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Abstract Objective Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can improve endothelial integrity. This study aimed to examine the effects and the mechanism of EPCs on lung ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI). Methods Wistar rats were randomized into the sham or the left lung transplantation group. The recipients were randomized and treated with vehicle as the LIRI group, with EPC as the EPC group, or with N5-(1-iminoethyl)-l-ornithine-pretreated EPC as the EPC/L group (n = 8 per group). The ratios of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspiratory oxygen were measured. The lung wet-to-dry weight ratios, protein levels, and injury, as well as the levels of plasma cytokines, were examined. The levels of endothelin (ET)-1, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), phosphorylated eNOS, inducible NOS, phosphorylated myosin light chain, nuclear factor-κBp65, Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3, and myeloperoxidase in the graft lungs were detected. Results Compared with the LIRI group, EPC treatment significantly increased the ratios of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspiratory oxygen and decreased the lung wet-to-dry weight ratios and protein levels in the grafts, accompanied by increasing eNOS expression and phosphorylation, but decreasing endothelin-1, inducible NOS, phosphorylated nuclear factor-kBp65, phosphorylated myosin light chain expression, and myeloperoxidase activity. EPCs reduced lung tissue damage and apoptosis associated with decreased levels of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 expression, but increased Bcl-2 expression. EPC treatment significantly reduced the levels of serum proinflammatory factors, but elevated levels of interleukin-10. In contrast, the protective effect of EPCs were mitigated and abrogated by N5-(1-iminoethyl)-l-ornithine pretreatment. Conclusions Data indicated that EPC ameliorated LIRI by increasing eNOS expression. Graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aphelinus asychis (Walker) is an effective biological control agent for many species of aphids found on various crops. To provide strategies for releasing these parasitoids into a crop ecosystem, the effects of a short-duration starvation experiment on A. asychis were measured under laboratory conditions using Myzus persicae (Sulzer) as the host on cabbage and chili pepper plants. The survival rate of starved A. asychis female adults decreased sharply as the starving time increased, and the longevity of the starved parasitoids also decreased significantly. The number of aphids killed by the parasitoids decreased gradually with the extended duration of starvation. In addition, the number of aphids on chili peppers and cabbages killed by starved A. asychis females over their lifespan was significantly lower than that in the control group. Our results indicated that a short period of starvation might not cause significantly negative effects on the parasitoids and may be beneficial for the control of M. persicae at low densities after 1 day; however, starvation for >1 day seriously affected the performance of A. asychis females over their entire lifespan. The parasitoids performed similarly when aphids were fed chili pepper or cabbage plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparisons between populations that differ in resource availability and in environmental variables affecting the intensity of male–male competition allow insights into the mechanisms shaping reproductive allocation. Here, we studied inter-population variation in male investments in testis size and sperm length across four populations of the Yunnan pond frog ( Dianrana pleuraden ) along an altitudinal gradient in western China. Male body condition, relative testis size and sperm length did not increase with altitude despite an increasing male bias in the operational sex ratio (OSR) in high altitude was recorded. Our results were inconsistent with previous prediction that increasing latitude and/or altitude should lead to a declining male reproductive investment in anurans due to shortening breeding seasons and declining resource availability. We found a positive correlation between body condition and testes mass along the altitudinal gradient, which was indicative of a condition-dependent expression of testis size. By contrast, we recorded a non-significant correlation between testes mass and OSR, suggesting that male–male competition did not result in increasing levels of sperm competition. A non-significant correlation between sperm length and testis mass suggested that the intensity of sperm competition can account for the variation in sperm length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stable HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) reaction in vitro was developed by a sensitive, selective and precise liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method. The optimized enzyme reaction condition contained 1.5 μg of HMGR, 20 nM of NADPH with 50 min of reaction time. The method was validated by several intra- and inter-day assays. The production transitions of m / z 147.0/59.1 and m / z 154.0/59.1 were used to detect and quantify mevalonolactone (MVAL) and MVAL-D 7 , respectively. The accuracy and precision of the method were evaluated over the concentration range of 0.005–1.000 μg/mL for MVAL and 0.010–0.500 μg/mL for lovastatin acid in three validation batch runs. The lower limit of quantitation was found to be 0.005 μg/mL for MVAL and 0.010 μg/mL for lovastatin acid. Intra-day and inter-day precision ranged from 0.95% to 2.39% and 2.26% to 3.38% for MVAL, 1.46% to 3.89% and 0.57% to 5.10% for lovastatin acid, respectively. The results showed that the active ingredients in Xuezhikang capsules were 12.2 and 14.5 mg/g, respectively. This assay method could be successfully applied to the quality control study of Xuezhikang capsule for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence has suggested that bispecific and multivalent antibodies which have more antigen binding sites will improve their immunogenicity. The bispecific anti-idiotype antibody vaccine G22-I50 was obtained through genetic engineering to enhance the immunogenicity of anti-idiotype antibody vaccines G22 and I50. G22-I50 vaccination could induce anti-tumor immunity in the Balb/c mouse model. The protective and therapeutic efficacy of G22-I50 was also evaluated using the hu-PBL–SCID mouse model injected three times with G22-I50, G22, or I50 mixed with Freund's adjuvant. Results demonstrated that the protective anti-tumor effect of G22-I50 could be relevant with the production of Ab3 antibody and activation of CD8 + cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. In preventive and therapeutic experiments, G22-I50 could reduce tumor size and prolong the survival time of HNE2-bearing mice ( p < 0.05). Human CD8 + T lymphocytes infiltrated the tumor sites, and high levels of human IFN-γ, TNF-α, and caspase-3 were also detected in the tumors from G22-I50-vaccinated and -treated mice. Therefore, the bispecific anti-idiotype antibody vaccine G22-I50 can induce strong humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. This vaccine can be potentially applied to prevent and treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Seven new organic trivalent lanthanide complexes containing a terpyridine or terpyridine-alkyne ligand, [Ln(L1)(CH3OH)(NO3)3] (Ln=Eu 1, Tb 2, Ce 3, Sm 4, Dy 5; L1=4-(4-bromophenyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine) and [Ln(L2)(NO3)3] (Ln=Eu 6, Tb 7; L2=4-(4-trimethylsilyl phenylacetylene)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine), were synthesized by the reaction of Ln(NO3)3·6H2O (Ln=Eu, Tb, Ce, Sm, Dy) with L1 and L2, respectively. In addition, a new 3d–4f type conjugated EuIII–Co0 carbonyl cluster complex, [(NO3)3Eu(η 3-L2-μ)(Co2(CO)6)] 8, was obtained by the reaction of complex 6 with Co2(CO)8 in THF. All of these complexes were characterized and X-ray single-crystal diffraction reveals that the CeIII ion is ten-coordinated and lies approximately in the center of a polyhedron with 16 faces in the structure of complex 3. The molecular conformation is stabilized by intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds, and intermolecular π–Br and π–π interactions. The luminescence properties of these complexes were also investigated in the solid state. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Routine clinical implementation of human gene therapy requires safe and efficient gene delivery methods. Linear biodegradable polyesters with carbon–carbon double bonds are prepared from unsaturated diacids and diols. Subsequent appending of low molecular weight PEI by Michael addition gives target cationic polymers efficiently. Agarose gel retardation and fluorescence quenching assays show that these materials have good DNA binding ability and can completely retard plasmid DNA at weight ratio of 0.8. The formed polyplexes have appropriate sizes around 275 nm and zeta-potential values about +20–35 mV. The cytotoxicities of these polymers assayed by MTT are much lower than that of 25 kDa PEI. In vitro transfection toward 7402, HEK293 and U-2OS cells show that polymer P1 may give dramatically higher transfection efficiency (TE) than 25 kDa PEI, especially in U-2OS cells, suggesting that such polymer might be promising non-viral gene vectors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To construct an improved biological missile, an immunoconjugate ADM–Dex–ScFv-SA3 was synthesized, which was composed of a hepatocellular carcinoma-specific, single-chain Fv antibody (ScFv-SA3) and a highly potent cytotoxic drug, adriamycin (ADM), as the warhead. Oxidized Dextran T10 (Dex-T10) was used as a linker to connect these two moieties. The 40 KD soluble anti-hepatoma human Trx-ScFv-SA3 protein was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3), using a prokaryotic expression vector, pET21a (+)-Trx-ScFv-SA3-His. It was purified using a His-Tag Ni-Agarose column and identified by western blot. The activity of Trx-ScFv-SA3 was verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunocytochemistry to confirm that it specifically binds to the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. To prepare ADM–Dex–ScFv-SA3, ADM was conjugated to the antibody at a molar ratio of 14.21:1. The antitumor effect of the conjugate was tested by MTT assay, plate colony formation assay and xenografts in a nude mice experimental model. In