Evolution of Excited-State Behaviors of Gold Complexes, Nanoclusters and Nanoparticles.

Metal nanomaterials have been extensively investigated owing to their unique properties in contrast to bulk counterparts. Gold nanoparticles (e. g.

Near-unity NIR phosphorescent quantum yield from a room-temperature solvated metal nanocluster.

Metal nanoclusters have emerged as promising near-infrared (NIR)-emissive materials, but their room-temperature photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), especially in solution, is often low (<10%). We studied the photophysics of Au(BuPhC≡C) (Au) and its alloy counterpart AuCu(BuPhC≡C) (AuCu) (where Bu is -butyl and Ph is phenyl) and found that copper (Cu) doping suppressed the nonradiative decay (~60-fold less) and promoted intersystem crossing rate (~300-fold higher). The AuCu nanocluster exhibited >99% PLQY in deaerated solution at room temperature with an emission maximum at 720 nanometers tailing to 950 nanometers and 61% PLQY in the oxygen-saturated solution.

Atomically Precise Silver Clusters Stabilized by Lacunary Polyoxometalates with Photocatalytic CO Reduction Activity.

The syntheses of atomically precise silver (Ag) clusters stabilized by multidentate lacunary polyoxometalate (POM) ligands have been emerging as a promising but challenging research direction, the combination of redox-active POM ligands and silver clusters will render them unexpected geometric structures and catalytic properties. Herein, we report the successful construction of two structurally-new lacunary POM-stabilized Ag clusters, TBA H Ag (DPPB) (CH CN) [Ag (Si W O ) ] ⋅ 10CH CN ⋅ 9H O ({Ag (Si W O ) }, TBA=tetra-n-butylammonium, DPPB=1,4-Bis(diphenylphosphino)butane) and TBA H Ag Na (H O) [Ag (Si W O ) ] ⋅ 8CH CN ⋅ 10H O ({Ag (Si W O ) }), using a facile one-pot solvothermal approach. Under otherwise identical synthetic conditions, the molecular structures of two POM-stabilized Ag clusters could be readily tuned by the addition of different organic ligands.

Atractylodes Processing Products Protect against Gastric Ulcers in Rats by Influencing the NF-κB-MMP-9/TIMP-1 Regulatory Mechanism and Intestinal Flora.

Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (AM) is a Chinese herbal medicine that is widely used for treating gastrointestinal diseases. However, little research has focused on it as a single medicine for treating gastric ulcers.

Multi-omics analysis revealed the role of CCT2 in the induction of autophagy in Alzheimer's disease.

() is essential in various neurodegenerative diseases, albeit its role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains elusive. This study aimed to evaluate the role of in Alzheimer's disease. First, bioinformatics database analysis revealed that was significantly downregulated in patients with Alzheimer's disease and associated with autophagic clearance of β-amyloid.

Research on the Eco-Efficiency of Rice Production and Its Improvement Path: A Case Study from China.

The eco-efficiency of rice production is an important indicator in the measurement of sustainable rice development. Scientific evaluation of the eco-efficiency of rice production facilitates accurate evaluation of the real level of rice ecosystems to realize efficient utilization of agricultural resources. This paper measured the eco-efficiency of farms growing rice using both the life cycle assessment (LCA) and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods based on survey data from 370 farms mainly growing rice conducted in 2020 in the Hubei Province, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China.

Bak interacts with AKT and is involved in TNFα/CHX-induced apoptosis.

Bak is important for TNFα/CHX-induced neuronal death, but the precise molecular mechanism remains unclear. At the same time, TNFα/CHX concomitantly activates the phosphorylation of the MAPK and PI3K/AKT kinases. This study for the first time clarified the association between the MAPK and AKT under the TNFα/CHX stimulation upon addition of different kinase inhibitors to show whether Bak is associated with the kinase activation.

FeO@polydopamine nanoparticle-loaded human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells improve the cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease mice by promoting hippocampal neurogenesis.

One of the most promising treatments for neurodegenerative diseases is the stem cell therapy; however, there are still some limitations in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In this study, superparamagnetic nanoparticles composed of magnetic FeO and polydopamine shells were used to label human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) in order to increase the targeting of hUC-MSCs. Our data suggested that FeO@PDA labeling increase the efficiency of hUC-MSCs entering the brain.

Digestion-Promoting Effects and Mechanisms of Dashanzha Pill Based on Raw and Charred Crataegi Fructus.

Emerging evidence suggests that a high-fat diet (HFD) can influence endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and gut microbiota. Crataegi Fructus is a traditional Chinese herb widely used in formulas for dyspepsia, with Dashanzha Pill composed of raw Crataegi Fructus (DR) being a representative drug. Processing products of Crataegi Fructus, however, have a stronger pro-digestive effect, and we hypothesized that Dashanzha Pill composed of charred Crataegi Fructus (DC) is more effective.

