Chiral Rotaxane-Branched Dendrimers as Relays in Artificial Light-Harvesting Systems with Boosted Circularly Polarized Luminescence.

Starting from AIEgen-functionalized chiral [2]rotaxane building block, we have successfully synthesized a new class of chiral rotaxane-branched dendrimers through controllable divergent strategy for the first time, based on which novel chiral artificial light-harvesting systems (LHSs) were successfully constructed in aqueous phase by sequentially introducing achiral donor and acceptor. More importantly, accompanied by the two-step Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) process in the resultant artificial LHSs, the sequentially amplified circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) performances were achieved, highlighting that the chiral rotaxane-branched dendrimers could serve as excellent relay for both energy transfer and chirality transmission. Impressively, compared with the sole chiral rotaxane-branched dendrimers, the dissymmetry factors (g) values of the resultant artificial LHSs were amplified by one order of magnitude up to 0.

Lighting Up Bispyrene-Functionalized Chiral Molecular Muscles with Switchable Circularly Polarized Excimer Emissions.

Aiming at the further extension of the application scope of traditional molecular muscles, a novel bispyrene-functionalized chiral molecular [c2]daisy chain was designed and synthesized. Taking advantage of the unique dimeric interlocked structure of molecular [c2]daisy chain, the resultant chiral molecular muscle emits strong circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) attributed to the pyrene excimer with a high dissymmetry factor (g) value of 0.010.

Continuous age- and sex-specific reference ranges of liver enzymes in Chinese children and application in pediatric non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is widely used to screen patients with hepatic diseases. However, the current reference ranges (< 50 U/L) were developed by laboratories and have not been validated in populations with a large number of healthy individuals.

Methods: This study collected venous blood and anthropometric data from a total of 13,287 healthy children aged 3 months to 18 years who underwent routine physical examinations in the Department of Pediatric Healthcare.

Dual Stimuli-Responsive [2]Rotaxanes with Tunable Vibration-Induced Emission and Switchable Circularly Polarized Luminescence.

Aiming at the construction of novel stimuli-responsive fluorescent system with precisely tunable emissions, the typical 9,14-diphenyl-9,14-dihydrodibenzo[a, c]phenazine (DPAC) luminogen with attractive vibration-induced emission (VIE) behavior has been introduced into [2]rotaxane as a stopper. Taking advantage of their unique dual stimuli-responsiveness towards solvent and anion, the resultant [2]rotaxanes reveal both tunable VIE and switchable circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). Attributed to the formation of mechanical bonds, DPAC-functionalized [2]rotaxanes display interesting VIE behaviors including white-light emission upon the addition of viscous solvent, as evaluated in detail by femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectra.

Stimuli-responsive rotaxane-branched dendronized polymers with tunable thermal and rheological properties.

Aiming at the creation of polymers with attractive dynamic properties, herein, rotaxane-branched dendronized polymers (DPs) with rotaxane-branched dendrons attached onto the polymer chains are proposed. Starting from macromonomers with both rotaxane-branched dendrons and polymerization site, targeted rotaxane-branched DPs are successfully synthesized through ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Interestingly, due to the existence of multiple switchable [2]rotaxane branches within the attached dendrons, anion-induced reversible thickness modulation of the resultant rotaxane-branched DPs is achieved, which further lead to tunable thermal and rheological properties, making them attractive platform for the construction of smart polymeric materials.

Photoresponsive Rotaxane-Branched Dendrimers: From Nanoscale Dimension Modulation to Macroscopic Soft Actuators.

Aiming at the construction of novel soft actuators through the amplified motions of molecular machines at the nanoscale, the design and synthesis of a new family of photoresponsive rotaxane-branched dendrimers through an efficient controllable divergent approach was successfully realized for the first time. In the third-generation rotaxane-branched dendrimers, up to 21 azobenzene-based rotaxane units located at each branch, thus making them the first successful synthesis of light-control integrated artificial molecular machines. Notably, upon alternative irradiation with UV and visible light, photoisomerization of the azobenzene stoppers leads to the collective and amplified motions of the precisely arranged rotaxane units, resulting in controllable and reversible dimension modulation of the integrating photoresponsive rotaxane-branched dendrimers in solution.

