The Cytotoxic Effect of α-Synuclein Aggregates

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder involving a functional protein, α-synuclein, whose primary function is related to vesicle trafficking. However, α-synuclein is prone to form aggregates, and these inclusions, known as Lewy bodies, are the hallmark of Parkinson's disease. α-synuclein can alter its conformation and acquire aggregating capacity, forming aggregates containing β-sheets. This protein's pathogenic importance is based on its ability to form oligomers that impair synaptic transmission and neuronal function by increasing membrane permeability and altering homeostasis, generating a deleterious effect over cells. First, we establish that oligomers interfere with the mechanical properties of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) membrane, as demonstrated by nanoindentation curves. In contrast, nanoindentation revealed that the α-synuclein monomer's presence leads to a much more resistant lipid bilayer. Moreover, the oligomers’ interaction with cell membranes can promote lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, suggesting the activation of cytotoxic events.     

大豆脲酶诱导碳酸钙沉淀的多因素影响分析

本文探究了多个影响因素对大豆脲酶诱导碳酸钙沉淀(SICP)的影响,以优选出主要影响因素并提供其最佳范围。首先分析了脲酶浓度和温度对脲酶活性的影响;之后通过正交实验设计,进行25种工况的SICP水溶液实验,研究不同因素组合下Ca²⁺利用率的变化规律;最后借助扫描电子显微镜观测不同工况下生成碳酸钙的形态。结果表明:低温有利于脲酶的保存及活性发挥,5 ℃时脲酶活性能保持21 d以上;同一温度下,脲酶浓度越大,脲酶初始活性越高,脲酶完全失活所需时间越短。pH值、脲酶与胶结液体积比是影响Ca²⁺利用率的主要因素。为达到较高的Ca²⁺利用率,脲酶和胶结液最佳体积比为1,氯化钙与尿素最佳浓度比为1.5,Ca²⁺最佳浓度为1 mol/L。当脲酶浓度较低时生成的六面体状碳酸钙较多;随着脲酶浓度的增大,所沉淀的碳酸钙向球形转变。大豆中富含的天冬氨酸是控制碳酸钙形态的重要因素。     

Ensuring robustness in the quality of antibiotic susceptibility test discs for four novel antibiotics

Antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) discs are used as an in-vitro diagnostic tool to select the appropriate antibiotic to treat an infection. Generally, the concentration of the drug loaded on to the AST discs is measured by studying its activity against quality control organisms. This methodology has several limitations—it is time consuming, requires trained manpower, has a wider acceptance criteria of zone of inhibitions—causing ambiguity in judging smaller variations in drug concentration. To overcome these issues, we have developed and validated high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods for the determination of strength of AST discs for in-house researched antibiotics, namely Levonadifloxacin/WCK 771, Nafithromycin/WCK 4873, Cefepime-Tazobactam/WCK 4282, and Cefepime-Zidebactam/WCK 5222. The drugs were extracted from the AST discs using an appropriate solvent. The developed methods are simple, accurate, precise, reproducible, rugged, and robust. They are efficient in terms of time, and can be easily conducted in a quality control laboratory during release as well as stability evaluation of AST disc. Application of HPLC methods for the determination of strength of AST discs ensures flawless quality and, consequently, a better selection of drugs to treat bacterial infections in clinics.     

A novel lipid droplets-targeting fluorescent probe based on dicyanisophorone and carbazole for Cu2+ and its application

A novel fluorescent probe, LCH , based on dicyanisophorone and carbazole, was prepared for the visual detection of Cu²⁺. The probe LCH could recognize Cu²⁺ by fluorescence quenching in EtOH/H₂O (1/4, v/v) solution, which could be easily identified under the 365 nm UV lamp, and the detection limit was as low as 0.785 μM. The recognition mechanism of probe LCH with Cu²⁺ was determined by combining ¹H NMR titration, MS, and theoretical calculations. Practical application experiments showed that probe LCH could be used to detect Cu²⁺ in the test strip experiments. Cell imaging experiments showed that the probe LCH owned good cell permeability and could be applied to the imaging of Cu²⁺ in HepG2 cells. In addition, fluorescence colocalization experiments showed that LCH could target lipid droplets. These results indicate that the probe LCH will have a good application prospect in environmental detection and clinical medicine.     

石英的顺磁中心在电子自旋共振测年中的特性及应用

沉积物的电子自旋共振测年是利用石英矿物中的顺磁中心浓度确定总辐射能量,进而推定石英矿物的埋藏年代。石英中可用于测年的顺磁中心包括E’心、Al心、Ti心和Ge心。E’心需要经过热活化后才能测年。Al心是一种电子空穴心,在低温下可观测到较强的信号值。光照可以使Al心漂白,但有残留值存在。Ti心、Ge心都是电子中心,Ti心在低温测试中可见,信号微弱。Ge心光晒退最敏感,在常温观测中可见。不同顺磁中心的形成机理不同导致它们具有不同的特性,适用于不同沉积环境中的样品测年,在冰碛物中Ge心测年更具有可行性。电子自旋共振测试时降低温度可使信号增强,Ti心在10 K和15 K时信号强度最大;Al心在20 K时信号最强。Ge心在200 K时信号明显增强。在电子自旋共振测年中可根据不同顺磁中心信号强度的变化调整测试温度获得信号的最优值。在以后的ESR测试中可以选取信号最强时的测试温度进行测试,以增强微弱信号的信噪比,有利于对复杂的信号形态的分辨确定,提高对信号强度定量的准确性。     