Theory of the exterior-interior relationship between the lungs and the large intestine to explore the mechanism of Eriobotrya japonica leaf water extract in the treatment of cough variant asthma.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl leaf (EJL) is used as a traditional Chinese medicine. E.

Proapoptotic Mitochondrial Carrier Homolog Protein PSAP Mediates Death Receptor 6 Induced Apoptosis.

Presenilin-associated protein (PSAP) was originally identified as a mitochondrial proapoptotic protein. To further explore the apoptotic pathway that involves PSAP, our yeast two-hybrid screen revealed that PSAP interacts with a death receptor, DR6. DR6 is a relatively less common member of the death receptor family and has been shown to mediate the neurotoxicity of amyloid-β, mutant SOD1, and prion proteins and has also been implicated in the regulation of immune cell proliferation and differentiation.

CRISPR/Cas9 Knockout of Bak Mediates Bax Translocation to Mitochondria in response to TNF/CHX-induced Apoptosis.

TNF/CHX-induced apoptosis is dependent on caspase-8 activation and regulated by Bcl-2. However, the specific participants and precise mechanisms underlying this apoptotic pathway are poorly understood. The proapoptotic proteins Bak and Bax-members of the Bcl-2 family-are essential for the functioning of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Current status and future prospects of stem cell therapy in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder, pathologically characterized by the presence of β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Current treatment approaches using drugs only alleviate the symptoms without curing the disease, which is a serious issue and influences the quality of life of the patients and their caregivers. In recent years, stem cell technology has provided new insights into the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Pen-2 and Presenilin are Sufficient to Catalyze Notch Processing.

Presenilin-1 (PS1) or presenilin-2 (PS2), nicastrin (NCT), anterior pharynx-defective 1 (Aph-1), and presenilin enhancer-2 (Pen-2) have been considered the minimal essential subunits required to form an active γ-secretase complex. Besides PS, which has been widely believed to function as the catalytic subunit of the complex, the functional roles of the other subunits in the γ-secretase complex remain debatable. In the current study, we set out to determine the role of Pen-2 in γ-secretase activity.

Nicastrin is required for amyloid precursor protein (APP) but not Notch processing, while anterior pharynx-defective 1 is dispensable for processing of both APP and Notch.

The γ-secretase complex is composed of at least four components: presenilin 1 or presenilin-2, nicastrin (NCT), anterior pharynx-defective 1 (Aph-1), and presenilin enhancer 2. In this study, using knockout cell lines, our data demonstrated that knockout of NCT, as well as knockout of presenilin enhancer 2, completely blocked γ-secretase-catalyzed processing of C-terminal fragment (CTF)α and CTFβ, the C-terminal fragments of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) produced by α-secretase and β-secretase cleavages, respectively. Interestingly, in Aph-1-knockout cells, CTFα and CTFβ were still processed by γ-secretase, indicating Aph-1 is dispensable for APP processing.

Cellular FLICE-like Inhibitory Protein (c-FLIP) and PS1-associated Protein (PSAP) Mediate Presenilin 1-induced γ-Secretase-dependent and -independent Apoptosis, Respectively.

Presenilin 1 (PS1) has been implicated in apoptosis; however, its mechanism remains elusive. We report that PS1-induced apoptosis was associated with cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) turnover and that γ-secretase inhibitor blocked c-FLIP turnover and also partially blocked PS1-induced apoptosis. A complete inhibition of PS1-induced apoptosis was achieved by knockdown of PS1-associated protein (PSAP), a mitochondrial proapoptotic protein that forms a complex with Bax upon induction of apoptosis, in the presence of γ-secretase inhibitor.

The matricellular protein Cyr61 is a key mediator of platelet-derived growth factor-induced cell migration.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), a potent chemoattractant, induces cell migration via the MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways. However, the downstream mediators are still elusive. In particular, the role of extracellular mediators is largely unknown.

PSAP induces a unique Apaf-1 and Smac-dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway independent of Bcl-2 family proteins.

Presenilin-associated protein (PSAP) has been identified as a mitochondrial proapoptotic protein. However, the mechanism by which PSAP induces apoptosis remains unknown. To this end, we have established an inducible expression system.

Death receptor 6 induces apoptosis not through type I or type II pathways, but via a unique mitochondria-dependent pathway by interacting with Bax protein.

Cells undergo apoptosis through two major pathways, the extrinsic pathway (death receptor pathway) and the intrinsic pathway (the mitochondrial pathway). These two pathways can be linked by caspase-8-activated truncated Bid formation. Very recently, death receptor 6 (DR6) was shown to be involved in the neurodegeneration observed in Alzheimer disease.