Cone beam CT findings of retromolar canals in a Korean population

Purpose

The identification of the variation involving the mandibular canal is important during surgical procedures in the mandible. This study aims to investigate the incidence, course, width, and location of retromolar canals in a Korean population using cone beam CT.

Methods

The cross-sectional, sagittal, and three dimensional images from volumetric cone beam CT data of 446 patients were reconstructed using imaging analysis software for the presence of a retromolar canal. Retromolar canals were classified into three types according to the courses. The width and location (distance from the second molar) of retromolar canals were evaluated.

Results

A retromolar canal was observed in 8.5 % of patients (38/446). Most retromolar canals had vertically curved courses (Type 1, 66.7 %), followed by horizontally curved courses (Type 2, 20 %). Type 3 retromolar canals, which run independently from separate foramina in the mandibular ramus, were rare (13.3 %). The mean width of a retromolar canal was 1.13 mm (SD ± 0.38, 0.60–2.00), and the mean distance to the second molar was 14.08 mm (SD ± 3.85, 8.50–24.00).

Conclusions

The incidence of retromolar canals in the Korean population was lower than that reported in the investigated ethnic groups. In the presence of a retromolar canal, local anesthesia may be ineffective. The damage to a retromolar canal may be unavoidable during surgical procedures involving the mandible and may result in paresthesia, excessive bleeding, postoperative hematoma, or traumatic neuroma.     

Correction: A highly selective fluorescent probe for human NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (hNQO1) detection and imaging in living tumor cells

Correction for ‘A highly selective fluorescent probe for human NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (hNQO1) detection and imaging in living tumor cells’ by Ya Zhu et al., RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 26729–26733.

The authors regret that some articles reporting probes for detecting human NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 were not cited in the original article. The missing references are listed below as ref. 1–6, and should be cited in the original paper at the end of the following sentence on page 26729:Herein, we designed and synthesized a novel fluorescent probe 1 for detection of hNQO1 based on TCF-OH as a chromophore and quinone propionic acid (QPA) as a recognition group.^1–6The authors sincerely apologise for this oversight.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

Blockade of the T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain protein 3 pathway exacerbates sepsis-induced immune deviation and immunosuppression

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition, but the pathophysiological basis and biomarkers for the monitoring of sepsis and as targets for therapy remain to be determined. We have shown previously that T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain protein 3 (Tim-3), a negative immune regulator, is involved in the physiopathology of sepsis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we showed that Tim-3 signalling modulated the response patterns of both macrophages and T helper cells in sepsis. Blockade of the Tim-3 pathway exacerbated sepsis-induced proinflammatory macrophage responses and lymphocyte apoptosis during the early phase of sepsis, and enhanced the shift to anti-inflammatory responses for both macrophages and T helper cells during the late phase of sepsis. Tim-3 signalling was found to regulate CD80 and CD86 expression on macrophages both in vivo and in vitro. Co-culture of T cells with Tim-3 knock-down macrophages led to a biased T helper type 2 (Th2) response, partially explaining how Tim-3 signalling shapes inflammation patterns in vivo. Further studies on this pathway might shed new light on the pathogenesis of sepsis and suggest new approaches for intervention.     

Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate receptor 1 signalling in T cells: trafficking and beyond

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a lipid second messenger that signals via five G protein-coupled receptors (S1P_1–5). S1P receptor (S1PR) signalling is associated with a wide variety of physiological processes including lymphocyte biology, their recirculation and determination of T-cell phenotypes. The effect of FTY720 (Fingolimod, Gilenya™) to regulate lymphocyte egress and to ameliorate paralysis in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis led to the use of FTY720 as a first-line oral agent for treatment of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis. However, a significant body of research suggests that S1P signalling may participate in diverse immune regulatory functions other than lymphocyte trafficking. This review article discusses the current knowledge of S1P signalling in the fate and function of T regulatory, T helper type 17 and memory T cells in health and disease.     

