Thermal properties of glycinin in crowded environments.

Crowded environments, commonly found in the food system, are utilized to enhance the properties of soybean proteins. Despite their widespread application, little information exists regarding the impact of crowded environments on the denaturation behaviors of soybean proteins. In this study, we investigated how crowding agents with varying molecular weights, functional groups, and topology affect the denaturation behavior of glycinin under crowded conditions.

A new pepper allergen Zan b 1.01 of 2S albumins: Identification, cloning, characterization, and cross-reactivity.

Background: Zanthoxylum bungeanum (Sichuan pepper; in Chinese) is used as a spice worldwide and is a potentially life-threatening allergenic food source, as first reported by our team in 2005. However, its allergen components are unknown.

Objective: We aim to identify and characterize its major allergen and determine its cross-reactivities with citrus seeds, pistachios, and cashew seeds.

An engineered bispecific nanobody in tetrameric secretory IgA format confers broad neutralization against SARS-CoV-1&2 and most variants.

SARS-CoV-2, a type of respiratory virus, has exerted a great impact on global health and economy over the past three years. Antibody-based therapy was initially successful but later failed due to the accumulation of mutations in the spike protein of the virus. Strategies that enable antibodies to resist virus escape are therefore of great significance.

A 6-month prognostic nomogram incorporating hemoglobin level for intracerebral hemorrhage in younger adults.

Objective: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the second most common subtype of stroke, with high mortality and morbidity. At present, there are no effective 6-month prognostic markers, particularly for younger patients. The aim of this research was to construct a new valuable prognostic nomogram model incorporating haemoglobin levels for adult patients with ICH.

Apolipoprotein E ɛ2 Is Associated with the White Matter Hyperintensity Multispot Pattern in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

The white matter hyperintensity (WMH) multispot pattern, as multiple punctate subcortical foci, could differentiate cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) from hypertensive arteriolopathy. Nevertheless, the pathophysiology underlying the multispot sign is still inexplicit. We aimed to explore risk factors for multispot patterns in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD)-related intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Improved hydrogen production from pharmaceutical intermediate wastewater in an anaerobic maifanite-immobilized sludge reactor.

A novel anaerobic maifanite-immobilized sludge reactor (AMSR) was employed to investigate the feasibility and performance of continuous hydrogen production for the treatment of pharmaceutical intermediate wastewater (PIW) at different organic loading rates (OLR) (from 12 to 96 g COD L d) according to changes in the hydraulic retention time (HRT). A reactor without maifanite was also employed as a control. The results indicate that maifanite accelerates granular sludge formation and the AMSR presents more efficient and stable performance than the control in terms of the hydrogen production rate.

Trifluoromethyl Selenoxides: Electrophilic Reagents for C-H Trifluoromethylselenolation of (Hetero)Arene.

The trifluoromethylselenyl group (CFSe) has become an emerging fluorinated moiety in synthetic chemistry due to its high Hansch lipophilicity parameter and strong electron-withdrawing effect. The trifluoromethylselenolation is hampered by limited synthetic methods and related reagents. Herein, we designed and synthesized the new electrophilic trifluoromethylselenolation reagents, trifluoromethyl selenoxides, which are easy to prepare and easy-to-handle and are not moisture or air sensitive.

Caspase-1: A Promising Target for Preserving Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity in Acute Stroke.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) acts as a physical and biochemical barrier that plays a fundamental role in regulating the blood-to-brain influx of endogenous and exogenous components and maintaining the homeostatic microenvironment of the central nervous system (CNS). Acute stroke leads to BBB disruption, blood substances extravasation into the brain parenchyma, and the consequence of brain edema formation with neurological impairment afterward. Caspase-1, one of the evolutionary conserved families of cysteine proteases, which is upregulated in acute stroke, mainly mediates pyroptosis and compromises BBB integrity lytic cellular death and inflammatory cytokines release.

Assembly status transition offers an avenue for activity modulation of a supramolecular enzyme.

Nature has evolved many supramolecular proteins assembled in certain, sometimes even seemingly oversophisticated, morphological manners. The rationale behind such evolutionary efforts is often poorly understood. Here, we provide atomic-resolution insights into how the dynamic building of a structurally complex enzyme with higher order symmetry offers amenability to intricate regulation.

Decatungstate Catalyzed Synthesis of Trifluoromethylthioesters from Aldehydes via a Radical Process.

Here we report a mild and general method for the trifluoromethylthiolation of aldehydes using -trifluoromethylthiosaccharin as the CFS radical source and sodium decatungstate (NaDT) as the photocatalyst. This reaction proceeds via hydrogen atom abstraction by photoactivated DT and features good functional groups and substrate tolerance. Generally, electron-rich aldehydes demonstrate better reactivity than electron-deficient ones and good selectivity is observed for the trifluoromethylthiolation of aldehydic C-H bonds over tertiary and benzylic C-H bonds.

Predicting the occurrence of early seizures after cerebral venous thrombosis using a comprehensive nomogram.

Background: Seizure is a common clinical manifestation of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). The mortality rate of patients with CVT with seizure is three times higher than that of patients without seizure. The aim of this study was to develop a nomogram to predict the individual probability of acute seizure events in patients with CVT.

SMASH-U aetiological classification: A predictor of long-term functional outcome after intracerebral haemorrhage.

Background: SMASH-U is a systematic aetiological classification system for intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) proven to be a predictor of post-ICH haematoma expansion and mortality. However, its role in predicting functional outcome remains elusive. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether SMASH-U is associated with long-term functional outcome after ICH and improves the accuracy of prediction when added to max-ICH score.

