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Contains fulltext : 286832.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) BACKGROUND: Direct evaluation of vascular inflammation in patients with COVID-19 would facilitate more efficient trials of new treatments and identify patients at risk of long-term complications who might respond to treatment. We aimed to develop a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted image analysis platform that quantifies cytokine-driven vascular inflammation from routine CT angiograms, and sought to validate its prognostic value in COVID-19. METHODS: For this prospective outcomes validation study, we developed a radiotranscriptomic platform that uses RNA sequencing data from human internal mammary artery biopsies to develop novel radiomic signatures of vascular inflammation from CT angiography images. We then used this platform to train a radiotranscriptomic signature (C19-RS), derived from the perivascular space around the aorta and the internal mammary artery, to best describe cytokine-driven vascular inflammation. The prognostic value of C19-RS was validated externally in 435 patients (331 from study arm 3 and 104 from study arm 4) admitted to hospital with or without COVID-19, undergoing clinically indicated pulmonary CT angiography, in three UK National Health Service (NHS) trusts (Oxford, Leicester, and Bath). We evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic value of C19-RS for death in hospital due to COVID-19, did sensitivity analyses based on dexamethasone treatment, and investigated the correlation of C19-RS with systemic transcriptomic changes. FINDINGS: Patients with COVID-19 had higher C19-RS than those without (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2·97 [95% CI 1·43-6·27], p=0·0038), and those infected with the B.1.1.7 (alpha) SARS-CoV-2 variant had higher C19-RS values than those infected with the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 variant (adjusted OR 1·89 [95% CI 1·17-3·20] per SD, p=0·012). C19-RS had prognostic value for in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 in two testing cohorts (high [≥6·99] vs low [

Developing a new anti-counterfeiting strategy is of great significance to combating the global counterfeiting problem. Here we report the construction of a dynamic fluorescence response system for anti-counterfeiting by combining the photochromism induced by the ring-opening of spiropyran (SP) to merocyanine (MC) with the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the conjugated polymer and MC. After elucidating the design principle, a new conjugated polymer, PPETE-SP, consisting of a poly[

Latent blood fingerprints (LBFPs) can provide critical information of foul play and help identify the suspects at violent crime scenes. The current methods for LBFP visualization are still not satisfactory because of the low sensitivity or complicated protocol. This study demonstrates a simple and effective LBFP visualization strategy by integrating a new amphiphilic fluorescent amino-functionalized conjugated polymer with the cotton-pad developing protocol. LBFPs on various substrates are visualized by simply covering them with the polymer solution-soaked cotton pads. The images display clear fingerprint patterns, ridge details, and sweat pores, even on very challenging substrates such as painted wood and multicolored can. The gray value analysis confirms semiquantitatively the enhancement of the contrast between ridges and furrows. Even LBFPs with various contaminations or aged for more than 600 days are effectively developed and visualized. The developed fingerprint images show superior stability over long storage time and against solvent washing. Moreover, the polymer causes no degradation of DNAs in the blood, suggesting the possibility of further DNA profiling and identification after development. The mechanistic investigation suggests that the formation of positive or inverted images can be attributed to the synergistic effects from the affinity between polymer and blood, and the affinity betwen polymer and substrate, as well as the slight quenching of polymer fluorescence by blood. Furthermore, the covalent bonding between the protonated primary amino group and proteins in blood endows the stability of the developed fingerprints. The result rationalizes the molecular design of the fluorescent polymer and sheds new light on the future strategies to effective LBFP visualization in practical applications.

To detect neomycin, one of the common antibiotics in the environment and in food and which may pose harm to human health, a fluorescence sensing system based on an amphiphilic conjugated polyelectr...

Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease of arteries, which constitutes the pathological basis of a series of cardiovascular diseases. The inflammatory response of vascular endothelial cells mediated by oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is the early behavior and main signal of atherosclerosis. In this study, the damage model of vascular endothelial cells treated with ox-LDL was used to reproduce the damage process of vascular endothelial cells in the process of atherosclerosis. Cell viability was detected by CCK-8. The release levels of reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were detected by commercial kits. EdU cell proliferation assay was used to detect cell proliferation, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression level of related genes. The results showed we successfully constructed a vascular endothelial injury model by incubating vascular endothelial cells with gradient concentrations of ox-LDL. The incubation of safflor yellow A (SYA) partially restored the loss of viability of vascular endothelial cells mediated by ox-LDL, and SYA could promote the proliferation of injured vascular endothelial cells. In addition, SYA may transmit related signals through the AMPK pathway to protect vascular endothelial cells from ox-LDL-mediated damage. All these results provide a further understanding of the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis, provide a theoretical basis for the use of SYA-related drugs in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and provide a reference paradigm for studying the pharmacology, toxicology, and mechanism of action of key active substances in TCM.

