bTrichosporon asahii is one of the important opportunistic pathogenic fungi. Here, we first report the draft nuclear chromosome genome sequence and mitochondrial genome sequence of T. asahii CBS 2479, which is a standard strain of T. asahii that was isolated from a progressive psoriatic lesion. COG analysis predicted that 3,131 genes were assigned to 23 functional categories and that 628 genes were predicted to have a general function.

The toxicity and side effects of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs are the main causes of chemotherapy failure. To improve the specificity and selectivity of chemotherapeutic drugs for tumor cells, a novel redox-sensitive polymer prodrug, polyethylene glycol-poly (β-benzyl-L-aspartate) (PEG-PBLA)-SS-paclitaxel (PPSP), was designed and synthesized in this study. The PPSP micelle was manufactured via high-speed dispersion stirring and dialysis. The particle size and zeta potential of this prodrug micelle were 63.77 ± 0.91 nm and −25.8 ± 3.24 mV, respectively. The micelles were uniformly distributed and presented a spherical morphology under a transmission electron microscope. In the tumor physiological environment, the particle size of the PPSP micelles and the release rate of paclitaxel (PTX) were significantly increased compared with those of mPEG-PBLA-CC-PTX (PPCP) micelles, reflecting the excellent redox-sensitive activity of the PPSP micelles. The inhibitory effect of PPSP on HepG2, MCF-7 and HL-7702 cell proliferation was investigated with MTT assays, and the results demonstrated that PPSP is superior to PTX with respect to the inhibition of two tumor cell types at different experimental concentration. Simultaneously PPSP has lower toxicity against HL-7702 cells then PTX and PPCP. Moreover, the blank micelle from mPEG-PBLA showed no obvious toxicity to the two tumor cells at different experimental concentrations. In summary, the redox-sensitive PPSP micelle significantly improved the biosafety and the anti-tumor activity of PTX.

Background Amphotericin B (AMB) is a polyene antibiotic with broad spectrum antifungal activity, but its clinical toxicities and poor solubility limit the wide application of AMB in clinical practice. Recently, new drug-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) – diblock copolymer D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate-b-poly(ε-caprolactone-ran-glycolide) (PLGA-TPGS) – have received special attention for their reduced toxicity, and increased effectiveness of drug has also been reported. This study aimed to develop AMB-loaded PLGA-TPGS nanoparticles (AMB-NPs) and evaluate their antifungal effects in vitro and in vivo. Methods AMB-NPs were prepared with a modified nanoprecipitation method and then characterized in terms of physical characteristics, in vitro drug release, stability, drug-encapsulation efficiency, and toxicity. Finally, the antifungal activity of AMB-NPs was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results AMB-NPs were stable and spherical, with an average size of around 110 nm; the entrapment efficacy was closed to 85%, and their release exhibited a typically biphasic pattern. The actual minimum inhibitory concentration of AMB-NPs against Candida albicans was significantly lower than that of free AMB, and AMB-NPs were less toxic on blood cells. In vivo experiments indicated that AMB-NPs achieved significantly better and prolonged antifungal effects when compared with free AMB. Conclusion The AMB-PLGA-TPGS NP system significantly improves the AMB bioavailability by improving its antifungal activities and reducing its toxicity, and thus, these NPs may become a good drug carrier for antifungal treatment.

The carbonylative Suzuki–Miyaura reaction between aryl tosylates/triflates with arylboronic acid is herein reported, using base-free conditions and a balloon pressure of carbon monoxide.

This is the first report of the genome sequence of Trichosporon asahii environmental strain CBS 8904, which was isolated from maize cobs. Comparison of the genome sequence with that of clinical strain CBS 2479 revealed that they have >99% chromosomal and mitochondrial sequence identity, yet CBS 8904 has 368 specific genes. Analysis of clusters of orthologous groups predicted that 3,307 genes belong to 23 functional categories and 703 genes were predicted to have a general function.

Invasive fungal infections due to Aspergillus species have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients. In order to determine the possible relationship between environmental contamination by Aspergillus and the occurrence of invasive aspergillosis, a 1-year prospective study was carried out in a tertiary hospital in China. Air, surface, and tap water sampling was performed twice monthly at the bone marrow transplant (BMT) department, intensive care unit (ICU), neurosurgery intensive care unit (NICU), and outdoors. Nose, pharynx, and sputum samples were collected from high-risk patients. Isolates of Aspergillus from the environment and patients were genotyped by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay to investigate the origin of infection. Mean total Aspergillus count was 7.73, 8.94, 13.19, and 17.32 cfu/m(3) in the BMT department, ICU, NICU, and outdoors, respectively. RAPD analysis by R108 primer demonstrated that strains isolated from patients in NICU were identical to the environmental strain. Strains isolated from patients in ICU differed from the environmental strain. Aspergillus contamination was found in the BTM department, NICU, and ICU. Clinical and environmental strains from NICU had identical genotypes. These findings suggest that Aspergillus is found in the hospital environment including the air, surface, and tap water. The genotypes of Aspergillus were identical from patients and the environment, suggesting that clinical infection may originate from the hospital environment.

An efficient procedure for the synthesis of biaryls was catalyzed by Pd(CH 3 CN) 4 (BF 4 ) 2 is reported. This Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of aryltrifluoroborates with sodium arenesulfinates was developed under mild and environmentally benign conditions, in water without any ligand or additive. The reaction gave a range of structurally diverse unsymmetrical bi-aryl molecules with excellent yields, in which the byproduct was sulfur dioxide. It is worth noting that this protocol is also applicable to many heterocyclic aromatics such as thiophene, furan, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline and indole.

Gallic acid (GA, 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a widely used natural food additive of interest to food chemistry researchers, especially regarding its effects on myofibrillar protein (MP) oxidation. However, existing studies regarding MP oxidation by GA-combined with Fenton reagents are inconsistent, and the detailed mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. This work validated hydroxyl radical (HO • ) as the primary oxidant for MP carbonylation; in addition, it revealed three functions of GA in the Fenton oxidation of MP. By coordination with Fe(III), GA reduces Fe(III) to generate Fe(II), which is the critical reagent for HO • generation; meanwhile, the coordination improves the availability and reactivity of Fe(III) under weakly acidic and near-neutral pH, i.e., pH 4−6. Second, the intermediates formed during GA oxidation, including semiquinone and quinone, promoted Fenton reactivity by accelerating Fe catalytic cycling. Finally, GA can scavenge HO • radicals, thus exhibiting a certain degree of antioxidant property. All three functions contribute to MP oxidation as observed in GA-containing meat.