Polyzwitterions: controlled synthesis, soft materials and applications.

Polyzwitterions refer to polymers containing both positive and negative charged groups in one side chain, which have shown unique physicochemical properties and significant potential in diverse applications due to their amphiphilic and net-neutral charged properties. This review aims to highlight the recent advances in the design and synthesis of polyzwitterions including direct polymerization of zwitterionic monomers and deionization of polymers. Furthermore, the formation of polyzwitterion based soft materials such as nanoparticles by self-assembly, hydrogels, coatings and polyzwitterion brushes, as well as the influence of the microstructure on their properties and applications are discussed.

Risk Factors for Multidrug Resistance in Patients Infected with Carbapenem-Resistant : A Nomogram.

Purpose: Our aim was to determine the risk factors for multidrug resistance in patients with carbapenem-resistant (CRKP).

Methods: The information of 196 patients with infection was collected. The patients were subsequently assigned to the carbapenem-resistant, multidrug-resistant, and non-multidrug-resistant groups.

Physically and Chemically Compartmentalized Polymersomes for Programmed Delivery and Biological Applications.

Multicompartment polymersomes (MCPs) refer to polymersomes that not only contain one single compartment, either in the membrane or in the internal cavity, but also mimic the compartmentalized structure of living cells, attracting much attention in programmed delivery and biological applications. The investigation of MCPs may promote the application of soft nanomaterials in biomedicine. This Review seeks to highlight the recent advances of the design principles, synthetic strategies, and biomedical applications of MCPs.

Polymeric Toroids Derived from the Fusion-Induced Particle Assembly of Anisotropic Bowl-Shaped Nanoparticles.

Polymeric toroids are fascinating soft nanostructures due to their unique geometry and properties, which have shown potential applications in the fields of nanoreactors, drug delivery, cancer therapy, etc. However, facile preparation of polymeric toroids is still challenging. Herein, we propose a fusion-induced particle assembly (FIPA) strategy to prepare polymeric toroids using anisotropic bowl-shaped nanoparticles (BNPs) as a building block.

Polymeric Bowl-Shaped Nanoparticles: Hollow Structures with a Large Opening on the Surface.

Polymeric bowl-shaped nanoparticles (BNPs) are anisotropic hollow structures with large openings on the surface, which have shown advantages such as high specific area and efficient encapsulation, delivery and release of large-sized cargoes on demand compared to solid nanoparticles or closed hollow structures. Several strategies have been developed to prepare BNPs based on either template or template-free methods. For instance, despite the widely used self-assembly strategy, alternative methods including emulsion polymerization, swelling and freeze-drying of polymeric spheres, and template-assisted approaches have also been developed.

A prognosis prediction chromatin regulator signature for patients with severe asthma.

Severe asthma imposes a physical and economic burden on both patients and society. As chromatin regulators (CRs) influence the progression of multiple diseases through epigenetic mechanisms, we aimed to study the role of CRs in patients with severe asthma. Transcriptome data (GSE143303) from 47 patients with severe asthma and 13 healthy participants was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database.

Three Novel Adenylate Cyclase Genes Show Significant Biological Functions in Plant.

Adenylate cyclase is the key enzyme solely synthesizing cAMP which participates in cell metabolism regulations and functions as an intracellular second messenger. However, the biological functions of plant ACs have not been elucidated clearly for their poor conservative sequences and low detectable cAMP. We performed a systematic study of plant ACs by using Chinese jujube, whose fruit exhibits the highest cAMP content among plants.

A gossypol derivative effectively protects against Zika and dengue virus infection without toxicity.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) cause microcephaly and dengue hemorrhagic fever, respectively, leading to severe problems. No effective antiviral agents are approved against infections of these flaviviruses, calling for the need to develop potent therapeutics. We previously identified gossypol as an effective inhibitor against ZIKV and DENV infections, but this compound is toxic and not suitable for in vivo treatment.

Recent advances in developing small-molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused havoc across the entire world. Even though several COVID-19 vaccines are currently in distribution worldwide, with others in the pipeline, treatment modalities lag behind. Accordingly, researchers have been working hard to understand the nature of the virus, its mutant strains, and the pathogenesis of the disease in order to uncover possible drug targets and effective therapeutic agents.

Al-Storage Behaviors of Expanded Graphite as High-Rate and Long-Life Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Aluminum Batteries.

