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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) ravaged the world, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibited highly prevalent oral symptoms that had significantly impacted the lives of affected patients. However, the involvement of four human coronavirus (HCoVs), namely SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and HCoV-229E, in oral cavity infections remained poorly understood. We integrated single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of seven human oral tissues through consistent normalization procedure, including minor salivary gland (MSG), parotid gland (PG), tongue, gingiva, buccal, periodontium and pulp. The Seurat, scDblFinder, Harmony, SingleR, Ucell and scCancer packages were comprehensively used for analysis. We identified specific cell clusters and generated expression profiles of SARS-CoV-2 and coronavirus-associated receptors and factors (SCARFs) in seven oral regions, providing direction for predicting the tropism of four HCoVs for oral tissues, as well as for dental clinical treatment. Based on our analysis, it appears that various SCARFs, including ACE2, ASGR1, KREMEN1, DPP4, ANPEP, CD209, CLEC4G/M, TMPRSS family proteins (including TMPRSS2, TMPRSS4, and TMPRSS11A), and FURIN, are expressed at low levels in the oral cavity. Conversely, BSG, CTSB, and CTSL exhibit enrichment in oral tissues. Our study also demonstrates widespread expression of restriction factors, particularly IFITM1-3 and LY6E, in oral cells. Additionally, some replication, assembly, and trafficking factors appear to exhibit broad oral tissues expression patterns. Overall, the oral cavity could potentially serve as a high-risk site for SARS-CoV-2 infection, while displaying a comparatively lower degree of susceptibility towards other HCoVs (including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and HCoV-229E). Specifically, MSG, tongue, and gingiva represent potential sites of vulnerability for four HCoVs infection, with the MSG exhibiting a particularly high susceptibility. However, the expression patterns of SCARFs in other oral sites demonstrate relatively intricate and may only be specifically associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study sheds light on the mechanisms of HCoVs infection in the oral cavity as well as gains insight into the characteristics and distribution of possible HCoVs target cells in oral tissues, providing potential therapeutic targets for HCoVs infection in the oral cavity.

Abstract Regulating the interfacial charge transfer behavior between cocatalysts and semiconductors remains a critical challenge for attaining efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation reactions. Herein, using bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) photoanode as a model, it introduces an Au binding bridge as holes transfer channels onto the surfaces of BiVO4, and the cyano‐functionalized cobalt cubane (Co4O4) molecules are preferentially immobilized on the Au bridge due to the strong adsorption of cyano groups with Au nanoparticles. This orchestrated arrangement facilitates the seamless transfer of photogenerated holes from BiVO4 to Co4O4 molecules, forming an orderly charge transfer pathway connecting the light‐absorbing layer to reactive sites. An exciting photocurrent density of 5.06 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (3.4 times that of BiVO4) is obtained by the Co4O4@Au(A)/BiVO4 photoanode, where the surface charge recombination is almost completely suppressed accompanied by a surface charge transfer efficiency over 95%. This work represents a promising strategy for accelerating interfacial charge transfer and achieving efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation reaction.

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are mRNA suppressors that regulate a variety of cellular and physiological processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, triglyceride synthesis, fat formation, and lipolysis, by post-transcriptional processing. In previous studies, we isolated and sequenced miRNAs from mammary epithelial cells from Chinese Holstein cows with high and low milk fat percentages. MiR-485 was one of the significantly differentially expressed miRNAs that were identified. In the present study, the relationship between the candidate target gene DTX4 and miR-485 was validated by bioinformatics and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB) analyses in bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs). The results indicated that miR-485 negatively regulated the mRNA expression of the target gene DTX4. Furthermore, an shRNA interference vector for the target gene DTX4 was constructed successfully, and it increased the triglyceride content and reduced the cholesterol content of transfected cells. These results suggest that miR-485 may affect the contents of triglycerides (TGs) and cholesterol (CHOL) by targeting the DTX4 gene. This study indicates that miR-485 has a role in regulating milk fat synthesis and that miR-485 targets the DTX4 gene to regulate lipid metabolism in bMECs. These findings contribute to the understanding of the functional significance of miR-485 in milk fat synthesis.