vitro experiments revealed that ADM–Dex–ScFv-SA3 could bind to tumor cells selectively and inhibit the proliferation and the colony formation ability of HepG2 cells. In vivo experiments showed that ADM–Dex–ScFv-SA3 suppressed the tumor growth and prolonged the median survival time in tumor-bearing mice. Tumor histology slides indicated a significantly slower tumor tissue proliferation in the ADM–Dex–ScFv-SA3 group. These data indicate that the targeted drug, ADM–Dex–ScFv-SA3, may be a highly potent and selective therapy for the treatment of hepatoma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: To analyze the allergic status to common inhalant allergens and food allergens in clinical patients in Harbin in northeastern China and provide evidence to develop the prevention strategy of allergic disease. Methods: The data were collected from 5 473 patients with clinical suspected allergic diseases seeking medical care in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. Among these patients, 2 530 (46.2%) were males aged 0-86 years, the youngest was only 1 month old and 2 579 (47.1%) were young children and teenagers. The serum specific Immunoglobulin E (sIgE) to 14 kinds of common allergens and serum total IgE were detected by using AllergyScreen test (Mediwiss Analytic GmbH, Moers, Germany). Results: In 5 473 subjects the positive rate of sIgE was 33.1% (n=1 813). Cow milk (6.9%) and wheat (3.1%) were the most common food allergens, followed by house dust mite mix (12.5%) and mould mix (9.4%) and the age and gender specific differences in the positive rate were significant. For the children aged <7 years the positive rates to cow milk, beef-mutton, and egg white/egg yolk were high, but the positive rates to house dust mite mix, ragweed estragon, and mould mix were low (P<0.05). For the adults the positive rates to aeroallergens were high while the rates to food allergens were low. Conclusion: The results from this study showed that the food allergens in Harbin had geographic characteristics, which support the viewpoint that the environment factors play an important role in the incidence of allergic diseases. Also, the detection of sIgE and total IgE are essential to identify relevant allergens for the purpose of early diagnosis, management and prevention of allergic disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the anti-tumor activity of a lectin from Sophora flavescens and explore its potential apoptotic induction mechanism. Here, an elegant series of biochemical and cell biology methods were carried out in a sequential procedure (e.g., MTT, cell morphologic changes and LDH assays, DNA ladder as well as flow cytometric assay). As a result, we found that this lectin shows a strong cytotoxicity against HeLa cells and induces apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Subsequently, according to caspase inhibition and Western blot analysis, we further demonstrated that it is a typical caspase-dependent apoptotic mechanism. Furthermore, we also exerted some bioinformatics methods to identify the mannose-binding specificity of this lectin. In conclusion, all experimental results demonstrated that this lectin seems to be a potent anti-tumor agent for its cytotoxicity and apoptosis effects on HeLa cells. Also, bioinformatics analyses showed that this lectin is speculated to bind a certain mannose-containing receptor on cancer cell surface thereby initiating downstream caspase cascade. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is an indicator to evaluate the nutritional immune status of patients. This study aimed to assess whether preoperative PNI could predict the occurrence of postoperative POD in aged patients undergoing non-neurosurgery and non-cardiac surgery. The aged patients undergoing non-neurosurgery and non-cardiac surgery between January 2014 and August 2019 were included in the retrospective cohort study. The correlation between POD and PNI was investigated by univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis, propensity score matching (PSM), inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), and subgroup analysis. In the cohort (n = 29,814), the cutoff value of PNI was 46.01 determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. In univariate and three multivariable regression analysis, the ORs of PNI ≤ 46.01 was 2.573(95% CI:2.261–2.929, P < 0.001),1.802 (95% CI:1.567-2.071, P < 0.001),1.463(95% CI:1.246–1.718, P < 0.001),1.370(95% CI:1.165–1.611, P < 0.001). In the PSM model and IPTW model, the ORs of PNI ≤ 46.01 were 1.424(95% CI:1.172–1.734, P < 0.001) and 1.356(95% CI:1.223–1.505, P < 0.001). The PNI was found to have a predictive value for POD in patients undergoing non-neurosurgery and non-cardiac surgery. Improving preoperative nutritional status may be beneficial in preventing POD for aged patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The floral scents of three forms of cultivated Plumeria rubra L. were evaluated through mass flowering phenology using the dynamic headspace adsorption method and were identified with coupled gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The forms P. rubra f. acutifolia and P. rubra f. lutea had white and yellow flower petals, respectively, and the flower petals of P. rubra f. rubra were red. Although 