Transdiagnostic and Diagnosis-Specific Morphological Similarity Related Transcriptional Profile in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are both highly heritable developmental psychiatric disorders and exhibit a high degree of comorbidity. Our objective is to enhance understanding of the transdiagnostic and diagnosis-specific structural alterations and related cellular and genetic pathophysiological mechanisms between ADHD and ASD.

Method: We used structural magnetic resonance imaging data of 247 subjects from the publicly available 1000 Functional Connectomes Project, including 91 individuals with ADHD, 49 individuals with ASD, and 107 age- and sex-matched controls.

Biosynthesized tumor acidity and MMP dual-responsive plant toxin gelonin for robust cancer therapy.

Among all kinds of anticancer agents, small molecule drugs produce an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect due to the lack of selectivity, notorious drug resistance and side effects. Therefore, researchers have begun to pay extensive attention to macromolecular drugs with high efficacy and specificity. As a plant toxin, gelonin exerts potent antitumor activity inhibiting intracellular protein synthesis.

Exon 5 Mutation Indicates Poor Progression-Free Survival for Patients with Stage IV NSCLC.

Background: Genetic mutations are quite common in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however, their prognostic value remains controversial.

Methods: This study explored the mutational landscape of tumor samples from patients with advanced NSCLC by next-generation sequencing (NGS). A total of 101 NSCLC patients in stage III or IV receiving first-line treatment were included.

Impact of Secretion-Active Osteoblast-Specific Factor 2 in Promoting Progression and Metastasis of Head and Neck Cancer.

Treatment success of head and neck cancer (HNC) is still hampered by tumor relapse due to metastases. Our study aimed to identify biomarkers by exploiting transcriptomics profiles of patient-matched metastases, primary tumors, and normal tissue mucosa as well as the HNC cohort data sets. Analyses identified osteoblast-specific factor 2 (OSF-2) as significantly overexpressed in lymph node metastases and primary tumors compared to normal tissue.

Molecularly engineered tumor acidity-responsive plant toxin gelonin for safe and efficient cancer therapy.

Due to the unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy and inexorable side effects of small molecule antineoplastic agents, extensive efforts have been devoted to the development of more potent macromolecular agents with high specificity. Gelonin is a plant-derived protein toxin that exhibits robust antitumor effect via inactivating ribosomes and inhibiting protein synthesis. Nonetheless, its poor internalization ability to tumor cells has compromised the therapeutic promise of gelonin.

Cucurbitacin E Triggers Cellular Senescence in Colon Cancer Cells via Regulating the miR-371b-5p/TFAP4 Signaling Pathway.

The induction of cellular senescence is considered as a potent strategy to suppress cancer progression. Cucurbitacin E (CE) belongs to the triterpenoids and has received substantial attention for its antineoplastic property. However, the function of CE on cellular senescence remained elusive.

Characteration of a novel arylesterase from probiotics GG with the preference for medium- and long-chain -Nitrophenyl esters.

Unlabelled: We prospected a novel arylesterase LggEst from the probiotics s GG by genome mining strategy, and characterized the enzymatic properties in detail. Biochemical characterization revealed that arylesterase LggEst presented high activity at a wide range of temperatures from 25 to 65 °C with maximum activity at 50 °C. LggEst maintained high activity in the pH range from 5.

Cucurbitacin E Chemosensitizes Colorectal Cancer Cells via Mitigating TFAP4/Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling.

Chemoresistance and toxicity are the main obstacles that limit the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy. Hence, it is urgent to identify new adjuvants that can sensitize CRC cells to conventional chemotherapeutic approaches. Cucurbitacin E (CE) is a natural triterpenoid, widely distributed in dietary plants, and shows antitumor effects.

A competitive immunoassay based on engineered magnetic/fluorescent nanoparticles and biolayer interferometry-based assay for T-2 toxin determination.

For the first time a competitive immunoassay was developed by employing T-2 antibody-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles and T-2 toxin-conjugated fluorescent quantum dots (QDs). Free T-2 and the T-2-modified QDs compete for binding to antibody-modified magnetic beads; the magnetic beads collected by magnetic separation were subjected to fluorescence intensity analysis (with excitation/emission wavelengths at 460/616 nm). This competitive immunoassay for T-2 toxin determination was applied both in a microcentrifuge tube and on a 96-well plate.

Mechanisms of nanotoxicity - biomolecule coronas protect pathological fungi against nanoparticle-based eradication.

Whereas nanotoxicity is intensely studied in mammalian systems, our knowledge of desired or unwanted nano-based effects for microbes is still limited. Fungal infections are global socio-economic health and agricultural problems, and current chemical antifungals may induce adverse side-effects in humans and ecosystems. Thus, nanoparticles are discussed as potential novel and sustainable antifungals via the desired nanotoxicity but often fail in practical applications.

Nano Meets Micro-Translational Nanotechnology in Medicine: Nano-Based Applications for Early Tumor Detection and Therapy.

Nanomaterials have great potential for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells of solid tumor origin entering the peripheral blood after detachment from a primary tumor. The occurrence and circulation of CTCs are accepted as a prerequisite for the formation of metastases, which is the major cause of cancer-associated deaths.

Integration of Polylactide into Polyethylenimine Facilitates the Safe and Effective Intracellular siRNA Delivery.

