Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns, a Class of Potential Psoriasis Drug Targets.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that involves both innate and adaptive immune responses in its pathogenesis. Local tissue damage is a hallmark feature of psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases. In psoriasis, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released by damaged local tissue act as danger signals and trigger inflammatory responses by recruiting and activating immune cells. They also stimulate the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which exacerbate the inflammatory response and contribute to disease progression. Recent studies have highlighted the role of DAMPs as key regulators of immune responses involved in the initiation and maintenance of psoriatic inflammation. This review summarizes the current understanding of the immune mechanism of psoriasis, focusing on several important DAMPs and their mechanisms of action. We also discussed the potential of DAMPs as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for psoriasis, offering new insights into the development of more effective treatments for this challenging skin disease.

Protective Effect of the Pearl Extract from Pinctada fucata martensii Dunker on UV-Induced Photoaging in Mice.

Although the effect of pearl powder has been recognized for more than a thousand years from healthcare to beauty care, there has yet to be an in-depth understanding of its anti-photoaging effect. In the present study, the protective effect of pearl extract (PE) on UV-induced photoaging in mice was evaluated. First, the amino acid analysis of PE was carried out. Then, different dosages of pearl extract gel (PEG) were applied topically on the shaved dorsal skins regions of mice before UV irradiation. Skin physiological and histological analysis, antioxidant enzymes and inflammatory factor test were used to evaluate the anti-photoaging effect of PEG. The results showed that PEG contained 14 amino acids, and could inhibit UV-irritated skin wrinkles, laxity, thickness, and dryness. Moreover, PEG upregulated the activities of CAT, GSH-Px, SOD and decreased MDA level, and suppressed the production of IL-1ß, IL-6, PGE2 , TNF-α, and COX-2 in UV-irradiated mice. The therapeutic effect in high dose PEG group was superior to those of positive control (Vitamin E). This study demonstrated the underlying mechanisms of PEG against UV-irritated photoaging. And PEG possesses a potential use in photoprotective medicines and cosmetics.

(+/-)-Borneol Reverses Mitoxantrone Resistance against P-Glycoprotein.

P-Glycoprotein (Pgp) is a main factor contributing to multidrug resistance and the consequent failure of chemotherapy. Overcoming Pgp efflux is a strategy to improve the efficacy of drugs. (+)-Borneol (BNL1) and (-)-borneol (BNL2) interfere and inhibit Pgp, and thus, the accumulation of drugs increases in cells. However, it is not clear yet how they play the inhibitory effect against Pgp. In this work, the effect and molecular mechanism of borneol enantiomers in reversing mitoxantrone (MTO) resistance against Pgp were explored by in vitro and in silico approaches. Chemosensitizing potential tests showed that BNLs could enhance the efficacy of MTO in MES-SA/MX2 cells, and BNL2 exhibited a stronger potential. The protein expression of Pgp was decreased to some extent by the administration of BNLs. Molecular docking revealed that BNLs could reduce the binding affinity between MTO and Pgp. The results were consistent with the chemosensitizing potential test and were supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Molecular docking also suggested that BNLs preferred to bind in the drug-binding pocket rather than the nucleotide-binding domain of inward-facing Pgp. The occupied space of BNLs had an evident distance from that of MTO, which was further verified by the conformational analysis after MD simulations. The decomposition of binding free energies revealed the key amino acid residues (GLN195, SER196, TRP232, PHE343, SER344, GLY346, and GLN347) for BNLs to reverse MTO resistance. The results provide an insight into the mechanism through which BNLs reduce the MTO resistance against inward-facing Pgp in the drug-binding pocket through noncompetitive inhibition.

Screening of silicon-activating bacteria and the activation mechanism of silicon in electrolytic manganese residue.

Electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) is a kind of solid waste with a high silicon content. Most of the silicon in EMR, however, exist in the state of SiO2, which cannot be directly absorbed by plants. Currently, it is very challenge to recover the silicon from EMR. In this study, a preliminary screening of strains with silicon-activating ability was conducted, and four strains were screened out and isolated from the soil around the tailings pond of EMR. Then, single factor experiments were conducted to obtain the optimal growth conditions of the four strains, and the results indicated that the Ochrobactrum sp. T-07 had the best silicon-activating ability from EMR after nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis (Ochrobactrum sp. T-07-B). The available silicon (in terms of SiO2) in the leaching solution was up to 123.88 mg L-1, which was significantly higher than that produced by Bacillus circulans and Paenibacillus mucilaginosus, the two commercial available pure culture strains. Results of direct/indirect contact experiments between Ochrobactrum sp. T-07-B and EMR revealed that bioleaching was promoted under the synergistic effect of bacteria growth on the surface of and metabolism within EMR. The newly isolated strains with silicon-activating effect are different from the existing-known silicate bacteria and may be used for more efficient silicon activation in silicate minerals.

