Abstract Background Live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) are known to enhance immune responses through the GUT-TME axis. Here, we investigate the GUT-TME-related immune cell profiling and signals associated with the anti-cancer effects of CJRB-101. Methods Tumors from NSCLC patients (anti-PD-1 refractory) were transplanted in Hu-CD34-NSG to establish humanized patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. CJRB-101 was administered at 1x109 CFU (p.o., BID) or combination with anti-PD-1 (10 mpk, i.p., BIW). TME was analyzed using multiplex IHC, flow cytometry and scRNA sequencing. Samples were collected from C3PQ syngeneic mice at multiple timepoints for GUT-TME immune cell profiling. For depletion assay, immune cells were individually depleted during the combination treatment. TLR4-mediated mechanism was evaluated using ex vivo and in vivo assay treated with CJRB-101 or cell membrane of CJRB-101. Results CJRB-101 combined with pembrolizumab effectively suppressed tumor growth in anti-PD-1 resistant PDX models. Further analysis revealed a correlation between the activity of NK cells and angiogenesis inhibition. Abundance of NK/NKT was higher in the CJRB-101 treated group compared to the vehicle group in multiple PDX models. The expression of GZMB and IFNG in NK/NKT cells was significantly higher in the CJRB-101 treated group compared to the vehicle group in YHIM2014 (p<0.001). CJRB-101 treated group showed significantly higher expression of antiangiogenic IL1B (p<0.001) while the expression of pro-angiogenic VEGFA (p=0.002) was lower compared to the vehicle group in YHIM2014 cancer cells. Macrophages in the intestine were increased at Day 3 in the CJRB-101 group compared to anti-PD1, while NK cells, granulocytes, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells increased at Day 10 in the syngeneic model. Depletion assay confirmed that macrophages, CD8+ T cells and neutrophils were pivotal in the anti-cancer effects of CJRB-101. We observed that TAK242 and MD2 reduced the IL-6 secretion of Raw264.7 in a dose-dependent manner. The cell membrane played a key role in increasing BMDM M1 polarization and repolarization of M2 to M1, and that inhibition of TLR4 resulted in a decrease in BMDM repolarization. TLR inhibition also demonstrated that TGI decreased from 34% to 20% when treated with cell membrane + TAK242 compared to cell membrane monotherapy. Conclusions This study showed that macrophages were the dominant immune population in the early stages then T cells (CD3, CD4, CD8), NK cells and granulocytes became more active in the latter stages of the GUT-TME-axis immune response. In vivo results indicated that anti-cancer efficacy of CJRB-101 is immune-cell driven by TLR4-dependent stimulation of key immune cell populations (macrophages, CD8+ T cells, neutrophils) modulated by the cell membrane of CJRB-101. CJRB-101 is currently undergoing clinical investigation for treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC. Citation Format: Arim Min, Bo-eun Kwon, Seong-san Kang, Sujeong Baek, Junwon Yang, Hyunkyung Park, Jieun Im, Hyunjeong Kim, Jaemin Kim, Jieun Kwon, Dong Kwon Kim, Jii Bum Lee, Hyeonseok Oh, Seung Min Yang, Yu Jin Han, Mi hyun Kim, Heekyung Han, Kwangmin Na, Young Taek Kim, Mi Ran Yun, Jae Hwan Kim, Youngseon Byeon, Young Seob Kim, Min Hee Hong, Sun Min Lim, Kyoung-Ho Pyo, Byoung Chul Cho. CJRB-101 induces immune responses through the GUT-TME axis in immune cell-driven mechanism in lung cancer models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4993.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a dismal prognosis due to the absence of diagnostic markers and molecular targets. Here, we took an unconventional approach to identify new molecular targets for pancreatic cancer. We chose uncharacterized protein evidence level 1 without function annotation from extensive proteomic research on pancreatic cancer and focused on proline and serine-rich 2 (PROSER2), which ranked high in the cell membrane and cytoplasm. In our study using cell lines and patient-derived orthotopic xenograft cells, PROSER2 exhibited a higher expression in cells derived from primary tumors than in those from metastatic tissues. PROSER2 was localized in the cell membrane and cytosol by immunocytochemistry. PROSER2 overexpression significantly reduced the metastatic ability of cancer cells, whereas its suppression had the opposite effect. Proteomic analysis revealed that PROSER2 interacts with STK25 and PDCD10, and their binding was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and immunocytochemistry. STK25 knockdown enhanced metastasis by decreasing p-AMPK levels, whereas PROSER2-overexpressing cells increased the level of p-AMPK, indicating that PROSER2 suppresses invasion via the AMPK pathway by interacting with STK25. This is the first demonstration of the novel role of PROSER2 in antagonizing tumor progression via the STK25-AMPK pathway in PDAC. LC-MS/MS data are available at MassIVE (MSV000092953) and ProteomeXchange (PXD045646).

