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Small proline-rich protein 1A (SPRR1A) plays a critical role in regulating squamous cell differentiation. SPRR1A overexpression was reported to be closely related to the progression of some tumors, such as gastric cancer and colon cancer. However, the function of SPRR1A in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been elucidated. Here, we first examined the expression pattern of SPRR1A in LUAD tissues, which indicated that the SPRR1A expression level was significantly elevated in LUAD tissues compared with normal lung tissues. High expression of SPRR1A was closely related to larger tumor size. LUAD patients with higher SPRR1A expression had poorer overall survival and SPRR1A was identified as an independent unfavorable prognosis factor. In addition, the effects of SPRR1A on lung cancer cells were tested through cellular experiments and the result demonstrated that knockdown of SPRR1A can suppress the proliferation and invasion capacities of tumor cells, while overexpressing SPRR1A exerted opposite effects. Finally, our findings were substantiated by the data obtained from in vivo xenografts using a mice model. In conclusion, LUAD patients with higher SPRR1A expression were more predisposed to poorer clinical outcomes and unfavorable prognoses, indicating the potential role of SPRR1A as a novel clinical biomarker and therapeutic target.

Redox activity is an important indicator for evaluating electrochemical biosensors. In this work, we have successfully polymerized indole-5-carboxylic acid into poly-5-carboxyindole nanomaterials (PI-5-CA), using its superior redox activity, and introduced carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotubes (C-SWCNTs) to synthesize a composite material. Finally, a synthesized composite material was used for the modification of the glass carbon electrode to fabricate the PI-5-CA/C-SWCNTs/GCE-based immunosensor and was successfully applied for the sensitive detection of

Small molecules encoded by biosynthetic pathways mediate cross-species interactions and harbor untapped potential, which has provided valuable compounds for medicine and biotechnology. Since studying biosynthetic gene clusters in their native context is often difficult, alternative efforts rely on heterologous expression, which is limited by host-specific metabolic capacity and regulation. Here, we describe a computational-experimental technology to redesign genes and their regulatory regions with hybrid elements for cross-species expression in Gram-negative and -positive bacteria and eukaryotes, decoupling biosynthetic capacity from host-range constraints to activate silenced pathways. These synthetic genetic elements enabled the discovery of a class of microbiome-derived nucleotide metabolites-tyrocitabines-from Lactobacillus iners. Tyrocitabines feature a remarkable orthoester-phosphate, inhibit translational activity, and invoke unexpected biosynthetic machinery, including a class of "Amadori synthases" and "abortive" tRNA synthetases. Our approach establishes a general strategy for the redesign, expression, mobilization, and characterization of genetic elements in diverse organisms and communities.

Morphological evolution of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with preferential crystal facets has appealed gigantic attention of research community. Herein, we prepare hierarchical hybrid material by structurally integrating fusiform-like CuNiAl LDHs petals on conductive backbone of CF (CF@CuNiAl LDHs) and investigate electrocatalytic behavior in nitrate reduction over a potential window of ˗0.7 V to +0.7 V. The CF@CuNiAl LDHs electrode exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic aptitude in nitrate sensing including broad linear ranges of 5 nM to 40 µM and 75 µM to 2.4 mM with lowest detection limit of 0.02 nM (S/N = 3). The sensor shows sensitivity of 830.5 ± 1.84 µA mM1- cm2- and response time within 3 s. Owing to synergistic collaboration of improved electron transfer kinetics, specific fusiform-like morphology, presence of more catalytically active {111} facets and superb catalytic activity of LDHs, CF@CuNiAl LDHs electrode has outperformed as electrochemical sensor. Encouraged from incredible performance, CF@CuNiAl LDHs flexible electrode has been applied in real-time in-vitro detection of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) through the sensing of nitrate because NOB convert nitrite into nitrate by characteristic metabolic process to obtain their energy. Further, CF@CuNiAl LDHs based sensing podium has also been employed in in-vitro detection of nitrates from mineral water, tap water and Pepsi drink.