The strength and toughness are two trade-off properties of a material, yet Nature can achieve strong and tough materials by introducing sacrificial bonds into a system. Here, we present a four-comp...

Iris is a perennial flowering plant, usually cultivated through seeds or bulbs. However, due to the limitations of traditional reproduction, the establishment of a callus regeneration system is particularly important, and callus induction and plant regeneration are the keys to transgenic technology. The callus regeneration system was studied using the I. sanguinea flower stem as explants. The experiment investigated the impact of different disinfectant solution concentrations, disinfection exposure times, and hormone concentrations on the explant growth status at various culture stages. The research analyzed the impact of the experimental variables on explant regeneration to determine the optimum callus regeneration system for I. sanguinea. In this research, it was determined that when I. sanguinea flower stems, that were used for explants, were treated with 75% alcohol for 30 s and 2% NaClO for 8 min for disinfection, there was a 54.48% callus induction rate. The callus induction medium was Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) + 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) 1.0 mg/L + 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA) 0.2 mg/L + 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) 2.0 mg/L for 40 d. The optimum medium for callus multiplication was MS + 6-BA 0.5 mg/L + 2,4-D 0.5 mg/L, while the optimum medium for callus adventitious bud induction was MS + 6-BA 1.0 mg/L + NAA 0.2 mg/L + kinetin (KT) 0.5 mg/L, 60 d. The adventitious bud differentiation rate from flower stem calli was 46.03%.

Nearly one-fourth of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Female genital tuberculosis (TB) is a common cause of infertility in both developing and undeveloped countries. Furthermore, assisted reproduction treatments and pregnancy potentially increase the risk of TB infection and reactivation. In this study, we present the case of a 28-year-old infertile female without a history of TB who developed an acute miliary TB and pelvic TB after in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer (IVF-ET). Elevated serum estrogen levels during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and T-lymphocyte function inhibition during pregnancy are the risk factors for MTB infection and reactivation. In her 7th week of gestation, the patient developed fever and spontaneously aborted. Her chest computed tomography images revealed classical miliary TB. Uterine curettage tissue and vaginal secretion samples as well as Gene X-pert MTB/rifampicin (RIF) and TB-RNA test results were positive for MTB. Histological examination of the uterine curettage tissue confirmed the diagnosis of endometrial TB. Treatment with isoniazid, RIF, pyrazinamide, amikacin, and levofloxacin was selected based on the patient's diagnosis, complications, and test results. Currently, the patient is undergoing anti-TB treatment, and her condition is stable. It is important to rule out the presence of TB in infertile patients before performing IVF-ET to avoid TB dissemination during pregnancy.

Metal halide perovskites have fascinating electronic properties and have already been implemented in various devices. Although the behavior of the properties of lead halide perovskite nanocrystals has been studied, the properties of lead-free perovskite nanocrystals are less well-understood because synthesizing them is still very challenging. Here, a simple and popularizable method has been demonstrated to grow monodisperse bismuth-halide double perovskite nanocrystals, Cs2AgBiBr6 (1), inside three kinds of mesoporous silica templates. The size and morphology of nanocrystals depend on the structure and pore size of the template. Structural analysis shows that the nanocrystals of various sizes and morphologies retain the crystal structure of bimetallic perovskite. 1 exhibits different morphologies in the silicon channels of three templates: square nanoparticles in KIT-6, spherical and rodlike particles in SBA-15, and nanowires in MCM-41. UV-vis-NIR and photoluminescence measurements show us the variation of band gap and carrier recombination time due to quantum confinement of nanocrystals in mesoporous silicon materials. The band gaps of nanocrystals in the template exhibit an obvious blue shift compared with that of the bulk sample, and the carrier recombination time is significantly shortened. We show that mesoporous silicon templates can be used to prepare lead-free perovskite nanocrystals, and the controllable preparation of nanocrystals can be achieved by the template's own characteristics. This provides a new idea for us to find new functional materials of lead-free metal halide solid-state light-emitting diodes.

Fluorescent microspheres are greatly demanded in many applications based on high-throughput suspension array technology. To realize the multiplexed assay, microspheres should be encoded to identify the interaction between analytes and spheres. This study advanced a strategy for preparing fluorescence-encoded microspheres, employing two hydrophobic fluorophores, poly(

