Lysine glycation of apolipoprotein A-I impairs its anti-inflammatory function in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major protein compontent of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), exerts many anti-atherogenic functions. This study aimed to reveal whether nonenzymatic glycation of specific sites of apoA-I impaired its anti-inflammatory effects in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). LC-MS/MS was used to analyze the specific sites and the extent of apoA-I glycation either modified by glucose in vitro or isolated from T2DM patients.

Genetic lineage tracing analysis of c-kit stem/progenitor cells revealed a contribution to vascular injury-induced neointimal lesions.

Aims: Accumulating evidence indicates the presence of vascular stem/progenitor cells that may play a role in endothelial repair and lesion formation in the injured artery, in which c-kit stem/progenitor cells have been reported to differentiate into endothelial and smooth muscle cells in vitro and in ischemic tissue. In this study, we investigated whether and how endogenous c-kit stem/progenitor cells contribute to vascular injury and neointima formation in vivo.

Methods And Results: We created Kit-CreERxRosa26-RFP mice and performed genetic lineage tracing analysis of c-kit stem/progenitor cells in injury-induced neointima formation in vivo.

Preparation and characterization of maltodextrin-based polyurethane.

Maltodextrin (MD) based polyurethane (MDPU) was prepared by the reaction of MD and polyethyleneglicol (PEG) polyurethane prepolymer (PUP). The structure and properties of the MDPU were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), and tensile-testing machine in detail. Chemical structure of MDPU was confirmed by FTIR and H NMR.

Prostaglandin F Facilitates Hepatic Glucose Production Through CaMKIIγ/p38/FOXO1 Signaling Pathway in Fasting and Obesity.

Gluconeogenesis is drastically increased in patients with type 2 diabetes and accounts for increased fasting plasma glucose concentrations. Circulating levels of prostaglandin (PG) F are also markedly elevated in diabetes; however, whether and how PGF regulates hepatic glucose metabolism remain unknown. Here, we demonstrated that PGF receptor (F-prostanoid receptor [FP]) was upregulated in the livers of mice upon fasting- and diabetic stress.

Unraveling the Enzymatic Activity of Oxygenated Carbon Nanotubes and Their Application in the Treatment of Bacterial Infections.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their derivatives have emerged as a series of efficient biocatalysts to mimic the function of natural enzymes in recent years. However, the unsatisfiable enzymatic efficiency usually limits their practical usage ranging from materials science to biotechnology. Here, for the first time, we present the synthesis of several oxygenated-group-enriched carbon nanotubes (o-CNTs) via a facile but green approach, as well as their usage as high-performance peroxidase mimics for biocatalytic reaction.

A label free Ag sensing method via in situ formation of metal coordination polymer.

Metal ions sensing play critical roles in environmental monitoring and in biology. In this assay, we report the development of a facile fluorometric method for the sensing of Ag ions via the in situ formation of metal coordination polymer, based on the selective interactions of GSH with Ag. The formation of coordination polymer with net multiple negative charges in an aqueous buffer solution (Tris-HAc, pH 9.

Correction to: Age at menarche and age at natural menopause in East Asian women: a genome-wide association study.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Fabrication of Z-scheme magnetic MoS/CoFeO nanocomposites with highly efficient photocatalytic activity.

MoS thin nanosheets decorated with CoFeO nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. The nanocomposites are characterized by XRD, TEM, HRTEM, BET, XPS, UV-Vis DRS, PL and magnetic property analysis. The Z-scheme mechanism at the interface of MoS and CoFeO is formed.

Preparation and characterization of acetylated maltodextrin and its blend with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate).

Acetylated maltodextrins (AMDs) were synthesized. It was found that maltodextrin (MD) was easily acetylated to form AMDs with high degree of substitution (DS). The DS of the prepared AMDs was much higher than that of acetylated corn starches (ACSs) obtained under the same reaction conditions.

Dye-based mito-thermometry and its application in thermogenesis of brown adipocytes.

Unlabelled: Mitochondrion is the main intracellular site for thermogenesis and attractive energy expenditure targeting for obesity therapy. Here, we develop a method of mitochondrial thermometry based on Rhodamine B methyl ester, which equilibrates as a thermosensitive mixture of nonfluorescent and fluorescent resonance forms. Using this approach, we are able to demonstrate that the efficacy of norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis is low, and measure the maximum transient rate of temperature increase in brown adipocytes.

Li(TeO)F: A Lithium Fluoride Tellurite with Large Second Harmonic Generation Responses and a Short Ultraviolet Cutoff Edge.

Here, the combination of the strong electropositive lithium and the most electronegative fluorine with the TeO group afforded the first lithium fluoride tellurite, namely, Li(TeO)F (P6), which was synthesized by solid-state reactions. Its structure features a novel three-dimensional anionic framework of [LiOF] composed of LiOF and LiO tetrahedra with one-dimensional hexagonal tunnels of 12-membered rings along the c-axis, filled by the "isolated" ψ-TeO tetrahedra. Notably, this compound displays the largest band gap of 4.

Micro Galvanic Cell To Generate PtO and Extend the Triple-Phase Boundary during Self-Assembly of Pt/C and Nafion for Catalyst Layers of PEMFC.