Developmental outcomes are shaped by the interplay between intrinsic and external factors. The production of stomata—essential pores for gas exchange in plants—is extremely plastic and offers an excellent system to study this interplay at the cell lineage level. For plants, light is a key external cue, and it promotes stomatal development and the accumulation of the master stomatal regulator SPEECHLESS (SPCH). However, how light signals are relayed to influence SPCH remains unknown. Here, we show that the light-regulated transcription factor ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), a critical regulator for photomorphogenic growth, is present in inner mesophyll cells and directly binds and activates STOMAGEN. STOMAGEN, the mesophyll-derived secreted peptide, in turn stabilizes SPCH in the epidermis, leading to enhanced stomatal production. Our work identifies a molecular link between light signaling and stomatal development that spans two tissue layers and highlights how an environmental signaling factor may coordinate growth across tissue types., Light promotes stomatal development in plants. Here Wang et al. show that light stimulates stomatal development via the HY5 transcription factor which induces expression of STOMAGEN, a mesophyll-derived secreted peptide, that in turn leads to stabilization of a master regulator of stomatal development in the epidermis.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is an enteric bacterium causing yersiniosis in humans. The existing Yersinia pseudotuberculosis detection methods are time-consuming, requiring a sample pretreatment step, and are unable to discriminate live/dead cells. The current work reports a phage-based electrochemical biosensor for rapid and specific detection of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. The conductive poly(indole-5-carboxylic acid), reduced graphene oxide, and gold nanoparticles are applied for surface modification of the electrode. They possess ultra-high redox stability and retain 97.7% of current response after performing 50 consecutive cycles of cyclic voltammetry.The specific bacteriophages vB_YepM_ZN18 we isolated from hospital sewage water were immobilized on modified electrodes by Au-NH2 bond between gold nanoparticles and phages. The biosensor fabricated with nanomaterials and phages were utilized to detect Yersinia pseudotuberculosis successfully with detection range of 5.30 × 102 to 1.05 × 107 CFU mL−1, detection limit of 3 CFU mL−1, and assay time of 35 min. Moreover, the biosensor can specifically detect live Yersinia pseudotuberculosis without responding to phage-non-host bacteria and dead Yersinia pseudotuberculosis cells. These results suggest that the proposed biosensor is a promising tool for the rapid and selective detection of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in food, water, and clinical samples.

In this ongoing theme of COVID-19 pandemic, highly sensitive analytical testing platforms are extremely necessary to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antiviral antibodies. To limit the viral spread, prompt and precise diagnosis is crucial to facilitate treatment and ensure effective isolation. Accurate detection of antibodies (IgG and IgM) is imperative to understand the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in public and to inspect the proportion of immune individuals. In this review, we demonstrate and evaluate some tests which have been used commonly to detect SARS-CoV-2. These include nucleic acid tests and serological tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and specific antibodies in infected people. Moreover, the vitality of biosensing technologies emphasizing on optical and electrochemical biosensors towards the detection of SARS-CoV-2 has also been discussed here. The early diagnosis of COVID-19 based on detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction owing to virus induced dysfunctioning of lung cells has also been highlighted., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Standard diagnosis tools for SARS-CoV-2 detection. • Development in diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 detection. • Emerging biosensing technologies for SARS-CoV-2 detection. • Real-time monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 from blood serum, nasal swab and urine samples.

Some bacterial species are deadly disease-causing pathogens with high morbidity and mortality in humans worldwide. Key interfaces in the transmission of bacterial pathogens include food, water, dairy products, peridomestic animals, and human interplay. Early-stage detection of such bacteria is crucial in minimizing the risk of bacterial diseases and ensuring early diagnosis. Majority of the conventional microbiological and biochemical detection methods are laborious, require skilled individuals, and are not always accurate. Various molecular diagnostic tools and assays, utilizing sensitive and specific biorecognition elements, such as enzymes, antibodies, and nucleic acids, have been developed and widely used for the detection of pathogenic bacteria. An ideal biorecognition element for the detection of pathogens should be highly specific, stable, sensitive, selective, rapid, easily available, and cost-effective. Bacteriophages, which meet such prerequisites, may be used as biorecognition element alternatives to the currently available molecular probes in the development of cost-effective, specific, quick, sensitive, and reliable platforms (sensors and assays) for the detection of bacterial pathogens. This review details bacteriophage biology and various recognition sites and receptor-binding proteins on the surfaces of tailed phages, which can be used as the recognition sites for specific bacterial detection. It highlights structures and receptors on the surface of bacteria for binding and attachment of specific phages. These features of bacteria and phages provide a basis for establishing methodologies for phage-based bacterial detection, including phage-induced bacterial lysis, phages immobilized on a transducer surface, fluorescently labelled phages, phage-conjugated quantum dots, and recombinant reporter phages, particularly monitored through optical and electrochemical transducer systems.