Three chiral one-dimensional lanthanide–ditoluoyl-tartrate bifunctional polymers exhibiting luminescence and magnetic behaviors

Since Ln-CPs have excellent optical properties (higher color purity, longer fluorescence lifetime and higher quantum yield) and magnetic properties, it is of great significance to prepare dual magneto-optical materials based on Ln(iii). Herein, we obtained three versatile Ln-CPs, [Ln(HDTTA)₃(CH₃OH)₃]_n, derived from reactions of lanthanide salts (Ln = Tb 1, Dy 2, Ho 3) and a chiral and flexible ligand, namely, (+)-di-p-toluoyl-d-tartaric acid (d-H₂DTTA) in a methanol–water solution, at room temperature and pressure. The structures of these compounds have been characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analyses and thermogravimetric analyses. Complexes 1–3 are isomorphic, crystallizing in the chiral trigonal R3 space group with the linkage of Ln³⁺ ions and featuring 1D propeller chain structures. The circular dichroism spectra confirm that the complexes maintain the chirality from the ligands. Furthermore, the luminescent and magnetic properties have been investigated, relying on intrinsic properties of the lanthanide ions. The photoluminescence measurements indicate that 1, 2 and 3 show strong green, white and blue emission bands with CIE chromaticity coordinates of (0.32, 0.56), (0.29, 0.26) and (0.21, 0.12), respectively. The decay lifetime curve of 1 shows the exponential decay with long lifetime of 1.169 ms and the relative quantum yield for 1 was 19.31%. In addition, the magnetic properties of complexes 1–3 have been investigated by measuring the magnetic susceptibility in the temperature range of 2–300 K. They are all dominated by spin–orbit coupling and ligand field perturbation, and the exchange coupling between Ln³⁺ ions is almost negligible. Therefore, complexes 1–3 are promising chiral, optical and magnetic multifunctional materials.

Self-assembly of three chiral one-dimensional Ln-CPs with luminescence and magnetic behaviors.     

FIH-1 Disrupts an LRRK1/EGFR Complex to Positively Regulate Keratinocyte Migration