The traditional electrochemical deposition process used to prepare Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin films has inherent flaws, such as the tendency to produce low-conductivity Ga2O3 phase and internal defects. In this article, CIGS thin films were prepared under vacuum (3 kPa), and the mechanism of vacuum electrodeposition CIGS was illustrated. The route of Ga incorporation into the thin films could be controlled in a vacuum environment via inhibiting pH changes at the cathode region. Through the incorporation of a low-conductivity secondary phase, Ga2O3 was inhibited at 3 kPa, as shown by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The preparation process used a higher current density and a lower diffusion impedance and charge transfer impedance. The films that were produced had larger particle sizes.

Chitosan (CTS) has been used as a nerve guidance conduit (NGC) material for bridging peripheral nerve defects due to its biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic properties. However, the nerve regeneration effect of chitosan alone is restricted due to its inadequate biological activity. Herein, a composite, bioactive chitosan based nerve conduit, consisting of outer warp-knitted tube scaffold made from medical-grade chitosan fiber, and inner porous cross linked carboxymethyl chitosan (C-CM-CTS) sponge with radial texture was developed. The inner wall of the scaffold was coated with C-CM-CTS solution. CM-CTS provided favorable bioactivities in the composite chitosan-based nerve conduit. An in vitro study of CM-CTS revealed its satisfying biocompatibility with fibroblast and its inhibition of oxidative damage to Schwann cells. As the internal filler of the NGC, the lyophilized sponge of C-CM-CTS showed a longitudinal guidance effect for nerve reconstruction. After 10 mm defect in rat sciatic nerve was bridged with the composite bioactive chitosan-based nerve conduit, the nerve conduit was able to effectively promote axonal regeneration and played a positive role in inducing nerve regeneration and functional recovery. In addition to the functional advantages, which are equal to those of an autograft; the technology for the preparation of this conduit can be put into mass production.

Aristolochic acid I (AAI) is a nephrotoxic chemical found in the plant genera, Aristolochia and Asarum. AAI can be reduced to positively charged aristolochyl actam-nitrogen ions in organisms: this intermediate product increases the oxidative stress due to AAI. Glutathione (GSH) acts synergistically with other amino acids in the liver for metabolizing toxic chemicals. Further, this small peptide containing an -SH group binds to AAI and reduces oxidative stress in A549 cells exposed to AAI. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was selected to explore the metabolites of the reaction between AAI and GSH. Ag@HSA was used as the basis for detecting metabolites based on its excellent biocompatibility. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the prepared SERS support substrate. A luminescence experiment was used to detect metabolites based on their chemical characteristics. In vivo tests in nude mice showed that AAI displays high toxicity. An injection of 200 μL AAI (10−4 M) into the abdominal cavity caused rapid death. CCK-8 assays showed that the viability of cells increased after adding GSH, indicating that GSH is involved in the detoxification metabolism of AAI.

Due to the frequent oil/organic solvent leakage, efficient oil/water separation has attracted extensive concern. However, conventional porous materials possess nonpolar building units, which reveal relatively weak affinity for polar organic molecules. Here, two different polarities of superhydrophobic porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) were synthesized with respective orthoposition and paraposition C=O groups in the PAF linkers. The conjugated structure formed by a large number of alkynyl and benzene ring structures enabled porous and superhydrophobic quality of PAFs. After the successful preparation of the PAF solids, PAF powders were coated on polyester fabrics by a simple dip-coating method, which endowed the resulting polyester fabrics with superhydrophobicity, porosity, and excellent stability. Based on the unique structure, the oil/water separation efficiency of two superhydrophobic flexible fabrics was more than 90% for various organic solvents. Polar LNU-26 PAF showed better separation performance for the polar oils. This work takes the lead in adopting the polar groups as building units for the preparation of porous networks, which has great guiding significance for the construction of advanced oil/water separation materials.

Porous aromatic framework materials with high stability, sensitivity, and selectivity have great potential to provide new sensors for optoelectronic/fluorescent probe devices. In this work, a luminescent porous aromatic framework material (LNU-23) was synthesized via the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of tetrabromopyrene and 1,2-bisphenyldiborate pinacol ester. The resulting PAF solid exhibited strong fluorescence emission with a quantum yield of 18.31%, showing excellent light and heat stability. Because the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of LNU-23 was higher than that of the nitro compounds, there was an energy transfer from the excited LNU-23 to the analyte, leading to the selective fluorescence quenching with a limit of detection (LOD) ≈ 1.47 × 10−5 M. After integrating the luminescent PAF powder on the paper by a simple dipping method, the indicator papers revealed a fast fluorescence response to gaseous nitrobenzene within 10 s, which shows great potential in outdoor fluorescence detection of nitro compounds.

