Propranolol Accelerats Hemangioma Stem Cell Transformation Into Adipocyte.

BACKGROUND: Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common childhood benign vascular tumor. Recently, propranolol has been found to be an effective therapy for IH, but its mechanism of action is not yet understood. Hemangioma stem cells (HemSCs) have a mesenchymal morphology, robust proliferation, and multilineage differentiation (into adipocytes). Therefore, we hypothesized that propranolol could accelerate the transdifferentiation of HemSCs and prevent the growth of proliferating IH. In this study, the fibrofatty tissue of IH that received therapy with propranolol appeared much earlier than without the treatment. METHODS: We isolated HemSCs with CD133-tagged immunomagnetic beads, and then we used flow cytometry technology to analyze the HemSC phenotypes and determine whether propranolol induced HemSC death. The proliferation and adipogenesis abilities of propranolol-treated HemSCs were analyzed by 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5-diphenytetrazoliumromide assay, Oil red O staining, and Western blotting. RESULTS: We observed that the HemSC morphological traits gradually became spindle shaped, like fibroblasts, and the average extraction yield of HemSCs was about 0.25%. The HemSCs had high rates of expression for CD90 (98.8%) and CD105 (97.8%) but did not significantly express CD31 (0.7%). We also found a 100 µM concentration of propranolol cutoff point. Propranolol did not affect HemSC survival significantly at low concentrations (6.25, 12.5, 25.0, and 50.0 µM). However, propranolol resulted in a sharp and significant variation in cell morphology and survival rates at high concentrations (100, 200, and 400 µM). The results suggest that treatment with propranolol inhibited HemSC proliferation and induced cell death and apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Oil droplets determined by Oil red O staining showed that propranolol increased the transdifferentiation rate of HemSCs into adipocytes. Furthermore, the expressions of phosphorylated AKT and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) were increased with a 100 µM concentration of propranolol in HemSC culture. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that propranolol inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis and necrosis, and promoted differentiation of HemSCs. Propranolol may upregulate PPARγ via PI3K pathways, thereby accelerating lipogenesis and enhancing IH HemSC adipogenesis.

Tungsten (W) bioavailability in paddy rice soils and its accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa).

The aim of this study was to investigate the accumulation characteristics of tungsten (W) by different indica rice cultivars from the soil and to assess the potential risks to human health via dietary intake of W in rice consumption. A total of 153 rice (ear) samples of 15 cultivars and the corresponding surface soil samples were collected from 7 cities in Fujian Province of southeastern China. The available soil W were extracted using H2C2O4·2H2O-(NH4)2C2O4·H2O at pH 3.3). Results showed that the total soil W ranged from 2.03 mg kg-1 to 15.34 mg kg-1 and available soil W ranged from 0.03 mg kg-1 to 1.61 mg kg-1. The W concentration in brown rice varied from 7 µg kg-1 to 283 µg kg-1 and was significantly correlated with the available soil W. The highest mean TFavail (transfer factor based on available soil W) was 0.91 for Te-you 627 (hybrid, indica rice), whereas the lowest was 0.08 for Yi-you 673 (hybrid, indica rice). The TFavail decreased with the increase in available soil W, clay content, and cation exchange capacity. The consumption of the brown rice produced from the investigated areas in some cultivars by the present study may cause risks to human health.

The effectiveness of propranolol in treating infantile haemangiomas: a meta-analysis including 35 studies.

AIMS: Propranolol may have shown excellent results as a first line therapy in infantile haemangiomas (IHs) at all sites in the body, but this conclusion remains controversial. In an attempt to resolve this issue, we performed a meta-analysis. METHODS: A search of the literature using PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library databases and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) was performed to identify studies which estimated the efficacy of propranolol therapy in infants with haemangiomas all sites of the body. The pooled odds ratio (OR) along with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were assessed using a fixed effects model. RESULTS: Thirty-five studies involving 324 infantile haemangioma(IH) patients and 248 controls were retrieved and analyzed. The efficacy of propranolol was greater than other therapies in treating IHs (OR = 9.67, 95% CI 6.62, 14.12, P < 0.001). In a stratified analysis by sites of tumour, propranolol was a more effective therapy when compared with steroids (OR = 9.67, 95% CI 6.61, 14.15, P < 0.001), vincristine (OR = 9.00, 95% CI 2.15, 37.66, P = 0.003) and laser treatment (OR = 9.00, 95% CI 1.42, 57.12, P = 0.020) in treating cutaneous IHs (OR = 24.95, 95% CI 9.48, 65.64, P < 0.001), peri-ocular IHs (OR = 9.39, 95% CI 3.88, 22.71, P < 0.001), infantile airway haemangiomas (OR = 20.91, 95% CI 7.81, 55.96, P < 0.001) and infantile hepatic haemangiomas (OR = 9.89, 95% CI 1.20, 81.54, P = 0.033). CONCLUSION: The current meta-analysis provided strong evidence for propranolol as a first line therapy for IHs.

