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• A classification method was established based on the functional parameters of powder; • w , a , k G , y 0 , k a , k b , b , k FES , k E3 are considered as key functional parameters; • The properties of each category of powder were analyzed in detail; • b is considered the most critical functional parameter affecting tablet quality; • In addition, w , k a , k G , and a related parameter affect the qualities of the tablet. Direct compaction (DC) is the ideal method for tablet production. However, DC requires the highest quality powder functional properties, such as good flowability, compressibility, compactibility, and appropriate elasticity. In the present study, 24 types of natural plant product (NPP) powders, prepared using three commonly used methods, and 18 types of fillers were evaluated for their fundamental and functional properties. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used to classify the powders and analyze the characteristics of each category of powder, based on functional properties. Partial least squares (PLS) regression models were established to predict the tensile strength (TS), ejection force (EF), disintegration time (DT), and solid fraction (SF) based on the powder's functional properties. The results show that: (i) Except for the direct pulverization powder, the fundamental properties among the NPP powders were similar; however, the functional properties were quite different; (ii) The powders could be classified well based on their functional parameters (w , a , k G , y 0 , k a , k b , b , k FES , k E3). The order of powders suitable for DC is Group 4 > Group 5 > Group 2 > Group 3 > Group 1; (iii) The compressibility and compactibility of the powder are beneficial to the TS and EF of the tablet. The compressibility of the powders correlated negatively with DT; nevertheless, the compactibility correlated positively with DT and SF. The true density (ρ true), median particle size (D 0.5) of the powders correlated negatively with SF. Overall, this study systematically evaluated the properties of commonly used NPP powders and fillers and found the key properties that affect the quality of tablets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Medication adherence in children is a key consideration in drug design. • Factors influencing adherence and new advances in pharmaceutical design are presented. • The key to pharmaceutical design includes the design of dosage form, the new technologies and new devices. Medication adherence in pediatric patients is a key factor in drug development and dosage form design. High medication adherence is not only important to achieve the expected treatment effects but can also effectively reduce medical costs. It is an ongoing task to accurately identify differences in medication adherence between children and adults and analyze the factors related to pediatric medication adherence. This is necessary to guide the development of pediatric drugs. This review focuses on factors that influence pediatric medication adherence as well as pharmaceutical design strategies to improve adherence. Current new dosage forms, new technologies, and new devices are comprehensively summarized in terms of their advantages and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct compaction (DC) is the preferred choice for tablet manufacturing; however, only less than 20% of active pharmaceutical ingredients could be compacted via DC as its high requirement for functional properties of materials. Materials with improper functionalities could lead to serious troubles during DC manufacturing, such as content non-uniformity, sticking, and capping, all of which profoundly affect the properties of final products and, thus, severely restrict the practical application of DC. With undoubted importance, these seem to be unexpectedly ignored by reviewers but not researchers in terms of many original research articles published recently. Therefore, as an informative supplement and update, this review mainly focused on trouble-shooting and application situation of DC, together with several newly reported materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different effects of selenite and selenate on the fate of As and the function of iron plaque in the interaction between Se and As are poorly understood. Rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) were selected as experimental plants in this study, the hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate the possible regulatory roles of selenite and selenate on the uptake, translocation, and transformation of arsenite or arsenate accompanied by iron plaque. In arsenite- and arsenate-treated rice, the Fe30 treatments stimulated root uptake by 12.4–39.8% and 18.6–37.0%, respectively, but inhibited the movement of As from iron plaque to the roots, resulting in the absorption of a considerable amount of As on iron plaque. Regardless of the iron plaque formation, selenite (selenate) significantly increased (decreased) the root uptake of arsenite and arsenate by 28.1–53.0% and 40.0%–61.7%, respectively (45.6–56.3% and 42.5–47.7%, respectively). Interestingly, the supply of selenite significantly reduced root-to-shoot As translocation by 71.9–77.3% and 66.2–67.7%, respectively, in arsenite- and arsenate-treated rice seedlings; however, a significant increase (90.5–122.9%) was induced by selenate was found