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Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignant tumour. Despite advancements in surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which have improved the prognosis of most patients, a subset of patients with poor prognoses still exist due to loss of surgical opportunities, postoperative recurrence, and metastasis, among other reasons. The tumour microenvironment (TME) is a complex organization composed of tumour, stromal, and endothelial cells. Communication and interaction between tumours and immune cells within the TME are increasingly being recognized as pivotal in inhibiting or promoting tumour development. Previous studies on T cells in the TME of HNSCC have yielded novel therapeutic possibilities. However, the function of B cells, another adaptive immune cell type, in the TME of HNSCC patients has yet to be determined. Recent studies have revealed various distinct subtypes of B cells and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) in the TME of HNSCC patients, which are believed to impact the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Therefore, this paper focuses on B cells in the TME to explore potential directions for future immunotherapy for HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an important pathogen causing highly contact infectious intestinal infections in pigs belonging to the family Coronaviridae, genus Coronavirus, which can cause porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). Since 2010, outbreaks of PEDV variants have caused great economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. Our study will provide the basis for discovering the key points of PEDV variation and help in understanding the trend of popularity and evolution of PEDV in China. Methods. We amplify the complete PEDV CH/JSXZ/2015 genome sequence from naturally infected piglets in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, by RT-PCR. The comparative genome circle graph, characterization and phylogenetic analysis, and recombination in the PEDV CH/JSXZ/2015 and other PEDVs are analyzed by bioinformatics analysis software. Results. At the whole-genome level, CH/JSXZ/2015 showed the highest nucleotide identity (99.5%) with CH/GDZHDM/1401 strain (KR153326.1 and KX016034.1) and the lowest similarity (93.5%) to 85-7-mutant1 strain. CH/JSXZ/2015 S amino acid identity was 90.8%–99.8% compared with other strains. CH/JSXZ/2015 ORF3 amino acid identity was 91.2%–100.0% compared with other PEDV strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on the whole genome, S, and ORF3 revealed that CH/JSXZ /2015 is most genetically close to the CH/GDZHDM/1401 strain (KR153326.1 and KX016034.1) isolated in China in 2014. In addition, we revealed that the CH/GDZHDM/1401 (KX016034.1) strain, PEDV 1842/2016 ITA, and CH/JSXZ /2015 had recombination, and the position of recombination was 1–5530 and 28185–28544 bp. 5531–28184 bp of JSXZ are highly homologous to CH/GDZHDM/1401 (KX016034.1), while 1–5530 and 28185–28544 bp of JSXZ are highly homologous to 1842/2016 ITA. These results helped discover PEDV variation rules and provided a basis for preventing and controlling PEDV. Conclusions. Our study revealed that PEDV CH/JSXZ/2015 was a variant strain, the current epidemic strain in China. The CH/GDZHDM/1401 (KX016034.1) strain, PEDV 1842/2016 ITA (KY111278) and CH/JSXZ /2015 had recombination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overweight and obesity have become major public health concerns worldwide. Persistent stress can activate the human hypothalamic‒pituitary‒adrenal axis (HPA) and increase the intake of "self-rewarding food", thereby raising the incidence of obesity. Health care workers (HCWs) experience higher workloads and mental stress than workers in many other industries, which may put them at increased risk for overweight/obesity. However, few studies have been carried out on overweight and obesity among HCWs in China, and the overall scenario and behind-the-scenes factors of their overweight and obesity are unknown. The aim of this study is to understand the epidemic of overweight and obesity and risk factors among Chinese HCWs. Methods: Based on a cross-sectional web survey design, 23,234 HCWs from 100 health institutions in 5 provinces/autonomous regions/municipalities across China were sampled to answer a self-administered questionnaire that was purposely developed using a multi-staged clustered random-sampling method. Chi-square test and ANOVA were performed to compare variables between two or more groups. Univariate analyses were conducted to identify the influence of self-reported persistent stress and/or recurrent anxiety/depressed mood on lifestyle behaviors. A multivariate binary logistic regression model was used to analyse the risk factors of overweight/obesity. Results: Among the respondents, 34.26% were overweight, and 11.22% were obese. Most of the respondents had regular exercise habits (68.17%), had habitually stayed-up late (65.06%) and had been affected by persistent stress and/or recurrent anxiety/depressed mood (62.04%). A higher proportion of those with persistent stress and/or recurrent anxiety/depressed mood than those without habitually staying-up late (76.18%); consumed take-out food (54.92%), fried food (49.93%), snacks or desserts (50.51%); drank sugary drinks (46.57%); smoked (14.27%); and drank alcohol (23.34%). Gender (Female) (OR: 0.314, 95%CI: 0.292–0.336), age (OR: 1.742–2.334, 95%CI: 1.544–2.858), education (OR: 0.620–0.728, 95%CI: 0.445–0.973), living and working area (OR: 1.271, 95%CI: 1.192–1.355), breakfast (OR: 0.898, 95%CI: 0.839–0.960), fried food (OR: 1.133, 95%CI: 1.048–1.224), and alcohol consumption (OR: 1.111, 95%CI: 1.017–1.214) were factors for overweight/obesity. All of the aforementioned results were significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The overweight/obesity rate of Chinese HCWs is rather high, which might be directly associated with lifestyle behaviors. However, these behaviors fundamentally originated from persistent stress and/or recurrent anxiety/depression, mediated by lifestyle behaviors. Substantial measures should be taken for stress reduction and mental health promotion for overweight/obesity prevention and control among HCWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tooth eruption is an important and unique biological process during craniofacial development. Both the genetic and environmental factors can interfere with this process. Here we aimed to find the failure pattern of tooth eruption among five genetic diseases. Both systematic review and meta‐analysis were used to identify the genotype–phenotype associations of unerupted teeth. The meta‐analysis was based on the characteristics of abnormal tooth eruption in 223 patients with the mutations in PTH1R, RUNX2, COL1A1/2, CLCN7, and FAM20A respectively. We found all the patients presented selective failure of tooth eruption (SFTE). Primary failure of eruption patients with PTH1R mutations showed primary or isolated SFTE1 in the first and second molars (59.3% and 52% respectively). RUNX2 related cleidocranial dysplasia usually had SFTE2 in canines and premolars, while COL1A1/2 related osteogenesis imperfecta mostly caused SFTE3 in the maxillary second molars (22.9%). In CLCN7 related osteopetrosis, the second molars and mandibular first molars were the most affected. While FAM20A related enamel renal syndrome most caused SFTE5 in the second molars (86.2%) and maxillary canines. In conclusion, the SFTE was the common characteristics of most genetic diseases with abnormal isolated or syndromic tooth eruption. The selective pattern of unerupted teeth was gene‐dependent. Here we recommend SFTE to classify those genetic unerupted teeth and guide for precise molecular diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoelectrochemical oxidation of methylene blue is investigated, with particular focus on the difference in kinetics and thermodynamics of decoloration and mineralization employing photoinduced absorption spectroscopy. Hematite and titania photoanodes are used for the comparison of both reactions, which is determined to be associated with the depth of the valence band (3.2 vs 2.5 V for titania and hematite, respectively). Methylene blue is mineralized by the titania photoanode, however it is only oxidized to small fragments by hematite. Such difference is related to the valence band potential that provides the thermodynamic driving force for photogenerated holes in both materials. In addition, the kinetic competition of water oxidation is found to occur on titania by controlling the pH of the electrolyte. In the pH 14 electrolyte, mineralization of methylene blue is suppressed due to the faster and dominant kinetics of water oxidation, in contrast to the complete mineralization in the near neutral electrolyte where water oxidation kinetics are modest. These results clearly address the importance considering both thermodynamic and kinetic challenges of methylene blue oxidation, which has been thought to be an easy molecule to oxidize, as the model reaction in the application of photo(electro)catalysis using metal oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is a respiratory disease characterized by increased pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary arterial pressure. Persistent hypoxia alters the metabolic and transport functions of endothelial cells and promotes thrombosis and inflammation. Type 3 inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R3) controls the release of calcium ions from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytoplasm and mitochondria and is involved in cell proliferation, migration, and protein synthesis. In this study, we investigated the role and function of IP3R3 in HPH. The results showed that the expression level of IP3R3 was increased in pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) in a rat HPH model. The pulmonary artery pressure indices of IP3R3(−/−) mice with persistent hypoxia were significantly lower than those of HPH mice. The expression level of IP3R3 was significantly increased in hypoxia-treated PAECs. Knockdown of IP3R3 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and mesenchymal transition of PAECs induced by hypoxia. In conclusion, knockdown of IP3R3 can inhibit hypoxia-induced dysfunctions in PAECs, thus enabling IP3R3(−/−) mice to avoid HPH development. IP3R3 plays a key role in HPH and can be used as a potential target for the prevention and treatment of HPH. • To investigate the expression level of IP3R3 in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. • The effect of IP3R3 knockout on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension was assessed in mice. • The effect of IP3R3 knockdown on the proliferation, migration and EndMT of PAECs induced by hypoxia was assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease characterized by elevated pulmonary artery pressure and right ventricular hypertrophy. