Injectable polypeptide-polysaccharide depot for preventing postoperative tumor recurrence by concurrent chemotherapy and brachytherapy.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy in combination with sequence regimens are recognized as the current major strategy for suppressing postoperative tumor recurrence. However, systemic side effects and poor in-field cooperation of the two therapies seriously impair the therapeutic efficacy of patients. The combination of brachytherapy and chemotherapy through innovative biomaterials has proven to be an important strategy to achieve synergistic effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in-time and in-field.

Therapeutic Effect of Donepezil on Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Impairment after Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Despite the important clinical issue of cognitive impairment after moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI), there is currently no suitable treatment. Here, we used in vitro and in vivo models to investigate the effect of Donepezil-an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor-on cognitive impairment in the acute period following injury, while focusing on neuroinflammation and autophagy- and mitophagy-related markers.

Methods: The purpose of the in vitro study was to investigate potential neuroprotective effects in TBI-induced cells after donepezil treatment, and the in vivo study, the purpose was to investigate therapeutic effects on cognitive impairment in the acute period after injury by analyzing neuroinflammation and autophagy- and mitophagy-related markers.

Heme-Mimetic Photosensitizer with Iron-Targeting and Internalizing Properties for Enhancing PDT Activity and Promoting Infected Diabetic Wound Healing.

The management of multibacterial infections remains clinically challenging in the care and treatment of chronic diabetic wounds. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers a promising approach to addressing bacterial infections. However, the limited target specificity and internalization properties of traditional photosensitizers (PSs) toward Gram-negative bacteria pose significant challenges to their antibacterial efficacy.

EISA in Tandem with ICD to Form In Situ Nanofiber Vaccine for Enhanced Tumor Radioimmunotherapy.

Radiotherapy (RT) can produce a vaccine effect and remodel a tumor microenvironment (TME) by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) and inflammation in tumors. However, RT alone is insufficient to elicit a systemic antitumor immune response owing to limited antigen presentation, immunosuppressive microenvironment, and chronic inflammation within the tumor. Here, a novel strategy is reported for the generation of in situ peptide-based nanovaccines via enzyme-induced self-assembly (EISA) in tandem with ICD.

Geographic Variations in the Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Dyslipidemia among Chinese Adults in 2018-2019: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: To investigate the spatial patterns of the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates of dyslipidemia at the provincial level in China.

Methods: A national and provincial representative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 178,558 Chinese adults in 31 provinces in mainland China in 2018-2019, using a multi-stage, stratified, cluster-randomized sampling design. Subjects, as households, were selected, followed by a home visit to collect information.

Biocontrol of the causal brown patch pathogen by GH1-13 and development of a bacterial strain specific detection method.

Brown patch caused by the basidiomycete fungus is an economically important disease of cool-season turfgrasses. In order to manage the disease, different types of fungicides have been applied, but the negative impact of fungicides on the environment continues to rise. In this study, the beneficial bacteria GH1-13 was characterized as a potential biocontrol agent to manage brown patch disease.

Spatial distribution, contamination characteristics and ecological-health risk assessment of toxic heavy metals in soils near a smelting area.

Soil heavy metals (HMs) contamination stemming from smelting and mining activities is becoming a global concern due to its devastating impacts on the environment and human health. In this study, 128 soil samples were investigated to assess the spatial distribution, contamination characteristics, ecological and human health risk of HMs in soils near a smelting area by using BP artificial neural network (BP-ANN) and Monte Carlo simulation. The results showed that the concentrations of all five HMs in the soil greatly exceeded the background value of study area with a basic trend: Pb > As > Cr > Cd > Hg, indicating a high pollution level.

Supramolecular Coassembled Peptide Hydrogels for Efficient Anticancer Therapy by RNS-Based PDT and Immune Microenvironment Regulation.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted much attention in cancer treatment due to its tumor selectivity and noninvasive nature. Recent studies have demonstrated that PDT mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in tumor microenvironment (TME) synergistically improves the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. However, the instability and short half-life of the ROS generated by PDT limit its clinical applications.

