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Objectives Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is difficult to diagnose early and progresses rapidly, making it one of the most deadly malignancies worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate whether salivary glycopattern changes combined with machine learning algorithms could help in the accurate diagnosis of HCC. Methods Firstly, we detected the alteration of salivary glycopatterns by lectin microarrays in 118 saliva samples. Subsequently, we constructed diagnostic models for hepatic cirrhosis (HC) and HCC using three machine learning algorithms: Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selector Operation, Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Random Forest (RF). Finally, the performance of the diagnostic models was assessed in an independent validation cohort of 85 saliva samples by a series of evaluation metrics, including area under the receiver operator curve (AUC), accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity. Results We identified alterations in the expression levels of salivary glycopatterns in patients with HC and HCC. The results revealed that the glycopatterns recognized by 22 lectins showed significant differences in the saliva of HC and HCC patients and healthy volunteers. In addition, after Boruta feature selection, the best predictive performance was obtained with the RF algorithm for the construction of models for HC and HCC. The AUCs of the RF-HC model and RF-HCC model in the validation cohort were 0.857 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.780–0.935) and 0.886 (95% CI: 0.814–0.957), respectively. Conclusions Detecting alterations in salivary protein glycopatterns with lectin microarrays combined with machine learning algorithms could be an effective strategy for diagnosing HCC in the future.

The pharynx is an endoderm innovation in deuterostome ancestors, the vertebrate descendent structure of which is a pharyngeal developmental organizer involving multi-germ layer and organ derivatives. However, the evolutionary origination of complicated pharynx organs in vertebrates is still largely unknown. Endostyle, a transitional pharyngeal organ exclusively in basal chordates provides an opportunity to reveal the origin of pharyngeal organs. Here, utilizing cutting-edged Stereo-seq and single-cell RNA-seq, we constructed the first spatially-resolved single-cell atlas in the endostyle of urochordate ascidianStyela clava, where the spatial location of Stereo-seq and high capture efficiency of single-cell RNA-seq complement each other and identified 23 highly differentiated cell types. We identified a previously overlooked hemolymphoid region (HLR), which harbors immune and blood cell clusters with enriched stemness capacities, illuminating a mixed rudiment and stem-cell niches for the blood and lymphoid system. More excitingly, we discovered a mechanical-sensitive hair cell candidate in zone 3 homologous to vertebrate acoustico-lateralis system, which was supported by the expression ofin situhybridization-verified inner ear-specific markers, includingPTPRQ,USH2A,WHRN, andADGRV1, ultracellular structure evidence and cross-species comparison. These results thoroughly renewed the comprehension of the basal-chordate pharynx and provides expressional evidence for multiplexed pharyngeal organ evolution.

The influenza virus, a viral respiratory pathogen, causes major morbidity and mortality worldwide. In this study, we compared and analyzed the effectiveness of the rescued two chimeric H1N1 vaccine strains rA/B-California/04/2009 and rA/B-California/07/2009, respectively, which expressed the hemagglutinin of A/California/07/2009 or A/California/04/2009 based on an influenza B virus master donor. The rA/B-California/07/2009 strain was rescued successfully. However, the rA/B-California/04/2009, which expressed the HA of A/California/07/2009 could hardly be generated. In substitution for alanine at residue 212 in the chimeric HA protein of rA/B-California/04/2009 virus, threonine was identified as a deleterious change. The free Gibbs energy change of mutating residue 212 reflected that threonine in site 212 caused a reduction in the stability of rA/B-California HAs. Additionally, with the analysis of binding free energy data and RMSD values of receptor analogs and two chimeric HAs, substitution 212T also conferred decreased receptor-binding avidity. These results suggested that the substitution A212T may enhance the stability and binding affinity of the chimeric H1N1 vaccine strains. This finding may help to design a live-attenuated influenza vaccine with more efficacy.

Based on functional magnetic resonance imaging and multilayer dynamic network model, the quantified temporal stability of brain network has shown potentials in predicting altered brain functions. The present review focuses on summarizing current knowledge on the commonly-used measures of brain network’s temporal stability and the clinical research progress on them. There are a variety of widely used measures of temporal stability such as the variance/standard deviation of dynamic functional connectivity strengths, the temporal variability, the flexibility (switching rate), and the temporal clustering coefficient, while there is no consensus to date that which measure is the best. The temporal stability of human brain networks may be associated with several factors such as sex, age, cognitive functions, head motion, and data preprocessing/analyzing strategies, which should be considered in the clinical studies. Multiple common psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder have been found to be related to altered temporal stability, especially during the resting state; generally, both excessively decreased and increased temporal stabilities were thought to reflect disease-related brain dysfunctions. However, the measures of temporal stability are still far from applications in clinical diagnoses for neuropsychiatric diseases partly because of the divergent results, and further studies are warranted.

