Disinfection of Cariogenic Pathogens in Planktonic Lifestyle,Biofilm and Carious Dentine with Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been recommended for clinical application. Its antibacterial effect on bacteria remained in dentinal tubule was seldom investigated. Here, we evaluated the antibacterial effects of aPDT on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) in planktonic lifestyle, biofilm and carious dentine. Mono-species biofilms or dentinal caries formed on human dentine slices or slabs. Bacterial suspension, biofilms and dentine caries were treated with 0.1 mg mL⁻¹ toluidine Blue O followed by irradiation with a light emission diode (λ − 635 ± 10 nm; 500 mW; 31.5 J cm⁻²; 60 s) and 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX), respectively. Residual bacteria were determined by microbial culture analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to detect the significance of the variables. Both treatments significantly reduced the number of L. acidophilus in planktonic state, biofilm and carious dentine (P < 0.05). For S. mutans, CHX was only bactericidal against suspension (P < 0.05), while aPDT was effective on both suspension and biofilm (P < 0.05) while not for dentin caries (P > 0.05). Under the experimental conditions assessed, aPDT could be an alternative disinfection method for superficial layer of caries cavity. Its disinfection on bacteria in dentinal tubule of deep layer was deficient.     

A biochemometrics strategy combining quantitative determination,bioactivity evaluation and relationship analysis for identification of analgesic alkaloids of raw and vinegar‐processed Corydalis turtschaninovii

A biochemometrics strategy combining quantitative determination, bioactivity evaluation, and relationship analysis was proposed for identification of analgesic components of herbs. First, a robust liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for simultaneous determination of nine major alkaloids in crude and vinegar‐processed Corydalis turtschaninovii. Nine alkaloids were separated on a BEH C₁₈ column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water spiked with 0.1% formic acid and then detected by multiple reactions monitoring in the positive ion mode. Nitidine chloride was employed as the internal standard. The method displayed good linearity and the precisions of intra‐day and inter‐day were all within 3.0%. The recovery rates of each alkaloid ranged from 97.1 to 102.9%. The method was successfully applied for quantitative analysis of nine alkaloids in ten batches of crude and vinegar‐processed Corydalis turtschaninovii. Second, the analgesic effects of crude and vinegar‐processed Corydalis turtschaninovii were evaluated in mice. Third, principle component analysis, canonical correlation analysis, and partial least squares regression were used to analysis the relationship between the contents of nine major alkaloids and the analgesic effect of different crude and vinegar‐processed samples. Tetrahydropalmatine, coptisine, and dehydrocorydaline have a close positive correlation with the analgesic effect.     

Wound Healing Attributes of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers Prepared with Multi‐l‐arginyl‐poly‐l‐aspartate Pairing with Hyaluronic Acid and γ‐Polyglutamic Acid

Biodegradable multi‐l ‐arginyl‐poly‐l ‐aspartate (MAPA), more commonly cyanophycin, prepared with recombinant Escherichia coli contains a polyaspartate backbone with lysine and arginine as side chains. Two assemblies of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) are fabricated at three different concentration ratios of insoluble MAPA (iMAPA) with hyaluronic acid (iMAPA/HA) and with γ‐polyglutamic acid (iMAPA/γ‐PGA), respectively, utilizing a layer‐by‐layer approach. Both films with iMAPA and its counterpart, HA or γ‐PGA, as the terminal layer are prepared to assess the effect on film roughness, cell growth, and cell migration. iMAPA incorporation is higher for a higher concentration of the anionic polymer due to better charge interaction. The iMAPA/HA films when compared to iMAPA/γ‐PGA multilayers show least roughness. The growth rates of L929 fibroblast cells on the PEMs are similar to those on glass substrate, with no supplementary effect of the terminal layer. However, the migration rates of L929 cells increase for all PEMs. γ‐PGA incorporated films impart 50% enhancement to the cell migration after 12 h of culture as compared to the untreated glass, and the smooth films containing HA display a maximum 82% improvement. The results present the use of iMAPA to construct a new layer‐by‐layer system of polyelectrolyte biopolymers with a potential application in wound dressing.     