Abstract Backgrounds: Live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) emerged as potential therapeutics to overcome the limitation of ICIs. This research shows that CJRB-101, a novel bacterial strain, can improve anti-tumor effects in synergy with pembrolizumab in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Objectives and Methods: Tumors from NSCLC patients (anti-PD-1 refractory and resistant) were transplanted into Hu-CD34-NSG to establish humanized patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mice models. Five models (YHIM-2003, 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2014) were treated with CJRB-101 at low (5 × 107 CFU) or high (109 CFU) doses, or with pembrolizumab (10 mg/kg, i.p., Q5D) or in combination. Tumor growth inhibition (TGI) rate was measured. Tumor microenvironment (TME) was analyzed using multiplex IHC, flow cytometry and single cell RNA sequencing. Ex-vivo assays were performed to validate in silico findings. Results: Tumor in PDX models was unresponsive to pembrolizumab alone, however, in combination with CJRB-101 effectively suppressed tumor growth. The synergy was highlighted in YHIM-2009 where TGI was 10-fold higher (56%) than pembrolizumab group (5%). Immune profiling revealed that macrophages may be responsible for the anti-tumor effects of CJRB-101. IHC showed significantly increased antigen presenting specialized DCs (CD16+CD68−CD11c+) and granzyme B+ CD8+ T cells in the tumor by CJRB-101 compared to pembrolizumab (p<0.01). This suggested that CJRB-101 induced infiltration of cytotoxic CD8 T cells into the tumor nest by enhancing antigen presenting machinery. Trajectory analysis showed that CJRB-101 induced repolarization of M2 to M1 macrophages, characterized by high expression of CXCL9/10. CXCL9+/10+ M1 macrophages were comparatively more abundant in the combination group (23.11%) than the pembrolizumab group (0.91%). CXCL9/CXCL10 expression in macrophages was higher in the CJRB-101 group compared to the pembrolizumab group (p<0.0001). The combination group (10.84%) had a higher relative abundance of CD8+ T cells compared to the pembrolizumab group (1.58%) and higher IFNγ expression in CD8+ T cells compared to the pembrolizumab group (p=0.0152), suggesting that CJRB-101 repolarized macrophages and recruited active CD8+ T cells. Co-culture assays using bone marrow-derived macrophages validated that CJRB-101 drove differentiation towards F4/80+ or MHC II+ expressing M1 macrophage (p<0.0001) and repolarized existing M2 (CD206+) to M1 (p=0.0002). Conclusion: Combination treatment of CJRB-101 with anti-PD-1 showed synergistic anti-tumor effects via repolarization of M2 to M1 macrophages, leading to activation of CD8+ T cells in TME. Especially, CXCL9+/10+ M1 macrophage playing a key role in TGI induced by CJRB-101 in NSCLC models. Findings from this study provided rationale for clinical investigation of CJRB-101. Citation Format: Arim Min, Chun-bong Synn, Seong-san Kang, Bo-eun Kwon, Junwon Yang, Hyunkyung Park, Jieun Im, Hyunjeong Kim, Sujeong Beak, Dong Kwon Kim, Jii Bum Lee, Hyeonseok Oh, Seung Min Yang, Yu Jin Han, Mi hyun Kim, Heekyung Han, Kwangmin Na, Young Taek Kim, Sungwoo Lee, Mi Ran Yun, Jae Hwan Kim, Youngseon Byeon, Young Seob Kim, Ji Yun Lee, Chang Gon Kim, Min Hee Hong, Sun Min Lim, Kyoung-Ho Pyo, Byoung Chul Cho. A novel bacterial strain, CJRB-101, induces anti-cancer effects by repolarization of M2 to CXCL9 and CXCL10 dual expressing M1 macrophages in humanized non-small cell lung cancer mice models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6433.

