Explore the vast range of titles available.

Hyperlipidemia is a chronic metabolic disease caused by the abnormal metabolism of lipoproteins in the human body. Its main hazard is to accelerate systemic atherosclerosis, which causes cerebrovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and thrombosis. At the same time, although the current hypolipidemic drugs have a certain therapeutic effect, they have side effects such as liver damage and digestive tract discomfort. Many kinds of polysaccharides from natural resources possess therapeutic effects on hyperlipidemia but still lack a comprehensive understanding. In this paper, the research progress of natural polysaccharides on reducing blood lipids in recent years is reviewed. The pharmacological mechanisms and targets of natural polysaccharides are mainly introduced. The relationship between structure and hypolipidemic activity is also discussed in detail. This review will help to understand the value of polysaccharides in lowering blood lipids and provide guidance for the development and clinical application of new hypolipidemic drugs.

Achieving higher carrier mobility plays a pivotal role for obtaining potentially high thermoelectric performance. In principle, the carrier mobility is governed by the band structure as well as by the carrier scattering mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that by manipulating the carrier scattering mechanism in n-type Mg₃Sb₂-based materials, a substantial improvement in carrier mobility, and hence the power factor, can be achieved. In this work, Fe, Co, Hf, and Ta are doped on the Mg site of Mg3.2Sb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01, where the ionized impurity scattering crosses over to mixed ionized impurity and acoustic phonon scattering. A significant improvement in Hall mobility from ∼16 to ∼81 cm²·V−1·s−1 is obtained, thus leading to a notably enhanced power factor of ∼13 μW·cm−1·K−2 from ∼5 μW·cm−1·K−2. A simultaneous reduction in thermal conductivity is also achieved. Collectively, a figure of merit (ZT) of ∼1.7 is obtained at 773 K in Mg3.1Co0.1Sb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01. The concept of manipulating the carrier scattering mechanism to improve the mobility should also be applicable to other material systems.

Improvements in thermoelectric material performance over the past two decades have largely been based on decreasing the phonon thermal conductivity. Enhancing the power factor has been less successful in comparison. In this work, a peak power factor of ∼106 μW·cm−1·K−2 is achieved by increasing the hot pressing temperature up to 1,373 K in the p-type half-Heusler Nb0.95Ti0.05FeSb. The high power factor subsequently yields a record output power density of ∼22 W·cm−2 based on a single-leg device operating at between 293 K and 868 K. Such a high-output power density can be beneficial for large-scale power generation applications.

An ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence biosensor was established based on the Zn-MOF/GO nanocomposite. Ag(I)-embedded DNA complexes were used as a signal amplification reagent. In this work, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) and Zn 2+ were integrated into a porphyrin paddlewheel framework (Zn-MOF) by a hydrothermal method. The synthesized Zn-MOF material has electrochemiluminescence property, and the luminescence intensity is improved after being composited with graphene oxide (GO). Based on the composite material, we constructed an ultrasensitive ECL biosensor for the p53 antibody detection. The composite material acted as an admirable substrate and then loaded plenty of p53 antigens to recognize the target (p53 antibody) accurately. Because of the bridging effect of streptavidin and biotin-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG (bio-ab2), the rich-C DNA with positive correlation with the target was modified on the electrode and then captured the co-reactant accelerator Ag + to amplify the signal. Therefore, the ECL biosensor response increases with increasing p53 antibody concentration. In the range 0.1 fg/mL–0.01 ng/mL, the response signal of the biosensor has a good linear relationship with the p53 antibody concentration. The detection limit is 0.03 fg/mL (S/ N  = 3). Impressively, the biosensor not only featured high sensitivity, good stability, and excellent specificity for the detection of p53 antibody, but also provides a new way for early detection of cancer. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of the electrochemiluminescence sensor based on a Zn-MOF/GO nanocomposite, which can be applied to the determination of p53 antibody.

Research in stomatology (dental medicine) continues to expand globally and is oriented towards solving clinical issues, focusing on clarifying the clinical relevance and potential mechanisms of oral–systemic connections via clinical epidemiology, oral microecological characterization, and the establishment of animal models. Interdisciplinary integration of materials science and tissue engineering with stomatology is expected to lead to the creation of innovative materials and technologies to better resolve the most prevalent and challenging clinical issues such as peri-implantitis, soft and hard tissue defects, and dentin hypersensitivity. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G), and big data applications, “intelligent stomatology” is emerging to build models for better clinical diagnosis and management, accelerate the reform of education, and support the growth and advancement of scientific research. Here, we summarized the current research status, and listed the future prospects and limitations of these three aspects, aiming to provide a basis for more accurate etiological exploration, novel treatment methods, and abundant big data analysis in stomatology to promote the translation of research achievements into practical applications for both clinicians and the public.

