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Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) are three clinically common coronaviruses causing diarrhea in pigs, with indistinguishable clinical signs and pathological changes. Rapid, portable and reliable differential diagnosis of these three pathogens is crucial for the prompt implementation of appropriate control measures. In this study, we developed a triplex nucleic acid assay that combines reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification (RT-RAA) with lateral flow assay (LFA) by targeting the most conserved genomic region in the ORF1b genes of PEDV, PDCoV and TGEV. The entire detection process of the triplex RT-RAA-LFA assay included 10-min nucleic acid amplification at 42 °C and 5-min visual LFA readout at room temperature. The assay could specifically differentiate PEDV, PDCoV and TGEV without cross-reaction with any other major swine pathogens. Sensitivity analysis showed that the triplex RT-RAA-LFA assay was able to detect the viral RNA extracted from the spiked fecal samples with the minimum of 1 × 100 TCID 50 PEDV, 1 × 104 TCID 50 PDCoV, and 1 × 102 TCID 50 TGEV per reaction, respectively. Further analysis showed that the 95 % detection limit (LOD) of triplex RT-RAA-LFA for PEDV, PDCoV, and TGEV were 22, 478, and 205 copies of recombinant plasmids per reaction, respectively. The diagnostic performance of triplex RT-RAA-LFA was compared with that of PEDV, PDCoV and TGEV respective commercial real-time RT-PCR kits by testing 114 clinical rectal swab samples in parallel. The total diagnostic coincidence rates of triplex RT-RAA-LFA with real-time RT-PCR kits of PEDV, PDCoV and TGEV were 100 %, 99.1 % and 99.1 %, respectively, and their Kappa values were 1.00, 0.958 and 0.936, respectively. Collectively, the RT-RAA-LFA assay is a powerful tool for the rapid, portable, visual, and synchronous differential diagnosis of PEDV, PDCoV, and TGEV. • A triplex RT-RAA-LFA assay targeting the most conserved genomic region was developed to diagnose PEDV, PDCoV and TGEV. • The entire testing process could be completed within 15 min, including 10-min nucleic acid amplification and 5-min visual LFA readout. • The assay is a powerful tool for the molecular epidemiological survey of porcine diarrhea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness, tolerance, and safety of pesticides must be established before their scientific or rational. This study evaluates the field control efficacy of broflanilide, tetraniliprole, and chlorantraniliprole in combating Spodoptera frugiperda in maize crops, as well as the resistance of S. frugiperda to these three diamide pesticides after exposure. By assessing field control efficiency, toxicity, effects on development and reproduction, and detoxification enzyme activity of these diamide pesticides on S. frugiperda, highlights broflanilide's significant insecticidal potential. A highly sensitive and efficient method using QuEChERS/HPLC MS/MS was developed to simultaneously detect residues of these three pesticides on maize. Initial concentrations of broflanilide, tetraniliprole, and chlorantraniliprole ranged from 2.13 to 4.02 mg/kg, with their respective half-lives varying between 1.23 and 1.51 days. Following foliar application, by the time of harvest, the terminal residue concentrations of these pesticides were all under 0.01 mg/kg. Chronic dietary intake risk assessments and cumulative chronic dietary exposure for three pesticides indicated that the general population's terminal residue concentration was within acceptable limits. Not only does this research provide valuable insights into field control efficiency, insecticidal effects, resistance, residues, and risk assessment results of broflanilide, tetraniliprole, and chlorantraniliprole on maize, but additionally, it also paves the way for setting suitable Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) values based on pre-harvest interval values, rational dosage, and application frequency. [Display omitted] • Broflanilide was the most toxic to the Guangzhou strain of S. frugiperda with LC 50 and LC 25 values. • The proportion of female individuals decreased after insecticide exposure and the reduced egg-laying capacity of females. • Three diamide insecticides at LC 25 significantly reduced GST activity of 3rd instar larvae. • Chronic dietary intake risk assessments for three diamide pesticides on maize were acceptable. • Broflanilide was a noteworthy potential insecticide for Spodoptera frugiperda on maize crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathway balancing is a critical and common challenge for microbial biosynthesis using metabolic engineering approaches. Non-linear biosynthetic pathways, such as diverging and converging pathways, are particularly