The strong radioactivity of iodine compounds derived from nuclear power plant wastes has motivated the development of highly efficient adsorbents. Porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) have attracted much attention due to their low density and diverse structure. In this work, an azo group containing PAF solid, denoted as LNU-58, was prepared through Suzuki polymerization of tris-(4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-phenyl)-amine and 3,5-dibromoazobenzene building monomers. Based on the specific polarity properities of the azo groups, the electron-rich aromatic fragments in the hierarchical architecture efficiently capture iodine molecules with an adsorption capacity of 3533.11 mg g−1 (353 wt%) for gaseous iodine and 903.6 mg g−1 (90 wt%) for dissolved iodine. The iodine uptake per specific surface area up to 8.55 wt% m−2 g−1 achieves the highest level among all porous adsorbents. This work illustrates the successful preparation of a new type of porous adsorbent that is expected to be applied in the field of practical iodine adsorption.

Viral pneumonia has been a serious threat to global health, especially now we have dramatic challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately six million cases of community-acquired pneumonia occur every year, and over 20% of which need hospital admission. Influenza virus, respiratory virus, and coronavirus are the noteworthy causative agents to be investigated based on recent clinical research. Currently, anaphylactic reaction and inflammation induced by antiviral immunity can be incriminated as causative factors for clinicopathological symptoms of viral pneumonia. In this article, we illustrate the structure and related infection mechanisms of these viruses and the current status of antiviral therapies. Owing to a set of antiviral regiments with unsatisfactory clinical effects resulting from side effects, genetic mutation, and growing incidence of resistance, much attention has been paid on medicinal plants as a natural source of antiviral agents. Previous research mainly referred to herbal medicines and plant extracts with curative effects on viral infection models of influenza virus, respiratory virus, and coronavirus. This review summarizes the results of antiviral activities of various medicinal plants and their isolated substances, exclusively focusing on natural products for the treatment of the three types of pathogens that elicit pneumonia. Furthermore, we have introduced several useful screening tools to develop antiviral lead compounds.

Alternative splicing is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism in gene expression that allows a single gene generating multiple messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Significant differences in fat deposition ability and meat quality traits have been reported between Japanese black cattle (Wagyu) and Chinese Red Steppes, which presented a unique model for analyzing the effects of transcriptional level on marbling fat in livestock. In previous studies, the differentially expressed genes (DGEs) in longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) samples between Wagyu and other breeds of beef cattle have been reported. In this study, we further investigated the differences in alternative splicing in LDM between Wagyu and Chinese Red Steppes cattle. We identified several alternative splicing types including cassette exon, mutually exclusive exons, alternative 5′ splice site, alternative 3′ splice site, alternative start exon, and intron retention. In total, 115 differentially expressed alternatively spliced genes were obtained, of which 17 genes were enriched in the metabolic pathway. Among the 17 genes, 5 genes, including MCAT, CPT1B, HADHB, SIRT2, and DGAT1, appeared to be the novel spliced candidates that affect the lipid metabolism in cattle. Additionally, another 17 genes were enriched in the Gene Ontology (GO) terms related to muscle development, such as NR4A1, UQCC2, YBX3/CSDA, ITGA7, etc. Overall, altered splicing and expression levels of these novel candidates between Japanese black cattle and Chinese Red Steppes revealed by RNA-seq suggest their potential involvement in the muscle development and fat deposition of beef cattle.

Improving nonlinear optics efficiency is currently one of the hotspots in modern optical research. Moreover, with the maturity of nonlinear optical microscope systems, more and more biology, materials, medicine, and other related disciplines have higher imaging resolution and detection accuracy requirements for nonlinear optical microscope systems. Surface plasmons of metal nanoparticle structures could confine strong localized electromagnetic fields in their vicinity to generate a new electromagnetic mode, which has been widely used in surface-enhanced Raman scattering, surface-enhanced fluorescence, and photocatalysis. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of nonlinear optical effects and surface plasmons and also review some recent work on plasmon-enhanced nonlinear optical effects. In addition, we present some latest applications of nonlinear optical microscopy system research.

