Environment-Recognizing DNA-Computation Circuits for the Intracellular Transport of Molecular Payloads for mRNA Imaging

Programming intelligent DNA nanocarriers for the targeted transport of molecular payloads in living cells has attracted extensive attention. In vivo activation of these nanocarriers usually relies on external light irradiation. An interest is emerging in the automatic recognition of intracellular surroundings by nanocarriers and their in situ activation under the control of programmed DNA-computation circuits. Herein, we report the integration of DNA circuits with framework nucleic acid (FNA) nanocarriers that consist of a truncated square pyramid (TSP) cage and a built-in duplex cargo containing an antisense strand of the target mRNA. An i-motif and ATP aptamer embedded in the TSP are employed as logic-controlling units to respond to H⁺ and ATP inside cellular compartments, triggering the release of the sensing element for fluorescent mRNA imaging. Logic-controlled FNA devices could be used to target drug delivery, enabling precise disease treatment.     

Nanomaterials toward the treatment of Alzheimer's disease:Recent advances and future trends

Alzheimer's disease(AD) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative condition and the most prevalent cause of dementia. This disease is characterized by progressive cognitive impairment. The prevalence of AD is currently affecting more than 35 million people and is rising worldwide. No efficient therapy is currently available due to low drug potency and a number of various obstacles to delivery. Recent nanotechnological advancements have the potential to offer promising therapeutic options. Progress on nanomaterials as well as their applications in biomedicine is receiving increasing attention, especially the advantages of nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems. The aim of this review is to comprehensively summarize the latest developments in nanomaterial-based strategies for AD treatment, including nanoparticles, liposomes and other options for the delivery of therapeutic compounds and scaffolds for cell delivery strategies. Future research directions are also proposed. We hope this review can provide important information to guide the future development of nanomaterials in AD treatment.     

Entire synergistic contribution of Chinese rice ball-like hollow nitride sphere limited assemble of polyaniline for high-performance supercapacitors

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Chinese rice ball-like hollow nitride spheres with a high specific surface area and excellent conductivity have been successfully fabricated via a...     

Photocatalytic active silver organic framework: Ag(I)-MOF and its hybrids with silver cyanamide

Probing into the new heterostructure based on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and optimizing their photocatalytic efficiency under solar energy irradiation are one of hot topics in extending applications of MOFs in photocatalytic technology. Inspired by the excellent visible-light responses and photocatalytic activities of inorganic silver salts, in this work, we focused on the construction of hybrid photocatalysts involving Ag-MOF and silver cyanamide (Ag₂NCN). Two opposite in situ synthesis routes were adopted, which are hydrothermally producing Ag-MOF in the presence of Ag₂NCN (route A) or precipitating Ag₂NCN in the existence of Ag-MOF (route B), and the mass ratio of Ag₂NCN vs. Ag-MOF was optimized. The morphology and structure character show that the synthetic routes have no obvious influences on the crystal structure, but change the morphology and size of final hybrid photocatalysts. The photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B under simulated solar energy has been tested to evaluate the photocatalytic activities for resulting hybrids. Compared to single Ag-MOF and Ag₂NCN, the enhanced photocatalytic rates are represented by the hybrids. The electrochemical analyses and the active species trapping experiments were conducted to clarify the photocatalytic mechanism for resulting hybrids. The good recycling photocatalytic results indicate the prospect applications of Ag-MOF based hybrid photocatalysts.     

Metabolic routes along digestive system of licorice: multicomponent sequential metabolism method in rat

This study was conducted to establish the multicomponent sequential metabolism (MSM) method based on comparative analysis along the digestive system following oral administration of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., leguminosae), a traditional Chinese medicine widely used for harmonizing other ingredients in a formulae. The licorice water extract (LWE) dissolved in Krebs–Ringer buffer solution (1 g/mL) was used to carry out the experiments and the comparative analysis was performed using HPLC and LC‐MS/MS methods. In vitro incubation, in situ closed‐loop and in vivo blood sampling were used to measure the LWE metabolic profile along the digestive system. The incubation experiment showed that the LWE was basically stable in digestive juice. A comparative analysis presented the metabolic profile of each prototype and its corresponding metabolites then. Liver was the major metabolic organ for LWE, and the metabolism by the intestinal flora and gut wall was also an important part of the process. The MSM method was practical and could be a potential method to describe the metabolic routes of multiple components before absorption into the systemic blood stream. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The inverse along a product and its applications

In this paper, we study the recently defined notion of the inverse along an element. An existence criterion for the inverse along a product is given in a ring. As applications, we present the equivalent conditions for the existence and expressions of the inverse along a matrix.     

Generating and converting special focal field patterns in a 4Pi focusing system illuminated by azimuthally polarized vortex beam

Optical Review - Based on the Richards–Wolf vector diffraction theory, the strong focusing properties of a 4Pi focusing system under the illumination of the azimuthally polarized...     

Carbon Nanotubes with Phthalocyanine-Decorated Surface Produced by NH3-Assisted Microwave Reaction and Their Catalytic Performance in Li/SOCl2 Battery

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)‐templated cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) assemblies are prepared by microwave reaction with the aid of NH₄Cl. The assemblies of CoPc/MWCNTs are added to the electrolyte of Li/SOCl₂ battery to show their potential application in the field of catalysis. The assemblies display a uniform coaxial nanotube structure. In the control test, the CoPc/MWCNTs synthesized without NH₄Cl exhibit the aggregation of the nanotubes of CoPc/MWCNTs. It indicates that the use of NH₄Cl as gas source is efficient in enhancing diffusion of the MWCNTs and controlling the growth of CoPc. The catalytic reduction of SOCl₂ can be carried out by CoPc molecules outside the assemblies and the MWCNTs inside the assemblies. The assemblies of CoPc/ MWCNTs exhibit excellent electrochemical catalytic activity to Li/SOCl₂ battery. The discharge energy of Li/SOCl₂ battery catalyzed by CoPc/MWCNTs is 144% higher than that of the battery without catalyst, and is 94% higher than the energy of Li/SOCl₂ battery catalyzed by bulk CoPc.     

A new strategy to access Co/N co-doped carbon nanotubes as oxygen reduction reaction catalysts

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs),as one-dimensional nanomaterials,show great potential in energy conversion and storage due to their efficient electrical conductivity and mass transfer.However,the security risks,time-consuming and high cost of the preparation process hinder its further application.Here,we develop that a negative pressure rather than a following gas environment can promote the generation of cobalt and nitrogen co-doped CNTs(Co/N-CNTs) by using cobalt zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF-67) as a precursor,in which the negative pressure plays a key role in adjusting the size of cobalt nanoparticles and stimulating the rearragement of carbon atoms for forming CNTs.Importantly,the obtained Co/N-CNTs,with high content of pyridinic nitrogen and abundant graphitized structure,exhibit superior catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) with half-wave potential(E_1/2) of 0.85 V and durability in terms of the minimum current loss(2%) after the 30,000 s test.Our development provides a new pathway for large-scale and cost-effective preparation of metal-doped CNTs for various applications.