Lower fecal microbiota transplantation ameliorates ulcerative colitis by eliminating oral-derived Fusobacterium nucleatum and virulence factor.

Background: Recently, the oral oncobacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), has been linked with ulcerative colitis (UC). Here, we aim to investigate whether Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) can alleviate UC by restoring gut microbiota and eliminating oral-derived F.

Doubly Strapped Zwitterionic NIR-I and NIR-II Heptamethine Cyanine Dyes for Bioconjugation and Fluorescence Imaging.

Heptamethine cyanine dyes enable deep tissue fluorescence imaging in the near infrared (NIR) window. Small molecule conjugates of the benchmark dye ZW800-1 have been tested in humans. However, long-term imaging protocols using ZW800-1 conjugates are limited by their instability, primarily because the chemically labile C4'-O-aryl linker is susceptible to cleavage by biological nucleophiles.

Palladium responsive liposomes for triggered release of aqueous contents.

Palladium (Pd) is a promising metal catalyst for novel bioorthogonal chemistry and prodrug activation. This report describes the first example of palladium responsive liposomes. The key molecule is a new caged phospholipid called Alloc-PE that forms stable liposomes (large unilamellar vesicles, ∼220 nm diameter).

Conformational Effects on the Threading Kinetics of Dumbbell-Shaped Guests into the Cavity of Oxatub[4]arene.

Unprecedented threading kinetics were revealed between viologen-based guests and conformationally adaptive oxatub[4]arene. Three representative conformations of oxatub[4]arene are involved in the kinetic and thermodynamic products which follow the opposite orders in their rankings. Consequently, error correction was involved and a complex kinetic process was observed in a simple two-component system.

A algorithm for prediction of exudative retinal detachment risk of patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Aim: To investigate the risk of exudative retinal detachment (ERD) morbidity in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) by using the logistic regression combined with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Methods: A total of 46 patients with ERD and 142 patients with non-ERD were diagnosed as PIH from January 2017 to February 2020. A retrospective comparison of the clinical manifestations and laboratory tests were conducted.

Sterically Shielded Hydrophilic Analogs of Indocyanine Green.

A modular synthetic process enables two or four shielding arms to be appended strategically over the fluorochromes of near-infrared cyanine heptamethine dyes to create hydrophilic analogs of clinically approved indocyanine green. A key synthetic step is the facile substitution of a heptamethine 4'-Cl atom by a phenol bearing two triethylene glycol chains. The lead compound is a heptamethine dye with four shielding arms, and a series of comparative spectroscopy studies showed that the shielding arms (a) increased dye photostability and chemical stability and (b) inhibited dye self-aggregation and association with albumin protein.

Supramolecular Mitigation of the Cyanine Limit Problem.

Currently, there is a substantial research effort to develop near-infrared fluorescent polymethine cyanine dyes for biological imaging and sensing. In water, cyanine dyes with extended conjugation are known to cross over the "cyanine limit" and undergo a symmetry breaking Peierls transition that favors an unsymmetric distribution of π-electron density and produces a broad absorption profile and low fluorescence brightness. This study shows how supramolecular encapsulation of a newly designed series of cationic, cyanine dyes by cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) can be used to alter the π-electron distribution within the cyanine chromophore.

Comparison of cRGDfK Peptide Probes with Appended Shielded Heptamethine Cyanine Dye () for Near Infrared Fluorescence Imaging of Cancer.

Previous work has shown that the sterically shielded near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent heptamethine cyanine dye, , with a reactive carboxyl group produces fluorescent bioconjugates with an unsurpassed combination of high photostability and fluorescence brightness. This present contribution reports two new reactive homologues of with either a maleimide group for reaction with a thiol or a strained alkyne group for reaction with an azide. Three cancer-targeting NIR fluorescent probes were synthesized, each with an appended cRGDfK peptide to provide selective affinity for integrin receptors that are overexpressed on the surface of many cancer cells including the A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells used in this study.

Deuterated Indocyanine Green (ICG) with Extended Aqueous Storage Shelf-Life: Chemical and Clinical Implications.

Indocyanine Green (ICG) is a clinically approved near-infrared fluorescent dye that is used extensively for various imaging and diagnostic procedures. One drawback with ICG is its instability in water, which means that reconstituted clinical doses have to be used very shortly after preparation. Two deuterated versions of ICG were prepared with deuterium atoms on the heptamethine chain, and the spectral, physiochemical, and photostability properties were quantified.

Fecal Fusobacterium nucleatum harbored virulence gene fadA are associated with ulcerative colitis and clinical outcomes.

Object: Fusobacterium nucleatum (F.nucleatum), a gram-negative, obligately anaerobe of oral commensal，has been regarded as culprit of periodontal diseases previously and is being unveiled as possible pathogen of gastrointestinal disorders. The key virulence factor of F.

High-Performance Near-Infrared Fluorescent Secondary Antibodies for Immunofluorescence.

A broad array of imaging and diagnostic technologies employs fluorophore-labeled antibodies for biomarker visualization, an experimental technique known as immunofluorescence. Significant performance advantages, such as higher signal-to-noise ratio, are gained if the appended fluorophore emits near-infrared (NIR) light with a wavelength >700 nm. However, the currently available NIR fluorophore antibody conjugates are known to exhibit significant limitations, including low chemical stability and photostability, weakened target specificity, and low fluorescence brightness.

