The epigenetic opvABgfp biosensor thus comes in different flavours to detect a wide range of bacteriophages and identify the type of receptor they recognize. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.A bio-based polymeric ink for stereolithography developed through a two-step solvent-free process is herein proposed. Specifically, low-molecular-weight poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-diol oligomers are prepared via molten transesterification of bacterial PHB with 1,4-butanediol. Transesterification conditions such as diol concentration, catalyst amount, and reaction time are studied for optimizing the final oligomers’ molecular weight and structural features. In the second step, the oligomeric hydroxyl terminals are converted into methacrylate moieties through a solvent-free end-capping reaction and diluted in propylene carbonate in order to obtain a photo-polymerizable ink with suitable viscosity. The ink is UV-cured, and the obtained material properties are investigated by FT-IR and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. The proposed method provides a valuable and environmentally friendly alternative to currently available synthetic routes, overcoming their typical disadvantages related to the used solvents and harsh conditions. Moreover, it opens up a sustainable route for converting polyesters into functionalized oligomeric derivatives, which can potentially find application in 3D printing of customized biomedical devices. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.Total sleep deprivation (TSD) is associated with endothelial dysfunction and a consequent decrease in vascular reactivity and increase in peripheral vascular resistance. These effectors compromise the body’s ability to thermoregulate in hot and cold stress conditions. We investigated heat-unacclimated young adult men (26 ± 2 years) to determine whether 36 hr of TSD compared to an 8 or 4-hr sleep condition, would suppress the responses of the autonomic system (body rectal temperature [Tre ], heart rate [HR], root mean square of successive interbeat intervals, physiological strain, blood pressure [BP], circulating blood catecholamines, sweating rate and subjective sensations) to whole-body uncompensable passive heat stress in traditional Finnish sauna heat (Tair  = 80-90°C, rh = 30%). Sauna bathing that induced whole-body hyperthermia had a residual effect on reducing BP in the 8-hr and 4-hr sleep per night conditions according to BP measurements. By contrast, 36 hr of total wakefulness led to an increase in BP. These observed sleep deprivation-dependent differences in BP modifications were not accompanied by changes in the blood plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations. However, during sauna bathing, an increase in BP following 36 hr of TSD was accompanied by significant decreases in body Tre , HR and physiological strain, together with a diminished sweating rate, enhanced vagus-mediated autonomic control of HR variability, and improved thermal perception by the subjects. Our results suggest the impaired ability of the body to accumulate external heat in the body’s core under uncompensable passive heat conditions following 36 hr of TSD, because of the TSD-attenuated autonomic system response to acute heat stress. © 2020 European Sleep Research Society.Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent tumor-cell radiosensitizer but it can be readily scavenged by hemoglobin (Hb) in vivo. A biomimetic incubator that can generate and deliver NO in a scavenger (Hb)-free environment to enhance its radiosensitizing effect to maximize its efficacy in radiotherapy is proposed. This NO incubator comprises a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) hollow microsphere (HM) that contains an NO donor (NONOate) and a surfactant molecule (sodium caprate, SC) in its aqueous core. In acidic tumorous environments, the PLGA shell of the HM allows the penetration of protons from the outside, activating the hydrolytic cleavage of NONOate, spontaneously generating NO bubbles, which are immediately trapped/stabilized by SC. The SC-stabilized NO bubbles in the HM are then squeezed through the spaces of its PLGA matrices by the elevated internal pressure. Upon leaving the HM, the entrapped NO molecules may passively diffuse through their SC-stabilized/protected layer gradually to the tumor site, having a long-lasting radiosensitizing effect and inhibiting tumor growth. Sodium acrylate price The entire process of NO generation and delivery is conducted in a scavenger (Hb)-free environment, mimicking the development of young ovoviviparous fish inside their mothers’ bodies in the absence of predators before birth. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.The development of glycoconjugate vaccines against Helicobacter pylori is challenging. An exact epitope of the H. pylori lipopolysaccharides (LPS) O-antigens that contain Lewis determinant oligosaccharides and unique DD-heptoglycans has not yet been identified. Here, we report the first total synthesis of H. pylori serotype O6 tridecasaccharide O-antigen containing a terminal Ley tetrasaccharide, a unique α-(1→3)-, α-(1→6)- and α-(1→2)-linked heptoglycan, and a β-D-galactose connector through an [(2 × 1) + (3 + 8)] assembly sequence, which may serve as reference for the syntheses of other sterically hindered long-chain glycans. Seven oligosaccharides covering different portions of the entire O-antigen were prepared for immunological investigations with a particular focus on elucidation of the roles of DD-heptoglycan and Ley tetrasaccharide. Glycan microarrays analysis of sera from rabbits immunized with isolated serotype O6 LPS revealed a humoral immune response to the α-(1→3)-linked heptoglycan, which is the key motif for designing glycoconjugate vaccines for H. pylori serotype O6. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.To survive in cold environments, psychrophilic organisms produce enzymes endowed with high specific activity at low temperature. The structure of these enzymes is usually flexible and mostly thermolabile. In this work, we investigate the structural basis of cold adaptation of a GH42 β-galactosidase from the psychrophilic Marinomonas ef1. This enzyme couples cold activity with astonishing robustness for a psychrophilic protein, for it retains 23% of its highest activity at 5°C and it is stable for several days at 37°C and even 50°C. Phylogenetic analyses indicate a close relationship with thermophilic β-galactosidases, suggesting that the present-day enzyme evolved from a thermostable scaffold modeled by environmental selective pressure. The crystallographic structure reveals the overall similarity with GH42 enzymes, along with a hexameric arrangement (dimer of trimers) not found in psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic homologues. In the quaternary structure, protomers form a large central cavity, whose accessibility to the substrate is promoted by the dynamic behavior of surface loops, even at low temperature.