Sonogashira coupling of two different diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-containing dihaloarenes with the same aromatic bisalkyne resulted in two new conjugated polymers with the same backbone but different pendant groups on the DPP moiety. The polymers were found to have designed chemical structures via structural characterizations in comparison with three monomers. The molecular weight measurement further demonstrated the formation of polymers with polydispersity index around 2, consistent with the polycondensation nature of the polymerization based on Sonogashira coupling. Both polymers could dissolve in many organic solvents, and the one with long alkyl side group on DPP moiety had better solubility. Photophysical investigation showed that both polymers had typical absorption/emission of conjugated polymers, and varying the solvent did not have large influence. Compared with other polar solvents, toluene reduced the quantum yield of fluorescence of the polymers, especially for the one with long alkyl pedant group, accompanying with slight red-shift in absorption/emission. The difference in the absorption/emission wavelengths between the polymers was similar to that between the corresponding monomers. Adding water into the THF solution of polymers reduced the emission intensity but no redshift was observed. Discussion about the structure-property relationships was carried out in detail.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanism of thalidomide on pancreatic stellate cell (PSC) activation in mice and to find the optimal timing of thalidomide administration.PSCs, isolated from mouse pancreas tissue, were divided into five groups with specific treatments: (A) control PSCs (PSC), (B) PSCs induced by TGF-β1 (PSC+TGF-β1), (C) PSCs induced by TGF-β1 followed by thalidomide (PSC+TGF-β1+Thalidomide), (D) PSCs receiving TGF-β1 and thalidomide simultaneously (PSC+(TGF-β1+Thalidomide)), and (E) PSCs treated with thalidomide only (PSC+Thalidomide). We measured the effects of thalidomide on PSC activation by detecting the expression of α-SMA, collagen type I, and the TGF-β/Smad pathway through quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis.Compared with TGF-β1 alone, thalidomide significantly inhibited PSC activation by reducing α-SMA expression (Thalidomide could repress PSC activation and alleviate fibrosis by regulating the TGF-β/Smad pathway. Preventive use of thalidomide had maximum effect, and there was no evidence for the reversal of the activation of quiescent PSCs.

Both latent sebaceous and blood fingerprints may provide valuable information for forensic investigation. To detect both types of fingerprints with no need to predistinguish them, a new adaptive developing strategy was proposed. A cationic conjugated polymer with poly[p-(phenylene ethylene)-alt-(thienylene ethynylene)] backbone (PPETE-NMe3+) was synthesized, which was dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to form the developing solution. Fingerprints were developed by a simple dropping and incubating process without any pre-/post-treatments. Fluorescent photographs of the developed fingerprints on various substrates demonstrated that this developing strategy was effective for both types of fingerprints on nonporous substrates. Gray value analysis further confirmed the enhancement of the legibility of the fingerprint images. The preliminary mechanism exploration suggested that certain weak interactions, such as hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction, may synergistically contribute to the interaction between the polymer and fingerprint components. The molecular design of the polymer combined with an appropriate solvent endowed the developing system the adaptiveness toward different types of fingerprints. This adaptive developing strategy made the fingerprint-developing process more efficient and may be further extended to more practical application scenes.

Visualization of latent blood fingerprints (LBFPs) at violent crime scenes is very important for identifying criminals, while current reagents/methods for developing LBFPs still have more or less limitations. Here, we advance a new strategy for LBFP development based on the dye-soaked cotton pads as “ensemble” materials. The cotton pad was first soaked in the dye solution and then placed on the substrate with deposited blood fingerprint for development. After peeling off the pad, uniform and legible fingerprint patterns were obtained in all cases where different dyes and substrates were employed. The dye-soaked pads displayed superior developing effect compared with those using conventional methods (immersing, smearing and spraying). The pad-based method exhibited many other merits, such as little damage to the fingerprint patterns and less dye stains left on fingerprint and substrate, as well as the reusability. This pad-based method was also applicable for developing sebaceous latent fingerprints by replacing the small molecular dyes with fluorescent conjugated polymer nanoparticles. In all, the dye-soaked cotton pad developing protocol is feasible, cost-effective and universally applicable for developing different types of latent fingerprints on various substrates.

The combination of fluorescence properties and other functions can significantly enhance the multipurpose applications of functional materials. Herein, fluorescent microspheres with strong fluorescence and bioconjugation sites were prepared via the layer-by-layer (LBL) introduction of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) with micelles as a spacer on the substrate spheres. At first, the diblock copolymer poly(acrylic acid)-block-polystyrene (PAA-b-PS) was synthesized and assembled into micelles (PSAm) with the carboxylic groups facing outward. Then, the negatively charged PSAm and positively charged PPV polymer precursor (pre-PPV) were alternately introduced into the substrate polystyrene-divinylbenzene microspheres with sulfonic groups on the surface (SPSDVB) followed by thermal elimination to obtain fluorescent SPSDVB-(PPV/PSAm)n microspheres by converting pre-PPV into PPV. The spheres were found to have stable and bright fluorescence with a very clear core-shell structure. The mechanism for fluorescence enhancement with PSAm as the spacer was studied, and the capability for bioconjugation was also demonstrated. This study provides a promising general strategy for the preparation of fluorescent microspheres combining strong emission with different functional groups to meet various applications.

