Fluorescent berberine-based carbon dots (Ber-CDs) were prepared through a facile synthesis strategy. Ber-CDs exhibited excellent optical properties for bioimaging and retained the biofunctions of berberine, and enabled selective and safe anti-tumor performance, demonstrating their promising application potential in cancer theranostics.

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of heat-killed and live Lactobacillus on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced acute liver injury mice. The indexes evaluated included liver pathological changes, the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum, related gene expression (IL-1β, TNF-α, Bcl-2, and Bax), and related proteins levels (Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase 3, and NF-κB p65). Compared with the model group, the results indicated that the levels of ALT, AST, and MDA in the serum, the expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and Bax, and the protein levels of Bax, Caspase 3, and NF-κB p65 significantly decreased, and the pathologic damage degree all significantly reduced after live Lactobacillus fermentum (L-LF) and live Lactobacillus plantarum (L-LP) treatment. Additionally, the levels of SOD and GSH in the serum, the gene expression of Bcl-2, and the protein level of Bcl-2 significantly increased after L-LF and L-LP treatment. Although HK-LF and HK-LP could also have obvious regulating effects on some of the evaluated indexes (ALT, AST, the expression levels of TNF-α and Bax, and the protein level of Bcl-2) and play an important role in weakening liver damage, the regulating effects of L-LF or L-LP on these indexes were all better compared with the corresponding heat-killed Lactobacillus fermentum (HK-LF) and heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum (HK-LP). Therefore, these results suggested that LF and LP have an important role in liver disease.

Engineering high biomass plants that produce oil (triacylglycerol or TAG) in vegetative rather than seed-related tissues could help meet our growing demand for plant oil. Several studies have already demonstrated the potential of this approach by creating transgenic crop and model plants that accumulate TAG in their leaves and stems. However, TAG synthesis may compete with other important carbon and energy reserves, including carbohydrate production, and thereby limit plant growth. The aims of this study were thus: first, to investigate the effect of TAG accumulation on growth and development of previously generated high leaf oil tobacco plants; and second, to increase plant growth and/or oil yields by further altering carbon fixation and partitioning. This study showed that TAG accumulation varied with leaf and plant developmental stage, affected leaf carbon and nitrogen partitioning and reduced the relative growth rate and final biomass of high leaf oil plants. To overcome these growth limitations, four genes related to carbon fixation (encoding CBB cycle enzymes SBPase and chloroplast-targeted FBPase) or carbon partitioning (encoding sucrose biosynthetic enzyme cytosolic FBPase and lipid-related transcription factor DOF4) were overexpressed in high leaf oil plants. In glasshouse conditions, all four constructs increased early growth without affecting TAG accumulation while chloroplast-targeted FBPase and DOF4 also increased final biomass and oil yields. These results highlight the reliance of plant growth on carbon partitioning, in addition to carbon supply, and will guide future attempts to improve biomass and TAG accumulation in transgenic leaf oil crops.

Background and objectives: Paocai (pickled cabbage), which is fermented by lactic acid bacteria, is a traditional Chinese food. The microorganisms of Paocai were isolated and identified, and the constipation inhibition effect of one of the isolated Lactobacillus was investigated. Materials and Methods: The 16S rDNA technology was used for microbial identification. A mouse constipation model was established using activated carbon. After intragastric administration of Lactobacillus (10⁸ CFU/mL), the mice were dissected to prepare pathological sections of the small intestine. Serum indicators were detected using kits, and the expression of small intestine-related mRNAs was detected by qPCR assay. Results: One strain of Lactobacillus was identified and named Lactobacillus fermentum CQPC03 (LF-CQPC03). Body weight and activated carbon propulsion rate were all higher in mice intragastrically administered with LF-CQPC03 compared with the control group, while the time to the first black stool in treated mice was lower than that in the control group. Serum assays showed that gastrin (Gas), endothelin (ET), and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) levels were significantly higher in the LF-CQPC03-treated mice than in the control group, while somatostatin (SS) levels were significantly lower than in the control mice. Mouse small intestine tissue showed that c-Kit, stem cell factor (SCF), and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) mRNA expression levels were significantly higher in the LF-CQPC03 treated mice than in control mice, while transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression levels were significantly lower in the LF-CQPC03 treated mice than in control mice. Conclusions: There is a better effect with high-dose LF-CQPC03, compared to the lower dose (LF-CQPC03-L), showing good probiotic potential, as well as development and application value.

