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Quantum networks provide a prospective paradigm to connect separated quantum nodes, which relies on the distribution of long-distance entanglement and active feedforward control of qubits between remote nodes. Such approaches can be utilized to construct nonlocal quantum gates, forming building blocks for distributed quantum computing and other novel quantum applications. However, these gates have only been realized within single nodes or between nodes separated by a few tens of meters, limiting the ability to harness computing resources in large-scale quantum networks. Here, we demonstrate nonlocal photonic quantum gates between two nodes spatially separated by 7.0 km using stationary qubits based on multiplexed quantum memories, flying qubits at telecom wavelengths, and active feedforward control based on field-deployed fibers. Furthermore, we illustrate quantum parallelism by implementing the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm and the quantum phase estimation algorithm between the two remote nodes. These results represent a proof-of-principle demonstration of quantum gates over metropolitan-scale distances and lay the foundation for the construction of large-scale distributed quantum networks relying on existing fiber channels., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The tribe Collabieae (Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae) comprises approximately 500 species. Generic delimitation within Collabieae are confusing and phylogenetic interrelationships within the Collabieae have not been well resolved. Plastid genomes and nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were used to estimate the phylogenetic relationships, ancestral ranges, and diversification rates of Collabieae. The results showed that Collabieae was subdivided into nine clades with high support. We proposed to combine Ancistrochilus and Pachystoma into Spathoglottis, merge Collabium and Chrysoglossum into Diglyphosa, and separate Pilophyllum and Hancockia as distinctive genera. The diversification of the nine clades of Collabieae might be associated with the uplift of the Himalayas during the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene. The enhanced East Asian summer monsoon in the Late Miocene may have promoted the rapid diversification of Collabieae at a sustained high diversification rate. The increased size of terrestrial pseudobulbs may be one of the drivers of Collabieae diversification. Our results suggest that the establishment and development of evergreen broadleaved forests facilitated the diversification of Collabieae., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

WNK (With No Lysine) kinases are members of serine/threonine protein kinase family, which lack conserved a catalytic lysine (K) residue in protein kinase subdomain II and this residue is replaced by either asparagine, serine, or glycine residues. They are involved in various physiological regulations of flowering time, circadian rhythms, and abiotic stresses in plants. In this study, we identified the WNK gene family in two species of Acorus , and analyzed their phylogenetic relationship, physiochemical properties, subcellular localization, collinearity, and cis -elements. The results showed twenty-two WNK s in two Acorus (seven in Ac. gramineus and fifteen in Ac. calamus ) have been identified and clustered into five main clades phylogenetically. Gene structure analysis showed all WNK s possessed essential STKc_WNK or PKc_like superfamily domains, and the gene structures and conserved motifs of the same clade were similar. All the WNK s harbored a large number of light response elements, plant hormone signaling elements, and stress resistance elements. Through a collinearity analysis, two and fourteen segmental duplicated gene pairs were identified in the Ac. gramineus and Ac. calamus , respectively. Moreover, we observed tissue-specificity of WNK s in Acorus using transcriptomic data, and their expressions in response to salt stress and cold stress were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The results showed WNK s are involved in the regulation of abiotic stresses. There were significant differences in the expression levels of most of the WNK s in the leaves and roots of Acorus under salt stress and cold stress, among which two members in Ac. gramineus ( AgWNK3 and AgWNK4 ) and two members in Ac. calamus ( AcWNK8 and AcWNK12 ) were most sensitive to stress. In summary, this paper will significantly contribute to the understanding of WNK s in monocots and thus provide a set up for functional genomics studies of WNK protein kinases.

