A molecular approach to rationally constructing specific fluorogenic substrates for the detection of acetylcholinesterase activity in live cells,mice brains and tissues

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an extremely critical hydrolase tightly associated with neurological diseases. Currently, developing specific substrates for imaging AChE activity still remains a great challenge due to the interference from butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and carboxylesterase (CE). Herein, we propose an approach to designing specific substrates for AChE detection by combining dimethylcarbamate choline with a self-immolative scaffold. The representative P10 can effectively eliminate the interference from CE and BChE. The high specificity of P10 has been proved via imaging AChE activity in cells. Moreover, P10 can also be used to successfully map AChE activity in different regions of a normal mouse brain, which may provide important data for AChE evaluation in clinical studies. Such a rational and effective approach can also provide a solid basis for designing probes with different properties to study AChE in biosystems and another way to design specific substrates for other enzymes.

In this work, a new approach was developed for designing the representative P10 with high selectivity and sensitivity for imaging AChE activity in the cells and normal mouse brain.     

Polysaccharide-based hemostats: recent developments,challenges, and future perspectives

Cellulose - Excessive hemorrhage is a leading cause of death to trauma patients, especially in combat and civilian accidents. The main priority in the medical treatment of trauma patients is to...     

Fire retarded polyurethane foam composites based on steel slag/ammonium polyphosphate system: A novel strategy for utilization of metallurgical solid waste

A series of FR-RPUF composites were prepared by a one-step water foaming process with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and steel slag (SS) as flame retardants. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG), limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 vertical combustion test, microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC), TG-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (TG-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectra and FTIR were used to investigate the thermal stability, flame retardancy, combustion performance, gas phase products, and char residue morphology of FR-RPUF composites. TG test results showed that the initial decomposition temperature (T_-5wt%) and char residue rate at 700°C of RPUF/APP/SS composites were significantly enhanced by the addition of APP and SS, and the thermal stability of the composites was improved. Flame retardant test results confirmed the significantly increased LOI values of RPUF/APP/SS composites with V-0 rating. TG-FTIR also confirmed the obviously decreased release of toxic gases and flammable gases in the combustion of RPUF/APP/SS composites. SEM and Raman spectra of char residues for the composites suggested that APP/SS system improved the compactness and graphitization degree of char layer for RPUF/APP/SS composite. The above researches provide a new strategy for the utilization of SS in fire safety engineering.     

Ultrasensitive Voltammetric Detection of Trace Lead(II) and Cadmium(II) Using MWCNTs‐Nafion/Bismuth Composite Electrodes

Multiwall carbon nanotubes were dispersed in Nafion (MWCNTs‐NA) solution and used in combination with bismuth (MWCNTs‐NA/Bi) for fabricating composite sensors to determine trace Pb(II) and Cd(II) by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). The electrochemical properties of the MWCNTs‐NA/Bi composites film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were evaluated. The synergistic effect of MWCNTs and bismuth composite film was obtained for Pb(II) and Cd(II) detection with improved sensitivity and reproducibility. Linear calibration curves ranged from 0.05 to 100 μg/L for Pb(II) and 0.08 to 100 μg/L for Cd(II). The determination limits (S/N=3) were 25 ng/L for Pb and 40 ng/L for Cd, which compared favorably with previously reported methods in the area of electrochemical Pb(II) and Cd(II) detection. The MWCNTs‐NA/Bi composite film electrodes were successfully applied to determine Pb(II) and Cd(II) in real sample, and the results of the present method agreed well with those of atomic absorption spectroscopy.     

Growth factor functionalized biodegradable nanocellulose scaffolds for potential wound healing application

Cellulose - Nanocellulose has been highlighted as one of the most promising biomaterials for biomedical applications with the potential to outperform conventional polymeric materials. However, the...     

