Photoinduced Late-Stage Radical Decarboxylative and Deoxygenative Coupling of Complex Carboxylic Acids and Their Derivatives.

The simple and efficient conversion of carboxylic acids into structurally diverse organic molecules is highly desirable in chemical synthesis. This review covers recent developments in photocatalytic methodology for late-stage transformations of complex carboxylic acids and their derivatives enabled by radical decarboxylation and deoxygenation, highlighting some representative and significant contributions in this field. These advancements are categorized based on the reactivity patterns exhibited by the carboxylic acids.

New insights into the combined effects of aflatoxin B1 and Eimeria ovinoidalis on uterine function by disrupting the gut-blood-reproductive axis in sheep.

Background: Sheep coccidiosis is an infectious parasitic disease that primarily causes diarrhea and growth retardation in young animals, significantly hindering the development of the sheep breeding industry. Cereal grains and animal feeds are frequently contaminated with mycotoxins worldwide, with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) being the most common form. AFB1 poses a serious threat to gastrointestinal health upon ingestion and affects the function of parenteral organs, thus endangering livestock health.

Ubiquitin Ligase ITCH Regulates Life Cycle of SARS-CoV-2 Virus.

SARS-CoV-2 infection poses a major threat to public health, and understanding the mechanism of viral replication and virion release would help identify therapeutic targets and effective drugs for combating the virus. Herein, we identified E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase Itchy homolog (ITCH) as a central regulator of SARS-CoV-2 at multiple steps and processes. ITCH enhances the ubiquitination of viral envelope and membrane proteins and mutual interactions of structural proteins, thereby aiding in virion assembly.

CRISPR/Cas13d targeting suppresses repeat-associated non-AUG translation of C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat RNA.

A hexanucleotide GGGGCC repeat expansion in the non-coding region of the C9orf72 gene is the most common genetic mutation identified in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The resulting repeat RNA and dipeptide repeat proteins from non-conventional repeat translation have been recognized as important markers associated with the diseases. CRISPR/Cas13d, a powerful RNA-targeting tool, has faced challenges in effectively targeting RNA with stable secondary structures.

Ultra-wide-angle multispectral narrow-band absorber for infrared spectral reconstruction.

This paper presents the design of an ultra-wide-angle multispectral narrow-band absorber for reconstructing infrared spectra. The absorber offers several advantages, including polarization sensitivity, robustness against structural wear, wide azimuthal angle coverage, high narrow-band absorption, and adjustable working wavelength. To accomplish infrared spectrum reconstruction, an absorber is employed as a spectral sampling channel, eliminating the influence of slits or complex optical splitting elements in spectral imaging technology.

Arctiin Mitigates Neuronal Injury by Modulating the P2X7R/NLPR3 Inflammasome Signaling Pathway.

Depression, recognized globally as a primary cause of disability, has its pathogenesis closely related to neuroinflammation and neuronal damage. Arctiin (ARC), the major bioactive component of Fructus arctii, has various pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Building on previous findings that highlighted ARC's capability to mitigate depression by dampening microglial hyperactivation and thereby reducing neuroinflammatory responses and cortical neuronal damage in mice, the current study delves deeper into ARC's therapeutic potential by examining its impact on hippocampal neuronal damage in depression.

Coixol mitigates Toxoplasma gondii infection-induced liver injury by inhibiting the Toxoplasma gondii HSP70/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway in hepatic macrophages.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Coix seed, the dry mature seed kernel of the gramineous plant coix (Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf), is widely consumed as a traditional Chinese medicine and functional food in China and South Korea.

Identification and experimental validation of programmed cell death- and mitochondria-associated biomarkers in osteoporosis and immune microenvironment.

Prior research has demonstrated that programmed cell death (PCD) and mitochondria assume pivotal roles in controlling cellular metabolism and maintaining bone cell equilibrium. Nonetheless, the comprehensive elucidation of their mode of operation in osteoporosis (OP) warrants further investigation. Therefore, this study aimed at analyzing the role of genes associated with PCD (PCD-RGs) and mitochondria (mortality factor-related genes; MRGs) in OP.

A novel mechanism of resveratrol alleviates Toxoplasma gondii infection-induced pulmonary inflammation via inhibiting inflammasome activation.

Background: Infection by Toxoplasma gondii can lead to severe pneumonia, with current treatments being highly inadequate. The NLRP3 inflammasome is one member of the NOD-like receptor family with a pyrin domain, which is crucial in the innate immune defense against T. gondii.