Pleione is an orchid endemically distributed in high mountain areas across the Hengduan Mountains (HDM), Himalayas, Southeast Asia and South of China. The unique flower shapes, rich colors and immense medicinal importance of Pleione are valuable ornamental and economic resources. However, the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the genus have not yet been comprehensively resolved. Here, the evolutionary history of Pleione was investigated using single-copy gene single nucleotide polymorphisms and chloroplast genome datasets. The data revealed that Pleione could be divided into five clades. Discordance in topology between the two phylogenetic trees and network and D-statistic analyses indicated the occurrence of reticulate evolution in the genus. The evolution could be attributed to introgression and incomplete lineage sorting. Ancestral area reconstruction suggested that Pleione was originated from the HDM. Uplifting of the HDM drove rapid diversification by creating conditions favoring rapid speciation. This coincided with two periods of consolidation of the Asian monsoon climate, which caused the first rapid diversification of Pleione from 8.87 to 7.83 Mya, and a second rapid diversification started at around 4.05 Mya to Pleistocene. The interaction between Pleione and climate changes, especially the monsoons, led to the current distribution pattern and shaped the dormancy characteristic of the different clades. In addition to revealing the evolutionary relationship of Pleione with orogeny and climate changes, the findings of this study provide insights into the speciation and diversification mechanisms of plants in the East Asian flora., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal cancer with limited therapeutic options. Dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer vaccines provide a promising approach for GBM treatment. Clinical studies suggest that other immunotherapeutic agents may be combined with DC vaccines to further enhance antitumor activity. Here, we report a GBM case with combination immunotherapy consisting of DC vaccines, anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1) and poly I:C as well as the chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide that was integrated with standard chemoradiation therapy, and the patient remained disease-free for 69 months. The patient received DC vaccines loaded with multiple forms of tumor antigens, including mRNA-tumor associated antigens (TAA), mRNA-neoantigens, and hypochlorous acid (HOCl)-oxidized tumor lysates. Furthermore, mRNA-TAAs were modified with a novel TriVac technology that fuses TAAs with a destabilization domain and inserts TAAs into full-length lysosomal associated membrane protein-1 to enhance major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigen presentation. The treatment consisted of 42 DC cancer vaccine infusions, 26 anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab administrations and 126 poly I:C injections for DC infusions. The patient also received 28 doses of cyclophosphamide for depletion of regulatory T cells. No immunotherapy-related adverse events were observed during the treatment. Robust antitumor CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell responses were detected. The patient remains free of disease progression. This is the first case report on the combination of the above three agents to treat glioblastoma patients. Our results suggest that integrated combination immunotherapy is safe and feasible for long-term treatment in this patient. A large-scale trial to validate these findings is warranted., Competing Interests: You-Wen He and Shi-You Li are co-founders of Tricision Biotherapeutics Inc., and the contribution of You-Wen He in this project was through his scientific advisor to tricision Biotherapeutic Inc. Sheng-Nan Sun, Jun Jiang, Qian-Ting Wang, and Shi-You Li are full-time employees of Tricision Biotherapeutics Inc. You-Wen He and Jun O. Liu are co-inventors of the TriVac technology patented by Duke University and Johns Hopkins University and co-founders of TriVac Inc. TriVac technology used by Tricision Biotherapeutics Inc. was licensed by Duke/JHU through TriVac Inc. Other authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Meplazumab, a humanized CD147 antibody, has shown favourable safety and efficacy in our previous clinical studies. In DEFLECT (NCT04586153), 167 patients with severe COVID-19 were enroled and randomized to receive three dosages of meplazumab and a placebo. Meplazumab at 0.12 mg/kg, compared to the placebo group, showed clinical benefits in significantly reducing mortality by 83.6% (2.4% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.0150), increasing the proportion of patients alive and discharged without supplemental oxygen (82.9% vs. 70.7%, p = 0.0337) and increasing the proportion of patients who achieved sustained clinical improvement (41.5% vs. 31.7%). The response rate in the 0.2 mg/kg group was relatively increased by 16.0% compared with the placebo group (53.7% vs. 46.3%). Meplazumab also reduced the viral loads and multiple cytokine levels. Compare with the placebo group, the 0.3 mg/kg significantly increased the virus negative rate by 40.6% (p = 0.0363) and reduced IL-8 level (p = 0.0460); the 0.2 mg/kg increased the negative conversion rate by 36.9%, and reduced IL-4 (p = 0.0365) and IL-8 levels (p = 0.0484). In this study, the adverse events occurred at a comparable rate across the four groups, with no unexpected safety findings observed. In conclusion, meplazumab promoted COVID-19 convalescence and reduced mortality, viral load, and cytokine levels in severe COVID-19 population with good safety profile., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Ganoderma neo-japonicum Imazeki is a rare medicinal mushroom that has been reported to play a role in scavenging free radicals, protecting the liver, and inhibiting tumor cell activity. In this study, crude extracts were prepared, and 47 triterpenoids were identified by Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole time-of flight mass spectrometry ( UHPLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS). Then, the crude extracts were subjected to column chromatography for the first time to obtain six fractions (Fr. (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f)). Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory active tracking assays of all fractions found that Fr. (c) exhibited the strongest bioactivity. Subsequently, the chemical composition of Fr. (c) was clarified, and eight triterpenoids were determined in combination with the standard substances. In addition, this study demonstrated that Fr. (c) reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Further studies showed that Fr. (c) could down-regulate the expression level of proteins associated of NF-κB signaling pathway, and upregulated Nrf2 and HO-1 protein level. In conclusion, our study showed that Fr. (c) inhibited LPS-mediated inflammatory response and oxidative stress by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and inactivating the NF-κB pathway. In the future, with the clearing of its composition and activity mechanism, Fr. (c) of G. neo-japonicum are expected to become a functional food for health and longevity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

DASH-type cryptochromes (cry-DASH) belong to cryptochrome/photolyase family (CPF), that includes photolyases with the capability to repair UVB-induced DNA lesions and cryptochromes acting as photoreceptors without photorepair activity. However, recent studies demonstrated that cry-DASH can repair cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) in damaged single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). Up to now, cry-DASHs have been investigated in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. However, the characteristics and role of cry-DASH in Antarctic diatom were not elucidated. Here, a cry-DASH sequence (Pticry-DASH) of the Antarctic diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum ICE-H was retrieved from the transcriptome data, amplified by RT-PCR, cloned, and then expressed in Escherichia coli. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that Pticry-DASH is most closely related to cry-DASH. The gene expression of Pticry-DASH under abiotic stress was investigated by RT-PCR. Significant transcript accumulation was revealed after exposure to UVB, blue light, high-intensity light, and high temperature. The Pticry-DASH was expressed in E. coli, purified and its activity was measured. Photo-reactivation experiments confirmed that Pticry-DASH can repair CPDs in ssDNA lesions. Taken together for the first time the cry-DASH has been identified in the Antarctic diatom. The properties and peculiarities of Pticry-DASH including UVB-induced CPDs repair function may promote the exploitation of Antarctic resources.