Factor inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (FIH-1; official symbol HIF1AN) is a hydroxylase that negatively regulates hypoxia-inducible factor 1α but also targets other ankyrin repeat domain–containing proteins such as Notch receptor to limit epithelial differentiation. We show that FIH-1 null mutant mice exhibit delayed wound healing. Importantly, in vitro scratch wound assays demonstrate that the positive role of FIH-1 in migration is independent of Notch signaling, suggesting that this hydroxylase targets another ankyrin repeat domain–containing protein to positively regulate motogenic signaling pathways. Accordingly, FIH-1 increases epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling, which in turn enhances keratinocyte migration via mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, leading to extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 activation. Our studies identify leucine-rich repeat kinase 1 (LRRK1), a key regulator of the EGFR endosomal trafficking and signaling, as an FIH-1 binding partner. Such an interaction prevents the formation of an EGFR/LRRK1 complex, necessary for proper EGFR turnover. The identification of LRRK1 as a novel target for FIH-1 provides new insight into how FIH-1 functions as a positive regulator of epithelial migration.CME Accreditation Statement: This activity (“ASIP 2014 AJP CME Program in Pathogenesis”) has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP). ASCP is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.The ASCP designates this journal-based CME activity (“ASIP 2014 AJP CME Program in Pathogenesis”) for a maximum of 48 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.CME Disclosures: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.The asparaginyl hydroxylase factor-inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (FIH-1; official symbol HIF1AN) was originally identified as a protein that interacts with and inhibits the activity of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) in the C-terminal transactivation domain^1,2 by coupling the oxidative decarboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate to the hydroxylation of HIF-1α.³ Significantly, proteins containing the ankyrin repeat domain, such as Notch, are other substrates for FIH-1.³ Only recently has FIH-1 been recognized to have pleiotropic roles in maintaining epithelial homeostasis.^4,5 For example, FIH-1 negatively regulates glycogen metabolism in corneal epithelium in a HIF-1α–independent manner via the direct involvement of the Akt/glycogen synthase kinase 3β signaling pathway.⁴ Furthermore, in epidermal and corneal epithelial keratinocytes, FIH-1 was shown to act as a negative regulator of differentiation via a coordinate decrease in Notch signaling.⁵ What is not clear in these studies is whether FIH-1 affects other signaling pathways known to influence keratinocyte growth, differentiation, and migration. For example, the regulation of Notch 1 activity by FIH-1⁵ raises the possibility of cross-talk with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-signaling pathway, since EGFR signaling has been shown to be a negative regulator of Notch 1 gene expression and activity in keratinocytes.⁶Once EGF binds to the EGFR, numerous signaling pathways are activated that impact on cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and survival.^7–9 With respect to the skin, EGFR impacts on epidermal and hair follicle development, keratinocyte proliferation, survival, cancer, and immune homeostasis.¹⁰ EGFR signaling also plays a prominent role in epidermal and corneal epithelial migration and wound repair. For example, in the epidermis, EGFR signaling has been shown to promote keratinocyte migration and wound repair.¹¹ Likewise, corneal perturbations activate the EGFR and downstream Ras-Raf-Mek-Erk1/2 (Ras, Raf, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2) and phosphoinositide 3 kinase–Akt signaling cascades, which are required for efficient wound healing and are attenuated in patients with diabetic keratopathies.^12–14The activation of EGFR also commences endocytic trafficking, whereby the receptor is either packaged in lysosomes for degradation or recycled to the cell surface.^15,16 Endosomal trafficking is essential for establishing the extensiveness of the EGF-mediated signal, and thus much attention has been directed toward understanding the steps involved in the movement of the EGFR from the cell surface to cytoplasmic vesicles, such as the endosome, multivesicular body, and lysosome.^16–18 Recently, leucine-rich repeat kinase 1 (LRRK1) was recognized as a key regulator of EGFR endosomal trafficking.^19,20 Specifically, it is believed that LRRK1 forms a complex with activated EGFR through an interaction with growth factor receptor–bound protein 2 and that this complex is internalized in early endosomes.¹⁹ The mechanism by which LRRK1 regulates EGFR transport is from early to late endosomes.¹⁹LRRK1 protein kinase is one of the ROCO proteins, which contain a GTPase-like domain [Ras of complex proteins (Roc)] and a C-terminal of Roc (COR) domain.²¹ ROCO proteins have a series of leucine-rich repeats and/or ankyrin repeats, with LRRK1 containing six N-terminal ankyrin repeats.²² This latter aspect of LRRK1 is noteworthy since, as mentioned above, proteins with ankyrin repeat domains are potential substrates for FIH-1.³ Thus, FIH-1 has the potential to directly interact with LRRK1, which could impact on EGFR signaling.Here we show that ectopic expression of FIH-1 in keratinocytes increases phosphorylation of the EGFR, which positively affects keratinocyte migration via stimulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, resulting in an increase in phosphorylated ERK1/2. Such enhanced migration is independent of Notch signaling. Moreover, our studies reveal that FIH-1 interacts with LRRK1 and prevents the formation of an EGFR/LRRK1 complex necessary for proper EGFR turnover.¹⁹ The identification of LRRK1 as a substrate for FIH-1 provides new insight into how FIH-1 functions as a positive regulator of epithelial migration. Thus, the breadth of FIH-1 epithelial biology is considerably larger than previously realized.     

Influence of oscillating uniform magnetic field and iron supplementation on quality of freeze-thawed surimi

An oscillating uniform magnetic field was applied during the freezing of surimi. Samples were placed at the central zone of a pair of Helmholtz coils (acting as the freezing chamber, guaranteeing a 99% magnetic field homogeneity) during freeze-thawing. The magnetic field parameters were 4 mT and 50 Hz. After treatments, the physicochemical properties of the samples were immediately investigated. The magnetic field decreased the amount of thawing loss and strengthened the water-holding capacity of the surimi compared to the control. The denaturation temperature, denaturation enthalpy, and protein stability increased as the magnetic field was applied. The addition of ferrous ions (15 mg Fe per kg surimi, ferrous citrate) enhanced the molecular current under the field due to electromagnetic induction. Morphological observation of the surimi revealed that ferrous ions significantly influenced its structure after freeze-thawing, yielding the smallest pores among the sample groups. These findings indicate that the quality of freeze-thawed surimi product could be improved by using an oscillating uniform magnetic field combined with iron supplementation.

An oscillating uniform magnetic field was applied during the freezing of surimi.     