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) release calcium ions from the endoplasmic reticulum to regulate permeability and migration of endothelial, thereby affecting PAH. In this study, We determined the expression level of IP 3 R3 and its position in lung tissue from PAH rat models, and stud the effect of IP 3 R3 on endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) and mitochondrial function of endothelial cells treated with TGF-β1. We observed that IP 3 R3 was significantly overexpressed in the lung tissues from PAH rat models. Inhibition of IP 3 R3 reduced EndMT markers, cell migration, ROS production, Ca2+ levels, increased mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I, III, and V activities. These results suggest that the inhibition of IP 3 R3 attenuated EndMT and migration induced by TGF-β1 via restoring of mitochondrial functions, thereby suggesting a novel therapeutic opportunity for PAH. [Ca2+] m increased and mitochondrial function was impaired during EndMT induced by TGF-β1. Knockdown of IP 3 R3 expression protects mitochondrial function and inhibits EndMT process by reducing [Ca2+] m. [Display omitted] • The expression level of IP 3 R3 in models of pulmonary hypertension was studied. • Downregulation of IP 3 R3 inhibits EndMT induced by TGF-β1. • To investigate changes in intracellular Ca2+ levels mediated by IP 3 R3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental fatigue increases risk-taking behavior. Using data collected between June 15 and August 6, 2020, this study investigates the impact of miners' mental fatigue on risk decision-making to improve risk prevention and prediction abilities, and to reduce the occurrence of coal mine safety accidents. A total of 273 and 33 people participated in the preliminary and formal experiments, respectively. The participants, coal miners, visited a lab thrice to complete the pre-experiment, Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART), and Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). On the BART, mental fatigue displayed a significantly positive association with risk preference. On the IGT, as mental fatigue increased, net scores continuously decreased, while the frequency of making unfavorable decisions and the probability of taking risks increased. The BART value had no or weak correlations with the net score. Results suggest that mental fatigue leads to an increasing propensity to take risks. Therefore, regarding coal mine safety management, further attention is necessary concerning miners' mental health, addressing mental fatigue, increasing rest time, and reducing night work. Furthermore, reasonable diet, improved working environments, and a positive attitude toward work should be promoted to reduce or eliminate mental fatigue and avoid decision-making errors that could cause accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Four coumarin-carbazole-based oxime esters were synthesized as photoinitiators (PIs). • PIs exhibit excellent adsorption and initiation ability than commercial OXE 02. • PIs can effectively initiate one/two-photon polymerization of LEDs/NIR light. • PIs have outstanding migration stability and cytocompatibility. • PIs with CF 3 group have higher two-photon lithography capability. Photocuring has developed rapidly in recent years owing to its unique "5E" characteristics, especially in the industrial and manufacturing fields, where photoinitiators (PIs) are essential components of the polymerization system. However, most PIs have limited applications in fields that directly contact the human body, such as food packaging or biomedicine, due to migration stability and toxicity. Here, four oxime esters were designed as PIs by using coumarin-carbazole as the conjugate structure, and their properties were optimized by multisite modification of the molecular structure. First, substituents with different electronic properties were introduced at the 4-position of coumarin. The introduction of electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl redshifted the molecule and better matched the light-emitting diode (LED) emission spectra (i.e., 365–450 nm). In addition, the introduction of long and branched alkyl chains on carbazole increased the solubility of the four PIs. The initiation efficiency of the PIs was improved by inserting long or cyclized alkyl chains at the α-position of C = N double bond. The experimental results demonstrated that these four PIs are superior to the commercial oxime ester OXE 02 in terms of light absorption and initiation ability under LED irradiation. The migration stability and cytocompatibility of these PIs were validated, ensuring a green and safe application in photocuring applications. Furthermore, these PIs exhibited a considerable writing speed and remarkable nanopatterning capabilities under 780 nm laser in two-photon polymerization. These outstanding properties indicated their great potential for applications in diverse areas of photocuring, especially in food packaging, bio-3D printing, tissue engineering, and nano-additive manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-walking is a molecular tool used to unveil uncharacterized DNA regions flanking a known DNA, which has been widely used in bioscience and related areas. This study developed a reliable and efficient PCR-based genome-walking approach, named as single primer site-specific nested PCR (SPN-PCR). A SPN-PCR set sequentially consists of three single-primer nested PCR amplifications. The primary relaxed thermal cycle promotes outmost nested site-specific primer (NSSP) to partially combine with numerous places on DNA template, synthesizing many single-stranded DNAs (ssDNA). Among them, the target ssDNA is exponentially amplified in the subsequent stringent cycles, as its 3′ part possesses the outmost NSSP complement; but a non-target ssDNA cannot be amplified, because it does not possess such a complement. Stringent secondary and tertiary PCRs also exclusively enrich this target DNA. Finally, the target DNA product becomes predominant. The feasibility of SPN-PCR was validated by genome-walking several selected genes from two divergent species. • Each round of SPN-PCR is driven by a single NSSP. • Inner NSSP can partially anneal to an unknown region of interest at 60 °C. • Two rounds of SPN-PCRs suffice to give a positive genome-walking result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sub nanostructured Cu-MOF NFs were first applied the electrochemical detection for CAP. • Cu-MOF NFs exhibited the ultralow limit of detection and wide detection range. • Cu-MOF NFs exhibited an excellent accuracy and repeatability in real samples. Precise detection of antibiotics in aquatic environments is significant for human health and ecological environment development due to the excessive use of antibiotics. However, the accurate detection of ultralow-level antibiotics, such as picomolar level, has always been an extremely challenging task. Herein, we synthesized the sub-10 nm copper-based metal–organic framework nanofibers (Cu-MOF NFs) with a large specific area and high conductivity for achieving the electrochemical detection of picomolar-level chloramphenicol (CAP) in real water samples. As a result, by optimization of synthesis time and detection conditions, Cu-MOF NFs with a diameter of about 5 nm exhibited the ultralow limit of detection with 0.03 pM and wide detection range with 0.1––1.0 × 106 pM for CAP detection, as well as the designed sensor electrode has the excellent specificity, reproducibility, and stability. Importantly, the prepared sensor electrode exhibits reliable analytical results for CAP in real water samples, such as tap water, bottled water, and milk, indicating that designed sensor electrode has great application potential for the precise detection of antibiotics in practical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manganese-based nanozymes have been widely used in the field of cell protection due to their various enzyme-mimicking activities, but their effect on the mechanical properties of cells is not yet known. Here, bovine serum albumin-modified Mn3O4 nanoparticles (BSA-Mn3O4 NPs) with good biocompatibility were synthesized by a one-step biomineralization method using BSA as a template. BSA-Mn3O4 NPs possess scavenging activity against superoxide free radicals (O2˙−), hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The excellent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activity of BSA-Mn3O4 NPs enables them to effectively reduce the intracellular ROS level, thus mitigating the damage of oxidative stress on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Subsequently, the intracellular antioxidant mechanism of the BSA-Mn3O4 NPs was further investigated. The results show that the BSA-Mn3O4 NPs could inhibit the depolymerization of F-actin, help cells maintain their normal morphology, and reduce the decrease in Young's modulus of cells caused by oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization rate of oat bran was improved and wastage of resources was reduced using the micro‐pulverization technology combined with extrusion in processing oat bran. The effects of micro‐pulverization and extrusion treatment on the