DNA-templated silver nanoclusters based label-free fluorescent molecular beacon for the detection of adenosine deaminase.

A general and reliable fluorescent molecular beacon is proposed in this work utilizing DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (AgNCs). The fluorescent molecular beacon has been employed for sensitive determination of the concentration of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and its inhibition. A well-designed oligonucleotide containing three functional regions (an aptamer region for adenosine assembly, a sequence complementary to the region of the adenosine aptamer, and an inserted six bases cytosine-loop) is adopted as the core element in the strategy.

Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) in evaluation of breast lesions: comparison with conventional DWI.

Objectives: To obtain perfusion as well as diffusion information in normal breast tissues and breast lesions from intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging with biexponential analysis of multiple b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and compare these parameters to apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) obtained with monoexponential analysis in their ability to discriminate benign lesions and malignant tumors.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, informed consent was acquired from all patients. Eighty-four patients with 40 malignant tumors, 41 benign lesions, 30 simple cysts and 39 normal breast tissues were imaged at 1.

Ziyuglycoside II inhibits the growth of human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-435 cells via cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis through the mitochondria dependent pathway.

Ziyuglycoside II is one of the major active compounds of Sanguisorba officinalis L., which has a wide range of clinical applications including hemostasis, antibiosis, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation. This study investigated the effect of ziyuglycoside II on the growth of human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-435 cells for the first time.

Assessment and source identification of trace metals in the soils of greenhouse vegetable production in eastern China.

Worldwide concern about the occurrence of trace metals in greenhouse vegetable production soils (GVPS) is growing. In this study, a total of 385 surface GVPS samples were collected in Shouguang and four vegetable production bases in Nanjing, Eastern China, for the determination of As and Hg using atomic fluorescence spectrometry and Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Geo-accumulation indices and factor analysis were used to investigate the accumulation and sources of the trace metals in soils in Eastern China.

Crossmodal integration enhances neural representation of task-relevant features in audiovisual face perception.

Previous studies have shown that audiovisual integration improves identification performance and enhances neural activity in heteromodal brain areas, for example, the posterior superior temporal sulcus/middle temporal gyrus (pSTS/MTG). Furthermore, it has also been demonstrated that attention plays an important role in crossmodal integration. In this study, we considered crossmodal integration in audiovisual facial perception and explored its effect on the neural representation of features.

Immune microenvironment profiles of tumor immune equilibrium and immune escape states of mouse sarcoma.

Cancer immunoediting consists of three distinct phases: elimination, equilibrium and escape. Here, for the first time, we investigated the immune microenvironment profiles of tumor immune equilibrium and immune escape states in 3'-methylcholanthrene-induced murine sarcoma model. Our study indicates the relative balance of monocytic MDSCs and antitumor immunity cells (especially CTLs, NK cells and γδT cells) may involve in maintaining tumor cells in a state of immune-mediated dormancy.

Preparation, characterization and optimization of nanocellulose whiskers by simultaneously ultrasonic wave and microwave assisted.

Simultaneously ultrasonic wave and microwave assisted technique (SUMAT), as a method of process intensification, was first applied to the preparation of nanocellulose whiskers (NCWs) from filter paper by sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The effects of temperature, sulfuric acid concentration, and mass of raw material and time on the yield of NCWs were investigated by single-factor experiments, and the preparation conditions were optimized with response surface methodology. The obtained NCWs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermal gravimetry.

Distribution, sources and potential risk of HCH and DDT in soils from a typical alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta region, China.

Spatial distribution, sources and potential health risks of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), in surface soils (n = 544) collected from a typical alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta region, China, were elucidated. Concentrations of ΣHCH and ΣDDT in soils ranged from less than the limit of detection ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chiral enol oxazolines and thiazolines as auxiliary ligands for the asymmetric synthesis of ruthenium-polypyridyl complexes.

