Use of transrectal high-frequency ultrasound in assessment of middle compartment prolapse.

Objective: To investigate the superiority of transrectal high-frequency ultrasound (TRUS) in precise assessment of middle compartment prolapse in comparison with routine transperineal ultrasound (TPUS).

Methods: Prospectively analyzed and compared detection rates of entire cervical length and uterine descent on TPUS and TRUS in 101 patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

Results: Detection rates of entire cervix on TRUS were significantly higher than those on TPUS both at rest and during Valsalva maneuver (90.

Dynamic Interface-Assisted Rapid Self-Assembly of DNA Origami-Framed Anisotropic Nanoparticles.

The ordered arrangement of nanoparticles can generate unique physicochemical properties, rendering it a pivotal direction in the field of nanotechnology. DNA-based chemical encoding has emerged as an unparalleled strategy for orchestrating precise and controlled nanoparticle assemblies. Nonetheless, it is often time-consuming and has limited assembly efficiency.

Functional DNA as a Molecular Tool in Regulating Immunoreceptor-Ligand Interactions.

During immune responses, activating ligands would trigger dynamic spatiotemporal organization of immunoreceptors at the cell interface, governing the fate and effector functions of immune cells. To understand the biophysical mechanisms of immunoreceptor signaling, diverse tools, including DNA technologies, have been developed to manipulate receptor-ligand interactions during the immune activation process. With great capability in the controllable assembly of biomolecules, functional DNA-based precise arrangement of immune molecules at cell interfaces has provided a powerful means in revealing the principles of immunoreceptor triggering, even at the single-molecule level.

Applications of Functional DNA Materials in Immunomodulatory Therapy.

In recent years, nanoscale or microscale functional materials derived from DNA have shown great potential for immunotherapy as superior delivery carriers. DNA nanostructures with excellent programmability and addressability enable the precise assembly of molecules or nanoparticles. DNA hydrogels have predictable structures and adjustable mechanical strength, thus being advantageous in controllable release of cargos.

Development of non-adherent cell-enclosing domes with enzymatically cross-linked hydrogel shell.

Non-adherent cells, such as hematopoietic cells and lymphocytes, are important research subjects in medical and biological fields. Therefore, a system that enables the handling of non-adherent cells in solutions in the same manner as that of adhering cells during medium exchange, exposure to chemicals, washing, and staining in imaging applications would be useful. Here, we report a 'Cell Dome' platform in which non-adherent cells can be enclosed and grown in the cavities of about 1 mm diameter and 270m height.

Injectable DNA Hydrogel-Based Local Drug Delivery and Immunotherapy.

Regulated drug delivery is an important direction in the field of medicine and healthcare research. In recent years, injectable hydrogels with good biocompatibility and biodegradability have attracted extensive attention due to their promising application in controlled drug release. Among them, DNA hydrogel has shown great potentials in local drug delivery and immunotherapy.

Solution-processable carbon dots with efficient solid-state red/near-infrared emission.

Carbon dots (CDs) emerge as promising luminescent materials for potential applications in optoelectronics on basis of their merits including low cost, eco-friendliness and strong, color-tunable photoluminescence (PL). However, the research on solid-state emissive CDs is still at the primary stage because of the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) of PL and their poor film-formation ability. In this work, we produce CDs with branched-polyethylenimine (b-PEI) chemically functionalized on the surfaces.

Influence of Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Cross-Linking and Degradation on Cell-Adhesive Gelatin Hydrogels.

Hydrogen peroxide (HO) is widely used for the gelation of aqueous solutions of gelatin derivatives with phenolic hydroxyl groups (Gelatin-Ph) catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Apart from this, HO is known to cause degradation/depolymerization of various polymers. Here, we prepared Gelatin-Ph hydrogels from solutions containing Gelatin-Ph and HRP by continuously supplying HO from the gas phase and investigated the mechanical properties of resultant hydrogels and the behaviors of rat fibroblast and human adipose-derived stem cells on them.

Spasmolytic activity of Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum extract on gastrointestinal motility involves muscarinic receptors, calcium channels and NO release.

Context: Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum (ALR), the dry rhizome of Aquilaria agallocha R. (Thymelaeaeeae), has been widely used to treat emesis, stomachache and gastrointestinal dysfunction.

Objective: This study evaluates the effects of ALR methanol extract on gastrointestinal motility (GIM) and possible mechanisms of the action involved.

Peroxidase-catalyzed microextrusion bioprinting of cell-laden hydrogel constructs in vaporized ppm-level hydrogen peroxide.

Hydrogels were prepared by contacting air containing 10-50 ppm HO with an aqueous solution containing polymer(s) possessing phenolic hydroxyl (Ph) moieties (polymer-Ph) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In this system, HRP catalyzes cross-linking of the Ph moieties by consuming HO diffused from the air. The hydrogelation rate and mechanical properties of the resultant hydrogels can be tuned by controlling the HO concentration in air, the exposure time of the air containing HO to the solution containing polymer-Phs and HRP, and the HRP concentration.

Quantitative structure-activity relationship for the partition coefficient of hydrophobic compounds between silicone oil and air.

The silicon oil-air partition coefficients (K) of hydrophobic compounds are vital parameters for applying silicone oil as non-aqueous-phase liquid in partitioning bioreactors. Due to the limited number of K values determined by experiment for hydrophobic compounds, there is an urgent need to model the K values for unknown chemicals. In the present study, we developed a universal quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model using a sequential approach with macro-constitutional and micromolecular descriptors for silicone oil-air partition coefficients (K) of hydrophobic compounds with large structural variance.

New Triterpenoid Saponins from the Herb Hylomecon japonica.

: , a plant of the family which is well-known for the alkaloids they produce, is a perennial plant widely distributed in the northeast, central and east regions of China. Although a variety of chemical constituents, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and megastigmoids, have been isolated from , the investigation of saponins in has not been reported until now. : Various separation techniques, including polyporous resin column chromatography, silica gel column chromatography and hemi-preparative HPLC were applied to the isolation of triterpenoid saponins, and chemical methods such as acid hydrolysis and spectroscopic methods including HRESIMS and NMR were applied to their structure elucidation, and the XTT reduction method was used to assay cytotoxicity.

Pheonolic Compounds from the Fruits of Viburnum sargentii Koehne.

Seven phenolic compounds were isolated from the fruits of Viburnum sargentii Koehne by silica gel column chromatography and preparative HPLC. On the grounds of chemical and spectroscopic methods, their structures were identified as (-)-Epicatechin (1), 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-flavonoid-8-C-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-[4-(3-α-L-rhamnopyranoxypropyl)-2-methoxyphenoxy]-1,3-propane-diol (erythro) (3), 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-[4-(3-α-L-rhamnopyranoxypropyl)-2-methoxyphenoxy]-1,3-propanediol (threo) (4), (R)-4-hydroxylphenol O-(6-O-oleuropeoyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), (R)-3-methoxy-4-hydroxylphenol O-(6-O-oleuropeoyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (7). Compounds 5 and 6 are new monoterpene phenolic glycosides, compounds 1, 3 and 4 were isolated from the Viburnum genus for the first time, and compounds 2 and 7 from the Viburnum sargentii Koehne for the first time.