Integrating Boronic Esters and Anthracene into Covalent Adaptable Networks toward Stimuli-Responsive Elastomers.

Stimuli-responsive polymer materials have a promising potential application in many areas. However, integrating multi-stimuli into one elastomer is still a challenge. Here, we utilized boronic esters and anthracene to prepare a cross-linked poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) (SBS) which was endowed with responsiveness to three stimuli (light, heat, and alcohols).

Beneficial effects of a novel shark-skin collagen dressing for the promotion of seawater immersion wound healing.

Background: Wounded personnel who work at sea often encounter a plethora of difficulties. The most important of these difficulties is seawater immersion. Common medical dressings have little effect when the affected area is immersed in seawater, and only rarely dressings have been reported for the treatment of seawater-immersed wounds.

Radioprotective effects of cimetidine on rats irradiated by long-term, low-dose-rate neutrons and Co γ-rays.

Background: Cimetidine, an antagonist of histamine type II receptors, has shown protective effects against γ-rays or neutrons. However, there have been no reports on the effects of cimetidine against neutrons combined with γ-rays. This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effects of cimetidine on rats exposed to long-term, low-dose-rate neutron and γ-ray combined irradiation (n-γ LDR).

γ-H2AX responds to DNA damage induced by long-term exposure to combined low-dose-rate neutron and γ-ray radiation.

Risk estimates for low-dose radiation (LDR) remain controversial. The possible involvement of DNA repair-related genes in long-term low-dose-rate neutron-gamma radiation exposure is poorly understood. In this study, 60 rats were divided into control groups and irradiated groups, which were exposed to low-dose-rate n-γ combined radiation (LDCR) for 15, 30, or 60 days.

Isolation, characterization, and radiation protection of Sipunculus nudus L. polysaccharide.

Sipunculus nudus Linnaeus polysaccharide (SNP) was purified from S. nudus L. via NaOH extraction, trichloroacetic acid deproteination, DEAE-cellulose 52 and Sephacryl S-300 chromatography.

GPo1 alkB gene expression for improvement of the degradation of diesel oil by a bacterial consortium.

To facilitate the biodegradation of diesel oil, an oil biodegradation bacterial consortium was constructed. The alkane hydroxylase (alkB) gene of Pseudomonas putida GPo1 was constructed in a pCom8 expression vector, and the pCom8-GPo1 alkB plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli DH5α. The AlkB protein was expressed by diesel oil induction and detected through SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Radioprotective effects of Sipunculus nudus L. polysaccharide combined with WR-2721, rhIL-11 and rhG-CSF on radiation-injured mice.

This study investigated the radioprotective effect of Sipunculus nudus L. polysaccharide (SNP) in combination with WR-2721, rhIL-11 and rhG-CSF on irradiated mice. A total of 70 Imprinting Control Region (ICR) mice were divided into seven groups: the control group, the model group and five administration groups.

Preparation of total flavonoids from loquat flower and its protective effect on acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice.

This study aimed to research the preparation techniques of total flavones from loquat flower (TFLF), its anti-oxidation capacity, and its protective effect on hepatic injury. The best extraction parameters by orthogonal experimentation were water at 100°C, extraction time 2.5 hours, solid/liquid ratio 1:20, and three decoctions.

Protective effects of polysaccharides from Sipunculus nudus on Beagle dogs exposed to γ-radiation.

The aim of the study is to investigate the radioprotective effect of polysaccharide extract from Sipunculus nudus (SNP). Beagle dogs were randomly divided into the following six groups. Group-1: Un-treated and un-irradiated controls.

One-pot synthesis of Gd-functionalized gold nanoclusters for dual model (fluorescence/magnetic resonance) imaging.

Multimodal imaging that aims to advance imaging by strategically combining existing technologies with uniquely designed probes has attracted great interest in recent years. Here, Gd-functionalized gold nanoclusters (Gd-AuNCs) were synthesized for dual model (fluorescence/magnetic resonance) imaging. We designed a cyclodecapeptide that contained one tyrosine and two cysteines for the synthesis, and it biomineralized gold nanoclusters and chelated Gd ions at the same time.