The molecular mechanism underlying brain regeneration in vertebrates remains elusive. We performed spatial enhanced resolution omics sequencing (Stereo-seq) to capture spatially resolved single-cell transcriptomes of axolotl telencephalon sections during development and regeneration. Annotated cell types exhibited distinct spatial distribution, molecular features, and functions. We identified an injury-induced ependymoglial cell cluster at the wound site as a progenitor cell population for the potential replenishment of lost neurons, through a cell state transition process resembling neurogenesis during development. Transcriptome comparisons indicated that these induced cells may originate from local resident ependymoglial cells. We further uncovered spatially defined neurons at the lesion site that may regress to an immature neuron–like state. Our work establishes spatial transcriptome profiles of an anamniote tetrapod brain and decodes potential neurogenesis from ependymoglial cells for development and regeneration, thus providing mechanistic insights into vertebrate brain regeneration.

This review provides a comprehensive landscape of HGF/c-MET (hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) /mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-MET)) signaling pathway in cancers. First, we generalize the compelling influence of HGF/c-MET pathway on multiple cellular processes. Then, we present the genomic characterization of HGF/c-MET pathway in carcinogenesis. Furthermore, we extensively illustrate the malignant biological behaviors of HGF/c-MET pathway in cancers, in which hyperactive HGF/c-MET signaling is considered as a hallmark. In addition, we investigate the current clinical trials of HGF/c-MET-targeted therapy in cancers. We find that although HGF/c-MET-targeted therapy has led to breakthroughs in certain cancers, monotherapy of targeting HGF/c-MET has failed to demonstrate significant clinical efficacy in most cancers. With the advantage of the combinations of HGF/c-MET-targeted therapy, the exploration of more options of combinational targeted therapy in cancers may be the major challenge in the future.

Background TGF-β1(Transforming growth factor beta 1)has been shown to be involved in scleral remodeling in myopia; however, it is not fully clear how this pathway regulates collagen I expression.This aim to study the effect of TGF-β1-Sp1(specificity protein 1 )signaling pathway on the expression of collagen I in guinea pig scleral fibroblasts. Methods A primary cell culture was prepared from guinea pig scleral tissue. The obtained fibroblasts were divided into four groups, which were given the following treatments: no treatment, TGF-β1, TGF-β1 + Sp1 inhibitor, and TGF-β1 + TGF-β1 inhibitor. The mRNA and protein expression of collagen I and Sp1 was examined by immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting. Results Compared with the control group, the protein and mRNA expression levels of Sp1 and collagen I were increased in the TGF-β1 group (P P P

The removal efficiency of nitrate from low carbon/nitrogen ratio wastewater has been restricted by the lack of organics for several decades. Here, a system coupling chemical reduction, microbial denitrification and constructed wetlands (RDCWs) was developed to investigate the effect and possible mechanisms for nitrate degradation. The results showed that this coupling system could achieve a nitrate removal efficiency of 97.07 ± 1.76%, 85.91 ± 3.02% and 56.63 ± 2.88% at a hydraulic retention time of 24 h, 12 h and 6 h with feeding nitrate of 15 mg L−1, respectively. These removal efficiencies of nitrate were partly caused by microbes and biochar with a contribution rate of 31.08 ± 4.43% and 9.50 ± 3.30%. Besides, microbes were closely related to iron and biochar for the removal of nitrate. Simplicispira was able to utilize hydrogen produced by iron corrosion as an electron donor while nitrate accepted electrons to be reduced. Porous biochar could release dissolved organic matter, which provided a good living circumstance and carbon source for microbes. Therefore, the RDCW system is potential for large-scale application due to its low cost and simple operation.

