Broadband Near-Infrared Emission from Bi/Cr Co-Doped Aluminosilicate Glasses.

Bismuth-doped aluminosilicate glass has garnered significant attention due to its unique ultra-wide luminescence properties in the near-infrared (NIR) band. Enhancing the NIR luminescence of Bi-doped glass remains challenging. To achieve Bi-doped glass with more excellent luminescent properties, a series of Bi/Cr co-doped glasses were prepared, and the optical and structural properties of the samples were observed.

Simultaneous determination of five constituents of areca nut extract in rat plasma using UPLC-MS/MS and its application in a pharmacokinetic study.

Areca nuts have been used as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. Recent studies have shown that it exhibits good pharmacological activity and toxicity. In this study, the pharmacokinetics of five major components of areca nut extract in rats were investigated using a highly sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method.

Relationships of Late Pleistocene giant deer as revealed by mitogenomes from East Asia.

The giant deer, widespread in northern Eurasia during the Late Pleistocene, have been classified as western and eastern through morphological studies. While 's evolutionary history has been unveiled through mitogenomes, remains molecularly unexplored. Herein, we generated mitogenomes of giant deer from East Asia.

Ancient mitogenomes reveal a high maternal genetic diversity of Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros in Northern China.

Background: Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) is a typical indicator of cold-stage climate that was widely distributed in Northern Hemisphere during the Middle-Late Pleistocene. Although a plethora of fossils have been excavated from Northern China, their phylogenetic status, intraspecific diversity and phylogeographical structure are still vague.

Results: In the present study, we generated four mitogenomes from Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros in Northern China and compared them with published data.

Full-profile pharmacokinetics, anticancer activity and toxicity of an extended release trivalent PEGylated irinotecan prodrug.

Irinotecan is an anticancer topoisomerase I inhibitor that acts as a prodrug of the active metabolite, SN-38. Unfortunately, the limited utility of irinotecan is attributed to its pH-dependent stability, short half-life and dose-limiting toxicity. To address this problem, a novel trivalent PEGylated prodrug (PEG-[Irinotecan]) has been synthesized and its full-profile pharmacokinetics, antitumor activity and toxicity compared with those of irinotecan.

A genetic glimpse of the Chinese straight-tusked elephants.

Straight-tusked elephants (genus: ) including their island dwarf forms are extinct enigmatic members of the Pleistocene megafauna and the most common Pleistocene elephants after the mammoths. Their taxonomic placement has been revised several times. Using palaeogenomic evidence, previous studies suggested that the European has a hybrid origin, but no molecular data have been retrieved from their Asian counterparts, leaving a gap in our knowledge of the global phylogeography and population dynamics of .

Ancient Mitogenomes Reveal Stable Genetic Continuity of the Holocene Serows.

As one of the remaining species of Caprinae only found in Asia, serows () and their classification and conservation have received increasing attention in recent years. However, their evolutionary history and population dynamics are not yet clear. To shed light on these topics, we report the first near-complete ancient mitochondrial genomes from two serow sub-fossils (CADG839 and CADG946) dating to 8860 ± 30 years and 2450 ± 30 years, and incorporate the newly obtained mitogenomes into the dataset of living serows (18 complete mitochondrial genomes drawn from National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI) to investigate their relationships and evolution.

Colonic Epithelial Circadian Disruption Worsens Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis.

Background: Disruption of central circadian rhythms likely mediated by changes in microbiota and a decrease in gut-derived metabolites like short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) negatively impacts colonic barrier homeostasis. We aimed to explore the effects of isolated peripheral colonic circadian disruption on the colonic barrier in a mouse model of colitis and explore the mechanisms, including intestinal microbiota community structure and function.

Methods: Colon epithelial cell circadian rhythms were conditionally genetically disrupted in mice: TS4Cre-BMAL1lox (cBMAL1KO) with TS4Cre as control animals.

An extinct and deeply divergent tiger lineage from northeastern China recognized through palaeogenomics.

Tigers () are flagship big cats and attract extensive public attention due to their charismatic features and endangered status. Despite this, little is known about their prehistoric lineages and detailed evolutionary histories. Through palaeogenomic analyses, we identified a Pleistocene tiger from northeastern China, dated to beyond the limits of radiocarbon dating (greater than 43 500 years ago).

Ancient Mitogenomes Provide New Insights into the Origin and Early Introduction of Chinese Domestic Donkeys.

Both molecular data and archaeological evidence strongly support an African origin for the domestic donkey. Recent genetic studies further suggest that there were two distinct maternal lineages involved in its initial domestication. However, the exact introduction time and the dispersal process of domestic donkeys into ancient China are still unresolved.

Experimental investigation of femtosecond laser through-hole drilling of stainless steel with and without transverse magnetic assistance.

An experimental investigation of femtosecond laser through-hole drilling of stainless-steel 304 with and without transverse magnetic assistance was conducted. The characteristics of the through-hole geometry and sidewall as well as the chemical composition of the through-hole sidewall surface were analyzed. In addition, a theoretical analysis of magnetic-field-assisted femtosecond laser through-hole drilling is proposed.

Parental exposure to perfluorobutane sulfonate disturbs the transfer of maternal transcripts and offspring embryonic development in zebrafish.