Backgrounds: Live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) emerged as potential therapeutics to overcome the limitation of ICIs. This research shows that CJRB-101, a novel bacterial strain, can improve anti-tumor effects in synergy with pembrolizumab in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Objectives and Methods: Tumors from NSCLC patients (anti-PD-1 refractory and resistant) were transplanted into Hu-CD34-NSG to establish humanized patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mice models. Five models (YHIM-2003, 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2014) were treated with CJRB-101 at low (5 × 107 CFU) or high (109 CFU) doses, or with pembrolizumab (10 mg/kg, i.p., Q5D) or in combination. Tumor growth inhibition (TGI) rate was measured. Tumor microenvironment (TME) was analyzed using multiplex IHC, flow cytometry and single cell RNA sequencing. Ex-vivo assays were performed to validate in silico findings. Results: Tumor in PDX models was unresponsive to pembrolizumab alone, however, in combination with CJRB-101 effectively suppressed tumor growth. The synergy was highlighted in YHIM-2009 where TGI was 10-fold higher (56%) than pembrolizumab group (5%). Immune profiling revealed that macrophages may be responsible for the anti-tumor effects of CJRB-101. IHC showed significantly increased antigen presenting specialized DCs (CD16+CD68−CD11c+) and granzyme B+ CD8+ T cells in the tumor by CJRB-101 compared to pembrolizumab (p<0.01). This suggested that CJRB-101 induced infiltration of cytotoxic CD8 T cells into the tumor nest by enhancing antigen presenting machinery. Trajectory analysis showed that CJRB-101 induced repolarization of M2 to M1 macrophages, characterized by high expression of CXCL9/10. CXCL9+/10+ M1 macrophages were comparatively more abundant in the combination group (23.11%) than the pembrolizumab group (0.91%). CXCL9/CXCL10 expression in macrophages was higher in the CJRB-101 group compared to the pembrolizumab group (p<0.0001). The combination group (10.84%) had a higher relative abundance of CD8+ T cells compared to the pembrolizumab group (1.58%) and higher IFNγ expression in CD8+ T cells compared to the pembrolizumab group (p=0.0152), suggesting that CJRB-101 repolarized macrophages and recruited active CD8+ T cells. Co-culture assays using bone marrow-derived macrophages validated that CJRB-101 drove differentiation towards F4/80+ or MHC II+ expressing M1 macrophage (p<0.0001) and repolarized existing M2 (CD206+) to M1 (p=0.0002). Conclusion: Combination treatment of CJRB-101 with anti-PD-1 showed synergistic anti-tumor effects via repolarization of M2 to M1 macrophages, leading to activation of CD8+ T cells in TME. Especially, CXCL9+/10+ M1 macrophage playing a key role in TGI induced by CJRB-101 in NSCLC models. Findings from this study provided rationale for clinical investigation of CJRB-101. Citation Format: Arim Min, Chun-bong Synn, Seong-san Kang, Bo-eun Kwon, Junwon Yang, Hyunkyung Park, Jieun Im, Hyunjeong Kim, Sujeong Beak, Dong Kwon Kim, Jii Bum Lee, Hyeonseok Oh, Seung Min Yang, Yu Jin Han, Mi hyun Kim, Heekyung Han, Kwangmin Na, Young Taek Kim, Sungwoo Lee, Mi Ran Yun, Jae Hwan Kim, Youngseon Byeon, Young Seob Kim, Ji Yun Lee, Chang Gon Kim, Min Hee Hong, Sun Min Lim, Kyoung-Ho Pyo, Byoung Chul Cho. A novel bacterial strain, CJRB-101, induces anti-cancer effects by repolarization of M2 to CXCL9 and CXCL10 dual expressing M1 macrophages in humanized non-small cell lung cancer mice models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6433.