Background: The spread of COVID-19 has become a growing cause of mortalities over the globe since its major outbreak in December 2019. The scientific and medical communities are rallying to study different strains and probable mutations to develop more rapid and reliable molecular diagnostic tests and possible therapeutic approaches for SARS-CoV-2. Introduction: In the first section, following the introductory part, we shed light on structural and pathogenic features of SARS-CoV-2 and risk factors related to age, gender, neonatal and comorbidities. The next section summarizes the current diagnostic tests for COVID-19, such as nucleic acid and computed tomography (CT) techniques, with further emphasis on emerging diagnostic approaches for COVID-19. Methods: Further, we also review the ongoing therapeutic practices which can block virus-host interaction, cease viral proliferation or inhibit hyperbolic host immune response with subsections on drug therapy, cell therapy, immunotherapy and herbal medicines that are being used for the possible treatment of patients. Results and conclusion: Among the different promising drugs, remdesivir, by inhibiting the RNA-dependent RNA-Polymerase activity, gives much better results, including declined viral load and quick lung tissue recovery. The long-lasting repercussions of COVID-19 have also been discussed at the end. In this review, we have also critically discussed the progress in several vaccines that are under development.

Currently, many strategies have been developed to improve the visible light photocatalytic ability of TiO2. Most of the strategies, such as doping, dye sensitization, formation of heterojunctions, use of a co-catalyst, and preparation of black TiO2, involve the introduction of new substances into pristine TiO2, which may cause new concerns about biosecurity of the new substances. Additionally, most researchers are focusing on the nano-sized TiO2 materials. However, nano-sized materials may affect the recovery process at the end of the reaction. In this work, we developed an easy and efficient method suitable for large scale production to prepare square brick-like anatase TiO2 mesocrystals with micrometer sizes and stepped structures on exposed {001} facets. First, square brick-like NH4TiOF3 particles were synthesized and sintered at a relatively low temperature and then converted to relatively less crystallized TiO2 mesocrystals with exposed {001} facets via topotactic transformation. Then, a sintering process was applied to promote crystal growth and fusion between the elemental building units of the less crystallized TiO2 mesocrystals, which finally led to the formation of stepped structures on the exposed {001} facets. We demonstrated that the unique structure can largely improve the visible light photocatalytic activity of TiO2. This strategy is interesting and different from the current widely used strategies because the visible light photocatalytic activity comes from the change in surface morphology instead of the change in the composition of a photocatalyst, which indicates the already well-proven safety. Also, our materials are mesocrystals, which provides more ease of recovery.

While chemotherapy is an important and widely used therapeutic for cancer, it may facilitate cancer metastasis. Herein, we report that human lung cancer cells exert higher invasion and metastasis after chemotherapy. In a human lung cancer xenograft model, chemotherapy promotes the cancer invasion and metastasis in HMGB1-dependent manner. Further studies identify HMGB1-containing nucleosome from chemotherapy-induced apoptotic cancer cells as an effective factor. Such nucleosome functions through TLR4 and TLR9 to drive cancer invasion and metastasis. In lung cancer patients, circulating HMGB1-containing nucleosome is higher in those under chemotherapy, predicting poorly cancer cell differentiation state, enhanced cancer invasion and advanced TNM stages. These findings provide a novel mechanism by which the tumor metastasis is propagated in lung cancer patients, especially in those under chemotherapy, and a clue for developing therapeutic strategies against chemotherapy-induced metastasis.

Hemoperfusion using metal ion affinity adsorbent is a promising method to remove human testosterone in plasma. Due to the leakage of metal ion from the adsorbents, there is no metal ion affinity adsorbent for hemoperfusion. In this study, chitosan was used to coat the adsorbent for preventing the leakage of Zn2+ loaded. Meanwhile, freeze-drying method was used to enhance adsorption capacity of Zn2+-loaded cellulose beads for testosterone. The results indicate that after the adsorbent was coated by 0.02% chitosan solution, the highest adsorption percentage reached 48%, during adsorption, the Zn2+ concentration in plasma did not increase; the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent can be significantly enhanced by freeze-drying. The results may be caused by porosity of the adsorbent enlarged via freeze-drying and improved stability by coating with chitosan. In addition, the adsorbent shows better selectivity and storage stability and could be a potential adsorbent to treat prostate cancer.