structure, color, physical and chemical properties, functional properties, and pasting properties of oat bran were evaluated via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, colorimeter, and rapid viscosity analyzer. Results showed that the pulverization and extrusion did not produce new functional groups in the bran. However, both treatment methods could increase the content of soluble dietary fiber and degree of starch gelatinization, reduce oil‐holding capacity, and increase water solubility index. Micro‐pulverization increased the brightness and slowly digestible starch of the bran, reduced rapidly digestible starch (RDS), and enhanced the antioxidant capacity of oat bran. Conversely, extrusion reduced the brightness and antioxidant capacity of oat bran, increased RDS. And extrusion made the surface of the bran relatively flat and denatured the protein. This study provides a theoretical basis that enterprises involved in oat processing can refer to. According to different market needs, adopt appropriate processing methods to process oat bran in order to gain more oat bran products. Novelty impact statement: Micro‐pulverization and extrusion had a great influence on the physical and chemical properties of oat bran.Some indicators (such as anti‐oxidation, color) had completely opposite results with two treatments.micro‐pulverization did not change the functional groups of bran, did not affect its β‐glucan content, but reduced its IDF content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new method for accurately predicting the remaining life of a lithium-ion battery. • A residual life prediction method based on variational modal decomposition with double broad learning (VMD-DBL) is proposed. • DBL performs feature fusion and prediction to obtain the prediction results. • The accuracy and robustness of the VMD-DBL model was verified by predicting the NASA battery dataset. Predicting the remaining life of lithium-ion battery equipment is becoming increasingly important as enterprises transition to smart manufacturing. Accurate prediction results can be used to effectively determine the battery's health status and improve operational safety. However, during the decline process, lithium-ion battery capacity regeneration occurs, resulting in significant fluctuations in the degradation data that can easily lead to insufficient prediction accuracies. At the same time, a factor influencing the prediction results is the unification of modal information and insufficient feature extraction of the battery capacity data in the prediction process. Therefore, in this paper, a novel model based on variational modal decomposition and double broad learning (VMD-DBL) is proposed. First, we use VMD to perform adaptive decomposition of the degraded data to form intrinsic mode function (IMF) components and residual components to solve the data noise problem. Second, these two modal data of the feature extraction and modal fusion are inputted into the trained DBL model. Finally, the two modes are connected to the output layer to obtain the predicted result. The NASA dataset is used for experimental validation in this paper, and the results show that our proposed method outperforms other methods in terms of accuracy and feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures provide valuable social experimental opportunities for exploring the factors that affect changes in the urban tourism carbon footprint (TCF u). The study uses the carbon emission coefficient and energy consumption coefficient to calculate the TCF u of the transport, accommodation, catering, and recreational activity sectors, taking Xi'an from 2014 to 2020 as a case study. It analyzes the characteristics of the carbon footprint changes and their drivers in each sector. The results show that compared to before the outbreak of the pandemic, in the period afterwards, the TCF u decreased by 60.46%. The carbon footprint of tourism transport decreased the most. Carbon intensity has a significant inhibitory effect on the TCF u growth, and as drivers, the consumption level and population size shifted from promoting to inhibiting the TCF u. It emphasizes the importance of developing low-carbon tourism transportation to reduce the TCF u , providing a scientific basis for promoting the green transformation of urban tourism. [Display omitted] • The TCF u changes before and after the pandemic were analyzed. • Carbon intensity has a restraining effect on the growth of the TCF u. • The tourism transport carbon footprint is the most affected by the pandemic. • The effect of consumption level and population size on the TCF u has shifted. • Emphasize the importance of preventing retaliatory growth on of the TCF u. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning from imbalanced datasets is a nontrivial task for supervised learning community. Traditional classifiers may have difficulties to learn the concept related to the minority class when addressing imbalanced classification and the issues can become more deteriorated in the presence of other complicated aspects: overlapping, outliers and small disjuncts, etc. In this paper, we propose a self-adaptive oversampling algorithm based on the complexity of minority data for dealing with imbalanced datasets classification problems. In the proposed algorithm, various hyperspheres with different radii determined by imbalance ratio and the distances to the nearest enemy neighbors are firstly generated to cover all minority instances provided that they cannot contain any majority instance. Subsequently, the oversampling process is conducted only within these hyperspheres and thus the generated synthetic minority instances cannot intervene within the majority space, eventually avoiding overlapping issues during achieving between-class balance. In addition, a self-adaptive assignment strategy of oversampling sizes is developed based on the minority data complexity, where the hyperspheres with small radii and few instances in them are provided more chances to be oversampled. The strategy will favor addressing the outliers and small disjuncts issues since the hyperspheres covering the outliers and small disjuncts are usually of small sizes and contain few instances, which makes them have more chances to generate synthetic instances and thus eliminate within-class imbalance due to lack of density. Moreover, since the hyperspheres covering boundary minority instances are relatively small and thus are assigned with larger oversampling sizes, the proposed approach can also strengthen the boundary information of minority class, thus favoring the later learning tasks. The extensive experimental results on various simulated and real-world imbalanced datasets show that the proposed method significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art oversampling ones. • A self-adaptive oversampling method based on minority data complexity is presented. • Hyperspheres covering the minority data are used to denote minority data distribution. • Oversampling within hyperspheres can avoid overlapping when balancing class numbers. • The proposed oversampling size assignment strategy favors addressing within-class imbalance. • The borderline instances can be more oversampled thus enhancing boundary information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Netrin-1 is an extracellular guidance cue of neuronal navigation, mediated through interaction with its main receptors, and is known to be crucial in the development of multiple chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the expression pattern and mechanism of netrin-1 in endometriosis are currently undefined. Here we report that netrin-1 expression peaked in peritoneal macrophages found in endometriosis. Netrin-1 induced angiogenesis in ovarian endometriomas through interaction with CD146 in vascular endothelial cells. Through another receptor, neogenin, netrin-1 promoted neurite growth and sensitization in endometriosis through the up-regulation of MAP4, TAU, and CGRP. Targeted knockdown of neogenin in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) nerve cells compromised its response to netrin-1 through inhibiting phosphorylation of ERK1/2. The inhibition of netrin-1 using a neutralizing antibody reduced vascular and nerve infiltration in rat endometriotic lesions. In summary, our results suggest that netrin-1 is an important factor that promotes neuroangiogenesis in endometriosis. • Netrin-1 is overexpressed in macrophages found in endometriosis. • Netrin-1 promotes neuroangiogenesis, thereby fostering the pathogenesis and development of endometriosis. • Netrin-1 facilitates sensory nerve infiltration and sensitization via its receptor neogenin through the MAPK pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Phosphorus (P) loss from paddy fields is a significant issue in sustainable rice production by threatening water environments. We aimed to examine the suitability of mycorrhiza-defective rice (non-mycorrhizal) and its mycorrhizal progenitor to evaluate P loss control via arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. We also aimed to investigate the AM effect on P loss via runoff and leaching. Methods: We grew the two rice lines in microcosms with and without AM fungi, measured P loss via runoff and leaching before and after nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium fertilization, and quantified plant P content and soil P concentration after the final harvest. Results: Mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal rice pair systems in the absence of AM fungi had similar plant, soil, runoff, and leachate P contents (except PO43−). In the presence of AM fungi, the concentrations of all P forms in runoff water and leachate in mycorrhizal rice were lower than those in nonmycorrhizal rice regardless of their solubility in water and availability to plants. The cumulative P loss from mycorrhizal systems was 10% less than that from their nonmycorrhizal counterparts. Conclusions: This mycorrhizal/non-mycorrhizal rice pair is an efficient experimental tool for research on the control of P loss from paddy fields with