Macrophage-Membrane-Camouflaged Nonviral Gene Vectors for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Sepsis.

Sepsis is a life-threatening disease caused by systemic bacterial infections, with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. As the standard treatment for sepsis, antibiotic therapy faces the challenge of impaired macrophages and drug-resistant bacteria. In this study, we developed a membrane-camouflaged metal-organic framework (MOF) system for plasmid DNA (DNA) delivery to combat sepsis.

Tumor-Targeted Injectable Double-Network Hydrogel for Prevention of Breast Cancer Recurrence and Wound Infection via Synergistic Photothermal and Brachytherapy.

The high locoregional recurrence rate and potential wound infection in breast cancer after surgery pose enormous risks to patient survival. In this study, a polyethylene glycol acrylate (PEGDA)-alginate double-network nanocomposite hydrogel (GPA) embedded with I-labeled RGDY peptide-modified gold nanorods ( I-GNR-RGDY) is fabricated. The double-network hydrogel is formed by injection of GPA precursor solutions into the cavity of resected cancerous breasts of mice where gelation occurred rapidly.

Methanol Dehydrogenases as a Key Biocatalysts for Synthetic Methylotrophy.

One-carbon (C1) chemicals are potential building blocks for cheap and sustainable re-sources such as methane, methanol, formaldehyde, formate, carbon monoxide, and more. These resources have the potential to be made into raw materials for various products used in our daily life or precursors for pharmaceuticals through biological and chemical processes. Among the soluble C1 substrates, methanol is regarded as a biorenewable platform feedstock because nearly all bioresources can be converted into methanol through syngas.

Fungi Associated with Postharvest Diseases of Sweet Potato Storage Roots and In Vitro Antagonistic Assay of against the Diseases.

Sweet potato is the 11th most important food crop in the world and an excellent source of nutrition. Postharvest diseases were monitored in sweet potato storage roots collected from the local markets in Korea during 2021. Several diseases including Fusarium surface and root rot, charcoal rot, dry rot, and soft rot were observed in the postharvest sweet potatoes.

Adaptive laboratory evolution of Escherichia coli lacking cellular byproduct formation for enhanced acetate utilization through compensatory ATP consumption.

Acetate has attracted great attention as a carbon source to develop economically feasible bioprocesses for sustainable bioproducts. Acetate is a less-preferred carbon source and a well-known growth inhibitor of Escherichia coli. In this study, we carried out adaptive laboratory evolution of an E.

Upconversion luminescence enhancement by Fe doping in CeO:Yb/Er nanomaterials and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells.

To make use of broad spectrum solar energy remains a main target in the photoelectrochemical area. Novel promising photoelectrode CeO:Fe/Yb/Er nanomaterials supported on upconversion nanomaterials doped with transition-metal ions are reported to improve broad spectrum absorption and scattering properties in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the first time. The results demonstrate that the materials have stronger upconversion luminescence than CeO:Yb/Er samples when the Fe ion doping concentration is 2 mol% and 33.

Complete Genome Sequence of Methylomonas koyamae LM6, a Potential Aerobic Methanotroph.

LM6 is a potential methanotrophic bacterium of interest for methane bioconversion. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of LM6, which contains 4,337 predicted open reading frames on one chromosome (4,894,002 bp) and one plasmid (186,658 bp), with genes involved in methane oxidation.

Enhanced Visible-Light-Responsive Photocatalytic Properties of Bi₂MoO-BiOCl Nanoplate Composites.

Bi2MoO6-BiOCl nanoplate composites were successfully synthesized by a simple solvothermal process. The morphology, microstructure and optical properties of the as-prepared Bi2MoO6-BiOCl nanocomposites were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). A noteworthy enhancement in the visible-light-responsive photocatalytic degradation of RhB was observed over the Bi2MoO6-BiOCl nanocomposites compared to its individual components.