only in the arsenate-treated plants. Furthermore, the translocation of As from iron plaque to the roots was significantly increased (decreased) by selenite (selenate). As and Fe in iron plaque were significantly positively correlated in all As-treated rice plants, and this correlation was more profound than that in the shoots and roots. However, neither Fe treatments nor inorganic Se addition affected the interconversion between As(III) and As(V) obviously; and As(III) was the dominant species in both shoots (68.3–84.9%) and roots (90.7–98.2%). Our results indicate selenite and selenate are effective in reducing the As accumulation in an opposite way, and the presence of iron plaque had no obvious impact on the interaction between Se and As in rice plants. [Display omitted] • Selenite (selenate) stimulated (inhibited) arsenite and arsenate root uptake. • Selenite (selenate) decreased (increased) root-to-shoot As translocation. • Fe30 treatments stimulated As uptake but inhibited root-to-shoot translocation. • Neither Fe nor Se treatments affected the interconversion of As(III) and As(V). • The interaction between Se and As was not affected by iron plaque. Although iron plaque had no significant effect on the interaction between Se and As, selenite decreased As accumulation by inhibiting its upward translocation while selenate achieved by inhibiting its uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The interface states of bilayer GeSe/SnS induce massive interlayer charge transfer and form a strong built-in electric field. • Using anisotropy to artificially manipulate biaxial strain for further modulation. • Built-in electric field and biaxial strain synergistically boost the NH 3 -sensing performance of the entire device. Stacking multiple two-dimensional materials to form a heterostructure is emerging as an effective way for tuning gas-sensitive properties. In this work, the GeSe/SnS van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure with Janus structure was constructed and investigated via first-principles calculations. The formation of the GeSe/SnS vdW heterostructure leads to spontaneous symmetry breaking and energy level splitting of the system, bring about new electronic properties. The GeSe/SnS heterostructure shows a smaller band gap of 1.272 eV, with an electron-rich layer formed by interlayer charge transfer (0.171 e) due to the built-in electric field, which promotes the NH 3 adsorption energy and charge transfer ability. Further investigate was performed for the effect of compressive strain on the band gap and interface structure of GeSe/SnS heterostructure. The application of −6% compressive strain causes the largest work function change (0.423 eV) of the GeSe/SnS heterostructure before and after NH 3 adsorption on the GeSe layer, with maximum adsorption energy (0.805 eV) and charge transfer (0.089 e), which implies the enhanced interaction between NH 3 and heterostructure. Our work theoretically predicts that constructing a heterostructure and applying strain can synergistically enhance the NH 3 response of SnS and GeSe, which paves the way for gas-sensing enhancement studies of black phosphorus-like materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, [P(W 3 O 10) 4 ]-g-C 3 N 4 composite catalyst is prepared from phosphotungstic acid and thin-layer carbon nitride at high temperature, which can efficiently remove Rhodamine B (RhB) organic wastewater by photocatalysis. The results of UV–vis, TPC, PL and EIS tests show that the introduction of [P(W 3 O 10) 4 ]3- increases the light absorption range of the g-C 3 N 4 and prolongs the recombination time of photogenerated electrons and holes. The degradation efficiency of g-C 3 N 4 and the [P(W 3 O 10) 4 ]-g-C 3 N 4 catalyst are compared and analyzed, and the corresponding active species (O 2 ·-) is proposed. The new catalyst can decolor and mineralize the RhB solution in a short time, and its degradation rate and mineralization rate are 98.0% and 81.0%, respectively. Interestingly, [P(W 3 O 10) 4 ]-g-C 3 N 4 catalyst and RhB solution mixture can be used as a chili powder dye detector. Its special performance can be attributed to the dissociation of the composite catalyst under acid conditions, and the newly formed H 3 PW 12 O 40 combines with the RhB solution to change color. In short, a dual-function catalyst is synthesized to remove water pollution, and its advantages such as high efficiency, rapidity and strong practicability are worthy of attention. A catalyst that can be used for photocatalytic removal of organic matter and dyed chili powder detector. [Display omitted] • A dual-function catalyst for photocatalysis and dye detection was designed and synthesized. • Cage-shaped [P(W 3 O 10) 4 ]3- was introduced into g-C 3 N 4 as an impurity level to improve the catalytic performance. • Superoxide radicals were the key active species for photocatalytic degradation of pollutants. • The practical new catalyst could be used to detect dyed chili powder. • High stability and multiple reusability make new photocatalyst more attractive [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is one of the most popular cellulose derivatives in the pharmaceutical industry. Thanks to its outstanding tabletability, MCC is generally included in direct compression (DC) tablet formulations containing poor-tabletability active pharmaceutical ingredients. Nowadays, numerous grades of MCC from various brands are accessible for pharmaceutical manufacturers, leading to variability in MCC properties. Hence, it seems to be worthy and urgent to evaluate the influences of MCC variability on tablet quality and to identify critical material attributes (CMAs) based on the idea of Quality by Control. Besides, MCC-based co-processed excipients can effectively combine the functions of the filler, binder, disintegrant, lubricant, glidant, or flavor, and thus have drawn extensive interest. In this review, we focused specifically on the recent advances and development of MCC on DC tableting, including the functions in tablet formulations, potential CMAs, and MCC-based co-possessed excipients, therefore providing a reference for further studies. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 6:2 Fluorotelomer alcohol [6:2 FTOH, F(CF2)6CH2CH2OH] is a major basic chemical being used to manufacture FTOH-based products. After the end of use, 6:2 FTOH-based products may be released to domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as a first major environmental entry point. Activated sludge collected from two WWTPs was dosed with 6:2 FTOH to investigate its biotransformation rate and to identify major transformation products. The volatile 5:2 sFTOH [F(CF2)5CH(OH)CH3] is the most abundant transformation product and accounted for an average of 40mol% of initially dosed 6:2 FTOH after two months of incubation with activated sludge, with 30mol% detected in the headspace. PFPeA [F(CF2)4COOH] averaged 4.4mol% after two months, 2.4–7 times lower than that in sediment and soils. The much lower level of PFPeA formed in activated sludge compared with soil indicates that microbial populations in activated sludge may lack enzymes or suitable environment conditions to promote rapid 5:2 sFTOH decarboxylation to form PFPeA, resulting in more 5:2 sFTOH partitioned to the headspace. PFHxA [F(CF2)5COOH] and 5:3 [F(CF2)5CH2CH2COOH] acid are major non-volatile transformation products in activated sludge. For example, PFHxA averaged 11mol% after two months, which is about 30% higher compared with sediment and soils, suggesting that microbes in WWTPs may utilize similar pathways as that in sediment and soils to convert 5:2 sFTOH to PFHxA. 5:3 Acid averaged 14mol% after two months, comparable to that in soils and slightly lower than in sediment, further confirming that 5:3 acid is a unique product of 6:2 FTOH biotransformation in the environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The 6:2 FTOH [F(CF2)6CH2CH2OH] is a major raw material being used to replace 8:2 FTOH [F(CF2)8CH2CH2OH] to make FTOH-based products for industrial and consumer applications. A novel aerobic sediment experimental system containing 20g wet sediment and 30mL aqueous solution was developed to study 6:2 FTOH biotransformation in river sediment. 6:2 FTOH was dosed into the sediment to follow its biotransformation and to analyze transformation products over 100d. The primary 6:2 FTOH biotransformation in the aerobic sediment system was rapid (T 1/2 <2d). 5:3 acid [F(CF2)5CH2CH2COOH] was observed as the predominant polyfluorinated acid on day 100 (22.4mol%), higher than the sum of perfluoropentanoic acid (10.4mol%), perfluorohexanoic acid (8.4mol%), and perfluorobutanoic acid (1.5mol%). Perfluoroheptanoic acid was not observed during 6:2 FTOH biotransformation. The 5:3 acid can be further degraded to 4:3 acid [F(CF2)4CH2CH2COOH, 2.7mol%]. This suggests that microbes in the river sediment selectively degraded 6:2 FTOH more toward 5:3 and 4:3 acids compared with soil. Most of the observed 5:3 acid formed bound residues with sediment organic components and can only be quantitatively recovered by post-treatment with NaOH and ENVI-Carb™ carbon. The 6:2 FTCA [F(CF2)6CH2COOH], 6:2 FTUCA [F(CF2)5CF=CHCOOH], 5:2 ketone [F(CF2)5C(O)CH3], and 5:2 sFTOH [F(CF2)5CH(OH)CH3] were major transient intermediates during 6:2 FTOH biotransformation in the sediment system. These results suggest that if 6:2 FTOH or 6:2 FTOH-based materials were released to the river or marine sediment, poly- and per-fluorinated carboxylates could be produced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Accurate detection of the ball mill load is one of the key factors to realize the automatic control of the grinding process. The shell vibration acceleration signal contains lots of useful information about the parameters of mill load, especially pulp density (PD). A empirical mode decomposition (EMD), fast Fourier transform (FFT) and partial least square (PLS) based approach is used to analyze the shell vibration signal and construct the PD soft sensor model. The EMD technology is used to decompose the shell vibration signals into a number of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Then, the power spectral density (PSD) of each IMFs is obtained using FFT. At last, pulp density model based PLS algorithm is constructed, which also is used to analyze the PSD of every IMFs. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is effective to analyze the shell vibration and modeling the PD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Protein remote homology detection is a critical step toward annotating its structure and function. Supervised learning algorithms such as support vector machine are currently the most accurate methods. The position-specific score matrices (PSSMs) contain wealthy information about the evolutionary relationship of proteins. However, the PSSMs often have different lengths, which are difficult to be used by machine-learning methods. In this study, a simple, fast and powerful method is presented for protein remote homology detection, which combines support vector machine with auto-cross covariance transformation. The PSSMs are converted into a series of fixed-length vectors by auto-cross covariance transformation and these vectors are then input to a support vector machine classifier for remote homology detection. The sequence-order effects can be effectively captured by this scheme. Experiments are performed on well-established datasets, and the remote homology is simulated at the superfamily and the fold level, respectively. The results show that the proposed method, referred to as ACCRe, is comparable or even better than the state-of-the-art methods in terms of detection performance, and its time complexity is superior to those of other profile-based SVM methods. The auto-cross covariance transformation provides a novel way for the usage of evolutionary information, which can be widely used for protein-level studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Synthetic functional biochar using agricultural waste as raw materials not only serves as an effective means for recycling waste but can also be employed for the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil. However, the associated effect and mechanism underlying the immobilization of functional biochar in acidic and alkaline soils remain unclear. In this study, a novel iron-zinc oxide composite modified corn straw (Fe/Zn-YBC) was prepared and applied for the remediation of cadmium-contaminated acidic and alkaline farmland soils. The results showed that the addition of Fe/Zn-YBC increased the pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in acidic soil, while increased the pH and DOC in alkaline soil. After immobilization for 42 d, the DTPA-Cd content in acidic and alkaline soils treated with Fe/Zn-YBC decreased by 12.77 %–57.45 % and 23.73 %–52.50 %, respectively. Fe/Zn-YBC treatment promoted the transformation of the exchangeable fraction into the Fe/Mn oxyhydroxide fraction of Cd, and increased the abundance and diversity of bacterial communities in the two soils. Furthermore, the SEM-EDS, XRD and FTIR results for Fe/Zn-YBC separated from the test soils showed that the distribution of Cd adsorbed on Fe/Zn-YBC was positively correlated with Fe, Zn, and O. Additionally, the Cd complexes (CdCO 3 , CdZnFe 2 O 4 and CdO) detected on Fe/Zn-YBC indicated that the primary immobilization mechanism of Fe/Zn-YBC involved the complexation of Cd and Fe, Zn oxides, and the precipitation of Cd and CO 3 2− in acidic and alkaline soils. The efficient remediation capacity and associated mechanism for this novel functional biochar provide insights for improved remediation of heavy metal contaminated farmland soil. •Modified biochar effectively reduced the available Cd in acid and alkaline soils. •Oxygen-containing group, Zn-O, and Fe-O are the main bonds to immobilize Cd. •. Immobilization of Cd in soil via direct and indirect interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) pollution in alkaline soil in some areas of northern China has seriously threatened wheat production and human health. However, there are still few effective amendments for alkaline soil, and the mechanism of amendments with a good immobilization effect remains unclear. In this study, soil sterilization experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of soil microorganisms on the immobilization of a novel amendment—mercapto palygorskite (MPAL) in Cd-contaminated alkaline soils. The results showed that the mercapto on the MPAL surface was not affected by autoclaving. Compared with the control, the available Cd concentration in 0.025% MPAL treatments decreased by 18.80-29.23% after 1 d of aging and stabled after 10 d of aging. Importantly, the immobilization of MPAL on Cd in sterilized soil was significantly better than that in natural soil due to the changes in Cd fractions. Compared with MPAL-treated natural soil, exchangeable Cd fraction and carbonate-bound Cd fraction in MPAL-treated sterilized soil decreased by 20.79–27.09% and 20.05–26.45%, while Fe/Mn oxide-bound Cd fraction and organic matter-bound Cd fraction increased by 17.77–22.68% and 18.85–27.32%. Phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) analysis found that the potential functions of the microbial community in normal and sterilized soil were different significantly. Soil sterilization increased the soil pH and decreased the arylsulfatase activity, but did not change the soil zeta potential and available sulfur. The changes in Cd fractions in MPAL-treated sterilized soil may be related to the reduction in the bacterial community and the changes in function microbial, but not to the soil properties. In addition, MPAL application had little effects on the bacterial community, soil pH value, zeta potential, available sulfur, and arylsulfatase. These results showed that the immobilization of MPAL on Cd in alkaline soil was stable and effective, and was not affected by soil sterilization and soil microorganism reduction. Image 1 • Mercapto-palygorskite increased stable Cd fractions in sterilized alkaline soil. • Soil sterilization changed bacterial community, soil pH and arylsulfatase activity. • Potential functions of bacterial communities in natural and sterilized soils are different. • Effect of mercapto-palygorskite on Cd in alkaline soil is fast, stable, and eco-friendly. The immobilization of MPAL in sterilized soil was significantly better than that in natural soil due to the changes in the abundance and functions of bacterial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

