A multifunctional hyaluronic acid-engineered mesoporous nanoreactor with HO/O self-sufficiency for pH-triggered endo-lysosomal escape and synergetic cancer therapy.

Monotherapy has poor accuracy and is easily restricted by tumor microenvironment (TME). Remodeling components of the TME to activate multimodal cancer therapy with high precision and efficiency is worth exploring. A multifunctional nanoreactor was fabricated by decorating chlorin e6-modified and PEGylated hyaluronic acid bearing diethylenetriamine-conjugated dihydrolipoic acid on the surface of glucose oxidase (GOx)-loaded hollow mesoporous CuS nanoparticles (labeled as GOx@HCuS@HA).

Multifunctional hyaluronic acid ligand-assisted construction of CD44- and mitochondria-targeted self-assembled upconversion nanoparticles for enhanced photodynamic therapy.

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been used as a potential nanocarrier for photosensitizers (PSs), which have demonstrated a great deal of promise in achieving an effective photodynamic therapy (PDT) for deep-seated tumors. However, overcoming biological barriers to achieve mitochondria-targeted PDT remains a major challenge. Herein, CD44- and mitochondria-targeted photodynamic nanosystems were fabricated through the self-assembly of hyaluronic acid-conjugated-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-diethylenetriamine-grafted-(chlorin e6-dihydrolipoic acid-(3-carboxypropyl)triphenylphosphine bromide) polymeric ligands (HA-c-mPEG-Deta--(Ce6-DHLA-TPP)) and NaErF:Tm@NaYF core-shell UCNPs (termed CMPNs).

Thermal responsive sodium alginate/polyacrylamide/poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) ionic hydrogel composite via seeding calcium carbonate microparticles for the engineering of ultrasensitive wearable sensors.

The design of polyelectrolyte hydrogel with unique tensile and adhesive properties which can be applied across disciplines has gradually become a popular trend. However, the phenomenon of global warming and the emergence of extreme weather, it still faces some urgent problems that should be solved, such as the optimal utilization of polyelectrolyte hydrogel across a wide range of temperatures. Herein, a wide temperature sensitivity and conductivity hydrogel based on sodium alginate, acrylamide and N-isopropylacrylamide was constructed, which exhibited excellent adhesion and temperature conductivity.

Robust layout optimization for intelligent reflecting surfaces-based visible light communication systems.

Due to the inherent tendency to be blocked by obstacles, reliability is a major challenge for visible light communication (VLC). The intelligent reflective surface (IRS) is an effective way to reduce or eliminate the influence of blockage in the VLC system. However, the complexity increases correspondingly due to complex shadow analysis when access points (APs), IRSs, and obstacles coexist.

Tumor microenvironment activated mussel-inspired hollow mesoporous nanotheranostic for enhanced synergistic photodynamic/chemodynamic therapy.

Anti-tumor therapies reliant on reactive oxygen species (ROS) as primary therapeutic agents face challenges due to a limited oxygen substrate. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is particularly hindered by inherent hypoxia, while chemodynamic therapy (CDT) encounters obstacles from insufficient endogenous hydrogen peroxide (HO) levels. In this study, we engineered biodegradable tumor microenvironment (TME)-activated hollow mesoporous MnO-based nanotheranostic agents, designated as HAMnOA.

Application of photo-crosslinkable gelatin methacryloyl in wound healing.

Wound healing is a complex and coordinated biological process easily influenced by various internal and external factors. Hydrogels have immense practical importance in wound nursing because of their environmental moisturising, pain-relieving, and cooling effects. As photo-crosslinkable biomaterials, gelatine methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels exhibit substantial potential for tissue repair and reconstruction because of their tunable and beneficial properties.

Oxygen-Generating Organic/Inorganic Self-Assembled Nanocolloids for Tumor-Activated Dual-Model Imaging-Guided Photodynamic Therapy.