difficult for bioproduction optimization, because they require delicate balancing between all interconnected constituent pathway modules. The emergence of modular co-culture engineering offers a new perspective for biosynthetic pathways modularization and balancing, as the biosynthetic capabilities of individual pathway modules can be coordinated by flexible adjustment of the subpopulation ratio of the co-culture strains carrying the designated modules. This study developed microbial co-cultures composed of multiple metabolically engineered E. coli strains for heterologous biosynthesis of complex natural product rosmarinic acid (RA) whose biosynthesis involves a complex diverging-converging pathway. Our results showed that, compared with the conventional mono-culture strategy, the engineered two-strain co-cultures significantly improved the RA production. Further pathway modularization and balancing in the context of three-strain co-cultures resulted in additional production improvement. Moreover, metabolically engineered co-culture strains utilizing different carbon substrates were recruited to improve the three-strain co-culture stability. The optimized co-culture based on these efforts produced 172 mg/L RA, exhibiting 38-fold biosynthesis improvement over the parent strain used in mono-culture biosynthesis. The findings of this work demonstrate the strong potentials of modular co-culture engineering for overcoming the challenges of complex natural product biosynthesis involving non-linear pathways. • De novo biosynthesis of natural product rosmarinic acid was achieved in engineered E. coli. • Two-strain and three-strain E. coli co-cultures were developed for balancing the non-linear biosynthetic pathways. • Utilization of mixed carbon substrates improved the co-culture stability and biosynthetic performance. • Rosmarinic acid bioproduction by the optimized three-strain co-culture was 38-fold higher than that of the mono-culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The environmental spatial distribution and exposure risk of 6 phthalate esters (PAEs) including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), in surface water and sediment of Taihu Lake basin, China, were investigated at 65 sites. The exposure concentrations of 6 PAEs (∑6PAEs) detected in the samples spanned a range of 0.740–13.0 μg/L in surface water and 5.15–20.9 mg/kg in sediment. DBP and DEHP were the predominant compounds in surface water, with mean concentrations of 1.59 μg/L and 1.29 μg/L, respectively. DnOP was the predominant compound in sediment with mean concentration of 7.41 mg/kg. Ecological risk assessment was conducted by the hazard quotient method in which the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) was derived from the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curve. The results showed that DEHP in water phase posed a higher environmental risk than the other PAEs, while the DEP in sediment posed a high risk to the aquatic system. The study contributed to better understanding the presence of PAEs in Taihu Lake basin and provided valuable information for managing and controlling PAEs pollution. Highlights • PAEs were 0.740–13.0 μg/L in surface water and 5.15–20.9 mg/kg in sediment. • DBP and DEHP were the most abundant PAE congeners in surface water. • DnOP was the dominant components of the PAEs in sediment. • DEHP in surface water and DEP in sediment posed high ecological risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of metabolic engineering, employment of a selected microbial host for accommodation of a designed biosynthetic pathway to produce a target compound has achieved tremendous success in the past several decades. Yet, increasing requirements for sophisticated microbial biosynthesis call for establishment and application of more advanced metabolic engineering methodologies. Recently, important progress has been made towards employing more than one engineered microbial strains to constitute synthetic co-cultures and modularizing the biosynthetic labor between the co-culture members in order to improve bioproduction performance. This emerging approach, referred to as modular co-culture engineering in this review, presents a valuable opportunity for expanding the scope of the broad field of metabolic engineering. We highlight representative research accomplishments using this approach, especially those utilizing metabolic engineering tools for microbial co-culture manipulation. Key benefits and major challenges associated with modular co-culture engineering are also presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disease of old age, characterized by progressive cognitive impairment, dementia and atrophy of the central nervous system. Amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers are derived from proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and recognized as the primary neurotoxic agents in AD. Pyruvate has a protective effect against Aβ oligomer-induced neuronal cell death and inhibition of long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slice cultures, leading us to investigate the effect of systemic pyruvate administration in an intracerebroventricular Aβ oligomer infusion model. We found that sodium pyruvate (500 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) improved neuron survival and sustained improvement in cognitive function as assessed by the Morris water maze. Pyuvate prevented the Aβ oligomer-induced inhibition of LTP and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activation. Pyruvate suppressed the Aβ oligomer-induced poly[adenosine diphosphate (ADP) ribose] polymerase-1 (PARP-1) activity and ameliorated Aβ oligomer-induced decrease of NAD + level. Moreover, pyuvate, but not lactate, decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in hippocampus of Aβ 1–42 oligomer-injection rat model. These results suggest that systemic pyruvate administration could significantly ameliorate Aβ oligomer-induced spatial learning and memory impairment by the improvement of neuron survival and prevention of LTP inhibition, and the beneficial effect of pyruvate could be linked, at least in part, to the elimination of ROS accumulation, prevention of PP2A activation, amelioration of NAD + level and suppression of PARP-1 activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the all-IP WSNs (wireless sensor networks) for real-time patient monitoring. In this paper, the all-IP WSN architecture based on gateway trees is proposed and the hierarchical address structure is presented. Based on this architecture, the all-IP WSN can perform routing without route discovery. Moreover, a mobile node is always identified by a home address and it does not need to be configured with a care-of address during the mobility process, so the communication disruption caused by the address change is avoided. Through the proposed scheme, a physician can monitor the vital signs of a patient at any time and at any places, and according to the IPv6 address he can also obtain the location information of the patient in order to perform effective and timely treatment. Finally, the proposed scheme is evaluated based on the simulation, and the simulation data indicate that the proposed scheme might effectively reduce the communication delay and control cost, and lower the packet loss rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper proposes an IPv6 address configuration scheme for a VANET (Vehicular Ad hoc Network). In the paper, the VANET architecture is presented, and based on the architecture the hierarchical IPv6 address structure is created. Based on the hierarchical address structure, the distributed IPv6 address configuration scheme is proposed. In the scheme, each AP (Access Point) has the unique address space and has the right to assign an IPv6 address for an OBU (Onboard Unit). In this way, the address configuration task is distributed around all APs in a VANET, so the distribution of the address configuration is achieved. Moreover, an OBU acquires a unique IPv6 address from a neighbor AP without DAD (Duplicate Address Detection), so the transmission of the control packets used for the address configuration is controlled within one-hop scope. The paper also proposes the address recovery algorithm. Through the algorithm, an AP can retrieve the IPv6 address resources released by OBUs timely and effectively, so it has always sufficient address space for assignment. The paper evaluates the performance of the proposed scheme. The data results show that the proposed scheme reduces the address configuration cost, shortens the address configuration delay and improves the address configuration success rate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Polycyclic musks (PMs) have drawn increased attention in recent years because of their persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity. As two typical PMs contaminants, tonalide (AHTN) and galaxolide (HHCB) are widely detected in sediment worldwide. Acute and chronic toxicity data of AHTN and HHCB to freshwater and seawater organisms in water and sediments are collected and screened. The predicted no effect concentrations (PNEC sediment) for AHTN and HHCB is derived according to the equilibrium partitioning method recommended by the EU technical guidance document (TGD) and the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method based on the measured sediment toxicity data. The concentration levels of AHTN and HHCB are investigated and evaluated in freshwater and seawater sediments. Results show the difference between native and non-native freshwater