钙镁磷肥(FCMP)阴离子构型的硅烷化气相色谱(TMS-GC)研究

通过对钙镁磷肥(FCMP)硅烷化气相色谱(TMS-GC)的研究证明:FCMP中硅以一聚、二聚、三聚链及环四构型为主,同时还有少量其他一维、二维、三维构型存在;而磷则以单个四面体与硅聚合或独立存在。     

超声-伏安法对饮用水中痕量铅(Ⅱ)和铜(Ⅱ)的检测研究

以金纳米粒子修饰玻碳电极为工作电极,采用超声-微分脉冲阳极溶出伏安法连续测定饮用水中痕量铅(Ⅱ)和铜(Ⅱ).通过原子力显微镜(AFM)对金纳米粒子的形貌和大小进行表征,对超声波提高伏安检测信号的工作机理作了比较详细的探讨.实验结果表明,超声波-伏安法提高了方法的灵敏度,与传统的微分脉冲伏安法相比,Pb(Ⅱ)和Cu(Ⅱ)的峰电流分别增大10倍和8倍.Pb(Ⅱ)和Cu(Ⅱ)离子在质量浓度10～250 μg·L-1和5～200 μg·L-1范围内成良好的线性关系,相关系数分别为0.9943和0.9985.在含有50 μg·L-1 Pb(Ⅱ)和20 μg·L-1 Cu(Ⅱ)的溶液中重复测定9次,其相对标准偏差为3.5%和2.2%,Pb(Ⅱ)和Cu(Ⅱ)的检出限分别为0.3 ng·mL-1和0.1 ng·mL-1.该方法成功应用于饮用水中痕量Pb(Ⅱ)和Cu(Ⅱ)的检测,方法简便可靠,具有实际应用意义.     

Effects of linker amino acids on the potency and selectivity of dimeric antimicrobial peptides

Conformational flexibility induced by proline and aminocaproic acid can increase anticancer activity and antimicrobial activity of dimeric antimicrobial peptides with reduced hemolytic activity. This study will contribute to the design of efficient antimicrobial peptides.     

Morphological evolution of Cu2O nanocrystals in an acid solution: stability of different crystal planes

The morphological evolution of uniform Cu(2)O nanocrystals with different morphologies in a weak acetic acid solution (pH = 3.5) has been studied for cubic, octahedral, rhombic dodecahedral, {100} truncated octahedral, and {110} truncated octahedral nanocrystals. Cu(2)O nanocrystals undergo oxidative dissolution in weak acid solution, but their morphological changes depend on the exposed crystal planes. We found that the stability of Cu(2)O crystal planes in weak acid solution follows the order of {100} ? {111} > {110} and determines how the morphology of Cu(2)O nanocrystals evolves. The stable {100} crystal planes remain, and new {100} facets form at the expense of the less stable {111} and {110} crystal planes on the surface of Cu(2)O nanocrystals. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the Cu-O bond on Cu(2)O(100) surface has the shortest bond length. These results clearly exemplify that the morphology of inorganic crystals will evolve with the change of local chemical environment, shedding light on fundamentally understanding the morphological evolution of natural minerals and providing novel insights into the geomimetic synthesis of inorganic materials in the laboratory.     

铜原子单激发态3d104p 2P1/2的光电离(英文)

铜原子能级结构的理论计算具有非常大的挑战性。本文基于多组态Dirac-Hartree-Fock（MCDHF）方法和相对论组态相互作用（RCI）方法,通过三个大规模的关联模型计算了单激发态3d104p 2P_1/2、双激发态3d94s（3D）5s4D_3/2,1/2,3d94s（3D）5s 2D_3/2,3d94s（1D）5s 2D_3/2以及离子态3d10 1S₀能级和波函数。结果表明,铜原子能级结构对有限组态空间的选择极其敏感,双激发态3d94s（3D）5s 4D_3/2,1/2,3d94s（3D）5s 2D_3/2,3d94s（1D）5s 2D_3/2和离子态3d10 1S₀与单激发态之间的能量差相对于已有实验结果均存在大约-0.4 eV的偏差,而计算得到的共振电子能量与实验结果符合得较好。此外,根据辐射跃迁矩阵元和非辐射跃迁矩阵元计算了双激发态的Fano参数q,并基于Fano理论得到了铜单激发态3d104p 2P_1/2的总光电离截面,该理论考虑了直接光电离与光激发自电离之间的干涉效应,即共振3d94s（3D）5s 4D_3/2,1/2、3d94s（3D）5s 2D_3/2和3d94s（1D）5s 2D_3/2具有明显的非对称的Fano轮廓,表明光电离过程与光激发自电离过程之间的干涉对双激发态共振附近的光电离截面轮廓有着极其重要的影响。