CA IX-targeted Ag_(2)S quantum dots bioprobe for NIR-II imaging-guided hypoxia tumor chemo-photothermal therapy

Hypoxia is the common characteristic of almost all solid tumors,which prevents therapeutic drugs from reaching the tumors.Therefore,the development of new targeted agents for the accurate diagnosis of hypoxia tumors is widely concerned.As carbonic anhydrase IX(CA IX)is abundantly distributed on the hypoxia tumor cells,it is considered as a potential tumor biomarker.4-(2-Aminoethyl)benzenesulfonamide(ABS)as a CA IX inhibitor has inherent inhibitory activity and good targeting effect.In this study,Ag_(2)S quantum dots(QDs)were used as the carrier to prepare a novel diagnostic and therapeutic bioprobe(Ag_(2)S@polyethylene glycol(PEG)-ABS)through ligand exchange and amide condensation reaction.Ag_(2)S@PEG-ABS can selectively target tumors by surface-modified ABS and achieve accurate tumor imaging by the near infrared-II(NIR-II)fluorescence characteristics of Ag_(2)S QDs.PEG modification of Ag_(2)S QDs greatly improves its water solubility and stability,and therefore achieves high photothermal stability and high photothermal conversion efficiency(PCE)of 45.17%.Under laser irradiation,Ag_(2)S@PEG-ABS has powerful photothermal and inherent antitumor combinations on colon cancer cells(CT-26)in vitro.It also has been proved that Ag_(2)S@PEG-ABS can realize the effective treatment of hypoxia tumors in vivo and show good biocompatibility.Therefore,it is a new efficient integrated platform for the diagnosis and treatment of hypoxia tumors.

Identification and quantification of the bioactive components in Osmanthus fragrans roots by HPLC-MS/MS

The roots of O. fragrans are also a valuable resource in addition to its flowers and fruits. In this study, the HPLC-MS/MS method used for analyzing the chemical constituents in O. fragrans roots extract was developed, which showed high sensitivity for both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Thirty-two compounds were first discovered in O. fragrans roots, one compound of which was reported for the first time. The simultaneous determination method for acteoside, isoacteoside, oleuropein and phillyrin was validated to be sensitive and accurate. Then it was applied to determine the content of bioactive components in O. fragrans roots from different cultivars. The content of oleuropein and phillyrin in the twelve batches was relatively stable, while the content of acteoside and isoacteoside varied greatly.Moreover, the therapeutic material basis and mechanism of O. fragrans roots exerting its traditional pharmacodynamics were analyzed by network pharmacology. The results showed that O. fragrans roots might be effective for the treatment of inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis, which is consistent with the traditional pharmacodynamics of O. fragrans roots. This work can provide an analytical method for the comprehensive development of O. fragrans roots.

Determination of bioactive components in the fruits of Cercis chinensis Bunge by HPLC-MS/MS and quality evaluation by principal components and hierarchical cluster analyses

The fruits of leguminous plants Cercis Chinensis Bunge are still overlooked although they have been reported to be antioxidative because of the limited information on the phytochemicals of C.chinensis fruits.A simple,rapid and sensitive HPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the identification and quantitation of the major bioactive components in C.chinensis fruits.Eighteen polyphenols were identified,which are first reported in C.chinensis fruits.Moreover,ten components were simultaneously quantified.The validated quantitative method was proved to be sensitive,reproducible and accurate.Then,it was applied to analyze batches of C.chinensis fruits from different phytomorph and areas.The principal components analysis(PCA)realized visualization and reduction of data set dimension while the hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA)indicated that the content of phenolic acids or all ten components might be used to differentiate C.chinensis fruits of different phytomorph.

Recent advances in screening of enzymes inhibitors based on capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis with many advantages plays an important role in pharmaceutical analysis and drug screening. This review gives an overview on the recent advances in the developments and applications of capillary electrophoresis in the field of enzyme inhibitor screening. The period covers 2013 to 2017. Both the pre-capillary enzyme assays and in-capillary enzyme assays which include electrophoretically mediated microanalysis（EMMA） and immobilized enzyme microreactor（IMER） are summarized in this article.

Simultaneous determination of three curcuminoids in Curcuma longa L.by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detection

A novel method for analysis of three active components curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin in Curcuma longa L. was developed by HPLC coupled with electrochemical detection. Three curcuminoids were well separated on a C18 column and detected with high sensitivity. A mobile phase containing acetonitrile and 10 mM Na2HPO4-H3PO4 （pH 5.0） （50：50, v/v） was used. Good linearity was obtained in the range of 0.208-41.6, 0.197-39.4, and 0.227-114μM for curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin respectively. The limit of detection reached up to 10 ？ 8 M, which was lower than that by UV detection. The relative standard deviations （RSDs） ranged from 1.06%to 1.88%for intra-day precision and from 4.30%to 5.79%for inter-day precision, respectively. The proposed method has been applied in real herb sample and recoveries ranging from 86.3%to 111%were obtained.