The Syntheses and Spectroscopic Properties of the Styryl Quinoline Derivatives.

The simple method of the syntheses of the styryl quinoline derivatives was developed. The intermediate of 2-methylquinoline was synthesized from 10 mmol aniline and 20 mmol (E)-2-Butenal dissolved in 8 mL methylbenzene refluxing at 100 ℃ for 3 hours with 10 mL 6 M hydrochloric acid as catalyst. Eight derivatives were obtained in 15 mL glacial acetic acid using 2-methylquinoline (10 mmol) and aromatic aldehyde (12 mmol) as materials refluxing for 8 hours with a yield of 71%～88%. The method is simple, high yield, easy purification and environment friendly. The structures of all derivatives were confirmed with MS, 1HNMR and IR. The vicinal coupling constant of olefinic carbon hydrogen in 1HNMR is 12～18 Hz, and moderate strength absorption peaks appeared at 960～980 cm-1 in IR indicate that carbon-carbon double bond is transconfiguration. Maximum absorption wavelengths of eight products in CH3OH, DMSO, THF and DMF were measured, and emission wavelengths were measured using maximum absorption wavelengths as excitation wavelengths. It turned out that maximum absorption wavelengths among different solvents were 325～376 nm, and emission wavelengths were 367～477 nm. The molar extinction coefficients were within the range of 1.738×104～4.578×104 L·mol-1·cm-1. The maximum absorption wavelengths and emission wavelengths of styryl quinoline derivatives with methoxyl, hydroxyl and benzyl group are greater than others. Among four solvents, the maximum absorption wavelengths almost unchanged, however, the emission wavelengths varies significantly in the following order DMSO>DMF>CH3OH>THF, which indicates the Stokes shift of one product at aprotic solvent is greater than protic solvent. 2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)styryl quinolone (Product Ⅱ) which shows the best fluorescence property and the highest Stokes shift value worth further studying.

Effect of saikosaponins and extracts of vinegar-baked Bupleuri Radix on the activity of ß-glucuronidase.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, liver targeting is usually achieved by coadministration with Vinegar-baked Radix Bupleuri (VBRB), but the mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the influence of VBRB on the activity of ß-glucuronidase was investigated and compared with that of saikosaponins. The activity of ß-glucuronidase was measured by microplate reader using a 4-nitrophenyl-ß-d-glucuronide substrate. The change of 4-nitrophenol content was used to characterize the activity of ß-glucuronidase. Bupleurum chinenes were found to be the inhibitor of ß-glucuronidase. The inhibition rate of Bupleurum chinenes extracts BC1 (high molecular weight polysaccharides), BC2 (ethanol soluble/water insoluble component), BC3 (extracted by n-butanol, soluble in water), and BC4 (low molecular weight water soluble parts) on the activity of ß-glucuronidase was found to be 45.15%, 33.94%, 24.94%, and 34.54%, respectively, after 1 h incubation, with BC1 showing the highest inhibition rate. In contrast, the saikosaponins were demonstrated to be the promoter of ß-glucuronidase, with promotion rates of 333.56%, 217.04%, 247.87%, 149.75%, and 92.50% for saikosaponin standard samples A, B, B2, C, and D, respectively, (p<0.05). In conclusion, inhibiting the activity of ß-glucuronidase might be one of the reasons why VBRB could influence drug distribution upon its coadministration with other drugs. Since saikosaponins and VBRB extracts have opposite effect, more attention should be paid to the content of saikosaponins in the extracts upon its application.

The impact of lubricants on the precision lapping process.

The impact of lubricants on pole-tip recession and surface morphology of hard disk drive heads in the precision lapping process was investigated with atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and auger electron spectroscopy. In particular, the effects of deionized water, hydrocarbon oil, ethanediol, isopropanol, and ethanol lubricants were evaluated. The results reveal that proper selection of lubricant is critical for achieving optimal performance in the lapping process. A mixture of 68% hydrocarbon oil, 30% isopropanol, and 2% octadecenoic acid was found to yield the most favorable results, displaying a writer shield recession, first shield of reader recession, and surface roughness of 0.423, 0.581, and 0.242 nm, respectively.