KMT2 family methyltransferases methylate histone H3 lysine 4 and play essential roles in multiple cellular processes. MLL2 (KMT2B) is required for early epigenetic decisions during development and contributes to the methylation of bivalent promoters. Here, we determined the crystal structure of the MLL2 SET -RBBP5 AS-ABM -ASH2L SPRY complex and confirmed that RBBP5 AS-ABM -ASH2L SPRY was essential for activating the MLL2 SET domain through a conserved mechanism across KMT2 family complexes. In the MLL2 complex structure, a short N-terminal loop of MLL2 SET adopts a similar configuration of the H3 peptide and inserts into the substrate-binding pocket of another MLL2 SET , indicating a potential substrate for MLL2 SET. We identify that P53 contains a sequence similar to the N-terminal loop of MLL2 SET , and demonstrate that K305 of P53 could be methylated by KMT2 family complexes except for SET1A. Our results provide an important implication of functional interplay between P53 and KMT2 family complexes, and also suggest the possible broad landscape of non-histone substrate for KMT2 family methyltransferases. • Crystal structure of MLL2 in complex with RBBP5-ASH2L was determined • An N-terminal flanking loop of MLL2 SET mimics H3 substrate • P53 contains a sequence similar to the N-terminal flanking loop of MLL2 SET • P53 K305 can be methylated by KMT2 family methyltransferases in vitro Li et al. report the structure of the MLL2-RBBP5-ASH2L complex and reveal an N-terminal MLL2 loop which mimics an H3 substrate, indicating a potential new substrate for MLL2 SET. P53, with a similar sequence pattern, is subsequently identified as a non-histone substrate of KMT2 family methyltransferases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to establish a new model to evaluate the compressibility and compactibility of materials simultaneously. Eighteen types of pharmaceutical excipients were studied via direct compaction. The model was established as CR = y 0 + Ae−bP , r2 ≥ 0.9684 (where CR is the compression ratio and P is the compaction force and y 0 , A, b is constant). The physical meaning of y 0 and b were studied in the model. The results show that y 0 has a strong correlation with the mean yield pressure (Py, r = 0.609, P < 0.01), which is the evaluation parameter of material compressibility. b has a strong correlation with the evaluation parameter of material compactibility, such as the slope of the tensile strength versus compaction force (k A , r = 0.780, P < 0.01) and the tensile strength versus porosity (Ryshkewitch-Duckworth equation) (k R , r = 0.658, P < 0.01). The results of model experiments (r = 0.767, 0.895, and 0.756), literature, and repeatability verification demonstrated that the main parameters y 0 and b in the established model have good applicability and repeatability. Therefore, the newly established model is reliable for evaluating both the compressibility and the compactibility of powders. The model provides support for further research into powder properties and tablet preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS composites were synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal two-step method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–visible diffuse reflectance absorption spectroscopy (UV–vis/DRS), photoluminescence (PL), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and nitrogen adsorption–desorption tests. The results show that the semiconductor ZnS and ZnIn 2 S 4 in the Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS composite are cubic phases, and the composite exhibits a rose-spherical structure. In the composite, after ZnS is combined with the narrow band gap semiconductor Ag 2 S and ZnIn 2 S 4 , whose light absorption edge is red-shifted, and the absorption in the visible region is obvious. At the same time, compared to the monomer ZnS and the monomer ZnIn 2 S 4 , the specific surface area (S BET) of the composite is significantly increased. In order to investigate photocatalytic properties, methyl orange was used as the model molecule. Meanwhile, multi-mode photocatalytic properties of Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS composites were studied, and its optimal composition ratio was determined. At the same time, the excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production capacity and cycle stability of the composites with 1% Ag 2 S loading were analyzed. According to the capture experiment results, the possible photocatalytic mechanism of Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS composites was speculated. Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS composites exhibited a rose-spherical structure were synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal two-step method. With the introduction of ZnIn 2 S 4 and Ag 2 S, the composites with ZnS as the main catalyst show a good light absorption in the visible region and the highest photocatalytic degradation and photohydrogen production capacity. Image 1 • Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS composites were synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal two-step method. • Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS composites exhibit a rose-spherical structure. • The light absorption of Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS in the visible region is obvious. • 1% Ag 2 S/ZnIn 2 S 4 /ZnS shows the highest photocatalytic degradation and photohydrogen production capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neddylation is a protein modification process similar to ubiquitination, carried out through a series of activating (E1), conjugating (E2), and ligating (E3) enzymes. This process has been found to be overactive in various cancers, leading to increased oncogenic activities. Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2 M (UBE2M) is one of two neddylation enzymes that play a vital role in this pathway. Studies have shown that targeting UBE2M in cancer treatment is crucial, as it regulates many molecular mechanisms like DNA damage, apoptosis, and cell proliferation. However, developing small molecule inhibitors against UBE2M remains challenging due to the lack of suitable druggable pockets. We have discovered that Micafungin, an antifungal agent that inhibits the production of 1,3-β-D-glucan in fungal cell walls, acts as a neddylation inhibitor that targets UBE2M. Biochemical studies reveal that Micafungin obstructs neddylation and stabilizes UBE2M. In cellular experiments, the drug was found to interact with UBE2M, prevent neddylation, accumulate cullin ring ligases (CRLs) substrates, reduce cell survival and migration, and induce DNA damage in gastric cancer cells. This research uncovers a new anti-cancer mechanism for Micafungin, paving the way for the development of a novel class of neddylation inhibitors that target UBE2M. [Display omitted] • New classes of neddylation inhibitors are discovered by HTRF-based drug screening. • Micafungin inhibits the neddylation of UBE2M by interacting with it. • Cancer cell proliferation and migration are prevented by Micafungin. • Through the upregulation of the NOXA, Micafungin causes apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Foliar spraying selenite was more effective to increase grain Se concentration than selenate spraying. • Grain Se accumulation was largely affected by leaves Se and the transfer of Se from node1 to internode1. • The main speciation of Se in wheat grain was the organic Se after foliar spraying Se. • Foliar spraying with 15 g·ha−1 of Se is an effective and safe agronomic biofortification practice. Given the wide–spread consumption of wheat, the production of selenium (Se)–enriched wheat grain may be an effective method to increase the dietary Se intake in many Se–deficient areas. Herein, we biofortified wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) via the foliar spraying of selenate or selenite at low or high rate, and investigated the resulting Se distribution in different wheat parts and the crucial parts involved in grain Se accumulation. Results showed that Se concentration in grain after selenite spraying was 1.5 times higher than that of selenate. Grain Se accumulation was largely affected by leaves Se and the transfer of Se from node1 to internode1. Furthermore, the main speciation of Se in wheat grain was the organic Se. In addition, the optimal dosage was 15 g ha−1. In summary, foliar spraying 15 g ha−1 of Se is an effective and safe agronomic biofortification practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aortic dissection (AD) is a devastating disease with rapid progression and high mortality, while the initiation mechanism of AD is far from clear. AD was established by feeding mice with β-aminopropionitrile in the diet and usage of angiotensin II (AngII) to trigger the rupture of aorta. LysMiDTR mice were constructed by crossing of LysM-Cre mice with ROSA26iDTR mice and characterized by diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR) expression in monocytes/macrophages specifically. Then, monocyte/macrophage depletion in LysMiDTR mice was conducted to evaluate the function of monocyte/macrophage in AD. Finally, the underlying mechanism was elucidated by proteomics, Western blot analysis, immunofluorescence staining and bioinformatics analysis. First, we detected T lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils infiltrated into the aorta simultaneously when AD occurred, and macrophages were the most abundant cell type. Then, targeted depletion of monocyte/macrophage in LysMiDTR mice considerably inhibited the occurrence of AD and infiltration of T lymphocytes and neutrophils. Furthermore, monocyte transfusion into LysMiDTR mice augmented the rupture of aorta, jointly supporting the key roles of monocytes/macrophages in AD development. Mechanistically, a total of 347 proteins exhibited significant differences in intensity after monocyte/macrophage depletion according to quantitative mass spectrometry. Specifically, increased matrix metalloprotein-9 (MMP-9) level in AD may be of concern due to its functions in vascular remodeling. The infiltration of macrophages considerably up-regulated MMP-9, and MMP-9 co-localized with macrophages at the tearing area of aorta. Macrophages infiltrated into the tear sites of the aortic wall, regulated extracellular remodeling pathway, functioned as initiators to switch on the occurrence of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]