Background: At present, a diagnostic tool with high specificity for impaired endometrial receptivity, which may lead to implantation failure, remains to be developed. We aimed to assess the different endometrial microRNA (miRNA) signatures for impaired endometrial receptivity by microarray analysis. Methods: A total of 12 repeated implantation failure (RIF) patients and 10 infertile patients, who conceived and delivered after one embryo transfer attempt, were recruited as RIF and control groups, respectively. Endometrial specimens from the window of implantation (WOI) were collected from these two groups. MiRNA microarray was conducted on seven and five samples from the RIF and control groups, respectively. Comparative, functional, and network analyses were performed for the microarray results. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on other samples to validate the expression of specific miRNAs. Results: Compared with those in the control group, the expression levels of 105 miRNAs in the RIF group were found to be significantly up- or down-regulated (at least 2-fold) by microarray analysis. The most relevant miRNA functional sets of these dysregulated miRNAs were miR-30 family, human embryonic stem cell regulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and miRNA tumor suppressors by tool for annotations of microRNA analysis. Network regulatory analysis found 176 miRNA-mRNA interactions, and the top 3 core miRNAs were has-miR-4668-5p, has-miR-429, and has-miR-5088. Expression levels of the 18 selected miRNAs in new samples by real-time PCR were found to be regulated with the same trend, as the result of microarray analysis. Conclusions: There is a significant different expression of certain miRNAs in the WOI endometrium for RIF patients. These miRNAs may contribute to impaired endometrial receptivity.

With the aim of detecting glutaraldehyde (GA) in wastewater released from hospitals and other sites, fluorescent poly(phenyleneethynylene) with pendant protonated primary amino groups (PPE-NH3+) was synthesized and characterized. The fluorescence of the conjugated polyelectrolyte PPE-NH3+ in aqueous solution changed upon addition of aldehydes. Among many commonly encountered aldehydes including formaldehyde (FA) and glutaraldehyde (GA), GA displayed the strongest quenching of the fluorescence of PPE-NH3+. The quenching efficiency reached above 85% with 1 mM of GA and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.49 μM. The fluorescence quenching mechanism was discussed. GA, as a dialdehyde, could react with amino groups on different polymer chains simultaneously, and thus might result in more efficient chain aggregation and quenching. Finally, this sensory system was demonstrated to be very effective in detecting GA in real water samples from a water tap in our lab, a pond on the campus, Dushu lake and a river nearby a hospital.

The previous studies have shown that recurrent stroke (RS) adversely affects the life of survivors of ischemic stroke (IS). However, lifestyle associated with RS has received a little systematic study in Chinese Han patients. We aimed to perform a comprehensive assessment of lifestyle and the potential risk factors associated with RS in Chinese Han inpatients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke by conducting a long-term follow-up. Using a prospective and longitudinal design, we recruited 421 patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke who were consecutively admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit between November 2012 and January 2014. Demographic data, vascular risk factors, previous Rankin scale score, and etiology were collected at study intake. Multivariable Cox regression model was used to investigate the influencing factors for RS. Fifty-seven (13.5%) patients experienced RS during the 1-year follow-up period. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that smoking [hazard ratio (HR), 2.153; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.263–3.671], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (HR 0.438; 95% CI 0.211–0.911), housework (HR 0.488; 95% CI 0.256–0.933), ischemic heart disease (IHD) (HR 2.998; 95% CI 1.281–7.020), daily consumption of fresh fruits (HR 0.477; 95% CI 0.278–0.819), and good sleep quality (HR 0.375; 95% CI 0.216–0.650) were associated with RS among stroke patients. Our results suggest that healthy lifestyle (high fruit intake, smoking cessation, housework, and good sleep quality), higher HDL levels, and lack of IHD may be associated with a lower risk of RS in patients with first-onset IS.

Fluorescence-encoded microspheres are largely demanded in high-throughput assays. A strategy for preparing encoded microspheres based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was advanced. Two fluorophores, poly(phenylenevinylene) nanoparticles (PPV NPs) as the donor and rhodamine 6G (R6G) as the acceptor were employed to construct the energy-transfer pair, and introduced onto the substrate polymeric microspheres. The fluorescence intensity ratio between PPV NPs and R6G molecules were tuned based on energy transfer mechanism. Nine codes (wavelength-intensity combinations) were obtained at the same excitation by keeping the concentration of PPV NPs constant and varying the concentration of R6G in the dipping solutions. Then, a melamine–formaldehyde (MF) resin layer was coated onto the encoded spheres to prevent the leakage of fluorophores. The encoded spheres were found to have good fluorescence stability against various solvents and even “dissociation agent“, and no significant variation of the codes were observed. Further modification of this MF layer with silanization reaction provided the amino reactive sites. In all, this study provides a general strategy for the preparation of fluorescence encoded microspheres based on energy transfer as well as a stable protective layer with reactive sites.