species is not statistically significant. AHTN is more toxic to freshwater and seawater organisms than HHCB, and seawater organisms are more sensitive to 2 musks than freshwater organisms. The chronic PNEC sediment values of AHTN and HHCB are 194.48 and 416.47 ng/g in freshwater sediment, 88.93 and 128.34 ng/g in seawater sediment respectively. The AHTN and HHCB linear correlation analysis exhibited a strong positive linear correlation in both domestic (R 2 =0.9054) and foreign (R 2 = 0.9645) sediment. Preliminary risk assessment shows that the risks posed by AHTN and HHCB in sediment based on individual or combined concentrations of two musks are at medium to high levels in some regions. Further risk assessment results indicate that, for HHCB, 1.72% of foreign freshwater sediment may pose an ecological risk to 5% species; for AHTN, 8.06% of foreign freshwater sediment and 1.02% of domestic freshwater sediment may pose an ecological risk to 5% species, and 5.86% of seawater sediment may pose an ecological risk to 5% species. The above results indicate that there are some negligible risks in domestic and foreign sediments posed by these two musks, we should continue to pay attention to the toxic effects and pollution level of both musks in environment. • Derive PNECs of tonalide and galaxolide in freshwater and seawater sediment. • AHTN is more toxic to aquatic organisms than HHCB. • Seawater organisms are more sensitive to two musks than freshwater organisms. • AHTN and HHCB in sediment exhibit a strong positive linear correlation. • AHTN and HHCB have certain risks in sediment of some regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific studies have identified various adverse effects of particulate matter (PM) on respiratory disease (RD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, whether short-term exposure to PM triggers the onset of RD with T2D, compared with RD without T2D, has not been elucidated. A two-stage time-series study was conducted to evaluate the acute adverse effects of PM on admission for RD and for RD with and without T2D in Beijing, China, from 2014 to 2020. District-specific effects of PM 2.5 and PM 10 were estimated using the over-dispersed Poisson generalized addictive model after adjusting for weather conditions, day of the week, and long-term and seasonal trends. Meta-analyses were applied to pool the overall effects on overall and cause-specific RD, while the exposure-response (E-R) curves were evaluated using a cubic regression spline. A total of 1550,154 admission records for RD were retrieved during the study period. Meta-analysis suggested that per interquartile range upticks in the concentration of PM 2.5 corresponded to 1.91% (95% CI: 1.33–2.49%), 2.16% (95% CI: 1.08–3.25%), and 1.92% (95% CI: 1.46–2.39%) increments in admission for RD, RD with T2D, and RD without T2D, respectively, at lag 0–8 days, lag 8 days, and lag 8 days. The effect size of PM 2.5 was statistically significantly higher in the T2D group than in the group without T2D (z = 3.98, P < 0.01). The effect sizes of PM 10 were 3.86% (95% CI: 2.48–5.27%), 3.73% (95% CI: 1.72–5.79%), and 3.92% (95% CI: 2.65–5.21%), respectively, at lag 0–13 days, lag 13 days, and lag 13 days, respectively, and no statistically significant difference was observed between T2D groups (z = 0.24, P = 0.81). Significant difference was not observed between T2D groups for the associations of PM and different RD and could be found between three groups for effects of PM 10 on RD without T2D. The E-R curves varied by sex, age and T2D condition subgroups for the associations between PM and daily RD admissions. Short-term PM exposure was associated with increased RD admission with and without T2D, and the effect size of PM 2.5 was higher in patients with T2D than those without T2D. [Display omitted] • Short-term PM exposures were associated with increased admissions for RD and for RD with and without T2D. • The effect of PM 2.5 on RD was significantly higher in patients with T2D than those without T2D. • Significant difference could be found between three different RD groups for effects of PM 10 on RD without T2D. • E-R curves varied by sex, age and T2D conditions for the associations between PM and RD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia has been of concern for its high toxicity to aquatic species and frequent detection in waters worldwide. This study calculated the national aquatic life criteria for ammonia in China. The temporal and spatial distributions were investigated and the multi-tier ecological risks were assessed for ammonia and un-ionized ammonia (NH 3) during 2014–2018 based on a total of 18989 ammonia monitoring data from 110 monitoring sites in seven river basins. The sensitivity comparison of different species taxa to ammonia showed that