Various ligands, such as (Z)-1-phenyl-2-[(4S)-4-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazol-2-yl]ethen-1-ol ((S)-1a) and (Z)-1-phenyl-2-[(4S)-4-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3-thiazol-2-yl]ethen-1-ol ((S)-1c), were investigated as auxiliaries for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral ruthenium(II) complexes. The reaction of these chiral auxiliary ligands with [RuCl2(dmso)4], 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy, 2.2 equiv), and triethylamine (10 equiv) in DMF/PhCl (1:8) at 140 °C for several hours diastereoselectively provided the complexes Λ-[Ru(bpy)2{(S)-1a-H}] (Λ-(S)-2a, 52 % yield, 56:1 d.

Liquefaction of sawdust in 1-octanol using acidic ionic liquids as catalyst.

Acidic ionic liquids (AILs) as a novel catalyst in biomass liquefaction can accord with the demand of green chemistry and enhance the development of biomass thermal chemical conversion. A series of AILs containing HSO4- were synthesized by the imidazolium cation functionalization and applied to the Chinese fir sawdust liquefaction in 1-octanol in this paper. The experimental results showed that the liquefaction rate was gradually improved with the AILs acidity increasing, and reached 71.

A new method for the detection of adenosine based on time-resolved fluorescence sensor.

In this work, we report a thrombin binding aptamer complex based time-resolved fluorescence sensor for small molecule detection. The sensor employs two strands (DNA1 and DNA2) of oligonucleotides. This two strands of oligonucleotides contain two aptamer (α-aptamer and β-aptamer) respectively.

Asymmetric catalysis with an inert chiral-at-metal iridium complex.

The development of a chiral-at-metal iridium(III) complex for the highly efficient catalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of β,β'-disubstituted nitroalkenes is reported. Catalysis by this inert, rigid metal complex does not involve any direct metal coordination but operates exclusively through weak interactions with functional groups properly arranged in the ligand sphere of the iridium complex. Although the iridium complex relies only on the formation of three hydrogen bonds, it exceeds the performance of most organocatalysts with respect to enantiomeric excess (up to 99% ee) and catalyst loading (down to 0.

Cytotoxicity assessment based on the AUC50 using multi-concentration time-dependent cellular response curves.

Although many indices have been developed to quantify chemical toxicity, substantial shortcoming is inherent in most of them, such as observation time dependence, insufficient robustness, and no comparison with the negative control. To assess the extent of exposure of the tested substance, a cytotoxicity assay named AUC(50) was developed to describe the time and concentration-dependent cellular responses. By monitoring the dynamic cytotoxicity response profile of living cells via the xCELLigence real-time cell analysis high-throughput (RTCA HT) system, changes in cell number (named cell index, CI) were recorded and analyzed subsequently.

A novel and sensitive method for the detection of enrofloxacin in food using time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay.

A time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) technique is developed to detect enrofloxacin (ENR) contamination in food. By using ENR-ovalbumin, anti-ENR antibodies and europium-labeled goat anti-rabbit antibodies, we establish an indirect and competitive method for ENR-TRFIA. The sensitivity of the method is high, with a detection limit of 0.

Marked N-acetylaspartate and choline metabolite changes in Parkinson's disease patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Background: The mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI) has received increasing attention, of which the diagnosis is challenging. To analyze the possible biomarkers for the early diagnosis, we investigated the metabolite changes in different brain regions of PD-MCI patients as well as appropriate controls by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

Methods: The metabolism in the occipital lobe, posterior cingulate, substantia nigra and basal ganglia was studied in 66 PD-MCI patients, 70 cognitively normal PD patients (PD-CN) and 74 healthy controls.

Basilar artery atherosclerotic plaques distribution in symptomatic patients: a 3.0T high-resolution MRI study.

Purpose: To investigate basilar artery atherosclerotic plaque distribution characteristics in symptomatic patients using 3.0T high-resolution MRI.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-eight patients with recent ischemic strokes or transient ischemic attacks were included.

An enzyme substrate binding aptamer complex based time-resolved fluorescence sensor for the adenosine deaminase detection.

