Berberine (BH) is an important traditional medicinal herb endowed with diverse pharmacological and biological activities. In this work, the binding characteristics and molecular mechanism of the ...interaction between the BH and herring sperm DNA were explored by UV–vis absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. In the mechanism discussion, fluorescence quenching, absorption spectra, competition experiment, and iodide quenching experiment studies hinted at an intercalative mode of binding for BH to DNA. Fluorescence studies revealed the binding constant (K) of BH–DNA was ∼104 L·mol–1. The effects of temperature, chemical denaturants, thermal denaturation, and pH were studied to show the factors of the interaction and provided further support for the intercalative binding mode. The results of thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS at different temperatures indicated that the hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions played major roles in the reaction, and the effect of ionic strength indicated that electrostatic attraction between the BH and DNA was also a component of the interaction.
The thermally stable inorganic cesium‐based perovskites promise efficient and stable photovoltaics. Unfortunately, the strong ionic bonds lead to uncontrollable rapid crystallization, making it ...difficult in fabricating large‐area black‐phase film for photovoltaics. Herein, we developed a facile hydrogen‐bonding assisted strategy for modulating the crystallization of CsPbI2Br to achieve uniform large‐area phase‐pure films with much‐reduced defects. The simple addition of methylamine acetate in precursors not only promotes the formation of intermediate phase via hydrogen bonding to circumvent the direct crystallization of CsPbI2Br from ionic precursors but also widens the film processing window, thus enabling to fabricate large‐area high‐quality phase‐pure CsPbI2Br film under benign conditions. Combining with stable dopant‐free poly(3‐hexylthiophene), the CsPbI2Br solar cells achieve the record‐high efficiencies of 18.14 % and 16.46 % for 0.1 cm2 and 1 cm2 active area, respectively. The obtained high efficiency of 38.24 % under 1000 lux illumination suggests its potential in indoor photovoltaics for powering the Internet of Things, etc.
A facile hydrogen bonding‐modulated crystallization strategy is developed to achieve highly‐crystalline, uniform, and large‐area CsPbI2Br films, enabling CsPbI2Br solar cells with record‐high efficiencies of 18.14 % and 16.46 % for 0.1 cm2 and 1 cm2 active area, respectively. The efficiency of 38.24 % under indoor illumination suggests its potential in the applications of powering the Internet of Things, etc.
Molecular machines based on mechanically-interlocked molecules (MIMs) such as (pseudo) rotaxanes or catenates are known for their molecular-level dynamics, but promoting macro-mechanical response of ...these molecular machines or related materials is still challenging. Herein, by employing macrocyclic cucurbit8uril (CB8)-based pseudorotaxane with a pair of styrene-derived photoactive guest molecules as linking structs of uranyl node, we describe a metal-organic rotaxane compound, U-CB8-MPyVB, that is capable of delivering controllable macroscopic mechanical responses. Under light irradiation, the ladder-shape structural unit of metal-organic rotaxane chain in U-CB8-MPyVB undergoes a regioselective solid-state 2 + 2 photodimerization, and facilitates a photo-triggered single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformation, which even induces macroscopic photomechanical bending of individual rod-like bulk crystals. The fabrication of rotaxane-based crystalline materials with both photoresponsive microscopic and macroscopic dynamic behaviors in solid state can be promising photoactuator devices, and will have implications in emerging fields such as optomechanical microdevices and smart microrobotics.
Poisoning is a leading cause of admission to medical emergency departments and intensive care units. Supramolecular detoxification, which involves injecting supramolecular receptors that bind with ...toxins to suppress their biological activity, is an emerging strategy for poisoning treatment; it has few requirements and a broad application scope. However, it is still a formidable challenge to design supramolecular therapeutic materials as an antidote to macromolecular toxins, because the large size, flexible conformation, and presence of multiple and diverse binding sites of biomacromolecules hinder their recognition. Herein, a supramolecular antidote to macromolecular toxins is developed through the coassembly of macrocyclic amphiphiles, relying on heteromultivalent recognition between the coassembled components and toxic macromolecules. The coassembly of amphiphilic cyclodextrin and calixarene strongly and selectively captures melittin, a toxin studied herein; this imparts various therapeutic effects such as inhibiting the interactions of melittin with cell membranes, alleviating melittin cytotoxicity and hemolytic toxicity, reducing the mortality rate of melittin‐poisoned mice, and mitigating damage to major organs. The use of the proposed antidote overcomes the limitation of supramolecular detoxification applicability to only small‐molecular toxins. The antidote can also detoxify other macromolecular toxins as long as selective and strong binding is achieved because of the coassembling tunability.
Supramolecular detoxification is an emerging strategy for treating poisoning; however, developing supramolecular therapeutic materials as an antidote to macromolecular toxins is challenging. To overcome this challenge, a heteromultivalent coassembling material (CCA‐CD) comprising macrocyclic amphiphiles is developed. The CCA‐CD binds with melittin strongly and selectively, and significantly alleviates its toxicity, serving as a novel supramolecular antidote used for melittin poisoning treatment.