Visible-light-enabled stereoselective synthesis of functionalized cyclohexylamine derivatives [4 + 2] cycloadditions.

An unprecedented intermolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition of benzocyclobutylamines with α-substituted vinylketones, enabled by photoredox catalysis, has been developed. The current method enables facile access to highly functionalized cyclohexylamine derivatives that were otherwise inaccessible, in moderate to good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities. This protocol has some excellent features, such as full atom economy, good functional-group compatibility, mild reaction conditions, and an overall redox-neutral process.

Correlation between the facial skin microbiome and sensitive skin using the 2bRAD-M technique.

Objective: This study aimed to expound on the correlation between facial skin microbiome and sensitive skin (SS) using a novel sequencing technique.

Methods: We applied the 2bRAD sequencing for the microbiome, which enables accurate characterization of the low-biomass microbiome at species resolution to profile facial skin microbes in SS and non-SS groups. Further, the bacterial colonies were isolated and cultured from skin surfaces to study the pro-inflammatory effect on human keratinocytes by ELISA.

Numerical investigation of water inflow and seepage characteristics in a tunnel crossing two overlapped parallel faults.

Water inflow is one of the main geohazards that threaten the safety of tunnels and other underground engineering projects. Faulted zone is one of the important geological triggers for such events. Numerical investigations on the evolution of flow behavior in tunnels across fault zones are of significance to the predication and prevention of this type of geohazards.

Dual-modular immunosensor for bongkrekic acid detection using specific monoclonal antibody.

Bongkrekic acid (BA) is a mitochondrial toxin that causes high mortality but is often mistakenly categorized as other food poisonings. The immunoassay of BA is still challenging since the specific antibody is unavailable. In this work, a monoclonal antibody specific to BA was first generated and a dual-modular immunosensor for on-site and laboratory detection was established.

Coixol ameliorates Toxoplasma gondii infection-induced lung injury by interfering with T. gondii HSP70/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes pulmonary toxoplasmosis, although its pathogenesis is incompletely understood. There is no cure for toxoplasmosis.

Artificial intelligence-based computer-aided diagnosis system supports diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A multicenter study.

Background: This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence-based computer-aided diagnosis system (AI-CAD) emulating the diagnostic logic of radiologists for lymph node metastasis (LNM) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients, which contributed to clinical treatment decision-making.

Methods: A total of 689 ESCC patients with PET/CT images were enrolled from three hospitals and divided into a training cohort and two external validation cohorts. 452 CT images from three publicly available datasets were also included for pretraining the model.

Regulation of capsule spine formation in castor.

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is a dicotyledonous oilseed crop that can have either spineless or spiny capsules. Spines are protuberant structures that differ from thorns or prickles.

ZnO Nanoparticles Modified by Carbon Quantum Dots for the Photocatalytic Removal of Synthetic Pigment Pollutants.

Synthetic pigment pollutants caused by the rapid development of the modern food industry have become a serious threat to people's health and quality of life. Environmentally friendly ZnO-based photocatalytic degradation exhibits satisfactory efficiency, but some shortcomings of large band gap and rapid charge recombination reduce the removal of synthetic pigment pollutants. Here, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with unique up-conversion luminescence were applied to decorate ZnO nanoparticles to effectively construct the CQDs/ZnO composites via a facile and efficient route.

Enantio- and Diastereoselective De Novo Synthesis of 3-Substituted Proline Derivatives via Cooperative Photoredox/Brønsted Acid Catalysis and Epimerization.

Herein, a novel strategy for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of enantioenriched 3-- and 3--substituted prolines has been successfully established via an unprecedented cascade radical addition/cyclization enabled by synergistic photoredox/Brønsted acid catalysis and subsequent base-assisted epimerization. The current protocol provides a unique access to all four stereoisomers of 3-substituted prolines which are not readily achieved via currently established methods. This methodology could be further extended to the asymmetric synthesis of the full complement of stereoisomers of 3-substituted pipecolinic acids.

Modulation of TRPV1 function by Citrus reticulata (tangerine) fruit extract for the treatment of sensitive skin.

Background: Sensitive skin (SS) is a clinical syndrome defined by the occurrence of unpleasant sensations (such as stinging, burning, pain, pruritus, and tingling) in response to stimuli that normally should not provoke them. According to growing evidence, transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) has elevated expression in individuals with SS and is linked with the severity of SS symptoms. However, its pathogenesis is still unknown.