The Mechanical and Biological Performance of Photopolymerized Gelatin-Based Hydrogels as a Function of the Reaction Media

From the first experiments with biomaterials to mimic tissue properties, the mechanical and biochemical characterization has evolved extensively. Several properties can be described, however, what should be essential is to conduct a proper and physiologically relevant characterization. Herein, the influence of the reaction media (RM) and swelling media (SM)–phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) with two different glucose concentrations–is described in gelatin methacrylamide (GelMA) hydrogel mechanics and in the biological behavior of two tumoral cell lines (Caco-2 and HCT-116). All scaffolds are UV-photocrosslinked under identical conditions and evaluated for mass swelling ratio and stiffness. The results indicate that stiffness is highly susceptible to the RM, but not to the SM. Additionally, PBS-prepared hydrogels exhibited a higher photopolymerization degree according to high resolution magic-angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR. These findings correlate with the biological response of Caco-2 and HCT-116 cells seeded on the substrates, which demonstrated flatter morphologies on stiffer hydrogels. Overall, cell viability and proliferation are excellent for both cell lines, and Caco-2 cells displayed a characteristic apical-basal polarization based on F-actin/Nuclei fluorescence images. These characterization experiments highlight the importance of conducting mechanical testing of biomaterials in the same medium as cell culture.     

有机相变材料的发展及在纺织领域的应用

相变材料因为其优良的热性能,被广泛应用于纺织品、航空航天、交通运输、农业、国防、建材、太阳能系统和医疗设备等领域。近年来,开发应用新型相变材料已经成为研究热点。本文首先概括介绍了相变材料发展进程,着重介绍了有机相变材料,包括它的分类、性能和应用。详细介绍了有机相变材料在纺织行业的应用,以及对调温纺织品测试手段的研究和建立的相关数学模型的建立。     

An integrated platform for gas-diffusion separation and electrochemical determination of ethanol on fermentation broths

An integrated platform was developed for point-of-use determination of ethanol in sugar cane fermentation broths. Such analysis is important because ethanol reduces its fuel production efficiency by altering the alcoholic fermentation step when in excess. The custom-designed platform integrates gas diffusion separation with voltammetric detection in a single analysis module. The detector relied on a Ni(OH)₂-modified electrode. It was stabilized by uniformly depositing cobalt and cadmium hydroxides as shown by XPS measurements. Such tests were in accordance with the hypothesis related to stabilization of the Ni(OH)₂ structure by insertion of Co²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions in this structure. The separation step, in turn, was based on a hydrophobic PTFE membrane, which separates the sample from receptor solution (electrolyte) where the electrodes were placed. Parameters of limit of detection and analytical sensitivity were estimated to be 0.2% v/v and 2.90 μA % (v/v)⁻¹, respectively. Samples of fermentation broth were analyzed by both standard addition method and direct interpolation in saline medium based-analytical curve. In this case, the saline solution exhibited ionic strength similar to those of the samples intended to surpass the tonometry colligative effect of the samples over analyte concentration data by attributing the reduction in quantity of diffused ethanol vapor majorly to the electrolyte. The approach of analytical curve provided rapid, simple and accurate analysis, thus contributing for deployment of point-of-use technologies. All of the results were accurate with respect to those obtained by FTIR method at 95% confidence level.     

Inverse colloidal crystal membranes for hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography

A collaborative study on the robustness and portability of a capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry method for peptide mapping was performed by an international team, consisting of 13 independent laboratories from academia and industry. All participants used the same batch of samples, reagents and coated capillaries to run their assays, whereas they utilized the capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry equipment available in their laboratories. The equipment used varied in model, type and instrument manufacturer. Furthermore, different types of sheath‐flow capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry interfaces were used. Migration time, peak height and peak area of ten representative target peptides of trypsin‐digested bovine serum albumin were determined by every laboratory on two consecutive days. The data were critically evaluated to identify outliers and final values for means, repeatability (precision within a laboratory) and reproducibility (precision between laboratories) were established. For relative migration time the repeatability was between 0.05 and 0.18% RSD and the reproducibility between 0.14 and 1.3% RSD. For relative peak area repeatability and reproducibility values obtained were 3–12 and 9–29% RSD, respectively. These results demonstrate that capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry is robust enough to allow a method transfer across multiple laboratories and should promote a more widespread use of peptide mapping and other capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry applications in biopharmaceutical analysis and related fields.     

枪口焰烟光学特性测试研究

针对狙击作战中对狙击手的探测、定位及告警的需求,开展了枪口焰烟光学特性测试研究。根据枪口焰烟文献资料与光学测量设备的性能参数,设计了枪口焰烟光学特性外场测试详细方案。对某5.8 mm与7.62 mm口径弹道步枪的枪口焰烟光学特性进行了外场测试。测试结果表明,枪口焰烟辐射主要集中在2μm～5μm,持续时间约为6 ms,辐射能量最大值出现在2 ms附近,5.8 mm弹道步枪枪口焰烟在中波和长波的辐射强度均高于7.62 mm。枪口焰烟光学特性的测试结果为枪口焰烟的探测及武器发射药的改进提供了重要依据。