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is invasive and heterogeneous, and existing therapies are sometimes unsuccessful. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a breakthrough tumor treatment method, particularly for B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We found that CD147 was highly expressed in tumor T cells of T-ALL patients and T cell lymphoma. Therefore, CD147-CAR T cells that contain a humanized single-chain variable fragment targeting human CD147 and a second-generation CAR frame were constructed for treating T-ALL. CD147-CAR T cells were able to maintain a healthy proliferation rate, preserving a subset of CD62L+/CCR7+ memory T cells. CD147-CAR T cells showed a potent anti-tumor activity against human T-ALL cell line and T-ALL blasts, releasing high level of cytokines in the process. However, CD147-CAR T cells exhibited potential safety toward human normal cells and CD147-deficent cells. NOD/ShiLtJGpt-Prkdc em26Cd52 Il2rg em26Cd22 /Gpt mice were used to establish a T-ALL xenograft model and CD147-CAR T cells conferred robust protection against T-ALL progression and significantly improved survival in mice. Overall, we found that CD147 is a potential antigen target of CAR T cell therapy for T-ALL., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A mesoporous crosslinked chitosan-activated clinoptilolite biocomposite (CS-GA/ACP) was prepared with chitosan (CS) as the substrate and glutaraldehyde (GA) as the crosslinking agent. Structural analysis of the CS-GA/ACP composite beads was performed using FTIR, SEM, and BET techniques. The adsorption properties of the CS-GA/ACP for Congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) removal were examined using a batch method. The effects of CS loading, CS-GA/ACP dosages (0.005-0.25 g), pH values (3-11), initial concentrations (30-300 mg/L), contact time (5-120 min), ionic strength, and temperatures (25-65 ℃) on the adsorption of CR and MB on the CS-GA/ACP composite beads were investigated. The pseudo-second-order kinetics could better describe the adsorption process than the pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the Langmuir isotherms model agreed well with the experimental data. The maximum adsorption capacities of the CS-GA/ACP for CR and MB were 180.59 mg/g and 143.67 mg/g at 25 ℃, respectively. The proposed mechanism studies showed that the possible interaction between the adsorbent and dye molecules were Yoshida H-bonding, dipole-dipole H-bonding, electrostatic interaction and n-π interaction. The CS-GA/ACP can be recycled to remove dyes without significant loss of efficacy, and the adsorption of dyes on the CS-GA/ACP is spontaneous endothermic adsorption. Overall, the CS-GA/ACP showed an excellent performance for dyes removal in aqueous solution and could be a practical candidate for industrial applications., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Recent evidence suggests that CD147 serves as a novel receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Blocking CD147 via anti-CD147 antibody could suppress the in vitro SARS-CoV-2 replication. Meplazumab is a humanized anti-CD147 IgG 2 monoclonal antibody, which may effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Here, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 1 trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of meplazumab in healthy subjects, and an open-labeled, concurrent controlled add-on exploratory phase 2 study to determine the efficacy in COVID-19 patients. In phase 1 study, 59 subjects were enrolled and assigned to eight cohorts, and no serious treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) or TEAE grade ≥3 was observed. The serum and peripheral blood C max and area under the curve showed non-linear pharmacokinetic characteristics. No obvious relation between the incidence or titer of positive anti-drug antibody and dosage was observed in each cohort. The biodistribution study indicated that meplazumab reached lung tissue and maintained >14 days stable with the lung tissue/cardiac blood-pool ratio ranging from 0.41 to 0.32. In the exploratory phase 2 study, 17 COVID-19 patients were enrolled, and 11 hospitalized patients were involved as concurrent control. The meplazumab treatment significantly improved the discharged (P = 0.005) and case severity (P = 0.021), and reduced the time to virus negative (P = 0.045) in comparison to the control group. These results show a sound safety and tolerance of meplazumab in healthy volunteers and suggest that meplazumab could accelerate the recovery of patients from COVID-19 pneumonia with a favorable safety profile.

In face of the everlasting battle toward COVID-19 and the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2, no specific and effective drugs for treating this disease have been reported until today. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a receptor of SARS-CoV-2, mediates the virus infection by binding to spike protein. Although ACE2 is expressed in the lung, kidney, and intestine, its expressing levels are rather low, especially in the lung. Considering the great infectivity of COVID-19, we speculate that SARS-CoV-2 may depend on other routes to facilitate its infection. Here, we first discover an interaction between host cell receptor CD147 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The loss of CD147 or blocking CD147 in Vero E6 and BEAS-2B cell lines by anti-CD147 antibody, Meplazumab, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 amplification. Expression of human CD147 allows virus entry into non-susceptible BHK-21 cells, which can be neutralized by CD147 extracellular fragment. Viral loads are detectable in the lungs of human CD147 (hCD147) mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, but not in those of virus-infected wild type mice. Interestingly, virions are observed in lymphocytes of lung tissue from a COVID-19 patient. Human T cells with a property of ACE2 natural deficiency can be infected with SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus in a dose-dependent manner, which is specifically inhibited by Meplazumab. Furthermore, CD147 mediates virus entering host cells by endocytosis. Together, our study reveals a novel virus entry route, CD147-spike protein, which provides an important target for developing specific and effective drug against COVID-19.

Introduction: Identifying target oncogenic alterations in lung cancer represents a major development in disease management. We examined the association of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 ( FGFR1 ) gene amplification with pathological characteristics and geographic region., Material and Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of studies published between January 2010 and October 2016. Relative risks (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated regarding the rate of FGFR1 amplification in different lung cancer types and geographic region., Results: Twenty-three studies (5252 patients) were included. There was heterogeneity between studies. However, in subgroup analyses for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), studies using the same definition of FGFR1 amplification, and those from Australia, no significant heterogeneity was detected. The prevalence of FGFR1 amplification in these studies ranged from 4.9% to 49.2% in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 5.1% to 41.5% in SCC, 0% to 14.7% in adenocarcinoma, and 0% to 7.8% in SCLC. The prevalence of FGFR1 amplification was significantly higher in SCC than in adenocarcinoma (RR = 5.2) and SCLC (RR = 4.2). The prevalence of FGFR1 amplification ranged from 5.6% to 22.2% in Europe, 4.1% to 18.2% in the United States, 7.8% to 49.2% in Asia, and 14.2% to 18.6% in Australia. The rate of FGFR1 amplification was higher in Asians than in non-Asians (RR = 1.9) in NSCLC., Conclusions: These results suggest that FGFR1 amplification occurs more frequently in SCC and in Asians. FGFR1 amplification may be a potential new therapeutic target for specific patients and lung cancer subtypes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2019 Termedia & Banach.)

In recent years, some marine microbes have been used to degrade diesel oil. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the biodegradation are still poorly understood. In this study, a hypothermophilous marine strain, which can degrade diesel oil in cold seawater was isolated from Antarctic floe-ice and identified and named as Rhodococcus sp. LH. To clarify the biodegradation mechanisms, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolomics strategy was performed to determine the diesel biodegradation process-associated intracellular biochemical changes in Rhodococcus sp. LH cells. With the aid of partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), 17 differential metabolites with variable importance in the projection (VIP) value greater than 1 were identified. Results indicated that the biodegradation of diesel oil by Rhodococcus sp. LH was affected by many different factors. Rhodococcus sp. LH could degrade diesel oil through terminal or sub-terminal oxidation reactions, and might also possess the ability to degrade aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, some surfactants, especially fatty acids, which were secreted by Rhodococcus into medium could also assist the strain in dispersing and absorbing diesel oil. Lack of nitrogen in the seawater would lead to nitrogen starvation, thereby restraining the amino acid circulation in Rhodococcus sp. LH. Moreover, nitrogen starvation could also promote the conversation of relative excess carbon source to storage materials, such as 1-monolinoleoylglycerol. These results would provide a comprehensive understanding about the complex mechanisms of diesel oil biodegradation by Rhodococcus sp. LH at the systematic level.

