Tricresyl phosphate (TCP), a notable emerging pollutant with a high bioconcentration factor and biotoxicity, is a typical representative of aryl-organophosphorus flame retardants. The electrochemical ...and chromatographic technologies used in conventional TCP detection have a variety of drawbacks. Hence, it is crucial to suggest an easy, accurate, and selective method for detecting TCP. In this study, we presented a brand-new method based on NH2-MIL-53(Al) nanoprobe for the direct luminescence assay of TCP. NH2-MIL-53(Al) possessed an excellent crystal structure and superior optical qualities. Notably, the introduction of TCP caused a considerable dampening of the photoluminescence signal of the nanoprobe. The fluorescence response based on static quenching was verified by fluorescence lifetime decay curves. The thermodynamic analysis further concluded that TCP and nanoprobe spontaneously produced non-fluorescent complexes due to hydrophobic interaction. The quenching efficiency (F0–F)/F0 of the nanoprobe and the TCP concentration displayed good linearity in the scope of 0.3–3.0 μM (R2 = 0.996), and the LOD was 0.058 μM under the ideal detection conditions. More significantly, the technique was effectively used to identify TCP in lake and tap water (RSD ≤5.79%), which provided a fresh perspective on how to recognize OPFRs in environmental water.
A novel fluorescence turn-off sensing platform of Al-based MOF for the determination of tricresyl phosphate (TCP) has been developed. Display omitted
•The first work using fluorescence analysis to directly detect TCP was pioneered.•The method could identify TCP with high selectivity and a low LOD of 0.058 μM.•TCP and Al-MOF formed non-fluorescent complexes via hydrophobic interaction.
Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) has been utilized as a versatile medicinal herb with wide cardiovascular benefits in Asian nations for centuries. Accumulating evidence suggests that CRP and its ...components are effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia, arrhythmia, cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, and hypertension. Studies show that the two most bioactive components of CRP are flavonoids and volatile oils. The cardiovascular protective effects of CRP have attracted considerable research interest due to its hypolipidemic, antiplatelet activity, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Hereby, we provide a rigorous and up-to-date overview of the cardiovascular protective properties and the potential molecular targets of CRP, and finally highlight the pharmacokinetics and the therapeutic potential of the main pharmacologically active components of CRP to treat CVDs.
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•Outlined the main bioactive components of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP).•Summarized the bioavailability of CRP’s main active ingredients.•Elucidated the cardiovascular therapeutic effects of CRP.•Illustrated the molecular targets of CRP in cardiovascular disease treatment.•Exploited the therapeutic potential of CRP in treating cardiovascular diseases.
The non-motor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are found in more than 90% of patients with PD. Here, we explored the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation at Zhong wan (CV-12), ...Qihai (RN-7), Zusanli (ST-36) and Taichong (LR-3) on NMS and brain-gut peptides of PD. We found that EA intervention alleviated the motor deficit induced by 6-OHDA in rats indicated by the decreased abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) scores and the net number of rotations and increased cylinder test grade. It also improved the spatial memory and attenuated anxiety-like and depression of PD model rats. EA treatment significantly inhibited neuronal apoptosis in PD model animals, as demonstrated by the increased number of TH positive cells and reduced number of apoptotic cells in the substantia nigra. The expression of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP in PD model rats was markedly suppressed by EA stimulation. Moreover, EA remarkably inhibited the inflammatory response in PD model rats, as revealed by the decreased levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and COX-2 mRNA expression. It also attenuated the oxidative stress in rats, as indicated by the increased levels of SOD and GSH and the decreased level of MDA. EA treatment contributed to alleviating PD by regulating brain-gut peptides in rats, such as NPY, CCK, SST, GAS, and PYY. In conclusion, EA stimulation at CV-12, RN-7, ST-36, and LR-3 effectively alleviates the NMS of PD partly through regulating the levels of brain-gut peptides.
ChtI and
Chi-h are considered potential targets for the control of Asian corn borer (
). In this work, the previously reported
ChtI inhibitor
was found to show certain inhibitory activity against
...Chi-h (
= 5.81 μM). Two series of novel butenolide derivatives based on lead compound
were designed with the conjugate skeleton, contributing to the π-binding interaction to chitinase, and then synthesized. Compounds
and
displayed excellent inhibitory activities against
ChtI and
Chi-h, respectively, at a concentration of 10 μM. Compound
was found to be a good dual-Chitinase inhibitor, with
values of 1.82 and 2.00 μM against
ChtI and
Chi-h, respectively. The inhibitory mechanism studies by molecular docking suggested that π-π stacking interactions were crucial to the inhibitory activity of novel butenolide derivatives against two different chitinases. A preliminary bioassay indicated that
exhibited certain growth inhibition effects against
. Butenolide-like analogues should be further studied as promising novel dual-chitinase inhibitor candidates for the control of
.
