High Solid Fluorescence of a Pyrazoline Derivative through Hydrogen Bonding.

Pyrazoline and its derivatives often exhibit strong emissions in dilute solutions, but their emission intensity is often dramatically reduced in the solid state due to strong intermolecular interactions between neighboring molecules. In this report, we successfully synthesized a new pyrazoline 4-(3-(4-(decyloxy)phenyl)-1-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-N,N-diethylaniline (PPDPD), into which seven fluorine (F) atoms were incorporated. In the solid state, PPDPD emits a strong blue light at λ 430 nm with a fluorescence quantum yield of up to 41.

Novel Blood Pressure Locus and Gene Discovery Using Genome-Wide Association Study and Expression Data Sets From Blood and the Kidney.

Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and has a substantial genetic contribution. Genetic variation influencing blood pressure has the potential to identify new pharmacological targets for the treatment of hypertension. To discover additional novel blood pressure loci, we used 1000 Genomes Project-based imputation in 150 134 European ancestry individuals and sought significant evidence for independent replication in a further 228 245 individuals.

CD55 Deficiency, Early-Onset Protein-Losing Enteropathy, and Thrombosis.

Background: Studies of monogenic gastrointestinal diseases have revealed molecular pathways critical to gut homeostasis and enabled the development of targeted therapies.

Methods: We studied 11 patients with abdominal pain and diarrhea caused by early-onset protein-losing enteropathy with primary intestinal lymphangiectasia, edema due to hypoproteinemia, malabsorption, and less frequently, bowel inflammation, recurrent infections, and angiopathic thromboembolic disease; the disorder followed an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance. Whole-exome sequencing was performed to identify gene variants.

Homologous recombination is a force in the evolution of canine distemper virus.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is the causative agent of canine distemper (CD) that is a highly contagious, lethal, multisystemic viral disease of receptive carnivores. The prevalence of CDV is a major concern in susceptible animals. Presently, it is unclear whether intragenic recombination can contribute to gene mutations and segment reassortment in the virus.

Theoretical insights into the π-hole interactions in the complexes containing triphosphorus hydride (PH) and its derivatives.

The π-hole of triphosphorus hydride (PH) and its derivatives ZX (Z = P, As; X = H, F, Cl, Br) was discovered and analyzed. MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ calculations were performed on the π-hole interactions in the HCN..

[Effects of Biochar Pyrolyzed at Varying Temperatures on Soil Organic Carbon and Its Components: Influence on the Composition and Properties of Humic Substances].

Application of biochar (BC) is an important way to increase soil organic carbon sequestration. At the same time, the effect of BC on fractions and properties of soil humic substances is concerned. A laboratory experiment was conducted to study the influences of BC pyrolyzed at different temperatures on the composition and properties of humic substances.

Discovery and Molecular Basis of a Diverse Set of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 Inhibitors Recognition by EED.

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), a histone H3 lysine 27 methyltransferase, plays a key role in gene regulation and is a known epigenetics drug target for cancer therapy. The WD40 domain-containing protein EED is the regulatory subunit of PRC2. It binds to the tri-methylated lysine 27 of the histone H3 (H3K27me3), and through which stimulates the activity of PRC2 allosterically.

Activation of Renal (Pro)Renin Receptor Contributes to High Fructose-Induced Salt Sensitivity.

A high-fructose diet is shown to induce salt-sensitive hypertension, but the underlying mechanism largely remains unknown. The major goal of the present study was to test the role of renal (pro)renin receptor (PRR) in this model. In Sprague-Dawley rats, high-fructose intake increased renal expression of full-length PRR, which were attenuated by allopurinol.

High Structural Stress and Presence of Intraluminal Thrombus Predict Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm 18F-FDG Uptake: Insights From Biomechanics.

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) wall inflammation and mechanical structural stress may influence AAA expansion and lead to rupture. We hypothesized a positive correlation between structural stress and fluorine-18-labeled 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-d-glucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography-defined inflammation. We also explored the influence of computed tomography-derived aneurysm morphology and composition, including intraluminal thrombus, on both variables.

A Novel High-Throughput Screening Platform Reveals an Optimized Cytokine Formulation for Human Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Expansion.