AM fungi. AM colonization contributes to the sustainability of rice production by decreasing P loss from paddy fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome walking, a molecular technique for obtaining unknown flanking genomic sequences from a known genomic sequence, has been broadly applied to determine transgenic sites, mine new genetic resources, and fill in chromosomal gaps. This technique has advanced genomics, genetics, and related disciplines. Here, an efficient and reliable genome walking technique, called primer extension refractory PCR (PER-PCR), is presented. PER-PCR uses a set of primary, secondary, and tertiary walking primers. The middle 15 nt of the primary walking primer overlaps with the 3′ parts of the secondary and tertiary primers. The 5′ parts of the three primers are heterologous to each other. The short overlap allows the walking primer to anneal to its predecessor only in a relaxed-stringency PCR cycle, resulting in a series of single-stranded DNAs; however, the heterologous 5′ part prevents the creation of a perfect binding site for the walking primer. In the next stringent cycle, the target single strand can be extended into a double-stranded DNA molecule by the sequence-specific primer and thus can be exponentially amplified by the remaining stringent cycles. The nontarget single strand fails to be enriched due to the lack of a perfect binding site for any primer. PER-PCR was validated by extension into unknown flanking regions of the hyg gene in rice and the gadR gene in Levilactobacillus brevis CD0817. In summary, in this study, a new practical PER-PCR method was constructed as a potential alternative to existing genome walking methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel hyperbranched polymers that contained cationic polymerizable groups both on and around the hyperbranched framework were designed and synthesized as macromers. The hyperbranched macromers can polymerize from both inside and outside, resulting in a denser and more uniform structure of the cross-linked network, thus improving the performance of the photocured coatings. [Display omitted] • A series of hyperbranched polymers containing oxetane groups on and around the hyperbranched framework were designed and synthesized. • The newly synthesized hyperbranched polymers, as a new type of macromer, have excellent photopolymerization performance. • The addition of hyperbranched macromers allows the UV curing to form a more compact crosslinked structure. • The optimized macromer has good performance and application prospects in the UV curing coatings. On the basis of aliphatic nucleophilic substitution polycondensation reactions, a series of hyperbranched macromers that contained cationic polymerizable groups, e.g., oxetane, internally and peripherally, was prepared using 3,3-dibromomethyl-1-oxetane and 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid as A 2 and CB 2 monomers, respectively. The structures of these macromers were confirmed via proton nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and gel permeation chromatography analyses. The effect of the hyperbranched macromers on the ultraviolet (UV) curing of commercial resin was investigated via photo-differential scanning calorimetry and rheological experiments. The addition of hyperbranched macromers substantially improves the performance of the coating, such as its mechanical properties, pencil hardness, adhesive force, and thermogravimetric stability. It is superior to the addition of small molecule monomers, linear macromers, and hyperbranched macromers with oxetane only at the periphery under the same conditions. The best overall performance of the coating is achieved when the molar ratio of A 2 to CB 2 is 1.4. Results show that because hyperbranched internal units can also participate in crosslinking during the curing process, such macromers may be good candidates for high-performance UV curing coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CoPB-MXene/GCE shows an ultralow LOD for Pb2+ detection. • CoPB-MXene/GCE exhibits an outstanding anti-interference for Pb2+ detection. • CoPB-MXene/GCE exhibits a good repeatability, reproducibility and stability. • CoPB-MXene/GCE exhibits an excellent accuracy in real samples. Lead ion (Pb2+) is a significant environmental pollutant and severely harmed human health. Therefore, a direct and real-time detection for trace levels of Pb2+ appear to be particularly important in environmental waters. In this work, we developed a portable electrochemical Pb2+ sensor based on 2D MXene loading Co-doped Prussian blue, and CoPB-MXene/GCE exhibited a wide linear range of 1 to 200 nM and an ultralow detection limit of 0.97 nM under the low deposition potential of − 1.3 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). In addition, we investigated the various operating conditions, such as deposition time, buffer solution, and pH. Under the optimal conditions, the CoPB-MXene/GCE showed a high anti-interference, a good repeatability, an excellent reproducibility. Even more, CoPB-MXene/GCE still remains 89.23% of initial response current after four weeks, and exhibited an outstanding accuracy in real samples of bottle water, tap water, and lake water for Pb2+ detection, which indicated the CoPB-MXene/GCE possessed an enormous potential for Pb2+ detection in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low sidelobe 77 GHz centre‐fed microstrip patch array antenna is proposed for automotive radar application. The proposed antenna comprises eight linear antenna arrays, each of which is centre‐fed by a coplanar waveguide with ground transmission line at the back of the microstrip patches. Each linear antenna array contains 10 patch antenna units, which are connected through a T‐type power divider network to achieve a −30 dB Taylor weighted distribution. The simulation results show that the designed phased array antenna has a good one‐dimensional phased scanning ability of ±45° with active voltage standing wave ratio less than 2 at 75–79 GHz, along with −20 dB low sidelobe symmetrical radiation patterns in the H plane. An antenna sample fed by a WR12 waveguide is fabricated and measured to verify its performance. The measured VSWR is less than 2 at 73.6–85 GHz. This design provides a new idea for millimetre wave automotive radar antenna design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beijing, as the capital of China, is one of the most populous cities in the world. With the fine particulate matter pollution being increasingly serious, daily exposure to hazardous ingredients caused more and more attention. Current research concerning risk evaluation in Beijing was relative less. In November, 2013, samples were collected in seven different functional areas of Beijing, so as to better understand the risk to human health caused by particle matter pollution in this region. PM2.5 pollution in rural and urban Beijing was relative high under haze–fog days in comparison with non haze–fog value. Zn and Ba showed the highest concentration levels among non-carcinogenic metals. The non-carcinogenic metal concentration at all the sites ranged in the same order: Ce, Pb, Cu, V and Sb. Higher ring PAHs (with four to six rings) were the dominant species and constituted more than 90% of the Σ 14 PAHs. Pb (4.34 × 10 − 4 for men, 3.73 × 10 − 4 for women) presented the maximum risk level for non-carcinogenic heavy metals in the whole study area. While, risk levels of Cr at residential areas, schools, Olympic Park and rural countryside exceeded the limit for adults. In haze–fog days, the carcinogenic PAH risk level in each functional area ranged in the order: rural countryside > inner suburban district > Olympic Park > city central > schools > ecological reserve > residential areas. To some extent, benzo(a)pyrene may had a potential risk to adults, and other carcinogenic PAHs were all under average risk acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles-based antioxidative therapy has been highlighted in a series of diseases triggered by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs), as a representative artificial nanozyme, have been proved as highly effective ROS scavengers. However, its detailed intracellular antioxidant mechanism is not clear yet. Herein, a series of PBNPs with different particle sizes were synthesized and their intracellular antioxidant activities were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) from a biomechanical perspective. We first validated the ROS scavenging ability of PBNPs in vitro. It indicated that PBNPs had great scavenging effect on multiple ROS, such as hydroxyl radicals (•OH), superoxide radicals (O 2 •−) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2). By observing the changes in morphology and mechanical properties of human umbilical vascular endothelium cells (HUVECs), it was further found that PBNPs could apparently alleviate the decrease of Young's modulus caused by oxidative stress damage and kept cells in their normal morphology. In addition, the distribution of F-actin revealed that the enhancement of cytoskeleton stability by PBNPs might be a key way to protect HUVECs from oxidative damage. Importantly, the antioxidant activities of PBNPs were found to be size-dependent, which indicated the smaller particle size had better antioxidant activities compared with the larger particle size. This study serves as a novel medium to reveal the mechanism of nanoparticles on cells at the single-cell level and demonstrates the great potential of atomic force microscopy in studying the application of nanoparticles in cell biology. [Display omitted] • PBNPs with different particle sizes were prepared based on regulated ethanol aqueous solution. • PBNPs had excellent ROS scavenging activity with size dependence. • PBNPs mitigated the shrinkage of cell morphology and the decrease of cell modulus caused by excess ROS. • AFM was utilized as a promising tool for exploring the antioxidant mechanism of nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signal amplification strategies are essential to boost the sensitivity of detecting targeted ions or molecules with important biological functions, while few studies take advantage of signal amplification strategies more than two. As a "proof-of-concept" demonstration, we present the ultrasensitive electrochemical aptasensor for picomolar thrombin detection by synchronous coordination of triple signal amplification strategy. The porous MXene framework (PMXF) with secondary pores is constructed as carrier to increase electrons transfer channels, and thionine (as redox indicator) labelled Au nanorod (AuNR) and hollow Cu–Pt alloy (HCuPtA) are synthesized as the electrical signal amplifiers to enhance the response signals. In the presence of picomolar-level thrombin, catalytic hairpin assembly reactions of DNA are triggered to bridge thionine labelled AuNR or HCuPtA nanoprobes on the PMXF with controllablly scondary pore structures. Under the optimal conditionals, the sandwich-typed aptasensor based on PMXF-5/AuNR shows a more low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.67 pM with a linear range from 2 pM to 10 nM, while PMXF-5/HcuPtA exhibits a more wide linear range from 50 pM to 50 nM with a LOD of 16.67 pM for thormbin. This sensing platform can be customized to analyze other biological or environmental substances at an ultrahigh level by rationally designing DNA sequences of target-binding aptamer. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable biochemical sensors have received substantial attention in recent years due to their great potential to provide insights into the physical condition of individuals. Based on the innovative biochemical sensing mechanisms and the recent advances in material science, the integrated biosensors are moving toward soft and small on-body electronic systems that can smartly and persistently monitor tiny changes in biochemical markers. They are beginning to transform almost every aspect of healthcare. This review looks into the state-of-the-art advances in this rising field by connecting the noninvasive biochemical sensing principles, materials science, advanced integration methods and the most representative cases of health monitoring wearable biosensors. Specifically, starting with a brief overview of the trends in wearable healthcare devices, we introduce the fundamental of chemistry for bio-sensing. The subsequent content highlights the contributions of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies in integrating and achieving on-body bio-sensing systems. We also discuss the key issues emerging in this area from a biocompatibility and material perspective. In the end, the review concludes with a summary of opportunities where advances in biochemistry and nanotechnology will be significant for future progress. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oat bran (OB) is a by‐product of oat, which is rich in β‐glucan. As a new food processing technology, ultrafine powder can improve the surface properties of samples. OB with different grinding times was prepared, and its functional components, physical properties, adsorption properties, and antioxidant properties were evaluated. Results showed that with increased grinding times, the average particle size of OB decreased significantly (p <.05). And the water‐holding capacity, swelling capacity, and water solubility index of OB increased significantly (p <.05), whereas the animal and vegetable oil‐holding capacities decreased. Oat bran could adsorb cholic acid and glucose, which was related to the time of superfine grinding. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of OB was improved after superfine grinding. Related analysis shows that there was significant positive relationship between β‐glucan, polyphenols and soluble dietary fibers and antioxidant indicators (p <.05). The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results showed that the FTIR spectra of OB powder with different crushing times were similar. On the basis of the above analyses, it is suggested that OB prepared by superfine grinding for 5 min had good physical and chemical properties and antioxidant properties and is widely used in food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of the neurotoxicity of nanoalumina on primarily cultured neurons. Normal control, particle size control, aluminum, micron-alumina, and nanoalumina at 50-nm and 13-nm particle sizes were included as subjects to evaluate the level of apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy in primarily cultured neurons and further explore the mitophagy induced by nanoalumina. The results demonstrated that nanoalumina could induce neuronal cell apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy, among which autophagy was the most notable. When the autophagy inhibitor was added to the nanoalumina-treated group, it significantly downregulated the protein expression levels of Beclin-1 and LC3II/LC3. Observation under a transmission electron microscope and a fluorescence microscope revealed mitophagy characteristics induced by nanoalumina. Additionally, the neurotoxicological effects induced by nanoalumina were more significant than those induced by aluminum and in a particle size–dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The push–pull electronic properties of substituents affect the photophysical properties and photoreactivity of oxime esters (OXEs). Decreasing the polarity of solvents increases the photolysis rate of the OXEs, especially for the D-π-A type. These OXEs can effectively initiate free radical polymerization under LED irradiation. [Display omitted] • Three stilbene based oxime esters were synthesized as novel photoinitiators (PIs). • The PIs exhibit excellent absorption under exposure to LEDs (365 nm ~ 405 nm). • The PIs can effectively initiate free radical polymerization. • A-π-A type PIs have superior photoreactivity to the D-π-A type PIs. • For these PIs, the polarity of the solvent can influence the photolysis rate. Three novel oxime esters based on the π-conjugated trans -stilbene group were designed and synthesized as photoinitiators (PIs) for light-emitting diode (LED) photopolymerization. Three substituents (thioether, sulfoxide, and sulfone) with different electron pushing and withdrawing abilities were introduced into the chromophore to constitute D-π-A (OXE-S) and A-π-A (OXE-SO, OXE-SO 2) type structures of PIs to rationalize their relevant effects on free radical photoinitiation ability. Structure-activity relationship, electronic properties, and photodissociation mechanism were investigated using steady-state photolysis, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and real-time 1H NMR. The compounds show good absorption under exposure to LED irradiation wavelength (i.e., 365–405 nm). The polarity of solvent influences the photoreactivity of this series of oxime esters. The photolysis rates and free radical generation quantum yields for the three PIs increase from polar to nonpolar solvent. For D-π-A type OXE-S, the photolysis rate increases 70 times from acetonitrile to toluene. The three PIs can efficiently initiate the polymerization of acrylate monomer under exposure to LED irradiation at 365–405 nm. The excellent absorption and efficient photoinitiation properties of the PIs demonstrate their great potential in photocuring applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The metasurfaces with EIT resonant mode are fabricated and the resonant mechanism of this mode is investigated. • Utilizing such a design as metasensors to detect the MDK concentration, the biosensing properties of metasensors is resolved from time-frequency double domains. • A set of pseudo-spectra obtained by implementing Fourier transform twice on full-spectral amplitude difference (FSAD) confirm that the limit of detection (LOD) of metasensors can at least reach 0.5 µg/mL, and the measurement time shortens to smaller than 5 minutes. • The 2D mappings derived from CWT serve as an effective visualized output of MDK expression level and unique biological characteristics, showing vigorous functionality of EIT metasensors in future label-free detection in cancer diseases. The overexpression level of Midkine (MDK) indicates the malignant degree of cancer cells, being a potential indicator and biomarker for cancer diseases. However, traditional biological methods such as Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) suffers inevitable disadvantages of long measurement time and false positive problems. In this study, the metasurfaces with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonant mode are utilized as metasensors to detect the MDK concentration, and its biosensing properties are resolved from time-frequency double domains. The resonant frequency shift and amplitude difference are demonstrated as indicators for MDK concentration level. A set of pseudo-spectra obtained by implementing Fourier transform twice on full-spectral amplitude difference (FSAD) further confirm that the limit of detection (LOD) of metasensors at least reaches 0.5 µg/mL, and the measurement time shortens to smaller than 5 minutes. The 2D mappings derived from continuous wavelet transform (CWT) clearly recognize different solutions without arousing confusion. Moreover, these label-free mappings with double domains similar to fluorescence pictures of traditional ELISA serve as an effective visualized output of MDK expression level and supply unified measurement standard, showing vigorous functionality of EIT metasensors in future label-free detection in cancer diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oat–corn extruded powder is prepared to explore the effect of co‐extrusion with konjac flour on the structural properties and functional properties of the mixed powder for a reduced starch digestion rate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), antioxidant activity, and in vitro digestibility are applied for analysis. SEM images after extrusion treatment show irregularity of the surface with some cracks and grooves. XRD and FT‐IR results show that the A‐type crystal structure disappears after extrusion, and the in vitro digestibility is improved but not significantly (p > 