Fluorescence-based biosensor platforms have been intensively investigated not only to increase the sensitivity but also to improve the performance of biosensors. By exploiting metal from the ...macroscopic down to the nanoscopic surface, various architectures have been devised to manipulate fluorescence signals (enhancement, quenching) within near-optical fields. The interaction of a metallic surface with proximal fluorophores (in the range of 5–90 nm) has beneficial effects on optical properties such as an increased quantum yield, improved photostability and a reduced lifetime of fluorophores. This phenomenon called metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) has been extensively used in biosensory applications. However, their applications for biological analysis practically remain challenging in biological microenvironments. Therefore, this review primarily provides a general overview of MEF biosensor systems from the basic mechanism to state-of-the-art biological applications. The review also covers the pros and cons of MEF biosensor as well as discussions about further directions in biological perspectives.
•This review provides a general overview of MEF biosensor systems from the basic mechanism to state-of-the-art biological applications.•In the main text, we covered the pros and cons of MEF biosensor with biological aspects and discussed future biological outlooks for MEF studies.
The total star formation budget of galaxies consists of the sum of the unobscured star formation, as observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), together with the obscured component that is absorbed ...and re-radiated by dust grains in the infrared. We explore how the fraction of obscured star formation depends on stellar mass for mass-complete samples of galaxies at . We combine GALEX and WISE photometry for SDSS-selected galaxies with the 3D-HST treasury program and Spitzer/MIPS 24 m photometry in the well-studied five extragalactic Cosmic Assembly Near-IR Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) fields. We find a strong dependence of the fraction of obscured star formation (fobscured = SFRIR/SFRUV+IR) on stellar mass, with remarkably little evolution in this fraction with redshift out to z = 2.5. 50% of star formation is obscured for galaxies with log(M/M ) = 9.4; although unobscured star formation dominates the budget at lower masses, there exists a tail of low-mass, extremely obscured star-forming galaxies at . For log(M/M ) > 10.5, >90% of star formation is obscured at all redshifts. We also show that at fixed total SFR, is lower at higher redshift. At fixed mass, high-redshift galaxies are observed to have more compact sizes and much higher star formation rates, gas fractions, and hence surface densities (implying higher dust obscuration), yet we observe no redshift evolution in with stellar mass. This poses a challenge to theoretical models, where the observed compact sizes at high redshift seem in tension with lower dust obscuration.
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) encapsulation technique has long been emerged in tissue engineering as it plays an important role in implantation of stem cells to regenerate a damaged tissue. MSC ...encapsulation provides a mimic of a three-dimensional (3D) in vivo environment to maintain cell viability and to induce the stem cell differentiation which regulates MSC fate into multi-lineages. Moreover, the 3D matrix surrounding MSCs protects them from the human innate immune system and allows the diffusion of biomolecules such as oxygen, cytokines, and growth factors. Therefore, many technologies are being developed to create MSC encapsulation platforms with diverse materials, shapes, and sizes. The conditions of the platform are determined by the targeted tissue and translation method. This review introduces several details of MSC encapsulation technologies such as micromolding, electrostatic droplet extrusion, microfluidics, and bioprinting and their application for tissue regeneration. Lastly, some of the challenges and future direction of MSC encapsulation technologies as a cell therapy-based tissue regeneration method will be discussed.
Wearable healthcare devices have garnered substantial interest for the realization of personal health management by monitoring the physiological parameters of individuals. Attaining the integrity ...between the devices and the biological interfaces is one of the greatest challenges to achieving high‐quality body information in dynamic conditions. Liquid metals, which exist in the liquid phase at room temperatures, are advanced intensively as conductors for deformable devices because of their excellent stretchability and self‐healing ability. The unique surface chemistry of liquid metals allows the development of various sensors and devices in wearable form. Also, the biocompatibility of liquid metals, which is verified through numerous biomedical applications, holds immense potential in uses on the surface and inside of a living body. Here, the recent progress of liquid metal‐based wearable electronic devices for healthcare with respect to the featured properties and the processing technologies is discussed. Representative examples of applications such as biosensors, neural interfaces, and a soft interconnection for devices are reviewed. The current challenges and prospects for further development are also discussed, and the future directions of advances in the latest research are explored.
Recent remarkable advances of liquid metal‐based bioelectronic devices are discussed in this review as their various applications such as sensors and neural interfaces, with extra emphasis on the featured properties and processing methods of the liquid metals.
