In situ synthesis of natural rubber latex-supported gold nanoparticles for flexible SERS substrates

Natural rubber latex (NRL) from Hevea brasiliensis was used as a matrix to synthesize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), leading to an organic-inorganic hybrid latex of NRL-supported AuNPs (AuNPs@NRL). The in situ and environmentally friendly preparation of AuNPs in an NRL matrix was developed by thermal treatment without using any other reducing agents or stabilizers because natural rubber particles and non-rubber components present in serum can serve as supporters for the synthesized AuNPs. As a result, the nanosized and well-dispersed AuNPs not only are decorated on the surface of natural rubber particles, but also can be found in the serum of NRL. The size of the AuNPs presented in NRL matrix can be controlled by adjusting the concentration of NRL. Furthermore, the flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates made from the AuNPs@NRL through vacuum filtration presented good enhancement of the Raman probe molecule of 4-mercaptopyridine and outstanding SERS reproducibility. The capability of synthesizing the bio-supported nanohybrid latex provides a novel green and simple approach for the fabrication of flexible and effective SERS substrates

[1,5]-Hydride Shift-Cyclization versus C(sp2)-H Functionalization in the Knoevenagel-Cyclization Domino Reactions of 1,4- and 1,5-Benzoxazepines

Domino cyclization reactions of N-aryl-1,4- and 1,5-benzoxazepine derivatives involving [1,5]-hydride shift or C(sp2)-H functionalization were investigated. Neuroprotective and acetylcholinesterase activities of the products were studied. Domino Knoevenagel-[1,5]-hydride shift-cyclization reaction of N-aryl-1,4-benzoxazepine derivatives with 1,3-dicarbonyl reagents having active methylene group afforded the 1,2,8,9-tetrahydro-7bH-quinolino [1,2-d][1,4]benzoxazepine scaffold with different substitution pattern. The C(sp3)-H activation step of the tertiary amine moiety occurred with complete regioselectivity and the 6-endo cyclization took place in a complete diastereoselective manner. In two cases, the enantiomers of the chiral condensed new 1,4-benzoxazepine systems were separated by chiral HPLC, HPLC-ECD spectra were recorded, and absolute configurations were determined by time-dependent density functional theory- electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT-ECD) calculations. In contrast, the analogue reaction of the regioisomeric N-aryl-1,5-benzoxazepine derivative did not follow the above mechanism but instead the Knoevenagel intermediate reacted in an SEAr reaction [C(sp2)-H functionalization] resulting in a condensed acridane derivative. The AChE inhibitory assays of the new derivatives revealed that the acridane derivative had a 6.98 uM IC50 value

Nucleic acid aptamer-guided cancer therapeutics and diagnostics: the next generation of cancer medicine

Conventional anticancer therapies, such as chemo- and/or radio-therapy are often unable to completely eradicate cancers due to abnormal tumor microenvironment, as well as increased drug/radiation resistance. More effective therapeutic strategies for overcoming these obstacles are urgently in demand. Aptamers, as chemical antibodies that bind to targets with high affinity and specificity, are a promising new and novel agent for both cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Aptamer-based cancer cell targeting facilitates the development of active targeting in which aptamer-mediated drug delivery could provide promising anticancer outcomes. This review is to update the current progress of aptamer-based cancer diagnosis and aptamer-mediated active targeting for cancer therapy in vivo, exploring the potential of this novel form of targeted cancer therapy

Aptamers as theranostic agents: modifications, serum stability and functionalisation

Aptamers, and the selection process known as Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) used to generate them, were first described more than twenty years ago. Since then, there have been numerous modifications to the selectionprocedures. This review discusses the use of modified bases as a means of enhancing serum stability and producing effective therapeutic tools, as well as functionalising these nucleic acids to be used as potential diagnostic agents

xWAS analysis in neuropsychiatric disorders by integrating multi-molecular phenotype quantitative trait loci and GWAS summary data