Polyethylenimine (PEI) is a gold standard polymer with excellent transfection efficacy, yet its severe toxicity and nondegradability hinders its therapeutic application as a gene delivery vector. To tackle this problem, herein we incorporated the biodegradable polylactide (PLA) into the branched PEI by synthesizing a PEI-PLA copolymer via a facile synthetic route. PLA modification significantly improved the cytocompatibility of PEI, PEI-PLA copolymer showed much higher cell viability than PEI as verified in three different human cancer cell lines (HCT116, HepG2 and SKOV3).

Is small smarter? Nanomaterial-based detection and elimination of circulating tumor cells: current knowledge and perspectives.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are disseminated cancer cells. The occurrence and circulation of CTCs seem key for metastasis, still the major cause of cancer-associated deaths. As such, CTCs are investigated as predictive biomarkers.

Target Discovery of Novel α-L-Rhamnosidases from Human Fecal Metagenome and Application for Biotransformation of Natural Flavonoid Glycosides.

As a green and powerful tool, biocatalysis has emerged as a perfect alternative to traditional chemistry. The bottleneck during process development is discovery of novel enzymes with desired properties and independent intellectual property. Herein, we have successfully bioprospected three novel bacterial α-L-rhamnosidases from human fecal metagenome using a combinatorial strategy by high-throughput de novo sequencing combined with in silico searching for catalytic key motifs.

A spectrophotometric method for high-throughput screening of α-l-rhamnosidase activity on rutin coupled with a β-d-glucosidase assay.

α-l-Rhamnosidase may biotransform rutin into isoquercetin with better bioavailability and bioactivity. To date, the high-throughput screening for the activity of α-l-rhamnosidases on rutin could not be achieved. Herein, based on the spectral differences between rutin and its aglycone quercetin in alkaline pH 10.

Fine particles cause the abnormality of cardiac ATP levels via PPARɑ-mediated utilization of fatty acid and glucose using in vivo and in vitro models.

Ambient fine particle (PM) is one of the potential risk factors for the cardiovascular disease, which is characterized by a marked shift in energy substrate preference leading to the reduction of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. The metabolic adaptation is brought about by alterations in substrate transporters. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effects and possible mechanisms of seasonal PM exposure on alteration of cardiac ATP content.

Exposure to ambient fine particles causes abnormal energy metabolism and ATP decrease in lung tissues.

Airborne fine particles, generating from human activities, have drawn increasing attention due to their potential lung health hazards. The currently available toxicological data on fine particles is still not sufficient to explain their cause-and-effect. Based on well reported critical role of ATP on maintaining lung structure and function, the alterations of ATP production and energy metabolism in lungs of rats exposed to different dosages of seasonal PM were investigated.

High-yield expression in , biophysical characterization, and biological evaluation of plant toxin gelonin.

Gelonin is a plant toxin that exerts potent cytotoxic activity by inactivation of the 60S ribosomal subunit. The high-level expression of soluble gelonin still remains a great challenge and there was no detailed biophysical analysis of gelonin from () yet. In this study, the soluble and high-yield expression of recombinant gelonin (rGel) was achieved in BL21 (DE3) for the first time, with a yield of 6.

Resistance to Nano-Based Antifungals Is Mediated by Biomolecule Coronas.

Fungal infections are a growing global health and agricultural threat, and current chemical antifungals may induce various side-effects. Thus, nanoparticles are investigated as potential novel antifungals. We report that nanoparticles' antifungal activity strongly depends on their binding to fungal spores, focusing on the clinically important fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus as well as common plant pathogens, such as Botrytis cinerea.

Tannic acid directly targets pyruvate kinase isoenzyme M2 to attenuate colon cancer cell proliferation.

Tannic acid (TA), a naturally occurring polyphenolic acid that is primarily found in grapes and green tea, exhibits potent antioxidant and anticarcinogenic characteristics. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and targets of TA, which are responsible for cancer prevention, remain elusive. In the present study, we used TA-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles to identify pyruvate kinase isoenzyme M2 (PKM2) as the direct target of TA.

Small Meets Smaller: Effects of Nanomaterials on Microbial Biology, Pathology, and Ecology.

As functionalities and levels of complexity in nanomaterials have increased, unprecedented control over microbes has been enabled, as well. In addition to being pathogens and relevant to the human microbiome, microbes are key players for sustainable biotechnology. To overcome current constraints, mechanistic understanding of nanomaterials' physicochemical characteristics and parameters at the nano-bio interface affecting nanomaterial-microbe crosstalk is required.

Characterization of a glycoside hydrolase family 78 α-l-rhamnosidase from VPI-5482 and identification of functional residues.

A putative glycoside hydrolase family 78 α-l-rhamnosidase BtRha78A from VPI-5482 was heterologously over-expressed in . Enzymatic properties of recombinant BtRha78A were characterized in detail. Recombinant BtRha78A might efficiently hydrolyze -nitrophenyl α-l-rhamnopyranoside.

Robust Anticancer Efficacy of a Biologically Synthesized Tumor Acidity-Responsive and Autophagy-Inducing Functional Beclin 1.

As a potent autophagy inducer, Beclin 1 is essential for the initiation of autophagic cell death, and triggering extensive autophagy by targeted delivery of Beclin 1 to tumors has enormous potential to inhibit tumor growth. Yet, the therapeutic application of Beclin 1 is hampered by its inability to internalize into cells and nonselective biodistribution in vivo. To tackle this challenge, we employed a novel Beclin 1 delivery manner by constructing a functional protein (Trx-pHLIP-Beclin 1, TpB) composed of a thioredoxin (Trx) tag, a pH low insertion peptide (pHLIP), and an evolutionarily conserved motif of Beclin 1.