Research progress on the underlying mechanisms of plant defense enzymes in response to pest stress.

Plants respond to herbivory through a series of physiological and biochemical defense mechanisms to counter the stress of herbivorous pests, including the dramatic changes in activities of various defense enzymes. Here, we reviewed the recent research progress on the response mechanisms of six common plant defense enzymes, SOD, CAT, POD, PPO, LOX and PAL, to insect stress, and compared their similarities and disparities. We sorted out their interactive sequences in response to the insect stress and analyzed the changes of defense enzyme activities and their associations with defense enzyme genes after being attacked by pests.

[Porcine transcription factor AP-2δ promotes porcine circovirus type 2 replication through enhancing the activity of the rep gene promoter].

Several putative transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) exist in the PCV2 rep gene promoter. To explore if porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) could regulate the viral replication by using these TFBSs, we conducted electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), DNA-pull down and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) assays. EMSA confirmed the binding activity of the rep gene promoter with nuclear proteins of host cells.

Decreased α-tubulin acetylation induced by an acidic environment impairs autophagosome formation and leads to rat cardiomyocyte injury.

Extracellular pH strongly affects cellular metabolism and function. An acidic environment induced under pathological conditions leads to cardiomyocyte injury and dysfunction, but the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. Autophagy has been reported as a cytoprotective mechanism that maintains cellular metabolism and viability by removing misfolded proteins and damaged organelles.

Dual-Modified Novel Biomimetic Nanocarriers Improve Targeting and Therapeutic Efficacy in Glioma.

Glioma is a fatal disease with limited treatment options and very short survival. Although chemotherapy is one of the most important strategies in glioma treatment, it remains extremely clinically challenging largely due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-brain tumor barrier (BBTB). Thus, the development of nanoparticles with both BBB and BBTB penetrability, as well as glioma-targeting feature, is extremely important for the therapy of glioma.

Trinickia diaoshuihuensis sp. nov., a plant growth promoting bacterium isolated from soil.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped plant growth promoting bacterium, NEAU-SY24, was isolated from soil in Diaoshuihu, Heilongjiang, China. The isolate grew at temperatures 10-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 5-8 (optimum, pH 6) and in the presence of up to 1 % (w/v) NaCl, although NaCl was not required for growth. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain NEAU-SY24 belonged to the genus Trinickia and was closely related to Trinickia dabaoshanensis NRRL B-59553 (99.

A novel fluorescein-bisphosphonate based diagnostic tool for the detection of hydroxyapatite in both cell and tissue models.

A rapid and efficient method for the detection of hydroxyapatite (HAP) has been developed which shows superiority to existing well-established methods. This fluorescein-bisphosphonate probe is highly selective for HAP over other calcium minerals and is capable of detecting lower levels of calcification in cellular models than either hydrochloric acid-based calcium leaching assays or the Alizarin S stain. The probe has been shown to be effective in both in vitro vascular calcification models and in vitro bone calcification models.

Dual-modified natural high density lipoprotein particles for systemic glioma-targeting drug delivery.

Therapeutic outcome for the treatment of glioma was often limited due to the two barriers involved: the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-brain tumor barrier (BBTB). Therefore, the development of nanocarriers that possess both BBB and BBTB permeability and glioma-targeting ability is of great importance for the chemotherapy of glioma. New frontiers in nanomedicine are advancing the research of new biomaterials.

Mussel-inspired in situ forming adhesive hydrogels with anti-microbial and hemostatic capacities for wound healing.

All kinds of commercially available wound dressings are clinically used as fleshly obstacles and therapeutic materials in opposition to microbial incursion. Few researches focused on effective-bleeding and anti-bacteria at the same time. In order to better solve this problem, two hydrogels were synthetized in this study.

C1QTNF6 is overexpressed in gastric carcinoma and contributes to the proliferation and migration of gastric carcinoma cells.

In the present study, proteins differentially expressed between gastric cancer tissue and para‑tumoral normal gastric tissues were screened, and the function of the highly expressed protein C1QTNF6 in gastric carcinoma was investigated. The differential expression of mRNAs extracted from the tumor and adjacent tissues was analyzed using GeneChip assay. An AGS si‑C1QTNF6 cell line was constructed using shRNA‑C1QTNF6 lentivirus.

Reliability, validity and responsiveness of the Chinese version of the Rotator Cuff Quality of Life Index (RC-QOL) in patients with rotator cuff disorders.

Background: The Rotator Cuff Quality of Life Index (RC-QOL) is a scale designed to evaluate the impact of rotator cuff (RC) disorders on the general quality of life of patients. Our study aims to adapt the RC-QOL into Chinese and to assess its reliability, validity and responsiveness in Chinese patients with RC disorders.

Methods: First, we developed the Chinese version of RC-QOL (C-RC-QOL) through a five-step procedure.

Enhanced blood-brain barrier penetration and glioma therapy mediated by T7 peptide-modified low-density lipoprotein particles.

Therapeutic outcome for the treatment of glioma was often limited due to the non-targeted nature and low permeability of drugs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). An ideal glioma-targeted delivery system need to traverse the BBB and then target glioma cells with adequate optimized physiochemical properties and biocompatibility. However, it is an enormous challenge to the researchers to engineer the above-mentioned features into a single nanocarrier particle.

A dual signal-on photoelectrochemical immunosensor for sensitively detecting target avian viruses based on AuNPs/g-CN coupling with CdTe quantum dots and in situ enzymatic generation of electron donor.

A sensitive and specific photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor was fabricated for subgroup J avian leukosis viruses (ALV-J) analysis based on a dual signal-on strategy. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) decorated graphitic carbon nitride (AuNPs/g-CN) as photoelectrochemical species and primary antibody (Ab) against ALV-J were immobilized onto ITO electrode in turn. An ALP-CdTe-Ab bio-conjugant was fabricated by assembling second antibody (Ab) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) to CdTe quantum dots (QDs) surface.