Metal-support interaction is of great significance for catalysis as it can induce charge transfer between metal and support, tame electronic structure of supported metals, impact adsorption energy of reaction intermediates, and eventually change the catalytic performance. Here, we report the metal size-dependent charge transfer reversal, that is, electrons transfer from platinum single atoms to sulfur-doped carbons and the carbon supports conversely donate electrons to Pt when their size is expanded to ~1.5 nm cluster. The electron-enriched Pt nanoclusters are far more active than electron-deficient Pt single atoms for catalyzing hydrogen evolution reaction, exhibiting only 11 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 and a high mass activity of 26.1 A mg-1 at 20 mV, which is 38 times greater than that of commercial Pt/C. Our work manifests that the manipulation of metal size-dependent charge transfer between metal and support opens new avenues for developing high-active catalysts.

Organosilicate glass-based porous low dielectic constant films with different ratios of terminal methyl to bridging organic (methylene, ethylene and 1,4-phenylene) groups are spin-on deposited by using a mixture of alkylenesiloxane with organic bridges and methyltrimethoxysilane, followed by soft baking at 120-200 °C and curing at 430 °C. The films' porosity was controlled by using sacrificial template Brij® L4. Changes of the films' refractive indices, mechanical properties, k-values, porosity and pore structure versus chemical composition of the film's matrix are evaluated and compared with methyl-terminated low-k materials. The chemical resistance of the films to annealing in oxygen-containing atmosphere is evaluated by using density functional theory (DFT). It is found that the introduction of bridging groups changes their porosity and pore structure, increases Young's modulus, but the improvement of mechanical properties happens simultaneously with the increase in the refractive index and k-value. The 1,4-phenylene bridging groups have the strongest impact on the films' properties. Mechanisms of oxidative degradation of carbon bridges are studied and it is shown that 1,4-phenylene-bridged films have the highest stability. Methylene- and ethylene-bridged films are less stable but methylene-bridged films show slightly higher stability than ethylene-bridged films.

The hilly red soil region of southern China suffers from severe soil erosion that has led to soil degradation and loss of soil nutrients. Estimating the content and spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) and assessing the influence of topography and land-use type on SOC and STN after years of soil erosion control are important for vegetation restoration and ecological reconstruction. A total of 375 topsoil samples were collected from Changting County, and their SOC and STN distributions were studied by using descriptive statistics and geostatistical methods. Elevation, slope, aspect and land-use type were selected to investigate the impacts of natural and human factors on the spatial heterogeneity of SOC and STN. The mean SOC and STN concentrations were 15.85 and 0.98 g kg-1 with moderate spatial variations, respectively. SOC and STN exhibited relatively uniform distributions that decreased gradually from the outside parts to the center of the study area. The SOC and STN contents in the study area were still at moderate and low levels after years of erosion control, which suggests that soil nutrient improvement is a slow process. The lowest SOC and STN values were at lower elevations in the center of Changting County. The results indicated that the SOC and STN contents increased most significantly with elevation and slope due to the influence of topography on the regional natural environment and soil erosion in the eroded hilly region. No significant variations were observed among different slope directions and land-use types.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on the expression levels of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1) in a rat model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)‑induced hepatic fibrosis. A total of 56 Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: Normal control group, model group, sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) group, and DL‑propargylglycine (PAG) group. Hepatic fibrosis was induced by CCl4. The rats in the PAG group were intraperitoneally injected with PAG, an inhibitor of cystathionine‑γ‑lyase (CSE). The rats in the NaHS group were intraperitoneally injected with NaHS. An equal volume of saline solution was intraperitoneally injected into both the control and model groups. All rats were sacrificed at week three or four following treatment. The serum levels of hyaluronidase (HA), laminin protein (LN), procollagen III (PcIII), and collagen IV (cIV) were detected using ELISA. The serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and albumin (ALB) were detected using an automatic biochemical analyzer. The liver mRNA expression levels of CSE were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The liver expression levels of AGTR1 and the plasma expression levels of H2S were detected using western blot analyses. The results indicated that the severity of hepatic fibrosis, the serum expression levels of HA, LN, PcIII, cIV, ALT, and AST, the liver expression levels of CSE and AGTR1, and the plasma expression levels of H2S were significantly higher in the PAG group, as compared with the model group (P<0.05). Conversely, the expression levels of ALB were significantly lower in the PAG group, as compared with the model group. In addition, the severity of hepatic fibrosis, the serum expression levels of HA, LN, PcIII, cIV, ALT, and AST, the liver expression levels of CSE and AGTR1, and the plasma expression levels of H2S were significantly lower in the NaHS group, as compared with the model group (P<0.05). These results suggest that endogenous H2S is associated with CCl4‑induced hepatic fibrosis in rats, and may exhibit anti‑fibrotic effects. Furthermore, H2S reduced the liver expression levels of AGTR1, which may be associated with the delayed progression of hepatic fibrosis.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown great potential in both photothermal therapy and drug delivery. In this study, a CNT derivative, hyaluronic acid-derivatized CNTs (HA-CNTs) with high aqueous solubility, neutral pH, and tumor-targeting activity, were synthesized and characterized, and then a new photodynamic therapy agent, hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME), was adsorbed onto the functionalized CNTs to develop HMME-HA-CNTs. Tumor growth inhibition was investigated both in vivo and in vitro by a combination of photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy using HMME-HA-CNTs. The ability of HMME-HA-CNT nanoparticles to combine local specific photodynamic therapy with external near-infrared photothermal therapy significantly improved the therapeutic efficacy of cancer treatment. Compared with photodynamic therapy or photothermal therapy alone, the combined treatment demonstrated a synergistic effect, resulting in higher therapeutic efficacy without obvious toxic effects to normal organs. Overall, it was demonstrated that HMME-HA-CNTs could be successfully applied to photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy simultaneously in future tumor therapy.