Ultrasmall gadolinium hydrated carbonate nanoparticle: an advanced T MRI contrast agent with large longitudinal relaxivity.

Inorganic nanoparticle-based T contrast agents with high longitudinal relaxivity (r) and low r/r ratio have attracted great interest in recent years. However, the r relaxivity of inorganic nanoparticles reported to date is relatively low. In this work, 2.

Enhancement of the diesel oil degradation ability of a marine bacterial strain by immobilization on a novel compound carrier material.

A novel floatable and biodegradable carrier material was made by coating puffed foxtail millet (PFM) with a calcium alginate (CA)-chitosan compound membrane. A diesel oil-degrading marine bacterial strain, Acinetobacter sp. F9, was immobilized on the carrier material.

The role of loops 3 and 4 in the interdomains and intersubunits communication of E. coli cAMP receptor protein.

Cyclic AMP serves as an intracellular messenger in cells and regulates a variety of biological functions by transmitting information through proteins. These proteins of different functions all consist of a cAMP-binding motif, and the structure of this motif is highly conserved with an exception of the loop 3 and 4. In current study, cAMP receptor protein was employed as a model system to investigate the function of the two loops.

The secondary structure of calcineurin regulatory region and conformational change induced by calcium/calmodulin binding.

The protein serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin (CN) is activated by calmodulin (CaM) in response to intracellular calcium mobilization. A widely accepted model for CN activation involves displacement of the CN autoinhibitory peptide (CN(467-486)) from the active site upon binding of CaM. However, CN activation requires calcium binding both to the low affinity sites of CNB and to CaM, and previous studies did not dissect the individual contributions of CNB and CaM to displacement of the autoinhibitory peptide from the active site.

Growth inhibition and induction of early apoptosis by arenicolsterol A, a novel cytotoxic enolic sulphated sterol from the marine annelid, Arenicola cristata.

Arenicolsterol A (ASA), a novel cytotoxic enolic sulphated sterol, was isolated from the marine annelid, Arenicola cristata (AC). Growth inhibition of this compound on cancer cell lines was determined by MTT assay and suppression of tumour stem cells colony formation. The results showed that ASA was selectively cytotoxic on HeLa cell line (IC(50) = 6.

Determining the purity of samples from natural products by coupling HPLC and CCD spectrometry.

Isolation and identification of natural products is a very important and active research field. However, establishing the purity of the samples during the isolation process is quite difficult, especially when the retention times are similar for two desired components in HPLC. Although some technologies, e.

Covalently coupling the antibody on an amine-self-assembled gold surface to probe hyaluronan-binding protein with capacitance measurement.

Hyaluronan-binding proteins (HABPs), the important structural components of extracellular matrices, served important structural and regulatory functions during development and in maintaining adult tissue homestats. A sensitive, specific and rapid-responsing immunosensor to probe hyaluronan-binding cartilage protein was presented in this work. The novel immunosensor supplied a label-free detection method for HABP, which was based on measuring the capacitance change in-between the unlabeled HABP (antigen) and rabbit-anti-HABP (Ra-HABP, antibody).

Purification and Functional Characterization of a Shark Cartilage Factor Inhibitory to Angiogenesis.

SCAIF-I, an inhibitor of angiogenesis from shark cartilage was purified to homogeneity. The 4 mol/L guanidinium chloride extract of shark cartilage was fractionally precipitated with 35%-65% acetone, then purified by Resource Q ion exchange chromatography, Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration, and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The pure inhibitor was homogeneous as a single band on a silver-stained 15% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel.

SCAIF80, a Novel Inhibitor of Angiogenesis, and Its Effect on Tumor Growth.

A novel inhibitor of angiogenesis named SCAIF80 (shark cartilage-derived angiogenesis inhibitory factor) from shark cartilage has been isolated and characterized. SDS-PAGE analysis followed by silver staining revealed a single band with molecular weight (M(r)) of 80 kD. To determine whether this protein was capable of inhibiting angiogensis, it was assayed in endothelial cell (EC) proliferation and migration assay.