CRISPR interference-guided multiplex repression of endogenous competing pathway genes for redirecting metabolic flux in Escherichia coli.

Background: Multiplex control of metabolic pathway genes is essential for maximizing product titers and conversion yields of fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals in metabolic engineering. To achieve this goal, artificial transcriptional regulators, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) interference (CRISPRi), have been developed to specifically repress genes of interest.

Results: In this study, we deployed a tunable CRISPRi system for multiplex repression of competing pathway genes and, thus, directed carbon flux toward production of molecules of interest in Escherichia coli.

Galvanic corrosion couple-induced Marangoni flow of liquid metal.

The Marangoni flow of room temperature liquid metal has recently attracted significant attention in developing advanced flexible drivers. However, most of its induction methods are limited to an external electric field. This study disclosed a new Marangoni flow phenomenon of liquid gallium induced by the gallium-copper galvanic corrosion couple.

Controlled Aggregation and Increased Stability of β-Glucuronidase by Cellulose Binding Domain Fusion.

Cellulose-binding domains (CBDs) are protein domains with cellulose-binding activity, and some act as leaders in the localization of cellulosomal scaffoldin proteins to the hydrophobic surface of crystalline cellulose. In this study, we found that a CBD fusion enhanced and improved soluble β-glucuronidase (GusA) enzyme properties through the formation of an artificially oligomeric state. First, a soluble CBD fused to the C-terminus of GusA (GusA-CBD) was obtained and characterized.

Leucine zipper-mediated targeting of multi-enzyme cascade reactions to inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli for enhanced production of 1-butanol.

Metabolons in nature have evolved to facilitate more efficient catalysis of multistep reactions through the co-localization of functionally related enzymes to cellular organelles or membrane structures. To mimic the natural metabolon architecture, we present a novel artificial metabolon that was created by targeting multi-enzyme cascade reactions onto inclusion body (IB) in Escherichia coli. The utility of this system was examined by co-localizing four heterologous enzymes of the 1-butanol pathway onto an IB that was formed in E.

Long-Term Stable and Tightly Controlled Expression of Recombinant Proteins in Antibiotics-Free Conditions.

Plasmid-based gene expression is a fundamental tool in the field of biotechnology. However, overexpression of genes of interest with multi-copy plasmids often causes detrimental effects on host cells. To overcome this problem, chromosomal integration of target genes has been used for decades; however, insufficient protein expression occurred with this method.

Fermentative production and direct extraction of (-)-α-bisabolol in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

Background: (-)-α-Bisabolol, also known as levomenol, is an unsaturated sesquiterpene alcohol that has mainly been used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products due to its anti-inflammatory and skin-soothing properties. (-)-α-Bisabolol is currently manufactured mainly by steam-distillation of the essential oils extracted from the Brazilian candeia tree that is under threat because its natural habitat is constantly shrinking. Therefore, microbial production of (-)-α-bisabolol plays a key role in the development of its sustainable production from renewable feedstock.

CRISPR interference-guided balancing of a biosynthetic mevalonate pathway increases terpenoid production.

Methods for simple and efficient regulation of metabolic pathway genes are essential for maximizing product titers and conversion yields, and for minimizing the metabolic burden caused by heterologous expression of multiple genes often in the operon context. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) interference (CRISPRi) is emerging as a promising tool for transcriptional modulation. In this study, we developed a regulatable CRISPRi system for fine-tuning biosynthetic pathways and thus directing carbon flux toward target product synthesis.

Highly Sensitive and Rapid Fluorescence Detection with a Portable FRET Analyzer.

Recent improvements in Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensors have enabled their use to detect various small molecules including ions and amino acids. However, the innate weak signal intensity of FRET sensors is a major challenge that prevents their application in various fields and makes the use of expensive, high-end fluorometers necessary. Previously, we built a cost-effective, high-performance FRET analyzer that can specifically measure the ratio of two emission wavelength bands (530 and 480 nm) to achieve high detection sensitivity.