Sterically Shielded Heptamethine Cyanine Dyes for Bioconjugation and High Performance Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging.

The near-infrared window of fluorescent heptamethine cyanine dyes greatly facilitates biological imaging because there is deep penetration of the light and negligible background fluorescence. However, dye instability, aggregation, and poor pharmacokinetics are current drawbacks that limit performance and the scope of possible applications. All these limitations are simultaneously overcome with a new molecular design strategy that produces a charge balanced and sterically shielded fluorochrome.

NMR Relaxation Dispersion Reveals Macrocycle Breathing Dynamics in a Cyclodextrin-based Rotaxane.

A distinctive feature of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) is the relative motion between the mechanically bonded components, and often it is the functional basis for artificial molecular machines and new functional materials. Optimization of machine or materials performance requires knowledge of the underlying atomic-level mechanisms that control the motion. The field of biomolecular NMR spectroscopy has developed a diverse set of pulse schemes that can characterize molecular dynamics over a broad time scale, but these techniques have not yet been used to characterize the motion within MIMs.

Molecular recognition using tetralactam macrocycles with parallel aromatic sidewalls.

This review summarizes the supramolecular properties of tetralactam macrocycles that have parallel aromatic sidewalls and four NH residues directed into the macrocyclic cavity. These macrocycles are versatile hosts for a large number of different guest structures in water and organic solvents, and they are well-suited for a range of supramolecular applications. The macrocyclic cavity contains a mixture of polar functional groups and non-polar surfaces which is reminiscent of the amphiphilic binding pockets within many proteins.

Naphthocage: A Flexible yet Extremely Strong Binder for Singly Charged Organic Cations.

We report a quite flexible naphthol-based cage (so-called "naphthocage") which adopts a self-inclusion conformation in its free state and is able to bind singly charged organic cations extremely strongly ( K > 10 M). Ion-selective electrodes prepared with this naphthocage show a super-Nernstian response to acetylcholine. In addition, the highly stable complex (10 M) between ferrocenium and the naphthocage can be switched electrochemically, which lays a basis for its application in stimuli-responsive materials.

Shape-Selective Recognition of Quaternary Ammonium Chloride Ion Pairs.

Synthetic receptors that recognize ion pairs are potentially useful for many technical applications, but to date there has been little work on selective recognition of quaternary ammonium (Q) ion pairs. This study measured the affinity of a tetralactam macrocycle for 11 different Q·Cl salts in chloroform solution. In each case, NMR spectroscopy was used to determine the association constant ( K) and the structure of the associated complex.

A sensitive electrochemical sensor based on ZIF-8-acetylene black-chitosan nanocomposites for rutin detection.

Herein, we fabricated a sensitive rutin electrochemical sensor modifying glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) and acetylene black (AB) in the presence of chitosan (CS). The electrochemical activity and experimental parameters of the ZIF-8-AB-CS/GCE sensor were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Under the optimal conditions, the sensor presented a reasonable linear response in the range of 0.

Electronic Substituent Effects of Guests on the Conformational Network and Binding Behavior of Oxatub[4]arene.

A series of quaternary ammonium guests have been synthesized, and their binding behavior with oxatub[4]arene have been studied. In particular, remote electronic substituents of the guests can significantly affect the binding affinities mainly through a field/inductive effect by following a linear free energy relationship. More surprisingly, oxatub[4]arene, with a complex conformational network, shows a large amplitude of conformational change in response to the remote electronic substituents on the guests.

DJ-1 maintains energy and glucose homeostasis by regulating the function of brown adipose tissue.

DJ-1 protein is involved in multiple physiological processes, including Parkinson's disease. However, the role of DJ-1 in the metabolism is largely unknown. Here we found that DJ-1 maintained energy balance and glucose homeostasisvia regulating brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity.

Oxatub[5,6]arene: synthesis, conformational analysis, and the recognition of C60 and C70.

Large oxatub[n]arenes (n = 5, 6) have been synthesized and characterized. Their conformational complexity was analyzed and host-guest chemistry was studied. In particular, the rather flexible oxatub[6]arene is able to accommodate C60 and C70 with moderate binding affinities.

Oxatub[4]arene: a molecular "transformer" capable of hosting a wide range of organic cations.

The molecular "transformer", oxatub[4]arene, was found to be able to host a wide range of organic cations. The strong binding ability is believed to originate from its four interconvertible and deep-cavity conformers. The binding behavior of such adaptable receptors may provide implications for molecular recognition in nature.

Chelidonine suppresses migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells by inhibiting formation of the integrin-linked kinase/PINCH/α-parvin complex.

Metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-associated mortality. The ternary IPP complex of integrin-linked kinase, PINCH and parvin functions as a signaling platform for integrins, which modulate numerous cellular processes including cell migration and invasion. Chelidonine, isolated from Chelidonium majus, is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid that exhibits anticancer properties; however, the anti-migratory and anti-invasive effects of chelidonine remain unknown.

Relationship between modified homeostasis model assessment/correlative serum factors and diabetic retinopathy among type 2 diabetics with insulin therapy in Guangzhou, China.

Aim: To explore the related risk factors for diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetes with insulin therapy.

Methods: We studied the relationships among blood glucose, serum C-peptide, plasma insulin, beta-cell function and the development of DR. Beta-cell function was assessed by a modified homeostasis model assessment (modified HOMA) which was gained by using C-peptide to replace insulin in the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of beta-cell function.