Development of visible-light photocatalytic materials is an ultimate goal for solar-driven CO2 conversion. Au nanoclusters (NCs) may potentially serve as components for harvesting visible light but ...can hardly perform solar-driven CO2 reduction due to the lack of catalytic sites. Herein, we report an effective strategy for turning Au nanoclusters catalytically active for visible-light CO2 reduction, in which metal cations (Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, and Cu2+) are grafted to the Au NCs using l-cysteine as a bridging ligand. The metal–S bonding bridge facilitates the electron transfer from Au NCs to metal cations so that the grafted metal cations can receive photoinduced electrons and work as catalytic sites for CO2 reduction. The varied d-band centers and binding energies with CO2 for different metal cations allow tuning electron transfer efficiency and CO2 activation energy. Furthermore, the photostability of Au NCs-based catalyst can be significantly enhanced through the encapsulation with metal–organic frameworks. This work opens a new door for the photocatalyst design based on metal clusters and sheds light on the surface engineering of metal clusters toward specific applications.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
The image of a tourist destination is considered a vital aspect of international travel experiences, yet research in this area remains limited. Adopting a combination of netography and qualitative ...research methodology, this study aims to contribute to the scientific knowledge of destination image development in Thailand by analysing online travelogues to evaluate how Chinese tourists interpret the idea of destination image. To achieve this goal, 146,641 words of Chinese internet comments containing the keyword "Thailand" from four major media sources and Chinese bloggers were gathered and analysed using netography methodology. The findings showed that there was a rise in public interest, in public forums, in the destination image of Thailand among Chinese outbound tourists. The study's results may provide important fundamental theoretical insights and inspire further investigation into the issue of destination image construction.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Tumor cells adapt to excessive oxidative stress by actuating reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐defensing system, leading to a resistance to oxidation therapy. In this work, self‐delivery photodynamic ...synergists (designated as PhotoSyn) are developed for oxidative damage amplified tumor therapy. Specifically, PhotoSyn are fabricated by the self‐assembly of chlorine e6 (Ce6) and TH588 through π–π stacking and hydrophobic interactions. Without additional carriers, nanoscale PhotoSyn possess an extremely high drug loading rate (up to 100%) and they are found to be fairly stable in aqueous phase with a uniform size distribution. Intravenously injected PhotoSyn prefer to accumulate at tumor sites for effective cellular uptake. More importantly, TH588‐mediated MTH1 inhibition could destroy the ROS‐defensing system of tumor cells by preventing the elimination of 8‐oxo‐2′‐deoxyguanosine triphosphate (8‐oxo‐dG), thereby exacerbating the oxidative DNA damage induced by the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of Ce6 under light irradiation. As a consequence, PhotoSyn exhibit enhanced photo toxicity and a significant antitumor effect. This amplified oxidative damage strategy improves the PDT efficiency with a reduced side effect by increasing the lethality of ROS without generating superabundant ROS, which would provide a new insight for developing self‐delivery nanoplatforms in photodynamic tumor therapy in clinic.