A turn-on fluorescent probe for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) employing flavylium derivative as the fluorophore and nitroso group as the recognition unit and was designed and synthesized. The free probe is almost non-fluorescent. Upon addition of H2S to the solution of the probe, its nitroso group was transformed to the corresponding amino group with fast reaction kinetics, affording a dramatic enhancement of fluorescence emission. The fluorescence intensity of the proposed probe at 625 nm showed a good linear with the concentration of NaHS over a range from 0 to 4 μM, with a limit detection of 29 nM (3δ). The proposed probe exhibited high selectivity, excellent sensitivity and rapid response (∼5 min) for H2S. Moreover, this probe was successfully used for fluorescence imaging of exogenous and endogenous H2S in living cells.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced chronic liver diseases are serious health threats worldwide. There is evidence to display the alterations of salivary N-linked glycans related to the development of HBV-infected liver diseases. Here, we further investigated the alterations of fucosylated N/O-glycans recognized by LTL in saliva from 120 subjects (30 healthy volunteers (HV), 30 patients with hepatitis B (HB), 30 patients with hepatic cirrhosis (HC), and 30 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)) using salivary microarrys and MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. The results showed that the expression level of fucosylated glycans recognized by LTL was significantly increased in HCC compared with other subjects (P < 0.0001). Besides, the fucosylated glycoproteins were isolated from pooled saliva of HV, HB, HC, and HCC by LTL-magnetic particle conjugates. Then, N/O- glycans were released from the isolated glycoproteins with PNGase F and NaClO, and were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS, respectively. Totally, there were 21/20, 25/18, 29/19, and 28/24 N/O-glycan peaks that were identified and annotated with proposed structures in saliva of HV, HB, HC, and HCC. Among the total, there were 8 N-glycan peaks (e.g., m/z 1905.634, 2158.777 and 2905.036) and 15 O-glycan peaks (e.g., 1177.407, 1308.444 and 1322.444) that only presented in patients with HBV-induced liver diseases. One N-glycan peak (m/z 2205.766) was unique in HC, and 9 O-glycan peaks (e.g., m/z 1157.420, 1163.417 and 1193.402) were unique in HCC. This study could facilitate the discovery of biomarkers for HC and HCC based on precise alterations of fucosylated N/O-glycans in saliva.

With the expansion of industrialization, dye pollution has become a significant hazard to humans and aquatic ecosystems. In this study, α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4-R (where R is the relative percentage of α-Fe2O3) composites were fabricated by a one-step method. The as-prepared α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4-0.5 composites showed excellent adsorption capacities for methyl orange (MO, 69.91 mg g−1) and methylene blue (MB, 29.46 mg g−1), surpassing those of g-C3N4 and many other materials. Moreover, the ionic strength and initial pH influenced the adsorption process. Relatively, the adsorption isotherms best fitted the Freundlich model, and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model could accurately describe the kinetics for the adsorption of MO and MB by α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4-0.5. Electrostatic interaction and π–π electron donor–acceptor interaction were the major mechanisms for MO/MB adsorption. In addition, the photocatalytic experiment results showed that more than 79% of the added MO/MB was removed within 150 min. The experimental results of free-radical capture revealed that holes (h+) were the major reaction species for the photodegradation of MO, whereas MB was reduced by the synergistic effect of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and holes (h+). This study suggests that the α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 composites have an application potential for the removal of dyes from wastewater.

Introduction The degeneration of memory-focused synapses play important roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, while it is not well known how β amyloid interferes neuron apoptosis and how a herbal combination GAPT influence synapse loss and neuronal apoptosis pathways of APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Methods Three-month and six-month APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice were used. Spatial and memory ability were measured by Morris Water Maze, Neuron and synapse number were assessed by electron microscope; Aβ, Bcl-2/Bax were determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot. Results APP/PS1 mice not only had increased Aβ accumulation, impaired memory performance, less synapse number, and much more necrosed neurons, but also had significant reduction in the Bcl-2/Bax ratio. However, GAPT and donepezil showed improved memory performance, less Aβ accumulation, increased neuron and synapse number, as well as restored balance of Bcl-2/Bax. Discussion GAPT may improve cognitive functions via both reducing Aβ deposition and restoring Bcl-2/Bax balance of neuron.

Selenocysteine (Sec) is a primary kind of reactive selenium species in cells, and its vital roles in physiological processes have been featured. Thus, the development of highly sensitive and selective methods for the sensing of Sec is of great significance. This work reports a turn-on fluorescent probe for selenol based on the unique fluorescence OFF–ON switching between the Schiff base (SB) and its complementary protonated Schiff base (PSB) form of merocyanine dyes. The probe consists of a merocyanine Schiff base fluorophore and a 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonamide moiety that reacts especially with selenol. The fluorescence turn-on response of MC-Sec is realized via the selective removal of the strongly electron withdrawing 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl group by Sec, leading to a shift in the pKa of the imine nitrogen of the probe from 6.40 to 9.04 and thus significantly increasing the population of the fluorescent PSB form of the dye at physiological pH. MC-Sec shows good selectivity and sensitivity for Sec an...

A rhodamine-based fluorescent chemdosimeter SHR for Cu 2+ has been developed based on the spirocyclic ring-opening mechanism. SHR is colorless and nonfluorescent due to intramolecular spirocyclization. Upon incubation with Cu 2+ in aqueous media, a highly efficient ring opening of SHR occurs via Cu 2+ -promoted phenylhydrazine oxidation, causing a dual chromogenic and fluorogenic response. The fluorescent intensity at 580 nm increases linearly with Cu 2+ concentration and as low as 10 nM of Cu 2+ can be readily detected. The proposed chemodosimeter shows high selectivity toward Cu 2+ over other metal ions and proves to be able to image Cu 2+ levels in live cells.