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a main indoor pollutant that is capable of harming the health of residents. Here, we fabricated a novel MnO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite film for non-photocatalytic, room temperature removal of indoor HCHO. MnO2/MWCNTs nanocomposites with various amounts of a-MWCNTs, which were fabricated by a co-precipitation method, were assembled into composite films using vacuum filtration and solvent evaporation. Structural analysis confirms that MnO2 nanoparticles are homogeneously distributed on a-MWCNTs. The acetyl acetone method was used to characterize the catalytic activity of MnO2/MWCNTs nanocomposites. The results show that MnO2/MWCNTs composites with 30 wt% a-MWCNTs present the highest catalytic activity due to a highly active surface. The catalytic activity of MnO2/MWCNTs composite film was characterized in a glovebox at room temperature and showed good removal of HCHO. This study suggests that supporting catalysts on MWCNTs and then assembling them into fibers (1D), films (2D) or aerogels (3D) is a worthwhile approach to promote catalytic activity and prevent dust pollution.

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and risk factors in patients with lung cancer and COPD., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 282 patients with lung cancer, including 174 and 108 patients with and without COPD, respectively. Information on age, sex, smoking status, and histologic type was obtained from medical records., Results: Lung cancer patients with COPD and those with the chronic bronchitis (CB) phenotype had higher smoking indices compared to those without COPD (723.95 ± 631.48 and 920.95 ± 712.93 versus 418.40 ± 506.84; P = 0.010; P = 0.001, resp.), and current smokers accounted for significantly higher proportions of lung cancer patients with COPD and the CB phenotype versus without COPD (51.15% and 63.74% versus 35.19%; P = 0.009; P = 0.001, resp.). Adenocarcinoma was significantly more common in lung cancer patients without versus with COPD (48.15% versus 35.63%; P = 0.037), whereas small cell lung cancer was more common in patients with COPD (23.56% versus 13.89%). Among patients with COPD, male sex (odds ratio [OR], 19.946; P < 0.001), current smokers (OR: 6.588; P = 0.001), and age ≥ 75 years (OR: 2.670; P = 0.008) were identified as high-risk factors., Conclusion: The risk factors for COPD among lung cancer patients were age ≥ 75 years, current smokers with the CB phenotype, and male sex.

Although great progress has been made in hybrid iodocuprates(i) as lighting phosphors, the effects of aromatic and aliphatic structure directing agents (SDAs) on their water stability, structure and photoluminescence (PL) properties are still not clear. Herein, aromatic N-heterocyclic 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene (dpe), aliphatic N-heterocyclic 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (dbu) and N-aminoethylpiperazine (app) were selected to be SDAs to construct two types of hybrid iodocuprates(i) via a facile in situ approach. Aromatic dpe-derived cations are successfully directed to form (Me 2 dpe)(CuI 3 ) (1), (Me 2 dpe) n (Cu 4 I 6 ) n (2), (Et 2 dpe) 2 (Cu 6 I 10 ) (3), and (H 2 dpe) n (Cu 2 I 4 ) n (4). Three of them contain unprecedented inorganic iodocuprate clusters or chains. The aliphatic N-heterocyclic dbu- and app-derivative cations are responsible for the formation of (Hdbu) n (Cu 2 I 3 ) n (5) and (H 3 app) 2 (Cu 2 I 6 )·2I·2H 2 O (6), which contain a (Cu 2 I 3 ) - chain and a (Cu 2 I 6 ) 4- binuclear cluster, respectively. For the first time, the influence mechanisms of the water stabilities of iodocuprate-based PL materials were disclosed, by analyzing the possible interactions between SDAs and water molecules. 1-2 are PL silent due to their "self-quenching effect". 3, 4 and5 exhibit bright red, orange and yellow solid-state PL emissions at room temperature respectively, originating from the charge transfer between inorganic iodocuprate species and organic N-heterocycles. The co-template approach leads to multiple charge transfers in 6, which features a tunable PL behavior from bluish green to white by varying the excitation light, and has a quantum yield up to 43% (the highest value among hybrid iodocuprates containing (Cu 2 I 6 ) 4- clusters). The comparative study not only helps us to rationally synthesize iodocuprate-based PL materials with enhanced performance, but also provides a new method to obtain wavelength-dependent PL materials.

Calmodulin (CaM) is a Ca 2+ -binding protein that plays a role in several Ca 2+ signaling pathways, which dynamically regulates the activities of hundreds of proteins. The ice alga Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L, which has the ability to adapt to extreme polar conditions, is a crucial primary producer in Antarctic ecosystem. This study hypothesized that Cam helps the ICE-L to adapt to the fluctuating conditions in the polar environment. It first verified the overall length of Cam, through RT-PCR and RACE-PCR, based on partial Cam transcriptome library of ICE-L. Then, the nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences were, respectively, analyzed by various bioinformatics approaches to gain more insights into the computed physicochemical properties of the CaM. Potential involvements of Cam in responding to certain stimuli (i.e., UVB radiation, high salinity, and temperature) were investigated by differential expression, measuring its transcription levels by means of quantitative RT-PCR. Results showed that CaM was indeed inducible and regulated by high UVB radiation, high salinity, and nonoptimal temperature conditions. Different conditions had different expression tendencies, which provided an important basis for investigating the adaptation mechanism of Cam in ICE-L.

Ocean acidification (OA) resulting from increasing atmospheric CO 2 strongly influences marine ecosystems, particularly in the polar ocean due to greater CO 2 solubility. Here, we grew the Antarctic sea ice diatom Nitzschia sp. ICE-H in a semicontinuous culture under low (~400ppm) and high (1000ppm) CO 2 levels. Elevated CO 2 resulted in a stimulated physiological response including increased growth rates, chlorophyll a contents, and nitrogen and phosphorus uptake rates. Furthermore, high CO 2 enhanced cellular particulate organic carbon production rates, indicating a greater shift from inorganic to organic carbon. However, the cultures grown in high CO 2 conditions exhibited a decrease in both extracellular and intracellular carbonic anhydrase activity, suggesting that the carbon concentrating mechanisms of Nitzschia sp. ICE-H may be suppressed by elevated CO 2 . Our results revealed that OA would be beneficial to the survival of this sea ice diatom strain, with broad implications for global carbon cycles in the future ocean., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

CD147 is highly expressed on the surface of numerous tumor cells to promote invasion and metastasis. Targeting these cells with CD147-specific antibodies has been validated as an effective approach for lung and liver cancer therapy. In the immune system, CD147 is recognized as a co-stimulatory receptor and impacts the outcome of thymic selection. Using T cell-specific deletion, we showed here that in thymus CD147 is indispensable for the stable αβ T cell lineage commitment: loss of CD147 biases both multipotent DN (double negative) and fully committed DP (double positive) cells into innate NK-like lineages. Mechanistically, CD147 deficiency results in impaired Wnt signaling and expression of BCL11b, a master transcription factor in determining T cell identity. In addition, functional blocking of CD147 by antibody phenocopies genetic deletion to enrich NK-like cells in the periphery. Furthermore, using a melanoma model and orthotopic liver cancer transplants, we showed that the augmentation of NK-like cells strongly associates with resistance against tumor growth upon CD147 suppression. Therefore, besides its original function in tumorigenesis, CD147 is also an effective surface target for immune modulation in tumor therapy., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To review the prevalence and prognostic significance of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) amplification and to establish an association between FGFR1 amplification and the clinical characteristics of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Data Sources: We searched PubMed for English-language studies published between January 2010 and May 2016., Study Selection: We included all relevant articles, with no limitation of study design., Results: FGFR1 amplification was reported in 8.7-20.0% of NSCLC cases and was significantly more frequent in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) (9.7-28.3%) than in adenocarcinomas (ADCs) (0-15.0%). The rates of FGFR1 amplification were as follows: males, 13.9-22.1%; females, 0-20.1%; Stage I NSCLC, 9.3-24.1%; Stage II NSCLC, 12.9-25.0%; Stage III NSCLC, 8.2-19.5%; Stage IV NSCLC, 0-12.5%; current smokers, 13.3-29.0%; former smokers, 2.5-23.0%; and nonsmokers, 0-22.2%. Overall survival was 43.9-70.8 months in patients with FGFR1 amplification and 42.4-115.0 months in patients with no FGFR1 amplification; disease-free survival was 22.5-58.5 months and 52.4-94.6 months, respectively., Conclusions: FGFR1 amplification is more frequent in SCCs than in ADCs. The association between FGFR1 amplification and clinical characteristics (gender, smoking status, and disease stage) and the prognostic significance of FGFR1 amplification in NSCLC remain controversial., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Previous studies demonstrate that microRNA-138 (miR-138) is critical in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) regulation. We further explored the molecular mechanism of miR-138 in NSCLC. Lentivirus was used to upregulate miR-138 in NSCLC cell lines H460 and SPC-A1 cells. Previously known effects of miR-138 upregulation on NSCLC, proliferation, cell cycle division, and cisplatin sensitivity were examined in H460 and SPC-A1 cells. Moreover, previously unknown effect of miR-138 upregulation on NSCLC migration was also examined in H460 and SPC-A1 cells. A new miR-138 downstream target, cyclin D3 (CCND3), was assessed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). CCND3 was then ectopically overexpressed in H460 and SPC-A1 cells. The effects of forced overexpression of CCND3 on miR-138-induced NSCLC regulations were further examined by proliferation, cell cycle, cisplatin sensitivity, and migration assays, respectively. Lentivirus-induced miR-138 upregulation inhibited NSCLC proliferation and cell cycle division, in line with previous findings. Moreover, we found that miR-138 upregulation had other anti-tumor effects, such as increasing cisplatin sensitivity and reducing cancer migration, in H460 and SPC-A1 cells. Luciferase assay and qRT-PCR showed that CCND3 was directly targeted by miR-138. Forced overexpression of CCND3 in H460 and SPC-A1 cells reversed the anti-tumor effects of miR-138 upregulation on cancer cell growth, cell cycle, cisplatin sensitivity, and migration. Our study revealed novel anti-cancer effects of miR-138 upregulation in NSCLC, as well as its new molecular target of CCND3.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins (SEs) in the serum from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and its involvement in the condition. Thirty CRS patients without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), 40 CRS patients with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Peripheral blood was obtained and analyzed to measure the serum levels of total IgE, specific IgE to SEA, SEB and SEC, and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) using ImmunoCAP assays. The positive rate and level of serum specific IgE to SEB, but not to SEA or SEC, were significantly higher in CRSwNP patients compared with the controls (P=0.027 and P=0.021, respectively). No significant differences were found between CRSsNP patients and controls, or between CRSsNP and CRSwNP patients. Serum total IgE was significantly elevated and positively correlated with SEB-specific IgE in the CRSsNP (P<0.001; r=0.393, P=0.032) and CRSwNP (P<0.001; r=0.581, P<0.001) groups. ECP was also significantly increased in the CRSsNP (P=0.002) and CRSwNP (P<0.001) groups, but not correlated with specific IgE to SEs in either CRS group. The results suggest that SEB may play a role in the pathogenesis of CRSwNP.

Objective: To observe the regulatory effects of electroacupuncture with different acupoints combinations on blood lipid and atherosclerosis index (AI) in rats with hyperlipemia, so as to make a preliminary screening for the optimal acupoints combination for hyperlipemia., Methods: One hundred and five clean-grade SD male rats were randomly divided into 9 groups, including a normal group, a model group, a Quchi group, a Zhongwan group, a Fenglong group, a Quchi+Zhongwan group, a Quchi+Fenglong group, a Zhongwan+Fenglong group and a Quchi+Zhongwan+Fenglong group (three acupoints group), 17 rats in the normal group and 11 rats in the rest groups. The normal group was fed with normal diet, while the rest groups were fed with high-fat diet for 3 weeks to prepare the hyperlipemia model. All the rats were given unlimited water. After the establishment of model, the normal group was fed freely without any treatment; the model group was bundled and immobilized everyday; the rest groups were bundled, immobilized and treated with electroacupuncture at corresponding acupoints with disperse-dense wave, 20 min per time, once a day. After 4 weeks, the blood examples were collected from abdominal aorta to measure the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), and analyzed the AI in each group., Results: After the treatment, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C and AI in each acupuncture group were all lower than those in the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with single acupoint group and the Quchi+Zhongwan group, the content of TC in the three acupoints group was lower (P<0.01). The differences of content of TG among each acupuncture group were not significant (all P>0.05). Compared with the rest 6 acupuncture groups, the content of HDL-C and AI in the three acupoints group were significantly different (all P<0.05). The content of LDL-C in the three acupoints group was decreased as compared with the Quchi group and the Zhong-wan group., Conclusion: The electroacupuncture at "Quchi" (LI 11), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Fenglong" (ST 40) has more advantages on regulating the content of HDL-C and LDL-C as well as improving AI in hyperlipemia rats, and it has superior effects on blood lipid metabolism.

