The level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAb) is an indispensable reference for evaluating the acquired protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we established an ultrabright ...nanoparticles-based lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for one-step rapid semi-quantitative detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 NAb in vaccinee's serum. Once embedded in polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles, the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen, AIE490, exhibited ultrabright fluorescence due to the rigidity of PS and severe inhibition of intramolecular motions. The ultrabright AIE490-PS nanoparticle was used as a fluorescent marker of LFIA. Upon optimized conditions including incubation time, concentrations of coated proteins and conjugated nanoparticles, amounts of antigens modified on the surface of nanoparticles, dilution rate of serum samples, and so on, the ultrabright nanoparticles-based LFIA could accurately identify 70 negative samples and 63 positive samples from human serum (p < 0.0001). The intra- and inter-assay precisions of the established method are above 13% and 16%, respectively. The established LFIA has tremendous practical value of generalization as a rapid semi-quantitative detection method of anti-SARS-CoV-2 NAb. Meanwhile, the AIE490-PS nanoparticle is also promising to detect many other analytes by altering the protein on the surface.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
With the increasing prevalence of infectious diseases caused by drug‐resistant bacteria, there is an urgent need to develop innovative therapies alternative to antibiotics. Among these alternatives, ...the aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) photosensitizers (PSs) stand out with their integrated imaging and therapeutic functionalities, allowing for early monitoring and image‐guided ablation of bacteria. AIE fluorescent probes with unique optical properties excel in selective bacterial imaging. Furthermore, AIE‐enabled reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐mediated antibacterial photodynamic therapy can operate on multiple targets to oxidize bacteria. Also, as they are able to specifically target bacteria, AIE PSs can ameliorate the limitations of the small‐scale action of ROS. This review methodically discusses the different strategies that can be employed using AIE PSs for targeting bacteria, including sheltered bacteria. The challenges and future opportunities of using AIE PSs in this emerging field are also briefly discussed.
Since the evolution of bacterial resistance mechanisms leads to bacterial structural changes, developing advanced aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) photosensitizers (PSs) that can accommodate and act on multiple targets to replace antibiotics would be highly beneficial. Currently, the bacterial targeting strategy of AIE PSs can be developed from simple chemical modification guided by specific biological principles.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Selective photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cancer cells is more efficient and much safer. Most selective PDTs are realized by antigene-biomarker or peptide-biomarker interactions. Here, we modified ...dextran with hydrophobic cholesterol as a photosensitizer carrier to selectively target cancer cells, including colon cancer cells, and fulfilled selective PDT. The photosensitizer was designed with regular Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) units, including triphenylamine and 2-(3-cyano-4,5,5-trimethylfuran-2-ylidene)propanedinitrile. The AIE units can help to decrease the quenching effect in the aggregate state. The efficiency of the photosensitizer is further improved via the heavy atom effect after bromination modification. We found that the obtained photosensitizer nanoparticles could selectively target and ablate cancer cells after encapsulation into the dextran-cholesterol carrier. This study indicates that the polysaccharide-based carrier may have potential for cancer-targeting therapy beyond expectations.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Traditional antibacterial procedures are getting inefficient due to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, which makes alternative treatments in urgent demand. However, the selectivity toward ...infectious bacteria is still challenging. Herein, by taking advantage of the self-directed capture of infectious bacteria by macrophages, we developed a strategy to realize precise in vivo antibacterial photodynamic therapy (APDT) through adoptive photosensitizer-loaded macrophage transfer. TTD with strong reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and bright fluorescence was first synthesized and was subsequently formulated into TTD nanoparticles for lysosome targeting. TTD-loaded macrophages (TLMs) were constructed by direct incubation of TTD nanoparticles with macrophages, in which the TTD was localized in the lysosomes to meet the captured bacteria in the phagolysosomes. The TLMs could precisely capture and eradicate bacteria while being activated toward the proinflammatory and antibacterial M1 phenotype upon light illumination. More importantly, after subcutaneous injection, TLMs could effectively inhibit bacteria in the infected tissue through APDT, leading to good tissue recovery from severe bacterial infection. Overall, the engineered cell-based therapeutic approach shows great potential in the treatment of severe bacterial infectious diseases.