The bovine milk proteins have a wide range of functions, but the role of the attached glycans in their biological functions has not been fully understood yet. Here, the glycopatterns of whole bovine milk proteins were analyzed using lectin microarrays. Then, the proteins with Siaα2-3/6Gal-linked glycans were isolated and characterized. The roles of Siaα2-3/6Gal-linked glycans of the isolated proteins were assessed by inhibiting viral activity against influenza A viruses (IAV). In total, there were 69 sialylated proteins to be identified and annotated. The sialylated proteins have the ability to inhibit the attachment of IAV mimics to MDCK cells; however, the role of inhibition was abolished when the sialic acid moieties were destroyed. The results demonstrate that the sialic acid moieties of proteins could serve as competitive substrates to disturb the viral attachment to cell surface receptors. Our findings will help to assess the potential application of sialylated glycoproteins in bovine milk against IAV.

Background: The main reason why lung cancer has maintained a high rate of morbidity and mortality is that its early diagnosis is difficult. No current lung cancer screening is recommended by any major medical organization due to the lack of sensitive and specific screening technologies. Thus, this study aimed to systematically investigate the correlation between the alterations in serum glycosylation and three main types of lung cancers (SCLC, ADC and SqCC). Materials and methods: We investigated the protein glycopatterns in sera from 333 subjects (65 healthy volunteers, 38 benign lung disease patients, 49 small cell lung cancer patients, and 181 NSCLC patients) using a lectin microarray. A serum microarray was produced to evaluate and verify the terminal carbohydrate moieties of the glycoproteins in individual serum samples from 30 cases simultaneously. Results: There were 16 lectins (e.g., RCA120, BS-I, and UEA-I), 24 lectins (e.g., HHL, PTL-I, and MAL-II), and 18 lectins (e.g., GSL-I, LEL, and ACA) that exhibited significant differences in serum protein glycopatterns in the patients with SCLC, ADC and SqCC compared with the controls (HV and BPD). There were 6 lectins (e.g., EEL, NPA, and LEL) that exhibited significantly increased NFIs in ADC and SqCC compared with SCLC. Also, there were 5 lectins (e.g., Jacalin, BS-I, and UEA-I) that exhibited significantly decreased NFIs in ADC compared with SCLC and SqCC. Conclusions: This study can facilitate the discovery of potential biomarkers for the differential diagnosis of lung cancer based on the precise alteration in serum protein glycopatterns.

Currently, the definitive diagnosis in breast cancer requires biopsy and histopathology, such the most effective markers are tissue-based. However, the advantages of saliva in collection and storage make it possible for assessing human pathology and contributing to the development of cancer-related biomarkers for clinical application. The present study validated alteration of salivary protein glycopatterns recognized by Bandeiraea simplicifolia lectin I (BS-I) in the saliva of patients with breast diseases using saliva microarrays, and the N/O-glycan profiles of their salivary glycoproteins isolated by the BS-I-magnetic particle conjugates from 259 female subjects (66 healthy volunteers (HV), 65 benign breast cyst or tumor patients (BB), 66 patients with breast cancer in stage I (BC-I) and 62 patients with breast cancer in stage II (BC-II)) were analyzed by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. The results showed that the expression level of galactosylated glycans recognized by BS-I was significantly increased in patients with breast cancer compared with HV (p

With the expansion of industrialization, dye pollution has become a significant hazard to humans and aquatic ecosystems. In this study, α-Fe

Breast cancer remains a public-health issue on a global scale. Although mammographic screening and molecular-based classification have been applied to the clinical treatment effectively, breast cancer still has high incidence and mortality in women. Therefore, the discovery of novel biomarkers and molecular targets for early diagnosis and treatment is still essential. Glycosylation is the enzymatic addition of sugars, or oligosaccharides, to proteins and lipids. This increases the diversity of the proteome and lipidome to a level unmatched by any other post-translational modification due to the various aspects of the molecule that can be modified, including the glycosidic bond and glycan composition, structure, and length. Altered glycosylation, a predominant feature of tumor cells, plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of various malignancies. This review describes the variety of glycosylation processes, such as O -GlcNAcylation, sialyl-Lewis antigen, mucin type O -linked glycosylation, and b 1-6 GlcNAc-branched N -glycans with poly-LacNAc structure, involved in breast carcinogenesis, their effects in the regulation of metabolism, cell-cell adhesion of tumor cells, and preservation of tumor cell activity in the circulatory system, as well as promotion of angiogenesis of tumor tissue. Finally, the application referred to glycosylation, glycoproteins, glycan genes, enzymes, and anti-carbohydrate antibodies in the clinical management of patients with breast cancer is also discussed.