A Self-supported Graphene/Carbon Nanotube Hollow Fiber for Integrated Energy Conversion and Storage

Wearable fiber-shaped integrated energy conversion and storage devices have attracted increasing attention,but it remains a big challenge to achieve a common fiber electrode for both energy conversion and storage with high performance.Here,we grow aligned carbon nanotubes(CNTs)array on continuous graphene(G)tube,and their seamlessly connected structure provides the obtained G/CNTs composite fiber with a unique self-supported hollow structure.Taking advantage of the hollow structure,other active materials(e.g.,polyaniline,PANI)could be easily functionalized on both inner and outer surfaces of the tube,and the obtained G/CNTs/PANI composite hollow fibers achieve a high mass loading(90%)of PANI.The G/CNTs/PANI composite hollow fibers can not only be used for high-performance fiber-shaped supercapacitor with large specific capacitance of 472 mF cm^-2,but also can replace platinum wire to build fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cell(DSSC)with a high power conversion efficiency of 4.20%.As desired,the integrated device of DSSC and supercapacitor with the G/CNTs/PANI composite hollow fiber used as the common electrode exhibits a total power conversion and storage efficiency as high as 2.1%.Furthermore,the self-supported G/CNTs hollow fiber could be further functionalized with other active materials for building other flexible and wearable electronics.

Advances in capillary electro-chromatography

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) is a micro-scale separation technique which is a hybrid between capillary electrophoresis (CE) and liquid chromatography (LC). CEC can be performed in packed, monolithic and open-tubular columns. In recent three years (from 2016 to 2018), enormous attention for CEC has been the development of novel stationary phases. This review mainly covers the development of novel stationary phases for open-tubular and monolithic columns. In particular, some biomaterials attracted increasing interest. There are no significant breakthroughs in technology and principles in CEC. The typical CEC applications, especially chiral separations are described.

Simultaneous determination of doxorubicin and its dipeptide prodrug in mice plasma by HPLC with fluorescence detection

A simple and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection （HPLC-FD） has been developed for simultaneous quantification of doxorubicin （DOX） and its dipeptide conjugate prodrug （PDOX） in mice plasma. The chromatographic separation was carried out on an Amethyst C18-H column with gradient mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The excitation and emission wavelengths were set at 490 and 550 nm, respectively. The method was comprehensively validated. The limits of detection were low up to 5.0 ng/mL for DOX and 25.0 ng/mL for PDOX. And the limits of quantification were low up to 12.5 ng/mL for DOX and 50 ng/mL for PDOX, which were lower than those for most of the current methods. The calibration curves showed good linearity （R2 〉 0.999） over the concentration ranges. The extraction recoveries ranged from 84.0% to 88.2% for DOX and from 85.4% to 89.2% for PDOX. Satisfactory intra-day and inter-day precisions were achieved with RSDs less than 9.1%. The results show that the developed HPLC-FD method is accurate, reliable and will be helpful for preclinical pharmacokinetic study of DOX and PDOX.

A benzenesulfonic acid-modified organic polymer monolithic column with reversed-phase/hydrophilic bifunctional selectivity for capillary electrochromatography

Here,a styrene-based polymer monolithic column poly(VBS-co-TAT-co-AHM)with reversed-phase/hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography(RPLC/HILIC)bifunctional separation mode was success-fully prepared for capillary electrochromatography by the in situ polymerization of sodium p-styrene sulfonate(VBS)with cross-linkers 3-(acryloyloxy)-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate(AHM)and 1,3,5-triacryloylhexahydro-1,3,5-triazine(TAT).The preparation conditions of the monolith were optimized.The morphology and formation of the poly(VBS-co-TAT-co-AHM)monolith were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR).The separation perfor-mances of the monolith were evaluated systematically.It should be noted that the incorporation of VBS functional monomer can provideπ-πinteractions,hydrophilic interactions,and ion-exchange in-teractions.Hence,the prepared poly(VBS-co-TAT-co-AHM)monolith can achieve efficient separation of thiourea compounds,benzene series,phenol compounds,aniline compounds and sulfonamides in RPLC or HILIC separation mode.The largest theoretical plate number for N,N0-dimethylthiourea reached 1.7×10^(5)plates/m.In addition,the poly(VBS-co-TAT-co-AHM)monolithic column showed excellent reproducibility and stability.This novel monolithic column has great application value and potential in capillary electrochromatography(CEC).