Apolipoprotein E genotype predicts subarachnoid extension in spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) with subarachnoid extension (SAHE) predicts poor outcomes and haematoma expansion in spontaneous ICH and is also a potential predictor of the severity of vascular amyloid deposition. The biological underpinnings of SAHE remain elusive. A study was conducted to identify risk factors associated with SAHE.

Crystal structure of caspase-11 CARD provides insights into caspase-11 activation.

Murine caspase-11 is the centerpiece of the non-canonical inflammasome pathway that can respond to intracellular LPS and induce pyroptosis. Caspase-11 contains two components, an N-terminal caspase recruitment domain (CARD) and a C-terminal catalytic domain. The aggregation of caspase-11 is thought to promote the auto-processing and activation of caspase-11.

MiR-181c-5p Promotes Inflammatory Response during Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury by Downregulating Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Nonreceptor Type 4 in H9C2 Cardiomyocytes.

Background: Constitutive nuclear factor kappa B (NFB) activation has been shown to exacerbate during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. We recently showed that miR-181c-5p exacerbated cardiomyocytes injury and apoptosis by directly targeting the 3'-untranslated region of protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 4 (PTPN4). However, whether miR-181c-5p mediates cardiac I/R injury through NFB-mediated inflammation is unknown.

Activation of autophagy inhibits nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome activation and attenuates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in diabetic rats.

Aims/introduction: Diabetic hearts are more vulnerable to ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/RI). The activation of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome can mediate the inflammatory process, and hence might contribute to myocardial I/RI. Activation of autophagy can eliminate excess reactive oxygen species and alleviate myocardial I/RI in diabetes.

Biased Lewis Pairs: A General Catalytic Approach to Ether-Ester Block Copolymers with Unlimited Ordering of Sequences.

Polymerizing epoxides after cyclic esters remains a major challenge, though their block copolymers have been extensively studied and used for decades. Reported here is a simple catalytic approach based on a metal-free Lewis pair that addresses the challenge. When the Lewis acid is used in excess of a base, selective (transesterification-free) polymerization of epoxides occurs in the presence of esters, while selectivity toward cyclic esters is achieved by an oppositely biased catalyst.

Nickel/NHC-Catalyzed Asymmetric C-H Alkylation of Fluoroarenes with Alkenes: Synthesis of Enantioenriched Fluorotetralins.

Chiral polyfluoroarene derivatives are an important scaffold in chemistry. An unprecedented enantioselective C-H alkylation of polyfluoroarenes with alkenes is described. The reaction employs bulky chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands for nickel catalysts to enable exclusive activation of C-H bonds over C-F bonds and complete endo-selective C-H annulation and excellent enantioselectivity.

Universal Synthetic Strategy for the Construction of Topological Polystyrenesulfonates: The Importance of Linkage Stability during Sulfonation.

Polystyrenesulfonate (PSS), as one of the most important categories of polyelectrolytes, has received increasing attention due to its great potential in the applications of energy- and biomedical-related fields. However, most of the previous studies only focused on linear PSS and its derivatives, but little attention was paid to nonlinear topological PSSs. So far, the synthesis of nonlinear PSSs with well-defined structures is still a challenging task, and the main obstacle lies in the stability issue of functional chemical linkages during the sulfonation process of polystyrene (PS) precursors, such as the carbon-oxygen-containing linkages.

The effect of surface poly(ethylene glycol) length on in vivo drug delivery behaviors of polymeric nanoparticles.

Engineering nanoparticles of reasonable surface poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) length is important for designing efficient drug delivery systems. Eliminating the disturbance by other nanoproperties, such as size, PEG density, etc., is crucial for systemically investigating the impact of surface PEG length on the biological behavior of nanoparticles.

Reduction-responsive diblock copolymer-modified gold nanorods for enhanced cellular uptake.

Reduction-responsive polymer micelles are highly promising drug carriers with better tumor therapeutic effect, which can be achieved by controlled drug release under stimulation. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) have attracted considerable attention due to their unique optical and electronic properties when used for biomedical applications. Herein, the lipoic-acid-functionalized reduction-responsive amphiphilic copolymer poly(ε-caprolactone)--poly[(oligoethylene glycol) acrylate] (LA-PCL-SS-POEGA) with a disulfide group between the two blocks was prepared to modify AuNRs Au-S bonds.

Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) as a biomarker for acute myocardial injury and long-term post-ischemic prognosis.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a life-threatening event. Even with timely treatment, acute ischemic myocardial injury and ensuing ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) can still be difficult issues to tackle. Apart from radiological and other auxiliary examinations, laboratory tests of applicable cardiac biomarkers are also necessary for early diagnosis and close monitoring of this disorder.

Conformations and molecular interactions of poly-γ-glutamic acid as a soluble microbial product in aqueous solutions.

Soluble microbial products (SMPs) are of significant concern in the natural environment and in engineered systems. In this work, poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA), which is predominantly produced by Bacillus sp., was investigated in terms of pH-induced conformational changes and molecular interactions in aqueous solutions; accordingly, its sedimentation coefficient distribution and viscosity were also elucidated.

Effect of Hydrophobic Chain Length on the Stability and Guest Exchange Behavior of Shell-Sheddable Micelles Formed by Disulfide-Linked Diblock Copolymers.

Reduction-responsive micelles hold enormous promise for application as drug carriers due to the fast drug release triggered by reducing conditions and high anticancer activity. However, the effect of hydrophobic chain length on the stability and guest exchange of reduction-responsive micelles, especially for the micelles formed by diblock copolymers containing single disulfide group, is not fully understood. Here, shell-sheddable micelles formed by a series of disulfide-linked copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-SS-PCL) containing the same chain length of PEG but different chain lengths of hydrophobic block PCL were prepared and well characterized.