Bioluminescence‐based cytotoxicity assay for simultaneous evaluation of cell viability and membrane damage in human hepatoma HepG2 cells

We have developed a bioluminescence‐based non‐destructive cytotoxicity assay in which cell viability and membrane damage are simultaneously evaluated using Emerald luciferase (ELuc) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)‐targeted copepod luciferase (GLuc‐KDEL), respectively, by using multi‐integrase mouse artificial chromosome (MI‐MAC) vector. We have demonstrated that the time‐dependent concentration response curves of ELuc luminescence intensity and WST‐1 assay, and GLuc‐KDEL luminescence intensity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the culture medium accompanied by cytotoxicity show good agreement in toxicant‐treated ELuc‐ and GLuc‐KDEL‐expressing HepG2 stable cell lines. We have clarified that the increase of GLuc‐KDEL luminescence intensity in the culture medium reflects the type of cell death, including necrosis and late apoptosis, but not early apoptosis. We have also uncovered a strong correlation between GLuc‐KDEL luminescence intensity in the culture medium and the extracellular release of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a representative damage‐associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecule. The bioluminescence measurement assay using ELuc and GLuc‐KDEL developed in this study can simultaneously monitor cell viability and membrane damage, respectively, and the increase of GLuc‐KDEL luminescence intensity in the culture medium accompanied by the increase of cytotoxicity is an index of necrosis and late apoptosis associated with the extracellular release of DAMP molecules.     

Rapid and sensitive colorimetric detection of ascorbic acid in food based on the intrinsic oxidase‐like activity of MnO2 nanosheets

In this paper, we report a colorimetric sensor for the rapid, selective detection of ascorbic acid (AA) in aqueous solutions. Single‐layered MnO₂ nanosheets were established as an artificial oxidase; consequently colorless 3,3´,5,5´‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) was oxidized to a blue product (oxTMB), with increase in absorbance at 650 nm. The absorbance of the reaction system decreased after introduction AA, which reduced MnO₂ into Mn²⁺. Under optimum conditions, a detection limit of 62.81 nM for AA in aqueous solutions could be achieved. The linear response range for AA was 0.25–30 μM with a correlation coefficient of 0.996. Importantly, the MnO₂ nanosheet–TMB chromogenic reaction exhibited great selectivity as there was no interference from other metal ions, amino acids and small biological molecules. The proposed colorimetric sensing of AA could be applied for fruit, juice and pharmaceutical samples. Moreover, the proposed sensor showed satisfying performance, including low cost, easy preparation, rapid detection, and good biocompatibility.     

The investigation of the combined effects of gamma irradiation and environmental manipulation on mortality and sterility of Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

With respect to the limitations use of methyl bromide and phosphine, employing ionizing radiation to control stored product pests has attracted great attention. The aim of this study is the investigation of the combined effects of gamma irradiation as viable alternatives to synthetic insecticides and environmental management on mortality and sterility of Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius) in a wheat cultivar (Gascogen). The effect of doses range from 30 to 2000?Gy gamma irradiation in combination with manipulation of temperature (15, 21, 27 and 32?°C) and relative humidity (20%, 50%, 65% and 85%) on 5–10?days old adults of R. dominica in Gascogen cultivar of wheat were explored. The experiments were repeated three times and conducted in The Nuclear Agriculture Research School in Karaj and laboratory of shahid steki silo in shahre-kord. Probit analysis revealed that both temperature and relative humidity had combined effects when used with gamma irradiation. The lowest doses of gamma ray required to kill 25% (14.2?Gy) and 50% (610.8?Gy) of the population (LD₂₅ and LD₅₀) were recorded at 21?°C and 85% relative humidity respectively. The low dose for 99% mortality (LD₉₉; 2386.7?Gy) was recorded for beetles maintained at 21?°C and 50% relative humidity. The effect of temperature (15, 21, 27 and 32?°C) on sterility caused by gamma irradiation was also investigated. The results showed that the F₁ generation emerged only when the beetles were treated with doses of 0–100?Gy at 32?°C and 0–70?Gy at 27?°C. These results indicate that temperature and relative humidity play an important role in the susceptibility of the lesser grain beetle to gamma irradiation. The results suggest that controlling the efficiency of gamma radiation through environmental control allows the use of low doses of gamma radiation that have a less harmful effect on human health, non-target organisms and seed agronomic features.     

