Preparation and Characterization of Protein Molecularly Imprinted Poly (Ionic Liquid)/Calcium Alginate Composite Cryogel Membrane with High Mechanical Strength for the Separation of Bovine Serum Albumin.

In order to improve the mechanical strength and imprinting efficiency, a novel bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecularly imprinted poly(ionic liquid)/calcium alginate composite cryogel membrane (MICM) was prepared. The results of the tensile test indicated that the MICM had excellent mechanical strength which could reach up to 90.00 KPa, 30.30 times higher than the poly (ionic liquid) membrane without calcium alginate; the elongation of it could reach up to 93.70%, 8.28 times higher than the poly (ionic liquid) membrane without calcium alginate. The MICM had a very high welling ratio of 1026.56% and macropore porosity of 62.29%, which can provide effective mass transport of proteins. More remarkably, it had a very high adsorption capacity of 485.87 mg g-1 at 20 °C and 0.66 mg mL-1 of the initial concentration of BSA. Moreover, MICM also had good selective and competitive recognition toward BSA, exhibiting potential utility in protein separation. This work can provide a potential method to prepare the protein-imprinted cryogel membrane with both high mechanical strength and imprinting efficiency.

Estimation of salt intake assessed by 24-h urinary sodium level among adults speaking different dialects from the Chaoshan region of southern China.

OBJECTIVE: Dietary salt intake may vary depending on different lifestyles. We aimed to estimate the different salt intakes and evaluate the knowledge and self-awareness about salt among people speaking the Teochew, Teochew-Hakka and Hakka dialects in the Chaoshan region of southern China. DESIGN: The study followed a cluster sampling of residents in Chaoshan region. General characteristics, lifestyles, health status as well as knowledge and self-awareness related to salt intake were investigated using a questionnaire. Anthropometric variables as well as Na and K excretion in a 24-h urine collection were measured. SETTING: Chaoshan region of China. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred fifteen adults who spoke only one of these three dialects. RESULTS: The salt intake of adults who spoke the Teochew, Teochew-Hakka and Hakka dialects was 7·19 (interquartile range (IQR) 5·29-10·17), 9·03 (IQR 6·62-11·54) and 10·12 (IQR 7·61-12·82) g/d, respectively, with significant differences between Teochew and Teochew-Hakka speakers and between Teochew and Hakka speakers (both P < 0·05). The Na:K ratio for adults who spoke the three dialects was 3·00 (IQR 2·00-4·11), 3·50 (IQR 2·64-4·82) and 4·52 (IQR 3·35-5·97), respectively, and differed significantly among the groups (all P < 0·05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed increased Na:K ratio associated with hypertension (ß = 0·71, P = 0·043) in Hakka speakers. Knowledge and self-awareness about salt intake were poor in this population. CONCLUSIONS: Salt intake was closely related to lifestyles and was higher than the upper limit (5 g/d) recommended by the WHO in adults of Chaoshan, especially those speaking the Hakka dialect.

Effect of molybdenum on reproductive function of male mice treated with busulfan.

Infertility is a serious public health problem worldwide. Molybdenum (Mo) plays an important role in maintaining normal metabolism. To explore the therapeutic efficacy of molybdenum (Mo) on male infertility, 90 mice were randomly divided into control, busulfan and busulfan + Mo groups. The male mice in the busulfan and busulfan + Mo groups were exposed to busulfan (20 mg/kg body weight) with a single intraperitoneal injection to establish the infertility model. The sterile mice were successfully obtained 30 days after busulfan exposure. Then, the male mice in the busulfan + Mo group were given drinking water containing 20 mg/L Mo continuously for 42 days. At 72 Day after treatment, 30 mice in the three groups were tested for various indices, and 60 mice were mated with females in spontaneous estrus. Mo significantly reversed the thinner seminiferous tubules and disappeared tubule and germ cells. Mo also normalized previously abnormal levels of testosterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone, superoxide dismutase, lactate dehydrogenase, malondialdehyde. Furthermore, expression levels expression of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and caspase-9 returned to control levels; and finally, Mo-treated sterile mice obtained offspring with normal number and gender ratio. These results suggested that Mo at 20 mg/L had a significant therapeutic effect on reproductive dysfunction in sterile mice. Its mechanism could via repair of damaged testicular structures, regulation of abnormal reproductive hormone levels, decreased oxidative stress or and resistance to cell apoptosis. Mo may be a new candidate medicine for treatment of male infertility.

Increased glycemic variability associated with a poor 30-day functional outcome in acute intracerebral hemorrhage.

The authors analyzed the association between the standard deviation or the coefficient of variation in the glucose value, strong independent indexes for determining glycemic variability, and the prognosis of intracerebral hemorrhage. They found that glycemic variability may be associated with a poor outcome in intracerebral hemorrhage.

Sleep duration, daytime napping, markers of obstructive sleep apnea and stroke in a population of southern China.

Sleep habits are associated with stroke in western populations, but this relation has been rarely investigated in China. Moreover, the differences among stroke subtypes remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the associations of total stroke, including ischemic and hemorrhagic type, with sleep habits of a population in southern China. We performed a case-control study in patients admitted to the hospital with first stroke and community control subjects. A total of 333 patients (n = 223, 67.0%, with ischemic stroke; n = 110, 23.0%, with hemorrhagic stroke) and 547 controls were enrolled in the study. Participants completed a structured questionnaire to identify sleep habits and other stroke risk factors. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) and multiple logistic regression were performed to identify risk factors of disease. Incidence of stroke, and its subtypes, was significantly associated with snorting/gasping, snoring, sleep duration, and daytime napping. Snorting/gasping was identified as an important risk factor in the Lasso logistic regression model (Lasso' ß = 0.84), and the result was proven to be robust. This study showed the association between stroke and sleep habits in the southern Chinese population and might help in better detecting important sleep-related factors for stroke risk.