Rotaxane-branched radical dendrimers with TEMPO termini.

The precise synthesis of novel rotaxane-branched radical dendrimers Gn-TEMPO ( = 1-3) with up to 24 TEMPO radicals as termini was successfully achieved, from which nanoparticles with a good longitudinal relaxivity were further prepared, thus making them potential candidates as promising contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.

Changes in NK Cell Subsets and Receptor Expressions in HIV-1 Infected Chronic Patients and HIV Controllers.

Natural killer (NK) cells are major effectors of the innate immune response and purported to play an influential role in the spontaneous control of HIV infection. In the present study, we compared the phenotypes of NK cells in the peripheral blood of three groups of subjects with chronic HIV-1 infection, HIV controllers, and healthy donors. The results showed that CD56/CD16 NK cell subsets decreased in chronic patients and remained unchanged in controllers.

Effects of perioperative rosuvastatin on postoperative delirium in elderly patients: A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Experimental evidence has indicated the benefits of statins for the treatment of postoperative delirium. Previously, clinical trials did not reach definite conclusions on the effects of statins on delirium. Some clinical trials have indicated that statins reduce postoperative delirium and improve outcomes, while some studies have reported negative results.

The Regulatory Effects of Licochalcone A on the Intestinal Epithelium and Gut Microbiota in Murine Colitis.

The gut epithelium is a mechanical barrier that protects the host from the luminal microenvironment and interacts with the gut microflora, which influences the development and progression of ulcerative colitis (UC). Licochalcone A (LA) exerts anti-inflammatory effects against UC; however, whether it also regulates both the gut barrier and microbiota during colitis is unknown. The current study was conducted to reveal the regulatory effects of LA on the intestinal epithelium and gut microflora in C57BL/6 mice subjected to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS).

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of (Lepidoptera, Geometridae).

(Lepidoptera, Geometridae) is one of the main leaf-eating pests in tea plantations in China. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of this species was sequenced and assembled. The total length of the mitochondrial genome of .

Triage human papillomavirus testing for cytology-based cervical screening in women of different ages in primary hospitals: A retrospective clinical study.

Cervical cancer is a serious global health problem. The objective of this study was to provide a suitable cytology-based cervical screening method in women of different ages in primary hospitals.This study was a retrospective cohort study that included 9765 women who underwent primary cytology-based cervical screening and were grouped by age (35-44, 45-54, and 55-64 years old).

Pretreatment HIV drug resistance in adults initiating antiretroviral therapy in China, 2017.

Background: After the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV infected people, increasing numbers of patients have pretreatment drug resistance (PDR). In this study, the prevalence of PDR was evaluated in adults initiating antiretroviral therapy in China.

Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 1943 patients who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2017 from 13 provinces or cities in China.

β-Cell function in obese children and adolescents with metabolic syndrome compared to isolated obesity.

Objective: To evaluate β-cell function in obese children and adolescents meeting clinical criteria for isolated obesity (iOB), isolated components of dysmetabolism (cMD), or metabolic syndrome (MS), and in obese children and adolescents with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose regulation (IGR), or type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Study Design: We undertook a prospective study of Han Chinese children and adolescents aged 8-16 years (median 11 ± 1.4) seen in an obesity clinic between May 2013 and 2018.

Low vitamin D levels are associated with cognitive impairment in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis.

Background: Cognitive impairment is commonly observed in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT). Low levels of vitamin D have been correlated with cognitive impairment in non-HT population. We examined the association of vitamin D levels with cognitive impairment in patients with HT.

Vertical Transmission of Is Associated With Host Vitellogenin in .

in host germ lines are essential for their vertical transmission to the next generation. It is unclear how the regulation of host oocyte development influences location and the mechanistic basis of transmission. Here, we investigated whether vitellogenin influences transmission in .