[Effect of qubi recipe on changes of oxygen free radical metabolism and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha in collagen-induced arthritis rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Qubi Recipe (QR) on the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha in rats with type II collagen-I induced arthritis (CIA), and to explore its therapeutic roles and mechanism. METHODS: Totally 72 male SD rats of SPF grade were recruited. Twelve were randomly selected as the blank control group. The CIA model was established in the rest 60 rats by subcutaneously injecting type II collagen of bovine emulsion from the tail root and induction of incomplete Freund's adjuvant. On day 15 after primary immunization rats were randomly divided into four groups, i.e., the CIA model group, the Tripterygium Glycosides (TG) group (at the daily dose of 9.68 mg/kg body weight), the high dose QR group (at the daily dose of 6.66 g/kg body weight), and the low dose QR group (at the daily dose of 3.33 g/kg body weight), 15 in each group. Corresponding medication was given to rats in all groups by gastrogavage once daily for 4 successive weeks. An equal volume of pure water was given to rats in the blank control group and the CIA model group by gastrogavage, once daily for 4 successive weeks. The swelling degree of the joints was measured. Rats were sacrificed after 4-week treatment. Plasma levels of SOD, MDA, and GSH-Px were measured with colorimetric method. The expression of HIF-1alpha was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: (1) Compared with the CIA model group, the swelling degree of the joints was significantly alleviated in the TG group and the high dose QR group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and it was obviously milder in the high dose QR group than in the TG group (P < 0.05). (2) Compared with the CIA model group, the activities of GSH-Px could be obviously elevated and activities of MDA lowered in the TG group, the high dose QR group, and the low dose QR group (P < 0.05). Plasma activities of SOD could be obviously elevated in the high dose QR group and the TG group (P < 0.05). (3) Compared with the CIA model group, the expression of HIF-1alpha obviously decreased in the TG group and the high dose QR group (P < 0.05), and it showed a decreasing tendency in the low dose QR group with no statistical difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: QR could markedly alleviate the swelling degree of ankle joints in CIA model rats. Its therapeutic efficacy was superior to that of TG. Its mechanism might be achieved through down-regulating expression of HIF-1alpha in the joint, and regulating activities of SOD, MDA and GSH-Px in the plasma.

Efficacy and safety of combined stent retriever and contact aspiration vs. stent retriever alone on revascularization in patients with acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Whether the efficacy of combined stent retriever and contact aspiration (S + A) is superior to stent retriever (S) alone for revascularisation in patients with large vessel occlusive stroke remains uncertain. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the safety and efficacy of combined stent retriever and contact aspiration for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke with large vessel occlusion by comparing it with stent retriever alone. Methods: We systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library databases for randomised controlled trials and observational studies (case-control and cohort studies) published before 1 October 2023 comparing the efficacy of combined stent retriever and contact aspiration versus tent retriever alone in patients with large vessel occlusive stroke. The end point of the primary efficacy observed in this meta-analysis study was the rate of first pass nearly complete or complete recanalisation (mTICI 2c-3). Secondary effectiveness nodes were: rate of first pass successful recanalisation (mTICI 2b-3), rate of near-complete or complete recanalisation of the postoperative vessel, rate of successful recanalisation of the postoperative vessel, and MRS 0-2 within 90 days. Safety endpoints were interoperative embolism, symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage, and mortality within 90 days. Results: A total of 16 studies were included in the literature for this meta-analysis, with a total of 7,320 patients (S + C group: 3,406, S group: 3,914). A comprehensive analysis of the included literature showed that combined stent retriever and contact aspiration had a higher rate of near-complete or complete recanalisation of the postoperative vessel [OR = 1.53, 95% CI (1.24, 1.88), p < 0.0001] and rate of successful recanalisation of the postoperative vessel compared to stent retriever alone [OR = 1.83, 95% CI (1.55, 2.17), p < 0.00001]; there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of the rate of first pass nearly complete or complete recanalisation [OR = 1.00, 95% CI (0.83, 1.19), p = 0.96], rate of first pass successful recanalisation [OR = 1.02, 95% CI (0.85, 1.24), p = 0.81], interoperative embolism [OR = 0.93, 95% CI (0.72, 1.20), p = 0.56], symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage [OR = 1.14, 95% CI (0.87, 1.48), p = 0.33], MRS 0-2 within 90 days [OR = 0.89, 95% CI (0.76, 1.04), p = 0.14] and mortality within 90 days [OR = 1.11, 95% CI (0.94, 1.31), p = 0.22]. Conclusion: Combined stent retriever and contact aspiration has a higher rate of postprocedural revascularisation (mTICI 2c-3/mTICI 2b-3) compared with stent retriever alone in patients with large vessel occlusion stroke. In addition, it was not superior to stenting alone in terms of the rate of first pass recanalisation (mTICI 2c-3/mTICI 2b-3), interoperative embolisation, symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage, good functional prognosis within 90 days and mortality within 90 days.