In situ synthesis of a spherical covalent organic framework as a stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography

Covalent organic frameworks(COFs)are a novel type of crystalline porous organic polymer materials recently developed.It has several advantages in chromatographic separation field,such as high thermal stability,porosity,structural regularity,and large specific surface area.Here,a novel spherical COF 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)benzene(TAPB)and 2,5-bis(2-propyn-1-yloxy)-1,4-benzenedicarboxaldehyde(BPTA)was developed as an electrochromatographic stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography separation.The COF TAPB-BPTA modified capillary column was fabricated via a facile in situ growth method at room temperature.The characterization results of scanning electron microscopy(SEM),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR)spectroscopy,and X-ray diffraction(XRD)confirmed that COF TAPB-BPTA were successfully modified onto the capillary inner surface.The electrochromatography separation performance of the COF TAPB-BPTA modified capillary was investigated.The prepared column demonstrated outstanding separation performance toward alkylbenzenes,phenols,and chlorobenzenes compounds.Furthermore,the baseline separations of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)and parabens with good efficiency and high resolution were achieved.Also,the prepared column possessed satisfactory precision of the intra-day runs(n=5),inter-day runs(n=3),and parallel columns(n=3),and the relative standard deviations(RSDs)of the retention times of tested alkylbenzenes were all less than 2.58%.Thus,this new COF-based stationary phase shows tremendous application potential in chromatographic separation field.

Physicochemical degradation of phycocyanin and means to improve its stability:A short review

The cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis,spirulina,is a source of pigments such as phycobiliprotein and phycocyanin.Phycocyanin is used in the food,cosmetics,and pharmaceutical industries because of its antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,and anticancer properties.The different steps involved in extraction and purification of this protein can alter the final properties.In this review,the stability of phycocyanin(pH,temperature,and light)is discussed,considering the physicochemical parameters of kinetic modeling.The optimal working pH range for phycocyanin is between 5.5 and 6.0 and it remains stable up to 45℃;however,exposure to relatively high temperatures or acidic pH decreases its half-life and increases the degradation kinetic constant.Phycobiliproteins are sensitive to light;preservatives such as mono-and disaccharides,citric acid,or sodium chloride appear to be effective stabilizing agents.Encapsulation within nano-or micro-structured materials such as nanofibers,microparticles,or nanoparticles,can also preserve or enhance its stability.

Preface for advances in pharmaceutical analysis 2018

The first International Symposium on Advances in Pharmaceutical Analysis (APA 2017) was started and held successfully in Wuhan University, China from November 17 to 19, 2017. The organization of the 2nd International Symposium on Advances in Pharmaceutical Analysis in the capital city of Flanders, Lille, was both an exciting and challenging project because the idea of an annual meeting between our two long cooperating Schools of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Wuhan and Lille, stood to reason.

Preface for Advances in Pharmaceutical Analysis 2017

The year of 2017 is of historic importance for China. It was the year that China started to step into New Period. It was also the year that I had joined Wuhan University as a Luojia professor and set up my research group for ten years since I came back to China from University of Notre Dame, United States in 2007.

CEPC Technical Design Report

The Circular Electron Positron Collider(CEPC)is a large scientific project initiated and hosted by China,fostered through extensive collaboration with international partners.The complex comprises four accelerators:a 30 GeV Linac,a 1.1 GeV Damping Ring,a Booster capable of achieving energies up to 180 GeV,and a Collider operating at varying energy modes(Z,W,H,and tt).The Linac and Damping Ring are situated on the surface,while the subterranean Booster and Collider are housed in a 100 km circumference underground tunnel,strategically accommodating future expansion with provisions for a potential Super Proton Proton Collider(SPPC).The CEPC primarily serves as a Higgs factory.In its baseline design with synchrotron radiation(SR)power of 30 MW per beam,it can achieve a luminosity of 5×10^(34)cm^(-2)s^(-1)per interaction point(IP),resulting in an integrated luminosity of 13 ab^(-1)for two IPs over a decade,producing 2.6 million Higgs bosons.Increasing the SR power to 50 MW per beam expands the CEPC's capability to generate 4.3 million Higgs bosons,facilitating precise measurements of Higgs coupling at sub-percent levels,exceeding the precision expected from the HL-LHC by an order of magnitude.This Technical Design Report(TDR)follows the Preliminary Conceptual Design Report(Pre-CDR,2015)and the Conceptual Design Report(CDR,2018),comprehensively detailing the machine's layout,performance metrics,physical design and analysis,technical systems design,R&D and prototyping efforts,and associated civil engineering aspects.Additionally,it includes a cost estimate and a preliminary construction timeline,establishing a framework for forthcoming engineering design phase and site selection procedures.Construction is anticipated to begin around 2027-2028,pending government approval,with an estimated duration of 8 years.The commencement of experiments and data collection could potentially be initiated in the mid-2030s.

