PCN-Fe(Ⅲ)-PTX nanoparticles for MRI guided high efficiency chemo-photodynamic therapy in pancreatic cancer through alleviating tumor hypoxia

As nanomedicine-based clinical strategies have continued to develop,the possibility of combining chemotherapy and singlet oxygen-dependent photodynamic therapy(PDT)to treat pancreatic cancer(PaC)has emerged as a viable therapeutic modality.The efficacy of such an approach,however,is likely to be constrained by the mechanisms of drug release and tumor oxygen levels.In the present study,we developed an Fe(Ⅲ)-complexed porous coordination network(PCN)which we then used to encapsulate PTX(PCN-Fe(Ⅲ)-PTX)nanoparticles(NPs)in order to treat PaC via a combination of chemotherapy and PDT.The resultant NPs were able to release drug in response to both laser irradiation and pH changes to promote drug accumulation within tumors.Furthermore,through a Fe(Ⅲ)-based Fenton-like reaction these NPs were able to convert H2O2 in the tumor site to O2,thereby regulating local hypoxic conditions and enhancing the efficacy of PDT approaches.Also these NPs were suitable for use as a T1-MRI weighted contrast agent,making them viable for monitoring therapeutic efficacy upon treatment.Our results in both cell line and animal models of PaC suggest that these NPs represent an ideal agent for mediating effective MRI-guided chemotherapy-PDT,giving them great promise for the clinical treatment of PaC.

Sensitivity analysis for the total nitrogen pollution of the Danjiangkou Reservoir based on a 3-D water quality model

Inter-basin water deal of nitrogen are great transfers containing a great threats to human health, biodiversity, and air and water quality in the recipient area. Danjiangkou Reservoir, the source reservoir for China＇s South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project, suffers from total nitrogen pollution and threatens the water transfer to a number of metropolises including the capital, Beijing. To locate the main source of nitrogen pollution into the reservoir, especially near the Taocha canal head, where the intake of water transfer begins, we constructed a 3-D water quality model. We then used an inflow sensitivity analysis method to analyze the sig- nificance of inflows from each tributary that may contribute to the total nitrogen pollution and affect water quality. The results indicated that the Han River was the most significant river with a sensitivity index of 0.340, followed by the Dan River with a sensitivity index of 0.089, while the Guanshan River and the Lang River were not significant, with the sensitivity indices of 0.002 and 0.001, respectively. This result implies that the concentration and amount of nitrogen inflow outweighs the geographical position of the tributary for sources of total nitrogen pollution to the Taocha canal head of the Danjiangkou Reservoir.

The ties of brotherhood between japonica and indica rice for regional adaptation

Selection of beneficial genomic variants was crucial for regional adaptation of crops during domestication,but the underlying genomic basis remains largely unexplored.Here we report a genome-wide selective-sweep analysis of 655 japonica and 1,205 indica accessions selected from 2,673 landraces through principal component analysis to identify 5,636 non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)fixed in at least one subspecies.We classified these SNPs into three groups,jiS(japonica-and indica-selected),jS(japonica-selected only),and iS(indica-selected only),and documented evidence for selection acting on these groups,their relation to yield-related traits,such as heading date,and their practical value in cropping area prediction.We also demonstrated the role of a jiS-SNP-containing gene in temperature adaptability.Our study informs genes underpinning adaptation that may shape Green Super Rice and proposes a time-saving,cost-reducing selection strategy of genomic breeding,sweep-SNP-guided selection,for developing regionally-adapted heterosis.

OsLTP47 may function in a lipid transfer relay essential for pollen wall development in rice

In plants,lipid transfer proteins(LTPs)transport pollen wall constituents from the tapetum to the exine,a process essential for pollen wall development.However,the functional cooperation of different LTPs in pollen wall development is not well understood.In this study,we have identified and characterized a grassspecific LTP gene,Os LTP47,an important regulator of pollen wall formation in rice(Oryza sativa).Os LTP47 encodes a membrane-localized LTP and in vitro lipid-binding assays confirms that Os LTP47 has lipidbinding activity.Dysfunction of Os LTP47 causes disordered lipid metabolism and defective pollen walls,leading to male sterility.Yeast two-hybrid and pull-down assays reveal that Os LTP47 physically interacts with another LTP,Os C6.These findings suggest that the plasma membrane-localized Os LTP47 may function as a mediator in a lipid transfer relay through association with cytosolic and/or locular Os C6 for pollen wall development and that various LTPs may function in a coordinated manner to transport lipid molecules during pollen wall development.