This study advanced a strategy for preparing fluorescent spectrally encoded microspheres through introducing rare earth element europium (Eu) and organic dye rhodamine 6G (R6G) onto the porous substrate polymer spheres. The size and monodispersity of the microspheres were controlled by selecting the appropriate substrate spheres. Various combinations of three different types of fluorophores, the substrate spheres as a polymer fluorophore, together with Eu and R6G as inorganic and organic fluorophores afford large encoding capacity based on emission spectra. After optimization of the preparative process, three series of fluorescent spheres with ten combinations of intensities at different wavelengths from two binary encoding systems and fifteen combinations from one ternary encoding system were prepared. Such combinations (or codes) were obtained by exciting the spheres at the same wavelength. The preparative process was found to have no significant influence on the size and surface morphology, as shown in the microscopic study. The color variation in the macroscopic and microscopic images under excitation was consistent with emission spectra. In addition, these spheres were found to have good stability against water washing and thermal treatment.

Iris sanguinea is a perennial flowering plant that is typically cultivated through seeds or bulbs. However, due to limitations in conventional propagation, an alternate regeneration system using seeds was developed. The protocol included optimization of sterilization, stratification and scarification methods as iris seeds exhibit physiological dormancy. In addition to chlorine-based disinfection, alkaline or heat treatment was used to break seed dormancy and reduce contamination. When seeds were soaked in water at 80 °C overnight, and sterilized with 75% EtOH for 30 s and 4% NaOCl solution for 20 minutes, contamination was reduced to 10% and a 73.3% germination was achieved. The germinated seedlings with 2-3 leaves and radicle were used as explants to induce adventitious buds. The optimal MS medium with 0.5 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine, 0.2 mg L−1 NAA, and 1.0 mg L−1 kinetin resulted in 93.3% shoot induction and a proliferation coefficient of 5.30. Medium with 0.5 mg L−1 NAA achieved 96.4% rooting of the adventitious shoots. The survival rate was more than 90% after 30 days growth in the cultivated matrix. In conclusion, a successful regeneration system for propagation of I. sanguinea was developed using seeds, which could be utilized for large-scale propagation of irises of ecological and horticultural importance.

Fluorescent microspheres with reactive sites for interacting with biomolecules are greatly demanded in flow cytometry based suspension array. Aiming to develop a new method for preparing fluorescent microspheres, two poly(p-phenyleneethylene) (PPE) conjugated polymers (CPs) with pedant carboxylic groups were synthesized via Sonogashira coupling and followed with hydrolysis of ester groups; then the conjugated polymers were immobilized onto monodispersed amino-modified porous poly(glycidylmethacrylate) (APGMA) microspheres via coupling reaction between carboxylic and amino groups to give APGMA-CP fluorescent microspheres. The fluorescent microspheres were found to have good photo- and thermal stability as well as negligible influence from rigorous washing. The emission was uniform all across the inner and surface of the spheres. To evaluate the effectiveness of bioconjugation on the fluorescent microspheres, fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer I (FITC) labeled bovine serum albumin (BSA) (BSA-FITC) was chosen as the representative biomolecule to react with the fluorescent microspheres to give APGMA-CP-BSA-FITC. In the flow cytometry study, fluorescence compensation between the V500 and FITC detectors (receiving signals from fluorophores excited by 405 nm and 488 nm, respectively), to remove the interference between the emission of FITC and CPs, was realized using singly-stained microspheres. Finally, APGMA-CP-BSA-FITC microspheres were found to be double positive for CP and FITC with very high percentage (>95%), suggesting the bioconjugation is very effective. This study provides a facile method for simultaneous introduction of fluorescence and reactive sites onto the microspheres, which is very promising to be used as general strategy for fabricating fluorescence microspheres for application in high-throughput technology.

Selecting appropriate developing methods/reagents or their combination to enhance the effect for fingerprint development is of great significance for practical forensic investigation. Ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate ester (superglue) fuming is a popular method for “in-situ” developing fingerprints in forensic science, followed by fluorescence staining to enhance the contrast of the fingerprint image in some occasion. In this study, a series of fluorescent poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) nanoparticles (NPs) in colloidal solution were successfully prepared and the emission color was tuned via a simple way. The fuming process was carried out using a home-made device. The staining was accomplished by immersing a piece of absorbent cotton into the solution of NPs, and then gently applied on the fumed fingerprints for several times. The PPV NPs were found to have a better developing effect than Rhodamine 6G when excited by 365 nm UV lamp. Different emission colors of NPs are advantageous in developing fingerprints on various substrates. Mechanism study suggested that the NPs were embedded in the porous structure of the superglue resin. In all, the combination of fuming method with the staining by conjugated polymer NPs has been demonstrated to be successful for fluorescent fingerprint development and be promising for more practical forensic applications.