Faced with the increasingly severe ecological environment, China promotes the construction of ecological civilization vigorously. Therefore, it is of great significance to adopt scientific, effective and comprehensive methods to evaluate development status of ecological civilization. Based on the panel data from 2010 to 2014, this paper employs GIS and AHP methods to dynamically examine the level of ecological civilization construction in Jiangxi Province. The results indicate that: (1) The ecological civilization construction in Jiangxi Province is 13.23% higher than the national average, whereas there is an imbalance in the development of different cities within the province; (2) The ecological civilization construction in the whole province rises first and then falls; (3) The performances of the cities vary in different dimensions of the construction of ecological civilization that cities in Jiangxi province perform well in the dimension of ecological environment, but perform poorly in the dimension of social development. Finally, we put forward policy recommendations for improving ecological environment to realize harmonious development between human and nature.

Faced with the increasingly severe ecological environment, China promotes the construction of ecological civilization vigorously. Therefore, it is of great significance to adopt scientific, effective and comprehensive methods to evaluate development status of ecological civilization. Based on the panel data from 2010 to 2014, this paper employs GIS and AHP methods to dynamically examine the level of ecological civilization construction in Jiangxi Province. The results indicate that: (1) The ecological civilization construction in Jiangxi Province is 13.23% higher than the national average, whereas there is an imbalance in the development of different cities within the province; (2) The ecological civilization construction in the whole province rises first and then falls; (3) The performances of the cities vary in different dimensions of the construction of ecological civilization that cities in Jiangxi province perform well in the dimension of ecological environment, but perform poorly in the dimension of social development. Finally, we put forward policy recommendations for improving ecological environment to realize harmonious development between human and nature.

Poly-gamma-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is mainly synthesized by glutamate-dependent strains in the manufacturing industry. Therefore, understanding glutamate-dependent mechanisms is imperative. In this study, we first systematically analyzed the response of Bacillus subtilis SCP017-03 to glutamate addition by comparing transcriptomics and proteomics. The introduction of glutamate substantially altered gene expression within the central metabolic pathway of cellular carbon. Most genes in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and energy-consuming phase of the glycolysis pathway (EMP) were down-regulated, whereas those in the energy-producing phase of glycolysis and those responsible for γ-PGA synthesis were up-regulated. Based on these findings, the fermentation conditions were optimized, and γ-PGA production was improved by incorporating oxygen carriers. In a batch-fed fermentor with glucose, the γ-PGA production reached 95.2 g/L, demonstrating its industrial production potential. This study not only elucidated the glutamate dependence mechanism of Bacillus subtilis but also identified a promising metabolic target for further enhancing γ-PGA production.

In this work, an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor was fabricated for the selective detection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165). g-C3N4/PDDA/CdSe nanocomposites were used as the ECL substrate. Then, DNA labeled at the 5′ end with amino groups (DNA1) was immobilized on the surface of g-C3N4/PDDA/CdSe nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by amido linkage. AuNP-labeled target DNA (Au-DNA2) could hybridize with DNA1 to form a double strand. The ECL of the g-C3N4/PDDA/CdSe nanocomposite was efficiently quenched due to the resonance energy transfer between CdSe QDs and Au NPs. After VEGF165 was recognized and bound by Au-DNA2, the double helix was disrupted, and the energy transfer was broken. In this case, Au-DNA2 was released from the electrode surface, and the ECL intensity recovered to a higher level. Under optimal conditions, this ECL biosensor possesses excellent selectivity, accuracy, and stability for VEGF165 detection in a linear range of 2 pg mL−1 to 2 ng mL−1 with a detection limit of 0.68 pg mL−1. In addition, this assay has been successfully applied to the determination of VEGF165 in serum samples.

Aspergillus terreus has been reported to produce many secondary metabolites that exhibit potential bioactivities, such as antibiotic, hypoglycemic, and lipid-lowering activities. In the present study, two new thiodiketopiperazines, emestrins L (1) and M (2), together with five known analogues (3–7), and five known dihydroisocoumarins (8–12), were obtained from the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus terreus RA2905. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by analysis of the comprehensive spectroscopic data, including high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data. This is the first time that the spectroscopic data of compounds 3, 8, and 9 have been reported. Compound 3 displayed antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 32 μg/mL) and antifungal activity against Candida albicans (MIC = 32 μg/mL). In addition, compound 3 exhibited an inhibitory effect on protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 B (PTP1B), an important hypoglycemic target, with an inhibitory concentration (IC)50 value of 12.25 μM.