Nitrate removal from low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) wastewater has always been a knotty problem due to the deficiency of organics. Here, a novel iron-based chemical reduction and autotrophic denitrification (ICAD) system was developed. ICAD system could maintain average nitrate removal efficiency of 97.2% for 131 days with feeding 20.3 mg NO3–-N/L at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h. The optimal operational conditions was further explored, and results demonstrated that average nitrate removal efficiency of 85.5% and 98.4% could be achieved at HRT of 12 h and 24 h (influent 20.3 mg NO3–-N/L), while average nitrate removal efficiency could reach 96.3% at optimal HRT of 12 h (influent 10.3 mg NO3–-N/L). Hydrogenophaga, which can carry out hydrogenotrophic denitrification, showed a positive correlation with nitrate removal efficiency of the ICAD system. Low cost and simple operation make the ICAD system suitable for large-scale application.

A novel bacteria-supported iron scraps (BSIS) system was developed for nitrate removal from low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) wastewater. The system consisted of low-cost iron scraps and the accumulated denitrifying-related bacteria enriched from an Fe-wastewater environment when the system was operating. After operating for 39 d, the nitrate removal rate of the system increased to 73.55% within 24 h. The extraction of bacteria from the system revealed that iron scraps and bacteria had a synergistic effect on nitrate removal and bacteria only took effect when cooperating with iron. Microbial analysis using high-throughput sequencing showed that Hydrogenophaga, which is closely related to hydrogenotrophic denitrification, became the dominant genus in the system. The system provides a promising approach to the treatment of nitrate in low C/N wastewater and it has the potential for large-scale application due to the low cost, simple operation and relatively high removal rate.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) and nondiabetic renal disease (NDRD) are two major categories of renal diseases in diabetes mellitus patients. The clinical differentiation among them is usually not so clear and effective. In this study, sera from DN and NDRD patients were collected, and glycan profiles of serum proteins from DN and NDRD patients were investigated and compared by using lectin microarray and lectin blot. Then, altered glycoproteins were enriched by lectin coupled magnetic particle conjugate and characterized by LC-MS/MS. We found significant change in glycan patterns between DN and NDRD patients. In particular, the relative abundance of the glycopattern of Galβ1-3GalNAc which was identified by BPL (Bauhinia purpurea lectin) was significantly decreased in DN patients compared to four types of NDRD patients (p < 0.05). Moreover, BPL blotting indicated that the proteins with a molecular weight of about 53 kDa exhibited low staining signal in DN compared to all NDRD groups, which was consistent with results of lectin microarrays. After enriching by BPL and identification by LC-MS/MS, a total of 235 and 258 proteins were characterized from NDRD and DN respectively. Among these, the relative abundance of 12 isolated serum proteins exhibited significantly alteration between DN and NDRD (p < 0.05). Our findings indicated not only the relative abundance of Galβ1-3GalNAc on serum proteins but also certain glycoproteins modified with this glycopattern showed a difference between DN and NDRD patients. This suggested that the analysis of this alteration by using urine specimens may constitute an additional valuable diagnostic tool for differentiating DN and NDRD with a non-invasive method.

Nanomaterials had attracted much attention since their discovery with their unique structure, peculiar physical,chemical, mechanical properties and potential application prospects. In the past few years, the theoretical andexperimental research on biological nanomaterials has become the focus of attention, especially the biochemistry,biophysics, biomechanics, thermodynamics and electromagnetism of nucleic acid and protein, while its intelligentcomposites have become the forefront of life science and materials science. At present, nano-bio-chip materials,biomimetic materials, nano-motors, nanocomposites, interface biomaterials, nano-sensors and drug delivery systemshave made great progress. In this paper, the characteristics of these materials, research and development of theapplication were reviewed, a brief overview of the nano-materials in the life sciences of the main applications, and toexplore the development prospects of biological nano-materials.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are among the most widely used engineered nanomaterials and may eventually accumulate in sediments. Limited information is currently available regarding the toxicity, bioaccumulation and distribution of sediment-associated AgNPs in aquatic organisms. In the present study, a freshwater snail Bellamya aeruginosa was exposed via sediment to commercial Ag particles of four nominal sizes: 20 nm (AgNPs-20), 40 nm (AgNPs-40), 80 nm (AgNPs-80), and 10 μm (bulk Ag), and to silver nitrate at sub-lethal concentrations (1, 10 and 100 μg Ag/g sediment). Ag burden and biomarkers of oxidative stress were assessed in different tissues of B. aeruginosa: hepatopancreas, gonad, foot and digestive tracts. All five Ag types were available for uptake by B. aeruginosa when spiked into sediment, and Ag accumulation in different tissues presented the following pattern: hepatopancreas gonad ≈ digestive tracts foot. Snails accumulated higher levels of Ag from aqueous Ag than from particulate Ag. In contrast, AgNPs-40 and AgNPs-80 treatments occasionally induced higher oxidative stress than aqueous Ag, indicating the significant role of nanoparticle itself in exerting toxicity. Size-dependent toxicity of AgNPs in sediment was also found, with AgNPs-20 showing lower toxicity than other Ag particles. Overall, this study demonstrated that the toxicity of sediment-associated AgNPs to B. aeruginosa varies with size and differs from aqueous Ag.