Yunnan Province is located in southwestern China and neighbors the Southeast Asian countries, all of which are dengue-endemic areas. In 2000-2013, sporadic imported cases of dengue fever (DF) were ...reported almost annually in Yunnan Province. During 2013-2015, we confirmed that a large-scale indigenous DF outbreak emerged in cities of Yunnan Province near the China-Myanmar-Laos border.
Epidemiological characteristics of DF in Yunnan Province during 2013-2015 were evaluated by retrospective analysis. A total of 232 dengue virus (DENV)-positive sera were randomly collected for sequence analysis of the capsid/premembrane region of DENV from patients with DF in Yunnan Province. The envelope gene of DENV isolates was also amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using the neighbor-joining method with the Tajima-Nei model.
Phylogenetically, all DENV-positive samples could be classified into DENV-1 genotype I and DENV-2 Asian I genotype during 2013-2015 and DENV-4 genotype I in 2015 from Ruili City; and DENV-3 genotype II in 2013 and DENV-2 Cosmopolitan genotype in 2015 from Xishuangbanna Prefecture.
Our results indicated that imported DF from patients from Laos and Myanmar was the primary cause of the DF epidemic in Yunnan Province. Additionally, DENV strains of all four serotypes were identified in indigenous cases in Yunnan Province during the same time period, while the dengue epidemic pattern observed in southwestern Yunnan showed characteristics of a hypoendemic nature: circulation of DENV-1 and DENV-2 over consecutive years.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary Background Up to now, all tested Ebola virus vaccines have been based on the virus strain from the Zaire outbreak in 1976. We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of a novel ...recombinant adenovirus type-5 vector-based Ebola vaccine expressing the glycoprotein of the 2014 epidemic strain. Methods We did this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 clinical trial at one site in Taizhou County, Jiangsu Province, China. Healthy adults (aged 18–60 years) were sequentially enrolled and randomly assigned (2:1), by computer-generated block randomisation (block size of six), to receive placebo, low-dose adenovirus type-5 vector-based Ebola vaccine, or high-dose vaccine. Randomisation was pre-stratified by dose group. All participants, investigators, and laboratory staff were masked to treatment allocation. The primary safety endpoint was occurrence of solicited adverse reactions within 7 days of vaccination. The primary immunogenicity endpoints were glycoprotein-specific antibody titres and T-cell responses at day 28 after the vaccination. Analysis was by intention to treat. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT02326194. Findings Between Dec 28, 2014, and Jan 9, 2015, 120 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive placebo (n=40), low-dose vaccine (n=40), or high-dose vaccine. Participants were followed up for 28 days. Overall, 82 (68%) participants reported at least one solicited adverse reaction within 7 days of vaccination (n=19 in the placebo group vs n=27 in the low-dose group vs n=36 in the high-dose group; p=0·0002). The most common reaction was mild pain at the injection site, which was reported in eight (20%) participants in the placebo group, 14 (35%) participants in the low-dose group, and 29 (73%) participants in the high-dose vaccine group (p<0·0001). We recorded no statistical differences in other adverse reactions and laboratory tests across groups. Glycoprotein-specific antibody titres were significantly increased in participants in the low-dose and high-dose vaccine groups at both day 14 (geometric mean titre 421·4 95% CI 249·7–711·3 and 820·5 598·9–1124·0, respectively; p<0·0001) and day 28 (682·7 424·3–1098·5 and 1305·7 970·1–1757·2, respectively; p<0·0001). T-cell responses peaked at day 14 at a median of 465·0 spot-forming cells (IQR 180·0–1202·5) in participants in the low-dose group and 765·0 cells (400·0–1460·0) in those in the high-dose group. 21 (18%) participants had mild fever (n=9 in the placebo group, n=6 in the low-dose group, and n=6 in the high-dose group). No serious adverse events were recorded. Interpretation Our findings show that the high-dose vaccine is safe and robustly immunogenic. One shot of the high-dose vaccine could mount glycoprotein-specific humoral and T-cell response against Ebola virus in 14 days. Funding China National Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, and Tianjin CanSino Biotechnology.