Oral administration of recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated bone morphogenetic protein-7 suppresses CCl(4)-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice.

Fibrogenesis and hepatocyte degeneration are the main pathological processes in chronic liver diseases. Transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) is the key profibrotic cytokine in hepatic fibrosis. Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) is a potent antagonist of TGF-ß1 and an antifibrotic factor. In this study, we generated a recombinant adeno-associated virus carrying BMP-7 (AAV-BMP-7) and tested its ability to suppress carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced hepatic fibrosis when orally administered to mice. Our results show that the ectopic expression of BMP-7 in gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa due to the AAV-BMP-7 administration led to the long-term elevation of serum BMP-7 concentrations and resulted in the drastic amelioration of CCl(4)-induced hepatic fibrosis in BALB/c mice. Immunostaining for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and desmin demonstrated that AAV-BMP-7 inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in the fibrotic mouse liver. Moreover, the ectopic expression of BMP-7 promoted hepatocyte proliferation, as confirmed by an increase in the amount of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive hepatocytes in the mice that received AAV-BMP-7. Our results clearly indicate that BMP-7 is capable of inhibiting hepatic fibrosis and promoting hepatocyte regeneration. We suggest that oral AAV-BMP-7 could be developed into a safe, simple, and effective therapy for hepatic fibrosis.

Vaccination with platelet-derived growth factor B kinoids inhibits CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice.

Platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) plays an essential role in hepatic fibrosis. Inhibition of the PDGF-B signaling in chronically injured livers might represent a potential therapeutic measure for hepatic fibrosis. In this study, we assessed the effects of vaccination against PDGF-B on CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in BALB/c mice. The PDGF-B kinoid immunogens were prepared by cross-linking two PDGF-B-derived B-cell epitope peptides [PDGF-B¹6-(23-38) and PDGF-B¹6-(72-83)] to ovalbumin and keyhole limpet hemocyanin, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting, and NIH3T3 cell proliferation assay verified that immunization with the PDGF-B kinoids elicited the production of high levels of neutralizing anti-PDGF-B autoantibodies. The vaccination markedly alleviated CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis, as indicated by the lessened morphological alternations and reduced hydroxyproline contents in the mouse livers. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen, α-smooth muscle actin, and desmin demonstrated that neutralization of PDGF-B inhibited both the proliferation and the activation of hepatic stellate cells in the fibrotic mouse livers. Taken together, this study demonstrated that vaccination with PDGF-B kinoids significantly suppressed CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice. Our results suggest that vaccination against PDGF-B might be developed into an effective, convenient, and safe therapeutic measure for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.

Adipokinetic hormone signaling regulates cytochrome P450-mediated chlorantraniliprole sensitivity in Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

