Characterization of a novel xylanase from Armillaria gemina and its immobilization onto SiO2 nanoparticles

Enhanced catalytic activities of different lignocellulases were obtained from Armillaria gemina under statistically optimized parameters using a jar fermenter. This strain showed maximum xylanase, endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and β-glucosidase activities of 1,270, 146, 34, and 15 U mL^?1, respectively. Purified A. gemina xylanase (AgXyl) has the highest catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m?=?1,440 mg?mL^?1?s^?1) ever reported for any fungal xylanase, highlighting the significance of the current study. We covalently immobilized the crude xylanase preparation onto functionalized silicon oxide nanoparticles, achieving 117 % immobilization efficiency. Further immobilization caused a shift in the optimal pH and temperature, along with a fourfold improvement in the half-life of crude AgXyl. Immobilized AgXyl gave 37.8 % higher production of xylooligosaccharides compared to free enzyme. After 17 cycles, the immobilized enzyme retained 92 % of the original activity, demonstrating its potential for the synthesis of xylooligosaccharides in industrial applications.     

Superelastic Hybrid CNT/Graphene Fibers for Wearable Energy Storage

The demands for wearable technologies continue to grow and novel approaches for powering these devices are being enabled by the advent of new electromaterials and novel fabrication strategies. Herein, a novel approach is reported to develop superelastic wet‐spun hybrid carbon nanotube graphene fibers followed by electrodeposition of polyaniline to achieve a high‐performance fiber‐based supercapacitor. It is found that the specific capacitance of hybrid carbon nanotube (CNT)/graphene fiber is enhanced up to ≈39% using a graphene to CNT fiber ratio of 1:3. Fabrication of spring‐like coiled fiber coated with an elastic polymer shows an extraordinary elasticity capable of 800% strain while affording a specific capacitance of ≈138 F g^?1. The elastic rubber coating enables extreme stretchability and enabling cycles with up to 500% strain for thousands of cycles with no significant change in its performance. Multiple supercapacitors can be easily assembled in series or parallel to meet specific energy and power needs.     

Integration of a multicomponent intervention for hypertension into primary healthcare services in Singapore—A cluster randomized controlled trial

BackgroundDespite availability of clinical practice guidelines for hypertension management, blood pressure (BP) control remains sub-optimal (<30%) even in high-income countries. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a potentially scalable multicomponent intervention integrated into primary care system compared to usual care on BP control.Methods and findingsA cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 8 government clinics in Singapore. The trial enrolled 916 patients aged ≥40 years with uncontrolled hypertension (systolic BP (SBP) ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥90 mmHg).Multicomponent intervention consisted of physician training in risk-based treatment of hypertension, subsidized losartan-HCTZ single-pill combination (SPC) medications, nurse training in motivational conversations (MCs), and telephone follow-ups. Usual care (controls) comprised of routine care in the clinics, no MC or telephone follow-ups, and no subsidy on SPCs. The primary outcome was mean SBP at 24 months’ post-baseline. Four clinics (447 patients) were randomized to intervention and 4 (469) to usual care. Patient enrolment commenced in January 2017, and follow-up was during December 2018 to September 2020. Analysis used intention-to-treat principles. The primary outcome was SBP at 24 months. BP at baseline, 12 and 24 months was modeled at the patient level in a likelihood-based, linear mixed model repeated measures analysis with treatment group, follow-up, treatment group × follow-up interaction as fixed effects, and random cluster (clinic) effects.A total of 766 (83.6%) patients completed 2-year follow-up. A total of 63 (14.1%) and 87 (18.6%) patients in intervention and in usual care, respectively, were lost to follow-up. At 24 months, the adjusted mean SBP was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to usual care (−3.3 mmHg; 95% CI: −6.34, −0.32; p = 0.03). The intervention led to higher BP control (odds ratio 1.51; 95% CI: 1.10, 2.09; p = 0.01), lower odds of high (>20%) 10-year cardiovascular risk score (OR 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.97; p = 0.03), and lower mean log albuminuria (−0.22; 95% CI: −0.41, −0.02; p = 0.03). Mean DBP, mortality rates, and serious adverse events including hospitalizations were not different between groups. The main limitation was no masking in the trial.ConclusionsA multicomponent intervention consisting of physicians trained in risk-based treatment, subsidized SPC medications, nurse-delivered motivational conversation, and telephone follow-ups improved BP control and lowered cardiovascular risk. Wide-scale implementation of a multicomponent intervention such as the one in our trial is likely to reduce hypertension-related morbidity and mortality globally.Trial registrationTrial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02972619","term_id":"NCT02972619"}}NCT02972619.

Tazeen H Jafar and colleagues present findings from a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention designed to manage hypertension.     

Helicobacter pylori in familial clusters based on antibody profile

Studies have shown a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in close communities and that intrafamilial spread during early childhood may be a route of transmission. A total of 72 household members from 21 families were enrolled in this study. Sera from individuals showed 50/72 (69.4%) seropositive for IgG against H. pylori by ELISA. Western blots showed diversity in the protein profiles with molecular masses ranging from approximately 8 to 130 kDa. Cohen's kappa statistical analysis of the blot patterns showed that nine families demonstrated similar profiles (100%), while 4 other families showed varying similarities (17-50%). The results support the hypothesis of intrafamilial transmission of H. pylori. Furthermore, serological studies can be used as an effective approach to determine the familial status in relation to H. pylori infection.     

Microwave‐assisted aqueous synthesis of new quaternary‐alloyed CdSeTeS quantum dots; and their bioapplications in targeted imaging of cancer cells

In this study, we report for the first time a one‐pot approach for the synthesis of new CdSeTeS quaternary‐alloyed quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous phase by microwave irradiation. CdCl₂ was used as a Cd precursor during synthesis, NaHTe and NaHSe were used as Te and Se precursors and mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was used as a stabilizer and source of sulfur. A series of quaternary‐alloyed QDs of different sizes were prepared. CdSeTeS QDs exhibited a wide emission range from 549 to 709 nm and high quantum yield (QY) up to 57.7 %. Most importantly, the quaternary‐alloyed QDs possessed significantly long fluorescence lifetimes > 100 ns as well as excellent photostability. Results of high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) and powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy showed that the nanocrystals possessed a quaternary alloy structure with good crystallinity. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) showed that QDs possessed good water solubility and monodispersity in aqueous solution. Furthermore, CdSeTeS QDs were modified with alpha‐thio‐omega‐carboxy poly(ethylene glycol) (HS‐PEG‐COOH) and the modified QDs were linked to anti‐epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies. QDs with the EGFR antibodies as labeling probes were successfully applied to targeted imaging for EGFR on the surface of SiHa cervical cancer cells. We believe that CdSeTeS QDs can become useful probes for in vivo targeted imaging and clinical diagnosis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthetic RNA Silencing of Actinorhodin Biosynthesis in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

We demonstrate the first application of synthetic RNA gene silencers in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). Peptide nucleic acid and expressed antisense RNA silencers successfully inhibited actinorhodin production. Synthetic RNA silencing was target-specific and is a new tool for gene regulation and metabolic engineering studies in Streptomyces.