Dual Photoswitching of a Diarylethene Ligand-Anchored Hofmann-Type Spin-Crossover Compound.

A diarylethene ligand-anchored two-dimensional Hofmann-type compound [Fe(BTEPy){Pt(CN)}](CHOH) (BTEPy = 1,2-bis[2-methyl-5-(4-pyridyl)-3-thienyl]cyclopentene) is synthesized, which undergoes a two-step spin-state transition and dual photoinduced magnetic switching.

The transcription factor RUNT-like regulates pupal cuticle development via promoting a pupal cuticle protein transcription.

Holometabolous insects undergo morphological remodeling from larvae to pupae and to adults with typical changes in the cuticle; however, the mechanism is unclear. Using the lepidopteran agricultural insect Helicoverpa armigera, cotton bollworm, as a model, we revealed that the transcription factor RUNT-like (encoded by Runt-like) regulates the development of the pupal cuticle via promoting a pupal cuticle protein gene (HaPcp) expression. The HaPcp was highly expressed in the epidermis and wing during metamorphosis and was found being involved in pupal cuticle development by RNA interference (RNAi) analysis in larvae.

Proton-Induced Reversible Spin-State Switching in Octanuclear Fe Spin-Crossover Metal-Organic Cages.

Responsive spin-crossover (SCO) metal-organic cages (MOCs) are emerging dynamic platforms with potential for advanced applications in magnetic sensing and molecular switching. Among these, Fe-based MOCs are particularly noteworthy for their air stability, yet they remain largely unexplored. Herein, we report the synthesis of two novel Fe MOCs using a bis-bidentate ligand approach, which exhibit SCO activity above room temperature.

Molecular Twist-Induced Single-Crystal Isomerization and Valence Tautomeric Transitions in a Cobalt-Dioxolene Complex.

A mononuclear valence tautomeric (VT) complex, [Co(pycz)(Sq)(Cat)] (1-trans), where pycz = 9-(pyridin-4-yl)-9H-carbazole, Sq⋅ = 3,5-di-tert-butyl-semiquinonato, and Cat = 3,5-di-tert-butyl-catecholato, is synthesized in the trans configuration, which undergoes one-step valence tautomeric transition above room temperature. Remarkably, 1-trans can transform into its isomeric structure, [Co(pycz)(Sq)(Sq)] (1-cis), at temperature above 350 K in a single-crystal-to-single-crystal way by in situ molecular twist, and the resulting 1-cis exhibits a pronounced two-step VT transition during magnetic measurements that is rare for mononuclear VT complexes. Such drastic solid-state structural transformation is reported in VT compounds for the first time, which is actuated by a crystal surface's melting-recrystallization induced phase transition process.

KAT8 is upregulated and recruited to the promoter of Atg8 by FOXO to induce H4 acetylation for autophagy under 20-hydroxyecdysone regulation.

Selective gene expression in cells in physiological or pathological conditions is important for the growth and development of organisms. Acetylation of histone H4 at K16 (H4K16ac) catalyzed by histone acetyltransferase 8 (KAT8) is known to promote gene transcription; however, the regulation of KAT8 transcription and the mechanism by which KAT8 acetylates H4K16ac to promote specific gene expression are unclear. Using the lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera as a model, we reveal that the transcription factor FOXO promotes KAT8 expression and recruits KAT8 to the promoter region of autophagy-related gene 8 (Atg8) to increase H4 acetylation at that location, enabling Atg8 transcription under the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) regulation.

Added value of CE-CT radiomics to predict high Ki-67 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: This study aimed to develop a computed tomography (CT) model to predict Ki-67 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to examine the added value of radiomics to clinico-radiological features.

Methods: A total of 208 patients (training set, n = 120; internal test set, n = 51; external validation set, n = 37) with pathologically confirmed HCC who underwent contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) within 1 month before surgery were retrospectively included from January 2014 to September 2021. Radiomics features were extracted and selected from three phases of CE-CT images, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO) was used to select features, and the rad-score was calculated.

Jujuboside A inhibits oxidative stress damage and enhances immunomodulatory capacity of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells through up-regulating IDO expression.

Impaired immunomodulatory capacity and oxidative stress are the key factors limiting the effectiveness of mesenchymal stem cell transplantation therapy. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of jujuboside A (JuA) on the protective effect and immunomodulatory capacity of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs). Hydrogen peroxide was used to establish an oxidative damage model of hUC-MSCs, while PBMCs isolated from rats were used to evaluate the effect of JuA pre-treatment on the immunomodulatory capacity of hUC-MSCs.

Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 Promotes Tissue-Specific Cell Growth, Proliferation and Survival during Development of .

During development, cells constantly undergo fate choices by differentiating, proliferating, and dying as part of tissue remodeling. However, we only begin to understand the mechanisms of these different fate choices. Here, we took the lepidopteran insect , the cotton bollworm, as a model to reveal that insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2-like) prevented cell death by promoting cell growth and proliferation.

Icarisid II rescues cognitive dysfunction via activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway promoting hippocampal neurogenesis in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

Restoring the compromised neurogenesis has been served as a potential strategy to rescue cognitive dysfunction of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we explored whether icarisid II (ICS II), a natural product possessing powerful neuroprotection, could recover the neurogenesis dysfunction of APP/PS1 mice, and investigated its underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that oral administration of ICS II could alleviate cognitive injuries of APP/PS1 mice, promote hippocampal neurogenesis, as well as stimulate Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway confirmed by upregulated Wnt-3a, phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase-3β (p-GSK-3β), and β-catenin.