The rational design and synthesis of capable cathode materials with low cost that can exhibit good electrochemical performance are key to the development of rechargeable aluminum batteries (RABs). In this article, we have developed low-cost expanded graphite as typical cathode materials for high-performance RABs in pouch cells. Remarkably, the commercial expanded graphite can show high-rate performance, long-term cyclic life, and high energy density (64 Wh kg based on a whole pouch cell).

Development of Small-Molecule Inhibitors Against Zika Virus Infection.

In recent years, the outbreak of infectious disease caused by Zika virus (ZIKV) has posed a major threat to global public health, calling for the development of therapeutics to treat ZIKV disease. Here, we have described the different stages of the ZIKV life cycle and summarized the latest progress in the development of small-molecule inhibitors against ZIKV infection. We have also discussed some general strategies for the discovery of small-molecule ZIKV inhibitors.

The Compensation Effect Mechanism of Fe-Ni Mixed Prussian Blue Analogues in Aqueous Rechargeable Aluminum-Ion Batteries.

An aluminum-ion battery was assembled with potassium nickel hexacyanoferrate (KNHCF) as a cathode and Al foil as an anode in aqueous electrolyte for the first time, based on Al intercalation and deintercalation. A combination of ex situ XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT), and differential capacity analysis was used to unveil the crystal structure changes and the insertion/extraction mechanism of Al . Al could reversibly insert/extract into/from KNHCF nanoparticles through a single-phase reaction with reduction/oxidation of Fe and Ni.

Identification of Novel Natural Products as Effective and Broad-Spectrum Anti-Zika Virus Inhibitors.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy leads to severe congenital Zika syndrome, which includes microcephaly and other neurological malformations. No therapeutic agents have, so far, been approved for the treatment of ZIKV infection in humans; as such, there is a need for a continuous effort to develop effective and safe antiviral drugs to treat ZIKV-caused diseases. After screening a natural product library, we have herein identified four natural products with anti-ZIKV activity in Vero E6 cells, including gossypol, curcumin, digitonin, and conessine.

Development of an on-line analytical platform to screen haptens in shuxuening injection based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion-trap multistage mass spectrometry and human serum albumin fluorescence detection.

Shuxuening injection (SXNI), one of the traditional Chinese medicine injections (TCMI), is widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the clinic. However, its allergic reactions have impeded the clinical applications of SXNI, such adverse reactions have not been well understood due to the lack of methods for detecting haptens. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detector-multi-stage mass spectrometry-human serum albumin-fluorescence detector (HPLC-DAD-MS-HSA-FLD) system was established to identify and screen haptens for the first time.

Enhanced Ability of Oligomeric Nanobodies Targeting MERS Coronavirus Receptor-Binding Domain.

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV), an infectious coronavirus first reported in 2012, has a mortality rate greater than 35%. Therapeutic antibodies are key tools for preventing and treating MERS-CoV infection, but to date no such agents have been approved for treatment of this virus. Nanobodies (Nbs) are camelid heavy chain variable domains with properties distinct from those of conventional antibodies and antibody fragments.

PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor screening of caffeoylquinic acid compounds using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy.

Following the FDA approval of three monoclonal antibodies of PD-1/PD-L1, this pathway has become a promising target for cancer treatment. Currently small-molecule inhibitors have not been extensively investigated, and appropriate screening methods for such inhibitors are urgently required. In this study, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology was used to evaluate the affinity and competitive inhibition of nine caffeoylquinic acid compounds (CQAs) against PD-1/PD-L1.

Capillary electrophoresis fingerprinting coupled with chemometrics to evaluate the quality consistency and predict the antioxidant activity of Sanhuang tablet as part of its quality control.

A capillary electrophoresis fingerprint was constructed for Sanhuang tablet, a Chinese traditional patent medicine, that was commonly used in clinical practice, where the isosceles trapezoid method was first applied for the optimization of background electrolyte solution, and the resolution index was performed to assess the experimental conditions; furthermore, a novel linear quantitative fingerprint method was established for accurate qualitative and quantitative discrimination of the test samples from diverse commercial brands. The fingerprint analysis coupled with quantitative determination of two components was employed to elucidate that the quality consistency of the products was relatively good within one manufactory, but poor among different companies for the 30 batches of samples. In addition, the fingerprint-efficacy relationship between chemical components and antioxidant activity in vitro was investigated using partial least squares analysis, and the calibration and prediction of the antioxidant activity of the selected samples via fingerprint data were presented with the desired results.