// Yuuki Ohara 1 , Shan Hwu Chew 1 , Nobuaki Misawa 1 , Shenqi Wang 1 , Daiki Somiya 1 , Kae Nakamura 2 , Hiroaki Kajiyama 2 , Fumitaka Kikkawa 2 , Yuta Tsuyuki 3 , Li Jiang 1 , Kyoko Yamashita 1 , Yoshitaka Sekido 4 , Kenneth E. Lipson 5 and Shinya Toyokuni 1, 6 1 Department of Pathology and Biological Responses, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan 3 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan 4 Division of Molecular Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan 5 FibroGen, Inc., San Francisco, CA 94158, USA 6 Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia Correspondence to: Shinya Toyokuni, email: toyokuni@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp Keywords: connective tissue growth factor (CTGF); malignant mesothelioma; molecular target therapy; FG-3019 (pamrevlumab); tumor microenvironment Received: October 31, 2017 Accepted: March 09, 2018 Published: April 06, 2018 ABSTRACT Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive neoplasm with no particularly effective treatments. We previously reported that overexpression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) promotes mesothelioma growth, thus suggesting it as a novel molecular target. A human monoclonal antibody that antagonizes CTGF (FG-3019, pamrevlumab) attenuates malignant properties of different kinds of human cancers and is currently under clinical trial for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. This study reports the effects of FG-3019 on human mesothelioma in vitro and in vivo . We analyzed the effects of FG-3019 on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration/invasion, adhesion and anchorage-independent growth in three human mesothelioma cell lines, among which ACC-MESO-4 was most efficiently blocked with FG-3019 and was chosen for in vivo experiments. We also evaluated the coexistent effects of fibroblasts on mesothelioma in vitro , which are also known to produce CTGF in various pathologic situations. Coexistent fibroblasts in transwell systems remarkably promoted the proliferation and migration/invasion of mesothelioma cells. In orthotopic nude mice model, FG-3019 significantly inhibited mesothelioma growth. Histological analyses revealed that FG-3019 not only inhibited the proliferation but also induced apoptosis in both mesothelioma cells and fibroblasts. Our data suggest that FG-3019 antibody therapy could be a novel additional choice for the treatment of mesothelioma.

Oriented attachment is a nonclassical and particle-based crystal growth pathway, which often leads to geologic and biological minerals that form in natural environments and have complex external morphologies and/or internal microstructures. Stepped structure, usually known as a kind of planar defects on materials surfaces, strongly influences chemical, physical and biological properties of a material. Stable stepped structure is highly demanded not only for theoretical research but also for practical applications. In this paper, we try to develop an easy way to create stepped structures on materials surfaces. This way uses crystallographically pre-aligned nanoparticles as precursors, which are typical intermediates during oriented attachment processes and sometimes known as mesocrystals. In general, mesocrystalline precursors of the target materials are synthesized first, which provide crystallographically pre-aligned nanoparticles; then sintering is applied to transform the precursors to highly crystalli...

The routinely used enzymes, antibodies, and nucleic acids-based biosensors for detection of Staphylococcus aureus are often overwhelmed by limited selectivity, sensitivity, high cost, and inability to discriminate between live/dead cells. This necessitates the development of an ultra-sensitive, stable, and selective electrochemical biosensor capable of discriminating live S. aureus in a mixture of live/dead cells in food samples. The current study reports the development of an electrochemical biosensor through the immobilization of bacteriophage in surface-modified bacterial cellulose (BC) matrix. BC being highly porous and fibrous, offers a high surface area for the impregnation of carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNTs) and allows high-density phage immobilization. Surface modification of BC/c-MWCNTs with polyethyleneimine (PEI) provides a positive charge that facilitates oriented phage immobilization. FE-SEM and FT-IR analyses confirmed the development of BC/c-MWCNTs-PEI-phage bio-interface. Confocal microscopy analysis showed 11.7 ± 1.2 phage particles⋅μm-2 immobilized in the BC matrix and showed anti-staphylococcal activity by producing clear lytic zone and reduced bacterial growth. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) analysis detected 3 CFU⋅mL-1 and 5 CFU⋅mL-1 of S. aureus in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and milk, respectively, within 30 min at neutral pH and showed stability over 6-weeks at 4 °C. The biosensor showed high specificity for S. aureus, both in pure and mixed cultures of non-host bacteria, and effectively discriminated live S. aureus in a mixture of live/dead cells. The developed biosensor represents a simple, sensitive, specific, and accurate tool for early detection of S. aureus in food samples.

