Smart Titanium Coating Composed of Antibiotic Conjugated Peptides as an Infection‐Responsive Antibacterial Agent

Antibacterial coating is rapidly emerging as a pivotal strategy for mitigating spread of bacterial pathogens. However, many challenges still need to be overcome in order to develop a smart coating that can achieve on‐demand antibacterial effects. In this study, a Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) sensitive peptide sequence is designed, and an antibiotic is then conjugated with this tailor‐made peptide. The antibiotic‐peptide conjugate is then linked to the surface of a titanium implant, where the peptide can be recognized and cleaved by an enzyme secreted by S. aureus. This allows for the release of antibiotics in the presence of S. aureus, thus achieving delivery of an antibacterial specifically when an infection occurs.     

超声参数联合血清OPN、IL-1β对乳腺癌的临床诊断价值研究

选取我院收治的乳腺癌(BC)患者82例设为研究组,同期乳腺良性肿瘤患者82例设为对照组,探讨了超声参数联合血清骨桥蛋白(OPN)、白细胞介素-1β(IL-1β)对BC的诊断价值。结果显示,研究组患者病灶处的RI值、PI值和血清OPN、IL-1β水平均高于对照组(P<0.05);PI值、RI值、血清OPN、IL-1β水平与临床分期、肿瘤直径、远处转移存在正相关关系(P<0.05);预后良好者PI、RI、OPN、IL-1β低于预后不良者(P<0.05);超声参数联合血清OPN、IL-1β诊断BC的AUC值为0.900,预测预后的AUC值为0.875。本研究证实BC患者存在超声参数及血清OPN、IL-1β水平异常情况,且异常程度与疾病病理特征关系密切,通过超声参数及相关血清因子水平可对乳腺病变情况进行鉴别,并指导临床制定治疗方案。     

Binary and ternary alkali polyphosphates (MPO3, M = Li,Na, K) for thermal energy storage

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Up-to-date, solar salt (a mixture of 60 mass% NaNO3 and 40 mass% KNO3) is practically the only media for thermal energy storage (TES) in concentrated...     

177 Saponins,Including 11 New Compounds in Wild Ginseng Tentatively Identified via HPLC-IT-TOF-MSn,and Differences among Wild Ginseng,Ginseng under Forest,and Cultivated Ginseng

Wild ginseng (W-GS), ginseng under forest (F-GS, planted in mountain forest and growing in natural environment), and cultivated ginseng (C-GS) were compared via HPLC-DAD and HPLC-IT-TOF-MSⁿ. A total of 199 saponins, including 16 potential new compounds, were tentatively identified from 100 mg W-GS (177 saponins in W-GS with 11 new compounds), F-GS (56 saponins with 1 new compound), and C-GS (60 saponins with 6 new compounds). There were 21 saponins detected from all the W-GS, F-GS, and C-GS. Fifty saponins were only detected from W-GS, including 23 saponins found in ginseng for the first time. Contents of ginsenosides Re (12.36–13.91 mg/g), Rh₁ (7.46–7.65 mg/g), Rd (12.94–12.98 mg/g), and the total contents (50.52–55.51 mg/g) of Rg₁, Re, Rf, Rb₁, Rg₂, Rh₁, and Rd in W-GS were remarkably higher than those in F-GS (Re 1.22–3.50 mg/g, Rh₁ 0.15–1.49 mg/g, Rd 0.19–1.49 mg/g, total 5.69–18.74 mg/g), and C-GS (Re 0.30–3.45 mg/g, Rh₁ 0.05–3.42 mg/g, Rd 0.17–1.68 mg/g, total 2.99–19.55 mg/g). Contents of Re and Rf were significantly higher in F-GS than those in C-GS (p < 0.05). Using the contents of Re, Rf, or Rb₁, approximately a half number of cultivated ginseng samples could be identified from ginseng under forest. Contents of Rg₁, Re, Rg₂, Rh₁, as well as the total contents of the seven ginsenosides were highest in ginseng older than 15 years, middle–high in ginseng between 10 to 15 years old, and lowest in ginseng younger than 10 years. Contents of Rg₁, Re, Rf, Rb₁, Rg₂, and the total of seven ginsenosides were significantly related to the growing ages of ginseng (p < 0.10). Similarities of chromatographic fingerprints to W-GS were significantly higher (p < 0.05) for F-GS (median: 0.824) than C-GS (median: 0.745). A characteristic peak pattern in fingerprint was also discovered for distinguishing three types of ginseng. Conclusively, wild ginseng was remarkably superior to ginseng under forest and cultivated ginseng, with ginseng under forest slightly closer to wild ginseng than cultivated ginseng. The differences among wild ginseng, ginseng under forest, and cultivated ginseng in saponin compositions and contents of ginsenosides were mainly attributed to their growing ages.     

Microelectrode Combinations of Gold and Polypyrrole Enable Highly Stable Two-electrode Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements under Turbulent Flow Conditions

An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensor design is proposed based on a standard interdigitated electrode layout in which the smaller working electrode consists of gold (Au) whereas the larger combined counter and reference electrode is coated with a porous layer of polypyrrole (PPy) doped with polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) (PPy : PSS). Each electrode material was first characterized by EIS in a standard 3-electrode setup with subsequent spectra fitting by a modified Randles equivalent circuit. The differences in the spectra obtained by the PPy : PSS coated electrodes can be explained by an increased electroactive surface area due to the porous polymer film. The changes in morphology of the film are discussed with respect to the evolution of the elements of the electric equivalent circuit. When applying the Au/PPy : PSS electrode combination to a standard 2-electrode arrangement, the enlarged highly electroactive surface area of the PPy : PSS coating lowers the interfacial impedance in a way that mainly the gold working electrode contributes to the overall system impedance. Therefore, obtaining reproducible EIS signals depends only on the electrode's open-circuit potential (OCP) and on additional adsorption events at the gold electrode/electrolyte interface. We present a protocol for microelectrode coating with PPy : PSS, which enables highly stable 2-electrode EIS experiments without the need of a reference electrode. This combination is believed to be very useful if an integration of sensing electrodes inside Micro Total Analysis Systems is aspired.     