0.05). After different amounts of konjac flour and oat and corn mixed powder are added for co‐extrusion, the surface microstructure is relatively rough, the pores of the mixed system are reduced, the crystal form is V‐shaped. The starch digestion rate is significantly decreased (p < 0.05). The mixed powder with the addition of 5–15% konjac flour is a low GI material. It can be used as a raw material for meal replacement products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometriosis is an immune chronic inflammatory disease, and there are currently no more effective drugs for treating endometriosis due to its unknown etiology. Salbutamol is a β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) agonist commonly used to treat asthma by selectively activating β2 receptors on airway smooth muscle and leukocytes, exerting bronchial dilation and synergistic anti-inflammatory effects. In recent years, β2AR agonists have been used in endometriosis studies, and we speculate that salbutamol may have a therapeutic effect on endometriosis. The purpose of this research was to explore the therapeutic effect of salbutamol on endometriosis mice. The mouse endometriosis model was established and treated with different doses of salbutamol. Endometrial lesions were harvested for pathological diagnosis, immunohistochemistry (IHC), Masson staining, and toluidine blue analysis. We found that the number and size of endometriotic lesions were all significantly decreased after 3 weeks of treatment with different doses of salbutamol on endometriosis model mice (P < 0.05). After Salbutamol treatment, the amount of mast cells (toluidine blue) and macrophages (F4/80) in the lesions as well as the expressions of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-ɑ, platelet-derived growth factor subunit B (PDGFB), CD31, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, Masson staining, BCL2, TUBB3, substance P (SP), and nerve growth factor (NGF) were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). These results suggested that salbutamol could effectively treat endometriosis in mice by reducing immune inflammatory cells and factors, angiogenesis, and fibrosis, increasing apoptosis of endometriotic lesions, and decreasing neurogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jellium model is well known and used to understand the neutralization of alkali-metal ions on metal surfacesbut we find it cannot explain our experiments for the neutralization of 0.4 keV and 0.8 keV Na+ ions on Al(1 1 1) and Cu(1 1 0) surfaces in grazing incidence. As the exit angle increases neutral fractions on Cu(1 1 0) surface decreases first and then increases which is similar to our previous results at large scattering angles. While for the Al(1 1 1) surface we observe opposite characteristics. This anomalous bell-shaped feature cannot be explained by the Jellium model. One possible explanation is the inner 2p electron promotion at smaller exit angles this may cause the Na* excited states to be generated and produce excess Na+ ions while the similar electronic excitation process is inefficient for the Cu(1 1 0) surface in the present energy range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farfarae flos (FF) is widely used for cough over thousands of years in China, but little is known about their pharmacokinetics properties. This study was aimed to establish a rapid and accurate ultraperformance liquid chromatography with triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry method for compare pharmacokinetics studies of eight active compounds after oral administration between raw and honey-processed farfarae flos extracts. Optimum separation was performed on a Thermo Hypersil GOLD C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.9 µm particles size) with a gradient elution of acetonitrile as mobile phase A and 0.3% formic acid aqueous solution as mobile phase B. The flow rate was set as 0.3 mL/min and separated for 34.0 minutes. Electrospray ionization in the negative ion mode and selected reaction monitoring were used to identify and separate active components. The results met the acceptance criteria and showed that this method exhibited good linear, precision, accuracy, and stability. The extraction recoveries ranged from 81.54% to 104.48%, and the matrix effects ranged from 81.94% to 103.02%. These results show that the validated method could be successfully applied to evaluate the pharmacokinetic study in rats after oral administration of raw farfarae flos (R-FF) and honey-processed farfarae flos (H-FF). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) causes severe plant diseases worldwide. Trichoderma is widely used as a biocontrol agent against B. cinerea through multiple biocontrol mechanisms. However, Trichoderma spp. with high biocontrol efficiency against B. cinerea under low-temperature conditions are barely reported. This study aimed to find potential low-temperature resistance biocontrol Trichoderma spp. against B. cinerea, and to characterize the biological principles underlying the activity of Trichoderma. Trichoderma koningiopsis (T. koningiopsis) C5-9 could fully overgrow a B. cinerea colony at 16 °C in a dual-culture assay. Treatment of cucumber leaves with T. koningiopsis C5-9 fermentation broth using the dipping method prior to B. cinerea inoculation significantly reduced the necrotic lesion diameter, with an inhibition rate of 55.30%. T. koningiopsis C5-9 could be successfully cultivated using the mycelia of B. cinerea as a carbon source at 16 °C. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that the origin recognition complex, organic substance catabolic process, and peroxisome were involved in the responses of T. koningiopsis C5-9 to B. cinerea. The findings of this study not only identified T. koningiopsis C5-9 as a potential biological control agent inhibiting B. cinerea under low-temperature conditions, but also provided new insights to develop a deeper understanding of the activity of Trichoderma against B. cinerea for plant protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation of hepatocytes that are derived from human adipose stem cells (hASCs) represents an alternative to human hepatocytes for individualized therapeutic and pharmaceutical applications. However, the mechanisms facilitating hepatocyte differentiation from hASCs are not well understood. Here, we show that upon exposure to glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) inhibitors alone, the expression of definitive endoderm specific genes GATA4, FOXA2, and SOX17 in hASCs significantly increased in a manner with activation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Down regulation of the β-catenin expression attenuates the effect of GSK3 inhibitors on the induction of these specific genes. The cells induced using GSK3 inhibitors were directed to differentiate synchronously into hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) after further combinations of soluble factors by a reproducible three-stage method. Moreover, hASC-HLCs induced using GSK3 inhibitors possess low-density lipoprotein uptake, albumin secretion, and glycogen synthesis ability, express important drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes, and demonstrate CYP450 activity. Therefore, our findings suggest that activation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling via GSK3 inhibitors in definitive endoderm specification may represent an important mechanism mediating hASCs differentiated to functional hepatocyte. Furthermore, development of similar compounds may be useful for robust, potentially scalable and cost-effective generation of functional hepatocytes for drug screening and predictive toxicology platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of removing non‐starch constituents like lipids, proteins, and β‐glucan on the in‐vitro digestibility of oat bran by steaming, microwaving, and hot air drying were investigated in this study. The results showed that the rapidly digestible starch (RDS) content of steaming oat bran decreased significantly (p < 0.05), and the glycemic index (e GI) was the lowest (66.11). The resistant starch (RS) content decreased, and in vitro digestibility, hydrolysis index, and eGI values of pretreated oat bran increased after removing the non‐starch constituents. Lipid removal increased in vitro digestibility the most, followed by β‐glucan and protein removal. The solubility of oat bran with removing protein increased significantly after steaming and microwaving treatment (p < 0.05). The relative crystallinity of oat bran decreased during steaming and increased after microwave and hot air drying. In conclusion, co‐existed components like proteins, fiber and lipids are helpful to a purpose of a low GI and slow starch digestion. Practical applications: In this study, high value‐added utilization of oat bran was realized, which solved the problems of resource waste and environmental pollution. Meanwhile, the steaming oat bran with intact structure is helpful for a purpose of low GI and slow starch digestion and is more beneficial to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy technology combined with stoichiometry, a portable photoelectric detection system with wireless transmission was designed with the advantages of simple operation, low cost, and quick response to realize the non-destructive detection of dihydrocoumarin content in coconut juice. Through the detection of a sample solution, the light intensity through the solution is measured and converted into absorbance. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is applied to optimize support vector regression (SVR) to establish a corresponding concentration prediction model. At the same time, in order to solve the shortcomings of the conventional portable photoelectric detection equipment in data storage, data transmission, and other aspects, based on the optimal PSO-SVR model, we used Python language to develop a friendly graphical user interface (GUI), integrating data collection, storage, analysis, and prediction modeling in one, greatly simplifying the operation process. The experimental results show that, compared with the traditional methods, the system achieves the purpose of rapid and non-destructive detection and has a small gap compared with the detection results of the ultraviolet spectrophotometer. It provides a good method for the determination of dihydrocoumarin in coconut juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a group of essential steroid hormones involved in diverse developmental and physiological processes in plants. The Brassinazole-resistant 1 (BZR1) transcription factors are key components of BR signaling and integrate a wide range of internal and environmental signals to coordinate plant development, growth, and resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Although the BZR1 family has been fully studied in Arabidopsis, celery BZR1 family genes remain largely unknown. Results: Nine BZR1 genes were identified in the celery genome, and categorized into four classes based on phylogenetic and gene structure analyses. All the BZR1 proteins shared a typical bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) domain that is highly conserved across the whole family in Arabidopsis, grape, lettuce, ginseng, and three Apiaceae species. Both duplications and losses of the BZR1 gene family were detected during the shaping of the celery genome. Whole-genome duplication (WGD) or segmental duplication contributed 55.56% of the BZR1 genes expansion, and the γ as well as celery-ω polyploidization events made a considerable contribution to the production of the BZR1 paralogs in celery. Four AgBZR1 members (AgBZR1.1, AgBZR1.3, AgBZR1.5, and AgBZR1.9), which were localized both in the nucleus and cytoplasm, exhibit transcription activation activity in yeast. AgBZR1.5 overexpression transgenic plants in Arabidopsis showed curled leaves with bent, long petioles and constitutive BR-responsive phenotypes. Furthermore, the AgBZR1 genes possessed divergent expression patterns with some overlaps in roots, petioles, and leaves, suggesting an extensive involvement of AgBZR1s in the developmental processes in celery with both functional redundancy and divergence. Conclusions: Our results not only demonstrated that AgBZR1 played a conserved role in BR signaling but also suggested that AgBZR1 might be extensively involved in plant developmental processes in celery. The findings lay the foundation for further study on the molecular mechanism of the AgBZR1s in regulating the agronomic traits and environmental adaptation of celery, and provide insights for future BR-related genetic breeding of celery and other Apiaceae crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many factors can affect the recurrence of endometriosis after surgery, however, whether endometriotic cyst fluid contributes to endometriosis recurrence after surgical excision of ovarian endometriomas remains unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of endometrial cells in ovarian endometriosis cyst fluid and the potential differences between these cells and those in the cyst wall. Methods: Samples of cyst fluid (n = 39) and drainage fluid (n = 14) were collected from patients with ovarian endometriomas undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Drainage fluid from 14 patients without endometriosis was used as a control. The presence of endometrial cells in cyst fluid and drainage fluid was determined by cell culture in vitro and immunostaining. In addition, cyst fluid endometrial fragments and viscosity were analysed by transcriptome sequencing analysis and apparent diffusion coefficients, respectively. An animal model was used to confirm the ability of endometrial cells in cyst fluid to form new lesions. Results: We found endometrium-like tissues in 71.8% (28/39) of cyst fluid and 71.4% (10/14) of drainage fluid samples by histopathological examination, and the presence of endometrioid tissue in cyst fluid was related to the viscosity of the cyst fluid. The living endometrial cells in cyst fluid and drainage fluid were confirmed by cell culture in vitro and immunostaining. Moreover, the adhesion ability of endometrial fragments in cyst fluid was significantly higher than that of ectopic tissues in the cyst wall (P < 0.05). In addition, living endometrial cells in the cyst fluid were able to adhere and alive in the animal model. Conclusions: The existence of living endometrial cells with high adhesion ability in ovarian endometriotic cyst fluid may contribute to the recurrence of endometriosis after surgical excision of endometriomas due to cyst fluid outflow during the surgical procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five novel iodonium salts (acceptors) and two amines (donors) can effectively form CTCs for photochemical/thermal initiators for single/two-photon photopolymerization. [Display omitted] • Iodonium salts and amines can effectively form CTC as novel long wavelength photoinitiators. • The newly photoinitiators are highly sensitive to UV–Vis LEDs @395–425 nm. • The optimized CTC can initiate radical polymerization as well as two-photon polymerization. • CTC have good performance as PIs and application prospects in the single/two-photon photopolymerization. Charge transfer complexes (CTCs), as a new type of photoinitiator system, exhibit excellent initiating abilities and are widely used in free radical polymerization. The reason is that it has safe photo or photo/thermal or dual initiator properties, which cannot be achieved by classical initiators. Thus, five novel iodonium salts (acceptors) and two amines (donors) capable of initiating thermal and photochemical polymerizations were investigated. The formations of the CTCs were assessed through their UV–visible (UV–vis) absorption spectra. The theoretical model study also attempted to show the relationship among the structure, reactivity, and efficiency of CTCs. Further explanation of the cause of this mechanism was provided by 1H NMR. The UV–vis photoinitiation ability of radical photopolymerization was also studied by real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and photo-DSC under LED@395–425 nm. The application of the newly developed initiating system in laser direct writing experiments at two-photon polymerization (780 nm) shows excellent spatial resolution performance. Such characteristic demonstrates that potential versatility can be applied in single/two-photon polymerization to manufacture high-precision materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron-copper nanocomposites composed of cracked nZVI and Cu aggregates (CnZVI/Cu) can efficiently removing Cr(VI) from water with low-cost, convenience, and eco-friendliness via the synergistic effect of galvanic reactions and engineered nanoconfinement at different pHs. [Display omitted] • Highly-efficient remediation of Cr(VI)-polluted acidic/alkaline water is attained. • Fe-Cu nanocomposites (CnZVI/Cu) show promoted reactivity and adsorption ability. • Galvanic reactions in the formed Fe-Cu primary battery dominate the remediation. • Nanoconfinement effect works especially at alkaline conditions. • CnZVI/Cu possesses excellent biosafety, stability, and convenience with low-cost. To eliminate trace toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from water with different pHs, researchers focused on adsorption, reduction of Cr(VI) to trivalent chromium with followed precipitation while the complex and costly reactivity regulations via adjusting pHs was inevitable. Here we exploit Fe-Cu nanocomposites (CnZVI/Cu) with galvanic reactions and engineered nanoconfinement effect for removing Cr(VI) from acidic/alkaline water directly, consisting of phosphorylated cracked nanoscale zero-valent iron (CnZVI, crack width of 1–2 nm) anode and Cu aggregates cathode. The formed primary battery exhibits strong electrostatic interactions towards ions and outstanding reactivity of reduction and precipitation at acidic/alkaline conditions. The pH inside the cracks at neutral or alkaline conditions is calculated to turn lower for enhancing the dynamics relevant to remediation. Benefiting from those two effects, the removal efficiencies of Cr(VI) through CnZVI/Cu attain more than 99.5 % at pH ≤ 8 and even 96 % at pH of 12 in only 30 min, outperforming the previous works. Its protection on beings (water spinach, zebrafish, and cell) from suffering poisonous Cr(VI), control of adsorbed Cr from migration, and magnetic collectability demonstrate the admirable removal performance, biosafety, and stability, respectively. This work proposes highly-efficient, eco-friendly, convenient, and low-cost technology to scavenge Cr(VI) from acidic/alkaline water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial adenocarcinoma is one of the most prevalent female reproductive tract cancers in the world, and the development of effective treatment is still the main goal of its current research. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a significant part in the occurrence and development of epithelial carcinoma, including endometrial adenocarcinoma. Recepteur d'origine nantais (RON) induces EMT and promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion in various epithelial-derived cancers, but its role in endometrial adenocarcinoma is still poorly studied. The purpose of this study is to verify the overexpression of RON in endometrial adenocarcinoma and to explore its specific roles. RON expression in tumor lesions was verified by immunohistochemical staining, HEC-1B cells were used to construct stable cell lines with RON overexpression or knockdown to investigate the effects of RON on the function of endometrial adenocarcinoma cells, and xenotransplantation experiment was carried out in nude mice to explore the effect of RON on the growth of endometrial adenocarcinoma in vivo. This study revealed that RON could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HEC-1B cells and induce EMT, and these effects were regulated through the Smad pathway. RON overexpression could promote growth of endometrial adenocarcinoma cells in nude mice, while its inhibitor BMS777607 could restrict this role. RON played an important role in endometrial adenocarcinoma and had a potential to become a new therapeutic target for endometrial adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • For both surfaces, the neutral fractions decrease as the incident energy increases. • Neutral fraction on H 2 O/Cu(1 1 0) is lower than that of Cu(1 1 0). • The work function of H 2 O/Cu(1 1 0) is lightly greater than that of clean Cu(1 1 0). keV-energy Na+ ions are scattered from clean and water covered Cu(1 1 0) surfaces in grazing incidence. For both surfaces the pronounced Na° fractions decrease with incident energy. In particular, the lower Na° fraction has been observed for the water covered Cu(1 1 0) surface. The simple calculations using rate equation are presented to compare with the experimental data. The calculation is in agreement with the experimental data. It indicates that the water covered Cu(1 1 0) surface has the slightly higher work function due to water molecules dissociation and forming hydroxyl groups, so that the neutral fraction on water covered Cu(1 1 0) is lower than that on the clean surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endometriosis is a refractory and recurrent disease and it affects nearly 10% of reproductive-aged women and 40% of infertile patients. The commonly accepted theory for endometriosis is retrograde menstruation where endometrial tissues invade into peritoneal cavity and fail to be cleared due to immune dysfunction. Therefore, the comprehensive understanding of immunologic microenvironment of peritoneal cavity deserves further investigation for the previous studies mainly focus on one or several immune cells. Results: High-quality transcriptomes were from peritoneal fluid samples of patients with endometriosis and control, and firstly subjected to 10 × genomics single-cell RNA-sequencing. We acquired the single-cell transcriptomes of 10,280 cells from endometriosis sample and 7250 cells from control sample with an average of approximately 63,000 reads per cell. A comprehensive map of overall cells in peritoneal fluid was first exhibited. We unveiled the heterogeneity of immune cells and discovered new cell subtypes including T cell receptor positive (TCR+) macrophages, proliferating macrophages and natural killer dendritic cells in peritoneal fluid, which was further verified by double immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry. Pseudo-time analysis showed that the response of macrophages to the menstrual debris might follow the certain differentiation trajectory after endometrial tissues invaded into the peritoneal cavity, that is, from antigen presentation to pro-inflammation, then to chemotaxis and phagocytosis. Our analyses also mirrored the dysfunctions of immune cells including decreased phagocytosis and cytotoxic activity and elevated pro-inflammatory and chemotactic effects in endometriosis. Conclusion: TCR+ macrophages, proliferating macrophages and natural killer dendritic cells are firstly reported in human peritoneal fluid. Our results also revealed that immune dysfunction happens in peritoneal fluid of endometriosis, which may be responsible for the residues of invaded menstrual debris. It provided a large-scale and high-dimensional characterization of peritoneal microenvironment and offered a useful resource for future development of immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates that the crosstalk between endometrial cells and mast cells promotes the migratory ability of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells and angiogenesis via CCL8/CCR1, thereby contributing to the development of endometriosis. • Endometrial cells promote the secretion of CCL8 from mast cells by their crosstalk. • CCL8 promotes the migratory ability of endometrial cells and novel angiogenesis. • CCL8 takes its effects via CCL8/CCR1. • CCR1 antagonist suppresses the development of endometriosis. The density and the activity of mast cells are associated with endometriosis. However, the role of mast cells on the pathogenesis of endometriosis remains unclear. Our study aims to investigate whether endometrial cells interact with mast cells and the involvement of their crosstalk in the development of endometriosis. The transwell assay was applied to investigate the effect of mast cells on the migratory ability of human primary endometrial cells. Mast cells were cocultured with endometrial epithelial and stromal cells respectively and total RNAs were isolated and subjected to mRNA sequencing. Next, the transwell assay, CCK-8, and tube formation were applied to study the role of CCL8 on the endometrial and endothelial cells in vitro. The mouse model was also established to confirm the role of CCL8 in the development and angiogenesis of endometriosis. CCL8 was up-regulated in mast cells when cocultured with endometrial cells. CCL8 was highly expressed in the ectopic endometrium and the serum of patients with endometriosis. CCL8 promoted the migratory ability of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells and increased the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells. CCR1, the receptor of CCL8, was over-expressed in the ectopic endometrium and colocalized with blood vessels in ovarian endometriomas. The inhibition of CCR1 suppressed the development and angiogenesis of endometriosis in vivo. The crosstalk between endometrial cells and mast cells in the development of endometriosis via CCL8/CCR1 was demonstrated, thereby providing a new treatment strategy for endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angelicae Pubescentis Radix (AP), as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used for thousands of years in China. In this paper, the botany, traditional use, phytochemistry, analytical methods, quality control, pharmacological effects, and toxicity of AP were reviewed. It can provide a reference for the further research and lay a foundation for the rational clinical application of AP. The relevant information on AP was collected from scientific databases (such as Baidu Scholar, CNKI, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and SciFinder Scholar), Chinese herbal classics, Chinese Pharmacopoeia, PhD and MSc dissertations, and so on. The components which have been isolated and identified in AP include coumarins, volatile oils, organic acids, terpenes, polysaccharides, flavonoids, sterols, and trace elements. Most of them were analyzed by HPLC and GC. A pharmacological study shows that the AP has extensive pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antirheumatism, sedative and hypnotic, neuroprotection, antioxidation, antitumor, and allergy, and it is widely used in the treatment of the rheumatoid arthritis, knee osteoarthritis, lumbar disc, ankylosing spondylitis, headaches, stroke hemiplegia, Alzheimer's, and arrhythmia. AP is a valuable natural medicinal plant. So far, significant advances have been made in phytochemistry and pharmacology. Some traditional uses have been demonstrated by modern pharmacology. However, the chemical components and pharmacological effects of AP are complex and varied, and there are different standards for the evaluation of its quality and efficacy. The mechanism of action, the structure-activity relationship among the components, and the potential synergistic and antagonistic effects remain to be studied. At the same time, there are few studies on the specific compounds related to its pharmacodynamics. In order to better develop and utilize AP, we should establish a more reasonable, reliable, and accurate quality control standard and focus on the study of bioactive constituents and the demonstration of their mechanism of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic crystal fiber (PCF) sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has broad application prospects in the detection of biological proteins, DNA/RNA, and toxic chemicals. However, there are many problems in application process, such as inhomogeneous metal nanofilm, low filling speed of analyte, and low detection efficiency, which limit the development of this technology. In this paper, a dual-channel PCF sensor based on simultaneous detection which has the advantages of SPR and PCF was proposed to improve the detection efficiency of samples. By optimizing the dielectric layer, the identification ability of channels is effectively improved, and wavelength sensitivities of two channels could reached 11,600 nm/RIU and 10,600 nm/RIU, respectively. Based on this, the horizontal polishing structure was proposed, then the PCF could be immersed in the liquid analyte directly, which can reduce the difficulty of coating and avoid the filling of microfluid. The proposed structure has important scientific significance and application value to promote the practical development of SPR technology with high sensitivity in biochemical sensing and reduce the process complexity in the detection of multi-sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The aim of this study was to develop a selective, rapid, accurate and sensitive ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of phytoecdysones and triterpenoid saponins after oral administration of five monomers, crude, wine-processed and salt-processed Radix Achyranthis bidentatae (RAB). 2. A Thermo Hypersil GOLD C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.9 μm) coupled with a mobile phase of (A) acetonitrile and (B) water (both containing 0.3% acetic acid) was used for sample separation. The mass analysis was performed in a triple quadruple mass spectrometer using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) with negative scan mode. 3. The results showed that this method exhibited desirable sensitivity, precision, stability and repeatability. The extraction recoveries of the compounds ranged from 94.2 to 99.8% and the matrix effects ranged from 93.3 to 100.5%. Comparing the Cmax and AUC of five analytes in those groups showed this tendency: salt-processed RAB > wine-processed RAB > crude RAB > monomer group. The results confirmed the feasibility of TCM theory to enhance the efficacy of processed RAB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]