Carbon dots (CDs) are known as the rising star of carbon-based nanomaterials and, by virtue of their unique structure and fascinating properties, they have attracted considerable interest in different fields such as biological sensing, drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, photocatalysis, and solar cells in recent years. Particularly, the outstanding electronic and optical properties of the CDs have attracted increasing attention in biomedical and photocatalytic applications owing to their low toxicity, biocompatibility, excellent photostability, tunable fluorescence, outstanding efficient up-converted photoluminescence behavior, and photo-induced electron transfer ability. This article reviews recent progress on the synthesis routes and optical properties of CDs as well as biomedical and photocatalytic applications. Furthermore, we discuss an outlook on future and potential development of the CDs based biosensor, biological dye, biological vehicle, and photocatalysts in this booming research field.

Eating vegetables with pesticide residues over a long period of time causes serious adverse effects on the human body, such as acute poisoning, chronic poisoning, and endocrine system interference. To achieve the goal of a healthy society, it is an urgent issue to find a simple and effective method to detect organic pesticides. In this work, two fluorescent porous organic polymers, LNU-45 and LNU-47 (abbreviation for Liaoning University), were prepared using π-conjugated dibromopyrene monomer and boronic acid compounds as building units through a Suzuki coupling reaction. Due to the large π-electron delocalization effect, the resulting polymers revealed enhanced fluorescence performance. Significantly, in sharp contrast with the planar π-conjugated polymer framework (LNU-47), the distorted conjugated structure (LNU-45) shows a higher specific surface area and provides a broad interface for analyte interaction, which is helpful to achieve rapid response and detection sensitivity. LNU-45 exhibits strong fluorescence emission at 469 nm after excitation at 365 nm in THF solution, providing strong evidence for its suitability as a luminescent chemosensor for organic pesticides. The fluorescence quenching coefficients of LNU-45 for trifluralin and dicloran were 5710 and 12,000 (LNU-47 sample by ca. 1.98 and 3.38 times), respectively. Therefore, LNU-45 serves as an effective “real-time” sensor for the detection of trifluralin and dicloran with high sensitivity and selectivity.

This study aims to screen potential regulators and regulate fecundity networks between microRNAs (miRNAs) and target genes. The bovine testes of immature and mature Chinese Red Steppes were performed by genome-wide analysis of mRNAs and miRNAs. Compared with testicular tissues of newborns, 6051 upregulated genes and 7104 downregulated genes in adult cattle were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DEGs were significantly enriched in 808 GO terms (p < 0.05) including male gonad development, male genitalia development, spermatogenesis, and sperm motility. Moreover, DEGs were also significantly enriched in 105 KEGG pathways (p < 0.05), including cGMP-PKG signaling pathway and calcium signaling pathway. To explore the expression of miRNA-regulated gene expression, 896 differentially expressed target genes negatively regulated with the expression levels of 31 differentially expressed miRNAs (DERs) were predicted and analyzed, and a network-integrated analysis was constructed. Furthermore, real-time PCR was performed to verify the expression levels of DEGs and DERs. Our results identified novel candidate DEGs and DERs correlated with male reproduction and intricate regulating networks between miRNAs and genes, which will be valuable for future genetic and epigenetic studies of sperm development and maturity, as well as providing valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of male fertility and spermatogenesis in cattle.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play significant roles in mammalian spermatogenesis. Sertoli cells can provide a stable microenvironment and nutritional factors for germ cells, thus playing a vital role in spermatogenesis. However, few studies elucidate the regulation of bovine testicular Sertoli cells by miRNAs. Here, we have reported that miRNA-34c (miR-34c) regulates proliferation, apoptosis, and relative transcripts abundance gene in bovine Sertoli cells. In bovine Sertoli cells, overexpression of miR-34c inhibited proliferation and relative abundance of gene transcripts while promoting apoptosis of Sertoli cells, and the effects were the opposite when miR-34c was knocked down. Receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-34c in Sertoli cells, validated by analysis of the relative abundance of AXL transcript and dual-luciferase reporter assay. The relative abundance of the transcript of genes related to male reproduction in Sertoli cells was changed after the AXL gene was overexpressed, as demonstrated by the RT2 Profiler PCR Array results. In summary, miR-34c specifically regulated the AXL gene by targeting a sequence in the 3′-UTR, which could influence proliferation, apoptosis, and relative abundance of the transcript of male reproduction-related genes. Therefore, miR-34c could be considered an essential regulator in the process of bull spermatogenesis.

