Search

Glucose oxidase (GOD)-mediated starvation therapy (ST) that causes intratumoral glucose depletion is a promising strategy for tumor treatment. However, the ultimate efficacy is inevitably limited by tumor hypoxia, as oxygen is a key component in the consumption of glucose by GOD. In this study, a kind of glutathione (GSH)-responsive organosilica hybrid micelles loaded with Mn

Using home‐scan data set from Kantar Worldpanel, we conduct an empirical study on Chinese urban consumer shopping behavior from online and offline channels, using yogurt as an example. Results confirm the advantages of E‐commerce relative to traditional offline retail channel in terms of keeping consumers loyal. Results also indicate the online and offline markets are of different business models, in that the online market is a separate market from offline even for the same brand. There exists evidence of brand loyalty for online shoppers but not offline. However, it is more challenging for online late entrants to build brand loyalty because consumers are price sensitive online. Firms are recommended to think of new and differentiated products online, which focus more on quality instead of price to catch the young generation with increasing income.

The major expansion of U.S. ethanol production raises concerns about the potential detrimental impacts on developing countries’ agricultural prices, farm income, and food security. To assess the sensitivity of maize prices to ethanol production, this study explores the linkage between the U.S. ethanol market and developing countries’ maize prices. The econometric approach, based on a panel structural vector autoregression model, captures market interdependencies and the likelihood that developing countries’ responses are both heterogeneous and dynamic. The results indicate that the U.S. ethanol market's impacts on maize prices in developing countries are heterogeneous and that coastal countries are more susceptible to U.S. economic shocks. The estimates also suggest that countries more dependent on food imports and/or receiving U.S. food aid are at a higher risk of being affected by such shocks. Overall, the results indicate that those countries with the greatest sensitivity and exposure to global agricultural commodity markets could benefit from domestic policies and international assistance, which reduce their exposure to impacts from the U.S. maize market.

Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of virtual touch tissue quantification (VTQ) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS), separately and in combination, in diagnosing malignant focal liver lesions (FLLs). Methods Forty-six patients with 55 FLLs (28 benign and 27 malignant) underwent both VTQ and CEUS. The diagnostic values of VTQ and CEUS, alone and in combination, were compared. Results The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CEUS were 92.6% (25/27), 96.4% (27/28), 94.5% (52/55), 96.2% (25/26), and 93.1% (27/29), respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of VTQ with a cutoff of 2.22 m/s were 51.9% (14/27), 85.7% (24/28), 69.1% (38/55), 77.8% (14/18), and 64.9% (24/37), respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of VTQ and CEUS combined were 96.3% (26/27), 82.1% (23/28), 89.1% (49/55), 83.9% (26/31), and 95.8% (23/24), respectively. Comparing the accuracies of the three methods, the diagnostic values of CEUS and of the combination of CEUS with VTQ were significantly higher than those of VTQ alone (p ≤ 0.01). There was no significant difference between the combination of CEUS with VTQ and CEUS (p = 0.49). Conclusions CEUS is superior to VTQ in diagnosing malignant FLLs. Adding VTQ to CEUS did not improve the diagnosis of FLLs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2016

1. Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), one of three signalling gasotransmitters, plays an important role in oxidative stress and apoptosis. However, the effects of H₂S on oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in focal cerebral ischaemic injury in rats have not been clarified. 2. In the present study, sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS) was used as the H₂S donor. Eighty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups: sham, sham + low-dose (2.8 mg/kg) NaHS, sham + high-dose (11.2 mg/kg) NaHS, infarct, infarct + low-dose NaHS and infarct + high-dose NaHS. The focal cerebral ischaemic model was created by cranially inserting a nylon thread with a rounded tip into an internal carotid artery. Rats were killed 21 h after administration of NaHS. 3. In the infarct + low-dose NaHS compared with infarct group, infarct volume was significantly decreased and injury to the mitochondria in nerve cells was mitigated. Furthermore, significant increases were seen in mitochondrial superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity and neuronal bcl-2 protein levels, whereas mitochondrial malondialdehyde content and neuronal bax and caspase 3 protein levels were significantly decreased, in the infarct + low-dose NaHS compared with infarct group. The effects seen in the infarct group were significantly aggravated in the infarct + high-dose NaHS group. 4. The findings of the present study provide novel evidence for the dual effects of H₂S on focal cerebral ischaemic injury via modulation of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.