Selenocysteine (Sec) is a primary kind of reactive selenium species in cells, and its vital roles in physiological processes have been featured. Thus, the development of highly sensitive and selective methods for the sensing of Sec is of great significance. This work reports a turn-on fluorescent probe for selenol based on the unique fluorescence OFF-ON switching between the Schiff base (SB) and its complementary protonated Schiff base (PSB) form of merocyanine dyes. The probe consists of a merocyanine Schiff base fluorophore and a 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonamide moiety that reacts especially with selenol. The fluorescence turn-on response of MC-Sec is realized via the selective removal of the strongly electron withdrawing 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl group by Sec, leading to a shift in the p K

During periods of water deficit, growing roots may shrink, retaining only partial contact with the soil. In this study, known mathematical models were used to calculate the root-soil air gap and water flow resistance at the soil-root interface, respectively, of Robinia pseudoacacia L. under different water conditions. Using a digital camera, the root-soil air gap of R. pseudoacacia was investigated in a root growth chamber; this root-soil air gap and the model-inferred water flow resistance at the soil-root interface were compared with predictions based on a separate outdoor experiment. The results indicated progressively greater root shrinkage and loss of root-soil contact with decreasing soil water potential. The average widths of the root-soil air gap for R. pseudoacacia in open fields and in the root growth chamber were 0.24 and 0.39 mm, respectively. The resistance to water flow at the soil-root interface in both environments increased with decreasing soil water potential. Stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that soil water potential and soil temperature were the best predictors of variation in the root-soil air gap. A combination of soil water potential, soil temperature, root-air water potential difference and soil-root water potential difference best predicted the resistance to water flow at the soil-root interface.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is most common malignant cancer worldwide; however, the mortality rate of HCC remains high due to the invasion and metastasis of HCC. Thus, exploring novel treatments to prevent the invasion of HCC is needed for improving clinical outcome of this fatal disease. In this study, we identified lectin from Bandeiraea simplicifolia seeds (BS‐I) binds to metastasis‐associated HCC cell surface glycans by a lectin microarray and inhibits HCC cell migration and invasion through downregulating the matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (uPA) production. These effects of BS‐I were mediated by inhibiting the activation of AKT/GSK‐3β/β‐catenin pathway and depended on specificity of lectin BS‐I binding to GalNAc. GSK3β inhibitors rescued BS‐I‐mediated inhibition of migration and invasion of HCC cell. Further, we identified that lectin BS‐I interacts with sGrp78, affects membrane localization of sGrp78 and attenuates the binding of sGrp78 and p85 to inhibit the activation of AKT/GSK‐3β/β‐catenin pathway. Overexpression of Grp78 or P85 rescues BS‐I‐mediated inhibition of migration and invasion of HCC cell. These findings demonstrated for the first time that BS‐I can act as a novel potential drug to prevent the invasion of HCC.

Gastric cancer (GC) is still an extremely severe health issue with high mortality due to the lacking of effective biomarkers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the alterations of salivary protein glycosylation related to GC and assess the possibility of salivary glycopatterns as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of GC. Firstly, 94 patients with GC (n = 64) and atrophic gastritis (AG) (n = 30), as well as 30 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers (HV) were enrolled in the test group to probe the difference of salivary glycopatterns using lectin microarrays, the results were validated by saliva microarrays and lectin blotting analysis. Then, the diagnostic model of GC (Model GC) and AG (Model AG) were constructed based on 15 candidate lectins which exhibited significant alterations of salivary glycopattern by logistic stepwise regression. Finally, two diagnostic models were assessed in the validation group including HV (n = 30) and patients with GC (n = 23) and AG (n = 24) and achieved high diagnostic power (Model GC (AUC: 0.89, sensitivity: 0.96 and specificity: 0.80), Model AG (AUC: 0.83, sensitivity: 0.92 and specificity: 0.72)). This study provides pivotal information to distinguish HV, AG and GC based on precise alterations in salivary glycopatterns, which have great potential to be biomarkers for diagnosis of GC.