Perciformes fish should be listed as a priority protected species in the derivation of ammonia criteria. The participation of introduced aquaculture species have no significant impact on the final criteria values (t -test, p > 0.05). The final criterion maximum concentration (CMC) and criterion continuous concentration (CCC) were 10.24 and 3.31 mg/L for ammonia (pH 7.0 and 20 °C). The interannual variation showed that decreasing trends were observed for ammonia and NH 3 pollutions in the past five years. However, the increasing trends were observed for ammonia in Liao River basin, for NH 3 in Yangtze River and Pearl River basins (2014–2018). The significant seasonal and geographical differences of ammonia and NH 3 pollution were found. Moreover, the pollutions of ammonia and NH 3 in some monitoring points of Huai River, Yellow River and Songhua River basins at the provincial borders were significant. The result of ecological risk assessment showed that the average exceedance probability for 5% affected species by NH 3 in long-term exposure was 28.96% in the past five years. ga1 • Sensitivity comparison of different species taxa to ammonia. • Impact of introduced non-native aquaculture species to water quality criteria of ammonia. • Seasonal & interannual variation and geographical distribution of ammonia. • Multi-tier ecological risk assessment for ammonia in aquatic ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerating protein 3a (Reg3a) is a trophic factor that functions as a stimulus in cell proliferation and neogenesis. Previous studies showed that Reg3a is ectopically upregulated in a majority of colorectal cancers (CRC) and detectable in the serum. Single-chain variable fragment targeting Reg3a (scFv-Reg3a) was screened from a phage library. The bioactivity of recombinant Reg3a (rReg3a) and scFv-Reg3a were tested in LoVo and RKO cell lines using MTT, flow cytometry, wound healing and transwell analyses. Whether scFv-Reg3a inhibits tumor growth and enhances 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-caused cell death were further examined in LoVo cell-transplanted nude BALB/c mice. A scFv-Reg3a from clone C2 was obtained and its binding affinity (KD) to rReg3a was determined to be 4.44 × 10-10. In cultured LoVo and RKO cells, rReg3a promoted but scFv-Reg3a inhibited cell proliferation, survival, migration and invasion. In LoVo cell-xenografted nude mice, administration of rReg3a accelerated tumor growth while scFv-Reg3a suppressed cell proliferation and reinforced 5-FU-induced cell death. The newly developed scFv-Reg3a is an anti-cancer agent which is potent to suppress CRC cell proliferation and survival. The use of scFv-Reg3a could enhance the effectiveness of 5-FU-based chemotherapy in the cancerous treatment. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tonalide or acetyl hexamethyl tetralin (AHTN) is used as a fragrance additive in various household products. Recently, AHTN has drawn attention owing to its negative health effects on aquatic organisms. Data on AHTN toxicity toward aquatic species are limited. Therefore, this study tested the oxidative stress induced by AHTN exposure on the Rhodeinae sinensis Gunther and Macrobrachium nipponense. In this study, malonaldehyde (MDA) content and the activities of acetyl cholinesterase (AchE), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and catalase (CAT) in R. sinensis Gunther were tested after 30 days of exposure to 30.093, 34.005, 38.426, 43.421, 49.067, 55.444, 62.652, 70.800, and 80.000 μg/L AHTN, respectively. The MDA, AchE, SOD, GST and CAT in M. nipponense were tested after 40 days of exposure to 60.000, 72.000, 86.400, 103.680, 124.416, 149.299, 179.159, 214.991, and 257.989 μg/L AHTN, respectively. In addition, an integrated biomarker response (IBR) index was utilised to evaluate the integrated toxic effects of AHTN on R. sinensis Gunther and M. nipponense. Finally, the predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) of AHTN, based on reproduction, biochemistry, survival, chronic toxicity, and acute toxicity endpoints were derived. The results indicated that low concentrations of AHTN can induce significant changes of oxidative stress biomarkers. The no observed effect concentrations (NOECs) of SOD, GST, AchE, CAT, and MDA were 103.680, 72.000, <60.000, 72.000, and <60.000 μg/L for R. sinensis Gunther and 38.426, 43.421, 30.093, 30.093, and 38.426 μg/L for M. nipponense , respectively. The IBR calculation results showed that 149.299 μg/L AHTN caused the highest toxic effect on R. sinensis Gunther after 30 days of exposure, whereas 70.797 μg/L AHTN caused the greatest damage to M. nipponense after 40 days of exposure. The PNECs of AHTN based on the non-traditional endpoints of biochemistry and reproduction were 0.00145 μg/L and 0.000395 μg/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than the PNEC of 2.636 μg/L for traditional endpoint survival. Therefore, the protection of aquatic organisms based on non-traditional toxicity endpoints should be considered in ecological risk assessment. • AchE, SOD, CAT, GST were induced by low concentration of AHTN and inhibited by high concentration. • PNECs of AHTN based on non-traditional endpoints can provide adequate protection to aquatic species. • IBR results indicated 149.299 and 70.797 μg/L AHTN were the most toxic to the 2 species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AHTN (tonalide) is a polycyclic musk that is widely used as fragrance additive in numerous consumer products. AHTN is of great worldwide concern owing to its adverse effects on aquatic organisms and frequent detection in both domestic and foreign aquatic environments. Therefore, derivation of the aquatic life criteria for AHTN exposure is urgently needed. In this work, AHTN toxicity data for eight Chinese native freshwater organisms were used to derive a criterion maximum concentration of 59.39 μg/L and a criterion continuous concentration of 22.43 μg/L using United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Toxicity tests showed that the annelid L. hoffmeisteri and the amphibian R. nigromaculata were the least and most sensitive species to AHTN, respectively. The sensitivity of the planktonic crustacean D. magna to AHTN obviously differed from that of the benthic crustacean M. nipponense. The AHTN and HHCB correlation analysis exhibited a strong positive linear correlation (R 2 = 0.8622) in water. The ecological risk assessment showed that AHTN and HHCB posed a higher risk in foreign surface waters than Chinese waters, but a lower risk in foreign wastewater treatment plant effluent than in China. The ecological risks of AHTN and HHCB in most surveyed water bodies of various countries were at acceptable levels, with a few exceptions. • The first derivation of Chinese aquatic life criteria for tonalide (AHTN). • AHTN and HHCB in water exhibited a strong positive linear correlation. • AHTN and HHCB have potential risks at some points in surface water and WWTPs effluents worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory bacterial infections are responsible for significant mortality across the world and with emergence of drug resistant bacterial strains there is urgent need to look for new treatment options. In this study we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of methanolic extract of Bergenia purpurasceus in vitro and in neonatal rats. The results of the present study revealed that the methanolic extract exhibits antimicrobial activity against all the bacterial species with MIC ranging from 75 to 150 μg/ml. The antibacterial activity of the Bergenia purpurasceus extract was also determined in the neonatal rat models wherein it was observed that administration of 50 and 100 mg/kg doses of Bergenia purpurasceus extract improved the survival of the neonatal rats infected with S. aureus. Furthermore, the extract showed considerable antioxidant activity which was positively associated with the phenolics and flavonoids content. Finally the constituents responsible for the bioactivity of the extract were identified and found to be bergenin, catechin, naringenin, myricetin and gallic acid. Takentogether, these results indicate that Bergenia purpurasceus extract could prove useful for the treatment of bacterial respiratory infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, sensitive sensor material combined the technique of surface enhance Raman scattering (SERS) and molecular imprinting was prepared. It was used the amino-functionalized SiO 2 nanospheres as the supporting materials and anchored Ag nanoparticles on the surface by the function of coordination between Ag + and NH 2 − . Then, it was used that the Rhodamine 6G (R6G) as the template, acrylamide (AM) as functional monomer, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linker, 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN) as initiator to prepare the core-shell molecular imprinted polymers. Prominently, the shell thickness could be controlled by the regulation of cross-linker dosage and it was found that the SERS detection signal was most obvious when the shell thickness was about 40 nm. Under the optimal condition, it was presented good linear relationship (R 2 = 0.93) between the Raman signal (at 1505 cm −1 ) and the concentration of the templates and the limit of detection was 10 −12 mol L −1 . Meanwhile, the selective experiment was proved that this materials owned specific selectivity to the template. It was confirmed that the core-shell molecular imprinted polymers were a kind of highly sensitive and selective sensor materials in the field of R6G detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA), as a non-invasive approach, has been introduced in a wide range of applications, including cancer diagnosis/ monitoring, prenatal testing, and transplantation monitoring. Yet, studies of cfDNA fragmentomics in physiological conditions are lacking. In this study, we aim to explore the correlation of fragmentation patterns of cfDNA with blood biochemical and hematological parameters in healthy individuals. We addressed the impact of physiological variables and abnormal blood biochemical and hematological parameters on cfDNA fragment size distribution. We also figured and validated that hematological inflammation markers, including leukocyte, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and platelet distribution width as well as aspartate transaminase levels were significantly correlated with the genome-wide cfDNA fragmentation pattern. Our findings suggest that cfDNA fragmentation profiles were associated with physiological parameters related to cardiovascular risk factors, inflammatory response and hepatocyte injury, which may provide insights for further research on the potential role of cfDNA fragmentation in diagnosis and monitor of several disease. • Blood triglyceride and glucose level correlated with short cfDNA fragment ratio. • cfDNA fragmentation correlated with inflammation-related hematological parameters. • AST was significantly correlated with cfDNA fragmentation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Autoregulatory responses of perforating arteries play a key role in the maintenance of microcirculation of the deep brain regions. The aim of this study was to test our hypothesis that autoregulatory vasodilatation of perforating arteries is more effective than that of cortical arteries. We performed cerebral microangiography in adult Wistar rats using monochromatic synchrotron radiation at SPring-8 and for the first time radiographically visualized perforating arteries and cortical arteries simultaneously in a single view. In response to hypotension induced by arterial bleeding, both arteries showed significant vasodilatation. Steady-state responses of increments in caliber to stepwise hypotension revealed that perforating arteries exhibited significant vasodilatation at blood pressure below 80–99 mm Hg. Cortical arteries, on the other hand, showed a gradual and smaller vasodilatation beginning at 60–79 mm Hg. For the lowest blood pressure range at 40–59 mm Hg, the smallest arteries with a diameter of 20–40 μm showed maximal dilation in both groups, but perforating arteries showed significantly larger dilatation (185.0% of baseline diameter) than cortical arteries (152.7%; P =0.003). Our results indicate that vasodilatation of perforating arteries is more sensitive and pronounced in response to systemic hypotension than that of pial arteries, which explains how cerebral microcirculation is maintained efficiently in the deep brain regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Exposure to ambient particulate matter with a diameter of <2.5 μm (PM 2.5) has been linked to increases in blood pressure. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of short-term exposure to PM 2.5 on blood pressure in office workers in Beijing, China. A total of 4801 individuals aged 18–60 years underwent an annual medical examination between 2013 and 2017. Levels of air pollutants were obtained from 35 fixed monitoring stations and correlated with the employment location of each participant to predict personal exposure via kriging interpolation. Linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the changes in blood pressure associated with PM 2.5 exposure at various lag times. After adjusting for personal characteristics and other potential confounders, each interquartile range increase in PM 2.5 was associated with a 0.413-mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.252–0.573), 0.171-mmHg (95% CI: 0.053–0.288), 0.278-mmHg (95% CI: 0.152–0.404), and 0.241-mmHg (95% CI: 0.120–0.362) increase in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure, respectively (p < 0.05). Men, individuals previously diagnosed with hypertension, and subjects working in the northern districts of Beijing had larger changes in blood pressure, and the effect sizes were 0.477-mmHg (95% CI: 0.286–0.669), 0.851-mmHg (95% CI: 0.306–1.397, and 0.672-mmHg (95% CI: 0.405–0.940). The findings suggested that exposure to PM 2.5 had adverse effects on blood pressure, especially among males and hypertensive patients. Image 1 • Individual PM 2.5 exposure was measured by Kriging interpolation method. • Blood pressure increased significantly with elevations in PM 2.5 for lag 4–6 days. • Stronger effects were found among males and hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]