Abstract To develop an efficient drug screening platform which overcomes the difference of drug response between initial screening and clinical trial stage is a pivotal issue for drug discovery. The patient-derived Xenograft (PDX) model has been reported as a screening system to reflect the microenvironment and heterogeneity of tumor. However, in pancreatic cancer that 80 % of patients is non-resectable, PDX is not be suitable for an initial screening model in terms of economic- and time cost of mouse-based amplification system as well as the lack of obtaining pancreatic tumor tissue from fine needle biopsy or percutaneous gun. To overcome this limitation, here we newly suggested organoids system, miniature organ culture on a dish, that are generated from tumor tissues of orthotopic PDX model, which has the advantages of reflection of each patient's characteristics as well as amplification of limited tumor tissue. Besides, it is possible to screen of drug responsibility with a little number of cells. 12 organoids derived from PDX using needle or gun biopsy tumor tissues showed EpCAM overexpression and each unique morphological phenotype. Moreover, from drug responsibility test, H #43 and H #44, an organoids derived from a gemcitabine-sensitive patients, were highly responsible to gemcitabine, whereas the organoids from gemcitabine-resistant patients, G #20 and H #19 showed a strong resistance to gemcitabine as measuring the IC50 value. In addition, combined treatment with gemcitabine and abraxane to the G #13 model which has no clinical information of drug response due to early death, it inhibited organoid formation significantly, showing a combination index below 1, which was proved through in vivo (PDX) validation. Taken together, the PDX-Organoid system might be able to reflect primary tumor characteristics as well as to overcome the quantitative limitations of the specimen and time cost, and thereby it is possible to predict drug response early in vitro, making it very efficient as an anti-cancer drug development platform for pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: A-Ra Jeon, Sun Il Choi, Sang-Jae Park, Sung-Sik Han, Sun-Young Kong, Min Kyeong Kim, Yu-sun Lee, Jieun Im, Min Kyeong Lee, Sang Hyun Park, Joon-Ki Kim, Kyong-Ah Yoon, Young-Hwan Koh, Ju Hee Lee, Woo Jin Lee, Sang Myung Woo, Yun-Hee Kim. New strategy of drug response assessment using PDX organoid platform for non-resectable pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4098.

FAM20C reported as a novel secreted kinase has the potential of phosphorylation on consensus motif, S-x-E/pS, of secretory proteins or ectodomain of membrane proteins. Numerous substrate candidates through prediction implied FAM20C has the function on tumor microenvironment, however, function and regulatory mechanism of cancer progression by FAM20C has not been defined yet. As tumor associated macrophage (TAM) changes to have the tumor supporting phenotype in response to various environmental stimuli, TAM is the potent regulatory target of FAM20C in tumor microenvironment. In this study, we hypothesized that the secreted kinase FAM20C in tumor microenvironment can support pancreatic cancer progression by regulating TAM contents or polarization. In pancreatic orthotopic xenograft model of FAM20C-overexpressing tumor cells, the tumor growth rate was enhanced and TAM contents (F4/80+/CD11b+/MHCII+) were significantly increased compared to control group, while total macrophage population between two groups had no difference. Moreover, the high level of TAM contents was sustained in the presence of FAM20C till the late stage of tumor progression. In addition, infiltrated tissue macrophages were polarized into TAM by FAM20C treatment Furthermore, increased TAM population by FAM20C suppresses the CD8+ cytotoxic T cell proliferation with anti-tumor function. Collectively, FAM20C might be a key regulatory factor in pancreatic cancer progression by promoting polarization of TAM. Citation Format: Jieun Im, Yu-Sun Lee, Sun Il Choi, Beom-Kyu Choi, A-Ra Jeon, Sang Hyun Park, Min-Kyeong Lee, Joon-Ki Kim, Yun-Hee Kim. Key role of secreted kinase FAM20C on tumor associated macrophage (TAM) leading to pancreatic cancer progression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3138.

