Large Pore Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles by Templating with a Nonsurfactant Molecule, Tannic Acid

We describe a one-pot synthesis of novel large-pore mesoporous silica nanoparticles using a nonsurfactant template, tannic acid, and protein immobilization on these particles. The tannic-acid-templated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (TA-MSNPs) possess tunable large pores (6–13 nm), unique pore morphology, and a uniform diameter of ca. 200 nm. TA-MSNPs show high protein adsorption capacity of 77.1 mg/g for lysozyme, 396.5 mg/g for bovine hemoglobin, and 130.0 mg/g for bovine serum albumin and rapid protein uptake. They can also adsorb a large amount of m-MDH (421 ± 13 mg/g) and protect this enzyme from the environment, as demonstrated by its high activity when encapsulated inside the mesopores of TA-MSNPs

Dual-Capped Helical Interface Mimics

Disruption of protein–protein interactions is medicinally important. Interface helices may be mimicked in helical probes featuring enhanced rigidities, binding to protein targets, stabilities in serum, and cell uptake. This form of mimicry is dominated by stapling between side chains of helical residues: there has been less progress on helical N-caps, and there were no generalizable C-caps. Conversely, in natural proteins, helicities are stabilized and terminated by C- and N-caps but not staples. Bicyclic caps previously introduced by us enable interface helical mimicry featuring rigid synthetic caps at both termini in this work. An unambiguously helical dual-capped system proved to be conformationally stable, binding cyclins A and E, and showed impressive cellular uptake. In addition, the dual-capped mimic was completely resistant to proteolysis in serum over an extended period when compared with “gold standard” hydrocarbon-stapled controls. Dual-capped peptidomimetics are a new, generalizable paradigm for helical interface probe design

Dual-Capped Helical Interface Mimics

Disruption of protein–protein interactions is medicinally important. Interface helices may be mimicked in helical probes featuring enhanced rigidities, binding to protein targets, stabilities in serum, and cell uptake. This form of mimicry is dominated by stapling between side chains of helical residues: there has been less progress on helical N-caps, and there were no generalizable C-caps. Conversely, in natural proteins, helicities are stabilized and terminated by C- and N-caps but not staples. Bicyclic caps previously introduced by us enable interface helical mimicry featuring rigid synthetic caps at both termini in this work. An unambiguously helical dual-capped system proved to be conformationally stable, binding cyclins A and E, and showed impressive cellular uptake. In addition, the dual-capped mimic was completely resistant to proteolysis in serum over an extended period when compared with “gold standard” hydrocarbon-stapled controls. Dual-capped peptidomimetics are a new, generalizable paradigm for helical interface probe design

Dual-Capped Helical Interface Mimics

Disruption of protein–protein interactions is medicinally important. Interface helices may be mimicked in helical probes featuring enhanced rigidities, binding to protein targets, stabilities in serum, and cell uptake. This form of mimicry is dominated by stapling between side chains of helical residues: there has been less progress on helical N-caps, and there were no generalizable C-caps. Conversely, in natural proteins, helicities are stabilized and terminated by C- and N-caps but not staples. Bicyclic caps previously introduced by us enable interface helical mimicry featuring rigid synthetic caps at both termini in this work. An unambiguously helical dual-capped system proved to be conformationally stable, binding cyclins A and E, and showed impressive cellular uptake. In addition, the dual-capped mimic was completely resistant to proteolysis in serum over an extended period when compared with “gold standard” hydrocarbon-stapled controls. Dual-capped peptidomimetics are a new, generalizable paradigm for helical interface probe design

Dual-Capped Helical Interface Mimics

Disruption of protein–protein interactions is medicinally important. Interface helices may be mimicked in helical probes featuring enhanced rigidities, binding to protein targets, stabilities in serum, and cell uptake. This form of mimicry is dominated by stapling between side chains of helical residues: there has been less progress on helical N-caps, and there were no generalizable C-caps. Conversely, in natural proteins, helicities are stabilized and terminated by C- and N-caps but not staples. Bicyclic caps previously introduced by us enable interface helical mimicry featuring rigid synthetic caps at both termini in this work. An unambiguously helical dual-capped system proved to be conformationally stable, binding cyclins A and E, and showed impressive cellular uptake. In addition, the dual-capped mimic was completely resistant to proteolysis in serum over an extended period when compared with “gold standard” hydrocarbon-stapled controls. Dual-capped peptidomimetics are a new, generalizable paradigm for helical interface probe design

Datasheet1_Association of urinary bisphenol A levels with heart failure risk in U.S. adults from the NHANES (2003–2016).docx