In this work, we report an enzyme substrate binding aptamer complex based fluorescence sensor for an enzyme activity detection of adenosine deaminase (ADA). The sensor employs a DNA probe containing an adenosine aptamer region dually labeled with biotin and digoxigenin (DIG). The probe is immobilized in a streptavidin-modified 96-well micro plate via biotin-avidin bridge, and the DIG serves as an affinity tag for an Anti-DIG antibody conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (anti-DIG-HRP).

[Quantitative prediction of soil salinity content with visible-near infrared hyper-spectra in northeast China].

Studying the spectral property of salinized soil is an important work, for it is the base of monitoring soil salinization by remote sense. To investigate the spectral property of salinized soil and the relationship between the soil salinity and the hyperspectral data, the field soil samples were collected in the region of Northeast China and then reflectance spectra were measured. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was established based on the statistical analysis of the soil salinity content and the reflectance of hyperspectra.

The expression of ABC efflux pump, Rv1217c-Rv1218c, and its association with multidrug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in China.

Currently the treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection is largely limited due to the prevalence of multidrug resistance strains. Over-expressing the efflux pumps such as the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter has been reported to significantly contribute to its resistance to several antibiotics. This study investigated the expression profile of one important ABC efflux pump, Rv1217c-Rv1218c, by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) in clinical isolates from China, which also revealed its association with the multidrug resistance of M.

Ultrasonication-assisted manufacture of cellulose nanocrystals esterified with acetic acid.

Esterified cellulose nanocrystals (E-CNCs) are cellulose derivatives that could be applied in biomedical and chemical industries. E-CNCs were prepared with cellulose pulp using a mixture of 17.5M acetic and 18.

A new strategy based on aptasensor to time-resolved fluorescence assay for adenosine deaminase activity.

Quantitative protein bioanalysis in complex biological fluids presents considerable challenges in biological studies and medical diagnosis. The major obstacles are the background signals from the biological fluids and sensors themselves. Because the europium ion (Eu (III)) has the much longer fluorescence lifetime (1 ms) than that of the background (5 ns), time-resolved method can be widely used to eliminate the biological background.

High-throughput quantitative analysis with cell growth kinetic curves for low copy number mutant cells.

The mutation rate in cells induced by environmental genotoxic hazards is very low and difficult to detect using traditional cell counting assays. The established genetic toxicity tests currently recognized by regulatory authorities, such as conventional Ames and hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase (HPRT) assays, are not well suited for higher-throughput screening as they require large amounts of test compounds and are very time consuming. In this study, we developed a novel cell-based assay for quantitative analysis of low numbers of cell copies with HPRT mutation induced by an environmental mutagen.

Integrin-linked kinase functions as a tumor promoter in bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of the integrin-linked kinase (ILK) gene in development of human bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC). Expression of ILK protein and ILK mRNA in 56 cases of human BTCC tissue and in 30 cases of adjacent normal bladder tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry S-P and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. Four specific miRNA RNAi vectors targeting human ILK were synthesized and transfected into BIU-87 cells by liposome to obtain stable expression cell strains.

Overexpression of Fc receptor-like 1 associated with B-cell activation during hepatitis B virus infection.

The role of B cells in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has not been explored in depth. In the present study, the activation status of B cells from peripheral blood of healthy controls (N = 20) and patients with acute hepatitis B (AHB, N = 15) or chronic hepatitis B (CHB, N = 30) was evaluated by measuring the expression levels of B-cell activation markers CD69 and CD86, using quantitative real-time PCR and flow cytometry. Moreover, the potential mechanism underlying B-cell activation during HBV infection was further investigated by analyzing the expression profile of FCRL1, an intrinsic activation molecule of B cells.

Detection of hepatitis B virus PreS1 antigen using a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) PreS1 antigen is expressed at the distal most region of the envelope protein and contains the hepatocyte receptor-binding site. The presence of the HBV PreS1 antigen in serum and liver of HBsAg-positive patients is a new marker used for diagnosing HBV infection, and is indicative of viral replication. Our objective is to establish a method of time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) with higher sensitivity and broader detection range for detecting serum HBV PreS1 antigen.