Contorted Heteroannulated Tetraareno[a,d,j,m]coronenes

Fused polycyclic aromatic compounds are interesting materials for organic electronics applications. To fine-tune photophysical or electrochemical properties, either various substituents can be attached or heteroatoms (such as N or S) can be incorporated into the fused aromatic backbone. Coronenes and heterocoronenes are promising compounds in this respect. Up until now, the possibilities for varying the attached fused heteroaromatics at the coronene core were quite limited, and realizing both electron-withdrawing and -donating rings at the same time was very difficult. Here, a series of pyridine, anisole and thiophene annulated tetraareno[a,d,j,m]coronenes has been synthesized by a facile two-step route that is a combination of Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling and a following cyclization step, starting from three different diarenoperylene dibromides. The contorted molecular π-planes of the obtained cata-condensed tetraarenocoronenes were analyzed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, and the photophysical and electrochemical properties were systematically investigated by UV/Vis spectroscopy and cyclovoltammetry.     

Joule heating effects on electrokinetic flows with conductivity gradients

Instability occurs in the electrokinetic flow of fluids with conductivity and/or permittivity gradients if the applied electric field is beyond a critical value. Understanding such an electrokinetic instability is significant for both improved transport (via the suppressed instability) and enhanced mixing (via the promoted instability) of liquid samples in microfluidic applications. This work presents the first study of Joule heating effects on electrokinetic microchannel flows with conductivity gradients using a combined experimental and numerical method. The experimentally observed flow patterns and measured critical electric fields under Joule heating effects to different extents are reasonably predicted by a depth-averaged numerical model. It is found that Joule heating increases the critical electric field for the onset of electrokinetic instability because the induced fluid temperature rise and in turn the fluid property change (primarily the decreased permittivity) lead to a smaller electric Rayleigh number.     

β淀粉样蛋白结合乙酰胆碱受体的结构动力学及抑制剂的虚拟筛选探究

本文开展分子对接和分子动力学模拟,探究β淀粉样蛋白多肽和α7-nAChR(α7-烟碱乙酰胆碱受体)形成的复合物的结构动力学特征,并揭示了配体和受体之间存在的分子间相互作用. 研究结果表明,Aβ_25-35通过氢键和形状互补与α7-nAChR结合,并且在离子通道中容易发生自聚集,从而阻断离子通道并诱导神经元凋亡. 计算得到Aβ_25-35的酰胺-I带位于1650.5 cm^-1,表明Aβ_25-35骨架构象倾向于呈现无规则卷曲,这与聚类分析得到的结果一致. 本文同时将目前现有的药物作为虚拟筛选的模板,设计了8种新药用于抑制β淀粉样蛋白多肽与$α7-nAChR结合. 半柔性对接结果表明,新药与α-nAChR之间存在强相互作用,能有效抑制离子通道中Aβ_25-35片段的聚集,具有缓解乃至治疗阿尔茨海默病的巨大潜力.     

瞬态磷光发射光谱研究阿替洛尔与单线态氧反应的动力学

药物活性化合物阿替洛尔是一种β受体阻滞剂,若将其排放到地表水资源中会对人类健康和生态系统产生不利的影响. 受光驱动的直接光降解以及间接光降解法可以有效去除环境中的阿替洛尔. 在间接光降解方法中,¹O₂是降解阿替洛尔这类污染物的重要活性物种. 然而,关于阿替洛尔与¹O₂反应动力学的信息还比较缺乏,二者间的反应速率常数仍存在争议. 本文通过直接观察¹O₂在1270 nm处衰减动力学来研究阿替洛尔与¹O₂在不同溶剂中的反应速率常数：在重水中为7.0×10⁵ (mol/L)^-1·s^-1,在乙腈中为8.0×10⁶ (mol/L)^-1·s^-1,在乙醇中为8.4×10⁵ (mol/L)^-1·s^-1. 在极性强、给氢能力弱的溶剂中阿替洛尔与¹O₂的反应速率常数更大. 这些结果对光降解阿替洛尔等β受体阻滞剂提供相关动力学信息.     

Electric gating of the multichannel conduction in LaAlO_3/SrTiO_3 superlattices

The electric gating on the transport properties of two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG) at the interface of LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃(LAO/STO) heterostructure has attracted great research interest due to its potential application in fieldeffect devices. Most of previous works of gate effect were focused on the LAO/STO heterostructure containing only one conductive interface. Here, we systematically investigated the gate effect on high-quality LAO/STO superlattices(SLs)fabricated on the TiO₂-terminated(001) STO substrates. In addition to the good metallicity of all SLs, we found that there are two types of charge carriers, the majority carriers and the minority carriers, coexisting in the SLs. The sheet resistance of the SLs with a fixed thickness of the LAO layer increases monotonically as the thickness of the STO layer increases. This is derived from the dependence of the minority carrier density on the thickness of STO. Unlike the LAO/STO heterostructure in which minority and majority carriers are simultaneously modulated by the gate effect, the minority carriers in the SLs can be tuned more significantly by the electric gating while the density of majority carriers is almost invariable. Thus, we consider that the minority carriers may mainly exist in the first interface near the STO substrate that is more sensitive to the back-gate voltage, and the majority carriers exist in the post-deposited STO layers. The SL structure provides the space separation for the multichannel conduction in the 2 DEG, which opens an avenue for the design of field-effect devices based on LAO/STO heterostructure.