Mechanistic features of nanodiamonds in the lapping of magnetic heads.

Nanodiamonds, which are the main components of slurry in the precision lapping process of magnetic heads, play an important role in surface quality. This paper studies the mechanistic features of nanodiamond embedment into a Sn plate in the lapping process. This is the first study to develop mathematical models for nanodiamond embedment. Such models can predict the optimum parameters for particle embedment. From the modeling calculations, the embedded pressure satisfies p 0 = (3/2) · (W/πa (2)) and the indentation depth satisfies δ = k1√P/HV. Calculation results reveal that the largest embedded pressure is 731.48 GPa and the critical indentation depth δ is 7 nm. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were used to carry out surface quality detection and analysis of the disk head. Both the formation of black spots on the surface and the removal rate have an important correlation with the size of nanodiamonds. The results demonstrate that an improved removal rate (21 nm · min(-1)) can be obtained with 100 nm diamonds embedded in the plate.

Spatial and temporal variation of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants in 26 cities in China.

O3 and PM2.5 were introduced into the newly revised air quality standard system in February 2012, representing a milestone in the history of air pollution control, and China's urban air quality will be evaluated using six factors (SO2, NO2, O3, CO, PM2.5 and PM10) from the beginning of 2013. To achieve the new air quality standard, it is extremely important to have a primary understanding of the current pollution status in various cities. The spatial and temporal variations of the air pollutants were investigated in 26 pilot cities in China from August 2011 to February 2012, just before the new standard was executed. Hourly averaged SO2, NO2 and PM10 were observed in 26 cities, and the pollutants O3, CO and PM2.5 were measured in 15 of the 26 cities. The concentrations of SO2 and CO were much higher in the cities in north China than those in the south. As for O3 and NO2, however, there was no significant difference between northern and southern cities. Fine particles were found to account for a large proportion of airborne particles, with the ratio of PM2.5 to PM10 ranging from 55% to 77%. The concentrations of PM2.5 (57.5 microg/m3) and PM10 (91.2 microg/m3) were much higher than the values (PM2.5: 11.2 microg/m3; PM10: 35.6 microg/m3) recommended by the World Health Organization. The attainment of the new urban air quality standard in the investigated cities is decreased by 20% in comparison with the older standard without considering O3, CO and PM2.5, suggesting a great challenge in urban air quality improvement, and more efforts will to be taken to control air pollution in China.

First-principles study of LiFePO4 modified by graphene and defective graphene oxide.

The energy stability and electronic structural of graphene and defective graphene oxide (GO) parallel to the surface of LiFePO4 (010) were theoretically investigated by using first-principles density functional theory calculations within the DFT + U framework. The calculated formation energy shows that GO coating on the surface of LiFePO4 (010) is energetically favorable and has higher bond strength compared to graphene. The calculation of the electronic structure indicates that the emergence of band in-gap states originates from graphene coating, with adsorbed O atoms contributing significantly above the Fermi level. Electron density difference indicate that GO stands on the LFP (010) surface through C-O and Fe-O bonds, rather than relying on van der Waals forces placed parallel to the LFP crystal, with the chemical bond at the LFP/GO interface (Fe-O-C) both anchoring the coated carbon layer and promoting electron conductivity at the interface. In addition, LFP/GO shows superior electrochemical performance, Atomic Populations suggests that the average Fe-O bonding on the surface of LiFePO4 (010) was clearly changed after graphene or GO coating, which led to the expansion of Li+ channels and favored the migration insertion and extraction of Li+.

Seawater pearl hydrolysate inhibits photoaging via decreasing oxidative stress, autophagy and apoptosis of Ultraviolet B-induced human skin keratinocytes.

BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet (UV) is the main reason to cause photoaging skin which not only hinders beauty, brings the patients with psychological burden, but also pathologically leads to the occurrence of tumors in skin. OBJECTIVE: This study goes into the inhibitory effect and mechanism of seawater pearl hydrolysate (SPH) to address human skin keratinocytes photoaging induced by UVB. METHODS: The photoaging model of Hacat cell was constructed by UVB irradiation, the levels of oxidative stress, apoptosis, aging, autophagy and autophagy-related protein and signal pathway expression were assessed to characterize the inhibitory effect and mechanism of SPH on photoaging Hacat cell. RESULTS: Seawater pearl hydrolysate significantly accelerated (p < 0.05) the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, and markedly reduced (p < 0.05) the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl compound and nitrosylated tyrosine protein, aging level, apoptosis rate in Hacat cell induced by 200 mJ cm-2 UVB after 24 and 48 h of culture; high dose SPH significantly raised (p < 0.05) relative expression level of p-Akt, p-mTOR proteins, and markedly decreased (p < 0.05) relative expression level of LC3II protein, p-AMPK, and autophagy level in Hacat cell induced by 200 mJ cm-2 UVB, or in combination with the intervention of PI3K inhibitor or AMPK overexpression after 48 h of culture. CONCLUSION: Seawater pearl hydrolysate can effectively inhibit 200 mJ cm-2 UVB-induced photoaging of Hacat cells. The mechanism indicates removing the excessive ROS through increasing the antioxidation of photoaging Hacat cells. Once redundant ROS is eliminated, SPH works to reduce AMPK, increase PI3K-Akt pathway expression, activate mTOR pathway to lowdown autophagy level, and as a result, inhibit apoptosis and aging in photoaging Hacat cells.

Multifunctional bispecific nanovesicles targeting SLAMF7 trigger potent antitumor immunity.

The effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is hindered by the ineffective infiltration and functioning of cytotoxic T cells and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 7 (SLAMF7) is a pivotal co-stimulatory receptor thought to simultaneously trigger natural killer (NK)-cell, T-cell, and macrophage antitumor cytotoxicity. However, the potential of this collaborative immune stimulation in antitumor immunity for solid tumors is under-explored due to the exclusive expression of SLAMF7 by hematopoietic cells. Here, we report the development and characterization of multifunctional bispecific nanovesicles targeting SLAMF7 and Glypican-3-a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-specific tumor antigen. We found that by effectively "decorating" the surface of solid tumors with SLAMF7, these nanovesicles directly induced potent and specific antitumor immunity and remodeled the immunosuppressive TME, sensitizing the tumors to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade. Our findings highlight the potential of SLAMF7-targeted multifunctional bispecific nanovesicles as an anticancer strategy with implications for designing next-generation targeted cancer therapies.

Sequential Targeting Hybrid Nanovesicles Composed of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell-Derived Exosomes and Liposomes for Enhanced Cancer Immunochemotherapy.

Paclitaxel (PTX)-based chemotherapy remains the main approach to treating lung cancer but systemic toxicity limits its use. As chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cell-derived exosomes contain tumor-targeted CARs and cytotoxic granules (granzyme B and perforin), they are considered potential delivery vehicles for PTX. However, the low drug-loading capacity and hepatotropic properties of exosomes are obstacles to their application to extrahepatic cancer. Here, a hybrid nanovesicle named Lip-CExo@PTX was designed for immunochemotherapy of lung cancer by fusing exosomes derived from bispecific CAR-T cells targeting both mesothelin (MSLN) and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) with lung-targeted liposomes. Due to the lung-targeting ability of the liposomes, over 95% of intravenously administered Lip-CExo@PTX accumulated in lung tissue. In addition, with the help of the anti-MSLN single-chain variable fragment (scFv), the PTX and cytotoxic granules inside Lip-CExo@PTX were further delivered into MSLN-positive tumors. Notably, the anti-PD-L1 scFv on Lip-CExo@PTX blocked PD-L1 on the tumors to avoid T cell exhaustion and promoted PTX-induced immunogenic cell death. Furthermore, Lip-CExo@PTX prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice in a CT-26 metastatic lung cancer model. Therefore, Lip-CExo@PTX may deliver PTX to tumor cells through sequential targeted delivery and enhance the antitumor effects, providing a promising strategy for immunochemotherapy of lung cancer.

Functionalized Rhodium Nanoparticles as Antimicrobial Agents for Treatment of Drug-Resistant Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections reported in outpatients. Drug-resistant bacteria are the major cause of treatment failure and increased mortality rate in patients with SSTIs, posing significant challenges to human health. In this study, new-generation rhodium nanoplates (RhNPs) and glycol chitosan- and polydopamine-functionalized RhNPs (Rh@GCS) are developed for the treatment of drug-resistant SSTIs. RhNPs exhibited favorable antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Ag-resistant MRSA. The modified Rh@GCS exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity and can directly kill various drug-resistant bacteria by increasing the permeability of cell membranes, including gram-positive MRSA and gram-negative multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). Moreover, Rh@GCS effectively inhibited bacterial growth and promoted the healing of skin lesions in MRSA-induced SSTI mouse models. These results suggest that Rh@GCS is a promising nonantibiotic antimicrobial agent for the treatment of drug-resistant SSTIs.