An In Vivo Rat Model of Artery Buckling for Studying Wall Remodeling

Theoretical modeling and in vitro experiments have demonstrated that arterial buckling is a possible mechanism for the development of artery tortuosity. However, there has been no report of whether artery buckling develops into tortuosity, partially due to the lack of in vivo models for long-term studies. The objective of this study was to establish an in vivo buckling model in rat carotid arteries for studying arterial wall remodeling after buckling. Rat left carotid arteries were transplanted to the right carotid arteries to generate buckling under in vivo pressure and were maintained for 1 week to examine wall remodeling and adaptation. Our results showed that a significant buckling was achieved in the carotid arterial grafts with altered wall stress. Cell proliferation and matrix metalloprotinease-2 (MMP-2) expression in the buckled arteries increased significantly compared with the controls. The tortuosity level of the grafts also slightly increased 1 week post-surgery, while there was no change in vessel dimensions, blood pressure, and blood flow velocity. The artery buckling model provides a useful tool for further study of the adaptation of arteries into tortuous shapes.     

Water-soluble lanthanide coordination polymers particles with white-light emission and color tuning

Water-soluble polymer particles (PPs) with strong fluorescence emission were prepared from hyperbranched poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and terpyridine-bearing aldehyde (TPy) via Schiff base reaction and self-assembly in aqueous phase. TPy/PEI PPs were then used to develop a series of luminescent lanthanide coordination polymers particles (Ln-CPPs). The optical properties of these Ln-CPPs are readily modulated over a wide spectrum in water systems. Finally, water-soluble white-emitting Ln-CPPs were achieved by controlling the lanthanide ion stoichiometry. This Ln-CPPs design approach offers a robust pathway for white-luminescent materials in water systems.

Water-soluble polymer particles (PPs) with strong fluorescence emission were prepared from hyperbranched poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and terpyridine-bearing aldehyde (TPy) via Schiff base reaction and self-assembly in aqueous phase.

