An immunochromatographic strip sensor for rapid and sensitive detection of candesartan, olmesartan medoxomil, and irbesartan in herbal beverages.

Sartans, as a class of antihypertensive drugs, pose a threat to human health when illegally added to herbal beverages. It is crucial to detect sartans in herbal beverages. We have developed a highly sensitive monoclonal antibody against candesartan (CAN), olmesartan medoxomil (OLM), and irbesartan (IRB), with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) that were obtained via indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) as 0.178 ng mL-1, 0.185 ng mL-1, and 0.262 ng mL-1 against CAN, OLM, and IRB, respectively. Based on this monoclonal antibody, we developed a rapid screening method for CAN, OLM, and IRB in herbal beverage samples using an immunochromatographic assay (ICA) strip. Test for 15 minutes after simple and rapid sample pre-treatment and the results of this method can be obtained through naked eye observation. The detection limits (LODs) of the ICA strip for CAN, OLM, and IRB in herbal beverage samples are lower than 0.15 ng mL-1, and the results of the ICA strip and ic-ELISA are consistent in spiked samples and recovery experiments. Therefore, this method can quickly, efficiently, and reliably achieve high-throughput on-site rapid detection of illegally added CAN, OLM, and IRB in herbal beverages.

Phase-Field Simulation of Temperature-Dependent Thermal Shock Fracture of Al2O3/ZrO2 Multilayer Ceramics with Phase Transition Residual Stress.

Compared with single-phase ceramics, the thermal shock crack propagation mechanism of multiphase layered ceramics is more complex. There is no experimental method and theoretical framework that can fully reveal the thermal shock damage mechanism of ceramic materials. Therefore, a multiphase phase-field fracture model including the temperature dependence of material for thermal shock-induced fracture of multilayer ceramics is established. In this study, the effects of residual stress on the crack propagation of ATZ (Al2O3-5%tZrO2)/AMZ (Al2O3-30%mZrO2) layered ceramics with different layer thickness ratios, layers, and initial temperatures under bending and thermal shock were investigated. Simulation results of the fracture phase field under four-point bending are in good agreement with the experimental results, and the crack propagation shows a step shape, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method. With constant thickness, high-strength compressive stress positively changes with the layer thickness ratio, which contributes to crack deflection. The cracks of the ceramic material under thermal shock have hierarchy and regularity. When the layer thickness ratio is constant, the compressive residual stress decreases with the increase in the layer number, and the degree of thermal shock crack deflection decreases.

Valproic Acid Enhances Radiosensitization via DNA Double-strand Breaks for Boronophenylalanine-mediated Neutron Capture Therapy in Melanoma Cells.

BACKGROUND: Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a radiotherapeutic approach that can destroy cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal cells. Currently, boronophenylalanine (BPA) is the most common boron delivery agent used in BNCT for treating recurrent cancers of the head and neck, gliomas, and melanomas. On the other hand, valproic acid (VPA) is one of the representative class I histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), which is a promising sensitizer for cancer therapies. In this study, we aimed to verify whether VPA could induce an enhanced effect in destroying melanoma cells in concurrence with BNCT and to explore the underlying mechanism of VPA-BNCT action in killing these cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Murine melanoma B16-F10 cells were pre-treated with VPA and irradiated with neutron during BPA-BNCT. We explored the clonogenic assay and the expression of phosphorylated H2AX (γH2AX) for cell survival and DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), respectively. We also examined the expression levels of DNA damage responses-associated proteins and performed a cell cycle analysis. RESULTS: Our data indicated that the combination treatment of VPA and BNCT could significantly inhibit the growth of melanoma cells. Furthermore, VPA-BNCT treatment could exacerbate and perturb DNA DSBs in B16-F10 cells. In addition, pre-treatment of VPA abolished the G2/M arrest checkpoint caused by BNCT. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that VPA has the potential to serve as a radiosensitizer of BPA-mediated BNCT for melanoma. These findings could improve BNCT treatments for melanoma.

miR-365 inhibits cell invasion and migration of triple negative breast cancer through ADAM10.