The main limitations of hematopoietic cord blood (CB) transplantation, viz, low cell dosage and delayed reconstitution, can be overcome by ex vivo expansion. CB expansion under conventional culture causes rapid cell differentiation and depletion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) responsible for engraftment. In this study, we use combinatorial cell culture technology (CombiCult) to identify medium formulations that promote CD133 CB HSPC proliferation while maintaining their phenotypic characteristics.

Synergistic effects of negative-charged nanoparticles assisted by ultrasound on the reversal multidrug resistance phenotype in breast cancer cells.

We have fabricated a negative-charged nanoparticle (Heparin-Folate-Tat-Taxol NP, H-F-Tat-T NP) with dual ligands, tumor targeting ligand folate and cell-penetrating peptide Tat, to deliver taxol presenting great anticancer activity for sensitive cancer cells, while it fails to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR) in MCF-7/T cells (taxol-resistant breast cancer cells). Ultrasound (US) can increase the sensitivity of positive-charged NPs thereby making it possible to reverse MDR through inducing NPs' drug release. However, compared with the negative-charged NPs, positive-charged NPs may cause higher toxic effect.

Fabricating customized hydrogel contact lens.

Contact lenses are increasingly used in laboratories for in vivo animal retinal imaging and pre-clinical studies. The lens shapes often need modification to optimally fit corneas of individual test subjects. However, the choices from commercially available contact lenses are rather limited.

Prediction of flatness-driven quantum spin Hall effect in functionalized germanene and stanene.

Searching for realistic materials able to realize room-temperature quantum spin Hall (QSH) effects is currently a growing field, especially when compatibility with the current group-IV electronics industry is required. Here we predict, through first-principles calculations, a new class of QSH phases in flattened germanene and stanene functionalized with X atoms (f-GeX and f-SnX; X = H, F, Cl, Br, I) with a bulk gap as large as 0.56 eV, that can be tuned efficiently under mechanical strain.

Tuning the electronic and magnetic properties of graphene-like SiGe hybrid nanosheets by surface functionalization.

In this paper, the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of fully and partially surface modified SiGe nanosheets (NSs) have been investigated using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The results demonstrate that the electronic and magnetic properties of SiGe NSs can be tuned by decorating H, Cl and F atoms on Si sites in SiGe NSs. It is shown that by decorating their surface with H, F, and Cl atoms, H-SiGe, F-SiGe, and Cl-SiGe NSs in FM states are predicted to behave as a semiconductor, half-metal, and metal, respectively.

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers in the endangered species Bretschneidera sinensis Hemsl.

Bretschneidera sinensis is an endangered species that is mainly distributed in South China. As a tertiary relict and the single species in the Bretschneideraceae family, it has a high conservation value. To investigate the influence of human disturbance on its mating system, 63 new microsatellites were developed using restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing and their polymorphisms were tested on 30 samples from one population.

Real-time Functional Analysis of Inertial Microfluidic Devices via Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

We report the application of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) technology that enables real-time functional analysis of sorting microparticles and cells in an inertial microfluidic device. We demonstrated high-speed, high-resolution acquisition of cross-sectional images at a frame rate of 350 Hz, with a lateral resolution of 3 μm and an axial resolution of 1 μm within the microfluidic channel filled with water. We analyzed the temporal sequence of cross-sectional SD-OCT images to determine the position and diameter of microspheres in a spiral microfluidic channel under various flow rates.

Electronic Structures of Silicene Nanoribbons: Two-Edge-Chemistry Modification and First-Principles Study.

In this paper, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of zigzag silicene nanoribbons (ZSiNRs) with edge-chemistry modified by H, F, OH, and O, using the ab initio density functional theory method and local spin-density approximation. Three kinds of spin polarized configurations are considered: nonspin polarization (NM), ferromagnetic spin coupling for all electrons (FM), ferromagnetic ordering along each edge, and antiparallel spin orientation between the two edges (AFM). The H, F, and OH groups modified 8-ZSiNRs have the AFM ground state.

Superresolution intrinsic fluorescence imaging of chromatin utilizing native, unmodified nucleic acids for contrast.