In recent decades, dynamic metal coordination polymers (M-CPs) have attracted great interest in catalysis, drug delivery, chemical sensors and bioanalysis applications.^1–7 M-CPs are constructed from metal ions and organic ligands with a variety of structures and interesting properties for many potential applications. M-CPs acting as chemical sensors are mainly explored by making use of their luminescence properties.^8–10 The luminescent M-CPs can emit a stable and intense luminescent emission, so some substances can be detected by observing changes in luminescence intensity. It is well known that lanthanide ions have high color purity and long lifetime excitation lifetime, and the emission covers the entire visible range of 400 to 700 nm. In particular, Eu(iii) and Tb(iii) ions can emit intense red and green light, respectively. Lanthanide coordination polymers (Ln-CPs) are promising luminescent materials because lanthanide ions have similar chemical properties and two or more lanthanide ions can be randomly distributed in coordination polymers with metal sites, which can modulate the color and brightness of the emission.¹¹ For the above reasons, Ln-CPs have attracted the attention of many scientists and have been effectively used to design multiple color and white light emitting materials. For example, He and co-workers¹² developed a new fluorophore that exhibits white light by combining an Eu(iii) moiety (red emission) with an organic ligand (blue and green emission). Ma et al.¹³ reported a white-light-emitting La(iii)/Tb(iii)/Eu(iii) coordination polymers based on combination of blue-emitting ligand/La(iii), green-emitting Tb(iii) and red-emitting Eu(iii) units. Song et al.¹⁴ developed a white-light-emitting compound by doping a Eu(iii) ion into the Gd(iii) framework.Meanwhile, the selection of suitable ligands plays a crucial role in the synthesis of Ln-CPs with good luminescent properties, since organic ligands can be used not only as building blocks for the construction of new backbones of Ln-CPs, but also as effective sensitizer for Ln(iii) ions.^15,16 However, ligands are generally poorly water soluble, which limits the practical sensing application in environmental and biological systems.¹⁷ An efficient strategy to promote dispersion in water is to prepare Lanthanide coordination polymer particles (Ln-CPPs) by miniemulsion method, reprecipitation method, and so on.¹⁸ Nevertheless, several drawbacks still exist for their preparation and application, such as sophisticated multistep synthetic pathways, use of environmentally unfriendly organic solvents, and the possibility of fluorescence self-quenching in aqueous solution. Therefore, the systematic investigation of water-soluble Ln-CPPs with white-light emission is quite rare. More research studies are urgently needed to accelerate the development of white-light luminescent Ln-CPPs in the water system.Based on the above considerations, we rationally designed water-soluble polymer particles with blue emission and selected Tb(iii)/Eu(iii) to construct white-light-emitting Ln-CPPs (Fig. 1). The water-soluble polymer particles were constructed from hyperbranched poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and terpyridine-bearing aldehyde (TPy) via Schiff base reaction and self-assembly. Structural characterization and luminescence properties in the water system of Ln-CPPs are studied in detail. An important clue could be obtained from the result that Ln-CPPs constructed by terpyridine ligands can maintain their structural and luminescent properties in the water system. This research also provides a basis for realizing the controllability of water-soluble white-light-emitting Ln-CPPs in the future.Open in a separate windowFig. 1Schematic preparation of TPy/PEI PPs and Ln(III) coordination-based luminescent polymer particles (Ln-CPPs) under UV light (λ_ex = 365 nm).Synthesis of the TPy/PEI PPs is based on facile Schiff base reaction, which refers to the reaction between primary amine on PEI and aldehyde group on TPy, resulting in a product containing C N bonds. Moreover, the diluted TPy/PEI PPs solution emits blue fluorescence under a 365 nm UV lamp. Fig. 2A displays the fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of the TPy/PEI PPs solution, and the maximum excitation and emission wavelengths are 330 and 448 nm, respectively. The UV-vis absorption spectra of TPy/PEI PPs, PEI and TPy were shown in Fig. S4.^† Compared with TPy, the absorption peak at 250 nm in TPy/PEI PPs solution is weakened, which may be due to the decolorization effect caused by the formation of copolymer by TPy and PEI. In addition, the absorption peak at 335 nm in TPy/PEI PPs solution is attributed to n → π* transitions of C N bonds.^18,19 These phenomena indicated TPy/PEI PPs were a newly generated subject.Open in a separate windowFig. 2(A) Fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of TPy/PEI PPs (0.01 g mL⁻¹). (Inset) Photographs of TPy/PEI PPs under visible light and UV light of 365 nm. (B) FT-IR spectra of TPy/PEI, PEI, and TPy.The morphologies of TPy/PEI PPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fig. S5A^† is a TEM image and reveals that the TPy/PEI PPs are monodisperse spherical shape with the size distribution in the range of 26–50 nm. Formation of water-soluble nanoparticles is due to the following factors. In TPy/PEI copolymer, ample amine groups and pyridinium groups are hydrophilic, whereas Schiff base bonds are hydrophobic. As a result, the hyperbranched structure of TPy/PEI copolymer tends to fold and collapse, shrinking and self-assembling into uniform polymer nanoparticles in aqueous medium.