Developing effective methods for detecting illegal additives in food or seasoning is of great significance. In this study, a sensing strategy for selective detection of Sudan dyes was designed based on the fluorescence inner-filter effect (IFE) by using poly(phenylenevinylene) (PPV) solid materials in combination with an optimized experimental protocol. Two types of fluorescent solid materials, electrospun fibrous membranes and drop-cast films, were fabricated with PPV as the fluorophore and poly(vinyl alcohol) as the matrix, respectively. Sudan dyes greatly quenched the fluorescence of the membrane and film, whereas other food colorings or possible food ingredients displayed a much smaller or negligible quenching effect. The sensing mechanism was studied, and the selectivity was ascribed to IFE, which requires the overlap between the absorption of the analyte and absorption/emission of the sensing material. The form of materials (membrane or film), the content of PPV, and the cross-linking process did not have much influence on the selectivity and sensitivity, which is consistent with the IFE mechanism and demonstrates the advantage of not requiring strict control of the preparative process. All the cross-linked materials were found to be stable against water/humidity and displayed good reversibility in sensing and can be reused at least for 10 cycles with negligible influence on the sensing performance. A cross-linked membrane was selected for detecting Sudan dyes in chili powder because folding did not affect the mechanical stability of the membrane. Two different protocols were used to pretreat the chili samples, which allowed the detection of Sudan dyes in chili powder as well as the discrimination of Sudan dyes from synthetic food coloring such as allura red. This study provides a facile and cost-effective method for preparing reusable sensing materials for detecting some dyes in commercial foods or food seasonings.

This study is to develop a method for preparing fluorescent microspheres with steady and strong fluorescence as well as the surface functionality for bioconjugation. Layer-by-layer technique was employed to introduce poly(phenylenevinylene) (PPV) precursor, diazoresin (DAR), and polyanion, including poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(sodium-p-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), onto the substrate polystyrene-divinylbenzene microspheres with sulfonic groups on the surface (SPSDVB). The conversion of PPV precursor into fluorescent PPV as well as the cross-linking reaction between DAR and polyanion, were accomplished simultaneously in the following thermal treatment. After optimizing the DAR concentration, the selection of polyelectrolytes and the coating sequence, the cross-linked multilayer coated PPV microspheres, SPSDVB-(PPV/PSS/DAR/PAA) spheres, were prepared. These spheres were found to have uniform size with a clear core-shell structure and display even and strong fluorescence, based on the characterization by flow cytometry, microscopy, and photophysics. They were found to be stable and highly resistant to common solvents and even "dissociation agent", as well as possess good thermal stability and photostability. The feasibility of conjugating biomolecules on the surface of spheres was also demonstrated.

Fluorescent poly(phenylenevinylene) (PPV)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibrous membrane was prepared via electrospinning of PPV precursor and PVA aqueous solution followed by thermal elimination. Further cross-linking produced the cross-linked membrane PPV/CPVA. Both PPV/PVA and PPV/CPVA membranes were found to have similar morphology and photophysics. These membranes showed a great fluorescence quenching response to aromatic solvents and a much smaller response to other organic solvents. Water also effectively quenched the fluorescence of PPV/PVA but not that of PPV/CPVA. This was attributed to un-cross-linked PVA being able to dissolve in water and the cross-linking improving the resistance of the membrane toward water. The sensing behavior was found to have good reversibility. The contact angle study showed that addition of only about 1% of PPV into the matrix reduced the hydrophilicity of the membrane significantly, suggesting that the PPV chains would be located at the surface of the fibers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigation further confirmed such surface enrichment of PPV in the binary polymer blends. The PPV chain on the surface facilitated the π-π interaction between the polymer backbones and the aromatic molecules, thus leading to good selectivity and fast response of the two fibrous membranes toward aromatic solvents.

Preclinical Research The study evaluated the effect of thalidomide on adhesion molecule expression in acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in rats. Acute pancreatitis was induced in rats by retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate into the bile-pancreatic duct, and thalidomide (100 mg/kg) was given daily by intragastric route for 8 days before this treatment. Serum lipase (LPS), protein levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in lung were measured. Compared with the acute pancreatitis- group, lung histopathology, serum LPS, protein levels in BALF, SOD, GSHpx, and MDA levels, and the expression levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin mRNA and protein in rats given thalidomide were improved (P < 0.01). Thus, thalidomide may reduce the expression of adhesion molecules via inhibition of oxidative stress to alleviate acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in a rat model. Drug Dev Res 76 : 24–30, 2015

Electrospun polymer/noble metal hybrid nanofibers have developed rapidly as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active substrates over the last few years. However, polymer/noble metal nanofibers with plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF) activity have received no attention to date. Herein, we show a general and facile approach for the preparation of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/noble metal/SiO2 nanofibrous mats with PEF activity for the first time by combining electrospinning and controlled silica coatings. These PEF-active nanofibrous mats can selectively improve the fluorescence intensity of conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs). Importantly, the CPE solution in the presence of a PAN/noble metal/SiO2 nanofibrous mat showed dramatic fluorescence quenching towards picomolar (pM) amounts of heavy metal ions, while the fluorescence of the CPE solution without the nanofibrous mat had no apparent quenching towards micromolar (μM) amounts of metal ions. The combination of the distance-dependent fluorescence enhancement performance of metal NPs and the ionic characteristics of the CPE solution makes the polymer/noble metal nanofibers promising substrates for greatly improving the detection sensitivity towards metal ions. We believe that this work provides a general strategy for preparing plasmon band-tuned PEF-active substrates with advantages including good selectivity, remarkable sensitivity and recyclability, which make them a preferable choice for practical sensing applications.

Poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) fluorescent microspheres were prepared in two steps. First, the positive sulfonium-salt PPV precursor (pre-PPV) was coated onto the surface of negatively charged polymer substrate spheres; second, the pre-PPV was converted into fluorescent PPV via a heterogeneous catalytic thermal elimination process. A series of fluorescent microspheres were obtained with different apparent colors and different fluorescence emissions simply by varying the elimination temperature. A spectroscopy study showed that, compared to the direct solid elimination, the spheres obtained via catalyzed elimination gave a very large variation in the emission, such as a larger shift in the wavelength, and more delicate spectra profiles with peaks and shoulders. Overlapping of the signals from blue channels and green channels in the confocal microscopy study gave a direct view of the gradual change from the blue emission to the green emission for the spheres obtained at elimination temperatures from 40 °C to 120 °C. Flow cytometry measurements showed that spheres obtained at different temperatures exhibit different combinations of the intensities from four different receiving channels. These PPV spheres were also demonstrated to have a smooth surface, monodispersity, a clear core–shell structure, thermal stability and photostability.

A new variety of Iris laevigata Fisch. (Iridaceae) is described from Jilin Province in northeastern China. The new variety I. laevigata var. alba Ling Wang, L. Su & F. J. Shang differs from the typical variety of the species by tepals that are mostly white (vs. dark blue). Further, the color of the anthers is white with a blue tinge in the new variety (vs. entirely blue in the autonymic variety). The diameter of the flower in I. laevigata var. alba is much greater, ca. 12–14 cm (vs. usually 9–10 cm in I. laevigata var. laevigata).

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs longer than 200 nucleotides. They were long regarded as transcription noise for their low expression and non-protein coding features. Recent published reports indicate that lncRNAs are involved in virtually every aspect of human biology. We aimed to profile the endometrial lncRNA expression pattern in women with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and predict the function of the genes of the dysregulated lncRNA transcripts. Endometrial samples (24) were collected during window of implantation (14 RIF women and 10 women who conceived after embryo transfer). For the microarray study, 7 RIF endometrium and 5 control endometrium were selected, and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed on the rest of the endometrial samples to validate the microarray results. After that, lncRNA-mRNA co-expression analysis, GO analysis, KEGG analysis, and lncRNA-transcript factor (TF) analysis were carried out to analyze the gene functions of the dysregulated lncRNA transcripts. We detected a total of 197 lncRNA transcripts that were dysregulated in RIF endometrium compared with the control group. The relative expression levels of eight selected lncRNA transcripts were validated by RT-qPCR and were in accordance with the microarray outcomes. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the coexpressed mRNA transcripts were involved in pathways that may affect endometrial receptivity such as cell adhesion. The lncRNA target predictions provided potential TF targets of the dysregulated lncRNA transcripts. Our results indicate that lncRNA expression profiles of RIF endometrium were different from that of normal receptive endometrial, suggesting that lncRNAs may regulate endometrial receptivity. Abbreviations: GO: Gene Oncology; GFs: growth factors; KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes; lncRNAs: long noncoding RNAs; PCA3: prostate cancer antigen 3; RT-qPCR: quantitative real-time PCR; RIF: recurrent implantation failure; STK: serine/threonine kinase; TF: transcription factor; WOI: window of implantation

Poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) nanoparticles in aqueous colloidal solution have been prepared via a modified Wessling method, with the addition of surfactant. The fluorescent colloidal solution was used as the developing solution to develop the fingerprints on different substrates. The developing process was accomplished simply by immersing the substrates into developing solution and then taking out, followed by rinsing with deionized water. The initial study about the fingerprints on the adhesive tapes showed that the developing solution is very effective in fluorescence development on both fresh and aged visible fingerprints; and such an effect was negligibly affected by treating the fingerprints with water or other organic solvents, whether before developing or after. Further study on latent fingerprints (LFPs) demonstrated that PPV nanoparticles in colloidal solution have high sensitivity in developing fingerprints to give very clearly fluorescent patterns. At least 6 months of storage of the colloidal solution did not reduce the developing effect; and each developing solution (3.6 mg/mL, 5.0 mL) can be used to develop at least 30 fingerprints without sacrificing the legibility of the pattern. The preliminary mechanism investigation suggested that selectivity achieved toward the ridge of the fingerprint is very likely due to the affinity between PPV molecules and oily secretions of the fingerprints. Digital magnification of the developed fingerprints provided more details about the fingerprint.