68 components of the flower scents of the three forms were recorded in different proportions, only 14 chemical compounds were identified with statistically significance. The main volatile compounds in the red form of P. rubra L. were fatty acid derivatives (56.75%). The main compounds in the white and yellow forms of P. rubra L. were benzenoid and terpene, with proportions of 48.38% and 33.33% in P. rubra f. acutifolia and proportions of 42.30% and 47.43% in P. rubra f. lutea , respectively. These differences in the flower scents might be one result of the minor genetic differences between these forms, similar to the role of genetic differences in the flower color combinations of the three forms. We conclude that petal color traits can, to some extent, reflect differences in floral scent compositions and that minor genetic differences of different plant forms exert impacts not only on flower color but also on the phytochemistry of floral scents. • Floral color and scent are the major components that attract pollinator insects. • Ecologists have long sought to explain how these combinations can support deceptive pollination behavior. • We show here the floral scent properties of three forms of Plumeria rubra L. and confirm that (1) there are significant intrinsic relationships between floral color traits and scent compositions: (2) floral color traits can reflect the differences of scent compositions to some extent; and: (3) both color traits of petals and floral scents might play a role in the evolution of the deceptive pollination syndrome of Plumeria rubra L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Fluorinated biomaterials have been reported to have promising features as non-viral gene carriers. In this study, a series of fluorinated polymeric gene carriers were synthesized via Michael addition from low molecular weight polyethyleneimine (PEI) and fluorobenzoic acids (FBAs)-based linking compounds with different numbers of fluorine atoms. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) of these materials was systematically investigated. SAR studies showed that fluorine could screen the positive charge of these polymers. However, this shielding effect of fluorine would endow fluorinated polymers with good balance between DNA condensation and release. In vitro transfection results suggested that these fluorinated polymers could mediate efficient gene delivery. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy studies demonstrated that more efficient cell uptake could be achieved by fluorinated materials with more fluorine atoms. Cytotoxicity assays showed that these fluorinated materials exhibited very low cytotoxicity even at high mass ratios. This study demonstrates that FBA-based fluorinated biopolymers have the potential for practical application. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Effect of fluorine atom number and location on gene delivery ability was investigated. • Fluorine atoms may facilitate DNA condensation and stabilize the polymer/DNA complex. • Fluorination of the polymeric gene vectors enhanced their transfection efficiency. • Fluorination improved uptake efficiency, and more fluorine atoms led to higher uptake. • All fluorinated polymeric vectors exhibited very low cytotoxicity even at high dosage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene therapy has shown great potential in the treatment of various diseases, and the development of low-toxic and efficient gene carriers is still one of the burning issues for gene therapy. PEGylation is generally regarded as an efficient strategy to improve the biocompatibility of non-viral vectors. However, PEGylation also led to several problems such as lower cellular uptake, difficult endosomal escape and much reduced transfection efficiency, which was described as “PEG dilemma”. We herein devote to the development of polymeric gene vectors that can overcome such dilemma via diepoxide ring-opening polymerization (DEROP) of low molecular weight PEI, and unmodified PEI and PEG-grafted PEI were used for comparison. Transfection experiments with various concentrations of serum revealed that the DEROP polymers gave much higher transfection efficiency together with better serum tolerance than PEI and PEGylated ones. Protein adsorption and flow cytometry assays further proved their better serum resistance. Besides, confocal microscopy suggested that the polyplexes formed from these polymers could escape from endosome/lysosome more efficiently than those derived from PEGylated material. In vivo biochemical studies also reflect good biocompatibility of the DEROP polymers. Results demonstrate that such polymer construction strategy gave cationic materials with both high transfection efficiency and improved biocompatibility, and afforded an effective way to overcome PEG dilemma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyridinium functioned 7-hydroxy coumarin was presented as the first mitochondria-targeted ratiometric fluorescent probe CP for real time monitoring pH in living cells. Compared with commercially available mitochondrial trackers, CP possesses high specificity to mitochondria in living cells as well as good biocompatibility. Meanwhile, CP displays excellent pH sensitivity and anti-interference capability. Confocal