Carrier free photodynamic synergists are developed for oxidative damage amplified tumor therapy by destroying the reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐defensing system without generating excessive ROS, which shed light on the development of self‐delivery nanoplatforms for efficient photodynamic therapy by utilizing the limited oxygen in hypoxic tumors.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
A 12‐week feeding trial was performed to determine the dietary copper (Cu) requirement of postlarval coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). The postlarvae were reared on six experimental diets ...containing either 0.4, 1.9, 3.8, 5.6, 7.6 or 9.1 mg Cu/kg, provided as copper sulphate pentahydrate (CuSO4·5H2O). The highest specific growth rate (SGR) and condition factor (CF) were observed in fish fed with 5.6 mg Cu/kg diet, which was significantly higher (p < .05) than the 0.4 mg Cu/kg treatment. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed an inverse trend with SGR. Whole‐body lipid was significantly increased (p < .05) with dietary Cu concentration up to 5.6 mg/kg and decreased thereafter. Fish fed with 9.1 mg Cu/kg diet exhibited the highest Cu concentrations in vertebrae and whole body. The total hepatic superoxide dismutase (T‐SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were positively affected by the dietary Cu concentration up to 5.6 and 7.6 mg/kg respectively. The lowest hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content was found in 5.6 mg/kg treatment. Hepatic lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hepatic lipase (HL) contents significantly decreased (p < .05) with increasing Cu level up to 5.6 mg/kg and then levelled off. Analyses based on the SGR, Cu concentrations in whole body and vertebrae, the optimal dietary Cu requirements for postlarval coho salmon were estimated to be 5.1, 5.5 and 5.2 mg/kg respectively.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper presents a large-scale CMOS chemical-sensing array operating in current mode for real-time ion imaging and detection of DNA amplification. We show that the current-mode operation of ...ion-sensitive field-effect transistors in velocity saturation devices can be exploited to achieve an almost perfect linearity in their input-output characteristics (pH-current), which are aligned with the continuous scaling trend of transistors in CMOS. The array is implemented in a 0.35-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">\mu</tex-math></inline-formula>m process and includes 12.8 k sensors configured in a 2T per pixel topology. We characterize the array by taking into account nonideal effects observed with floating gate devices, such as increased pixel mismatch due to trapped charge and attenuation of the input signal due to the passivation capacitance, and show that the selected biasing regime allows for a sufficiently large linear range that ensures a linear pH to current despite the increased mismatch. The proposed system achieves a sensitivity of 1.03 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">\mu</tex-math></inline-formula>A/pH with a pH resolution of 0.101 pH and is suitable for the real-time detection of the NDM carbapenemase gene in E. Coli using a loop-mediated isothermal amplification.
Paris fargesii
is an important medicinal resource of the genus
Paris
. With the aim of developing, utilizing, and protecting the resources of
P. fargesii
rationally, we carried out a phytochemical ...investigation on the regenerative resources (stems and leaves) of this plant. Ultimately, eleven new spirostane saponins, parisfargosides SL-1–SL-11 (1–11), along with 6 known compounds (12–17) were isolated from the stems and leaves of
P. fargesii
for the first time. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of HR-ESI-MS, and 1D- and 2D-NMR data as well as chemical methods. The structures of compounds 1–6 contain one or two hydroxyl groups on the F ring, while compound 7 possesses a rare α,β-unsaturated ketone unit on the B ring. Saponins 13, 14, and 16 displayed significant cytotoxicities against three human cancer lines (HepG2, A-549, and HCT116) with IC
50
values ranging from 2.90 to 10.12 μM.
Early and accurate diagnosis of malaria and drug-resistance is essential to effective disease management. Available rapid malaria diagnostic tests present limitations in analytical sensitivity, ...drug-resistance testing and/or quantification. Conversely, diagnostic methods based on nucleic acid amplification stepped forwards owing to their high sensitivity, specificity and robustness. Nevertheless, these methods commonly rely on optical measurements and complex instrumentation which limit their applicability in resource-poor, point-of-care settings. This paper reports the specific, quantitative and fully-electronic detection of Plasmodium falciparum, the predominant malaria-causing parasite worldwide, using a Lab-on-Chip platform developed in-house. Furthermore, we demonstrate on-chip detection of C580Y, the most prevalent single-nucleotide polymorphism associated to artemisinin-resistant malaria. Real-time non-optical DNA sensing is facilitated using Ion-Sensitive Field-Effect Transistors, fabricated in unmodified complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, coupled with loop-mediated isothermal amplification. This work holds significant potential for the development of a fully portable and quantitative malaria diagnostic that can be used as a rapid point-of-care test.