Australian Research Council; Monash Research Graduate School and Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University

Swiss cheese or slices? A two-step method has been developed for the preparation of the title membranes from lytropic liquid crystals templated with poly(methyl methacrylate). The membranes have ordered mesopores and tunable macropore channels. The mesostructure of the membranes can be tailored by adjusting the concentration of the surfactant solution (see picture: 1=low, 2=high concentration)

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are intriguing platforms with multiple functionalities. Additional functionalization of MOFs generates novel materials for various applications. Here, three main topics are examined regarding the functionalization of MOFs for use as photoactive materials. The first is chemical approaches for postsynthetic modification of the metal clusters and organic linkers in MOFs; that is, sites on pore surfaces and chemical trapping of photoactive moieties within the pores, which create materials with chemical functionalities for water splitting and CO2 reduction by light. The second topic focuses on the functionalization of MOFs for photochemical response and the versatile applications of such materials. State-of-the-art research on functionalizing MOFs through photochemical reactions on the pore surface and within the pores as guests is also summarized. The third topic introduces the functionalization of MOFs for photofunctional materials, including photoluminescent tuning and integration, photoluminescent LED devices and barcodes, and photophysical applications for chemical sensing. Finally, conclusions and perspectives on the fields are given.

Two novel cadmium adipate coordination polymers [Cd{O2C(CH2)4CO2}{1,10-phen}]n (1) and [Cd2(C2O4){O2C(CH2)4CO2(OH2)2}{2,2′-bipy}]·H2O (2) [adipic acid = HO2C(CH2)4CO2H] have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystallographic data for 1: monoclinic, C2/c, a = 16.186(3) A, b = 15.487(3) A, c = 14.052(3) A, β = 112.73(3)°, Z = 8. Crystal data for 2: monoclinic, Cc, a = 23.448(5) A, b = 11.826(2) A, c = 8.3163(17) A, β = 99.08(3)°, Z = 4. The structural analysis reveals that 1 forms a novel one-dimensional chain in which the binuclear Cd centers are linked by adipate anions. Compound 2 is the first example in which both a 2,2′-bipy ligand and an oxalate group are found in the {M/adipate} system. Compound 2 possesses one-dimensional sine- or cosine-type chains, which are alternately connected together by the oxalate group to form a three-dimensional framework. The structural determination reveals that the introduction of the oxalate ligand causes the dimensional transformation of the compounds. Compounds 1 and 2 show strong fluorescent properties at room temperature. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004)

A novel coordination polymer [Co3(btec)(C2O4)(H2O)2]n (1; btec = 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylate) has been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by IR, XPS, XRPD, TG analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structural analysis reveals that 1 exhibits a new three-dimensional metal-organic framework constructed from two-dimensional parallel interpenetrating networks based on trinuclear cobalt cluster building blocks. Such interpenetrating composite networks in 1 represent the first example in the {M-btec} (M = transition metal) system. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate an antiferromagnetic behavior in 1. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003)

Unsafe food is a huge threat to human health and the economy, and detecting food spoilage early is an ongoing and imperative need. Herein, a simple and effective strategy combining a fluorescence sensor and one-to-two logic operation is designed for monitoring biogenic amines, indicators of food spoilage. Sensors (methyl red@lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (MR@EuMOFs)) are created by covalently modifying MR into NH2 -rich EuMOFs, which have a high quantum yield (48%). A double-stimuli-responsive fluorescence center is produced via energy transfer from the ligands to Eu3+ and MR. Portable sensory hydrogels are obtained by dispersing and solidifying MR@EuMOFs in water-phase sodium salt of carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC-Na). The hydrogels exhibit a color transition upon "smelling" histamine (HI) vapor. This transition and shift in the MR-based emission peak are closely related to the HI concentration. Using the HI concentration as the input signal and the two fluorescence emissions as output signals, an advanced analytical device based on a one-to-two logic gate is constructed. The four output combinations, NOT (0, 1), YES (1, 0), PASS 1 (1, 1), and PASS 0 (0, 0), allow the direct analysis of HI levels, which can be used for real-time food-freshness evaluation. The novel strategy suggested here may be a new application for a molecular logic system in the sensing field.

1-Hydroxypyrene (1-HP), which is a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) carcinogens and represents the internal dose of PAHs exposure in the human body, is detected by a newly designed luminescent Eu-functionalized metal-organic framework (1a) sensor. The luminescence of 1a can be effectively quenched by 1-HP via a fluorescent resonant energy transfer process, thus achieving its recognition of 1-HP. This is the first use of lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) as chemical sensors for 1-HP. The probe exhibits outstanding performances for sensing 1-HP, such as high selectivity, excellent sensitivity, fast response, and good reusability. Importantly, the sensing system enables the detection of 1-HP in real human urine specimens, and a portable 1-HP urine test paper is also developed. Hence, the reported 1-HP sensing platform has promising application potential for clinical diagnosis of the intoxication level of PAHs.