Hypoxia is a parameter related to many diseases. Ratiometric hypoxia probes often rely on a combination of an O2‐insensitive fluorophore and an O2‐sensitive phosphor in a polymer matrix, which ...require high cost and multi‐step synthesis of transition metal complexes. The two‐chromophore hypoxia probes encounter unfavorable energy transfer processes and different stabilities of the chromophores. Reported herein is a pure organic ratiometric hypoxia nanoprobe, assembled by a monochromophore, naphthalimide ureidopyrimidinone (BrNpA‐UPy), bridged by a bis‐UPy‐functionalized benzyl skeleton. The joint factors of quadruple hydrogen bonding, the rigid backbone of UPy, and bromine substitution of the naphthalimide derivative facilitate bright phosphorescence (ΦP=7.7 %, τP=3.2 ms) and fluorescence of the resultant nanoparticles (SNPs) at room temperature, which enable accurate, ratiometric, sensitive oxygen detection (Ksv=189.6 kPa−1) in aqueous solution as well as in living HeLa cells.
An organic hypoxia nanoprobe assembled by quadruple hydrogen bonds, shows efficient long‐lived phosphorescence (ΦP=7.7 %, τP=3.2 ms) and fluorescence from a monochromophore at room temperature and can be used for oxygen detection in water and living cells. This is the first example of ratiometric hypoxia sensing by supramolecular assemblies of an organic monochromophore.
The natural extracellular matrix (ECM) represents a complex and dynamic environment. It provides numerous spatio‐temporal signals mediating many cellular functions including morphogenesis, adhesion, ...proliferation and differentiation. The cell–ECM interaction is bidirectional. Cells dynamically receive and process information from the ECM and remodel it at the same time. Theses complex interactions are still not fully understood. For better understanding, it is indispensable to deconstruct the ECM up to the point of investigating isolated characteristics and cell responses to physical, chemical and topographical cues. Two‐photon polymerization (2PP) allows the exact reconstruction of cell specific sites in 3D at micro‐ and nanometer precision. Processing biocompatible synthetic and naturally‐derived hydrogels, the microenvironment of cells can be designed to specifically investigate their behavior in respect to key chemical, mechanical and topographical attributes. Moreover, 3D manipulation can be performed in the presence of cells, guiding biological tissue formation in all stages of its development. Here, advances in 2PP microfabrication of synthetic and naturally based hydrogels are reviewed. Key components of photopolymerizable hydrogel precursors, their structure–property relationships and their polymerization mechanisms are presented. Furthermore, it is shown how biocompatible 2PP fabricated constructs can act as biologically relevant matrices to study cell functions and tissue development.
Advances in the fabrication of hydrogel structures via two‐photon polymerization are presented. Biocompatible synthetic and naturally derived hydrogel precursors polymerizable with water‐soluble two‐photon photoinitiators are discussed. Hydrogel constructs can be fabricated in situ, in the presence of cells and tissues mimicking key elements of the natural extracellular matrix. The potential of two‐photon polymerization for exploring cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix interactions is shown.
Concerns regarding microplastic contamination have spread from aquatic environments to terrestrial systems with a growing number of studies have been reported. Notwithstanding, the potential effects ...on soil ecosystems remain largely unexplored. In this study, the effects of polyethylene microplastics on soil enzymatic activities and the bacterial community were evaluated, and the microbiota colonizing on microplastics were also investigated. Microplastic amendment (2000 fragments per kg soil) significantly increased the urease and catalase activities in soil after 15 days, and no discernible alteration of invertase activities was detected. Results from high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA revealed that the alpha diversities (richness, evenness, and diversity) of the microbiota in soil were not obviously changed by the PE amendment, whereas the diversity indexes of microbiota on plastic fragments were significantly lower than those in the control and amended soils. Different taxonomic composition was observed in between the control and amended soils after 90 days of incubation. Bacterial assemblages with distinct community structure colonized the PE microplastics. Additionally, several taxa including plastic-degrading bacteria and pathogens were more abundant on microplastics. Simultaneously, the predicted functional profiles showed that the pathways of amino acid metabolism and xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism were higher on the microplastics. These results indicated that microplastics in soil, compared with those in aquatic environments, can also act as a distinct microbial habitat, potentially altering the ecological functions of soil ecosystems.