image experiments confirm that CP can monitor mitochondrial pH changes associated with the mitochondrial acidification, cellular apoptosis and stress response efficiently in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Our goal is to compare the immunogenicity and the extent of immunologic reactivity between bispecific and mono anti-idiotype vaccines. We previously obtained two human anti-Id antibody fragments fuse5-G22, fuse5-I50 by phage display technology which were mimics of the antigens from nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line (HNE2). In this study, we developed and characterized a bispecific anti-Id antibody vaccine G22–I50 and its parent monovalent antibody vaccines G22 and I50. The efficacy of G22–I50, G22, and I50 as tumor vaccines was evaluated in Balb/c mice with three injections of these vaccines adjuvanted with Freund''s adjuvant. Mice immunized with G22–I50 exhibited comparable levels of antibody titers and stronger binding inhibition capabilities. Spleen cells from G22–I50-immunized mice gave a significant proliferative response and higher expression level of IFN-γ and IL-2.These results suggested that bispecific anti-Id antibody vaccine was able to induce more powerful humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, which might make it to be a potential vaccine candidate for the therapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nanoindentation is a powerful technique for determining the mechanical properties of a material at the nanometer scale. In this study, the changes induced in the mechanical properties of a thin film by the presence of adsorbed multilayers are examined by performing nanoindentation tests with ultra-low indentation depths. The current findings suggest that the results obtained for the mechanical properties of thin films under nanoindentation will be overestimated if the effects of the adsorbed multilayers on reducing elastic recovery between the indenter and the substrate are not taken into consideration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • The probes can rapidly assess and visualize β -galactosidase during fruit softening. • The probes can be used to evaluate fruit storage methods. • TNap-βGal can distinguishing the senile cells from the young ones within 1 min. • TNap-βGal can visualize the increased β -galactosidase in senile tissues. Senescence is happening in every corner of the living organisms. β -galactosidase (β -gal) is one of the most important biomarkers during senescence in both plant and mammalian cells. Most β -gal fluorescent probes were focused on bio-imaging, only a few probes were developed for the detection of β -gal in fruit, and the probes that could detect β -gal in both fruits and living cells were even less. Here, two β -gal probes (TNap-βGal and TBNap-βGal) were synthesized, which can not only image the increase of β -gal during both fruits softening and cellular senescence, but also prove that bananas are not suitable for storage in refrigerator and the subsequent accumulation of β -gal still in lysosome of mammalian cells. In addition, TNap-βGal was successfully applied to two-photon imaging of endogenous β -gal in both hDPMSCs and tissues of human dental pulp for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emulsions have shown great potential in the delivery of various types of cargoes such as nucleic acids and proteins. In this study, fluorinated polymer emulsions (PFx@PFD-n) were prepared using fluorinated polymers with different structures as surfactant in PFD emulsions under ultrasound. These polymer emulsions gave comparable DNA binding ability compared with corresponding polymers. Heparin competition experiment showed that polymer emulsions could compact DNA or protein to form more stable complexes. In vitro gene transfection results showed that the polymer emulsions could induce higher gene expression than corresponding polymers and polyethyleneimine (PEI), and the transfection efficiency was enhanced with the increase of PFD amount in polymer emulsions. Flow cytometry studies revealed that the emulsions could mediate more efficient cellular uptake with stronger serum tolerance. Moreover, the polymer emulsion could deliver considerable amount of OVA into Raw 264.7 cells at low mass ratio, showing its potential in immunotherapy. The activities of β-galactosidase delivered by the emulsions could also be well maintained after entering cells. This study provides a strategy to construct cationic gene and cytosolic protein vectors with high efficiency and low toxicity. Image 1 • The improved delivery ability of fluorinated emulsion compared to polymer was investigated. • Emulsions with more PFD showed highest transfection efficiency. • Emulsions induced higher enzyme activity of β-Gal. • Emulsions exhibited higher serum stability and more efficient cell uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the multipartite nonlocality and global quantum discord (GQD) in the antiferromagnetic Lipkin–Meshkov–Glick (LMG) model. We find that nonlocality and GQD can indicate quantum phase transitions by singular behaviors. The results also show that GQD always behaves a linear growth with log 10 N in the LMG model, which is different from linear scaling in one-dimensional chains. And