Lung interstitial fibrosis is a chronic lung disease, and few effective therapies are available to halt or reverse the progression of the disease. In murine and human lung fibrosis, the expression of CD147 is increased. However, the role of CD147 in lung fibrosis has not been identified, and it remains to be determined whether lung fibrosis would be improved by decreasing the expression of CD147. A murine bleomycin-induced lung interstitial fibrosis model was used in the experiments, and HAb18 mAbs and CsA were administered during the induction of lung fibrosis. In our study, we found that the HAb18 mAbs markedly reduced the collagen score and down-regulated M1 macrophages and Th17 cells. In vitro, flow cytometry analysis showed that M1 macrophages induced higher Th17 differentiation than M2 macrophages. After treatment with HAb18 mAbs or after reducing the expression of CD147 by lentivirus interference in M1 macrophages, the level of Th17 cells were significantly inhibited. In conclusion, HAb18 mAbs or CsA treatment ameliorates lung interstitial fibrosis. CD147 promoted M1 macrophage and induced the differentiation of Th17 cells in lung interstitial fibrosis, perhaps by regulating some cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1β, IL-12 and IL-23. These results indicated that CD147 may play an important role in the development of lung interstitial fibrosis., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

New anhydrous lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) [Pr(tip)1.5]2n (tip-Pr), [Nd(tip)1.5]2n (tip-Nd), [Eu-(tip)1.5]2n (tip-Eu), and [Eu(OH)(mip)]n (mip-Eu) (tip=5-tert-butylisophthalate anion, mip=5-methylisophthalate ion), have been hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) techniques. MOFs tip-Pr, tip-Nd, and tip-Eu are isostructural anhydrous compounds, and exhibit an unprecedented 3D microporous structure with hexagonal channel arrays. The selectively prepared MOF mip-Eu presents an interpenetrated 3D microporous architecture containing the hydroxyl cluster chains. Solid-state photoluminescence properties at room temperature indicate that both tip-Eu and mip-Eu display the characteristic of the Eu3+ ion spectrum dominated by the 5D0-->7F(J) (J=0-4) transition. Compared with mip-Eu, tip-Eu displays the very high solid-state quantum yield (0.62 ± 0.03) and longer lifetime value (0.94 ± 0.01 ms), which is due to the absence of the hydroxyl groups from the solid-state structure of tip-Eu. More importantly, a new method to directly investigate the potential of solid-state lanthanide MOFs for ionic sensing in aqueous solutions has been developed, and successfully applied it to study the potential sensing function of tip-Eu for polyoxometalates (POMs). The possible mechanism for the quenching effect of POMs on the fluorescence of tip-Eu is elucidated by the strongly competitive absorption of the excited light source energy between POMs and tip ligands. The very promise for the highly sensitive sensing for polyoxometalates, together with the characteristic of the reversible fluorescence response, suggest that solid-state tip-Eu can be an excellent candidate for the directly photoluminescent detection of POMs in aqueous solutions.

Background: To explore the relationship between the liver X receptor α gene (LXRα) rsl2221497 polymorphism and the susceptibility of coronary heart disease (CHD) and serum lipids and glucose levels., Methods: The single fluorescently labeled probes technique was used to detect the genotype of rsl2221497 in LXRα gene in 240 CHD patients and 250 healthy control subjects. The difference of genotype distribution between the two groups was analyzed using of Chi-square test. The serum lipids and glucose levels between the different genotypes were also compared., Results: The risk of CHD in carriers with (AA + GA) genotype was 1.76 times as that in the GG genotype carriers (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.18-2.87, P <0.05), and the risk of CHD in carriers with A allele increased 0.88 times compared to that in G allele carriers (OR = 1.88, 95% CI:1.21-3.43, P <0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for other confounding factors, A allele was an independent risk for CHD. However, there were no differences in serum lipids and glucose levels between each genotype., Conclusions: The rsl2221497 polymorphism in LXRα gene was associated with susceptibility of CHD in Han population.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and diabetic essential hypertension in elderly population., Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used in 260 elderly normal control patients, 205 elderly hypertensive patients and 138 elderly diabetic hypertensive patients to detect the I/D polymorphism in ACE gene., Results: DD genotype frequency (0.352) and D allele frequency (0.543) in elderly hypertensive patients were higher than those in the normal control patients. DD genotype (0.421) and D allele frequency (0.579) in elderly diabetic hypertensive patients were significantly higher than those in the control patients (0.133 and 0.250). The differences of DD genotype and D allele frequency between the elderly hypertensive patients and the elderly diabetic hypertensive patients were not significant (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: ACE gene deletion is a risk factor for hypertension but is not a risk factor for diabetes in elderly population.

This study was aimed to investigate the radioprotective effects of recombinant human interleukin-12 (rhIL-12) on monkey hematopoietic system, and to provide experimental evidence for future clinical prophylaxis and treatment for patients who suffered from acute radiation syndrome. In in vitro study, the effect of rhIL-12 in different concentrations (0, 1, 5, 25, 125 and 625 ng/ml) on colony forming capacity of human or monkey bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells was examined in methylcellulose H4434 medium. In in vivo study, the acute radiation syndrome model was established in 11 Rhesus monkeys which received lethal total body irradiation by 6 Gy (60)Co γ in single time irradiation. The irradiated monkeys were randomly divided into 3 subgroups: control group (n = 4) which received subcutaneous PBS injection, rhIL-12 single-dose group (n = 3) which received subcutaneous single injection of rhIL-12 (4 µg/kg) at 2 h after irradiation, and multiple-dose group (n = 4) which received subcutaneous injection of rhIL-12 (1 µg/kg per injection) at 2 h, day 3, 6 and 9 after irradiation respectively. Peripheral blood cells were counted before and after irradiation every other day. The survival status of animals were observed daily. In vitro test results showed that different concentrations of rhIL-12 obviously promoted human and healthy monkeys' bone marrow mononuclear cells to form various hematopoietic progenitor cell colonies, especial CFU-E and CFU-GM. All animals in control group died within 22 d after lethal total body irradiation, average survival time was (20.3 ± 1.2) d. Only one monkey in multiple-dose group died due to anemia on day 17. All monkeys in single-dose group survived. Compared with control group, rhIL-12-administrated monkeys' white blood cell count, hemoglobin level, platelet and reticulocyte counts showed faster recovery from high dose radiation. It is concluded that the rhIL-12 treatment can promote the bone marrow hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell colony formation in vitro and protect lethally-irradiated monkeys. There is an obvious therapeutic effect of rhIL-12 on monkeys suffered from bone marrow failure caused by severe acute radiation exposure.