A non-antibiotic organic coating on ZA6-1 surface releasing different concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulphate/levulinic acid for orthopaedic application

Bone implantation surgery is often accompanied by bacterial infection,resulting in infectious bone non-union,pathological fracture and other serious consequences,which will aggravate the pain of patients.A non-antibiotic coating consisting of sodium dodecyl sulphate(SDS)and levulinic acid(LA)with different concentrations was prepared by the authors on the zinc–aluminium alloy(ZA6-1)using a wet chemistry treatment for orthopaedic application.The influence of SDS/LA concentrations on the surface morphology,composition and performance of the developed coating was investigated.The results showed that as-prepared coating on a zinc alloy surface could improve the substrate's corrosion resistance and increase the degradation rate from 0.82 to 19.70μm/year upon raising the SDS/LA concentration.Furthermore,higher hydrophilicity(<14°),better cell proliferation(>100%)and morphology,as well as good cell adhesion and differentiation(ALP>95%for 7 days)were observed on coated zinc alloys.The increased SDS/LA concentration slightly weakens the biocompatibility and enhances the antibacterial performance of coated zinc alloys due to the synergistic effect of SDS/LA.Overall,the coating comprising 6 wt.%SDS and 9 wt.%LA showed excellent antibacterial action with a high level of biocompatibility,confirming its potential application for orthopaedic implants.

Selected functionalization of continuous graphene fibers for integrated energy conversion and storage

Increasing attention has been paid to develop flexible integrated energy devices, but it remains a big challenge to achieve a common electrode for building both energy conversion and storage devices with high performance. Here, we for the first time selectively functionalize polyaniline(PANI) and platinum(Pt)inside different segments of chemical vapor deposition grown continuous graphene tube, achieving selectively functionalized graphene composite(PANI//Pt@G) fibers. The PANI@G and Pt@G parts could be used as efficient electrodes for supercapacitor with a specific capacitance of 284 m F cm-2 and dye-sensitized solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 4.73%, respectively. By using a PANI//Pt@G fiber as the common electrode, an integrated energy device with a total energy conversion and storage efficiency of 3.07% is realized. The continuous graphene tubes could be functionalized with other active materials for other flexible and wearable electronics.

Shanghai Autism Early Development:An Integrative Chinese ASD Cohort

Why Was the Cohort Set Up?Autism spectrum disorder(ASD)is a child neurodevelopmental disorder,the onset of which is generally within 3 years of age,and often leads to lifelong impaired social and cognitive functions,which impose significant mental pressure and economic burdens on the family and society.

Tuning C-C sp2/sp3 ratio of DLC films in FCVA system for biomedical application

Diamond like carbon(DLC)films with different C-C sp2/sp3 ratios were prepared by tuning the N2 flow rate in a filtered cathodic vacuum arc(FCVA)system.The increase of N2 flow rate facilitated the increase of C-C sp2/sp3 ratio(1.09-2.66),the growth of particle size(0.78-1.58 nm)and the improvement of surface roughness.The SBF immersion results,as well as WCAs(77.57°~71.71°),hemolysis rate(0.14-1.00%)and cytotoxicity level(0)demonstrated that the as-fabricated DLC film was promising for biomedical application.As a result of surface charge effect,the apatite layers formed in the SBF increased with the increase of C-C sp2/sp3 ratio until 1.74 and then showed a tiny decrease during 1.74-2.66.A raise of hemolysis and cytotoxicity was observed when sp2/sp3 ratio was increased.Moreover,a decrease of friction coefficient of Si surface induced by increasing sp2/sp3 ratio was respectively evidenced in ambient air and SBF lubrication environments.

Improving anti-Gram-positive-bacterial performance and osteogenesis for zinc alloy via mussel mimetic polydopamine with non-antibiotic lysozyme and parathyroid hormone

In this work,a novel coating with a non-antibiotic agent for inhibiting Gram-positive bacteria and promoting osteogenesis was prepared on zinc-aluminium alloy(ZA6-1)via mussel mimetic polydopamine(PDA)containing lysozyme(LYS)and parathyroid hormone(PTH).The results indicate that as-deposited coatings can efficiently decrease the degradation rate of ZA6-1 from 0.52 to 0.16 mm/year,and the addition of LYS weakens the coating resistance,while the addition of PTH enhances the coating resis-tance.In spite that no obvious inhibition of Escherichia coli is observed,the coated zinc alloys show good in vitro antibacterial performance against Staphylococcus aureus.Compared with ZA6-1 zinc alloys,the increase of antibacterial efficacy reaches 86.9%-90.1%.Furthermore,the lower hydrophilicity(26.4°),higher osteoblast cell viability(>100%),good osteoblast cell morphology and better osteoblast cell differentiation(ALP=107.7%)for PDA-LYS/PTH coated samples support that as-prepared coating is promising for modifying biodegradable zinc implants.