results are often a needed aid in the diagnostic assessment of anatomic pathology cases. Furthermore, as the sophistication of tumor subtyping has continued to evolve, most IHC [...]

With 90Y microspheres, radioactive microspheres are perfused to tumor feeding arteries through minimally invasive intervention, and then diffused and retained in small vessels of tumor terminals along with blood flow, so as to high selectively kill tumor cells by means of sustained release of high energy rays. 90Y microspheres are of important value in the local treatment of advanced liver cancer. At present, two types of 90Y microsphere products (SIR-Spheres- and TheraSpheres-) which have appeared on the market globally, have been clinically applied abroad for nearly twenty years, and have been incorporated into many authoritative norms and guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. Since 2018, SIR-Spheres- and TheraSpheres- have gradually entered China and attracted the attention of domestic clinical experts, and have been incorporated into the latest relevant guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer in China. In 2022, SIR-Spheres-, as imported drugs, passed the approval of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and were approved for listing to treat patients with surgically unresectable liver metastases of colorectal cancer after failure in standard treatment. At the same time, the first case of primary liver cancer has been treated by TheraSpheres-. 90Y carbon microspheres independently researched and developed in China show good clinical conversion potential. In order to more effectively carrying out clinical research and application of 90Y microsphere products in China and promote research and development innovation of similar products, this paper reviews types, the research and development status, clinical application and domestic development and outlook of 90Y microspheres, so as to provide reference for the research, development and application of 90Y microsphere drugs in China.

Sensitive detection and precise quantitation of trace-level crucial biomarkers in a complex sample matrix has become an important area of research. For example, the detection of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) is strongly recommended in clinical guidelines for early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Based on the use of an electrode modified by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and a Ru(bpy)32+-doped silica nanoparticle (Ru@SiO2)/tripropylamine (TPA) system, a novel type of electrochemiluminescent (ECL) magneto-immunosensor is developed for ultrasensitive detection of hs-cTnI. In this approach, a large amount of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ is loaded in SiO2 (silica nanoparticles) as luminophores with high luminescent efficiency and SWCNTs as electrode surface modification material with excellent electrooxidation ability for TPA. Subsequently, a hierarchical micropillar array of microstructures is fabricated with a magnet placed at each end to efficiently confine a single layer of immunomagnetic microbeads on the surface of the electrode and enable 7.5-fold signal enhancement. In particular, the use of transparent SWCNTs to modify a transparent ITO electrode provides a two-order-of-magnitude ECL signal amplification. A good linear calibration curve is developed for hs-cTnI concentrations over a wide range from 10 fg/ml to 10 ng/ml, with the limit of detection calculated as 8.720 fg/ml (S/N = 3). This ultrasensitive immunosensor exhibits superior detection performance with remarkable stability, reproducibility, and selectivity. Satisfactory recoveries are obtained in the detection of hs-cTnI in human serum, providing a potential analysis protocol for clinical applications. HIGHLIGHTS: • An integrated microfluidic chip is fabricated to confine immunomagnetic beads at the electrode surface, leading to improved electrochemiluminescent efficiency and increased sensitivity in electrochemiluminescent immunoassays. • The combination of single-walled carbon nanotubes with the excellent electrooxidation ability of TPA and SiO2 nanoparticles as carriers loading a large amount of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ enables a sensitivity improvement of at least two orders of magnitude. • The electrochemiluminescent magneto-immunosensor exhibits an ultralow detection limit of 8.72 fg/ml, excellent selectivity and reproducibility, and satisfactory recoveries in human serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and migraine are public health concerns worldwide. No observational study has conclusively elucidated the causal relationship between these two conditions. We employed Mendelian randomization (MR) methods to explore the potential causal links between GERD and migraine. Methods: Genome-wide association studies were subjected to MR to infer the causality between GERD and migraine. Bidirectional two-sample MR was performed to establish causal relationships. Multivariable MR analysis was conducted to adjust potential confounding factors, and mediation MR analysis was utilized to assess the role of depression between GERD and migraine as a mediator. We primarily utilized the inverse variance weighted method (IVW) and sensitivity analysis methods, including MR-Egger, weighted median, and leave-one-out methods. We assessed heterogeneity and pleiotropy to ensure the reliability of the results. Results: Bidirectional two-sample MR revealed a positive causal effect of GERD on migraine (IVW: OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.34–1.66, p = 3.70E-13). Migraine did not increase the risk of GERD (IVW: OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.98–1.17, p = 0.1139). Multivariable MR indicated that the positive causal effect of GERD on migraine remained after adjustment for factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Mediation MR revealed that depression mediated 28.72% of GERD's effect on migraine. MR analysis was supported by all sensitivity analyses and was replicated and validated in another independent dataset on migraine. Conclusion: Our findings elucidate the positive causal effect of GERD on migraine and underscores the mediating role of depression in increasing the risk of migraine due to GERD. Effective control of GERD, particularly interventions targeting depression, may aid in preventing the occurrence of migraine. Future research should delve deeper into the specific pathophysiological mechanisms through which GERD affects migraine risk, facilitating the development of more effective drug targets or disease management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photothermal performance of black phosphorus (BP) in the near infrared (NIR)‐II bio‐window (1000–1500 nm) is low, which limits its biomedical applications. Herein, ultrasmall nickel phosphide quantum dots (Ni2P QDs) are synthesized with BP quantum dots (BPQDs) as the template by topochemical transformation. The size of Ni2P QDs is ≈3.5 nm, similar to that of BPQDs, whereas the absorption and photothermal conversion efficiency of Ni2P QDs at 1064 nm (43.5%) are significantly improved compared with those of BPQDs. To facilitate in vivo applications, an Ni2P QDs‐based liposomal nano‐platform (Ni2P‐DOX@Lipo‐cRGD) is designed by incorporation of Ni2P QDs and doxorubicin (DOX) into liposomal bilayers and the interior, respectively. The encapsulated DOX is responsively released from liposomes upon 1064‐nm laser irradiation owing to the photothermal effect of Ni2P QDs, and the drug release rate and amount are controlled by the light intensity and exposure time. In vivo, experiments show that Ni2P‐DOX@Lipo‐cRGD has excellent tumor target capability and biocompatibility, as well as complete tumor ablation through the combination of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy. The work provides a new paradigm for the NIR‐II transformation of nano‐materials and may shed light on the construction of multifunctional nano‐platforms for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electro‐chemically reducing CO2 in a highly acidic medium is promising for addressing the issue of carbonate accumulation. However, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) typically dominates the acidic CO2 reduction. Herein, we construct an efficient electro‐catalyst for CO formation based on a core‐shell structure, where nitrogen‐doped Ni nanoparticles coexist with nitrogen‐coordinated Ni single atoms. The optimal catalyst demonstrates a significantly improved CO faradaic efficiency (FE) of 96.7 % in the acidic electrolyte (pH=1) at an industrial‐scale current density of 500 mA cm−2. Notably, the optimal catalyst maintains a high FE of CO exceeding 90 % (current density=500 mA cm−2) in the electrolyte with a wide pH range from 0.67 to 14. In‐situ spectroscopic characterization and density functional theory calculations show that the local electron density of Ni‐N‐C sites is enhanced by N‐doped Ni particles, which facilitates the formation of *COOH intermediate and the adsorption of *CO. This study demonstrates the potential of a hybrid metal/Ni‐N‐C interface in boosting acidic CO2 electro‐reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]