Abstract Background Integrating quantitative trait loci (QTL) data related to molecular phenotypes with genome-wide association study (GWAS) data is an important post-GWAS strategic approach employed to identify disease-associated molecular features. Various types of molecular phenotypes have been investigated in neuropsychiatric disorders. However, these findings pertaining to distinct molecular features are often independent of each other, posing challenges for having an overview of the mapped genes. Methods In this study, we comprehensively summarized published analyses focusing on four types of risk-related molecular features (gene expression, splicing transcriptome, protein abundance, and DNA methylation) across five common neuropsychiatric disorders. Subsequently, we conducted supplementary analyses with the latest GWAS dataset and corresponding deficient molecular phenotypes using Functional Summary-based Imputation (FUSION) and summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR). Based on the curated and supplemented results, novel reliable genes and their functions were explored. Results Our findings revealed that eQTL exhibited superior ability in prioritizing risk genes compared to the other QTL, followed by sQTL. Approximately half of the genes associated with splicing transcriptome, protein abundance, and DNA methylation were successfully replicated by eQTL-associated genes across all five disorders. Furthermore, we identified 436 novel reliable genes, which enriched in pathways related with neurotransmitter transportation such as synaptic, dendrite, vesicles, axon along with correlations with other neuropsychiatric disorders. Finally, we identified ten multiple molecular involved regulation patterns (MMRP), which may provide valuable insights into understanding the contribution of molecular regulation network targeting these disease-associated genes. Conclusions The analyses prioritized novel and reliable gene sets related with five molecular features based on published and supplementary results for five common neuropsychiatric disorders, which were missed in the original GWAS analysis. Besides, the involved MMRP behind these genes could be given priority for further investigation to elucidate the pathogenic molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders in future studies

Selective removal of anionic dyes using poly (N, N -dimethyl amino ethylmethacrylate) functionalized graphene oxide

An in situ polymerization strategy was used to functionalize graphene oxide (GO) with poly(N,N-dimethyl amino ethylmethacrylate) (PDMAEMA) for the selective removal of anionic dyes. Various characterization methods demonstrate that PDMAEMA-grafted GO (GO-PDMAEMA) was successfully synthesized, and the high PDMAEMA content of 68.5% in GO-PDMAEMA changed the zeta potential significantly from -36.5 (GO) to 41.5 (GO-PDMAEMA). This change in the charge of GO-PDMAEMA greatly increased the adsorption capacities for anionic dye orange G (OG) compared to the pristine GO. The maximum adsorption capacity for anionic OG dye based on the Langmuir model is 609.8 mg g-1. The adsorption mechanism is believed to be a consecutive process of intra-particle diffusion and surface adsorption, with electrostatic interactions as the key driving force. The GO-PDMAEMA nanocomposite also showed excellent regeneration capacity and selectivity towards the separation of various anionic dyes (i.e. OG, Eosin yellow and Congo red) from an aqueous dye mixture. In conclusion, our method offers a promising strategy for developing new anionic dye adsorbents

Additional file 1 of xWAS analysis in neuropsychiatric disorders by integrating multi-molecular phenotype quantitative trait loci and GWAS summary data

Additional file 1: Table S1. Basic information and used frequency of GWAS summary datasets of five diseases. Table S2. Basic information and used frequency of xQTL weight of five diseases for FUSION-like analyses. Table S3. Basic information and used frequency of xQTL sources of five diseases for SMR analyses. Table S4. Included literature information for SCZ. Table S5. Included literature information for BP. Table S6. Included literature information for ADHD. Table S7. Included literature information for ASD. Table S8. Included literature information for MDD. Table S9. Overview of novel genes in SCZ. Table S10. Overview of novel genes in BP. Table S11. Overview of novel genes in ADHD. Table S12. Overview of novel genes in ASD. Table S13. Overview of novel genes in MDD. Table S14. GO biological process (BP) functional enrichment results for the novel genes of five diseases with gProfiler. Table S15. Function enrichment of all reliable genes (novel reliable genes and non-novel reliable genes) of five diseases on GO-BP, GWAS Catalog, and KEGG using FUMA