The COVID‐19 pandemic caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 is threating global health. Inhibiting interaction of the receptor‐binding domain of SARS‐CoV‐2 S protein (SRBD) and human ACE2 receptor is a promising ...treatment strategy. However, SARS‐CoV‐2 neutralizing antibodies are compromised by their risk of antibody‐dependent enhancement (ADE) and unfavorably large size for intranasal delivery. To avoid these limitations, we demonstrated an aptamer blocking strategy by engineering aptamers’ binding to the region on SRBD that directly mediates ACE2 receptor engagement, leading to block SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. With aptamer selection against SRBD and molecular docking, aptamer CoV2‐6 was identified and applied to prevent, compete with, and substitute ACE2 from binding to SRBD. CoV2‐6 was further shortened and engineered as a circular bivalent aptamer CoV2‐6C3 (cb‐CoV2‐6C3) to improve the stability, affinity, and inhibition efficacy. cb‐CoV2‐6C3 is stable in serum for more than 12 h and can be stored at room temperature for more than 14 days. Furthermore, cb‐CoV2‐6C3 binds to SRBD with high affinity (Kd=0.13 nM) and blocks authentic SARS‐CoV‐2 virus with an IC50 of 0.42 nM.
We propose an aptamer blocking strategy to inhibit SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. With the advantages of small size, rapid kinetics, high stability, sophisticated programmability and high security, our aptamers have great potential as prophylactic and therapeutic agents, which could greatly assist in the intervention of prevailing and emerging infectious diseases other than COVID‐19.
Data on the macrobenthos, bottom seawater, and sediment from 26 sampling stations in the Huanghe River estuary and adjacent seas in China, were collected in June 2020. Community structure, species ...diversity, taxonomic diversity of the macrobenthos, and the relationships of these variables with environmental factors were analyzed. The funnels and contours of average taxonomic distinctness (Δ+) and variation in taxonomic distinctness (Λ+) were used to indicate the disturbance status of the estuary seas. These findings revealed differences in macrobenthic community structure and biodiversity between the estuary and the adjacent seas. A total of 88 macrobenthic species were collected in the Huanghe River estuary and its adjacent seas. Abundances in the estuary, Section C, and Section D were 60 ind. m−2, 183 ind. m−2, and 320 ind. m−2, respectively, The biomass in the estuary, Section C, and Section D was 6.74 g·m−2, 15.72 g·m−2, and 9.07 g·m−2, respectively. There were significant differences in the number of species and their abundances between the estuary and adjacent seas (p < 0.01). Glycinde bonhourei, Sternaspis scutata, Moerella hilaris, Liljeborgia serrata, Iphinoe tenera, and Lineus sp. were the dominant species. The community dissimilarity of the estuary and adjacent seas reached >79.66% (p = 0.001). The results of k-means clustering analysis showed that the macrobenthic community could be divided into three types. High Margalef richness index (d) and Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′) values were observed in the northern portion of the estuary and the seas in Laizhou Bay. The theoretical mean values of Δ+ and Λ+ were 90.8 and 267.7, respectively. High values of Δ+ were observed in Section A2-B2-C2-D2 where the communities were distantly related. Low values were observed in Laizhou Bay. The distribution of Λ+ was the complete opposite of that of Δ+. Deviations in the 95% confidence interval were observed at five stations (A2, A3, B1, B2, and D2). The northern sea of the Huanghe River estuary was disturbed. Spearman correlation analysis showed that ∆ was positively correlated with total organic carbon, heavy metals, fine silt, and clay. Heavy metal and TOC in the Huanghe River estuary and adjacent seas may be positively correlated with the reproduction of opportunistic species.
•Benthos was distantly related within 40 km northeast of the Huanghe River estuary sea.•The northern sea of the Huanghe River estuary was disturbed.•Heavy metal and TOC may be positively correlated with the reproduction of opportunistic species.
An aptamer blocking strategy is developed by Honglin Chen, Yanling Song, Chaoyong Yang, and co‐workers in their Research Article on page 10266 to inhibit SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. An aptamer probe was ...engineered to bind to the spike protein of SARS‐CoV‐2, which inhibits infection with the virus by blocking the interaction of the virus with ACE2 receptors on the human cell membrane.