Electrocatalytic water oxidation is a rate-determining step in the water splitting reaction. Here, we report one single atom W6+ doped Ni(OH)2 nanosheet sample (w-Ni(OH)2) with an outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance that is, in a 1 M KOH medium, an overpotential of 237 mV is obtained reaching a current density of 10 mA/cm2. Moreover, at high current density of 80 mA/cm2, the overpotential value is 267 mV. The corresponding Tafel slope is measured to be 33 mV/dec. The d0 W6+ atom with a low spin-state has more outermost vacant orbitals, resulting in more water and OH- groups being adsorbed on the exposed W sites of the Ni(OH)2 nanosheet. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the O radical and O-O coupling are both generated at the same site of W6+. This work demonstrates that W6+ doping can promote the electrocatalytic water oxidation activity of Ni(OH)2 with the highest performance.

Human adenovirus type 55 (HAdV-B55) is a recently identified acute respiratory disease (ARD) pathogen in HAdV species B with a recombinant genome between renal HAdV-B11 and respiratory HAdV-B14. Since HAdV-B55 first appeared in China school in 2006, no more ARD cases associated with it had been reported until 2011, when there was an outbreak of adult severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Beijing, China. Reported here is the bioinformatics analysis of the re-emergent HAdV-B55 responsible for this outbreak. Recombination and protein sequence analysis re-confirmed that this isolate (BJ01) was a recombinant virus with the capsid hexon gene from HAdV-B11. The selection pressures for the three capsid proteins, i.e., hexon, penton base, and fiber genes, were all negative, along with very low non-synonymous (dN) and synonymous (dS) substitutions/site (<0.0007). Phylogenetic analyses of the whole genome and the three major capsid genes of HAdV-B55 revealed the close phylogenetic relationship among all HAdV-B55 strains. Comparative genomic analysis of this re-emergent HAdV-B55 strain (BJ01; 2011) with the first HAdV-B55 strain (QS-DLL; 2006) showed the high genome identity (99.87%), including 10 single-nucleotide non-synonymous substitutions, 11 synonymous substitutions, 3 insertions, and one deletion in non-coding regions. The major non-synonymous substitutions (6 of 10) occurred in the protein pVI in its L3 region, which protein has different functions at various stages of an adenovirus infection, and may be associated with the population distribution of HAdV-B55 infection. No non-synonymous substitutions were found in the three major capsid proteins, which proteins are responsible for type-specific neutralizing antibodies. Comparative genomic analysis of the re-emergent HAdV-B55 strains associated with adult severe CAP revealed conserved genome and capsid proteins, providing the foundation for the development of effective vaccines against this pathogen. This study also facilitates the further investigation of HAdV-B55 epidemiology, molecular evolution, patterns of pathogen emergence and re-emergence, and the predication of genome recombination between adenoviruses.

The whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) plays an important role in identifying, typing, and mutation analysis of HAdVs. Nowadays, three generations of sequencing have been developed. The accuracy of first-generation sequencing is up to 99.99%, whereas this technology relies on PCR and is time consuming; the next-generation sequencing (NGS) is expensive and not cost effective for determining a few special samples; and the third-generation sequencing technology has a higher error rate. In this study, first, we developed an efficient HAdV genomic DNA extraction method. Using the complete genomic DNA instead of the PCR amplicons as the direct sequencing template and a set of walking primers, we developed the HAdV WGS method based on first-generation sequencing. The HAdV whole genomes were effectively sequenced by a set of one-way sequencing primers designed, which reduced the sequencing time and cost. More importantly, high sequence accuracy is guaranteed. Four HAdV strains (GZ01, GZ02, HK35, and HK91) were isolated from children with acute respiratory diseases (ARDs), and the complete genomes were sequenced using this method. The accurate sequences of the whole inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) at both ends of the HAdV genomes were also acquired. The genome sequence of human adenovirus type 14 (HAdV-B14) strain GZ01 acquired by this method is identical to the sequence released in GenBank, which indicates that this novel sequencing method has high accuracy. The comparative genomic analysis identified that strain GZ02 isolated in September 2010 had the identical genomic sequence with the HAdV-B14 strain GZ01 (October 2010). Therefore, strain GZ02 is the first HAdV-B14 isolate emergent in China (September 2010; GenBank acc no. MW692349). The WGS of HAdV-C2 strain HK91 and HAdV-E4 strain HK35 isolated from children with acute respiratory disease in Hong Kong were also determined by this sequencing method. In conclusion, this WGS method is fast, accurate, and universal for common human adenovirus species B, C, and E. The sequencing strategy may also be applied to the WGS of the other DNA viruses.

The present study aims to identify the differently expressed microRNA (miRNA) molecules and target genes of miRNA in the immune tolerance (IT) and immune activation (IA) stages of chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Non-dissociative chemisorption solid-state storage of hydrogen molecules in host materials is promising to achieve both high hydrogen capacity and uptake rate, but there is the lack of non-dissociative hydrogen storage theories that can guide the rational design of the materials. Herein, we establish generalized design principle to design such materials via the first-principles calculations, theoretical analysis and focused experimental verifications of a series of heteroatom-doped-graphene-supported Ca single-atom carbon nanomaterials as efficient non-dissociative solid-state hydrogen storage materials. An intrinsic descriptor has been proposed to correlate the inherent properties of dopants with the hydrogen storage capability of the carbon-based host materials. The generalized design principle and the intrinsic descriptor have the predictive ability to screen out the best dual-doped-graphene-supported Ca single-atom hydrogen storage materials. The dual-doped materials have much higher hydrogen storage capability than the sole-doped ones, and exceed the current best carbon-based hydrogen storage materials.

Multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections are an increasing public health threat due to rapidly rising resistance toward β-lactam antibiotics. The hydrolytic enzymes called β-lactamases are responsible for a large proportion of the resistance phenotype. β-Lactamase inhibitors (BLIs) can be administered in combination with β-lactam antibiotics to negate the action of the β-lactamases, thereby restoring activity of the β-lactam. Newly developed BLIs offer some advantage over older BLIs in terms of enzymatic spectrum but are limited to the intravenous route of administration. Reported here is a novel, orally bioavailable diazabicyclooctane (DBO) β-lactamase inhibitor. This new DBO, ETX1317, contains an endocyclic carbon-carbon double bond and a fluoroacetate activating group and exhibits broad spectrum activity against class A, C, and D serine β-lactamases. The ester prodrug of ETX1317, ETX0282, is orally bioavailable and, in combination with cefpodoxime proxetil, is currently in development as an oral therapy for multidrug resistant and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales infections.