This study demonstrates the application feasibility of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in measuring estrogen (17β-estradiol) in gas phase. The present biosensor gives a linear response (R2=0.999) for 17β-estradiol vapor concentration from 3.7 ng/L to 3.7 × 10−4 ng/L with a limit of detection (3.7 × 10−4 ng/L). The results show that the fabricated biosensor demonstrates better detection limit of 17β-estradiol in gas phase than the previous report with GC-MS method. This estrogen biosensor has many potential applications for on-site detection of a variety of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the gas phase.

Mesoporous carbon nanofibers (MCNFs) are fabricated at various carbonization temperatures. The carbonization temperature plays a key role in determining the structural characteristics and the electronic properties of MCNFs. The band gap energies of MCNFs are estimated to be 0.080, 0.036, and 0.014 eV at the carbonization temperatures of 600, 900, and 1200 degrees C, respectively. The MCNF carbonized at 1200 degrees C has the highest stacking height of graphene planes (L-c) and the largest number of graphene layers (L-a/d). Raman data show the intensity ratio of D to G peaks, which is related to the graphene size (L-a). La increases with increasing the carbonization temperature. In addition, as the carbonization temperature increases, the conductivity of MCNF increases due to larges values of L-c, L-a, and L-c/d. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

shell, PS particles were effectively separated during pyrolysis process which resulted to CNSs with anaverage diameter of 40 nm. Moreover, CNSs could be crosslinked with each other through the bondingsbetween the functional groups on their surfaces. Morphology of the fabricated carbon spheres and theircrosslinked form were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Key Words : Carbon nanosphere, Polystyrene, Silica, Core-shell, Crosslinked formIntroductionSpherical carbon particles have attracted many attentionsbecause of their applications as electronic devices, supporterof catalysts, adsorbents, and anode materials in lithium-ionbatteries, etc.

A label-free impedometric biosensor has been developed for the detection of estrogen hormone 17 beta-estradiol. The electrochemical biosensor has been fabricated by immobilizing both estrogen receptor-alpha and bovine serum albumin on gold electrode surfaces. The binding of 17 beta-estradiol to the estrogen receptors on the fabricated biosensor has increased the electron-transfer resistance which has been directly monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in the presence of 5.0 mM K3Fe(CN)(6)/K4Fe(CN)(6) (1:1, v/v) redox couple. The association constant between the 17 beta-estradiol and the estrogen receptors has been found to be ca. 1.8 x 10(11) M-1, which indicates that the estrogen receptors are well formed on gold electrode surfaces not only with high density but also with good specificity to its corresponding 17 beta-estradiol. The present biosensor gives a linear response (r(2) = 0.992) for 17 beta-estradiol concentration from 1.0 x 10(-13) to 1.0 x 10(-9) M with a detection limit of 1.0 x 10(-13) M (S/N = 3), which is much lower compared to those obtained with other detection methods. The present biosensor exhibits good stability, in which the biosensor has retained 88% of its initial activity after 3 weeks of storage in 50 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.0. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We report the fabrication of a novel titania membrane of the dual-pore system that is strategically designed and prepared by a two-step replication process and sol–gel reaction. The primary nanoporous channel structure is fabricated by the cage-like PMMA template (CPT) obtained from the nanoporous alumina membrane and the secondary mesoporous structure is formed by the sol–gel reaction of the lyotropic precursor solution within the CPT. Furthermore the mesoporous titania membrane (MTM) frame consists of the titania nanoparticles of 10–12 nm in diameter. Morphology and structural properties of the MTM are investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area. The photocatalytic activity and the solar energy properties of the MTM are characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometer, spectrofluorometer and photoinduced I–V measurement. The photocatalytic test indicates that the MTM has higher efficiency than the commercial P25 with a good recyclability due to its large-scale membrane style and the preliminary result on the solar cell application shows a solar energy conversion efficiency of 3.35% for the dye-sensitized solar cell utilizing the MTM.

