The complete chloroplast genome assembly of <i>Castanopsis orthacantha</i> Franch. 1899 (Fagaceae) in Southwestern China

Castanopsis orthacantha Franch. 1899 is one representative tree species distributed in the evergreen broad-leaved forests of southwestern China. This species is an important source of timber for manufacturing furniture, floors, and paper. It also plays a significant role in maintaining ecological balance and stability. To help with the genetic diversity assessment of C. orthacantha, we sequenced and assembled the first complete chloroplast genome. The length of the chloroplast genome was 160,588 bp, with a typical quadripartite structure (GenBank accession no. OR900101). The large single-copy (LSC), small single-copy (SSC), and two inverted repeats (IRs) were 90,237 bp, 18,953 bp, and 25,699 bp in length, respectively. We annotated one hundred and thirty genes across the chloroplast genome, including 86 protein-coding genes (79 are unique), 37 tRNA genes (29 are unique), and eight rRNA genes (four are unique). Seventeen genes had one intron, and four were detected with two introns. The maximum likelihood phylogeny suggested that C. orthacantha, C. lamontii, C. sclerophylla, and C. hainanensis formed a clade with a high bootstrap value. This newly sequenced chloroplast genome assembly will aid in the population genetic and phylogenetic studies of Castanopsis species in the future.</p

Assembly and analysis of the chloroplast genome of <i>Amorphophallus kachinensis</i> Engler & Gehrmann (Araceae) from Southwestern China: implications for conservation and utilization

Konjac glucomannan consists of D-mannose and D-glucose units and is a hydrocolloid obtained from the corm of Amorphophallus species. Due to its bioactive properties, biodegradability, and hydrophilic ability, glucomannan is widely used in the fields of food, medicine, and industry. Amorphophallus species have been cultivated as cash crops in many Asian countries. Amorphophallus kachinensis Engler & Gehrmann 1911 is naturally distributed in southwestern China, Laos, and northern Thailand. To help the genetic assessment and conservation of this species, the first chloroplast genome of A. kachinensis was sequenced on the Illumina sequencing platform. We assembled the chloroplast genome using the software GetOrganelle and annotated the genome by Geseq and Cpgavas 2. The assembled chloroplast genome was 173,330 bp long, and the average GC content was 35% (GenBank accession number: PP072244). The chloroplast genome of A. kachinensis contained one large single copy, one small single copy, and two inverted repeats, with lengths of 92,030 bp, 15,118 bp, 33,091 bp, and 33,091 bp, respectively. We successfully annotated 132 genes across the genome, which was consistent with other Amorphophallus species. The phylogenetic tree indicates a sub-divergence in the Amorphophallus genus with two main genetic groups detected among eight species. The two genetic groups should be treated as distinct evolutionarily significant units when making conservation strategies. Our study enriched the chloroplast genome resources of the Amorphophallus genus and could help future phylogeographic studies, protection, and utilization of wild resources.</p

Investigation of Pyridine/Propargyl Bromide Reaction and Strong Fluorescence Enhancements of the Resultant Poly(propargyl pyridinium bromide)

Poly­(propargyl pyridinium bromide), a kind of conjugated polyelectrolyte with polyacetylene as the backbone and pyridinium as side groups, was synthesized simply via reaction between pyridine and propargyl bromide under mild conditions. The resultant polymer was characterized by ¹H NMR, elemental analysis, FT-IR, and GPC-MALLS. An alkyne group was confirmed as the end group of the polymer chains by the alkyne/azide click chemistry, which reveals that the polymerization is terminated by the reaction between propargyl bromide and carbon anions. It is known that monosubstituted polyacetylenes reported have very weak fluorescence intensities, which limit their applications. As a monosubstituted polyacetylene, the freshly prepared poly­(propargyl pyridinium bromide) also has a very weak fluorescence. However, we confirmed that addition of some anions to the polymer solution in DMF or DMSO leads to the fluorescence enhancements up to 25 times. Besides, heating the polymer solution at a temperature between 70 and 130 °C for longer than 0.5 h greatly enhanced the fluorescence intensity. The interaction with the anions or the heating enhances the effective exciton confinement within the conjugated backbone and thus results in the fluorescence enhancements. After the fluorescence enhancements, poly­(propargyl pyridinium bromide) has relatively strong fluorescence emissions, which will make it promising in fluorescence-based applications

Accuracy of US versus Endoscopy for this Cohort (n = 150^*).

<p>*: 71 patients were positive for NPC and 79 patients were negative for NPC.</p

Comparison results of dynamic shift functions.

Comparison results of dynamic shift functions.</p

A 35-year-old female with NPC that was confined to the mucosa of the left pharyngeal recess underwent US and endoscopy.

<p>A: An oblique US image obtained using a 3.5–5.0 MHz convex-array transducer showed that the tumor caused a focal mass (indicated with arrow) in the pharyngeal recess (US grade 3). B: An endoscopy image also showed a focal mass (indicated with arrow) present in the pharyngeal recess.</p

US Imaging Criteria used to Grade the Appearance of the Nasopharynx.

<p>Note: Grades 1 and 2 indicate patients without NPC; grades 3 and 4 indicate patients with NPC.</p

A 60-year-old male with NPC underwent US and endoscopy.

<p>A large focal mass was detected on the right side of the nasopharynx by both US and endoscopy. A: An US image obtained by applying a 3.5–5.0 MHz convex-array transducer to the oblique plane. The large focal mass present in the nasopharynx is indicated with an arrow (grade 3). B: An US image of the transverse plane also showed a mass present (indicated with arrow). C: An US image scanned from the left detected normal nasopharynx tissue. The parotid gland (PG) provided an acoustic window with air from the upper pharyngeal recess (indicated with arrowhead) descending to the nasopharynx (indicated with curved arrow). D: An endoscopy image of a focal mass (indicated with arrow) present in the nasopharynx.</p

Comparison of PSOLFWM with other meta-heuristic algorithms using t-Test.

Comparison of PSOLFWM with other meta-heuristic algorithms using t-Test.</p

Electrospun membranes of diselenide-containing poly(ester urethane)urea for <i>in situ</i> catalytic generation of nitric oxide

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role as a signalling molecule in the biological system. Organoselenium-coated or grafted biomaterials have the potential to achieve controlled NO release as they can catalyse decomposition of endogenous S-nitrosothiols to NO. However, such biomaterials are often challenged by the loss of the catalytic sites, which can affect the stability in tissue repair applications. In this work, we prepare a diselenide-containing poly(ester urethane)urea (SePEUU) polymer with Se–Se in the backbone, which is further electrospun into fibrous membranes by blending with poly(ester urethane)urea (PEUU) without diselenide bonds. The presence of catalytic sites in the main chain demonstrates stable and long-lasting NO catalytic activity, while the porous structure of the fibrous membranes ensures uniform distribution of the catalytic sites and better contact with the donor-containing solution. PEUU/SePEUU50 in 50/50 mass ratio has a physiologically adapted rate of NO release, with a sustained generation of NO after exposure to PBS at 37 °C for 30 d. PEUU/SePEUU50 has a low hemolysis and protein adsorption, with mechanical properties in the wet state matching those of natural vascular tissues. It can promote the adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro and control the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells in the presence of NO generation. This study exhibits the electrospun fibrous membranes have potential for utilizing as hemocompatible biomaterials for regeneration of blood-contacting tissues. Electrospun membranes of diselenide-containing poly(ester urethane)urea exhibit stable catalytic activity of NO generation, which promotes human umbilical vein endothelial cell proliferation and control the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells for potential applications as blood-contacting biomaterials.</p