Tumor phototheranostics is usually compromised by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and poor theranostic efficiency. The interplay between organic polymers and inorganic nanoparticles in novel nanocomposites has proven to be advantageous, overcoming previous limitations and harnessing their full potential through activation via the tumor microenvironment. This study successfully fabricated hypoxia-activated nanocolloids called HOISNDs through a process of self-assembly involving superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and an organic polymer ligand called tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP)-engineered organic polymer ligand [methoxy poly(ethyleneglycol)--poly(dopamine-ethylenediamine-conjugated-4-nitrobenzyl chloroformate)-l-glutamate, mPEG--P(Dopa-EDA--NBCF)LG-TCPP)].

Hydrophyte Debris Induced Sedimentary Phosphorus Release in Tuojiang Rivers, China.

Hydrophyte debris decomposition may contribute to phosphorus (P) release from the sediments in riverine systems, but the transport and transformation of organic phosphorus during this process has not been studied well. Here, a ubiquitous hydrophyte in southern China (Alternanthera philoxeroides, A. philoxeroides) was selected to identify the processes and mechanisms of sedimentary P release in late autumn or early spring by laboratory incubation.

A Star-Shaped Copolymer with Tetra-Hydroxy-Phenylporphyrin Core and Four PNIPAM--PMAGA Arms for Targeted Photodynamic Therapy.

The novel thermosensitive star-shaped tetra-hydroxy-phenylporphyrin-cored (THPP) double hydrophilic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(methylacrylamide glucose) block copolymers (THPP-(PNIPAM--PMAGA)) were synthesized via the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Notably, the low critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) of THPP-(PNIPAM--PMAGA) were above normal body temperature (37 °C) which depended on the hydrophilic PMAGA contents of copolymers. When the temperature was higher than the LCST of the copolymer, the copolymer could be neutralized into micelles in aqueous and could be coated with antitumor drugs and released around tumor cells.

Two-dimensional power allocation scheme for NOMA-based underwater visible light communication systems.

In this work, a two-dimensional power allocation scheme combining fractional transmit power allocation (FTPA) and the sine cosine algorithm (SCA) is proposed for non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-based underwater visible light communication (UVLC) systems. Considering the proposed power allocation scheme, a downlink NOMA-based UVLC system using blue-light-emitting diodes in the deep-sea environment is set up to evaluate the influence of the FTPA coefficient and SCA on system communication performance. The simulation results demonstrate that the two-dimensional power allocation scheme can effectively reduce the impact of user pairing on system performance and improve the system transmission rate compared with the conventional power allocation scheme.

Experimental apparatus for resistivity measurement of gas hydrate-bearing sediment combined with x-ray computed tomography.

Natural gas hydrate has sparked worldwide interest due to its enormous energy potential. Geophysical surveys are commonly used in gas hydrate exploration, and resistivity logging plays an important role in this field. Nevertheless, the electrical response mechanism as a result of the gas hydrate growth in sediment is not well understood.

CRISPR/dCas-mediated gene activation toolkit development and its application for parthenogenesis induction in maize.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas systems can be engineered as programmable transcription factors to either activate (CRISPRa) or inhibit transcription. Apomixis is extremely valuable for the seed industry in breeding clonal seeds with pure genetic backgrounds. We report here a CRISPR/dCas9-based toolkit equipped with dCas9-VP64 and MS2-p65-HSF1 effectors that may specifically target genes with high activation capability.

The performance of OPC water model in prediction of the phase equilibria of methane hydrate.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to determine the three-phase coexistence line of sI methane hydrates. The MD simulations were carried out at four different pressures (4, 10, 40, and 100 MPa) by using the direct phase coexistence method. In current simulations, water was described by either TIP4P/Ice or "optimal" point charge (OPC) models and methane was described as a simple Lennard-Jones interaction site.

pH-responsive dynamically cross-linked nanogels with effective endo-lysosomal escape for synergetic cancer therapy based on intracellular co-delivery of photosensitizers and proteins.