Environmental pollution and food safety are becoming serious concerns to human health in developing countries. To combat such issues, researchers have developed different approaches for on-spot detection and screening of infectious disease, caused by pathogens and toxins in food and water samples. One such approach is the development of phage- and phage-component-based sensors that are highly specific, sensitive, rapid, efficient, cheap, and portable analyte screening platforms. Such sensors overcome the limitations of conventional screening approaches. This chapter highlights different food and environmental contaminations and represents the potential of phage-based biosensor for bacterial detection. It summarizes different applications of phage-based sensors in the fields of food safety and environmental monitoring and highlights current challenges and perspective. In general, this chapter brings together the technologies related to phage-based sensors and food and environmental safety, by compiling the efforts of engineers and scientists from multidisciplinary areas.

The high stability of redox signal is one of the most crucial factors in construction of electrochemical immunosensors. However, the redox-active species usually show low stability and poor conductivity, which inhibits their application in electrochemical immunosensors. In this work, we report that the conductive polymer poly(indole-5-carboxylic acid) (PIn-5-COOH) possesses ultra-high redox stability. The redox signal of PIn-5-COOH could remain 96.03% after 500 cyclic voltammery (CV) cycles in buffer solution with pH of 6.2, while the redox signals in most of the previous reports only remained less than 90% after 50 CV cycles. Our mechanism investigation indicated that the ultra-high redox stability of PIn-5-COOH should be attributed to its stable structure. The electrochemical immunosensors fabricated with PIn-5-COOH/MWCNTs-COOH nanocomposite showed a wide linear range from 0.001 ng mL−1 to 100 ng mL−1 and a low detection limit of 0.33 pg mL−1 for the detection of alpha fetoprotein. This study opens up a new avenue for the construction of electrochemical immunosensors with ultra-stable redox signal.

// Shenqi Wang 1 , Li Jiang 1 , Yipeng Han 2 , Shan Hwu Chew 1 , Yuuki Ohara 1 , Shinya Akatsuka 1 , Liang Weng 2 , Koji Kawaguchi 3 , Takayuki Fukui 3 , Yoshitaka Sekido 4, 5 , Kohei Yokoi 3 , Shinya Toyokuni 1 1 Department of Pathology and Biological Responses, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, 466–8550, Japan 2 Department of Tumor Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, 466–8550, Japan 3 Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, 466–8550, Japan 4 Department of Cancer Genetics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, 466–8550, Japan 5 Division of Molecular Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, 464–8681, Japan Correspondence to: Shinya Toyokuni, email: toyokuni@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp Keywords: malignant mesothelioma, uPAR, cisplatin, AKT signaling pathway Received: May 12, 2016 Accepted: August 25, 2016 Published: September 02, 2016 ABSTRACT Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare neoplasm associated with asbestos exposure. The prognosis of MM is poor because it is aggressive and highly resistant to chemotherapy. Using a rat model of asbestos-induced MM, we found elevated urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor ( uPAR; Plaur ) expression in rat tissues, which was associated with poor prognosis. The proliferation, migration and invasion of MM cells were suppressed by uPAR knockdown and increased by overexpression experiments, irrespective of urokinase-type plasminogen activator ( uPA; Plau ) levels. More importantly, we found that uPAR expression is associated with sensitivity to cisplatin in MM through the PI3K/AKT pathway, which was demonstrated with specific inhibitors, LY294002 and Akti-1/2. uPAR knockdown significantly increased sensitivity to cisplatin whereas its overexpression significantly decreased cisplatin sensitivity. Furthermore, sera and tissues from MM patients showed significantly high uPAR levels, which suggested the pathogenic role of uPAR in the tumor biology of human MM. In conclusion, our findings indicate that uPAR levels are associated with malignant characteristics and cisplatin sensitivity of MM. In addition to the potential use of uPAR as a prognostic marker, the combination of uPAR abrogation and cisplatin may reveal a promising therapeutic approach for MM.