this scaling behavior is not affected by anisotropic parameter γ. Moreover, the nonlocality (denoted by S) is discovered to scale as log 10 S | h ∼ a N + b for the transverse-field LMG model (i.e., γ = 0). However, scaling behaviors can be well fitted by formula S | h = a 1 N + b for the LMG model with γ > 0. By comparing the results of GQD and nonlocality, we have observed that nonlocality decreases but GQD increases as the size of the system grows. These results indicate that γ has a significant influence on the nonlocality and GQD in the LMG model. • Two quantum correlations, multipartite nonlocality and global quantum discord, are studied in the antiferromagnetic Lipkin–Meshkov–Glick model. • The multipartite nonlocality and global quantum discord can indicate the quantum phase transitions by singular behaviors at the phase transition point. • The scaling behaviors is quite different with anisotropic parameter γ. The anisotropic parameter has great effect on the scaling behavior. • The nontrivial behavior is observed: as the size of system grows, the multipartite nonlocality decreases but global quantum discord increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although numerous cationic lipids have been developed as non-viral gene vectors, the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of these materials remains unclear and needs further investigation. In this work, a series of lysine-derived cationic lipids containing linkages with different rigidity were designed and synthesized. SAR studies showed that lipids with rigid aromatic linkage could promote the formation of tight liposomes and enhance DNA condensation, which is essential for the gene delivery process. These lipids could give much higher transfection efficiency than those containing more flexible aliphatic linkage in various cell lines. Moreover, the rigid aromatic linkage also affords the material higher serum tolerance ability. Flow cytometry assay revealed that the target lipids have good cellular uptake, while confocal microscopy observation showed weaker endosome escape than Lipofectamine 2000. To solve such problem and further increase the transfection efficiency, some lysosomotropic reagents were used to improve the endosome escape of lipoplex. As expected, higher transfection efficiency than Lipofectamine 2000 could be obtained via this strategy. Cytotoxicity assay showed that these lipids have lower toxicity in various cell lines than Lipofectamine 2000, suggesting their potential for further application. This work demonstrates that a rigid aromatic linkage might distinctly improve the gene transfection abilities of cationic lipids and affords information to construct safe and efficient gene vector towards practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The reaction is a one-pot synthesis method, only one biocatalyst ChKRED20 was required. • The reaction is carried out under the condition of aqueous phase, the conditions are mild and green. • All tested substrates exhibited excellent enantioselectivity, with most products in acceptable yields. • Preliminary explanation of reaction mechanism by molecular docking, including enantioselective inversion of substrates. An efficient, and high enantioselective one-pot reaction for ChKRED20 (Ketoreductase20 from Chryseobacterium sp. CA49) for the conversion of thiols and unsaturated α, β-carbonyl compounds into γ-hydroxy sulfides was proposed. The reaction is carried out in water phase, where spontaneous thio-Michael addition is sufficient to provide substrates for enzyme reaction. The effects of aromatic thiophenol substituents on the biocatalytic process were investigated by molecular docking simulations. Eighteen γ-hydroxy sulfides of R -alcohols can be obtained by this green and sustainable approach with high enantioselectivity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gene transfection efficiency (TE) of cationic lipids is largely influenced by the lipid structure. Six novel 1, 4, 7, 10-tetraazacyclododecane (cyclen)-based cationic lipids L1 – L6 , which contain double oleyl as hydrophobic tails, were designed and synthesized. The difference between these lipids is their diverse backbone. Liposomes prepared by the lipids and DOPE showed good DNA affinity, and full DNA condensation could be achieved at N/P of 4 to form lipoplexes with proper size and zeta-potentials for gene transfection. Structure–activity relationship of these lipids as non-viral gene delivery vectors was investigated. It was found that minor backbone structural variations, including linking group and the structural symmetry would affect the TE. The diethylenetriamine derived lipid L4 containing amide linking bonds gave the best TE, which was several times higher than commercially available transfection reagent lipofectamine 2000. Besides, these lipids exhibited low cytotoxicity, suggesting their good biocompatibility. Results reveal that such type of cationic lipids might be promising non-viral gene vectors, and also afford us clues for the design of novel vectors with higher TE and biocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Hyperprolactinemia is an unwanted adverse effect associated with several antipsychotics. The addition of partial dopamine receptor agonist aripiprazole may attenuate antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia effectively. However, the ideal dosing regimen for this purpose is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the dose effects of adjunctive treatment with aripiprazole on prolactin levels and hyperprolactinemia in schizophrenia patients. Stable subjects 18–45 years old with schizophrenia and hyperprolactinemia (i.e., >24 ng/ml for females and >20 ng/ml for males) were randomly assigned to receive 8 weeks of placebo ( n = 30) or oral aripiprazole 5 mg/day ( n = 30), 10 mg/day ( n = 29), or 20 mg/day ( n = 30) added on to fixed dose risperidone treatment. Serum prolactin levels were measured at baseline and after 2, 4 and 8 weeks; clinical symptoms and side effects were assessed at baseline and week 8 using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Clinical Global Impressions Severity scale, Barnes Akathisia Scale, Simpson-Angus Scale and UKU Side Effects Rating Scale. Of 119 randomized patients, 107 (89.9%) completed the 8-week study. At study end, all three aripiprazole doses resulted in significantly lower prolactin levels (beginning at week 2), higher response rates (≥30% prolactin reduction) and higher prolactin normalization rates than placebo. Effects were significantly greater in the 10 and 20 mg/day groups than the 5 mg/day group. No significant changes were observed in any treatment groups regarding psychopathology and adverse effect ratings. Adjunctive aripiprazole treatment was effective and safe for resolving risperidone-induced hyperprolactinemia, producing significant and almost maximal improvements by week 2 without significant effects on psychopathology and side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of polycationic gene delivery vectors were synthesized via Michael addition from low molecular weight PEI and linking compounds with various heteroatom compositions. Agarose gel electrophoresis results reveal that these polymers can well condense plasmid DNA and can protect DNA from degradation by nuclease. The formed polyplexes, which are stable toward serum, have uniform spherical nanoparticles with appropriate sizes around 200–350 nm and zeta-potentials about +40 mV. In vitro experiments show that these polymers have lower cytotoxicity and higher transfection efficiency than 25 KDa PEI. Furthermore, the title materials exhibit excellent serum tolerance. With the present of 10% serum, up to 19 times higher transfection efficiency than PEI was obtained, and no obvious decrease of TE was observed even the serum concentration was raised to >40%. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy studies also demonstrate the good serum tolerance of the materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) on the microstructure, rheological properties, paste clarity, as well as gel retrogradation behavior of alkali-gelatinized high-amylose maize starch (HMS) was investigated. The alkali-treated HMS pastes were subjected to HPH at homogenizing pressures of 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125MPa. After HPH treatment, the uniformity in the microstructure of HMS pastes was greatly increased. At homogenizing pressures greater than 100MPa, starch ghost particles were found to completely disappear. The apparent viscosity of the HMS pastes was found to decrease significantly due to the application of HPH. The paste clarity of the HMS pastes increased when HPH treatment was applied. After storing at 4°C for 7days, HMS pastes homogenized at 50 and 100MPa displayed weaker viscoelastic behavior than their corresponding unhomogenized pastes. This indicated that HPH treatment is capable of inhibiting starch retrogradation in gels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of novel 2′,3′-diethanethio-2′,3′,5′-trideoxy-5′-triazoloribonucleosides was synthesized in excellent yields and their antitumor activity was evaluated. These nucleoside analogues with aromatic substituted triazole rings showed significantly improved activity towards a broad range of tumor cell lines and those without arene substitutes were inactive. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of novel 2′,3′-dideoxy-2′,3′-diethanethioribonucleosides and those modified with a triazole ring were prepared in excellent yields and their antitumor activity was evaluated. Nucleosides with a triazole ring, 16a–16c, showed significantly improved activity towards a broad range of tumor cell lines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel mannose-binding lectin (designated CML) was isolated from Clematis montana Buch.