LaBO3 (B=transition metal) perovskite oxides, which have well-defined structure and high thermal stability, have been widely studied on their physical and chemical properties. An interesting potential application of the perovskites as catalysts is their use for redox reactions. LaFeO3 perovskite oxide is one of highly active catalysts for oxidation of hydrocarbons and has been prepared by various synthetic methods including sol-gel method, sonochemical method, hydrothermal method, and polymerizable complex method. However, since these methods start from solution precursors, they need calcining at relatively high temperatures to obtain the crystalline particles, which results in the formation of crystalline powder with small surface area. The small surface area of LaFeO3 powder may limit its potential use as catalyst. Metal oxide catalyst is generally used in the form of fine powder to give a large surface area. Fine particles of metal oxide may agglomerate into large particles at high temperatures, which results in deactivation of the catalyst. Recently, ordered porous compounds having high surface areas such as MCM, SBA, and AAO have attracted much attention as new materials for support with high loading and dispersion of catalysts. However, the nanostructures may be collapsed by a solid-state reaction between catalyst and support at high temperatures. Metal oxide in the form of porous nanowires or nanotubes may be an advantage for its application as non-supported catalyst owing to its high surface area. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes have used as the templates for synthesizing one-dimensional structures in a previously inaccessible size range by inclusion chemistry. Because AAO membranes can be synthesized with controllable pore diameter in the range of 5-200 nm, they are favorably used as templates for preparing the metal oxides in the form of nanowire or nanotube. Until now, some ceramic nanowires and nanotubes have been successfully synthesized using AAO templates. In this work, porous LaFeO3 perovskite nanowires were prepared using AAO template by a sol-gel method. Amphiphilic triblock copolymer (F127), which is widely used in the synthesis of nanostructured materials because its assemblies can lead to mesostructures, was employed to induce the formation of mesopores in the final oxide nanowires. The oxide nanowires were examined as catalysts for the oxidative coupling of methane in the temperature range of 650-800 C at atmospheric pressure and their catalytic results were compared with the fine powder catalyst. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, and N2 sorption measurements.

The nanoporous alumina membranes (NAMs) were fabricated by a two-step aluminium anodic oxidation process. The fabricated NAMs have controllable pore diameters (40–80 nm) and unidirectionally ordered pore direction. The surface of the NAM was modified with the organo-silane agent (APTES: (aminopropyl)triethoxysilane) to induce ionic bonding between the NAM and the photosensitizer (TSPP: tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin). The morphology and chemical nature of the surface modified NAM were studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), FT-IR spectra, and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, this singlet oxygen generating nanoporous membranes (SGNMs) were investigated, in detail, to understand their photophysical properties and the singlet oxygen generation efficiency which were the essential factors for their applications. Steady-state spectroscopies and nanosecond laser induced time-resolved spectroscopy were applied to get information on all photophysical properties including the lifetime of singlet oxygen which depended on the pore diameter of the SGNM.

Detection of estrogen, a steroid hormone, has intensively been investigated due to the hormone's functionalities of estrus arising and carcinogenic elements. More importantly, it is well known that estrogen contamination in environment disturbs the endocrine system in the ecosystem. In this study, the binding reaction between the hormone and its receptor is applied for the detection of estrogen, which enables high selectivity. Moreover, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method has been employed for a highly sensitive detection in a wide range of concentration. In order to fabricate the electrode covalently bonded with estrogen receptor, the surface modification was firstly done by the molecules including thiol groups and carboxyl groups. It forms self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with the carboxylic ends in the open side. The cross linkers are involved to form a solid covalent bonding to the estrogen receptor. The interfacial properties of the modified electrodes have been evaluated in the presence of Fe(CN)64−/3− redox couple of the probe by EIS. The accumulation of the treated substances on the electrode surface affects the electrochemical behavior of the redox probe. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provides intermolecular bonding energy to confirm the surface modifications at each step. Estrogen hormone has been successfully detected in 10−6 M concentration.