BACKGROUND: Fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is one of the most destructive and invasive pests worldwide and causes significant economic losses. Intensive and frequent use of insecticides has led to the development of resistance in FAW. Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) have been proven to be involved in insecticide resistance in insects. However, the molecular mechanism underlying chlorantraniliprole resistance mediated by AKH signaling in FAW remains unclear. RESULTS: The expression of SpfAKHR was highest in male adults and lowest in 1st instar larvae. SpfAKH was expressed the highest in eggs and the lowest in 6th instar larvae. AKH signaling was involved in the sensitivity of FAW to chlorantraniliprole through a toxicological bioassay, and the combination of chlorantraniliprole and bithionol (an inhibitor of key enzymes in the AKH pathway) significantly increased the mortality of FAW. Chlorantraniliprole significantly induced the expression of ten P450s, SpfAKH and SpfAKHR in FAW. RNA interference against SpfAKHR significantly decreased the P450 content, downregulated the expression of three P450 genes (SpfCYP6B50, SpfCYP321A9 and SpfCYP9A58) and inhibited the resistance of FAW to chlorantraniliprole. The topical application of AKH peptide significantly increased the P450 content, upregulated the expression of five P450 genes (SpfCYP321A9, SpfCY321A8, SpfCYP321A10, SpfCYP321A7 and SpfCYP6AB12), and enhanced the survival of FAW against chlorantraniliprole. CONCLUSIONS: AKH plays an important role in enhancing chlorantraniliprole resistance in FAW by exerting a positive influence on P450 gene expression and P450 content. These results provide valuable insights into insecticide resistance regulation and FAW control strategies. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

A novel bee-friendly peptidomimetic insecticide: Synthesis, aphicidal activity and 3D-QSAR study of insect kinin analogs at Phe2 modification.

BACKGROUND: As one of the most abundant and destructive pests in agriculture, aphids cause significant damage to crops due to their sap-taking and as virus vectors. Chemical insecticides are the most effective method to control aphids, but they bring insecticide resistance problems and harm nontarget organisms, especially bees, therefore the search for novel eco-friendly aphid control agents with low bee toxicity is urgent. Insect kinins are a class of small neuropeptides that control important functions in insects. In our previous study, we found insect kinin analog IV-3 has good aphicidal activity and the location of the aromatic ring on the side chain of Phe2 is the key to the formation of the ß-turn resulting in the biological activity of insect kinin analogs. However, there are few studies on insect kinin Phe2 substitution and modification, and its structure-activity relationship is still unclear. RESULTS: In this project, 44 insect kinin analogs with the Phe2 modification, replacing it with different natural or unnatural amino acids, were designed and synthesized based on the lead IV-3 to explore the role of the Phe2 residues. Bioassays with soybean aphids of Aphis glycines indicated that nine analogs have better aphicidal activity than the lead IV-3. In particular, compound L25 exhibits excellent aphicidal activity (LC50  = 0.0047 mmol L-1 ) and has low toxicity to bees. Furthermore, a reliable three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) was established to produce a helpful clue that introducing hydrophobic groups away from the backbone chain is beneficial to improve aphicidal activity. CONCLUSION: The residue Phe2 of insect kinin analogs is the key position and has a significant impact on the activity. L25 has a high toxicity for aphids, while a low toxicity to bees, and therefore can be considered as a lead compound to develop new biosafe aphid control agents. Finally, we provide a useful 3D-QSAR model as theoretical guidance for further structural optimization. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

A novel cross-H-channel interface for flow injection-capillary electrophoresis to reduce sample requirement and improve sensitivity.

In this study, a cross-H-channel interface was constructed for coupling flow injection with capillary electrophoresis (FI-CE) to reduce sample requirement and sensitivity loss in the typical FI-CE. Based on this cross-H-channel interface, a new FI-CE system was established, in which sample introduction was performed by directly injecting sample solution along a thin capillary (50 µm, i.d.) to the interface from an injection syringe. The sample requirement was reduced distinctly and usual sample dilution in the sample transport process was obviously decreased, thereby spontaneously enhancing the sensitivity. Moreover, because of the unique construction of the cross-H-channel interface, field amplified sample stacking (FASS) and high-speed CE were skillfully combined to further improve the sensitivity and to shorten separation time. The versatility of this new FI-CE was demonstrated by determination of ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE) in human urine. Up to 45 repeated injections per hour and clearly baseline separation of E and PE in less than 1 min were achieved, giving limits of detection (LODs) of 0.23 and 0.21 µg mL(-1) for E and PE, respectively, and yielding relative standard deviation (RSD) values of the migration time and the peak height (n=5) of 2.6% and 3.1% for E, 2.3% and 3.3% for PE, respectively. In contrast to typical FI-CE, approximately 8-250-fold decreases in sample volume requirement, 7-fold shortening in separation time and 50-fold improvements in sensitivity were obtained.

Uptake, translocation, and accumulation of Cd and its interaction with mineral nutrients (Fe, Zn, Ni, Ca, Mg) in upland rice.