Objective: To explore clinical presentations and the operational opportunity of traumatic cervical disc herniation., Methods: From June 2002 to June 2009,40 patients with traumatic cervical disc herniation were treated. There were 24 males and 16 females, with an average age of 43.2 years old ranging from 30 to 56 years. There were 36 patients with single intervertebral disc herniation and 4 patients with double. The injury level of those patients were at C3,4 in 16 cases, C4,5 in 10 cases, C5,6 in 12 cases and C6,7 in 6 cases. Among them, 18 patients showed spinal cord signal changes by MRI, 5 patients suffered from nothing but neck and shoulder pain, 8 patients with nerve root stimulation; 10 patients with spinal cord compression, and 17 patients had both nerve root stimulation and spinal cord compression symptoms. Conservative treatment were applied to 13 patients with neck and shoulder pain and nerve root stimulation, 5 cases of which were transferred to operation in case of poor effects, and Odom criteria were used to assess operational effects. Twenty-seven patients with spinal cord compression accepted operation from 1 to 27days after their trauma, 16 of which were operated in 5 days (early operational group with an JOA score of 11.3 +/- 2.8), other 11 cases were operated from 5 to 27 days (delayed operational group with an JOA score of 11.4 +/- 2.9 ), then functional assessment of spinal cord were assessed according to JOA criteria., Results: Three patients who were transferred from conservative treatment recovered excellently according to Odom criteria and the other 2 were good at final followed-up. JOA score of early operational group increased from (11.3 +/- 2.8) to (15.3 +/- 1.8) one week after operation (P < 0.01), and (15.9 +/- 1.4) at final followed-up (P < 0.01). JOA score of delayed operational group increased from (11.4 +/- 2.9) to (14.0 +/- 2.6) one week after operation (P < 0.01), and (15.3 +/- 1.5) at final followed-up (P < 0.01). The recovery ratio of JOA score of early operational group were (74.6 +/- 16.8)% 1 week after operation,and increased to (85.6 +/- 13.6)% at final followed-up; while that of delayed operational group were (50.9 +/- 17.5)% and (68.2 +/- 21.5)%, and there were significant difference between early operational group and delayed operational group both at 1 week postoperation and final followup (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: There are some difference in pathological segment and imaging manifestation between traumatic cervical disc herniation and cervical spondylosis. Early operation is favorable to the recovery of neurological function in patients with spinal cord compression.

A cDNA (GenBank ID: GU395492) encoding cytosolic glutathione reductase (named ICE-LGR) in Antarctic microalgae Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L was successfully cloned by RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends technique (RACE). The expression patterns of ICE-LGR under different salinity stresses were determined by real-time PCR. ICE-LGR cDNA has 1913 bp nucleotides with an open reading frame (ORF) of 1458 bp, encoding 485 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence shows 79% homology with glutathione reductase (GR) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Activity assessment and mRNA expression analysis results showed that activity and expression level of GR in ICE-L cells were up-regulated under either high or low salinity. Together, our results revealed that ICE-LGR might play an important role in Antarctic ice algae Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L acclimatizing to polar high salinity environment as well as low salinity. These results provide us valuable information on further investigating the molecular mechanism of ICE-LGR., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In attempts to investigate whether the photoluminescence properties of the Zn-based heterometal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could be tuned by doping different Ln(3+) (Ln = Sm, Eu, Tb) and Mn(2+) ions, seven novel 3D homo- and hetero-MOFs with a rich variety of network topologies, namely, [Zn(mip)](n) (Zn-Zn), [Zn(2)Mn(OH)(2)(mip)(2)](n) (Zn-Mn), [Mn(2)Mn(OH)(2)(mip)(2)](n) (Mn-Mn), [ZnSm(OH)(mip)(2)](n) (Zn-Sm), [ZnEu(OH)(mip)(2)](n) (Zn-Eu1), [Zn(5)Eu(OH)(H(2)O)(3)(mip)(6)·(H(2)O)](n) (Zn-Eu2), and [Zn(5)Tb(OH)(H(2)O)(3)(mip)(6)](n) (Zn-Tb), (mip = 5-methylisophthalate dianion), have been synthesized hydrothermally based on a single 5-methylisophthalic acid ligand. All compounds are fully structurally characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, TG-DTA analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) techniques. The various connectivity modes of the mip linkers generate four types of different structures. Type I (Zn-Zn) is a 3D homo-MOF with helical channels composed of Zn(2)(COO)(4) SBUs (second building units). Type II (Zn-Mn and Mn-Mn) displays a nest-like 3D homo- or hetero-MOF featuring window-shaped helical channels composed of Zn(4)Mn(2)(OH)(4)(COO)(8) or Mn(4)Mn(2)(OH)(4)(COO)(8) SBUs. Type III (Zn-Sm and Zn-Eu1) presents a complicated corbeil-like 3D hetero-MOF with irregular helical channels composed of (SmZnO)(2)(COO)(8) or (EuZnO)(2)(COO)(8) heterometallic SBUs. Type IV (Zn-Eu2 and Zn-Tb) contains a heterometallic SBU Zn(5)Eu(OH)(COO)(12) or Zn(5)Tb(OH)(COO)(12), which results in a 3D hetero-MOF featuring irregular channels impregnated by parts of the free and coordinated water molecules. Photoluminescence properties indicate that all of the compounds exhibit photoluminescence in the solid state at room temperature. Compared with a broad emission band at ca. 475 nm (λ(ex) = 380 nm) for Zn-Zn, compound Zn-Mn exhibits a remarkably intense emission band centered at 737 nm (λ(ex) = 320 nm) due to the characteristic emission of Mn(2+). In addition, the fluorescence intensity of compound Zn-Mn is stronger than that of Mn-Mn as a result of Zn(2+) behaving as an activator for the Mn(2+) emission. Compound Zn-Sm displays a typical Sm(3+) emission spectrum, and the peak at 596 nm is the strongest one (λ(ex) = 310 nm). Both Zn-Eu1 and Zn-Eu2 give the characteristic emission transitions of the Eu(3+) ions (λ(ex) = 310 nm). Thanks to the ambient different crystal-field strengths, crystal field symmetries, and coordinated bonds of the Eu(3+) ions in compounds Zn-Eu1 and Zn-Eu2, the spectrum of the former compound is dominated by the (5)D(0) → (7)F(2) transition (612 nm), while the emission of the (5)D(0) → (7)F(4) transition (699 nm) for the latter one is the most intense. Compound Zn-Tb emits the characteristic Tb(3+) ion spectrum dominated by the (5)D(4) → (7)F(5) (544 nm) transition. Upon addition of the different activated ions, the luminescence lifetimes of the compounds are also changed from the nanosecond (Zn-Zn) to the microsecond (Zn-Mn, Mn-Mn, and Zn-Sm) and millisecond (Zn-Eu1, Zn-Eu2, and Zn-Tb) magnitude orders. The structure and photoluminescent property correlations suggest that the presence of Mn(2+) and Ln(3+) ions can activate the Zn-based hetero-MOFs to emit the tunable photoluminescence.

Laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy can help with observing and studying individual cells or organelles in a natural state for a relatively long period. In the present experiment, Laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy (LTRS) was used as a tool to report physiological metabolism such as cells growth and nucleic acid, proteins, lipid and glucose of a single active cold-adapted Aromatic hydrocarbons-degradating strains isolated from Antarctic Sea. After the Raman spectrum was collected and analyzed, the findings are as follows: Raman spectrum identified the components of a single cold-adapted Aromatic hydrocarbons-degradating strain and there were more proteins and carbohydrate produced during the Planococcus sp. NJ41 and Shewanella sp. NJ49 growth and degradation; but there was more lipid than the proteins produced during the Pseudoalteromonas sp. NJ289 growth and degradation; the amount of proteins produced by the strains corresponds with the production of degradation rate-limiting enzyme, and was also related to the capacity of low-temperature degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons.

The effect of hexadecyltrimethyleamine bromide (HDTMAB) on the removal of Alexandrium sp. LC3 under cupric glutamate stress was investigated. Toxic effect of cupric glutamate on A lexandrium sp. LC3 was significantly promoted in the presence of HDTMAB, especially at 3.0 cmc of HDTMAB. It was found that the sulfhydryl group content of the cell decreased, while the malonaldehyde content and membrane permeability increased when Alexandrium sp. LC3 was treated with HDTMAB and cupric glutamate complex, compared with cupric glutamate alone. The data suggest that HDTMAB might stimulate the damage of Alexandrium sp. LC3 by enhancing the membrane permeability.

Marinomonas sp. NJ522, isolated from Antarctic sea ice, produces a cold-active iron superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1). The purified SOD was dimeric and had an approx. Mr of 48 kDa. Highest activity was detected from pH 8 to 10 and at 40 degrees C (assayed over 10 min). Activity at 0 degree C was nearly 35% of the maximum activity.

Colwellia sp. NJ341, isolated from Antarctic sea ice, secreted a cold-active serine protease. The purified protease had an apparent Mr of 60 kDa by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF MS. It was active from pH 5-12 with maximum activity at 35 degrees C (assayed over 10 min). Activity at 0 degrees C was nearly 30% of the maximum activity. It was completely inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride.

Glutathione (GSH) and GSH-related enzymes play a great role in protecting organisms from oxidative damage. The GSH level and GSH-related enzymes activities were investigated as well as the growth yield and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) content in the Antarctic ice microalga Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L exposure to the different cadmium concentration in this paper. The results showed that the higher concentration Cd inhibited the growth of ICE-L significantly and Cd would induce formation of MDA. At the same time, it is clear that GSH level, glutathione peroxidases (GPx) activity and glutathione S-transferases (GST), activity were higher in ICE-L exposed to Cd than the control. But GR activity dropped notably when ICE-L were cultured in the medium containing Cd. Increase of GSH level, GPx and GST activities acclimate to oxidative stress induced by Cd and protect Antarctic ice microalga Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L from toxicity caused by Cd exposure. These parameters may be used to assess the biological impact of Cd in the Antarctic pole region environment.

The effect of Ca2+ on the removal of Alexandrium sp. LC3 under HDTMAB stress was investigated. The results showed that the toxic effect of HDTMAB on Alexandrium sp. LC3 was significantly reduced in the presence of Ca2 , especially under 4 mmol/L of Ca2+. To understand the underlying mechanism, the SH group and MDA content of the cell membrane and membrane permeability were measured. It was found that the SH content of cell member increased, the MDA content and membrane permeability decreased when Alexandrium sp. was treated with Ca2+ and HDTMAB complex, compared with using HDTMAB only. The data suggested that Ca2+ might promote HDTMAB stress resistance of Alexandrium sp. LC3 by reducing the permeability and increasing the stability of cell membrane.

The radical cations of naturally occurring furanochromones visnagin (VI) and khellin (KH) have been generated and identified for the first time by use of laser flash photolysis and pulse radiolysis techniques. The lifetimes of VI(.+) and KH(.+) are determined as approximately 6 and approximately 35 micros under these conditions, respectively. Direct 308-nm excitation of VI in aqueous buffer at physiological pH results in monophotonic photoionization to generate VI(.+), with a quantum yield of 0.075, which is much higher than that of 8-methoxypsoralen and KH under identical conditions. Though VI(.+) is a more powerful oxidant than KH(.+), both of them react with guanosine mononucleotide (k=1.2x10(9) and 3.8x10(7) dm(3) mol(-1) s(-1), respectively) via electron transfer to give the guanine radical cation. Furthermore, selective oxidation of guanine in single and double strand DNA by VI(.+) was also observed. These novel findings suggest that electron transfer reactions involving furanochromone radical cations may be of considerable importance in furanochromone photochemotherapy.