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is characterized by steatosis and upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β. IL-1β, type I IL-1 receptor (IL-1R1), and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) ...are all important regulators of the IL-1 signaling complex, which plays a role in inflammation. Furthermore, IL-1β maturation is dependent on caspase-1 (Casp-1). Using IL-1Ra-treated mice as well as 3 mouse models deficient in regulators of IL-1β activation (Casp-1 and ASC) or signaling (IL-1R1), we found that IL-1β signaling is required for the development of alcohol-induced liver steatosis, inflammation, and injury. Increased IL-1β was due to upregulation of Casp-1 activity and inflammasome activation. The pathogenic role of IL-1 signaling in ALD was attributable to the activation of the inflammasome in BM-derived Kupffer cells. Importantly, in vivo intervention with a recombinant IL-1Ra blocked IL-1 signaling and markedly attenuated alcohol-induced liver inflammation, steatosis, and damage. Furthermore, physiological doses of IL-1β induced steatosis, increased the inflammatory and prosteatotic chemokine MCP-1 in hepatocytes, and augmented TLR4-dependent upregulation of inflammatory signaling in macrophages. In conclusion, we demonstrated that Casp-1-dependent upregulation of IL-1β and signaling mediated by IL-1R1 are crucial in ALD pathogenesis. Our findings suggest a potential role of IL-1R1 inhibition in the treatment of ALD.
Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes are associated with a survival benefit in several tumour types and with the response to immunotherapy
. However, the reason some tumours have high CD8 T cell ...infiltration while others do not remains unclear. Here we investigate the requirements for maintaining a CD8 T cell response against human cancer. We find that CD8 T cells within tumours consist of distinct populations of terminally differentiated and stem-like cells. On proliferation, stem-like CD8 T cells give rise to more terminally differentiated, effector-molecule-expressing daughter cells. For many T cells to infiltrate the tumour, it is critical that this effector differentiation process occur. In addition, we show that these stem-like T cells reside in dense antigen-presenting-cell niches within the tumour, and that tumours that fail to form these structures are not extensively infiltrated by T cells. Patients with progressive disease lack these immune niches, suggesting that niche breakdown may be a key mechanism of immune escape.
This paper describes a program of centrifuge model tests on the uplift behaviour of suction caisson foundations. The parameters considered were the loading rate, caisson diameter (D), soil strength ...profile, and type of footing (i.e., mono-caisson and tetra-caissons group). The loading responses were examined in terms of total uplift resistance, suction beneath the caisson lid, and the vertical displacements of the caisson and at the soil surface. There exists a critical uplift displacement, approximately 0.02D and 0.01D for the mono-caisson and the tetra-caissons groups, respectively, at which a turning point can be identified in the load–displacement curve. This was found to be attributed to the adhesion on the caisson–soil interface reaching a peak response and then dropping. Of interest is that the tetra-caissons group exhibits much greater normalized uplift resistance than the mono-caisson group before reaching an uplift displacement of about 0.02D, suggesting superiority of the former in term of serviceability. However, a reversed trend was observed at greater displacement, and accordingly an empirical model was derived to quantify the shadowing effect of caisson groups. Regarding the cyclic response, several cycles of large-amplitude loading are sufficient to reduce the ultimate bearing capacity of caisson(s) to below the self-weight of the inner soil plug(s), indicating a transition of failure mechanism.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Overgrazing has been the primary cause of grassland degradation in the semi-arid grasslands of the agro-pastoral transition zone in northern China. However, there has been little evidence regarding ...grazing intensity impacts on vegetation change and soil C and N dynamics in this region. This paper reports the effects of four grazing intensities namely un-grazed (UG), lightly grazed (LG), moderately grazed (MG) and heavily grazed (HG) on vegetation characteristics and soil properties of grasslands in the Guyuan county in the agro-pastoral transition region, Hebei province, northern China. Our study showed that the vegetation height, canopy cover, plant species abundance and aboveground biomass decreased significantly with increased grazing intensity. Similarly, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (STN) in the 0-50 cm were highest under UG (13.3 kg C m-2 and 1.69 kg N m-2) and lowest under HG (9.8 kg C m-2 and 1.22 kg N m-2). Soil available nitrogen (SAN) was significantly lower under HG (644 kg N hm-2) than under other treatments (725-731 kg N hm-2) in the 0-50 cm. Our results indicate that the pasture management of "take half-leave half" has potential benefits for primary production and livestock grazing in this region. However, grazing exclusion was perhaps the most effective choice for restoring degraded grasslands in this region. Therefore, flexible rangeland management should be adopted in this region.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Ca
signaling in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) plays an important role in pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the underlying specific ion channel mechanisms remain largely unknown. ...Here, we report ryanodine receptor (RyR) channel activity and Ca
release both are increased, and association of RyR2 by FK506 binding protein 12.6 (FKBP12.6) is decreased in PASMCs from mice with chronic hypoxia (CH)-induced PH. Smooth muscle cell (SMC)-specific RyR2 knockout (KO) or Rieske iron-sulfur protein (RISP) knockdown inhibits the altered Ca
signaling, increased nuclear factor (NF)-κB/cyclin D1 activation and cell proliferation, and CH-induced PH in mice. FKBP12.6 KO or FK506 treatment enhances CH-induced PH, while S107 (a specific stabilizer of RyR2/FKBP12.6 complex) produces an opposite effect. In conclusion, CH causes RISP-dependent ROS generation and FKBP12.6/RyR2 dissociation, leading to PH. RISP inhibition, RyR2/FKBP12.6 complex stabilization and Ca
release blockade may be potentially beneficial for the treatment of PH.