Establishing an accurate, simple, and rapid serodiagnosis method aiming for specific cancer antigens is critically important for the clinical diagnosis, therapy, and prognostication of cancer. ...Currently, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) readout techniques challenge fluorescent-based detection methods in terms of both optical stability and more importantly multiple detection capability, which become more desirable for clinical diagnostics. We thus started using an interference-free mixing SERS emission (m-SERS) readout to simultaneously indicate, for the first time, three specific liver cancer antigens, including α-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and ferritin (FER), even in one clinical serum sample. Here, three triple bonds (CN and CC) coded SERS tags contribute separate SERS emissions located at 2105, 2159, and 2227 cm–1, respectively; must have one-to-one correspondence from AFP, to FER, to CEA, In the process of detection, the mature double antibody sandwich allows the formation of microscale core–satellite assembly structure between a magnetic bead (MB) and single SERS tags, and therefore a pure and single SERS emission can be observed under the routine excitation laser spot. Because of the action of magnetic force, the uniform 3D packing of SERS tags absorbed MBs will in contrast generate a so-called m-SERS signals. With the help of enrichment and separation by MBs, the proposed m-SERS immunoassay provides an extremely rapid, sensitive, and accurate solution for multiplex detection of antigens or other biomarkers. Herein, the limit of detection (LOD) for simultaneous m-SERS detection of AFP, CEA, and FER was 0.15, 20, and 4 pg/mL, respectively. As expected for 39 clinical serum samples, simultaneous detection of ternary specific antigens can significantly improve the accuracy of liver cancer diagnosis.
Abstract
Differential sensing, which discriminates analytes via pattern recognition by sensor arrays, plays an important role in our understanding of many chemical and biological systems. However, it ...remains challenging to develop new methods to build a sensor unit library without incurring a high workload of synthesis. Herein, we propose a supramolecular approach to construct a sensor unit library by taking full advantage of recognition and assembly. Ten sensor arrays are developed by replacing the building block combinations, adjusting the ratio between system components, and changing the environment. Using proteins as model analytes, we examine the discriminative abilities of these supramolecular sensor arrays. Then the practical applicability for discriminating complex analytes is further demonstrated using honey as an example. This sensor array construction strategy is simple, tunable, and capable of developing many sensor units with as few syntheses as possible.
In this study, a novel stable Ag-Titanium-oxo-cluster (Ag-TOC, Ag9Ti4) with excellent antibacterial performance and anti-inflammatory was developed by one-step solvothermal method. Hydrogel based ...Ag9Ti4 under NIR condition demonstrated better anti-inflammatory and wound healing ability.
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•A novel stable, excellent antibacterial Ag-Titanium-oxo-cluster (Ag-TOC, Ag9Ti4) with active site Ag and salicylic acid was developed.•Hydrogel based Ag9Ti4 cluster system has good antibacterial and photothermal properties.•Hydrogel based Ag9Ti4 system under NIR condition showed better anti-inflammatory and wound healing ability.
Titanium-oxo-clusters (TOCs), due to its precise, tunable structure and rich properties, have been widely used in many fields. However, application of TOCs is greatly limited in biomedical area owing to the impact of its own performances, for example, unstable structure, lack of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties required as biomedical materials. In this work, we developed a novel stable, excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties Ag-Titanium-oxo-cluster (Ag-TOC, Ag9Ti4) with active site Ag and salicylic acid by one-step solvothermal method, through introducing silver and salicylic acid. Then, the Ag9Ti4 cluster was introduced into the dopamine-containing hydrogel system, the results in vitro indicated this Ag9Ti4 cluster hydrogel system possesses good antibacterial and photothermal properties. Moreover, the results in vivo indicated the Ag9Ti4 hydrogel system showed better anti-inflammatory and wound healing ability under NIR condition. Combined with its excellent properties, we believed that the construction of antibacterial, photothermal and stable Ag-TOC hydrogel system can provide a new strategy for the expanding biomedical applications of TOCs.
Purpose
A population-level description and analysis of sepsis-related mortality in China is key to the planning and assessment of interventional strategies.
Methods
Retrospective analysis of multiple ...cause of death (MCOD) recorded in the population-based national mortality surveillance system (NMSS) of China. All sepsis-related deaths occurring in 605 disease surveillance points (DSPs) covering 323.8 million population across China were included in our study. Age-standardized mortality and national estimate of sepsis-related deaths were estimated using the census population in 2010 and 2015, respectively.
Results
In 2015, a total of 1,937,299 deaths occurring in any of the 605 DSPs and standardized sepsis-related mortality rate was 66.7 (95% confidence interval CI 66.4–67.0) deaths per 100,000 population. This produced a national estimate of 1,025,997 sepsis-related deaths. Sepsis-related mortality rates exhibited significant geographic variation. In multilevel analysis, male sex (rate ratio RR 1.582, 95% CI 1.570–1.595), increasing age (RR 1.914 for 5-year group, 95% CI 1.910–1.917), and presence of comorbidity (RR 2.316, 95% CI 2.298–2.335) were independently associated with increased sepsis-related mortality. Higher disposable income (RR 0.717 for the fourth interquartile range vs. the first interquartile range, 95% CI 0.515–0.978) and mean years of education (RR 0.808 for the fourth interquartile range vs. the first interquartile range, 95% CI 0.684–0.955) were negatively associated with sepsis-related mortality. However, population-based hospital doctors were not significantly associated with sepsis-related mortality.
Conclusions
The standardized sepsis-related mortality rate in China was high and varied according to socioeconomic indices, even though some uncertainty remained.
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