The self-assembly powder (SAP) with varying Nafion content was synthesized and characterized by XRD, XPS, HRTEM, and mapping. It is observed that the oxygen from oxygen functional groups transfers to the surface of Pt and generate PtO during the process of self-assembly with the mechanism of micro galvanic cell, where Pt, carbon black, and Nafion act as the anode, cathode and electrolyte, respectively. The appearance of PtO on the surface of Pt leads to a turnover of Nafion structure, and therefore more hydrophilic sulfonic groups directly contact with Pt, and thus the triple-phase boundary (TPB) has been expanded.

Visible light high-resolution imaging system for large aperture telescope by liquid crystal adaptive optics with phase diversity technique.

There are more than eight large aperture telescopes (larger than eight meters) equipped with adaptive optics system in the world until now. Due to the limitations such as the difficulties of increasing actuator number of deformable mirror, most of them work in the infrared waveband. A novel two-step high-resolution optical imaging approach is proposed by applying phase diversity (PD) technique to the open-loop liquid crystal adaptive optics system (LC AOS) for visible light high-resolution adaptive imaging.

Identification of candidate genes involved in isoquinoline alkaloids biosynthesis in Dactylicapnos scandens by transcriptome analysis.

Dactylicapnos scandens (D. Don) Hutch (Papaveraceae) is a well-known traditional Chinese herb used for treatment of hypertension, inflammation, bleeding and pain for centuries. Although the major bioactive components in this herb are considered as isoquinoline alkaloids (IQAs), little is known about molecular basis of their biosynthesis.

Fibroblasts in an endocardial fibroelastosis disease model mainly originate from mesenchymal derivatives of epicardium.

Endocardial fibroelastosis (EFE) refers to the thickening of the ventricular endocardium as a result of de novo deposition of subendocardial fibrous tissue layers during neonatal heart development. The origin of EFE fibroblasts is proposed to be postnatal endocardial cells that undergo an aberrant endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). Genetic lineage tracing of endocardial cells with the inducible endocardial Cre line Npr3-CreER and the endothelial cell tracing line Cdh5-CreER on an EFE-like model did not reveal any contribution of neonatal endocardial cells to fibroblasts in the EFE-like tissues.

Uyghur food culture.

Uyghur food culture has a long history. It is rich in resources, with the strong characteristics of being "green" and healthy, and having high nutritional value. We analyze the development and current status of Uyghur food culture, and explore the value of developing this food culture's resources.

Bipolar Electrodes with 100% Current Efficiency for Sensors.

A bipolar electrode (BPE) is an electron conductor that is embedded in the electrolyte solution without the direct connection with the external power source (driving electrode). When the sufficient voltage was provided, the two poles of BPE promote different oxidation and reduction reactions. During the past few years, BPEs with wireless feature and easy integration showed great promise in the various fields including asymmetric modification/synthesis, motion control, targets enrichment/separation, and chemical sensing/biosensing combined with the quantitative relationship between two poles of BPE.

Arsenic removal by periphytic biofilm and its application combined with biochar.

A biochar and periphyton-based system (BPS) comprising of a biochar column and a periphyton bioreactor was designed to avoid the toxicity issue associated with removing As(III) from wastewater. Results showed that the periphyton can grow when As(III) is less than 5.0mgL.

Micro-Membrane Electrode Assembly Design to Precisely Measure the in Situ Activity of Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysts for PEMFC.

An in situ micro-MEA technique, which could precisely measure the performance of ORR electrocatalyst using Nafion as electrolyte, was designed and compared with regular thin-film rotating-disk electrode (TFRDE) (0.1 M HClO) and normal in situ membrane electrode assembly (MEA) tests. Compared to the traditional TFRDE method, the micro-MEA technique makes the acquisition of catalysts' behavior at low potential values easily achieved without being limited by the solubility of O in water.

An Efficient and Benign Antimicrobial Depot Based on Silver-Infused MoS.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent, whose toxicity originates from the localized release of Ag ions. However, the residual AgNPs core could generate potential risk to humans and waste of noble metals. Herein, we infused the cysteine-modified molybdenum disulfide with minimum Ag ions and coated with a layer of cationic polyelectrolyte to construct an efficient and benign antimicrobial depot.

The Genus Carissa: An Ethnopharmacological, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review.

Carissa L. is a genus of the family Apocynaceae, with about 36 species as evergreen shrubs or small trees native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and Oceania. Most of Carissa plants have been employed and utilized in traditional medicine for various ailments, such as headache, chest complains, rheumatism, oedema, gonorrhoea, syphilis, rabies.

A facile approach for surface alteration of Pseudomonas putida I3 by supplying KSO into growth medium: Enhanced removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution.

A new sight of obtaining a high efficient biosorbent by supplying specific salts into bacterial growth medium was investigated in this study for Pb(II). Among a series of salts including NaSO, NaSO, KCl, and KSO, the highest Pb(II) removal efficiency was observed by psychrotrophilic Pseudomonas putida I3 grown in the presence of 30g/L KSO (KSI3-30) with biosorption capacity of 62.89mg/g under cold condition (15°C), which was increased by 42.

MicroRNA 301A Promotes Intestinal Inflammation and Colitis-Associated Cancer Development by Inhibiting BTG1.

Background & Aims: Intestinal tissues from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer have increased expression of microRNA-301a (MIR301A) compared with tissues from patients without IBD. We studied the mechanisms of MIR301A in the progression of IBD in human tissues and mice.

Methods: We isolated intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) from biopsy samples of the colon from 153 patients with different stages of IBD activity, 6 patients with colitis-associated cancer (CAC), and 35 healthy individuals (controls), enrolled in the study in Shanghai, China.