Co-delivery of photosensitizers (PSs) and protein drugs represents great potentiality for enhancing the efficiency of synergistic cancer therapy. However, the intricate tumor-microenvironment and the lack of nanoplatforms to co-deliver both into cancer cells and activate their functions significantly hinder the clinical translation of this combined approach for cancer treatment. Herein, a chlorine e6 (Ce6)-functionalized and pH-responsive dynamically cross-linked nanogel (Ce6@NG) is fabricated by formation of benzoic imine linkages between Ce6-modified methoxy poly (ethyleneglycol)-block-poly (diethylenetriamine)-L-glutamate-Ce6 [MPEG-b-P(Deta)LG-Ce6] and terephthalaldehyde as cross-linkers for effective intracellular co-delivery of Ce6 and cytochrome c (CC), which could form a novel combination therapy system (CC/Ce6@NGs).

Diversity of Anaerobic Methane Oxidizers in the Cold Seep Sediments of the Okinawa Trough.

Active cold seeps in the Okinawa Trough (OT) have been widely identified, but the sediment microbial communities associated with these sites are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated the distribution and biomass of the microbial communities, particularly those associated with the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), in sediments from an active cold seep in the mid-Okinawa Trough. Methane-oxidizing archaea, including ANME-1a, ANME-1b, ANME-2a/b, ANME-2c, and ANME-3, were detected in the OT cold seep sediments.

Artificial intelligence-assisted system for precision diagnosis of PD-L1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer.

Standardized programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) assessment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is challenging, owing to inter-observer variability among pathologists and the use of different antibodies. There is a strong demand for the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) system to obtain high-precision scores of PD-L1 expression in clinical diagnostic scenarios. We developed an AI system using whole slide images (WSIs) of the 22c3 assay to automatically assess the tumor proportion score (TPS) of PD-L1 expression based on a deep learning (DL) model of tumor detection.

A testing assembly for combination measurements on gas hydrate-bearing sediments using x-ray computed tomography and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance.

Studying the pore-scale characteristics of gas hydrate-bearing sediments (GHBS) is very important for a deep understanding of (i) how fluid flows therein and (ii) the corresponding gas production. Micro X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are often used independently to characterize the pore structure of GHBS. Here, we present a new testing assembly that combines X-CT scans and low-field NMR tests to determine the pore-scale characteristics of GHBS in situ.

Incomplete ablation of colon cancer cells may induce activation of dormant cells: Evidence from bioinformatics analysis.

Purpose: It is not yet verified whether incomplete radiofrequency ablation (iRFA) induces tumor progression and hypoxia related to tumor dormancy. This study showed the relationship between iRFA and tumor dormancy.

Materials And Methods: To identify the candidate genes in the control and iRFA-treated colon cancer cells, microarray datasets GSE138224 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database.

Smad7 down-regulation via ubiquitin degradation mediated by Smurf2 in fibroblasts of hypertrophic scars in burned patients.

TGF-β1 (transforming growth factor β1) was considered to play a critical role in the forming of hypertrophic scars. Smad, as a kind of signal downstream mediators, can modulate the functions of TGF-β1. Smad7 can regulate TGF-β1/Smad pathway and present negative feedbacks, which prevents fibrosis mediated by TGF-β1.

Overexpression of three P450 genes is responsible for resistance to novel pyrimidine amines in Magnaporthe oryzae.

Background: A series of pyrimidine amine derivatives has been synthesized by modifying the pyrimidine ring group of diflumetorim-a mitochondrial complex I inhibiting fungicide. One derivative, code number SYP-34773, is investigated in this study involving Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast, which is the most devastating disease in rice. The response, resistance profile and mechanism of M.

Design, synthesis and herbicidal evaluation of novel uracil derivatives containing an isoxazoline moiety.

Background: Glyphosate is the most widely used and successful herbicide discovered to date, but its utility is now threatened by the occurrence of several glyphosate-resistant weed species. Saflufenacil is a relatively new herbicide developed by BASF in 2010. It is a highly effective selective herbicide showing excellent control on broadleaf weeds (more than 90 species), significantly superior to other protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitor herbicides at the level of weeds controlled.