•CMOS-based Lab-on-Chip platform for rapid (< 25 min) Point-of-Care diagnosis of malaria.•Novel P. falciparum specific LAMP assay with limit of detection of 1-10 copies per reaction.•First CMOS-based Lab-on-Chip quantitative detection of unknown P. falciparum samples.•CMOS-based Lab-on-Chip detection of a mutation related to artemisinin resistance.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
ObjectiveThis meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the overall prevalence of sarcopenia in older Chinese adults.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.ParticipantsA literature research was ...conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, CQVIP and Wanfang databases. The following search terms in the abstract were used: “sarcopenia” in combination with the terms “prevalence,” “epidemiology” and “China.” All studies published from January 2010 to November 2020 were included. The random-effect model was used to estimate the prevalence of sarcopenia. The sex-specific prevalence of sarcopenia at a 95% CI was also calculated using different criteria for defining sarcopenia.Primary outcome measuresThe overall prevalence of sarcopenia in older Chinese adults.ResultsIn total, 23 articles were included in this meta-analysis involving 21 564 participants. On the basis of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criterion, the overall prevalence of sarcopenia among the elderly in China was 14% (95% CI 11% to 18%); the prevalence was higher in Chinese women than in men (15% vs 14%).ConclusionsThis systematic review is the first estimation of the pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in older Chinese adults. Our results suggest that China has a large number of patients with sarcopenia. These findings would be useful for sarcopenia prevention in China. There is a high degree of heterogeneity, and although there are a large number of cases and could be an emerging public health issue, more research is required to make these claims.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020223405.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic chronic inflammatory disease associated with a potential imbalance between the growth and death of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLSs). ...Imperatorin (IPT) is a naturally occurring furanocoumarin found in umbelliferous vegetables, citrus fruits, and some herbs. The effects of IPT on the proliferation and apoptosis of RA-FLSs and its potential underlying mechanisms have remained unclear. RA-FLSs obtained from RA patients were induced by interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and treated with IPT. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Apoptotic cell death was analyzed by Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining and Hoechst 33342 staining. The loss in the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was visualized on the basis of JC-1 staining via fluorescence microscopy, and protein expression changes were assessed by western blot, whereas in vivo studies were conducted in male Wistar rats followed by histopathological assessment via TUNEL assay and HE staining of tissues. The results showed that IPT significantly reduced cell viability, accelerated cell apoptosis and decreased matrix metalloproteinases-1/-3 expression in IL-1β-induced RA-FLSs. Furthermore, IPT exposure was found to disrupt the ΔΨm compared to the IL-1β-induced treatment. Moreover, IPT increased the release of mitochondrial cytochrome C, the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, and the cleavage of caspase-9, caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. In vivo studies showed that IPT not only significantly reduced the collagen induced arthritis by reducing synovial hyperplasia, and pannus formation but also enhanced the apoptotic index of ankle joint cells. Conclusively, our findings suggest that IPT inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in RA-FLSs that may be associated with mitochondrial/caspase-mediated signalling pathways.
To compare fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) assays for detection of ROS1 fusion in a large number ...of ROS1-positive lung adenocatcinoma (ADC) patients.
Using IHC analysis, sixty lung ADCs including 16 cases with ROS1 protein expression and 44 cases without ROS1 expression were selected for this study. The ROS1 fusion status was examined by FISH and qRT-PCR assay.
Among 60 cases, 16 (26.7%), 13 (21.7%) and 20 (33.3%) cases were ROS1 positive revealed by IHC, FISH and qRT-PCR, respectively. Using FISH as a standard method for ROS1 fusion detection, the sensitivity and specificity of IHC were 100% and 93.6%, respectively. Three IHC-positive cases, which showed FISH negative, were demonstrated with ROS1 fusion by qRT-PCR analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of qRT-PCR for detection for ROS1 fusion were 100% and 85.1%, respectively. The total concordance rate between IHC and qRT-PCR were 93.3%.
IHC is a reliable and rapid screening tool in routine pathologic laboratories for the identification of suitable candidates for ROS1-targeted therapy. Some ROS1 IHC-positive but FISH-negative cases did harbor the translocation events and may benefit from crizotinib.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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