IntroductionAlthough heart failure (HF) has been linked to bisphenol A (BPA), few studies have investigated the cut-off values for the effects of urinary BPA levels on heart failure risk. The association between urinary BPA levels and HF prognosis has not been investigated.MethodsThis study included 11,849 adults over 20 years old using information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was conducted from 2003 to 2016. The relationship between urinary BPA levels and the risk of HF was determined via a multivariable logistic regression model, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) methods were used to determine the cut-off for the effect of BPA levels on HF risk. Based on the available NT-proBNP concentration data from the NHANES (2003–2004), multivariable linear regression was applied to determine the linear association between the NT-proBNP concentration and urinary BPA concentration.ResultsThe results revealed a positive correlation between a urinary BPA concentration in the fourth quartile and the occurrence of heart failure [OR 1.49, 95% CI (1.09, 2.04), p = 0.012]. A one-unit increase (1 ng/mg creatinine) in the ln-transformed BPA concentration was linked to a 15% increase in the incidence of HF [OR 1.15, 95% CI (1.03, 1.29), p = 0.014]. The cut-off urinary BPA concentration for HF risk was 1.51 ng/mg creatinine. There was a positive correlation between urinary BPA and NT-proBNP concentrations [β = 0.093, 95% CI (0.014, 0.171), p = 0.02] in males, but there was no linear association [β = 0.040, 95% CI (−0.033, 0.113), p = 0.283] in females.DiscussionIncreased urinary BPA levels are linked to an increased risk of heart failure and poor prognosis. There is a significant increase in the risk of heart failure if the urinary concentration of BPA exceeds 1.51 ng/mg creatinine.</p

High Efficiency Cu-ZnO Hydrogenation Catalyst: The Tailoring of Cu-ZnO Interface Sites by Molecular Layer Deposition

This paper describes a molecular layer deposition (MLD)-assisted route for the preparation of Cu-ZnO catalysts used in the hydrogenation of levulinic acid to produce γ-valerolactone. A Cu precursor supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes was coated with Zn-polyurea organic–inorganic hybrid films via MLD first, and the catalyst was obtained after calcination and reduction under mild conditions. The produced catalysts exhibited remarkably enhanced selectivity, efficiency, and stability due to the created Cu-ZnO interface sites (Cu⁰Zn) and the cooperative effect between Cu⁰Zn and Cu⁺. The ratio of Cu⁰Zn sites could be simply modified by changing the MLD cycle number. The correlation between catalytic activity and the ratio of different Cu species (Cu⁰Zn, Cu⁰, and Cu⁺) suggests that Cu⁰Zn is the main active site and responsible for the remarkably enhancing catalytic activity and low apparent activation energy

Ferrozine Assay for Simple and Cheap Iron Analysis of Silica-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

The Ferrozinen assay is applied as an accurate and rapid method to quantify the iron content of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and can be used in biological matrices. The addition of ascorbic aqcid accelerates the digestion process and can penetrate an IONP core within a mesoporous and solid silica shell. This new digestion protocol avoids the need for hydrofluoric acid to digest the surrounding silica shell and provides and accessible alternative to inductively coupled plasma methods. With the updated digestion protocol, the quantitative range of the Ferrozine assay is 1 - 14 ppm. <br

Size-Selective Catalytic Growth of Nearly 100% Pure Carbon Nanocoils with Copper Nanoparticles Produced by Atomic Layer Deposition

In this paper, Cu nanoparticles with narrow size distribution are synthesized by reduction of CuO films produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD), which are used as catalysts for the catalytic growth of carbon nanostructures. By properly adjusting the ALD cycle numbers, the size of produced Cu nanoparticles can be well controlled. Uniform carbon nanocoils with near 100% purity can be obtained by using 50–80 nm Cu nanoparticles, while thin straight fibers and thick straight fibers are produced by applying 5–35 and 100–200 nm Cu nanoparticles, respectively. The mechanism of the particle size-dependent growth of the carbon nanostructure was analyzed based on the experimental results and theoretical simulation. Our results can provide important information for the preparation of helical carbon nanostructures with high purity. Moreover, this work also demonstrates that ALD is a viable technique for synthesizing nanoparticles with highly controllable size and narrow size distribution suitable for studying particle size-dependent catalytic behavior and other applications

Highly Efficient Microwave Absorption of Magnetic Nanospindle–Conductive Polymer Hybrids by Molecular Layer Deposition

Oxidative molecular layer deposition (oMLD) was applied to fabricate conductive polymer–magnetic material core–shell microwave absorbers in this work. One dimensional Fe₃O₄–poly­(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanospindles with controllable PEDOT thickness were successfully synthesized. Their absorption performance was evaluated in the 2–18 GHz frequency range. With the advantage of oMLD, PEDOT shell thicknesses can be controlled precisely. Because the permittivity of Fe₃O₄–PEDOT nanospindles obviously increases while their permeability decreases slightly with the PEDOT cycles, the properties can be tuned effectively by only adjusting the PEDOT cycle number. With a proper PEDOT shell thickness, excellent reflection characteristics can be obtained. Remarkably high absorption strength (−55.0 dB at 16.2 GHz) and good absorption bandwidth (4.34 GHz less than −10 dB) were realized. Such excellent performance is better than that reported previously for most magnetic material-based absorbers. Considering the precise controllability and excellent absorption performance of the prepared microwave absorbers, we believe that oMLD is a facile synthetic route for microwave absorbers