Eine Aptamer‐Blockierungsstrategie zur Hemmung der SARS‐CoV‐2‐Infektion wird von Honglin Chen, Yanling Song, Chaoyong Yang et al. im Forschungsartikel auf S. 10354 demonstriert. Eine Aptamer‐Sonde ...wurde so konstruiert, dass sie an das Spike‐Protein von SARS‐CoV‐2 bindet, was die Infektion des Virus hemmt, indem es die Interaktion des Virus mit ACE2‐Rezeptoren auf der Zellmembran blockiert.
The COVID‐19 pandemic caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 is threating global health. Inhibiting interaction of the receptor‐binding domain of SARS‐CoV‐2 S protein (SRBD) and human ACE2 receptor is a promising ...treatment strategy. However, SARS‐CoV‐2 neutralizing antibodies are compromised by their risk of antibody‐dependent enhancement (ADE) and unfavorably large size for intranasal delivery. To avoid these limitations, we demonstrated an aptamer blocking strategy by engineering aptamers’ binding to the region on SRBD that directly mediates ACE2 receptor engagement, leading to block SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. With aptamer selection against SRBD and molecular docking, aptamer CoV2‐6 was identified and applied to prevent, compete with, and substitute ACE2 from binding to SRBD. CoV2‐6 was further shortened and engineered as a circular bivalent aptamer CoV2‐6C3 (cb‐CoV2‐6C3) to improve the stability, affinity, and inhibition efficacy. cb‐CoV2‐6C3 is stable in serum for more than 12 h and can be stored at room temperature for more than 14 days. Furthermore, cb‐CoV2‐6C3 binds to SRBD with high affinity (Kd=0.13 nM) and blocks authentic SARS‐CoV‐2 virus with an IC50 of 0.42 nM.
We propose an aptamer blocking strategy to inhibit SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. With the advantages of small size, rapid kinetics, high stability, sophisticated programmability and high security, our aptamers have great potential as prophylactic and therapeutic agents, which could greatly assist in the intervention of prevailing and emerging infectious diseases other than COVID‐19.
•Enzymatic hydrolysis with Alcalase reduced soybean odor substance 1-octene-3-ol.•Excessive enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in the deterioration of the hydrolysate flavor.•The flavour of soybean meal ...hydrolysates with different hydrolysis conditions could be distinguished by E-tongue.
In the present study, E-nose, E-tongue, and headspace-solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC–MS) technology combined with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were employed to evaluate the flavor characteristics of the volatile and the non-volatile substances generated during the enzymatic hydrolysis of the soybean meal by Alcalase. The results showed that the enzymatic hydrolysis effectively reduced the content of soybean odorous substance 1-octene-3-ol and led to better flavor. However, the excessive enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in the deterioration of the enzymatic hydrolysates flavor. In addition, both radar graph and PCA of E-tongue were able to provide the distribution of flavor substances during the enzymatic hydrolysis of the soybean meal. These results provided a theoretical basis for the improvement of the flavors of the soybean meal and its derived products.
Background Heart failure is a public health issue worldwide. However, no comprehensive study on the global burden of heart failure and its contributing causes has been reported. The present study ...aimed to quantify the burden, trends, and inequalities of heart failure globally. Methods and Results Heart failure data were extracted from the Global Burden of Diseases 2019 study. The number of cases, age-standardized prevalence, and years lived with disability in different locations from 1990 to 2019 were presented and compared. Joinpoint regression analysis was performed to assess trends in heart failure from 1990 to 2019. In 2019, the global age-standardized prevalence and years lived with disability rates for heart failure were 711.90 (95% uncertainty interval UI, 591.15-858.29) and 63.92 (95% UI, 41.49-91.95) per 100 000 population, respectively. In general, the age-standardized rate decreased globally at an average annual percentage change of 0.3% (95% UI, 0.2-0.3). However, the rate increased at an average annual percentage change of 0.6% (95% UI, 0.4-0.8) from 2017 to 2019. Several nations and territories demonstrated an increased trend from 1990 to 2019, especially in less-developed countries. Ischemic heart disease and hypertensive heart disease accounted for the highest proportion of heart failure in 2019. Conclusions Heart failure remains a major health problem, with increased trends possible in the future. Efforts for prevention and control of heart failure should focus more on less-developed regions. It is essential to prevent and treat primary diseases such as ischemic heart disease and hypertensive heart disease for the control of heart failure.