PURPOSE: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) refers to breast cancer that lacks progesterone receptor (PR), estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). MicroRNA-365 (miR-365), a new-found microRNA, has been reported to possess significant functions in a multitude of human cancers. The purpose of this study was to detect thoroughly the molecular mechanisms of miR-365 that underlie the progress of TNBC. METHODS: The mRNA levels of miR-365 and A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Luciferase activity report was applied to verify that ADAM10 was a direct target gene of miR-365. Cell proliferation ability was measured by MTT assay. Transwell assay was utilized to test cell migratory and invasive abilities. RESULT: We found that miR-365 was low-expressed in breast cancer tissues and 5 TNBC cell lines compared with the paracancerous samples and a normal cell line MCF10A. Meanwhile, we discovered that the expression of ADAM10 was higher in the 5 TNBC cell lines than in the normal cell line MCF10A. The proliferation, migration and invasion abilities were suppressed by overexpression of miR-365, whereas they were enhanced by interfering miR-365 in breast cancer. The luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-365 directly targeted ADAM10 through directly binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). And the expression of ADAM10 was reduced by exogenous overexpression of miR-365, while it was increased by transfecting of miR-365 inhibitor in MDA-MB-231 and BT483 cells. Furthermore, re-expression of ADAM10 reversed partial functions of the suppressive roles on cell proliferation, migration and invasion by miR-365 TNBC. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-365 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion through directly binding to the 3'-UTR of ADAM10 mRNA in TNBC. It is suggested that miR-365/ADAM10 axis may present a new target for the treatment of breast cancer.

Analysis of DNA Damage Responses After Boric Acid-mediated Boron Neutron Capture Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) selectively kills tumor cells while sparing adjacent normal cells. Boric acid (BA)-mediated BNCT showed therapeutic efficacy in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vivo. However, DNA damage and corresponding responses induced by BA-mediated BNCT remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether BA-mediated BNCT induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and to explore DNA damage responses in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Huh7 Human HCC cells were treated with BA and irradiated with neutrons during BA-BNCT. Cell survival and DNA DSBs were examined by clonogenic assay and expression of phosphorylated H2A histone family member X (γH2AX), respectively. The DNA damage response was explored by determining the expression levels of DNA repair- and apoptosis-associated proteins and conducting a cell-cycle analysis. RESULTS: DNA DSBs induced by BA-mediated BNCT were primarily repaired through the homologous recombination pathway. BA-mediated BNCT induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in HCC. CONCLUSION: Our findings may enable the identification of radiosensitizers or adjuvant drugs for potentiating the therapeutic effectiveness of BA-mediated BNCT for HCC.

Numerical simulation for thermal shock resistance of thermal protection materials considering different operating environments.

Based on the sensitivities of material properties to temperature and the complexity of service environment of thermal protection system on the spacecraft, ultrahigh-temperature ceramics (UHTCs), which are used as thermal protection materials, cannot simply consider thermal shock resistance (TSR) of the material its own but need to take the external constraint conditions and the thermal environment into full account. With the thermal shock numerical simulation on hafnium diboride (HfB2), a detailed study of the effects of the different external constraints and thermal environments on the TSR of UHTCs had been made. The influences of different initial temperatures, constraint strengths, and temperature change rates on the TSR of UHTCs are discussed. This study can provide a more intuitively visual understanding of the evolution of the TSR of UHTCs during actual operation conditions.

Theoretical Research on Thermal Shock Resistance of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics Focusing on the Adjustment of Stress Reduction Factor.

The thermal shock resistance of ceramics depends on not only the mechanical and thermal properties of materials, but also the external constraint and thermal condition. So, in order to study the actual situation in its service process, a temperature-dependent thermal shock resistance model for ultra-high temperature ceramics considering the effects of the thermal environment and external constraint was established based on the existing theory. The present work mainly focused on the adjustment of the stress reduction factor according to different thermal shock situations. The influences of external constraint on both critical rupture temperature difference and the second thermal shock resistance parameter in either case of rapid heating or cooling conditions had been studied based on this model. The results show the necessity of adjustment of the stress reduction factor in different thermal shock situations and the limitations of the applicable range of the second thermal shock resistance parameter. Furthermore, the model was validated by the finite element method.