Integrated glycomic analysis of ovarian cancer side population cells

Additional file 2. The category of representative lectins for glycan profiling

MoTe2 : semiconductor or semimetal?

Transition metal tellurides (TMTs) have attracted intense interest due to their intriguing physical properties arising from their diverse phase topologies. To date, a wide range of physical properties have been discovered for TMTs, including that they can act as topological insulators, semiconductors, Weyl semimetals, and superconductors. Among the TMT families, MoTe2 is a representative material because of its Janus nature and rich phases. In this Perspective, we first introduce phase structures in monolayer and bulk MoTe2 and then summarize MoTe2 synthesis strategies. We highlight recent advances of Janus MoTe2 in terms of material structures and emerging quantum states. We also provide insight into the opportunities and challenges faced by MoTe2-associated device design and applications.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityNational Research Foundation (NRF)Submitted/Accepted versionZ.L. acknowledges support from National Research Foundation Singapore programme NRF-CRP22-2019-0007 and NRFCRP21-2018-0007.This work is also supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its AcRF Tier 3 Programme “Geometrical Quantum Materials” (MOE2018-T3-1-002). X.Z. acknowledges support from Singapore NTU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship (03INS000973C150). G.L. acknowledges support from National Basic Research Program of China from the MOST (2016YFA0300601, 2014CB920904, and 2015CB921402), National Natural Science Foundation of China (92065203, 11527806, and 11874406), Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission of China (Z191100007219008), Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (Y18G08), Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB33010300), and by the Synergic Extreme Condition User Facility

Preparation, Drug Distribution, and In Vivo Evaluation of the Safety of Protein Corona Liposomes for Liraglutide Delivery

The development of oral drug delivery systems is challenging, and issues related to the mucus layer and low intestinal epithelial permeability have not yet been surmounted. The purpose of this study was to develop a promising formulation that is more adapted to in vivo absorption and to facilitate the administration of oral liraglutide. Cationic liposomes (CLs) linked to AT-1002 were prepared using a double-emulsion method, and BSA was adsorbed on the surface of the AT-CLs, resulting in protein corona cationic liposomes with AT-1002 (Pc-AT-CLs). The preparation method was determined by investigating various process parameters. The particle size, potential, and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) of the Pc-AT-CLs were 202.9 ± 12.4 nm, 1.76 ± 4.87 mV, and 84.63 ± 5.05%, respectively. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging revealed a nearly spherical structure of the Pc-AT-CLs, with a recognizable coating. The circular dichroism experiments confirmed that the complex preparation process did not affect the secondary structure of liraglutide. With the addition of BSA and AT-1002, the mucosal accumulation of the Pc-AT-CLs was nearly two times lower than that of the AT-CLs, and the degree of enteric metaplasia was 1.35 times higher than that of the PcCLs. The duration of the intestinal absorption of the Pc-AT-CLs was longer, offering remarkable biological safety

Crevice is beneficial to fitness-related behaviors of small sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus exposed to handling stress

Sea cucumbers naturally prefer to inhabit crevices. Although this biological characteristic is widely used in sea cucumber aquaculture, the benefits of crevices remain largely unknown. The present study found that feeding and defecation rates significantly increased in sea cucumbers in the crevices for 24 h. After leaving the crevice, tentacle activity time of sea cucumbers in the experimental group was significantly more than that of those in the control group. Further, the present study found that sea cucumbers cultured in crevices for 21 days showed significantly longer adhesion time and tentacles activity time after air exposure and mechanical perturbation. Righting time of sea cucumbers cultured in crevices was significantly less than that in the control group after air exposure. In conclusion, the present study clarifies that crevice is beneficial to fitness-related behaviors of small A. japonicus. We consequently encourage aqua-farmers to increase the number of crevices in both pond culture and seed production, which is conducive to improve the feeding, defecation, adhesion, and righting behaviors of sea cucumbers

Folic acid-modified reverse micelle-lipid nanocapsules overcome intestinal barriers and improve the oral delivery of peptides

AbstractThe oral absorption of exenatide, a type 2 diabetes medication, can be increased by employing lipid nanocapsules (LNC). To increase mucus permeability and exenatide intestinal absorption, reverse micelle lipid nanocapsules (RM-LNC) were prepared and their surface was modified with DSPE-PEG-FA. The RM-LNC with surface modification of DSPE-PEG-FA (FA-RM-LNC) were able to target enterocytes and reduce mucus aggregation in the intestine. Furthermore, in vitro absorption at different intestinal sites and flip-flop intestinal loop experiments revealed that LNCs with surface modification significantly increased their absorption efficiency in the small intestine. FA-RM-LNC delivers more drugs into Caco-2 cells via caveolin-, macrophagocytosis-, and lipid raft-mediated endocytosis. Additionally, the enhanced transport capacity of FA-RM-LNC was observed in a study of monolayer transport in Caco-2 cells. The oral administration of exenatide FA-RM-LNC resulted in a prolonged duration of hypoglycemia in diabetic mice and a relative bioavailability (BR) of up to 7.5% in rats. In conclusion, FA-RM-LNC can target enterocytes and has promising potential as a nanocarrier for the oral delivery of peptides

Lithography-free, high-density MoTe₂ nanoribbon arrays

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have shown a range of extraordinary properties including superconductivity, topological states and ferroelectricity. Among them, 2D arrays with emerging properties have drawn intense interest due to their great potentials in implementing high-density electric devices and advanced integrated circuits. The controllable synthesis of large arrays of 2D elements offers the key advance but remains unsolved. Here we report a one-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis strategy for achieving single-crystalline MoTe2 nanoribbon arrays directly on normal SiO2/Si substrate, requiring neither the special stepped substrate nor the post-processing. The lithography-free synthesized ribbons are found to be well-aligned with a density ten times higher than that reported in MoS2. Further scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and first-principles calculation results reveal a crystal-structure boosted solid–liquid-vapor (SLV) self-etching mechanism. Our findings provide a convenient synthesis strategy to achieve high-density nanoarrays that serve as platforms for integrated nanoscale electric devices.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityNational Research Foundation (NRF)Submitted/Accepted versionZ. L. acknowledges supports from Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF-CRP21-2018-0007, NRF-CRP22-2019-0007, NRF2020-NRF-ISF004-3520), Singapore Ministry of Education Tier 3 Programme ‘Geometrical Quantum Materials’ (MOE2018-T3-1-002). K.Z. acknowledges supports from the Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (Core Fund), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore