A locus coeruleus to dorsal hippocampus pathway mediates cue-induced reinstatement of opioid self-administration in male and female rats.

Opioid use disorder is a chronic relapsing disorder encompassing misuse, dependence, and addiction to opioid drugs. Long term maintenance of associations between the reinforcing effects of the drug and the cues associated with its intake are a leading cause of relapse. Indeed, exposure to the salient drug-associated cues can lead to drug cravings and drug seeking behavior.

Assessment of novel antiviral filter using pseudo-type SARS-CoV-2 virus in fast air velocity vertical-type wind tunnel.

Current evidence suggests that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can remain suspended spread in aerosols for longer period of time under poorly ventilated indoor setting. To minimize spreading, application of antiviral filter to capture infectious aerosols and to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 can be a promising solution. This study aimed to develop a method to assess simultaneously the filtration and removal efficiency of aerosolized pseudo-type SARS-CoV-2 using a vertical-type wind tunnel with relatively high face velocity (1.

Oral Vaccines: A Better Future of Immunization.

Oral vaccines are gaining more attention due to their ease of administration, lower invasiveness, generally greater safety, and lower cost than injectable vaccines. This review introduces certified oral vaccines for adenovirus, recombinant protein-based, and transgenic plant-based oral vaccines, and their mechanisms for inducing an immune response. Procedures for regulatory approval and clinical trials of injectable and oral vaccines are also covered.

Quantitative analysis and risk assessment to full-size microplastics pollution in the coastal marine waters of Hong Kong.

Given the potential risk to the ecosystem, attention has increased in recent decades to the contamination of the aquatic environment by microplastics (MPs). Due to the limitations of conventional analysis methods of MPs, little is known about the size distribution and abundance of a full-size MPs from 1 μm to 5 mm. The present study quantified MPs with size ranges of 50 μm - 5 mm and 1-50 μm in the coastal marine waters from twelve locations in Hong Kong using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry respectively, during the end of wet (September 2021) and dry (March 2022) seasons.

Development of Method for Evaluation of Edible Bird's Nest Content in Ready-to-Eat Beverages.

Background: Edible bird's nest (EBN) is one of the most valuable tonic Chinese foods, made from glutinous salivary secretion with highly concentrated mucin glycoprotein. For ease of consumption, manufacturers have marketed different ready-to-eat EBN products, in which the EBN content varies. This is the first study to analyze the EBN content in ready-to-eat beverages.

Retraction: Sung et al. Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor Binding Domain on Recombinant on Spore Surface: A Potential COVID-19 Oral Vaccine Candidate. 2022, , 2.

The journal retracts the article "Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor Binding Domain on Recombinant on Spore Surface: A Potential COVID-19 Oral Vaccine Candidate"[...

Quantitative Assessment of Full Size Microplastics in Bottled and Tap Water Samples in Hong Kong.

Human exposure to microplastics (MPs) through drinking water has drawn serious concern recently because of the potential adverse health effects. Although there are reports on the occurrence of MPs in bottled water, little is known about the abundance of a whole spectrum of MPs with sizes ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm due to the restrictions of conventional MPs detection methods. Some studies using micro-Raman spectroscopy can achieve MPs with a size of <10 µm, however, quantitation of all MPs was extremely time consuming and only a small portion (<10%) of MPs would be analyzed.

Safety and Immunogenicity of Inactivated Spores as a Heterologous Antibody Booster for COVID-19 Vaccines.

The coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections have threatened the world for more than 2 years. Multiple vaccine candidates have been developed and approved for emergency use by specific markets, but multiple doses are required to maintain the antibody level. Preliminary safety and immunogenicity data about an oral dose vaccine candidate using recombinant in healthy adults were reported previously from an investigator-initiated trial in Hong Kong.

Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor Binding Domain on Recombinant on Spore Surface: A Potential COVID-19 Oral Vaccine Candidate.

Various types of vaccines, such as mRNA, adenovirus, and inactivated virus by injection, have been developed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although some of them have already been approved under the COVID-19 pandemic, various drawbacks, including severe side effects and the requirement for sub-zero temperature storage, may hinder their applications. () is generally recognized as a safe and endotoxin-free Gram-positive bacterium that has been extensively employed as a host for the expression of recombinant proteins.

Application of anaerobic bacterial ammonification pretreatment to microalgal food waste leachate cultivation and biofuel production.

Food waste constitutes the largest component of municipal solid waste in many urbanized societies. The current practice of disposing of biodegradable food waste mixed with other solid wastes to landfills is not sustainable and is environmentally undesirable. Moreover, the leakage of nutrient-rich food waste leachate (FWL) impacts the environment by eutrophication of the water body.

Reduction in biogenic amines in douchi fermented by probiotic bacteria.

Ecology studies showed that esophageal and gastric cancers are directly correlated with the consumption of processed foods. The carcinogenicity of traditional Chinese fermented foods such as douchi (fermented black beans or fermented black soybeans) is due to the presence of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds, which are derived from biogenic amines. Among the various biogenic amines that can act as precursors of N-nitroso compounds, histamine and tyramine are considered to be the most toxic and are of public health concern when present in food.

Mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for non-T2 asthma.

Non-T2 asthma is traditionally defined as asthma without features of T2 asthma. The definition is arbitrary and is generally based on the presence of neutrophils in sputum, or the absence (or normal levels) of eosinophils or other T2 markers in sputum (paucigranulocytic), airway biopsies or in blood. This definition may be imprecise as we gain more knowledge from applying transcriptomics and proteomics to blood and airway samples.

Optimization of protein extraction and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis profiles for the identification of Cordyceps sinensis and other similar species.

Given that Chinese materia medica (CMM) is expensive and rare, people take tremendous risk to adulterate and falsify Cordyceps sinensis with counterfeit species with similar morphological features. It is thus essential to develop new methods to identify the authenticity of Cordyceps sinensis. It is hypothesized in this study that Cordyceps sinensis possesses certain protein biomarkers distinct from its counterfeits, which can be identified by proteomic technologies for authentication purposes.

Evaluation of the Use of TRIzol-Based Protein Extraction Approach for Gel-Based Proteomic Analysis of Dried Seafood Products and Chinese Tonic Foods.

Although the emergence of gel-free approaches has greatly enhanced proteomic studies, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) remains one of the most widely used proteomic techniques for its high resolving power, relatively low cost, robustness, and high resolution. Preparation of high-quality protein samples remains the key in high-quality 2-DE for proteomic analysis. Samples with high endogenous levels of interfering molecules, such as salts, nucleic acids, lipids, and polysaccharides, would yield a low-quality 2-DE gel and hinder the analysis.

Highly Chlorinated, Brominated, and Iodinated Icosahedral Carborane Anions: 1-H-CB(11)X(11)(-), 1-CH(3)-CB(11)X(11)(-) (X = Cl, Br, I); 1-Br-CB(11)Br(11)(-).

Direct chlorination of 1-CH(3)-CB(11)H(11)(-) in glacial acetic acid gave the highly chlorinated carborane anion 1-CH(3)-CB(11)Cl(11)(-), and treatment of 1-CH(3)-CB(11)H(11)(-) with ICl in triflic acid afforded the highly iodinated carborane anion 1-CH(3)-CB(11)I(11)(-). Under similar or more vigorous reaction conditions, however, the reaction of 1-CH(3)-CB(11)H(11)(-) with Br(2) in triflic acid did not proceed to completion. The highly brominated carborane anion 1-CH(3)-CB(11)Br(11)(-) was achieved via a sealed-tube reaction.