For safety and environmental risk assessments of nanomaterials (NMs) and to provide essential toxicity data, nano-specific toxicities, or excess toxicities, of ZnO, CuO, and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) (20, 20, and 30 nm, respectively) to Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in short-term (6 h) and long-term (48 h) bioassays were quantified based on a toxic ratio. ZnO NPs exhibited no nano-specific toxicities, reflecting similar toxicities as ZnO bulk particles (BPs) (as well as zinc salt). However, CuO and Ag NPs yielded distinctly nano-specific toxicities when compared with their BPs. According to their nano-specific toxicities, the capability of these NPs in eliciting hazardous effects on humans and the environment was as follows: CuO > Ag > ZnO NPs. Moreover, long-term bioassays were more sensitive to nano-specific toxicity than short-term bioassays. Overall, nano-specific toxicity is a meaningful measurement to evaluate the environmental risk of NPs. The log T e particle value is a useful parameter for quantifying NP nano-specific toxicity and enabling comparisons of international toxicological data. Furthermore, this value could be used to determine the environmental risk of NPs.

In this account, a one-step green hydrothermal method for zirconium-loaded reduced graphene oxide (RGO-Zr) adsorbent was developed in pure water. It is based on the formation of initially strong-coupling RGO-Zr nanocomposites followed by in situ reduction of GO to RGO during the hydrothermal treatment. The phosphate adsorption performance of the as-prepared nanocomposites was investigated in aqueous environment under various conditions. The characterization results of RGO-Zr nanocomposites showed that ZrO2 was successfully integrated onto the RGO sheets in amorphous. The data from equilibrium phosphate adsorption on RGO-Zr revealed that the adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, where the adsorption isotherm fitted the Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 27.71 mg P/g at pH 5 and 298 K. The improved phosphate adsorption on RGO-Zr was caused by the dispersion of ZrO2 on the RGO surface. Furthermore, the phosphate adsorption was found insensitive to the increase in pH while it was sensitive to the increase in temperature. The coexisting anions of SO42−, F−, Cl−, NO3− and CO32− affected the phosphate adsorption in a different way. Results suggest that the present RGO-Zr adsorbent has the potential for controlling phosphorus pollution in water.

It has been suggested that patients with motor neurone disease (MND) and those with MND combined with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) (ie FTD + MND) or with FTD alone might exist on a continuum based on commonalities of neuropathology and/or genetic risk. Moreover, it has been reported that both a neuronal and a glial cell tauopathy can accompany the TDP-43 proteinopathy in patients with motor neurone disease (MND) with cognitive changes, and that the tauopathy may be fundamental to disease pathogenesis and clinical phenotype. In the present study, we sought to substantiate these latter findings, and test this concept of a pathological continuum, in a consecutive series of 41 patients with MND, 16 with FTD + MND and 23 with FTD without MND. Paraffin sections of frontal, entorhinal, temporal and occipital cortex and hippocampus were immunostained for tau pathology using anti-tau antibodies, AT8, pThr175 and pThr217, and for amyloid β protein (Aβ) using 4G8 antibody. Twenty four (59 %) patients with MND, 7 (44 %) patients with FTD + MND and 10 (43 %) patients with FTD showed ‘significant’ tau pathology (ie more than just an isolated neurofibrillary tangle or a few neuropil threads in one or more brain regions examined). In most instances, this bore the histological characteristics of an Alzheimer’s disease process involving entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, temporal cortex, frontal cortex and occipital cortex in decreasing frequency, accompanied by a deposition of Aβ up to Thal phase 3, though 2 patients with MND, and 1 with FTD did show tau pathology beyond Braak stage III. Four other patients with MND showed novel neuronal tau pathology, within the frontal cortex alone, specifically detected by pThr175 antibody, which was characterised by a fine granular or more clumped aggregation of tau without neurofibrillary tangles or neuropil threads. However, none of these 4 patients had clinically evident cognitive disorder, and this type of tau pathology was not seen in any of the FTD + MND or FTD patients. Finally, two patients, one with MND and one with FTD, showed a tau pathology consistent with Argyrophilic Grain Disease (AGD). Western blotting and use of 3- and 4-repeat tau antibodies confirmed the histological interpretation of Alzheimer’s disease type pathology in all instances except for those patients with accompanying AGD where a banding pattern on western blot, and immunohistochemistry, confirmed 4-repeat tauopathy. In all 3 patient groups, amyloid pathology was more likely to be present in patients dying after 65 years of age, and in the presence of APOE ε4 allele. We conclude that tau pathological changes are equally common amongst patients with MND, FTD + MND and FTD though, in most instances, these are limited in extent. In patients with MND, when cognitive impairment is present this is most likely due to an accompanying/evolving (coincidental) Alzheimer’s disease process or, as in a single case, Dementia with Lewy bodies, within the cerebral cortex rather than as a result of TDP-43 proteinopathy. Conversely, in FTD and FTD + MND dementia is more likely to be associated with TDP-43 proteinopathy than tau. Hence, present study shows no progression in severity of (tau) pathology from MND through FTD + MND to FTD, and does not support the concept of these conditions forming a continuum of clinical or pathological change. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40478-016-0301-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

