TPU/PAAm hydrogel with excellent mechanical, adhesive, self-healing and antibacterial properties has been successfully prepared as a desirable bolus for radiotherapy.

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Central to the design and development of biomedical-adaptive graphene oxide (GO) is functional modification of GO amenable to technologically reliable and economically viable processing. Here we describe a high-efficiency and low-temperature approach to in situ synthesis of hydroxyapatite (HA) nanowhiskers at GO surfaces (HA@GO), strategically involving microwave-assisted mineralization in stimulated body fluid at room temperature. Being preferentially nucleated and accommodated at GO surfaces, the highly crystalline HA nanowhiskers with an average diameter of 20 nm and a length of 150 nm were characterized by coherent bonding with the host nanosheets. The strong GO–HA interactions, combined with the high density of oxygen functional groups, endowed the HA@GO with good exfoliation and dispersion in a poly­(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix even at the highest filler content of 30 wt % (HG30). Inheriting the excellent biocompatibility of HA and the remarkable strength of GO, the PLA/HA@GO nanocomposites exhibited an unusual combination of prominent cytocompatibility with osteoblast cells and high mechanical strength and toughness. In particular, compared to that of the normal PLA/HA counterpart, HG30 exhibited a >85% increase in cell viability, accompanied by 2- and 7.9-fold increases in tensile strength and toughness (105 MPa and 2.9 MJ/m3), respectively. This work paves a facile yet effective way to GO functionalization with biologically beneficial HA nanowhiskers, which may prompt the realistic development of GO-based biomaterials, especially in the realm of polymer/GO nanocomposites.

The whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a cosmopolitan and devastating pest of agricultural crops and ornamentals. B. tabaci causes extensive damage by feeding on phloem and by transmitting plant viruses. Like many other organisms, insects depend on amino acid transporters (AATs) to transport amino acids into and out of its cells. We present a genome-wide and transcriptome-wide investigation of the following two families of AATs in B. tabaci biotype B: amino acid/auxin permease (AAAP) and amino acid/polyamine/organocation (APC). A total of 14 putative APCs and 25 putative AAAPs were identified, and a 10-paralog B. tabaci-specific expansion of AAAPs was found by maximum likelihood phylogeny. Detailed gene structure information revealed that 9 members of the B. tabaci-specific AAAP family expansion closely situated on a same scaffold. Expression profiling of the B. tabaci B APC and AAAP genes as affected by stage and plant host showed diverse expression patterns. The analysis of evolutionary rates indicated that purifying selection can explain the B. tabaci-specific AAAP expansion. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated suppression of two AAAP genes (BtAAAP15 and BtAAAP21) significantly increased the mortality of B. tabaci B adults. The results provide a foundation for future functional analysis of APC and AAAP genes in B. tabaci.

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