Study on the Mechanism of Hydrolyzed Seawater Pearl Tablet in Treating Chronic Sleep Deprivation Mice Model.

BACKGROUND: Modern lifestyle increasingly deprives people from sleep to different degrees. Long-term sleep deprivation will facilitate body's pathological behaviors, such as lethargy, depression, and anorexia. OBJECTIVE: This study is an investigation into the mechanism of hydrolyzed seawater pearl tablet in treating chronic sleep deprivation mice model. METHODS: The chronic sleep deprivation model was established involving C57BL/6mice; the body weight, behavioral characteristics, hippocampal structure, oxidative stress, apoptosis-related protein expression, and intestinal bacteria in mice were assessed to characterise hydrolyzed seawater pearl tablet. RESULTS: Hydrolyzed seawater pearl tablet significantly accelerated body weight, open field test score, and sugar water preference rate (P < 0.05), alleviated the structural damage of hippocampus, reduced the content of MDA (P < 0.05), Bax protein expression, increased the content of GSH (P < 0.05), the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, and Bcl-2 protein expression in the hippocampus, increased the Escherichia coli, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus (P < 0.05), which are beneficial bacteria in the intestine, in chronic sleep deprivation mice, and reduced the amount of Clostridium perfringens (P < 0.05), which are harmful bacteria in the intestine. CONCLUSION: Hydrolyzed seawater pearl tablet can improve the depression-like mental state of mice caused by chronic sleep deprivation. The mechanism involves improving the antioxidant activity of the hippocampus to eliminate the excessive ROS, which inhibits cell apoptosis and alleviates tissue structure damage. Meanwhile, it may also be involved in adjusting the microbiota level and improving the mental and behavioral activities of chronic sleep deprivation mice through the intestine-brain axis.

Immune Effects of Macrophages in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Bibliometric Analysis From 2000 to 2021.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by macrophage activation. The current characteristics, hotspots, and research frontiers of macrophage-related RA were analyzed using bibliometric analysis. Relatedpapers published from 2000 to 2021 in the Web of Science database were retrieved. The diagrams were generated and analyzed using the bibliometric software package. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to evaluate and visualize the research trends and hotspots in macrophage-related RA. A total of 7253 original articles were obtained. Global research on macrophage-related RA is in an advanced stage of development, with core authors, teams and research institutions emerging. United States has published the most papers, received the most citations, and had the highest H-index over the last 22 years. The University of Amsterdam and the journal of Arthritis and Rheumatism are the most productive research institutions and journals. Tak PP's (St Vincent's Hospital) paper has the highest publication and citation scores. The keywords "bone loss" and "polarization" have the highest frequency. Additionally, the study of macrophage polarization in RA has been research focus in recent years. This study demonstrates that research on macrophages in RA will continue. China is a significant producer, whereas the United States is an influential nation in this regard. In the last decade, most studies have concentrated on fundamental research. Recent studies have shown how macrophages play a role in controlling and weakening inflammation, and drug delivery and mechanism have come to the fore.

Fast, Simple, and Highly Specific Molecular Detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis Using Isothermal Amplification and Lateral Flow Strip Methods.

Porphyromonas gingivalis is an important oral pathogen that causes periodontal disease and is difficult to culture under conventional conditions. Therefore, a reliable technique for detecting this pathogenic bacterium is required. Here, isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), a new nucleic acid amplification method, was combined with a visualization method based on nanoparticle-based lateral flow strips (LFS) for the rapid detection of P. gingivalis. The species-specific 16S rRNA sequence of P. gingivalis was used as the target for RPA, and a set of specific primer-probe combinations were designed and screened to amplify the target sequences. As a thermostatic amplification method, the RPA reaction, under optimized conditions, takes only 30 min to complete at a constant temperature (37°C). The amplification reaction products can be detected visually by LFS without any need for special equipment. The RPA-LFS method established for the detection of P. gingivalis was shown to be highly specific in distinguishing P. gingivalis from other pathogenic organisms by using 20 clinical isolates of P. gingivalis and 23 common pathogenic microorganisms. Susceptibility measurements and probit regression analysis were performed with gradient dilutions of P. gingivalis genomic DNA. The method was obtained to be highly sensitive, with a detection limit of 9.27 CFU per reaction at 95% probability. By analyzing the gingival sulcus fluid specimens from 130 patients with chronic periodontitis, the results showed that the RPA-LFS method detected 118 positive cases and 12 negative cases of P. gingivalis, and the results obtained were consistent with those of a conventional PCR assay. The RPA-LFS method is an efficient, rapid, and convenient diagnostic method that simplifies the tedious process of detecting P. gingivalis.

