[Effect of "Xingshen-Jieyu" electroacupuncture on serum differential metabolites in patients with depression based on metabolomics].

Objectives: To explore the effect of "Xingshen-Jieyu" (inducing resuscitation and dispel ling melancholy) electroacupuncture (EA) on serum metabolites in patients with depression and its underlying mechanisms through serum non-targeted metabolomics.

Methods: Fifteen depression patients were subjected into the EA group, and 15 healthy volunteers were matched into the healthy group. EA (2 Hz/15 Hz, a tolerable strength) was applied to Baihui (GV20), Shenting (GV24), Toulinqi (GB15), Benshen (GB13), Touwei (ST8), Xuanli (GB6) and Qubin (GB7) for 30 min, 3 times a week for 6 weeks.

Conformational and static properties of tagged chains in solvents: effect of chain connectivity in solvent molecules.

Polymer chains immersed in different solvent molecules exhibit diverse properties due to multiple spatiotemporal scales and complex interactions. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study the conformational and static properties of tagged chains in different solvent molecules. Two types of solvent molecules were examined: one type consisted of chain molecules connected by bonds, while the other type consisted of individual bead molecules without any bonds.

An environmentally insensitive fluorescent probe for G4 DNA detection: Design, synthesis, and mechanism studies.

G4 DNA structure highly localized to functionally important sites within the human genome, has been identified as a biomarker for regulation of multiple biological processes. Identification G4-responsive fluorescence probes has broad application prospects for addressing G4 biological functions, as well as developing of new families of anticancer drugs. However, some currently designed G4 DNA probes may suffer from serious solvent-dependent effect, and cause unspecific fluorescence that masks the specific signal from G4 DNA.

Selective G4 DNA recognition based on a fluorescent light-up probe with disaggregation-induced emission characteristics.

The promoter is well-known as an important oncogene, the overexpression of which leads to ∼80% of all solid tumors. The four-stranded G4 present in the promoter has been shown to play a pivotal role in the regulation of transcription. Accordingly, strategies employed for G4 DNA sensing have implications for the detection of many human pathologies.

Design, synthesis and mechanistic studies of a TICT based fluorogenic probe for lighting up protein HSA.

Human serum albumin (HSA) in blood serves as an important biomarker for clinical diagnosis, and fluorescence sensing method has attracted extensive attention. In this work, a small organic molecule probe, YS8, involving twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) characteristic, was designed and investigated to detect HSA. YS8 kept silent state in fluorescence under physiological conditions, but the encapsulation of YS8 in the hydrophobic subdomain IB region of HSA inhibited the TICT state and produced a clear light-up fluorescent signal.

Amphiphilic BODIPY-based nanoparticles as "light-up" fluorescent probe for PAEs detection by an aggregation/disaggregation approach.

Phthalic acid eaters (PAEs) play the role of plasticizer and have been widely used in the industrial and plastic production process. But due to not chemically bound in the polymeric matrix, PAEs can be easily released directly and/or indirectly into the environment, and pose a threat the ecosystem and human health. Small-molecule self-assembled nanoparticles have drawn more and more attention due to advantages of precise molecular structure, biocompatibility, great diversity, and tunability in optical properties and functionalities.

Microenvironment-Sensitive Fluorescent Ligand Binds Ascaris Telomere Antiparallel G-Quadruplex DNA with Blue-Shift and Enhanced Emission.

The development of small molecules that can selectively target G-quadruplex (G4) DNAs has drawn considerable attention due to their unique physiological and pathological functions. However, only a few molecules have been found to selectively bind a particular G4 DNA structure. We have developed a fluorescence ligand Q1, a molecular scaffold with a carbazole-pyridine core bridged by a phenylboronic acid side chain, that acts as a selective ascaris telomere antiparallel G4 DNA ASC20 ligand with about 18 nm blue-shifted and enhanced fluorescence intensity.

Development of a carbazole-based fluorescence probe for G-quadruplex DNA: The importance of side-group effect on binding specificity.

G-quadruplex DNAs are highly prevalent in the human genome and involved in many important biological processes. However, many aspects of their biological mechanism and significance still need to be elucidated. Therefore, the development of fluorescent probes for G-quadruplex detection is important for the basic research.