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A general strategy to program self-resettable and dissipative toehold-mediated strand displacement reactions was proposed, using DNA strands as the fuel and lambda exonuclease as the fuel-consuming unit. This non-equilibrium system is reversible and temporally controllable. Furthermore, it can be well integrated into a DNA network to temporally control its cascade reaction or dynamic behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi-based materials are promising electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction but one of the key technological hurdles is the design of stable, active and affordable Bi-based catalysts over a wide potential range. Herein, Bi2S3/CNTs nanocomposites are constructed by anchoring bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) nanorods onto the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and utilizing them in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. CNTs, as a support, not only guarantee the conductivity and dispersibility of Bi2S3 nanorods but also improve the electrolyte infiltration and optimize the electronic structure of the Bi2S3. As expected, the Bi2S3/CNTs nanocomposite exhibits a faradaic efficiency for HCOO− (FEHCOO−) of 99.3% with a current density of −20.3 mA cm−2 at −0.91 V vs. RHE. The FEHCOO− is stably maintained at over > 91% in a wide potential window from −0.71 V to −1.31 V. Theoretical calculation analyses reveal that the strong interaction between Bi2S3 and CNTs is conductive to decreasing the energy barrier of *OCHO, stabilizing the intermediate *OCHO, and inhibiting the hydrogen evolution reaction. The current study provides an insightful understanding of the mechanism of the CO2 electroreduction reaction, and paves a new way for developing superior and affordable electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a novel soluble mitochondria-targeted theranostic compound, HMX-1, was presented, which was selectively activated under hypoxia with excellent mitochondria-targeting ability at the cellular level, accompanied by a dramatic increase in the fluorescence intensity. Moreover, its anti-cancer efficiency was certified both in vitro and in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysine acetylation is a widespread protein post-translational modification (PTM) that plays a central role in diverse physiological processes. The study on the scope and pattern of lysine acetylation is an important subject in the proteomic research. However, identification of lysine acetylation from biological sources is a great challenge due to the low abundance in the massive background of unmodified proteins and the dynamic fashion of the modifications. In this research, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with high affinity for peptides containing acetylated lysine (Kac) has been synthesized by the combination of an epitope and surface-confined imprinting strategy. A dipeptide: KacA, containing acetylated lysine and alanine residues, was used as the template and immobilized on the sacrificial silica support. After hierarchical imprinting and removal of silica, the surface-confined cavities were created on the resulting KacA-MIP material. The equilibrium binding and HPLC experiments demonstrated that the KacA-MIP has good selectivity and epitope affinity. It can differentiate Lys-acetylated peptides (Kac-peptides) from their native structures and has higher affinity for Kac-peptides with different sequences. The selectivity of the MIP was also proved by its ability in the extraction of Kac-peptides from spiked histone digest and by its enrichment performance in the whole cell lysates. The study developed a method of MIP preparation with affinity for PTM peptide based on recognition of peptide side chains. It also indicated that the MIP has potential to be used as an antibody mimic in the PTM analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electroactive biofilms in the bioelectrodes of traditional bioelectrochemical systems (BES) directly interact with the aqueous solution and usually require a mild aqueous solution environment (e.g. 20 mM acetate and pH = 7.0) to exert their optimum bioelectrocatalytic activity. In this communication, we present a concept of encapsulation of a bioelectrode by a hydrogel for a BES in an alkaline solution environment. A hydrogel-bioelectrode (HBE) was prepared by encapsulating a living electroactive biofilm pre-grown in the bioelectrode with a poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel through a freezing/thawing process. Under the protection of the hydrogel, the HBE could keep a high bioelectrocatalytic activity in an alkaline feeding solution with an acetate concentration of over 80 mM and a pH value of 11.0. Moreover it was very stable and tolerated low-frequency ultrasonic vibration. These results imply the extended applications of BESs in the area of high-strength wastewater treatment, portable and implantable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel artificial receptor has been synthesized using surface-confined imprinting for the recognition of lysine acetylation in histone H4. The material has high recognition fidelity and epitope affinity. It was demonstrated that acetylated Lys plays a role in binding site creation and peptide imprinting can be performed in phosphate buffer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction for ‘A hypoxia-specific and mitochondria-targeted anticancer theranostic agent with high selectivity for cancer cells’ by Mingxing Hu et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2018, 6, 2413–2416. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of uncontrolled hemorrhage is a significant threat to human life and health. Although hemostatic materials have made remarkable advances in the biomaterials field, it remains a challenge to develop safe and effective hemostatic materials for global medical use. Natural clay minerals (CMs) have long been used as traditional inorganic hemostatic agents due to their good hemostatic capability, biocompatibility and easy availability. With the advancement of science, technology and ideology, CM-based hemostatic materials have undergone continuous innovations by integrating new inspirations with conventional concepts. This review systematically summarizes the hemostatic mechanisms of different natural CMs based on their nanostructures. Moreover, it also comprehensively reviews the latest research progress for CM-based hemostatic hybrid and nanocomposite materials, and discusses the challenges and developments in this field.

Bi-based materials are promising electrocatalysts for CO 2 reduction but one of the key technological hurdles is the design of stable, active and affordable Bi-based catalysts over a wide potential range. Herein, Bi 2 S 3 /CNTs nanocomposites are constructed by anchoring bismuth sulfide (Bi 2 S 3 ) nanorods onto the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and utilizing them in electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction. CNTs, as a support, not only guarantee the conductivity and dispersibility of Bi 2 S 3 nanorods but also improve the electrolyte infiltration and optimize the electronic structure of the Bi 2 S 3 . As expected, the Bi 2 S 3 /CNTs nanocomposite exhibits a faradaic efficiency for HCOO - (FE HCOO- ) of 99.3% with a current density of -20.3 mA cm -2 at -0.91 V vs. RHE. The FE HCOO- is stably maintained at over > 91% in a wide potential window from -0.71 V to -1.31 V. Theoretical calculation analyses reveal that the strong interaction between Bi 2 S 3 and CNTs is conductive to decreasing the energy barrier of *OCHO, stabilizing the intermediate *OCHO, and inhibiting the hydrogen evolution reaction. The current study provides an insightful understanding of the mechanism of the CO 2 electroreduction reaction, and paves a new way for developing superior and affordable electrocatalysts.