-Ham stem (Ranunculaceae) using ion exchange and gel filtration chromatographies on DEAE-Sepharose and Sephacryl S-100. The purified C. montana lectin was a homodimer of 11,968.9Da subunits as determined by gel filtration and MS. The hemagglutinating activity of CML was inhibited by branched oligomannosides. The N-terminal 15-amino acid sequence of CML, DNVKYSGQVKNTGSA, has not been reported for other lectins. Also, the peptide mass fingerprinting assay confirmed that there is no match result of similar plant lectins for CML, indicating CML may be a novel plant lectin. CML showed marked antiviral activity against various viruses in cell culture. Subsequently, CML was also found to exhibit remarkable inhibitory effect on L929, HeLa, MCF7 and HepG2 cells. Furthermore, CML specially induced L929 cell apoptosis in dose-dependent manner as evidenced by MTT, fluorescent microscopy, LDH activity-based cytotoxicity assays and DNA ladder. Moreover, due to both caspase inhibitors and Western blot analyses, caspase was also found to play the important role in the potential apoptotic mechanism of CML. When the carbohydrate-binding site was fully inhibited by sugars, cytotoxicity was abruptly decreased and apoptotic phenomenon in L929 cells was not observed, suggesting a significant correlation between mannose-binding-specific activity and the antineoplastic mechanism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A lactose-binding lectin (Agrocybe cylindracea Lectin, ACL) purified from fruiting bodies of the mushroom A. cylindracea was investigated to determine the hemagglutinating activity and conformation changes after chemical modification, removal of metal ion and treatment at different temperatures and pH. ACL agglutinated both rabbit and human erythrocytes and its hemagglutinating activity could be inhibited by lactose. This lectin was stable in the pH range of 6–9 and temperature up to 60°C. Fluorescence quenching and modification of tryptophan residues indicated that there were about two tryptophan residues in ACL molecule and one of them might be located on the surface, while the other was buried in the hydrophobic shallow groove near the surface. Chemical modification of serine/threonine and histidine showed that the partial necessity of these residues for the hemagglutinating activity of ACL. However, modifications of arginine, tyrosine and cysteine residues had no effect on its agglutinating activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

(Ba, Sr)TiO3 (BST) thin-film capacitors with Ir bottom electrodes are recognized to have higher polarization and leakage current as compared to those with conventional Pt electrodes. This paper describes a method to improve the leakage current of BST/Ir films by high-density plasma surface treatment using O2·N2O or NH3 gas in an inductively coupled plasma system. It is found that the leakage current density can be reduced by two orders of magnitude using O2 plasma treatment. The dielectric constants were very closely to the reference sample except for NH3 plasma treated sample. The O2 and N2O plasma can enhance the lifetime than 10 years at 1.2 V for the Pt/(Ba,Sr)TiO3/Ir capacitors. It is necessary to trade off the capacitance property for leakage current property. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A novel near-infrared nitrite probe based on "covalent assembly" principle; • A efficient and zero background analytical method for quantitative nitrite detection; • Detection of nitrite in river water, food samples, and Escherichia coli. Different chemical states of nitrogen are present in many freshwater and marine ecosystems, and nitrite ions are one of the most toxic water-soluble nitrogen species. Developing an effective and convenient sensing method to constantly detect the concentration of nitrite has become a wide concern. Here, a novel near-infrared fluorescent probe (AAC) was designed and synthesized via the "covalent assembly" principle, showing excellent selectivity and high sensitivity for nitrite. A new nitrite-quantitative method was established with the help of AAC , and the detection limit of nitrite using the new method was as low as 6.7 nM. AAC was successfully applied for the quantitative detection of nitrite in real-world environmental and food samples (including river water and Chinese sauerkraut), and the detection results were essentially identical to the results obtained from the traditional Griess assay. Moreover, AAC was successfully applied for tracking nitrite in Escherichia coli by fluorescence imaging. Since nitrite can have devastating effects, the method established with AAC allowed us to "see" effectively about the water quality, food quality, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Environmentally friendly method via tandem biocatalytic multi-component reaction. • Reaction conditions are mild, the method is simple and fast, and the yields are high. • Molecular docking experiments investigate the possible mechanism. • The eight compounds we selected have good activity in vitro antitumor activities. A simple, effective and ecofriendly biocatalytic method has been developed to construct 2-amino-4H-pyrans via tandem multi-component reaction (MCR) of aldehyde, malononitrile and ethyl acetoacetate in one pot. The catalytic activity of lipases in different reaction media and other experimental conditions were investigated. The reported methodology offers a mild approach to obtain a library of 2-amino-4H-pyrans with good yields and favorable function group tolerance. Moreover, molecular docking experiments have been carried out to investigate the possible mechanism of this enzyme-initiated one-pot reaction. In addition, eight compounds in the library have been chosen in order to evaluate the in vitro antitumor activities against three cell lines (A549, Hela and HepG2). The results illustrated that 4v had the most potent antitumor activity, whose IC50 is 0.0517 μM in A549 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]