Clinical observations indicate that the paramedian region of the thalamus is a critical node for controlling wakefulness. However, the specific nucleus and neural circuitry for this function remain unknown. Using in vivo fiber photometry or multichannel electrophysiological recordings in mice, we found that glutamatergic neurons of the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) exhibited high activities during wakefulness. Suppression of PVT neuronal activity caused a reduction in wakefulness, whereas activation of PVT neurons induced a transition from sleep to wakefulness and an acceleration of emergence from general anesthesia. Moreover, our findings indicate that the PVT–nucleus accumbens projections and hypocretin neurons in the lateral hypothalamus to PVT glutamatergic neurons’ projections are the effector pathways for wakefulness control. These results demonstrate that the PVT is a key wakefulness-controlling nucleus in the thalamus.

Highly blue-luminescent nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) are obtained by hydrothermal treatment of graphene oxide in the presence of ammonia. The yield of N-GQDs is about 8.7% in weight. A high quantum yield of maximum 24.6% at an excitation wavelength of 340 nm is achieved. They are applied for bioimaging of HeLa cells, and showed bright luminescence and excellent biocompatibility.

We have performed fundamental assays of gold nanocages (AuNCs) as intrinsic inorganic photosensitizers mediating generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by plasmon-enabled photochemistry under near-infrared (NIR) one/two-photon irradiation. We disclosed that NIR light excited hot electrons transform into either ROS or hyperthermia. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy was applied to demonstrate the production of three main radical species, namely, singlet oxygen ((1)O2), superoxide radical anion (O2(-•)), and hydroxyl radical ((•)OH). The existence of hot electrons from irradiated AuNCs was confirmed by a well-designed photoelectrochemical experiment based on a three-electrode system. It could be speculated that surface plasmons excited in AuNCs first decay into hot electrons, and then the generated hot electrons sensitize oxygen to form ROS through energy and electron transfer modes. We also compared AuNCs' ROS generation efficiency in different surface chemical environments under one/two-photon irradiation and verified that, compared with one-photon irradiation, two-photon irradiation could bring about much more ROS. Furthermore, in vitro, under two-photon irradiation, ROS can trigger mitochondrial depolarization and caspase protein up-regulation to initiate tumor cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, hyperthermia mainly induces tumor cell necrosis. Our findings suggest that plasmon-mediated ROS and hyperthermia can be facilely regulated for optimized anticancer phototherapy.

Here, we report a completely sequenced plastome using Illumina/Solexa sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) technology. The plastome of Magnolia kwangsiensis Figlar & Noot. is 159 667 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure: 88 030 bp large single-copy (LSC) and 18 669 bp small single-copy (SSC) regions, separated by two 26 484 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. The overall predicted gene number is 129, among which 17 genes are duplicated in IR regions. The plastome of M. kwangsiensis is identical in its gene order to previously published plastomes of magnoliids. Furthermore, the C-to-U type RNA editing frequency of 114 seed plants is positively correlated with plastome GC content and plastome length, whereas plastome length is not correlated with GC content. A total of 16 potential putative barcoding or low taxonomic level phylogenetic study markers in Magnoliaceae were detected by comparing the coding and noncoding regions of the plastome of M. kwangsiensis with that of Liriodendron tulipifera L. At least eight markers might be applied not only to Magnoliaceae but also to other taxa. The 86 mononucleotide cpSSRs that distributed in single-copy noncoding regions are highly valuable to study population genetics and conservation genetics of this endangered rare species.

CONSPECTUS: Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have been developed for imaging, drug delivery, diagnosis, and clinical therapeutic purposes because of their outstanding physicochemical characteristics. However, the function and ultimate efficiency of nanomedicines remain unsatisfactory for clinical application, mainly because of our insufficient understanding of nanomaterial/nanomedicine−biology (nano−bio) interactions. The nonequilibrated, complex, and heterogeneous nature of the biological milieu inevitably influences the dynamic bioidentity of nanoformulations at each site (i.e., the interfaces at different biological fluids (biofluids), environments, or biological structures) of nano−bio interactions. The continuous interplay between a nanomedicine and the biological molecules and structures in the biological environments can, for example, affect cellular uptake or completely alter the designed function of the nanomedicine. Accordingly, the weak and strong driving forces at the nano−bio interface may elicit structural reconformation, decrease bioactivity, and induce dysfunction of the nanomaterial and/or redox reactions with biological molecules, all of which may elicit unintended and unexpected biological outcomes. In contrast, these driving forces also can be manipulated to mitigate the toxicity of ENMs or improve the targeting abilities of ENMs. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms of nano−bio interactions is paramount for the intelligent design of safe and effective nanomedicines. In this Account, we summarize our recent progress in probing the nano−bio interaction of nanomedicines, focusing on the driving force and redox reaction at the nano−bio interface, which have been recognized as the main factors that regulate the functions and toxicities of nanomedicines. First, we provide insight into the driving force that shapes the boundary of different nano−bio interfaces (including proteins, cell membranes, and biofluids), for instance, hydrophobic, electrostatic, hydrogen bond, molecular recognition, metal-coordinate, and stereoselective interactions that influence the different nano−bio interactions at each contact site in the biological environment. The physicochemical properties of both the nanoparticle and the biomolecule are varied, causing structure recombination, dysfunction, and bioactivity loss of proteins; correspondingly, the surface properties, biological functions, intracellular uptake pathways, and fate of ENMs are also influenced. Second, with the help of these driving forces, four kinds of redox interactions with reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant, sorbate, and the prosthetic group of oxidoreductases are utilized to regulate the intracellular redox equilibrium and construct synergetic nanomedicines for combating bacteria and cancers. Three kinds of electron-transfer mechanisms are involved in designing nanomedicines, including direct electron injection, sorbate-mediated, and irradiation-induced processes. Finally, we discuss the factors that influence th...

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In nature, lifetime-long functionalities of land plant leaves rely on the regenerability as well as the solid feature of the epicuticular wax layer. Inspired by the regenerable solid epicuticular wax on land plant leaf surfaces, herein a type of solid organogel material with regenerable sacrificial alkane surface layer is reported. This type of surface material is demonstrated to be of great practical importance for tackling solid deposition, such as anti-icing, antigraffiti, and antifouling, since the deposited foreign materials can be easily removed together with the alkane surface layer. Significantly, the solid alkane layer does not contaminate nearby surfaces due to its solid nature in both working and stand-by conditions, which is completely different to liquid-infused materials.

A bifunctional peptide containing a domain that targets cell nuclei and a domain with the ability to biomineralize and capture Au clusters is presented. The peptide-Au clusters exhibit red emission (λ(em) = 677 nm) and specifically stain the nuclei of three cell lines.