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Objective To investigate the effect of miR-429 on the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells and its mechanism. Methods RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to measure the relative mRNA ...and protein expression levels of eIF4E in breast cancer MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and BT-549 cells and normal breast epithelial MCF-10A cells. MCF-7 cells were transfected with miR-429 mimics (group A), mimics NC (group B), miR-429 inhibitors (group C), and inhibitors NC (group D), and RT-qPCR, CCK-8 assay, wound healing assay, and Western blotting were used to measure the expression of miR-429, cell proliferation and migration, and the relative mRNA and protein expression levels of eIF4E in groups A-D. The 293T cells were transfected with eIF4E-3'UTR-Wt+miR-429 mimics (group E), eIF4E-3'UTR-Wt+mimics NC (group F), eIF4E-3'UTR-Mut+miR-429 mimics (group G), and eIF4E-3'UTR-Mut+mimics NC (group H), and relative luciferase activity was measured for groups E-H. The targeted regulatory effect of miR-429 on eIF4E
Highlights
An overview of the formation mechanisms, fabrication methods, and applications of bioinspired wrinkling patterns on curved substrates is provided.
The effect of substrate curvature is ...described in detail to clarify the difference of wrinkling patterns between planar and curved substrates.
Opportunities and challenges of the surface wrinkling in the biofabrication, three-dimensional micro/nano fabrication, and four-dimensional printing are discussed.
The surface wrinkling of biological tissues is ubiquitous in nature. Accumulating evidence suggests that the mechanical force plays a significant role in shaping the biological morphologies. Controlled wrinkling has been demonstrated to be able to spontaneously form rich multiscale patterns, on either planar or curved surfaces. The surface wrinkling on planar substrates has been investigated thoroughly during the past decades. However, most wrinkling morphologies in nature are based on the curved biological surfaces and the research of controllable patterning on curved substrates still remains weak. The study of wrinkling on curved substrates is critical for understanding the biological growth, developing three-dimensional (3D) or four-dimensional (4D) fabrication techniques, and creating novel topographic patterns. In this review, fundamental wrinkling mechanics and recent advances in both fabrications and applications of the wrinkling patterns on curved substrates are summarized. The mechanics behind the wrinkles is compared between the planar and the curved cases. Beyond the film thickness, modulus ratio, and mismatch strain, the substrate curvature is one more significant parameter controlling the surface wrinkling. Curved substrates can be both solid and hollow with various 3D geometries across multiple length scales. Up to date, the wrinkling morphologies on solid/hollow core–shell spheres and cylinders have been simulated and selectively produced. Emerging applications of the curved topographic patterns have been found in smart wetting surfaces, cell culture interfaces, healthcare materials, and actuators, which may accelerate the development of artificial organs, stimuli-responsive devices, and micro/nano fabrications with higher dimensions.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Industrial technological progress, as an essential industrial-technological and institutional phenomenon, brings with it the possibility of high profits for firms but also implies new norms and rules ...of competition, which affect the willingness and propensity of firms to bear the costs of undertaking venture capital projects. This study empirically investigates the causal impact of industrial-technological progress on corporate risk-taking and the mechanism of digital financial growth on the relationship between the two, based on data from China's A-share listed businesses from 2011 to 2020. This paper finds that (1) industrial technological progress improves enterprise risk-taking levels. Moreover, digital financial development has an incentive effect on industrial technological progress and enterprise risk-taking levels. (2) Industrial technological progress under digital financial development generates financing constraint relaxation effects, input capital return enhancement effects, and innovation performance incentive effects, increasing enterprise risk-taking. (3) The positive moderating effect of digital financial development on the relationship between industrial technological progress and the risk-taking level of enterprises in the eastern regions and enterprises in the high-tech industry is more prominent. The study's findings provide a theoretical foundation and policy insights on the crucial elements of industrial-technological progress and enterprises' increased ability to take risks throughout the development of digital finance.