Prevalence and Genetic Characterization of Infection in Java Sparrows () in Northern China.

Cryptosporidiosis is a cosmopolitan parasitosis that affects a wide range of hosts including birds. As information concerning in birds is limited, the present study examined the prevalence and genotypes of in Java sparrows in Beijing and Shangqiu, northern China. Three hundred and fifty fecal samples were collected from Java sparrows (, 225 white Java sparrows and 125 gray Java sparrows) in Beijing and Shangqiu in October 2015, and the samples were examined by PCR amplification of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene.

[Analgesic and Sedative Effect of Acupuncture Combined with Medicine on Patients Undergiong Cardiac Surgery].

Objective: To observe analgesic and sedative effect of acupuncture combined with medicine (ACM) on patients undergiong cardiac surgery.

Methods: A total of 50 patients with cardiac surgery from January 2012 to October 2014 were randomly assigned to the conventional analgesia group (group A) and the ACM analgesia group (group B), 25 in each group. Patients in group A were subjected to analgesia and sedation by injecting dexmedetomidine, while patients in group B were subjected to analgesia and sedation by electro-acupuncture [EA, Shenting (GV24); Yintang (EX-HN3)] combined with injection of dexmedetomidine.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathway genes predict lung cancer prognosis in a Chinese Han population.

Inflammation contributes to human carcinogenesis and cancer progression. This study selected and analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathway genes for associations with prognosis in 1,165 lung cancer patients from a Chinese Han population. The data showed that eight SNPs (i.

The epidemic of HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea and the correlates of sexual transmitted infections among men who have sex with men in Jiangsu, China, 2009.

Background: In China, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is expanding among men who have sex with men (MSM). As independent risk factors of HIV infection, the epidemics of Chlamydia (CT) and Gonorrhea (NG) in MSM were not well studied, particular for the risk factors of these infectious. The objectives of current reported study were to understand the dynamics of HIV and other sexual transmitted infections (STIs) among MSM in Jiangsu, China, and to measure factors that correlated with STIs.

Aberrant hepatic microRNA expression in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background/aim: Emerging evidence suggests that microRNA (miRNA) mediated gene regulation influences the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis, particularly the states of obesity and insulin resistance, thereby providing a potential link between miRNAs and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) were used to establish a rat model of NAFLD. The miRNA expression profile of liver tissues was evaluated using Illumina HiSeq deep sequencing.

Tumor markers for diagnosis, monitoring of recurrence and prognosis in patients with upper gastrointestinal tract cancer.

To evaluate the value of combined detection of serum CEA, CA19-9, CA24-2, AFP, CA72-4, SCC, TPA and TPS for the clinical diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) cancer and to analyze the efficacy of these tumor markers (TMs) in evaluating curative effects and prognosis. A total of 573 patients with upper GIT cancer between January 2004 and December 2007 were enrolled in this study. Serum levels of CEA, CA19-9, CA24-2, AFP, CA72-4, SCC, TPA and TPS were examined preoperatively and every 3 months postoperatively by ELISA.

Inferring single nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNA binding sites of lung cancer-related inflammatory genes.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms located at microRNA (miRNA)-binding sites are likely to affect the expression of miRNA targets and may contribute to the susceptibility of humans to common diseases. Here 335 candidate lung cancer-related inflammatory genes were selected according to the existing literature and database. We identified putative miRNA-binding sites of 149 genes by specialised algorithms and screened SNPs in the 3'UTRs of these genes.

siRNA against KIR3DL1 as a potential gene therapeutic agent in controlling HIV-1 infection.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop a small interfering RNA (siRNA) against the expression of KIR3DL1 receptor on natural killer (NK) cells, in order to promote the ability of NK cells to destroy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected cells and thus prevent failure of siRNA therapy targeting human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virus among HIV-1 infected patients in vitro.

Methods: A siRNA targeting KIR3DL1 was synthesized and then modified with cholesterol, methylene, and sulfate. The inhibitory action of the siRNAs on primary cultured NK cells was detected.