Nitrogen-rich porous networks with additional polarity and basicity may serve as effective adsorbents for the Lewis electron pairing of iodine molecules. Herein a carbazole-functionalized porous aromatic framework (PAF) was synthesized through a Sonogashira–Hagihara cross-coupling polymerization of 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene and 2,7-dibromocarbazole building monomers. The resulting solid with a high nitrogen content incorporated the Lewis electron pairing effect into a π-conjugated nano-cavity, leading to an ultrahigh binding capability for iodine molecules. The iodine uptake per specific surface area was ~8 mg m−2 which achieved the highest level among all reported I2 adsorbents, surpassing that of the pure biphenyl-based PAF sample by ca. 30 times. Our study illustrated a new possibility for introducing electron-rich building units into the design and synthesis of porous adsorbents for effective capture and removal of volatile iodine from nuclear waste and leakage.

Abstract 4-Aminophenyl disulfide (APDS) forms on the surface of silver nanoparticles due to chemical adsorption and disulfide bond breakage. This leads to the formation of new silver chemical bonds to result in the new compound NH2-C6H6-S-Ag. This novel material produces enhanced Raman spectra under weak laser light irradiation. When irradiated a plasma-assisted catalytic coupling reaction of NH2-C6H6-S-Ag occurs leading to the formation of 4,4-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB). Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor this reaction process, showing clear spectral changes associated with each step after addition of Ag nanoparticles onto the APDS powder. This method clearly shows the mechanism of the plasma-assisted catalytic reaction and may also be useful for spectral imaging purposes.

A large number of literatures have investigated the selective photocatalytic reaction of 4-aminothiophenol (PATP) to p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB). Most of them mainly study the contribution of substrate, excitation wavelength, exposure time, pH and added cations to plasmon-assisted surface catalytic reactions. However, we mainly study focuses on the effects of solvents on the dimerization of PATP to DMAB under the action of Ag nanoparticles (NPs). In experiments, a variety of diols was selected as solvents for the probe molecule PATP, and power-dependent SERS spectra were obtained at an excitation wavelength of 532 nm. From the laser-dependent SERS spectrum, we found that the characteristic peak enhancement effect of the product DMAB in different solvents is significantly different. That is, different solvents could regulate the rate at which DMAB is produced from PATP. Based on the experimental results, we further explored how different diol solvents regulate the response of PATP to DMAB. Our conclusion is that the solvent in the system can quickly capture the hot electrons generated by the decay of the plasmon, so that the remaining holes can oxidize PATP to form DMAB. The ability to trap hot electrons is different due to the difference in the position of the functional groups in the solvent, so that the photocatalytic reaction rate of the hole-oxidized PATP is different. The ability to capture electrons varies depending on the position of the functional groups in the solvent, so the oxidation rate of the photocatalytic reaction is also different. This work not only deepens our understanding of the mechanism of hole-driven surface catalysis oxidation reaction, but also provides a convenient method for regulating the rate of catalytic oxidation.

The elucidation of the mechanisms of preadipocyte differentiation and fat accumulation in adipocytes is a major work in beef cattle breeding. As important post-transcriptional regulators, microRNAs (miRNAs) take part in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and fat metabolism through binding seed sites of targeting mRNAs. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify bovine preadipocytes and screen miRNAs associated with adipogenesis. Bovine preadipocytes were isolated from subcutaneous fatty tissue and induced to differentiate into adipocytes. Verification of preadipocytes and adipocytes was performed by qRT-PCR (real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR), Oil Red O staining, and immunofluorescence staining. Total RNA was extracted for small RNA sequencing. The sequencing data showed that 131 miRNAs were highly expressed in adipocytes, and 119 miRNAs were highly expressed in preadipocytes. Stem–loop qPCR (stem–loop quantitative real-time PCR) results showed that the expression patterns of 11 miRNAs were consistent with the sequencing results (miR-149-5p, miR-24-3p, miR-199a-5p, miR-33a, etc.). According to KEGG pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses, multiple predicted target genes were associated with lipid metabolism. In summary, this study provides a protocol of isolating bovine preadipocytes and screening various differently expressed miRNAs during preadipocyte differentiation.