Visualizing the nanoscale intracellular structures formed by nucleic acids, such as chromatin, in nonperturbed, structurally and dynamically complex cellular systems, will help expand our understanding of biological processes and open the next frontier for biological discovery. Traditional superresolution techniques to visualize subdiffractional macromolecular structures formed by nucleic acids require exogenous labels that may perturb cell function and change the very molecular processes they intend to study, especially at the extremely high label densities required for superresolution. However, despite tremendous interest and demonstrated need, label-free optical superresolution imaging of nucleotide topology under native nonperturbing conditions has never been possible.

Super-resolution spectroscopic microscopy via photon localization.

Traditional photon localization microscopy analyses only the spatial distributions of photons emitted by individual molecules to reconstruct super-resolution optical images. Unfortunately, however, the highly valuable spectroscopic information from these photons have been overlooked. Here we report a spectroscopic photon localization microscopy that is capable of capturing the inherent spectroscopic signatures of photons from individual stochastic radiation events.

Evaluation of Early Healing Profile and Neointimal Transformation Over 24 Months Using Longitudinal Sequential Optical Coherence Tomography Assessments and 3-Year Clinical Results of the New Dual-Therapy Endothelial Progenitor Cell Capturing Sirolimus-Eluting Combo Stent: The EGO-Combo Study.

Background: Current monotherapy drug-eluting stents are associated with impaired healing, neoatherosclerosis, and late stent thrombosis. The healing profile and neointimal transformation of the first dual-therapy endothelial progenitor cell-capturing sirolimus-eluting stent are unknown.

Methods And Results: In this prospective, single-center study, 61 patients treated with the Combo stent had optical coherence tomography at baseline, early follow-up (4 monthly groups in a 1:2:2:1 ratio from 2 to 5 months), 9 months, and 24 months.

Subsurface Super-resolution Imaging of Unstained Polymer Nanostructures.

Optical imaging has offered unique advantages in material researches, such as spectroscopy and lifetime measurements of deeply embedded materials, which cannot be matched using electron or scanning-probe microscopy. Unfortunately, conventional optical imaging cannot provide the spatial resolutions necessary for many nanoscopic studies. Despite recent rapid progress, super-resolution optical imaging has yet to be widely applied to non-biological materials.

α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Relieves Angiotensin II-Induced Senescence in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells by Raising Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide-Dependent SIRT1 Activity.

Objective: α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) is a subtype of nAChR and has been reported to be involved in hypertension end-organ damage. In this study, we tested the role of α7nAChR in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

Approach And Results: Expression of α7nAChR was not influenced by Ang II.

Physiological Content and Intrinsic Activities of 10 Cytochrome P450 Isoforms in Human Normal Liver Microsomes.

Due to a lack of physiologic cytochrome P450 (P450) isoform content, P450 activity is typically only determined at the microsomal level (per milligram of microsomal protein) and not at the isoform level (per picomole of P450 isoform), which could result in the misunderstanding of variations in P450 activity between individuals and further hinder development of personalized medicine. We found that there were large variations in protein content, mRNA levels, and intrinsic activities of the 10 P450s in 100 human liver samples, in which CYP2E1 and CYP2C9 showed the highest expression levels. P450 gene polymorphisms had different effects on activity at two levels: CYP3A5*3 and CYP2A6*9 alleles conferred increased activity at the isoform level but decreased activity at the microsomal level; CYP2C9*3 had no effect at the isoform level but decreased activity at the microsomal level.

Bone Contusions After Acute Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Are Associated With Knee Joint Laxity, Concomitant Meniscal Lesions, and Anterolateral Ligament Abnormality.

Purpose: To examine the associated findings with bone contusions in patients after acute noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

Methods: From January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2013, patients who underwent ACL reconstructions performed by the senior author (H.F.

Characterization of Linearly Separable Boolean Functions: A Graph-Theoretic Perspective.

In this paper, we present a novel approach for studying Boolean function in a graph-theoretic perspective. In particular, we first transform a Boolean function f of n variables into an induced subgraph H of the n -dimensional hypercube, and then, we show the properties of linearly separable Boolean functions on the basis of the analysis of the structure of H . We define a new class of graphs, called hyperstar, and prove that the induced subgraph H of any linearly separable Boolean function f is a hyperstar.