An analysis of the Cd and mineral nutrients accumulation of upland rice was performed in an experimental field with hard-ridged plots containing three soils with exogenous Cd addition at rates of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 mg kg-1 five years prior to commence this experiment. Aims of this investigation were to study uptake, translocation, and accumulation of Cd by an upland rice (Huyou2) and effects of Cd addition on the accumulation of Fe, Zn, Ni, Ca, and Mg. The results demonstrate the mean Cd content in the plant parts, from highest to lowest, were as follows: root, stem, leaf, and brown rice. The Cd content in the brown rice of the upland rice was below the limit of Cd in rice (0.2 mg kg-1) from China (GB 2762-2017) when the amount of Cd added was ≤ 1 mg kg-1. This observation can be attributed to lower TFsoil-grain of Cd in upland rice. Significant differences were observed between Cd concentrations present in brown rice from the three soils which can be mainly attributed to the differences in DTPA-extractable soil Cd because of different soil pH. Addition of high concentrations of Cd to soil was found to reduce Fe, Zn, Mg, and increased Ni uptake by the roots and their accumulation in brown rice. Altogether, results of this study suggest that it may be possible to cultivate upland rice in slightly Cd-polluted soils and Cd toxicity and accumulation in upland rice can be minimized by optimizing the macro and micronutrient composition of the soil.

Association between peripheral blood cells mitochondrial DNA content and severity of coronary heart disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Leukocyte mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content reflects the oxidant-induced cell damage, which has been observed in a wide range of cardiovascular diseases. However, whether it correlates with coronary heart disease (CHD), which closely relates to oxidative stress, has never been elucidated before. The aim of this study was to explore association between mtDNA content and the presence and severity of CHD. METHODS: The study population consisted of 400 individuals (290 with CHD and 110 controls). A quantitative real-time PCR was performed to measure the relative content of mtDNA in peripheral blood cells (PBCs). Gensini score was used to evaluate the severity of coronary stenotic lesions. An unconditional multivariate logistic regression was developed to estimate the association between CHD risk and mtDNA content by using odds ratio (OR). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02500823. RESULTS: CHD patients, compared to controls, had lower mtDNA content (median, 0.78 vs. 0.83, p < 0.001), and mtDNA levels significantly decreased following an increasing Gensini score (p < 0.001). By using the first (highest mtDNA content) quartile of mtDNA content of controls as reference, the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for individuals in the second, third and highest quartile of mtDNA content were 1.78 (95% CI, 1.15-3.51), 2.21 (95% CI, 1.65-3.74) and 4.83 (95% CI, 2.67-8.64), respectively (p for trend <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that expression of mtDNA may be associated with atherogenesis. The level of peripheral blood mtDNA in predicting the severity of coronary atherosclerosis may have a relatively certain value.

Mibefradil suppresses the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells.

Intracellular Ca(2+) levels play a critical role in the regulation of vasodilation and vasoconstriction by stimulating pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation, which is important in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); however, L-type Ca(2+) channel antagonists are useful in only few patients with PAH. The present study sought to assess the effect of mibefradil, which blocks T-type Ca(2+) channels, on PASMC proliferation and Ca(2+) channel profile. Human PASMCs were stimulated with 25 ng/mL platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) with and without 10 µM mibefradil or 100 nM sildenafil. After 48 or 72 h, PASMC proliferation and Ca(2+) channel expression were assessed by MTT assays and western blot analysis, respectively. PDGF-BB-induced PASMC proliferation at 72 h (p<0.01), which was inhibited by both sildenafil and mibefradil (p<0.01). Transient receptor potential Ca(2+) channel 6 (TRPC6) expression was significantly increased with PDGF-BB stimulation (p=0.009); however, no changes in TRPC1, TRPC3, CAV1.2, and CAV3.2 levels were observed. Although both TRPC1 and CAV1.2 expression levels were increased in PDGF-stimulated PASMCs on mibefradil and sildenafil treatment, it was not statistically significant (p=0.086 and 1.000, respectively). Mibefradil inhibits PDGF-BB-stimulated PASMC proliferation; however, the mechanism through which it functions remains to be determined. Further studies are required to elucidate the full therapeutic value of mibefradil for PAH.

Probing the geometries, relative stabilities, and electronic properties of neutral and anionic Ag(n)S(m) (n + m ≤ 7) clusters.