OBJECTIVES:To investigate the effects of transplanting adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells on intimal hyperplasia after carotid balloon injury and the mechanism
METHODS:45 male Sprague ...Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups. The balloon catheter was inserted into the left carotid to produce intimal injury. The injured carotid artery and normal carotid artery were used for HE-stained. The mRNA expressions of eNOS were determined by RT-PCR. and the protein expressions of p21, p27 and PCNA were determined by Western Blotting. Serum concentration of NO were detected by ELISA
RESULTS:Enhanced green fluorescent protein positive cells were localized to the traumatized arterial segment after transplantation. W/L ratios of ADMSC group were lower than of experimental group. The protein expression of p27, p21 and PCNA and significantly increased after balloon injury, In comparison with injury group, ADMSC treatment significantly increased the protein expression of p27, p21 and decreased PCNA protein expression. The mRNA expressions of eNOS were significantly increased than the experimental group after four weeks treatment, and the serum level of NO were significantly increased after four weeks treatment, compared with experimental group
CONCLUSION:ADMSC could localize to the traumatized arterial segment and inhibit the process of intimal hyperplasia by upregulating the expression of protein p21, p27 and eNOS mRNA, as well as the level of NO in plasma
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes. Studies have shown that plant-derived miRNAs can be absorbed through diets and regulate gene expression in mammals. ...Although soybean-derived miRNAs have been reported, their biological functions are still unclear. In this study, we found that soybean-derived small RNAs (sRNAs) significantly inhibited the proliferation and stimulated the apoptosis of Caco-2 cells. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the target gene set of soybean miRNAs was extensively enriched in cancer pathways. Besides, we obtained 8 target genes, including Transcription factor 7 (TCF7), associated with colon cancer through prediction. Further studies showed that gma-miR159a inhibited the proliferation of Caco-2 cells and played an important role in the inhibitory effect of sRNAs by inhibiting TCF7 protein, which are upregulated in colon cancer cells but not normal mucosal cells in culture. These findings provide a novel molecular mechanism of soybean-derived miRNAs for potential application in tumor prevention.
•Soybean-derived sRNAs inhibit the proliferation of Caco-2 but not NCM460 cells in vitro.•Soybean-derived sRNAs promote the apoptosis of Caco-2 cells.•Target genes of highly expressed soybean miRNAs are enriched in cancer-related pathways.•Gma-miR159a mimic suppresses TCF7 protein levels, resulting in the inhibition of Caco-2 proliferation.
The independent control of two orthogonal polarizations that possess dual functionalities is highly desirable in antenna and wireless communication technologies. Spin-decoupled metasurfaces with ...integrated dynamic and geometric phases have been proposed to generate two independent right-handed and left-handed circularly polarized (RCP and LCP, respectively) waves. However, the RCP and LCP phases are correlated by a linear equation of the dynamic and geometric phases. In this article, we propose a meta-atom in which the 1 b phase of two orthogonal polarizations can be controlled independently. Moreover, a high-gain broadband millimeter-wave multidimensional metasurface to generate an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">x </tex-math></inline-formula>-polarized <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">l=0 </tex-math></inline-formula> beam with a 10° beam deflection and a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">y </tex-math></inline-formula>-polarized <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">l=+1 </tex-math></inline-formula> beam independently is simulated, fabricated, and tested. The proposed metasurface operating over the frequency range of 16-28 GHz has the maximum gains of 28.7 and 23.8 dBi for the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">l=0\,\,x </tex-math></inline-formula>-polarized waves and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">l=+1\,\,y </tex-math></inline-formula>-polarized waves, respectively. Compared with spin-decoupled metasurfaces, the proposed metasurface provides a simpler design process to generate two independent vortex beams for the two orthogonal polarizations. The proposed vortex metasurface also has the advantages of dual polarization, high gain, wide relative bandwidth, and is broadband. The proposed metasurface has potential application in high-capacity communication systems.
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