Organic solar cells based on chlorine functionalized benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]difuran-benzo[1,2-c:4,5-c′]dithiophene-4,8-dione copolymer with efficiency exceeding 13%

Benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene(BDT) has been widely used to construct donor-acceptor(D-A) copolymers in organic solar cells(OSCs). However, benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]difuran(BDF), an analogue of BDT, has received less attention than BDT. The photovoltaic performance of BDF copolymers has lagged behind that of BDT copolymers. Here, we designed and synthesized two BDF copolymers, PBF1-C and PBF1-C-2Cl. PBF1-C-2Cl, which is composed of BDF and benzo[1,2-c:4,5-c′]dithiophene-4,8-dione connected by a chlorinated thiophene π-bridge, displays a low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital energy level,which helps in yielding a high open-circuit voltage(V_(oc)) in OSCs. As a result, when blended with Y6, PBF1-C-2Cl-based devices showed a high V_(oc) of 0.83 V and a power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 13.10%. To the best of our knowledge, the PCE of 13.10% is among the highest efficiency values for OSCs based on BDF copolymers.     

A [001]-Oriented Hittorf's Phosphorus Nanorods/Polymeric Carbon Nitride Heterostructure for Boosting Wide-Spectrum-Responsive Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution from Pure Water

Red phosphorus is a promising photocatalyst with wide visible-light absorption up to 700 nm, but the fast charge recombination limits its photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. Now, [001]-oriented Hittorf's phosphorus (HP) nanorods were successfully grown on polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) by a chemical vapor deposition strategy. Compared with the bare PCN and HP, the optimized PCN@HP hybrid exhibited a significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity, with HER rates reaching 33.2 and 17.5 μmol h⁻¹ from pure water under simulated solar light and visible light irradiation, respectively. It was theoretically and experimentally indicated that the strong electronic coupling between PCN and [001]-oriented HP nanorods gave rise to the enhanced visible light absorption and the greatly accelerated photoinduced electron–hole separation and transfer, which benefited the photocatalytic HER performance.     

Hydration-Facilitated Fine-Tuning of the AIE Amphiphile Color and Application as Erasable Materials with Hot/Cold Dual Writing Modes

Hydration water greatly impacts the color of inorganic crystals, but it is still unknown whether hydration water can be utilized to systematically manipulate the emission color of organic luminescent groups. Now, metal ions with different hydration ability allow fine-tuning the emission color of a fluorescent group displaying aggregation induced emission (AIE). Because the hydration water can be removed easily by gentle heating or mechanical grinding and re-gained by solvent fuming, rewritable materials can be fabricated both in the hot-writing and cold-writing modes. This hydration-facilitated strategy will open up a new vista in fine-tuning the emission color of AIE molecules based on one synthesis and in the design of smart luminescent devices.     

Changes in Phenols,Polysaccharides and Volatile Profiles of Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) Juice during Fermentation

The change in phenols, polysaccharides and volatile profiles of noni juice from laboratory- and factory-scale fermentation was analyzed during a 63-day fermentation process. The phenol and polysaccharide contents and aroma characteristics clearly changed according to fermentation scale and time conditions. The flavonoid content in noni juice gradually increased with fermentation. Seventy-three volatile compounds were identified by solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). Methyl hexanoate, 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol, octanoic acid, hexanoic acid and 2-heptanone were found to be the main aroma components of fresh and fermented noni juice. A decrease in octanoic acid and hexanoic acid contents resulted in the less pungent aroma in noni juice from factory-scale fermentation. The results of principal component analysis of the electronic nose suggested that the difference in nitrogen oxide, alkanes, alcohols, and aromatic and sulfur compounds, contributed to the discrimination of noni juice from different fermentation times and scales.     

Two New Chromeno[3,2-c]Pyridine Derivatives from the Whole Plants of Thalictrum finetii and Their Antirotavirus Activity

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - Two new chromeno[3,2-c]pyridin derivatives, 8-acetyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)-7-methoxy-10H-chromeno[3,2-c]pyridin-10-one (1) and...     

Fourier transforms on finite group actions and bent functions

Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics - Highly nonlinear functions (bent functions, perfect nonlinear functions, etc.) on finite fields and finite (abelian or nonabelian) groups have been studied in...     

Preliminary biological evaluation of rhenium-188-MAG3-PSMA

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a biomarker for prostate cancer, which is commonly used in the development of diagnostic and...