High endometrial receptivity in the window of implantation (WOI) is essential for successful implantation. However, a diagnostic tool with high specificity for impaired endometrial receptivity remains to be developed. We collected endometrium specimens during the WOI from patients with RIF and women who conceived after one IVF/ICSI attempt. We conducted mRNA microarray on the samples followed by relevant comparative and functional analysis. Microarray analysis revealed 357 dysregulated mRNAs between the two groups. The majority of these mRNAs were found to encode membrane proteins by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. The major functional biological pathways associated with the down-regulated mRNAs were cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, the p53 signalling pathway and the complement and coagulation cascades. Up-regulated mRNAs were found mainly to participate in pathways such as PPAR signalling, hematopoietic cell lineage, phosphatidylinositol signalling system, ECM-receptor interaction and notch signalling. AQP3, DPP4 and TIMP3 whose expression patterns were down-regulated in RIF patients both by microarray and real-time PCR had a high correspondence with previous studies demonstrating that these genes may contribute to the defects in endometrial receptivity in RIF patients. Overall, these RIF-associated mRNAs may help devise new diagnostic tools for endometrial receptivity.

Aims We studied the effect of thalidomide on NFκB-induced TNF-α in acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in the rat. Methods Rats were intragastrically administered thalidomide (100 mg/kg) daily for 8 days and then acute pancreatitis was induced by retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate into the rat biliopancreatic duct. Serum amylase (AMY), blood oxygen partial pressure (PaO 2 ), ratios of lung wet/dry weight, and cytoplasmic IκBα and TNF-α protein and nuclear NFκBp65 protein were measured. Also, lung NFκBp65 and TNF-α mRNA were measured. Results Compared with the model group, the pathological score of the pancreas and lung, serum AMY, ratios of lung wet/dry weight, and lung NFκBp65 and TNF-α mRNA and protein of rats given thalidomide were decreased significantly ( P 2 and IκBα protein was elevated significantly ( P Conclusion Thalidomide may inhibit TNF-α expression via down-regulation of the NFκB signaling pathway to alleviate acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in rats.

The introduction of reactive groups on the surface of monodispersed highly crosslinked poly(styrene–divinylbenzene) (PSDVB) microspheres was accomplished in two steps. The first step requires immobilizing the initiating groups by a Friedel–Craft acylation between 2-chloropropionyl chlorides and the phenyl groups on the spheres. The second step requires the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to obtain spheres (PSDVB-g-PGMA) with epoxy groups on the surface. To demonstrate the feasibility of introducing functionality, the epoxy groups were ring-opened by ethylenediamines, resulting in spheres with amino functionality (PSDVB-g-PGMAEDA). The final spheres were found to have an adsorption capacity of 0.66 mmol/g in the Cu2+ adsorption experiments, as a preliminary application study.

Pattern-based strategy is an emerging field of interest for effective sensing applications. Seven different conjugated polymers from combinatorial synthesis were combined into a sensor array, and seven metal cations were selected as representative analytes. The response patterns for each cation were constructed by collecting the individual fluorescence responses from seven polymers in the array. Each ion owns a characteristic pattern. Some of them have similar modes of response with subtle differences, while some patterns are distinctively different. The family/period the metal cations belong to and the charges/electronic configurations they possess may account for such similarity/difference in the pattern.

Plant metallothioneins (MT) are cysteine-rich proteins present in plants that can improve a plant’s salt tolerance. Therefore, a greater understanding of the MT gene in lily (Lilium pumilum), Liliaceae, is an important factor in the development and cultivation of improved salt-tolerant varieties and enriching plant resources for saline soils. A type 2 MT gene (GenBank access number: MH319787, designated as LpMT2) was isolated from L. pumilum leaves. The response mechanism to stress was then investigated, which provided the basis for molecular breeding of L. pumilum for stress tolerance. The LpMT2 gene amino acid sequence is highly homologous to that of type 2 MT protein. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) determined that different plant tissues expressed the LpMT2 gene differently and these expressions were dependent on the specific stress. Transgenic plants with LpMT2 gene exhibited significantly increased resistance to salt and oxidative stress compared with untransgenic plants. The LpMT2 transgenic plants had better growth, greater chlorophyll and proline content, less malondialdehyde (MDA) content and cell membrane permeability, greater superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, less Na+ content, greater K+ content and Na+ efflux, and less K+ efflux. These results determined that the transformed LpMT2 gene in L. pumilium plays an important role in enhancing the plant’s salt tolerance and antioxidant capacity.