Advancing Targeted Metabolomics Using Cyanopropyl-Based Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

The change of metabolic pathways is recognized as the key to disease discovery prompting the development of ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS)-based quantitative platforms to explore the dynamic metabolite profiles of organisms. In this study, a liquid chromatography method based on cyanopropyl (CN) was developed. By adjusting the pH environment of the column, we achieved the elution of 51 metabolites spanning the most comprehensive set of biological pathways currently known.

Research on the economic effects of housing support expenditures under the perspective of consumption heterogeneity: Evidence from China.

What kind of impact does the government's housing support expenditure have on residents' consumption? This is a topic that deserves in-depth study and is of practical significance. This study constructs provincial equilibrium panel data based on China's guaranteed housing construction and financial expenditures on housing support data from 1999-2009 and 2000-2021. It applies the systematic GMM method to estimate the impact of government housing support expenditures on residents' consumption.

Transportation infrastructure and economic growth: Evidence from "new nighttime light data" in the Yangtze River Delta.

The enhancement and improvement of China's high-speed rail network plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable economic growth in the region. By utilizing "new nighttime light data" in China's Yangtze River Delta from 2003 to 2018, this paper investigates the impact of HSR on economic growth using a multiperiod difference-in-differences (DID) model. The operations of high-speed rail have a significant and positive impact on economic growth, which often becomes more apparent with a certain time delay.

Green extract rosemary acid as a viscosity-sensitive molecular sensor in liquid systems.

The liquid micro-environment plays a momentous role in the regulation of various activities, and the abnormal changes are often closely related to the deterioration phenomena in multiple beverages. The local viscosity fluctuation has long been regarded as a key indicator to reflect the micro-environmental status changes. Herein, we proposed a versatile optical sensor, rosmarinic acid (RA), one kind of green natural product extracted from rosemary, for monitoring liquid micro-environmental viscosity alterations.

ENERGI-F703 gel, as a new topical treatment for diabetic foot and leg ulcers: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, phase II trial.

Background: Diabetic foot and leg ulcers are a major cause of disability among patients with diabetes mellitus. A topical gel called ENERGI-F703, applied twice daily and with adenine as its active pharmaceutical ingredient, accelerated wound healing in diabetic mice. The current study evaluated the safety and efficacy of ENERGI-F703 for patients with diabetic foot and leg ulcers.

Comparison of rhodamine 6G, rhodamine B and rhodamine 101 spirolactam based fluorescent probes: A case of pH detection.

Ring-opening reaction of rhodamine spirolactam has been widely applied to construct fluorescent probes. The fluorescence properties of the probe were finely tuned for specific purpose through changing the rhodamine fluorophore. However, the influence on response range and kinetic parameters of the probe during the change has been seldom discussed.

In Situ Functionalization of Silver Nanoparticles by Gallic Acid as a Colorimetric Sensor for Simple Sensitive Determination of Melamine in Milk.

A simple and green colorimetric sensing assay strategy for highly efficient determination of melamine has been fabricated, which is based on the redox reaction of gallic acid with Ag. Monodispersed Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained using gallic acid as a reducing and stabilizing agent. However, the aggregate behavior of AgNPs was observed, while the melamine was present in the reaction medium.

Visual detection of viscosity through activatable molecular rotor with aggregation-induced emission.

Food safety has become one of the urgent affairs in the global public health studies, and irregular viscosity is closely associated with the food spoilage extent. In this study, one kind of activatable molecular rotor (TPA-PBZ) based on triphenylamine derivates has been synthesized via the Schiff base condensation reaction. This rotor is comprised by donor-accepter conjugated structure, with aggregation induced-emission feature and a large Stokes shift of 160 nm in water.

Arl4D-EB1 interaction promotes centrosomal recruitment of EB1 and microtubule growth.

ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf)-like 4D (Arl4D), one of the Arf-like small GTPases, functions in the regulation of cell morphology, cell migration, and actin cytoskeleton remodeling. End-binding 1 (EB1) is a microtubule (MT) plus-end tracking protein that preferentially localizes at the tips of the plus ends of growing MTs and at the centrosome. EB1 depletion results in many centrosome-related defects.

Systematic study of synthesizing various heteroatom-substituted rhodamines from diaryl ether analogues.

The dye rhodamine, as the most popular scaffold to construct fluorescent labels and probes, has been explored extensively on its structure-fluorescence relationships. Particularly, the replacement of the oxygen atom in the 10th position with heteroatoms obtained various new rhodamines with improved photophysical properties, such as brightness, photostability, red-shifted emission and fluorogenicity. However, the applications of heteroatom-substituted rhodamines have been hindered by difficult synthetic routes.

Two-dimensional β-MoO@C nanosheets as high-performance negative materials for supercapacitors with excellent cycling stability.

MoO has gained a great deal of attention as a promising electrode material in energy storage devices. In particular, the low dimensional MoO nanosheets coated with carbon layers are desirable electrode materials in supercapacitors. However, the fabrication or construction of β-MoO with a special morphology is difficult.

A reporter mouse for non-invasive detection of toll-like receptor ligands induced acute phase responses.

The acute phase response (APR) is a systemic first-line defense against challenges including infection, trauma, stress, and neoplasia. Alteration of acute phase protein (APP) levels in plasma is the most important change during acute phase response. C-reactive protein (CRP), which increases dramatically during inflammation onset, is an indicator of inflammation.

A general strategy to develop cell membrane fluorescent probes with location- and target-specific fluorogenicities: a case of a Zn probe with cellular selectivity.

We reported fluorescent probes to image Zn with plasma membrane-specific and Zn-specific fluorogenicities. The probes contained hydrophobic alkyl chains as membrane-anchored domains and hydrophilic zinc sensor ZTRS, and aggregated to display quenched fluorescence. Cells dissolved the aggregates and the liberated probes were dispersed on the outside of the cell plasma membrane.

[Construction of recombinant PRRSV ORF5 gene by DNA shuffling technique].

Recombinant PRRSV △2ORF5 gene was constructed using DNA shuffling from four genetically different strains of PRRSV to study its heterologous cross-neutralizing ability. The △2ORF5 mutant gene was cloned into the vector pET-32a and transferred into E. coli BL21.

Complete genomic characterization of two European-genotype porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus isolates in Fujian province of China.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is considered one of the most devastating swine diseases worldwide, resulting in immense economic losses. PRRS virus (PRRSV) is divided into two major genotypes, European (type 1) and the North American (type 2). Type 1 PRRSV have recently emerged in Fujian province (South China), and this might have a significant impact on the Chinese pig industry.

Synthesis of Self-Assembled Spermidine-Carbon Quantum Dots Effective against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria.

This study reports a two-step method to synthesize spermidine-capped fluorescent carbon quantum dots (Spd-CQDs) and their potential application as an antibacterial agent. Fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are synthesized by pyrolysis of ammonium citrate in the solid state and then modified with spermidine by a simple heating treatment without a coupling agent. Spermidine, a naturally occurring polyamine, binds with DNA, lipids, and proteins involved in many important processes within organisms such as DNA stability, and cell growth, proliferation, and death.

Hhip haploinsufficiency sensitizes mice to age-related emphysema.

Genetic variants in Hedgehog interacting protein (HHIP) have consistently been associated with the susceptibility to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary function levels, including the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), in general population samples by genome-wide association studies. However, in vivo evidence connecting Hhip to age-related FEV1 decline and emphysema development is lacking. Herein, using Hhip heterozygous mice (Hhip(+/-)), we observed increased lung compliance and spontaneous emphysema in Hhip(+/-) mice starting at 10 mo of age.

Enzyme-free surface plasmon resonance aptasensor for amplified detection of adenosine via target-triggering strand displacement cycle and Au nanoparticles.