The present study examined the effect of the king oyster mushroom ( Pleurotus eryngii ) on insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in db/db mice. Four-week-old db/db mice were fed an AIN-93G diet or a diet containing 5% king oyster mushroom for 7 weeks. The blood glycated hemoglobin and serum glucose levels in the mushroom group were significantly lower than the control group ( p <0.05). Dietary king oyster mushroom significantly reduced the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol, and triglyceride, and increased high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. These results indicate that king oyster mushroom improves insulin sensitivity and exerts anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects in db/db mice.

In this work, mesoporous carbon nanofibers (MCNF) were synthesized by using a template of mesoporous silicate nanofibers within anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) film and furfuryl alcohol for the carbon source at the carbonization temperatures (600, 900, and 1200°C). Due to the easy control nature of pore size and thickness of AAO film, the diameter and length of MCNF can easily be controlled. The MCNF pyrolyzed at 1200°C shows the highest BET surface area. The surface area is discussed with the structural properties associated. Also, hydrogen uptake capacity of MCNF is measured to examine the nanofibers for the potential application as a hydrogen storage media. Among them, MCNF carbonized at 1200°C shows 0.73wt.% of the highest hydrogen uptake at 77K and 0.1MPa. Results of the study indicate that the capacity of the MCNF for hydrogen storage shall increase as the carbonization temperature increases. The structural property and the surface area of MCNFs depending on carbonization temperature were discussed with their hydrogen uptake efficiency.

We have synthesized mesoporous TiO2 nanofibers loaded with Au nanoparticles (MTNF-Au) and fabricated single nanofiber-based devices. MTNF-Au devices exhibited surface plasmon enhanced photoconductance under visible light, whereas MTNF devices without Au nanoparticles did not. Moreover, Coulomb oscillations were observed at 4.2 K in MTNF-Au devices, indicating that Au nanoparticles embedded in MTNF-Au played a role of Coulomb islands. These results suggested that the enhanced photoconductance was ascribed to electron tunneling of hot electrons generated by the surface plasmon resonance.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a promising approach for killing microorganism and especially for the inactivation of antibiotic-resistant strains. The photodynamic process rapidly generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) as for instance peroxides, hydroxyl radicals, superoxide ions, and singlet oxygen. Among them, the singlet oxygen is considered to be a major causative agent of cellular damage in photodynamic process. Due to advantage of the cytotoxic effect of PDT on bacteria, the PDT method has been one of the most appropriate tools to prevent the microbes which result in biofilm formation. This work describes a method of singlet oxygen generating nanolayer coating on NiTi alloy which shows a good biocompatibility. The 5,10,15-triphenyl-20-(4-carboxyphenyl)-porphyrin] platinum (PtCP) functional nanolayer coatings were prepared in two steps. In the first step, Al coating was prepared on biomedical NiTi alloy substrate by DC magnetron sputtering, and then this coated substrate alloy was immersed into hot water to form Al2O3 coatings. In the second step, a photosensitizer (PS) with carboxyl group was chemically attached to the hydroxyl-terminated Al2O3 coatings by a direct esterification method. The microstructure and the elemental and phase composition of the coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results from this study show that the PtCP functional nanolayer coating is composed of many perpendicular nanosheet structures. These very thin nanosheet structures with the thickness of a few nanometers mainly show amorphous phase. The singlet oxygen generation efficiency of the PS being chemically bonded on these nanosheets was detected by an indirect chemical method by using the decomposition of 1,3-diphenyl-isobenzofuran (DPBF).