The geometry structures, relative stabilities, and electronic properties of neutral and anionic Ag(n)S(m) (n + m ≤ 7) clusters have been investigated systematically by means of density function theory (DFT). The results of geometry optimization show that the most stable configurations of binary Ag(n)S(m)°/⁻ clusters have an early appearance of 3D structure at n = 3, m = 1, differing from those of pure silver and sulfur clusters. Moreover, the ground-state structures prefer low spin multiplicity (singlet or doublet) except for S2, Ag2S3, Ag2S4, Ag4S3, and Ag2S5. The calculated electron detachment energies (both vertical and adiabatic) are in good agreement with experimental data. This further lends considerable credence for the lowest-energy structures and the chosen computational method. By calculating the binding energies, fragmentation energies, second-order difference of energies and HOMO-LUMO energy gaps of neutral and anionic Ag n S m clusters, the relative stability and electronic property as a function of cluster size are discussed in detail. Further, in order to understand the nature of the bond in doped clusters and pure clusters, we have performed the contour maps of their HOMOs and analyzed their composition.

[Removal of bisphenol A in aqueous solutions by core-shell magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers].

This paper reports the preparation of surface-imprinted polymer core-shell magnetic material as adsorbent for separating bisphenol A in the environmental water. The adsorbent prepared easily achieved the magnetic separation under an external magnetic field. The structures of the resulting composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The adsorption selectivity of Fe3O4@SiO2-MIPs for bisphenol A was demonstrated by equilibrium rebinding experiments and Scatchard analysis. Freundlich adsorption model can well describe the adsorption isothermals of bisphenol A with the correlation coefficients R2 = 0.995 2. The dynamics of bisphenol A adsorbed by Fe3O4@SiO2-MIPs can be well described by the pseudo second-order model (R2 = 0.999 9). In the solutions with weak acidity, the Fe3O4@SiO2-MIPs showed higher removal rate and rapid adsorption dynamical process, requiring only 40 min to reach a removal rate of 90%; the presence of ions did not affect the adsorption rate of bisphenol A; when compared with the non-imprinted polymer (Fe3O4@SiO2-NIPs), the Fe3O4@SiO2-MIPs showed outstanding affinity toward bisphenol A; the performance of the resulting composites (Fe3O4@SiO2-MIPs) without obvious deterioration was demonstrated in seven repeated cycles.

DNA repair gene XRCC1 polymorphisms and head and neck cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis including 16344 subjects.

BACKGROUND: DNA repair gene X-ray repair cross complementing group 1 (XRCC1) plays an important role in the maintenance of the genomic integrity and protection of cells from DNA damage. Sequence variation in XRCC1 gene may alter head and neck cancer (HNC) susceptibility. However, these results are inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship between XRCC1 polymorphism and HNC risk, we undertook a meta-analysis involving 16,344 subjects. METHODS: A search of the literature by PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure was performed to identify studies based on the predetermined inclusion criteria. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was combined using a random-effects model or a fixed-effects model. RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies consisting of 6,719 cases and 9,627 controls were identified and analyzed. Overall, no evidence of significant association was observed between XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg280His, XRCC1 Arg399Gln genotypes and the risk of HNC in any genetic models. Subgroup analyses according to ethnicity, tumor site, publication year, genotyping method also detected no significant association in any subgroup, except that oral cancer was associated with Arg194Trp variant in recessive model. Furthermore, no significant effect of these polymorphisms interacted with smoking on HNC risk was detected but Arg194Trp homozygous variant. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that the XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His and Arg399Gln polymorphism may not involve in HNC susceptibility. Further studies about gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in different populations are required.

Micelle to solvent stacking of two alkaloids in nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis.

This paper for the first time describes the development of micelle to solvent stacking (MSS) to nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE). In this proposed MSS-NACE, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles transport, release, and focus analytes from the sample solution to the running buffer using methanol as their solvent. After the focusing step, the focused analytes were separated via NACE. The focusing mechanism and influencing factors were discussed using berberine (BBR) and jatrorrhizine (JTZ) as model compounds. And the optimum condition was obtained as following: 50 mM ammonium acetate, 6% (v/v) acetic acid and 10 mM SDS in redistilled water as sample matrix, 50 mM ammonium acetate and 6% (v/v) acetic acid in pure methanol as the running buffer, -20 kV focusing voltage with 30 min focusing time. Under these conditions, this method afforded limits of detection (S/N=3) of 0.002 µg/mL and 0.003 µg/mL for BBR and JTZ, respectively. In contrast to conventional NACE, the concentration sensitivity was improved 128-153-fold.