Jujuboside a promotes proliferation and neuronal differentiation of APPswe-overexpressing neural stem cells by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Mobilization of hippocampal neurogenesis has been considered as a potential strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In present study, we evaluated both the neuroprotective effects and the effects on the proliferation and differentiation of APP-overexpressing neural stem cells (APP-NSCs) by Jujuboside A (JuA) in vitro. Our results demonstrated that JuA (50 μM) decreased apoptosis and suppressed oxidative stress damage of APP-NSCs.

Subunit P60 of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase promotes cell proliferation or apoptosis depending on its phosphorylation status.

The regulatory subunits (P60 in insects, P85 in mammals) determine the activation of the catalytic subunits P110 in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) in the insulin pathway for cell proliferation and body growth. However, the regulatory subunits also promote apoptosis via an unclear regulatory mechanism. Using Helicoverpa armigera, an agricultural pest, we showed that H.

The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone counteracts insulin signaling via insulin receptor dephosphorylation.

The insulin receptor (INSR) binds insulin to promote body growth and maintain normal blood glucose levels. While it is known that steroid hormones such as estrogen and 20-hydroxyecdysone counteract insulin function, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this attenuation remain unclear. In the present study, using the agricultural pest lepidopteran Helicoverpa armigera as a model, we proposed that the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) induces dephosphorylation of INSR to counteract insulin function.

Regulating the Topologies of Zirconium-Organic Frameworks for a Crystal Sponge Applicable to Inorganic Matter.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been explored as crystal sponges (CSs) to organic substrates, but attention had rarely been paid to inorganic substrates. Herein, hierarchical zirconium-based MOFs exhibiting different topological structures had been fabricated by modulating the functional groups of the V-shaped linkers, including a new 4-fold-interpenetrating one, which displays a great performance as a CS applicable to inorganic matter (I and ReO) even in the extreme conditions.

Facile fabrication of CuS/Carbon composites using lignosulfonate for efficient palladium recovery under strong acidic conditions.

The recovery of noble metals from aqueous systems is of great significance for constructing sustainable framework of modern industry yet remains challenging. Herein, CuS/Carbon composites with superior thermal stability and adsorption capacity were successfully synthesized via one-pot hydrothermal method using lignosulfonate as dual role of raw materials. The optimal synthesis conditions were investigated via tailoring the temperature and the mass ratio of reagents.

The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone binds to dopamine receptor to repress lepidopteran insect feeding and promote pupation.

Holometabolous insects stop feeding at the final larval instar stage and then undergo metamorphosis; however, the mechanism is unclear. In the present study, using the serious lepidopteran agricultural pest Helicoverpa armigera as a model, we revealed that 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) binds to the dopamine receptor (DopEcR), a G protein-coupled receptor, to stop larval feeding and promote pupation. DopEcR was expressed in various tissues and its level increased during metamorphic molting under 20E regulation.

Crystallographic Visualization of Postsynthetic Nickel Clusters into Metal-Organic Framework.

Postsynthetic metalation (PSM) has been employed as a robust method for the postsynthetic modification of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). However, the lack of relevant information that can be obtained for the postsynthetically introduced metallic ions has hindered the development of PSM applications. Thanks to the advancement in single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) technology, there have been a few recent examples in which successful postsynthetic introduction of single metal ions into MOFs occurred at the defined chelating sites.

Structural tuning of zinc-porphyrin frameworks via auxiliary nitrogen-containing ligands towards selective adsorption of cationic dyes.

Three metal-organic frameworks have been synthesized by using N-containing ligands and meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin, which all exhibit distinct selective adsorption capacities toward various organic dyes, illustrating the most important influence of the structural tuning.

Facile Fabrication of a Multifunctional Metal-Organic Framework-based Sensor Exhibiting Exclusive Solvochromic Behaviors toward Ketone Molecules.

To probe the efficient strategy for preparing a multifunctional sensing material, the facile synthesis strategies and successful examples are urgently required. Through the utilization of a hexadentate ligand derived from cyclotriphosphazene, which displays spiral configurations and multiple connection modes, a novel metal-organic framework (MOF) was constructed via one-step synthesis from low-cost raw materials. The presence of multiple interaction sites decorating the helical channels of the reported MOF gives rise to exclusive solvochromic-sensing behavior for small ketone molecules such as acetone, acetophenone, and 2,5-diketohexane.

Deformation Monitoring of Metro Tunnel with a New Ultrasonic-Based System.

With the rapid construction of metro tunnels in many metropolises, a fast and convenient solution to capture tunnel deformation is desired by civil engineers. This contribution reports an automatic and wireless tunnel deformation monitoring system using ultrasonic transducers. A processing algorithm of the redundant ultrasonic information (RUI) approach is proposed to improve measurement accuracy.

Effects of Selenium on Fusarium Growth and Associated Fermentation Products and the Relationship with Chondrocyte Viability.

This study determined the effects of selenium on the growth of Fusarium strains and the effects of products extracted from the fungal cultures on relevant indicators of chondrocytes injury. The results showed that selenium supplementation resulted in differential effects on the mycelial growth of the strains. Levels of the chondrocyte injury indicators, including cell viability, proteoglycan and type II collagen contents and their mRNA expressions, were all reduced to varying degrees when the chondrocytes were incubated with fermentation extracts, the inhibitory effect varied depending on selenium content supplemented to fungal culture media.

Formulation development and bioavailability evaluation of a self-nanoemulsified drug delivery system of oleanolic acid.

This study aims to formulate and evaluate bioavailability of a self-nanoemulsified drug delivery system (SNEDDS) of a poorly water-soluble herbal active component oleanolic acid (OA) for oral delivery. Solubility of OA under different systems was determined for excipient selection purpose. Four formulations, where OA was fixed at the concentration of 20 mg/g, were prepared utilizing Sefsol 218 as oil phase, Cremophor EL and Labrasol as primary surfactants, and Transcutol P as cosurfactant.