Lung resident mesenchymal stem cells (LR-MSCs) contribute to the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying LR-MSCs regulation upon transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 stimulation. We induced fibrogenic differentiation of LR-MSCs isolated from mice by TGF-β1. Several stem cell markers were detected by flow cytometric analysis. Protein expression level was tested by Western blotting and mRNA level was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell viability, proliferation and apoptosis were measured. TGF-β1 promoted fibrogenic differentiation of LR-MSCs and upregulated β-catenin and p-glycogen synthase kinase-3β, suggesting the activation of Wnt signaling. MicroRNA (MiR)-124-3p was significantly upregulated in TGF-β1 treated LR-MSCs compared to untreated cells. Intriguingly, silence of miR-124 reversed the TGF-β1-induced changes in cell viability and proliferation, and also led to a decrease of cell apoptosis. Additionally, in miR-124 silenced cells, α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I and fibronectin were downregulated compared to control cells. We ultimately identified a new target of miR-124, AXIN1, which was repressed by miR-124. In conclusion, miR-124 regulates AXIN1 to activate Wnt signaling and therefore plays a crucial role in the TGF-β1-induced fibrogenic differentiation.

In nature, different types of bacteria including pathogenic and beneficial ones exist in different habitats including environment, plants, animals, and humans. Among these, the pathogenic bacteria should be detected at earlier stages of infection; however, the conventional bacterial detection procedures are complex and time-consuming. In contrast, the advanced molecular approaches such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) have significantly reduced the detection time; nevertheless, such approaches are not acceptable to a large extent and are mostly laborious and expensive. Therefore, the development of fast, inexpensive, sensitive, and specific approaches for pathogen detection is essential for different applications in food industry, clinical diagnosis, biological defense and counter-terrorism. To this end, the novel sensing approaches involving bacteriophages as recognition elements are receiving immense consideration owing to their high degree of specificity, accuracy, and reduced assay times. Besides, the phages are easily produced and are tolerant to extreme pH, temperature, and organic solvents as compared to antibodies. To date, several phage-based assays and sensors have been developed involving different systems such as quartz crystal microbalance, magnetoelastic platform, surface plasmon resonance, and electrochemical methods. This review highlights different taxonomic species and genera of phages infecting eight common disease-causing bacterial genera. It further overviews the most recent advancements in phage-based sensing assays and sensors. Likewise, it elaborates various whole-phage and phage components-based assays. Overall, this review emphasizes the importance of electrochemical biosensors as simple, reliable, cost-effective, and accurate tools for bacterial detection.

Hemoperfusion using metal ion affinity adsorbent is a promising method to remove human testosterone in plasma. Due to the leakage of metal ion from the adsorbents, there is no metal ion affinity adsorbent for hemoperfusion. In this study, chitosan was used to coat the adsorbent for preventing the leakage of Zn

Sunlight exposure and aging are two major factors in the deterioration of skin function. In the present study, we used eighty formalin-fixed human skin samples from sun-exposed and unexposed areas from old and young individuals to evaluate the presence of miR-125b-positive epidermal stem cells (ESCs) by in situ hybridization. miR-125b-positive ESCs were detected in the basal layer of the epidermis. The density of miR-125b-positive ESCs was significantly associated with age rather than sun exposure, whereas the density of miR-125b-positive ESCs tended to decrease in the sun-exposed area. These data suggest the potential use of miR-125b as a surrogate marker for the quality of epidermal cells.

Serum fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) has been linked to renal dysfunction. This study evaluated the association between serum FABP4 and the radioisotope glomerular filtration rate (rGFR) in type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM) with early diabetic nephropathy. Twenty healthy controls and 172 patients with T2DM were enrolled. Serum FABP4 and renal impairment biomarkers including urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), serum retinal-binding protein 4 (RBP4), urinary cystatin C-to-creatinine ratio (CysC/Cr), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin-to-creatinine ratio (NGAL/Cr) were measured. Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA) was used to test rGFR. Serum FABP4 levels were higher in T2DM patients compared with the controls. There was no significant correlation between serum FABP4 and UACR in patients with T2DM. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that, in patients with T2DM, FABP4 was significantly associated with rGFR while CysC/Cr and RBP4 were significantly associated with UACR independently. But UACR had no independent association with rGFR. NGAL/Cr had no significant correlation with either rGFR or UACR. FABP4 might be an early biomarker for diabetic nephropathy if combined with UACR.

In multicellular organisms, the initiation and maintenance of specific cell types often require the activity of cell type-specific transcriptional regulators. Understanding their roles in gene regulation is crucial but probing their DNA targets in vivo, especially in a genome-wide manner, remains a technical challenge with their limited expression. To improve the sensitivity of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) for detecting the cell type-specific signals, we have developed the Maximized Objects for Better Enrichment (MOBE)-ChIP, where ChIP is performed at a substantially larger experimental scale and under low background conditions. Here, we describe the procedure in the study of transcription factors in the model plant Arabidopsis. However, with some modifications, the technique should also be implemented in other systems. Besides cell type-specific studies, MOBE-ChIP can also be used as a general strategy to improve ChIP signals.