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In recent years, Sporosarcina pasteurii (S. pasteurii) has become one of the most popular bacteria in microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). Various applications have been ...developed based on the efficient urease that can induce the precipitation of calcium carbonate. However, the metabolic mechanism related to biomineralization of S. pasteurii has not been clearly elucidated. The process of bacterial culture and biomineralization consumes a large amount of urea or ammonium salts, which are usually used as agricultural fertilizers, not to mention probable environmental pollutions caused by the excessive use of these raw materials. Therefore, it is urgent to reveal the mechanism of nitrogen utilization and metabolism of S. pasteurii. In this paper, we compared the growth and gene expression of S. pasteurii under three different culture conditions through transcriptome analyses. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that both ammonium and urea were direct nitrogen sources of S. pasteurii, and the bacteria could not grow normally in the absence of ammonium or urea. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first one to reveal the nitrogen utilization mechanism of S. pasteurii through transcriptome methods. Furthermore, the presence of ammonium might promote the synthesis of intracellular ATP and enhance the motility of the bacteria. There should be an ATP synthesis mechanism associated with urea hydrolysis catalyzed by urease in S. pasteurii.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Synthesis of vitrimer with dynamic covalent bond is a surprising solution to overcome the inherent limitations of traditional thermosets. A bio-based vitrimer-like polyurethane formed by castor oil, ...vanillin, m-xylylenediamine and 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate in the preparation has superior mechanical properties, good solvent resistance, good thermal stability. Furthermore, the existence of dynamic imine bond in the vitrimer-like polyurethane is prone for polyurethane to rapid stress relaxation behavior, remoldability, weldability, antibacterial ability. With the hydrolysis of the imine bond, the material can be rapidly degraded at 60 °C for 1 h. In addition, it's commendable that the material exhibits excellent reprocessability that can be maintained at 86% even after 3 consecutive smash/mold pressing cycles. This work provides a promising method to manufacture bio-based polyurethane thermosets with excellent reprocessability, rapidly-degradable and antibacterial property, which has also promoted the high-value utilization of biomass materials.
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•A novel bio-based vitrimer-like polyurethane containing castor oil and vanillin with high-strength has been synthesized.•Imine exchange reaction in the networks exhibits fast relaxation behavior and thermal processability.•The bio-based vitrimer-like polyurethane can be chemically degraded quickly under mild conditions.•Antibacterial performance was verified with an antibacterial rate of up to 86.63%.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), one of the most toxic chemical carcinogens, has been widely studied. It remains challenging to develop simple, accurate, and sensitive analytical methods for the detection of ...AFB1 in food matrixes. In this work, on the basis of a dual-signaling strategy, a ratiometric aptasensor was designed and verified for the accurate and sensitive detection of AFB1. The electrochemical method was first used as a model to verify the specific interaction between AFB1 and the aptamer, in which ferrocene (Fc)-anchored and methylene blue (MB)-anchored DNA sequences acted as dual signals. Consequently, the specific interaction between AFB1 and its aptamer was demonstrated by the “signal-on” mode of Fc and the “signal-off” mode of MB. Due to the simple dual-signaling mode, the electrochemical sensor was further extended to the construction of an electrochemiluminoscence (ECL) aptasensor. In the ECL system, dual ECL signals were produced from CdTe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) and luminol. Horseradish peroxidase-modified gold nanorods (HRP/Au NRs) acted as the quencher/enhancer and as such quenched the ECL signal of the QDs by ECL energy transfer and simultaneously catalyzed H2O2 to enhance the ECL of luminol. Owing to the self-calibration by the internal reference, both of the ratiometric aptasensors exhibited accurate and sensitive analytical performance for AFB1 with a good linear range from 5.0 pM to 10 nM and detection limits of 0.43 and 0.12 pM (S/N = 3), respectively. The aptasensors also exhibited good selectivity, reproducibility, and stability, revealing potential applications in food safety monitoring and environmental analysis.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
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