Photolysis of Staphyloxanthin in Methicillin-Resistant Potentiates Killing by Reactive Oxygen Species.

Confronted with the severe situation that the pace of resistance acquisition is faster than the clinical introduction of new antibiotics, health organizations are calling for effective approaches to combat methicillin-resistant (MRSA) infections. Here, an approach to treat MRSA through photolysis of staphyloxanthin, an antioxidant residing in the microdomain of membrane, is reported. This photochemistry process is uncovered through transient absorption imaging and quantitated by absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry.

Effects of membrane thickness on the performance of ionic polymer-metal composite actuators.

In this study, we report the effects of Nafion thickness on the performance of ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators. We analyzed the actuation properties of the IPMC actuators, such as displacement and tip force, under external voltage, as a function of their thickness. In order to understand the relationship between thickness and actuation properties, we developed a semi-quantitative model of voltage induced ionic diffusion and its contribution to bending of the Nafion cantilever.

Bioinspired Preservation of Natural Killer Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy.

The ability to cryopreserve natural killer (NK) cells has a significant potential in modern cancer immunotherapy. Current cryopreservation protocols cause deterioration in NK cell viability and functionality. This work reports the preservation of human cytokine-activated NK cell viability and function following cryopreservation using a cocktail of biocompatible bioinspired cryoprotectants (i.

Nanoporous Films and Nanostructure Arrays Created by Selective Dissolution of Water-Soluble Materials.

Highly porous thin films and nanostructure arrays are created by a simple process of selective dissolution of a water-soluble material, SrAlO. Heteroepitaxial nanocomposite films with self-separated phases of a target material and SrAlO are first prepared by physical vapor deposition. NiO, ZnO, and Ni Mg O are used as the target materials.

Proteomic analysis of RAW macrophages treated with cGAMP or c-di-GMP reveals differentially activated cellular pathways.

Global and quantitative analysis of the proteome help to reveal how host cells sense invading bacteria and respond to bacterial signaling molecules. Here, we performed label free quantitative proteomic analysis of RAW macrophages treated with host-derived cGAMP and bacterial-derived c-di-GMP, in an attempt to identify cellular pathways impacted by these dinucleotides and determine if the host responds differentially to these two cyclic dinucleotides. We identified a total of 3811 proteins of which abundances of 404 proteins in cGAMP and 236 proteins in c-di-GMP treated cells were significantly different compared to the control.

Tuning the mechanical properties of silicene nanosheet by auxiliary cracks: a molecular dynamics study.

Silicene has become a topic of interest nowadays due to its potential application in various electro-mechanical nanodevices. In our previous work on silicene, fracture stresses of single crystal and polycrystalline silicene have been investigated. Existence of defects in the form of cracks reduces the fracture strength of silicene nanosheets to a great extent.

Green-Light-Activated Photoreaction via Genetic Hybridization of Far-Red Fluorescent Protein and Silk.

Fluorescent proteins often result in phototoxicity and cytotoxicity, in particular because some red fluorescent proteins produce and release reactive oxygen species (ROS). The photogeneration of ROS is considered as a detrimental side effect in cellular imaging or is proactively utilized for ablating cancerous tissue. As ancient textiles or biomaterials, silk produced by silkworms can directly be used as fabrics or be processed into materials and structures to host other functional nanomaterials.

Anisotropic swelling wound dressings with vertically aligned water absorptive particles.

A multi-layer solution casting method was utilized to fabricate a three-layer wound dressing film consisting of a wound contact layer, an absorbing layer and a backing layer. The absorbing layer, whose function is to absorb and retain the exudate thus providing a moist environment for wound healing, was made of superabsorbent particles and a thermoplastic polyurethane matrix. In this study, the superabsorbent particles were aligned into chains whose axes oriented along the thickness direction of the film by an external electric field.

Sequences of acetyl CoA carboxylase promoter for tumour necrosis factor action.

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibits the accumulation of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) mRNA by decreasing the rate of ACC gene transcription. The ACC mRNA species found in 30A5 cells are generated from promoter II and TNF inhibits the accumulation of class 2 type mRNAs. By using 5' deletion mutants of promoter II fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene, the DNA mobility shift assay and the DNase I footprinting assay, the authors have identified the 30 bp from -389 to -359 as the TNF responsive element in promoter II.