In multicellular organisms, the initiation and maintenance of specific cell types often require the activity of cell type-specific transcriptional regulators. Understanding their roles in gene regulation is crucial but probing their DNA targets in vivo, especially in a genome-wide manner, remains a technical challenge with their limited expression. To improve the sensitivity of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) for detecting the cell type-specific signals, we have developed the Maximized Objects for Better Enrichment (MOBE)-ChIP, where ChIP is performed at a substantially larger experimental scale and under low background conditions. Here, we describe the procedure in the study of transcription factors in the model plant Arabidopsis. However, with some modifications, the technique should also be implemented in other systems. Besides cell type-specific studies, MOBE-ChIP can also be used as a general strategy to improve ChIP signals.

Due to the formerly widespread use of asbestos, malignant mesothelioma (MM) is increasingly frequent worldwide. MM is classified into epithelioid (EM), sarcomatoid (SM), and biphasic subtypes. SM is less common than EM but is recognized as the most aggressive type of MM, and these patients have a poor prognosis. To identify genes responsible for the aggressiveness of SM, we induced EM and SM in rats, using asbestos, and compared their transcriptomes. Based on the results, we focused on connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf), whose expression was significantly increased in SM compared with EM; EM itself exhibited an increased expression of Ctgf compared with normal mesothelium. Particularly in SM, Ctgf was a major regulator of MM proliferation and invasion through activation of the β-catenin-TCF-LEF signalling pathway, which is autocrine and formed a positive feedback loop via LRP6 as a receptor for secreted Ctgf. High Ctgf expression also played a role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in MM. Furthermore, Ctgf is a novel serum biomarker for both early diagnosis and determining the MM prognosis in rats. These data link Ctgf to SM through the LRP6-GSK3β-β-catenin-TCF-Ctgf autocrine axis and suggest Ctgf as a therapeutic target.

Spacer can effectively reduce the steric hindrance and synergistic effect of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic ligands immobilized in adsorbents can improve the specific adsorption for low-density lipoprotein (LDL). In this paper, in order to improve the adsorption capacity for the Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), specifically, amphiphilic adsorbent based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) containing cholesterol ligand and sulfonic dextran ligands was synthesized. All kinds of factors affecting the synthesis yield and adsorption properties were studied in detail. Results showed that the amphiphilic PVA adsorbent has higher adsorption capacity for total cholesterol (TC), (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and lower adsorption capacity, and percentage for high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), while the ligand ratio of cholesterol to sulfonic ligands is 1.57:1, the adsorption percentage and adsorption capacity for TC, LDL-C, TG, and HDL-C were 54.4%, 67.6%, 42.5%, 10.4% and 4.02, 3.612, 2.154, 0.168 mg/g, respectively.

National Natural Science Foundation of China [21266020]; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology of Nanchang University [SKLF-KF-201006, SKLF-MB-201005]

The current study is focused on the application of water-soluble, fluorescent, and pH-sensitive carbon dots (CDs) as a nanoprobe for sensitive detection of pathogenic bacteria in milk and sewage water. The CDs were facilely synthesized through the controlled carbonization of sucrose using sulfuric acid and characterized through XRD, FTIR, TEM, UV-Vis Spectroscopy, and fluorescent analysis. The as-synthesized CDs were highly water-soluble, stable, and pH-sensitive fluorescent nanomaterials. The pH-related fluorescence study showed that the ratio of fluorescence intensity (Log[IF410/IF350]) changed linearly in the pH range between 4.9 and 6.9 in the Britton-Robison buffer. By determining the pH variation of the growth medium caused by the released acidic metabolites, the CDs-based ratiometric nanoprobe and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) were used for the detection and identification of Escherichia coli O157:H7, respectively. The practical applicability of the pH-sensitive fluorescent CDs-based ratiometric nanoprobe was evaluated to detect Escherichia coli O157:H7 in real samples, i.e., milk and sewage water using agar count plate method with a limit of detection (LOD) up to 1 colony-forming unit per mL (CFU/mL).