•PE micro-films significantly increased the urease and catalase activities in soils.•Alpha diversity of the microbiota was lower on PE micro-films than in soils.•Community structure and metabolic pathways were different on PE micro-films.•Potential plastic-degrading and pathogenic bacteria were enriched on PE fragments.•The alteration of bacterial assemblages may affect terrestrial ecosystems.
PE microplastic films altered the enzymatic activities and taxonomic compositions in soils, and were colonized by bacterial assemblages with distinct community structure.
Amine‐scrubbing‐based chemical absorption remains a prominent CO2 capture process. However, the overall efficiency of conventional amine absorbents is hard to meet the ever‐increasing demands for CO2 ...capture. Consequently, developing powerful absorbents for efficient and cost‐effective CO2 capture is greatly important but challenging. Here, a new type of amine absorbent with improved solubility and stability was achieved by substituting the secondary amino groups in piperazine (PZ) with aminoethyl and hydroxyalkyl moieties. The developed amine absorbent presents superior CO2 absorption/desorption abilities through the synergy of their intramolecular amines, leading to a low regeneration energy consumption of 2.56 GJ·t−1 CO2. Moreover, the enhancement of CO2 capture and the corresponding mechanism were elucidated using density functional theory calculations and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Such newly developed amine absorbent with excellent CO2 capture performance are expected to greatly contribute to ongoing efforts toward carbon neutrality.
Mice are some of the widely used experimental animal models for studying human diseases. Defining the compositions of immune cell populations in various tissues from experimental mouse models is ...critical to understanding the involvement of immune responses in various physiological and patho-physiological conditions. However, non-lymphoid tissues are normally composed of vast and diverse cellular components, which make it difficult to quantify the relative proportions of immune cell types. Here we report the development of a computational algorithm, ImmuCC, to infer the relative compositions of 25 immune cell types in mouse tissues using microarray-based mRNA expression data. The ImmuCC algorithm showed good performance and robustness in many simulated datasets. Remarkable concordances were observed when ImmuCC was used on three public datasets, one including enriched immune cells, one with normal single positive T cells, and one with leukemia cell samples. To validate the performance of ImmuCC objectively, thorough cross-comparison of ImmuCC predicted compositions and flow cytometry results was done with in-house generated datasets collected from four distinct mouse lymphoid tissues and three different types of tumor tissues. The good correlation and biologically meaningful results demonstrate the broad utility of ImmuCC for assessing immune cell composition in diverse mouse tissues under various conditions.
A porous liquid is a unique liquid medium that combines the cavity of porous solids with the fluidity of liquids. This special characteristic offers potential in various applications. Here we report ...a type II photoresponsive porous ionic liquid (PPIL) from dissolving a photoresponsive metal‐organic polyhedron (PMOP, constructed from dicopper and azobenzene‐containing carboxylate) in a polyethylene‐glycol‐functionalized bulky ionic liquid (IL). Owing to favorable ion interactions, bulky IL molecules encircle outside PMOP, and the inter cavities are maintained. The azobenzene moieties can be isomerized freely in the PPILs to expose and shelter active sites upon visible and UV light irradiation. Hence, the adsorption capacity of PPILs is controllable by light irradiation, and the change in CO2 uptake is up to 30 % compared to neat IL. This study may inspire the development of new adsorption process regulated by light instead of pressure and temperature swing adsorption.
A type II photoresponsive porous ionic liquid (PPIL) with permanent cavities is formed by dissolving Cu‐based metal‐organic polyhedron (MOP) in bulky ionic liquid .The MOP carries azobenzene moieties as pendant groups which undergo trans‐ and cis‐isomerization under visible and UV light irradiation and thus, a controlled CO2 uptake and release is realized.
Summary
Diversity and plasticity are hallmarks of macrophages. Classically activated macrophages are considered to promote T helper type 1 responses and have strong microbicidal, pro‐inflammatory ...activity, whereas alternatively activated macrophages are supposed to be associated with promotion of tissue remodelling and responses to anti‐inflammatory reactions. Transformation of different macrophage phenotypes is reflected in their different, sometimes even opposite, roles in various diseases or inflammatory conditions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators of macrophage polarization (MP). Several miRNAs are induced by Toll‐like receptors signalling in macrophages and target the 3′‐untranslated regions of mRNAs encoding key molecules involved in MP. Therefore, identification of miRNAs related to the dynamic changes of MP and understanding their functions in regulating this process are important for discussing the molecular basis of disease progression and developing novel miRNA‐targeted therapeutic strategies. Here, we review the current knowledge of the role of miRNAs in MP with relevance to immune response and inflammation.
The present meta-analytic review aimed to synthesize the global prevalence characteristics of digital addiction in the general population. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO ...for studies reporting prevalence of various subtypes of digital addiction published before October 31, 2021. Studies were eligible if they were published in peer-reviewed journals, used a validated tool to assess digital addiction, and passed the qualify assessment. In total, 498 articles with 507 studies were included in systematic review, and the meta-analysis included 495 articles with 504 studies covering 2,123,762 individuals from 64 countries. Global pooled prevalence estimates were 26.99% (95% CI, 22.73–31.73) for smartphone addiction, 17.42% (95% CI, 12.42–23.89) for social media addiction, 14.22% (95% CI, 12.90–15.65) for Internet addiction, 8.23% (95% CI, 5.75–11.66) for cybersex addiction, and 6.04% (95% CI, 4.80–7.57) for game addiction. Higher prevalence of digital addiction was found in Eastern Mediterranean region and low/lower-middle income countries. Males had higher risk for Internet and game addiction. An increasing trend of digital addiction during the past two decades was found, which dramatically worsened during COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides the first and comprehensive estimation for the global prevalence of multiple subtypes of digital addiction, which varied between regions, economic levels, time periods of publication, genders, and assessment scales.
PROSPERO ID: CRD42020171117.
•1/4 general population could be affected by at least one subtype of digital addiction.•Prevalence differed among subtypes of digital addiction, with big geographical variation.•Low/lower-middle income countries had higher burden of digital addiction.•Males had higher prevalence of Internet addiction and game addiction than females.•Increasing trend of digital addiction was worsened by COVID-19 pandemic.
Phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF) generally enhance available phosphorus (P) released from soil, which contributes to plants' P requirement, especially in P-limiting regions. In this study, two PSF, ...TalA-JX04 and AspN-JX16, were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) widely distributed in P-deficient areas in China and identified as Talaromyces aurantiacus and Aspergillus neoniger, respectively. The two PSF were cultured in potato dextrose liquid medium with six types of initial pH values ranging from 6.5 to 1.5 to assess acid resistance. Both PSF were incubated in Pikovskaya's liquid media with different pH values containing five recalcitrant P sources, including Ca3(PO4)2, FePO4, CaHPO4, AlPO4, and C6H6Ca6O24P6, to estimate their P-solubilizing capacity. No significant differences were found in the biomass of both fungi grown in media with different initial pH, indicating that these fungi could grow well under acid stress. The P-solubilizing capacity of TalA-JX04 was highest in medium containing CaHPO4, followed by Ca3(PO4)2, FePO4, C6H6Ca6O24P6, and AlPO4 in six types of initial pH treatments, while the recalcitrant P-solubilizing capacity of AspN-JX16 varied with initial pH. Meanwhile, the P-solubilizing capacity of AspN-JX16 was much higher than TalA-JX04. The pH of fermentation broth was negatively correlated with P-solubilizing capacity (p<0.01), suggesting that the fungi promote the dissolution of P sources by secreting organic acids. Our results showed that TalA-JX04 and AspN-JX16 could survive in acidic environments and both fungi had a considerable ability to release soluble P by decomposing recalcitrant P-bearing compounds. The two fungi had potential for application as environment-friendly biofertilizers in subtropical bamboo ecosystem.
Hierarchically porous metal–organic frameworks (HP‐MOFs) are promising in various applications. Most reported HP‐MOFs are prepared based on the generation of mesopores in microporous frameworks, and ...the formed mesopores are connected by microporous channels, limiting the accessibility of mesopores for bulky molecules. A hierarchical structure is formed by constructing microporous MOFs in uninterrupted mesoporous tunnels. Using the confined space in as‐prepared mesoporous silica, highly dispersed metal precursors for MOFs are coated on the internal surface of mesoporous tunnels. Ligand vapor‐induced crystallization is employed to enable quantitative formation of MOFs in situ, in which sublimated ligands diffuse into mesoporous tunnels and react with metal precursors. The obtained hierarchically porous composites exhibit record‐high adsorption capacity for the bulky molecule trypsin. The thermal and storage stability of trypsin is improved upon immobilization on the composites.
Hierarchical structures were constructed using microporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in uninterrupted mesoporous tunnels. Highly dispersed metal precursors are coated on the internal surface of mesoporous tunnels, followed by ligand vapor‐induced crystallization to form MOFs. The obtained composites show high adsorption capacity for trypsin.
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