Inhibitory Effect of Seawater Pearl Hydrolysate on UVA-Induced Photoaging of Human Skin Fibroblasts.

This study is an investigation into the inhibitory effect of seawater pearl hydrolysate (SPH) on the UVA-induced photoaging of human skin fibroblast (HSF) cells, and the mechanism thereof. HSF cells were cultured and irradiated with a UVA 0-50 J·cm-2 dose gradient. The cell inhibition rate was detected using the CCK8 method, and the half-inhibitory dose was determined. Based on this, the dose of UVA irradiation for the follow-up experiment was selected to establish a photoaging model of the HSF cells. The cells were divided into a normal (N) group, UVA-irradiated (UVA) group, SPH low dose (SPHL) group, SPH medium dose (SPHM) group, and SPH high dose (SPHH) group. The photoaging model of HSF cells was established by UVA irradiation in the UVA, SPHL, SPHM, and SPHH groups; the SPHL, SPHM, and SPHH groups were treated with SPH at concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 mg·L-1, respectively, at the same time. After 24 and 48 h of culture, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level of the HSF cells was detected by flow cytometry, and the required culture time of the HSF cells for the follow-up experiment was selected. The malondialdehyde and glutathione contents, as well as the activities of the superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in the HSF cells, were detected by biochemical methods. The levels of expression of MMP-1 and collagen I protein in HSF cells were detected by the western blot test, the extent of aging of HSF cells was detected by ß-galactosidase staining, and the apoptosis level of HSF cells was detected by flow cytometry. The results show that SPH inhibits the UVA-induced photoaging of HSF cells in a dose-dependent manner within a certain concentration range, and the effect of a concentration of 200 mg·L-1 was the most significant. The mechanism is related to improving the antioxidant activity of photoaging HSF cells to eliminate excessive ROS. It can inhibit apoptosis, reduce the protein expression of MMP-1, and effectively control the degradation of collagen I protein in photoaging HSF cells. Therefore, SPH offers potential for use in sunscreen cosmetics.

Effects of different silicate minerals on silicon activation by Ochrobactium sp. T-07-B.

As a kind of solid waste with a high silicon content, electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) can be utilized as silicon source by plants through bioleaching processes. EMR contains a variety of silicate minerals. In order to determine the source of available silicon in the bioleaching process of EMR, it is necessary to investigate the influence of silicate minerals in EMR on silicon-activating behavior of specific minerals. In this study, Ochrobactium sp. T-07-B was used to conduct bioleaching experiments on five kinds of silicate minerals with different structures (quartz, muscovite, biotite, olivine, and rhodonite); the growth of Ochrobactium sp. T-07-B, their acid- and polysaccharide-producing capacity, and evolution of surface morphology and structure of the silicate minerals in different systems were determined, so as to explore the silicon-activating capacity of Ochrobactium sp. T-07-B and the selectivity toward different minerals in the bioleaching process. Results showed that the effects of Ochrobactium sp. T-07-B for different silicate minerals were obviously different, and the sequence of silicon-activating efficiency from high to low was as follows: muscovite (65.84 mg·L-1) > biotite (63.84 mg·L-1) > olivine (55.76 mg·L-1) > rhodonite (50.98 mg·L-1) > quartz (23.63 mg·L-1). Results of this study may be of guiding significance for the future research on the silicon-activating behavior of solid waste.

Three-dimensional modulation formats with constant power for optical communications.

In this paper, a new method of constructing three-dimensional modulation formats with constant power is introduced. Constellations designed by the method have slightly larger minimum Euclidean distances (MEDs) than the conventional ones. No repetitive algorithm to maximize MED is used so that the new method has little computational complexity. Since signal points in the new formats are distributed regularly and symmetrically, an error control coding with systematic set-partition is applicable. We also present theoretical symbol error probability (SEP) of the new constellations in an additive white Gaussian noise environment, and demonstrate that the theoretical results are accurate. As the new modulation formats have almost the same or slightly lower SEPs than the conventional ones, they are appropriate for implementing a highly reliable optical communication system.