Parental exposure to perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), an aquatic pollutant of emerging concern, is previously found to impair the embryonic development of offspring. However, the impairing mechanisms remain to clarify. In the present study, adult zebrafish were exposed to 0, 10 and 100 μg/L PFBS for 28 d, after which disturbances in maternal transcript transfer and offspring embryogenesis were investigated.

Dietary administration of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus modulates the neurological toxicities of perfluorobutanesulfonate in zebrafish.

Perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS), an aquatic pollutant of emerging concern, is found to disturb the neural signaling along gut-brain axis, whereas probiotic additives have been applied to improve neuroendocrine function of teleosts. Both PFBS and probiotics can commonly target nervous system. However, whether and how probiotic bacteria can modulate the neurotoxicities of PFBS remain not explored.

Unexpected Observations: Probiotic Administration Greatly Aggravates the Reproductive Toxicity of Perfluorobutanesulfonate in Zebrafish.

The present study exposed adult zebrafish to 0, 10, and 100 μg/L perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) with or without dietary supplement of probiotic . Interaction between probiotic and PFBS on sex endocrine and reproduction was investigated. It was striking to find that PFBS and probiotic coexposures almost ceased the fecundity, which was accompanied by disturbances in sex hormones and oocyte maturation in females.

Interaction between hypoxia and perfluorobutane sulfonate on developmental toxicity and endocrine disruption in marine medaka embryos.

The co-occurrence of hypoxia and xenobiotics is extremely common in natural environments, highlighting the necessity to elicit their interaction on aquatic toxicities. In the present study, marine medaka embryos were exposed to various concentrations (nominal 0, 1, 3.3 and 10 mg/L) of perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), an environmental pollutant of emerging concern, under either normoxia (6.

Recent advances in the bioanalytical methods of polyethylene glycols and PEGylated pharmaceuticals.

Polyethylene glycols are synthetic polymers composed of repeating oxyethylene subunits, which have been known for non-toxic, non-immunogenic, non-antigenic, good solubility in water and therefore approved for pharmaceutical applications. Recently, attachment or amalgamation of polyethylene glycols to therapeutic small molecules, peptides, proteins, or nanoparticles has become a mature technology for the sake of improving their pharmacokinetic and pharmacological profiles, also referred to as PEGylation. By comparison, there are only a few PEGylated pharmaceuticals have been registered for further clinical trials and even less was approved for marketing.

Alcohol Feeding in Mice Promotes Colonic Hyperpermeability and Changes in Colonic Organoid Stem Cell Fate.

Background: Alcohol increases intestinal permeability to proinflammatory microbial products that promote liver disease, even after a period of sobriety. We sought to test the hypothesis that alcohol affects intestinal stem cells using an in vivo model and ex vivo organoids generated from jejunum and colon from mice fed chronic alcohol.

Methods: Mice were fed a control or an alcohol diet.

Development of a UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of lomefloxacin in rabbit aqueous humor and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.

Lomefloxacin is a kind of synthetic fluoroquinolone antibiotic, which is used for the treatment of infectious diseases. In this study, a rapid and efficient liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric assay was developed to determine the concentration of lomefloxacin in rabbit aqueous humor quantitatively. Aqueous humor samples were extracted by protein precipitation.

The Role of miR-212 and iNOS in Alcohol-Induced Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction and Steatohepatitis.

Background: Alcoholic liver disease is commonly associated with intestinal barrier dysfunction. Alcohol-induced dysregulation of intestinal tight junction proteins, such as Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1), plays an important role in alcohol-induced gut leakiness. However, the mechanism of alcohol-induced disruption of tight junction proteins is not well established.

Disruption of the Circadian Clock in Mice Increases Intestinal Permeability and Promotes Alcohol-Induced Hepatic Pathology and Inflammation.

The circadian clock orchestrates temporal patterns of physiology and behavior relative to the environmental light:dark cycle by generating and organizing transcriptional and biochemical rhythms in cells and tissues throughout the body. Circadian clock genes have been shown to regulate the physiology and function of the gastrointestinal tract. Disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier enables the translocation of proinflammatory bacterial products, such as endotoxin, across the intestinal wall and into systemic circulation; a process that has been linked to pathologic inflammatory states associated with metabolic, hepatic, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases - many of which are commonly reported in shift workers.

Growth factor osteogenic protein-1: differing effects on cells from three distinct zones in the bovine intervertebral disc.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if cells isolated from three distinct zones in the bovine intervertebral disc (IVD) differ in their response to growth factor osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) because of inherent biological differences. The new knowledge gained will help determine if treatment of degenerative disc disease with purified growth factors is effective and will provide guidance in terms of the injection technique and frequency of treatments required.

Design: This was an in vitro study measuring the effects of OP-1 on proteoglycan accumulation and synthesis by cells from the nucleus pulposus, inner-annulus fibrosus (inner-AF), and outer-annulus fibrosus (outer-AF) in the bovine IVD.

Experimental and bioinformatics comparison of gene expression between T cells from TIL of liver cancer and T cells from UniGene.

Background: The major difficulty of mapping parallel gene expression obtained from solid tumors is mainly due to contaminating cells. In this study, by applying a strategy of parallel gene expression at a cell-cluster or colony level, we have identified the gene expression pattern of T cells within tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TJLs) obtained from two liver cancer patients.

Methods: Here a new method was utilized to analyze the parallel gene expression.