Warming-induced carbon loss through terrestrial ecosystem respiration (Re) is likely getting stronger in high latitudes and cold regions because of the more rapid warming and higher temperature sensitivity of Re (Q 10). However, it is not known whether the spatial relationship between Q 10 and temperature also holds temporally under a future warmer climate. Here, we analyzed apparent Q 10 values derived from multiyear observations at 74 FLUXNET sites spanning diverse climates and biomes. We found warming-induced decline in Q 10 is stronger at colder regions than other locations, which is consistent with a meta-analysis of 54 field warming experiments across the globe. We predict future warming will shrink the global variability of Q 10 values to an average of 1.44 across the globe under a high emission trajectory (RCP 8.5) by the end of the century. Therefore, warming-induced carbon loss may be less than previously assumed because of Q 10 homogenization in a warming world.

UV-induced photoluminescence of organosilica films with ethylene and benzene bridging groups in their matrix and terminal methyl groups on the pore wall surface was studied to reveal optically active defects and understand their origin and nature. The careful selection of the film's precursors and conditions of deposition and curing and analysis of chemical and structural properties led to the conclusion that luminescence sources are not associated with the presence of oxygen-deficient centers, as in the case of pure SiO2. It is shown that the sources of luminescence are the carbon-containing components that are part of the low-k-matrix, as well as the carbon residues formed upon removal of the template and UV-induced destruction of organosilica samples. A good correlation between the energy of the photoluminescence peaks and the chemical composition is observed. This correlation is confirmed by the results obtained by the Density Functional theory. The photoluminescence intensity increases with porosity and internal surface area. The spectra become more complicated after annealing at 400 °C, although Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy does not show these changes. The appearance of additional bands is associated with the compaction of the low-k matrix and the segregation of template residues on the surface of the pore wall.

An initial multiple biogeochemical dataset was acquired from the first discovered asphalt seeps in the Brazil margin during deep-sea dive surveys in 2013 using a manned submersible. These surveys were conducted on the outer escarpment of the North São Paulo Plateau. Sediment cores taken from the submersible were processed for pore water and sediment biogeochemistry. The silica concentration, as a chemical geothermometer, showed a steep gradient in the pore water, which indicates the possibility of an active brine system operating in the seepage area. Rare earth elements were used as powerful tracers of chemical processes. Low rare earth element concentrations in both asphalt and Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide-phase sediments suggests that rare earth elements were released during the oil fractionation and biodegradation processes and further depleted under the reducing environment. The main bacterial communities of the sediment were Proteobacteria in the asphalt sites, while at non-asphalt sites, the main bacterial communities of sediment were Firmicutes. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were used to determine the food sources of the heterotrophs, and results suggest that asphalt probably provides a carbon source for these benthic animals. This study may provide useful information to clarify the impact of heavy hydrocarbon seepage on the marine ecosystem.

Chemotherapy plays a major role in the treatment of cancer, but it still has great limitations in anti-tumor effect. Carboplatin (CAR) is the first-line drug in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, but the therapeutic effect is demonstrated weak. Therefore, we modified CAR with hexadecyl chain and polyethylene glycol, so as to realize its liposolubility and PEGylation. The synthesized amphiphilic CAR prodrugs could self-assemble into polymer micelles in water with an average particle size about 11.8 nm and low critical micelles concentration (0.0538 mg·mL-1). In vivo pharmacodynamics and cytotoxicity experiment evidenced that the polymer micelles were equipped with preferable anti-tumor effect, finally attained the aim of elevating anti-tumor effect and prolonging retention time in vivo. The self-assembled micelles skillfully solve the shortcomings of weak efficacy of CAR, which provides a powerful platform for the application of chemical drug in oncology.

In this study, the fungal dynamics associated with black locust (BL) mineralization and its correlation with various environmental factors were evaluated across three different vegetation types along a gradient of temperature and humidity. The results confirmed that Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominant phyla in each habitat, with average relative abundance of 86.57 and 11.42%, respectively. But both phylum abundance varied significantly among different BL leaves' decomposing habitats. Black locust changed the most significantly in the forest habitat and the least in the steppe. In addition, the litter characteristics of BL decreased with total carbon and total nitrogen mineralization and underground water level in water-rich region, while this result was significantly consistent with the fungal diversity. Co-occurrence network studies revealed that significant correlations were found between fungal community composition and environmental factors, the decrease of underground water level influence the fungal structure in forest habitat. Finally, the present study results provide important insights about the biological invasion of new ecosystems.