Facile one-pot synthesis of a porphyrin-based hydrophilic porous organic polymer and application as recyclable absorbent for selective separation of methylene blue.

With the development of dye production and printing industry, dyes wastewater has increased dramatically. The resulting environmental pollution problem is increasing seriously. In the present work, a porphyrin-based porous organic polymer (PPOPs-OH) was synthesized by using pyrrole and 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene-1,5-dicarbaldehyde (DHNDA) as basic building block in situ.

An electrochemical biosensor based on the enhanced quasi-reversible redox signal of prussian blue generated by self-sacrificial label of iron metal-organic framework.

We develop for the first time a new electrochemical biosensor for signal-on detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase (PNK) based on the enhanced quasi-reversible redox signal of prussian blue generated by self-sacrificial label of iron metal-organic framework (FeMOF). The DNA hairpin probe modified with FeMOF@AuNPs at the 3'-thiol end acts as the substrate of PNK. The presence of PNK enables the 5'-phosphorylation of hairpin probe, which may subsequently function as the substrate of lambda exonuclease.

Mimic Peroxidase- and BiS Nanorod-Based Photoelectrochemical Biosensor for Signal-On Detection of Polynucleotide Kinase.

We demonstrate for the first time the development of a mimic peroxidase- and bismuth sulfide (BiS) nanorod-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor for signal-on detection of polynucleotide kinase (PNK) on the basis of manganese-based mimic enzyme (MnME) catalytic precipitation. We use the hybrid film which consists of BiS nanorods and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) as the immobilization matrix of capture probe. The capture probe on the modified electrode can specifically hybridize with the MnME@AuNPs-labeled signal probe to form the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), generating a PEC biosensor.

Adolescent Isolation Interacts With Point Mutation to Impair Adult Social Memory and Synaptic Functions in the Hippocampus.

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 () is a strong candidate susceptibility gene for a spectrum of neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, all of which are thought to result from interactions between gene mutations and environmental risk factors such as influenza, trauma and stress. Adolescence is a key period susceptible to stress and stress-related mental illnesses. In a previous study, we found that although L100P point mutation mice shows object recognition deficits, their sociability and social memory are relatively normal.

Erratum: Adrenal collision tumor (parachordoma and ganglioneuroma): A case report.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/mco.2018.

A novel pH-responsive electrochemiluminescence immunosensor for ALV-J detection based on hollow MnO encapsulating Ru(bpy)Cl.

A novel pH-responsive sandwich-type electrochemiluminescence immunosensor was successfully developed for the detection of avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J). The immunosensor consisted of graphene oxide functionalized with tannic acid (rGO-TA) and primary antibodies (Ab) as the main ALV-J sensing platform. For signal amplification, pH-responsive hollow MnO (hMnO) nanospheres encapsulating Ru(bpy)Cl and carrying secondary antibodies (Ab) were employed.

A robust fluorescent probe for detection of telomerase activity in vitro and imaging in living cells via telomerase-triggering primer extension to desorb DNA from graphene oxide.

We have developed a robust nanoprobe, named graphene oxide (GO) loaded fluorophore labeled DNA oligonucleotide probe (GO nanoprobe), for the detection of telomerase activity and demonstrated its application for imaging of telomerase in living cells. Two DNA oligonucleotides were used in the sensing system including a FAM-DNA template probe and a short TS primer. Upon the addition of telomerase and dNTPs, the TS primer produced a telomeric repeated sequence at the 3' end, which was just complementary to the single strand tail of FAM-DNA absorbed on the GO surface; the resulting DNA duplex chain could easily detach from the GO, due to the weak binding force between long dsDNA and GO, which led to the separation of the FAM from the GO surface and brought about an amplified fluorescence emission.

An unusual outbreak of rotavirus G8P[8] gastroenteritis in adults in an urban community, Singapore, 2016.

Background: An outbreak of gastroenteritis (GE) occurred in community-dwelling adults in the Central Region of urban Singapore, in May 2016.

Objectives: To investigate the cause of the outbreak.

Study Design: We conducted a case-cohort study on GE patients linked to the outbreak who presented to the emergency department of a tertiary-care hospital near the outbreak area, from 18 May to 11 June 2016.

Adrenal collision tumor (parachordoma and ganglioneuroma): A case report.

Adrenal collision tumors (ACTs) are distinct tumors that occur simultaneously in the same adrenal gland and are very rare. We herein report the case of a 56-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital for medical imaging. The findings of the physical and laboratory examinations, including endocrine function, were unremarkable.

Iron nanoparticles in situ encapsulated in lignin-derived hydrochar as an effective catalyst for phenol removal.

In this work, we have developed a low-cost and green strategy for nanoscale zero-valent iron (ZVI) in situ encapsulated in lignin-derived hydrochar (Fe@HC) by a facile one-pot synthesis route. The as-synthesized Fe@HC was characterized for physicochemical properties by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Further catalytic experiment revealed that phenol could be completely degraded by Fe@HC-800 within 20 min with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) at mild temperatures.

Advances in the integration of quantum dots with various nanomaterials for biomedical and environmental applications.

Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanocrystals with distinct characteristics of high brightness, large Stokes shift and broad absorption spectra, large molar extinction coefficients, high quantum yield, good photostability and long fluorescence lifetime. The QDs have replaced the conventional fluorophores with wide applications in immunoassays, microarrays, fluorescence imaging, targeted drug delivery and therapy. The integration of QDs with various nanomaterials such as noble metal nanoparticles, carbon allotropes, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), metal oxides and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) brings new opportunities and possibilities in nanoscience and nanotechnology.