¹⁸ Many hydrophilic groups on the surface of TPy/PEI PPs make the excellent water dispersity possible. To further explore the chemical composition of TPy/PEI PPs, we performed FT-IR spectra of PEI, TPy, and TPy/PEI PPs (Fig. 2B). Several featured vibration bands at 3284 and 1590 cm⁻¹ in PEI are associated with the stretching vibration of N–H bond, and their intensity is decreased in TPy/PEI PPs, which indicates that some amine groups have reacted with TPy. In addition, another remarkable new peak at 1630 cm⁻¹ was observed in TPy/PEI PPs, which can be assigned to the C N bond.^20–25 Meanwhile, a new peak at 8.37 ppm was observed in the ¹H NMR spectra of TPy/PEI PPs (Fig. S6^†), which can be assigned to N CH protons.²⁶ The monitoring of the aldehyde conversion into imine units can be carried out by measuring the CH̲O/CH̲ N integral ratio, and the conversion rate of the aldehyde into imine units is 69%. The estimation of the conversion rate from the ¹H-NMR spectrum agrees well with the calculation from the weighting measurements with a conversion rate of 73%. These analysis results well demonstrated the formation of Schiff base bonds between TPy and PEI.TPy/PEI PPs possess intrinsic fluorescence, good water solubility, and functional terpyridine structure unit, allowing us to incorporate the Ln(iii)-TPy coordination complexes into polymer networks. With the incremental addition of Tb(NO₃)₃ to the TPy/PEI PPs solution (2% v/v), the TPy : Ln ratio is 2 : 1, which produces green-luminescent Ln-CPPs, GL CPPs (τ = 0.35 ms, Φ = 4.3%, CIE coordinates (0.27, 0.36), Fig. S7, S8 and Table S1^†). In the corresponding emission spectrum, a decrease in the luminescence intensity of the ligand centred emission band at 448 nm with the concomitant emergence of sharp bands at 489 nm, 544 nm, 583 nm, and 622 nm was observed (Fig. S7^†). A decrease in the luminescence intensity of the central emission band of the ligand was observed. These emission bands were assigned to ⁵D₄–⁷F₆, ⁵D₄–⁷F₅, ⁵D₄–⁷F₄, and ⁵D₄–⁷F₃ based transitions, respectively, for Tb(iii).^27–30 A similar procedure was observed upon addition of Eu(NO₃)₃ to the TPy/PEI PPs solution with the occurrence of five characteristic Eu(iii)-based emission bands having maxima at 579 nm (⁵D₀–⁷F₀), 592 nm (⁵D₀–⁷F₁), 617 nm (⁵D₀–⁷F₂), 649 nm (⁵D₀–⁷F₃), and 687 nm (⁵D₀–⁷F₄), resulting in a clear red-luminescent Ln-CPPs, RL CPPs (τ = 0.81 ms, Φ = 11.3%, CIE coordinates (0.52, 0.29)). These emission spectra demonstrate that Ln³⁺ (Eu³⁺ or Tb³⁺) ions were successfully doped to the TPy/PEI PPs. More importantly, strong fluorescence could still be detected even after these Ln-CPPs were stored for over a week, implying that the coordination between the TPy/PEI PPs and Ln³⁺ ions is very stable. The interactions between the TPy/PEI PPs and Ln³⁺ ions were further monitored by FT-IR spectroscopy (Fig. S9^†). Strong absorbent bands at 3256, 1549 and 1398 cm⁻¹ in TPy/PEI PPs are attributed to the stretching vibrations of N–H bond.^18,19 After the formation of RL CPPs, GL CPPs or WL CPPs using Ln³⁺ ions, a dramatically red shift appeared, which indicated the coordination of the TPy/PEI PPs to Ln³⁺ ions. The medium-to-weak bands at 760 cm⁻¹ for RL CPPs, 769 cm⁻¹ for GL CPPs and 765 cm⁻¹ for WL CPPs are observed as additional evidence of the Ln–N formation.³¹Next we investigated how to modulate the emission of polymer particles by adjusting the stoichiometry of the two lanthanide chromophores. Titration of the Tb/Eu molar ratio resulted in a series of Ln-CPPs with a broad spectrum of emission under UV irradiation (Fig. 3A). By testing the emission spectrum (Fig. 3B and C), it was found that the intensity of the green band at 544 nm increased gradually at the expense of the intensity of the red band at 616 nm as a function of Tb/Eu molar ratio. Interestingly, an intense white-luminescent Ln-CPPs, WL CPPs (CIE coordinates (0.33, 0.34)), were observed when the Eu/Tb molar ratio was 1 : 4. The smart illumination control strategy here provides a simple design approach for broad-spectrum color adjustment of luminescent polymer materials.Open in a separate windowFig. 3Luminescence tuning: (A) photographs of Ln-CPPs under UV irradiation, corresponding CIE coordinates are mentioned below; (B) emission spectra (λ_ex = 330 nm) of Ln-CPPs and (C) Job''s plot showing the peak emission intensity of the red band at 544 nm and green band at 616 nm as a function of the Tb/Eu molar ratio (1 : 1, 2 : 1, 3 : 1, 4 : 1, 5 : 1, 6 : 1, 7 : 1, and 8 : 1).In conclusion, we created polymer particles with blue emission from PEI and TPy via Schiff base reaction and self-assembly under mild conditions. The structural characterization and the fundamental properties of the TPy/PEI PPs have been studied. Because of the specific structure, the TPy/PEI PPs exhibit excellent water solubility. Furthermore, we have used the TPy/PEI PPs to develop a series of luminescent Ln-CPPs with Eu(iii), Tb(iii), and mixed Eu(iii)/Tb(iii) in aqueous medium. The individual Ln-CPPs exhibited bright red (Eu-CPPs) and green (Tb-CPPs) fluorescence upon exposure to UV light (λ_ex = 365 nm). Careful tuning of the stoichiometric ratio of Eu(iii) and Tb(iii) helped in achieving water-soluble white-emitting Ln-CPPs, which could offer a suitable pathway for preparing white-luminescent materials in water systems. Due to their stability in water, in our next work efforts will be focused on exploring their potential applications in biological and environmental areas as luminescence sensing and quantitative detection materials.