Microcystin (MC)-LR is a cyclic heptapeptide that acts as a potent reproductive system toxin, especially by decreasing sperm quality through affecting spermatogonia. However, the molecular mechanisms ...of MC-induced spermatogonial cytotoxicity still remain unclear. The present study was designed to investigate changes in microRNA (miRNA) profiles and their potential functions in spermatogonia (GC-1 cell line) following treatment with MC-LR. With microarray analysis, 101 miRNAs were identified to be significantly altered in GC-1 cells treated with MC-LR. Among the 25 miRNAs associated with spermatogenesis, miR-96 was down-regulated most dramatically and thus selected for further functional analysis. Deleted-in azoospermia-associated protein 2 (DAZAP2) was predicted to have a binding sequence for miR-96 within its 3'-untranslated region. Fluorescent reporter assay confirmed that DAZAP2 was the target gene of miR-96. The expression of DAZAP2 decreased significantly when miR-96 was up-regulated. Consistently, down-regulation of miR-96 significantly increased the level of DAZAP2. Up-regulation of miR-96 promoted cell viability in GC-1 cells as a result of exposure to MC-LR. Our study suggested a crucial role for miR-96 in the regulation of cytotoxic effects of MC-LR in spermatogonia, which provides new perspectives in the diagnosis and treatment strategies for MC-induced male infertility.
Powdery mildew is an apple disease caused by the obligate trophic fungus
Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors play important roles in plant development and stress responses, and they ...have been widely studied in model plants such as
However, their role in the stress response of perennial fruit trees remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of
in the powdery mildew of apples. The expression of
was significantly induced during the infection of apples with powdery mildew, and the allogenic overexpression of
in
enhanced the resistance to powdery mildew by increasing the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H
O
) and activating the salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway. The transient overexpression of
in apple leaves increased the resistance to powdery mildew. Conversely, when
expression was silenced, the sensitivity of apple leaves to powdery mildew was increased. The physical interaction between MdbHLH093 and MdMYB116 was demonstrated by yeast two-hybrid, bi-molecular fluorescence complementation, and split luciferase experiments. Collectively, these results indicate that MdbHLH093 interacts with MdMYB116 to improve apple resistance to powdery mildew by increasing the accumulation of H
O
and activating the SA signaling pathway, as well as by providing a new candidate gene for resistance molecular breeding.
Long-term nitrogen (N) fertilization affects soil aggregation and localizations of soil organic carbon (SOC), N and microbial parameters within aggregates. The mechanisms of these N effects are ...poorly understood. We studied these processes in a loamy soil from a 23-year repeated N addition field experiment under a rice–barley rotation. Nitrogen fertilization increased plant productivity and the portion of large macroaggregates (>2mm). However, SOC contents in macro- and micro-aggregates remained constant despite an N-induced increase of 27% in root C input into soil. Therefore, N fertilization accelerated SOC turnover. Nitrogen addition increased total N (TN) content in bulk soil and two macroaggregates (>2, and 1–2mm), but not in microaggregates (<0.25mm). Also, N fertilization increased the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) contents of fungi in the large macroaggregates, but not in the microaggregates. In contrast, the effect of N addition on contents of bacterial and total microbial PLFAs was not apparent. Nitrogen fertilization increased N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities in the two larger macroaggregate size classes (>2, and 1–2mm), but not in the aggregates (<1mm). In both control and N fertilization, the large macroaggregates localized more TN, microbial PLFAs, and NAG activities than the microaggregates. In conclusion, long-term N fertilization not only directly promotes soil N resource but also indirectly improves soil structure by forming large macroaggregates, accelerates SOC turnover, and shiftes localization of microorganisms to the macroaggregates.
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•N fertilization improved soil structure by forming large macroaggregates (>2mm).•N addition increased TN, fungi and NAG activity in macro- but not in micro-aggregates.•However, SOC in all aggregates remained constant, suggesting accelerated C turnovers.•Macroaggregates are more sensitive to N fertilization than microaggregates.•N fertilization shifted localization of microorganisms to the macroaggregates.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiologic results of Zimmer Biomet stock prostheses (Jacksonville, FL) in temporomandibular joint replacement after surgical modifications ...during at least 1 year of follow-up.
We recruited patients treated by Zimmer Biomet stock prostheses after technical modifications, including digital templates, autogenous ipsilateral bone grafting from the mandible to the fossa, salvaging of the disc remnant and suturing it to the medial aspect of the prosthesis, and fat grafts from a retromandibular incision, between 2010 and 2016. Clinical examination findings including maximal incisal opening; visual analog scale scores for pain, diet, and mandibular movement; and quality of life were compared before the operation and at least 1 year postoperatively. The status of the fossa bone graft was evaluated by computed tomography examination.
The study comprised 38 joints in 33 patients with diagnoses including osteoarthritis, ankylosis, and neoplasm. Compared with before the operation, maximal incisal opening and visual analog scale scores for diet, function, and pain level, as well as the quality-of-life survey score, were considerably improved during the last follow-up. Computed tomography scans showed all bone grafts were completely healed within the fossa 1 year after surgery. There was no ectopic bone formation, screw loosening, or component displacement or breakage.
Our surgical modifications of Zimmer Biomet stock prostheses showed good results for at least 1 year of follow-up.
Background
Endometrial dysfunction is closely correlated with the development of multiple severe gynecological disorders including intrauterine adhesion. Accumulating evidence supports that some long ...non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have peptide‐coding potential. In this text, the peptide‐coding ability of lncRNA SNHG6 was examined. Also, the effects of an SNHG6‐encoded peptide on the viability and migration of human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) and human endometrial epithelial cells (hEECs) and related molecular mechanisms were explored.
Methods
The peptide‐encoding potential of SNHG6 was predicted by FuncPEP and getorf databases and validated by western blot assay. Cell viability was tested by cell counting kit‐8 assay. Cell migratory ability was examined by wound healing and transwell migration assays. Protein levels of genes were measured by western blot assay.
Results
Prediction analysis suggested that SNHG6 had the potential peptide‐coding ability and multiple open‐reading frames (ORFs). Western blot validated that SNHG6 ORF#1 and ORF#2 could translate into short peptides. SNHG6 ORF#2 overexpression facilitated cell migration and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in hESCs and hEECs, while these effects were abrogated by transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β)/SMAD signaling inhibitor GW788388. Moreover, GW788388 inhibited the increase of p‐SMAD2 and p‐SMAD3 levels induced by SNHG6 ORF#2 in hESCs. SNHG6 ORF#2‐encoded peptide did not influence endometrial stromal and epithelial cell viability.
Conclusions
LncRNA SNHG6 ORF#1 and ORF#2 could translate into small peptides and SNHG6 ORF#2 overexpression promoted cell migration and EMT by activating the TGF‐β/SMAD pathway in hESCs and hEECs, suggesting the potential roles of SNHG6‐encoded peptides in the development of endometrial stromal and epithelial cells and related gynecological diseases.
Microcystins-LR (MC-LR) acts as a possible carcinogen for humans and causes a serious risk to public environmental health. The current study aimed to evaluate the interaction between MC-LR exposure ...and prostate cancer development and elucidate the underlying mechanism. In this study, mice were exposed to MC-LR at various doses for 180 days. MC-LR was able to induce the progression of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and microinvasion. Furthermore, MC-LR notably increased angiogenesis and susceptibility to prostate cancer in vivo. In vitro, over 25 weeks of MC-LR exposure, normal human prostate epithelial (RWPE-1) cells increased secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and colony formation, features typical for cancer cells. These MC-LR-transformed prostate epithelial cells displayed increased expression of forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2); abrogation of FOXM1 or COX-2 activity by specific inhibitors could abolish the invasion and migration of MC-LR-treated cells. In conclusion, we have provided compelling evidence demonstrating the induction of a malignant phenotype in human prostate epithelial cells and the in vivo development of prostate cancer by exposure to MC-LR, which might be a potential tumor promoter in the progression of prostate cancer.
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•MC-LR promotes the occurrence of PIN and microinvasion in prostatic tissues.•MC-LR induces malignant transformation of normal human prostate epithelial cells.•MC-LR induces prostate cancer via FOXM1/COX-2 signaling pathway.
MC-LR might be a new tumor promoter of prostate cancer and has extended our knowledge on the effects of MC-LR on prostate health.
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