File S1. Clinical histories and neuropathological findings in patients #35 and 41. (DOCX 21Â kb)

Îą-synuclein (a-c) pathology in cingulate gyrus (a), CA2 region of hippocampus (b) and substantia nigra (c) and TDP-43 pathology in anterior horn cells of the spinal cord (d-f), with fine, particulate accumulations of TDP-43 (d,e) or skein-like structures (e,f) being present in affected cells in which the nucleus has been â clearedâ of its normal immunoreactivity. Immunoperoxidase, x400 microscope magnification. (DOCX 6504Â kb)

The aims of this Working Group are: • To ensure that scientific symposia on planetary nebulae take place regularly, ideally every 5 years. These symposia would preferably be sponsored by the IAU; • To organize and coordinate the Joint Discussions on the subject at the IAU General Assemblies. These discussions should address topics of interest not only to our Division VI but to other Divisions as well; and • To maintain a Web page with general information about the WG, the activities related to planetary nebulae, and the future meetings and symposia.

Background:Mid-life obesity can increase the risk for developing dementia later in life, particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and experimental diet-induced obesity increases AD-like pathology and/or behavioural deficits in transgenic mouse models of AD. However, most of these experimental studies assess the effect of high fat diet (HFD) in male mice only, and effects in female mice are less clear. Moreover, our previous work has shown that HFD also affects memory in healthy controls and that this effect is gender dependent.Resveratrol (RSV) has recently showed to improve health and life span of mice on a HFD and to improve learning and memory in both aged and AD mice, effects that are thought to be due to its anti-oxidant and/or anti-inflammatory properties. However until now no studies have been done taking into account both AD and co-morbidities (obesity). Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the effect of RSV in female 3xTgADmice fed with a HFD.Methods:Groups of female 3xTgAD and control (Non-Tg) mice w ere maintained on a control (12% fat) or a HFD (60% fat) for 12 months with or without RSV supplementation in the drinking water (5 mg/Kg/day). Body weight (BW) was monitored weekly. Behaviour was assessed at 12 months of treatment using the open-field and Y-maze spontaneous alternation tests. Epididymal fat, brown adipose tissue (BAT) and liver weight were measured after culling.Results: RSV did not affect BW in female 3xTgADmice fed a HFD but a decrease in weight gain was observed in Non-Tg HFD animals. HFD increased epididymal fat and BAT weight in both Non-Tg and 3xTgAD mice, and RSV reversed this effect only in Non-Tg mice. HFD also elevated liver weight in Non-Tg mice, which was reversed by RSV. RSV had no effect on behaviour or memory in both groups. Conclusions: These results suggest that RSV is able to reverse metabolic changes induced by the HFD in female Non-Tg mice but not in 3xTgAD animals, with no effect on behaviour in either. In conclusion, the effect of a HFD on memory is not affected by RSV and therefore is unlikely to be due to changes in oxidative stress and/or inflammation.

Background. Syndromes are defined by traditional Chinese medicine as consisting of different pattern elements. Few scales have been designed for differentiating pattern elements of dementia and have shown major flaws. Thus, a new pattern element scale (PES) was developed. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of the PES in dementia patients.Methods. A total of 171 dementia patients were enrolled, and their pattern elements were ascertained, first by clinicians using the PES, then compared with results by two experts to be used as a standard criterion independently. Reliability of the subscales of the PES was assessed by receiver operator characteristic curves. Correlations between the subscales of the PES and cognition were calculated by canonical correlation analysis.Results. The PES consisted of 11 pattern element subscales. The area under the curves of all subscales was 0.7 or above. Phlegm muddiness, blood stasis, and yang hyperactivity subscales showed optimal sensitivity and specificity in discriminating pattern elements. Other subscales showed relatively lower sensitivity but higher specificity. Memory and language were significantly correlated toqideficiency and the blood stasis pattern element.Conclusion. The PES can accurately and easily discriminate pattern elements and is a helpful tool for traditional medical subtyping of dementia.