Summary Zero-trans interesterified fats were produced from camellia seed oil (CSO), palm stearin (PS) and coconut oil (CO) with three weight ratios (CSO/PS/CO, 50:50:10, 40:60:10 and 30:70:10) using Lipozyme TL IM. Results showed that the interesterified products contained palmitic acid (34.28–42.96%), stearic acid (3.96–4.72%), oleic acid (38.73–47.95%), linoleic acid (5.92–6.36%) and total medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA)s (∑MCFAs, 5.03–5.50%). Compared with physical blends, triacylglycerols of OOO and PPP were decreased and formed new peaks of equivalent carbon number (ECN) 44 in the interesterified products. The product CPC3′ showed a slip melting point of 36.8 °C and a wide plastic range of solid fat content (SFC) (45.8–0.4%) at 20–40 °C. Also, the major β′ form was determined. These data indicated that the zero-trans interesterified fats would have a potential functionality for margarine fats. Subsequently, the antioxidative stabilities of interesterified products with the addition of α-tocopherol (α-TOH) and ascorbyl palmitate (AP) were investigated. The results indicated that AP had a dose-dependent effect at concentrations of 100, 200 and 400 ppm.

CD44 exists as a standard (CD44s) isoform and different variant isoforms (CD44v) due to alternative splicing. While the complex nature of these different isoforms has not been fully elucidated, CD44v expression has been shown to exert oncogenic effects by promoting tumor progression, metastasis and resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy. One of the CD44v isoforms, CD44v8-10, was recently shown to protect cancer cells from oxidative stress by increasing the synthesis of glutathione (GSH). However, data regarding CD44 isoform expression in malignant mesothelioma (MM) are still lacking. Here, we show that most of the MM cell lines express both the CD44s and CD44v isoforms, in contrast to non-tumorigenic mesothelial cells, which express only CD44s. Moreover, we show here that these MM cell lines are positive for CD44 variable exon 9, with CD44v8-10 among the variant isoforms expressed. The expression of CD44 variable exon 9 was found to be statistically associated with NF2 inactivation, a common occurrence in MM. Knockdown of CD44 reduced the protein level of xCT, a cystine transporter, and increased oxidative stress. However, an increase in GSH was also observed and was associated with enhanced chemoresistance in CD44-knockdown cells. Increased GSH was mediated by the Nrf2/AP-1-induced upregulation of GCLC, a subunit of the enzyme catalyzing GSH synthesis. Our results thus suggest that the response to CD44 depletion is cell type-dependent and, in cases such as MM cells, compensatory pathway(s) might be activated rheostatically to account for the loss of CD44 and counteract enhanced oxidative stress.

National Natural Science Foundation of China [21266020]; Programs of State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology of Nanchang University [SKLF-KF-201006, SKLF-MB-201005]; Key Program for Oil Processing & Quality Control of the Department of Science and Technology [Gankefa 2010J217]; Graduate Innovative Research Program [YC09A031]; Science and Technology Platform Construction Program [2010DTZ01900]; Leading Technological Innovation Team Program of Jiangxi province [Gankefa 2010J156]

Rice dreg protein hydrolysates (RDPH) can potentially be used as natural antioxidants for a variety of emulsion-type food systems. They contained 89.9% protein, 934.2 mg/g total amino acids with 517.7 mg/g total hydrophilic amino acids, and 78% peptides smaller than 5 kDa. Here, the physical and oxidative stabilities of corn oil-in-water emulsions (10 wt.% lipid) containing RDPH (0–20 mg/mL) and stabilized by Tween-20 were investigated as a function of RDPH concentration and pH. The results showed that emulsions with RDPH and Tween-20 emulsions did not experience coalescence (when RDPH concentration

The effects of various proteases on the formation and characteristics of rice dreg protein hydrolysates (RDPHs) were investigated. Enzymatic hydrolysis of often under-utilised rice dreg protein (RDP) with different enzymes studied here was found to significantly improve protein content and solubility. RDPHs prepared by alkaline protease showed better protein recovery, producing higher protein content with much smaller peptides, while hydrolysates generated by Protamex showed the highest antioxidant activities with more than 80% solubility over a wide pH range. The results indicated that the type of protease greatly influenced the molecular weight and amino acid residue composition of RDPH. The enzyme type also determined the functional properties and antioxidant activity of the recovered proteins. It was found that an optimum allocation of alkaline protease in addition to the Neutrase enzyme could be an appropriate strategy to produce RDPH with desirable functionalities, antioxidant properties, and low salt content.