Herein, we combine the advantage of aptamer technique with the amplifying effect of an enzyme-free signal-amplification and Au nanoparticles (NPs) to design a sensitive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) aptasensor for detecting small molecules. This detection system consists of aptamer, detection probe (c-DNA1) partially hybridizing to the aptamer strand, Au NPs-linked hairpin DNA (Au-H-DNA1), and thiolated hairpin DNA (H-DNA2) previously immobilized on SPR gold chip. In the absence of target, the H-DNA1 possessing hairpin structure cannot hybridize with H-DNA2 and thereby Au NPs will not be captured on the SPR gold chip surface.

Identification of adenine modulating AMPK activation in NIH/3T3 cells by proteomic approach.

Unlabelled: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a metabolic master switch maintaining the energy homeostasis in cells and thought to modulate cellular response to stresses. Adenine as well as a pharmacological AMPK activator, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR), induced the phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase in NIH/3T3 cells. Administration of adenine or AICAR increased the expression and translocation of glucose transporter 4, enhanced the cellular glucose uptake, and elevated the intracellular ATP level.

Target-triggering multiple-cycle amplification strategy for ultrasensitive detection of adenosine based on surface plasma resonance techniques.

An ultrasensitive protocol for surface plasma resonance (SPR) detection of adenosine is designed with the aptamer-based target-triggering cascade multiple cycle amplification, and streptavidin-coated Au-NPs (Au NPs-SA) enhancement to enhance the SPR signals. The cascade amplification process consists of the aptamer-based target-triggering nicking enzyme signaling amplification (T-NESA), the nicking enzyme signaling amplification (NESA) and the hybridization chain reaction (HCR), the entire circle amplification process is triggered by the target recognition of adenosine. Upon recognition of the aptamer to target adenosine, DNA s1 is released from the aptamer and then hybridizes with hairpin DNA (HP1).

Amelioration of LPS-induced inflammation response in microglia by AMPK activation.

Adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of cellular energy homeostasis via modulating metabolism of glucose, lipid, and protein. In addition to energy modulation, AMPK has been demonstrated to associate with several important cellular events including inflammation. The results showed that ENERGI-F704 identified from bamboo shoot extract was nontoxic in concentrations up to 80 μM and dose-dependently induced phosphorylation of AMPK (Thr-172) in microglia BV2 cells.

Surface plasmon resonance sensor based on magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers amplification for pesticide recognition.

We reported here a method to enhance detection sensitivity in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy integrated with a surface molecular imprinting recognition system and employing magnetic molecular imprinting polymer nanoparticles for amplifying SPR response. The proposed magnetic molecular imprinting polymer was designed by self-polymerization of dopamine on the Fe3O4 NPs surface in weak base aqueous solution in the presence of template chlorpyrifos (CPF). The imprinted Fe3O4@polydopamine nanoparticles (Fe3O4@PDA NPs) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.

The N-terminus of Vps74p is essential for the retention of glycosyltransferases in the Golgi but not for the modulation of apical polarized growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Vps74p is a member of the PtdIns(4)P-binding protein family. Vps74p interacts with Golgi-resident glycosyltransferases and the coat protein COPI complex to modulate Golgi retention of glycosyltransferases and with the PtdIns(4)P phosphatase Sac1p to modulate PtdIns(4)P homeostasis at the Golgi. Genetic analysis has shown that Vps74p is required for the formation of abnormal elongated buds in cdc34-2 cells.

Graphene oxide and dextran capped gold nanoparticles based surface plasmon resonance sensor for sensitive detection of concanavalin A.

Carbohydrate-protein interactions mediate the important physiological and pathophysiological processes in living organism. Their study has attracted great attention due to its importance in understanding these biological processes and in fabricating biosensors for diagnostics and drug development. Here, by using concanavalin A (ConA) as a model protein, a novel surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor was developed for sensitive detection ConA.