Developing an Indirect ELISA for the Detection of African Swine Fever Virus Antibodies Using a Tag-Free p15 Protein Antigen.

African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most severe diseases caused by the ASF virus (ASFV), causing massive economic losses to the global pig industry. Serological tests are important in ASF epidemiological surveillance, and more antigen targets are needed to meet market demand for ASFV antibody detection. In the present study, ASFV p15 protein was fusion-expressed in () with elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), and the ELP-p15 protein was purified using a simple inverse transition cycling (ITC) process.

AeWRKY32 from okra regulates anthocyanin accumulation and cold tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is a tropical crop species, and its growth and development are severely affected by cold stress. Recent studies have identified a potential association between WRKY transcription factors and the cold response mechanism of crops.

Catalpol Attenuates Pulmonary Fibrosis by Inhibiting Ang II/AT and TGF-β/Smad-Mediated Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and devastating chronic lung condition affecting over 3 million people worldwide with a high mortality rate and there are no effective drugs. Angiotensin II (Ang II), as a major effector peptide of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system, has been shown to act in tandem with the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway to promote the infiltration of inflammatory cells, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and profibrotic factors after lung injury, and to participate in the process of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Catalpol (CAT) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects.

Exploring the Anti-Pulmonary Fibrosis Mechanism of Jingyin Granule by Network Pharmacology Strategy.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a clinically common disease caused by many factors, which will lead to lung function decline and even respiratory failure. Jingyin granule has been confirmed to have anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects by former studies, and has been recommended for combating H1N1 influenza A virus (H1N1) infection and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. At present, studies have shown that patients with severe COVID-19 infection developed lung fibrotic lesions.

Evaluating the Therapeutic Mechanisms of Selected Active Compounds in Thunb. in Pulmonary Fibrosis Network Pharmacology Analysis.

Pulmonary fibrosis, a common outcome of pulmonary interstitial disease of various different etiologies, is one of the most important causes of respiratory failure. Thunb. (family: Saururaceae) (), as has been reported, is a Chinese herbal medicine commonly used to treat upper respiratory tract infection and bronchitis.

Sodium Houttuyfonate Inhibits Bleomycin Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) could severely disrupt the normal lung architecture and function with fatal consequences. Currently, there is no effective treatment for PF or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Sodium Houttuyfonate (SH) on bleomycin (BLM) induced PF mice model.

The changes in antibiotic resistance genes during 86 years of the soil ripening process without anthropogenic activities.

This study aimed to reveal the baseline of natural variations in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil without anthropogenic activities over the decades. Nine soil samples with different time of soil formation were taken from the Yancheng Wetland National Nature Reserve, China. ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were characterized using metagenomic analysis.

Galvanic replacement synthesis of multi-branched gold nanocrystals for photothermal cancer therapy.

We present a facile organic phase synthesis method for producing multi-branched gold nanocrystals (nanostars) with a broad localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) across near-infrared (NIR) to short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths. In this approach, galvanic replacement of copper by gold, in seed particles produced in situ, initiates growth of multi-branched structures. The method enables broad tuning of the LSPR energy by manipulating the branch length, with peak LSPR absorbance tuned from 850 to 1880 nm, reaching SWIR wavelengths covering the second and third optical transparency windows in biological media, rarely achieved with noble metal plasmonic nanostructures.

Tetracycline degradation by Klebsiella sp. strain TR5: Proposed degradation pathway and possible genes involved.

Microorganisms with high tetracycline (TC) degradation efficiencies are required for biological processes for TC-containing wastewater treatment. With multiple enrichment cultures, a TC-degrading strain TR5 was isolated from chicken manure mixture in a large broiler farm, which was identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and biochemical properties. Strain TR5 could degrade TC quickly (∼90% within 36 h) with the initial TC concentration of 200 mg/L under optimized conditions via single-factor experiment coupled with RSM.

A general and rapid room-temperature synthesis approach for metal sulphide nanocrystals with tunable properties.

Colloidal metal sulphide (MS) nanocrystals (NCs) have recently attracted considerable attention because of their tunable properties that can be exploited in various physical, chemical and biological applications. In this work, we present a novel and general method for synthesis of monodispersed binary (CuS, Ag2S, CdS, PbS, and SnS), ternary (Ag-In-S, Cu-In-S and Cu-Sn-S) and quaternary (Cu-Zn-Sn-S) MS NCs. The synthesis is conducted at room temperature, with an immediate crystallization process and up to 60 seconds of growth time, enabling rapid synthesis without external heating.

Synthesis and Anisotropic Electrocatalytic Activity of Covellite Nanoplatelets with Fixed Thickness and Tunable Diameter.

Size- and shape-dependent electrochemical activity of nanostructures reveals relationships between nanostructure design and electrochemical performance. However, electrochemical performance of aspect-ratio-tunable quasi-two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with anisotropic properties has not been fully investigated. We prepared monodispersed hexagonal covellite (CuS) nanoplatelets (NPls) of fixed thickness (∼2 nm) but broadly tunable diameter (from 8 to >100 nm).

Controlled Synthesis of CuSe Nanoparticles as Near-Infrared Photothermal Agents and Irradiation Wavelength Dependence of Their Photothermal Conversion Efficiency.

The ability to manipulate the near-infrared (NIR) localized surface plasmon resonance absorbance of copper chalcogenide materials is of utmost importance for applications such as photothermal therapy (PTT). In this work, we manipulate the NIR absorbance of copper selenide (CuSe) nanoparticles (NPs) by precisely controlling their size and composition. We also introduce a facile method for transferring ultrasmall hydrophobic CuSe NPs into aqueous solution.

Understanding the Effects of NaCl, NaBr and Their Mixtures on Silver Nanowire Nucleation and Growth in Terms of the Distribution of Electron Traps in Silver Halide Crystals.

In recent years, many research groups have synthesized ultra-thin silver nanowires (AgNWs) with diameters below 30 nm by employing Cl and Br simultaneously in the polyol process. However, the yield of AgNWs in this method was low, due to the production of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) as an unwanted byproduct, especially in the case of high Br concentration. Here, we investigated the roles of Cl and Br in the preparation of AgNWs and then synthesized high aspect ratio (up to 2100) AgNWs in high yield (>85% AgNWs) using a Cl and Br co-mediated method.

[Purification, identification and characterization of an anti-microbial hexapeptide from Sus scrofa lysozyme].

Sus scrofa lysozyme (SSL) was digested by different proteases to find peptides with enhanced antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria. Hydrolysate with the highest anti-bacterial activity was loaded onto a gel filtration chromatography column followed by a reversed-phase one. The obtained substance was identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, synthesized to test its antibacterial spectrum and analyzed for bioinformatics.

Au-CuSe heterogeneous nanocrystals for efficient photothermal heating for cancer therapy.

In this study, we show that Au-CuSe heterogeneous nanocrystals have great promise for use in photothermal therapy (PTT). Ligand-stabilized heterogeneous gold-copper selenide (Au-CuSe) hybrid nanocrystals were synthesized by a colloidal gold seed-mediated method. The nanocrystals exhibit broad localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) across visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, arising from interactions between the two nanocrystal domains.

Enhancing the antimicrobial activity of Sus scrofa lysozyme by N-terminal fusion of a sextuple unique homologous peptide.

Sus scrofa lysozyme (SSL), an important component of the pig immune system, is a potential candidate to replace antibiotics in feed. However, there is little antimicrobial activity of natural SSL against gram-negative bacteria, which limits its application. In this study, a unique peptide (A-W-V-A-W-K) with antimicrobial activity against gram-negative bacteria was discovered and purified from trypsin hydrolysate of natural SSL.

Controllable conversion of plasmonic Cu2-xS nanoparticles to Au2S by cation exchange and electron beam induced transformation of Cu2-xS-Au2S core/shell nanostructures.

Self-doped Cu2-xS nanocrystals (NCs) were converted into monodisperse Cu2-xS-Au2S NCs of tunable composition, including pure Au2S, by cation exchange. The near-infrared (NIR) localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) was dampened and red-shifted with increasing Au content. Cation exchange was accompanied by elimination of cation vacancies and a change in crystal structure.

Au-Cu(2-x)Se heterodimer nanoparticles with broad localized surface plasmon resonance as contrast agents for deep tissue imaging.

We report a new type of heterogeneous nanoparticles (NPs) composed of a heavily doped semiconductor domain (Cu2-xSe) and a metal domain (Au), which exhibit a broad localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) across visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, arising from interactions between the two nanocrystal domains. We demonstrate both in vivo photoacoustic imaging and in vitro dark field imaging, using the broad LSPR in Cu2-xSe-Au hybrid NPs to achieve contrast at different wavelengths. The high photoacoustic imaging depth achieved, up to 17 mm, shows that these novel contrast agents could be clinically relevant.

Acid phosphatase activity may affect the tuber swelling by partially regulating sucrose-mediated sugar resorption in potato.

APase activity is involved in regulating many physiological and developmental events by affecting the resorption process. In this study, we investigate the role of APase activity in tuber development in potato. APase activities were mainly localized in cytoplasm, gaps among cells and stroma of amyloplasts of parenchyma cells at the stage of tuber swelling.