Declines in moth populations stress the need for conserving dark nights

Given the global continuous rise, artificial light at night is often considered a driving force behind moth population declines. Although negative effects on individuals have been shown, there is no evidence for effects on population sizes to date. Therefore, we compared population trends of Dutch macromoth fauna over the period 1985–2015 between moth species that differ in phototaxis and adult circadian rhythm. We found that moth species that show positive phototaxis or are nocturnally active have stronger negative population trends than species that are not attracted to light or are diurnal species. Our results indicate that artificial light at night is an important factor in explaining declines in moth populations in regions with high artificial night sky brightness. Our study supports efforts to reduce the impacts of artificial light at night by promoting lamps that do not attract insects and reduce overall levels of illumination in rural areas to reverse declines of moth populations.     

Coupled Supercapacitor and Triboelectric Nanogenerator Boost Biomimetic Pressure Sensor

With the fast development of supercapacitor and triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), it is now possible to fabricate biomimetic pressure sensors with high flexibility and sustainability. Herein, an ultrathin supercapacitor is fabricated with the paper sheet and the solid electrolyte for storing energy generated by TENG. With a sandwich design, the triboelectrodes sandwiched within the two solid supercapacitors can not only store electrical energy by a wireless energy transfer mode but also help TENG imitate the receptor's unique characteristics by simultaneously measuring both static and dynamic pressures in a self‐driven mode. In addition, the voltage of the supercapacitor increases linearly with the vibration times, which hints that this integrated device also endows functions such as vibration counting and frequency computing. This work contributes to new strategies for making multifunctional biomimetic electronics that promote the development of artificial intelligence.     

右美托咪定用于复合麻醉对腹部手术患者血流动力学及神经认知功能的影响

目的:研究右美托咪定用于复合麻醉对腹部手术患者血流动力学及神经认知功能的影响。方法:选择2016年9月至2017年9月在我院接受复合麻醉条件下腹部手术的患者172例,按照随机分配的原则将其分为试验组(n=90)及对照组(n=82)。观察和比较两组拔管前后平均动脉压、心率、血清瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)、白介素6(IL-6)、钙粒蛋白β(S100β)水平的变化、拔管时间及躁动的发生情况。术后24小时,通过简易精神状态量表(MMSE)评分评估和比较两组的神经认知功能。结果:试验组拔管前、拔管时及拔管后2小时的平均动脉压、心率、血清TNF-α及IL-6水平均明显低于对照组(P0.05),拔管时间及躁动发生率分别为(11.07±2.82)min及5.55%,均显著低于对照组(P0.05)。术后24小时,试验组的血清S100β蛋白水平为(1.32±0.56)μg/L,明显低于对照组,而MMSE评分为(28.35±2.14)分,显著高于对照组(P0.05)。结论:右美托咪定应用于施行复合麻醉的腹部手术患者可以更有效的稳定血流动力学,减轻炎症反应,减少躁动,保护患者神经认知功能。     

巨噬细胞在肾脏损伤及修复中的作用和机制研究进展

急性肾损伤(Acute kidney injury, AKI)是一个日益严重的全球性健康问题,然而目前尚无预防AKI或促进AKI恢复的有效的治疗方法,寻找促进肾小管修复、阻止肾纤维化进展的有效治疗靶点与策略已迫在眉睫。巨噬细胞是具有吞噬功能的重要固有免疫细胞,具有高度的起源异质性和功能异质性,在组织发育与稳态、宿主防御、组织损伤与修复以及纤维化等多种生理病理过程中扮演着复杂的角色。特别的,在AKI损伤与修复的不同阶段巨噬细胞发生动态变化并呈现高度多样性。本文就巨噬细胞在肾损伤及修复过程中作用及机制的研究进展作一综述,以期为寻找AKI治疗靶点、制定AKI治疗策略提供新的思路。